Evaluación de la eficacia de algunos fármacos para el tratamiento de la hepatozoonosis canina

La hepatozoonosis canina es una enfermedad parasitaria, adquirida por la ingestión de garrapatas infectadas con protozoarios del género Hepatozoon (H). Hepatozoon canis y Hepatozoon americanum son las dos especies que pueden infectar al perro. La presentación clínica de la infección con Hepatozoon canis es muy variable, pudiendo ser asintomática o manifestarse con signos de enfermedad leves a severos. Los exámenes hematológicos revelan ligera anemia no regenerativa, marcada leucocitosis neutrofílica con desvío a la izquierda y monocitosis en los casos de hepatozoonosis clínica. El diagnóstico se realiza mediante la visualización mediante el microscopio óptico de los gamontes en neutrófilos y monocitos en frotis de sangre coloreados. No existe, hasta el momento, un tratamiento eficaz para esta parasitosis. El fármaco más utilizado es el dipropionato de imidocarb, aunque con resultados variables. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar tres opciones terapéuticas para la erradicación de Hepatozoon spp. de la sangre de perros infectados. Se utilizaron 18 perrosparasitados naturalmente y se evaluaron tres fármacos: dipropionato de imidocarb, toltrazuril y espiramicina. En todos los perros tratados disminuyó el promedio de infección, presentando similares valores medios de leucocitos infectados. El análisis estadístico arrojó una diferencia significativa solo en el tratamiento de la parasitosis con dipropionato de imidocarb. En virtud de los resultados obtenidos con los tratamientos llevados a cabo con los diferentes fármacos, se concluye que ninguno es totalmente efectivo para la desaparición del parásito de la sangre, siendo el dipropionato de imidocarb el de mejor comportamiento.

Ameliorative effect of black grape juice on systemic alterations and mandibular osteoradionecrosis induced by whole brain irradiation in rats

PURPOSE

Whole brain irradiation (WBI) causes a variety of secondary side-effects including anorexia and bone necrosis. We evaluated the radiomodifying effect of black grape juice (BGJ) on WBI alterations in rats measuring food and water intake, body weight, hemogram, and morphological and histological mandibular parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty male rats (200-250 g) were exposed to eight sessions of cranial X-ray irradiation. The total dose absorbed was 32 Gy delivered over 2 weeks. Four groups were defined: (i) NG: non-irradiated, glucose and fructose solution-supplemented (GFS); (ii) NJ: non-irradiated, BGJ-supplemented; (iii) RG: irradiated, GFS-supplemented; and (iv) RJ: irradiated, BGJ-supplemented. Rats received daily BGJ or GFS dosing by gavage starting 4 days before, continuing during, and ending 4 days after WBI.

RESULTS

RJ rats ingested more food and water and showed less body weight loss than RG rats during the irradiation period. Forty days after WBI, irradiated animals started losing weight again compared with controls as a consequence of masticatory hypofunction by mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Osteoclastic activity and inflammation were apparent in RG rat mandibles. BGJ was able to attenuate the severity of ORN as well as to improve white and red blood cell counts.

CONCLUSIONS

Fractionated whole brain irradiation induces mandibular changes that interfere with normal feeding. BGJ can be used to mitigate systemic side-effects of brain irradiation and ORN.

Tuberculosis in prisoners and their contacts in Chile: estimating incidence and latent infection

SETTING

Contact investigation of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Chilean prisons.

OBJECTIVE

1) To estimate TB incidence and the prevalence of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) among prisoners and their contacts; and 2) to determine factors associated with disease transmission.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study conducted in 46 prisons (51% of the total prison population) to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for LTBI among contacts of prisoners newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB. We used in vitro interferon-gamma release assays to establish LTBI and a questionnaire to address risk factors.

RESULTS

During the 1-year follow-up, we studied 418 contacts of 33 active TB cases. We found high TB incidence (123.9 per 100,000 prisoners) and high LTBI prevalence (29.4%) among contacts. LTBI rates are significantly higher in prison inmates than in non-prisoners (33.2% vs. 15.6%). Male sex, illicit drugs, malnutrition, corticosteroid use, low educational level and sharing a cell with a case increase the risk of LTBI. Multivariate analyses showed that corticosteroid use, duration of incarceration and overcrowding are the most relevant determinants for LTBI among all contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm that incarceration increases the risk of tuberculous infection and TB disease, and that it was associated not only with origin from vulnerable groups, but also with the prison environment. Reinforcing TB control is essential to prevent TB transmission in prisons.

Reduced work/academic performance and quality of life in patients with allergic rhinitis and impact of allergen immunotherapy

Background

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterised by burdensome nasal and/or ocular symptoms. This inflammatory disease can be debilitating and thus result in considerable health-related and economic consequences.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, adult subjects with AR (N = 683) completed three allergy-specific questionnaires that assessed the impact of AR on the work/academic performance, daily activities, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and satisfaction with allergen immunotherapy (AIT). Regression analyses were used to examine the associations between several clinical variables and the patient-reported outcomes.

Results

Total loss of productivity was 21.0 and 21.2 % for employed and student patients, respectively, whereas the impairment of daily activities was 22.0 %. The mean overall HRQOL score was 1.94 ± 1.29 (on the scale of 0–6 points). Global score for satisfaction with AIT was 65.5 ± 24.8 (on a 0–100 scale). Simple regression analysis found statistically significant associations between loss of work and academic productivity, impairment of daily activities and the type and severity of AR. AIT was a protective factor. The persistent and more severe types of AR and lack of AIT contributed to the worsening of HRQOL.

Conclusions

AR (the persistent and more severe form of the disease) has an impact on functional characteristics of adult patients in Spain. AIT might reduce the effect of this disease on the work/academic performance and HRQOL.

Trial registration Retrospectively registered

The improved biological response of shark tooth bioapatites in a comparative in vitro study with synthetic and bovine bone grafts

Autologous bone is considered to be the gold standard for bone tissue regeneration, providing more highly efficient functional responses compared to synthetic materials, and avoiding the rejection risks of allogenic grafts. However, it presents limitations for certain types of surgery due to its high resorption levels and donor site morbidity. Different biphasic synthetic composites, based onnon-apatitic calcium phosphates enriched with apatitic phases-such as hydroxyapatite, and bioderived bone grafts of bovine and porcine origin-are proposed as lower resorption materials due to their higher crystalline structure. The present work proposes two new sources of bioapatites for bone filler applications obtained from the dentine and enameloid of shark teeth, respectively. These bioapatites each present a characteristic apatite-based composition and additional enrichments of specific trace elements, such as magnesium and fluorine, with proven roles in bone metabolism. Their processing and physicochemical characterization (SEM, FT-Raman and XRD) is presented, together with an in vitro evaluation of osteogenic activity compared to a commercial bovine mineralized matrix and synthetic HA/β TCP grafts. The results proved the globular morphology (0.5-1.5 μm) and porosity (~50 μm and ~0.5-1 μm) of shark dentine bioapatites with biphasic composition: apatitic (hydroxyapatite and apatite-(CaF)), non-apatitic (whitlockite), and an apatitic phase (fluorapatite), organized in oriented crystals in enameloid bioapatites. An evaluation of the pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 morphology revealed the colonization of pores in dentine bioapatites and an aligned cell growth in the oriented enameloid crystals. A higher proliferation (p  <  0.01) was detected at up to 21 d in both the shark bioapatites and synthetic biphasic graft with respect to the bovine mineralized matrix. Finally, the great potential of porous biphasic dentine bioapatites enriched with Mg and the aligned fluorapatite crystals of enameloid bioapatites in promoting greater osteogenic activity was confirmed with a significantly increased ALP synthesis (p  <  0.01) compared to the commercial grafts.

Phase II study of first-line biweekly docetaxel and cisplatin combination chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer

PURPOSE

Previous studies have shown that docetaxel and cisplatin, as single agents, are effective and relatively well tolerated in patients with advanced gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to assess efficacy and toxicity of a biweekly regimen of docetaxel plus cisplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

PATIENTS/METHODS

Fifty-five patients with histologically proven advanced gastric cancer with at least 1 measurable lesion and ECOG PS ≤ 2 were enrolled. Patients received docetaxel 50 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks until progression disease, unbearable toxicity or a maximum of 12 cycles.

RESULTS

In total, 426 cycles were administered (median 8.5 cycles) to 52 evaluable patients. One patient (1.9 %) showed a complete response, while 21 (40.4 %) had partial responses. The objective response rate was 42.3 % (95 % CI 28.9-55.7), the median time to progression was 5.5 months (95 % CI 4.0-7.0), and the median overall survival was 8.9 months (95 % CI 6.0-11.9). The most common grade 3-4 toxicities per cycle were haematological [neutropenia (5.9 %)].

CONCLUSIONS

Biweekly administration of docetaxel and cisplatin in advanced gastric cancer has a manageable toxicity profile and shows a promising antitumour activity as a first-line therapy.

Experience with Guillain-Barré syndrome in a neurological Intensive Care Unit

INTRODUCTION

Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute polyradiculoneuropathy that presents with weakness and areflexia, is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. In certain patients, respiratory failure is secondary to this disorder, eventually causing patients to require mechanical ventilation and experience additional complications due to diminished respiratory support and related mobility limitations. Prognoses for most of these cases are positive; treatment consists of basic support combined with plasmapheresis or administration of immunoglobulins.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to describe the socio-demographic, clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome who were hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neurological Institute of Colombia between 2006 and 2012.

METHODOLOGY

This study presents a case series.

RESULTS

We surveyed 25 patients (32% female and 68% male) with Guillain-Barré syndrome and an average age of 54 years. Sixty per cent of these patients were admitted between days 3 and 7 after symptom onset; 64% had a history of respiratory infection and 20% had a history of intestinal infection. In addition, 84% of the patients presented with albuminocytological dissociation. We observed the following clinical subtypes of Guillain-Barré syndrome: inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 32%, acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy in 28%, acute motor axonal neuropathy in 28%, and Miller Fisher syndrome in 12%.

CONCLUSIONS

In this descriptive study of a group of critical care patients with GBS, results depended on patients' clinical severity at time of admission. Our findings are similar to results published in the international literature.

Assessment of the water self-purification capacity on a river affected by organic pollution: application of chemometrics in spatial and temporal variations

Water pollution caused by organic matter is a major global problem which requires continuous evaluation. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to assess spatial and temporal changes caused by natural and anthropogenic phenomena along Potrero de los Funes River. Cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to a data set collected throughout a period of 3 years (2010-2012), which monitored 22 physical, chemical and biological parameters. Content of dissolved oxygen in water and biochemical oxygen demand in a watercourse are indicators of pollution caused by organic matter. For this reason, the Streeter-Phelps model was used to evaluate the water self-purification capacity. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the sampling sites based on the similarity of water quality characteristics. PCA resulted in two latent factors explaining 75.2 and 17.6 % of the total variance in water quality data sets. Multidimensional ANOVA suggested that organic pollution is mainly due to domestic wastewater run-offs and anthropogenic influence as a consequence of increasing urbanization and tourist influx over the last years. Besides, Streeter-Phelps parameters showed a low reaeration capacity before dam with low concentration of dissolved oxygen. Furthermore, self-purification capacity loss was correlated with the decrease of the Benthic Index. This measurement suggested that biological samplings complement the physical-chemical analysis of water quality.

Key parameters in blood-surface interactions of 3D bioinspired ceramic materials

Direct contact of materials with blood components may trigger numerous processes which ultimately lead to hemolysis, clot formation and recruitment of inflammatory cells. In this study, the blood-surface interactions for two inert bioinspired ceramic scaffolds obtained from natural resources; biomorphic carbon and silicon carbides (bioSiC) from different origins have been studied. The response of the blood in contact with carbon is well known, however little has been identified on the influence of their 3D porous structure. Moreover, to our knowledge, there is no reference in the literature about the hemocompatibility of biomorphic silicon carbide as a porous scaffold. The experimental results showed the surface energy to be crucial to evaluate the hemocompatibility of a material however the surface topography and material porosity are also parameters to be considered. Surface roughness modifies clot formation whereas for protein adsorption total sample porosity seems to be the key parameter to be considered for hydrophilic materials (biomorphic silicon carbides), while the size of the pores determines the hemolytic response.

Purple grape juice as a protector against acute x-irradiation induced alterations on mobility, anxiety, and feeding behaviour in mice

The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that a moderate intake of organic purple grape juice shows a positive radiomodifier effect over early behavioural damage following acute X-irradiation in mice. Anxiety-, locomotion-, and feeding-related responses to 6 Gy total body X-irradiation (TBI) were studied via open field, Rotarod, and feeding/drinking recording. Thirty-two male mice weighing 25-30 g were grouped according grape juice (J) or water (W) ad libitum drinking and either non-irradiated (N) or irradiated (R). 24 h post-TBI the access frequency to the center and corners of the open field was decreased, and the total stay in the corners increased, in RW vs. NW mice. Anxiety-related parameters decreased in RJ vs. RW mice. Rotarod latency times increased 72 h post-TBI in RJ vs RW mice. No overall changes in food and drink intake were observed along the experimental period. On the irradiation day, bout number was increased and bout duration was decreased in RW mice. The changes were reversed by purple grape juice intake. Grape juice intake before and after TBI can overcome several radiation-induced changes in behaviour within 24-72 hours after sub-lethal X-irradiation. This beneficial effect on short-term anxiety and mobilityrelated activities could probably be included in the list of flavonoid bio-effects. The present findings could be relevant in designing preventive interventions aimed to enhance body defense mechanisms against short-term irradiation damage.