Phage cocktail SalmoFREE® reduces Salmonella on a commercial broiler farm

According to the World Health Organization, Salmonella is one of the most important zoonotic foodborne pathogens. Poultry products are thought to be the main source of Salmonella, which means that it is necessary to control Salmonella at the pre-harvest stage. Bacteriophages, acting as host-specific parasites of bacterial cells, represent one of the alternatives to antibiotics that can contribute to food safety and security. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the bacteriophage cocktail SalmoFREE^® to control Salmonella on a commercial broiler farm. We assessed the relationship between the use of SalmoFREE^® and productivity parameters (feed conversion, weight gain, homogeneity). Two field trials (trial 1 n = 34,986; trial 2 n = 34,680) were carried out under commercial rearing conditions on a Colombian broiler farm with a record of Salmonella presence. Each trial comprised 2 control chicken houses and 2 experimental ones. SalmoFREE^® and a control suspension were delivered in the drinking water at 3 time points in the production cycle, and the presence of Salmonella was assessed in cloacal swabs the day before and after the treatments. Results revealed that SalmoFREE^® controls the incidence of Salmonella and does not affect the animals nor the production parameters, demonstrating its efficacy and innocuity at the production scale. We detected phage-specific genes in samples of total DNA extracted from ceca after the treatment with SalmoFREE^®, and tested for the appearance of cocktail-resistant Salmonella, which showed to be an uncommon event. These results contribute relevant information to the adoption of phage therapy as an alternative to growth-promoter antibiotics on poultry farms.

Associations between infant fungal and bacterial dysbiosis and childhood atopic wheeze in a nonindustrialized setting

BACKGROUND

Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. Recently, we identified a critical window early in the life of both mice and Canadian infants during which gut microbial changes (dysbiosis) affect asthma development. Given geographic differences in human gut microbiota worldwide, we studied the effects of gut microbial dysbiosis on atopic wheeze in a population living in a distinct developing world environment.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine whether microbial alterations in early infancy are associated with the development of atopic wheeze in a nonindustrialized setting.

METHODS

We conducted a case-control study nested within a birth cohort from rural Ecuador in which we identified 27 children with atopic wheeze and 70 healthy control subjects at 5 years of age. We analyzed bacterial and eukaryotic gut microbiota in stool samples collected at 3 months of age using 16S and 18S sequencing. Bacterial metagenomes were predicted from 16S rRNA data by using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States and categorized by function with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes ontology. Concentrations of fecal short-chain fatty acids were determined by using gas chromatography.

RESULTS

As previously observed in Canadian infants, microbial dysbiosis at 3 months of age was associated with later development of atopic wheeze. However, the dysbiosis in Ecuadorian babies involved different bacterial taxa, was more pronounced, and also involved several fungal taxa. Predicted metagenomic analysis emphasized significant dysbiosis-associated differences in genes involved in carbohydrate and taurine metabolism. Levels of the fecal short-chain fatty acids acetate and caproate were reduced and increased, respectively, in the 3-month stool samples of children who went on to have atopic wheeze.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the importance of fungal and bacterial microbiota during the first 100 days of life on the development of atopic wheeze and provide additional support for considering modulation of the gut microbiome as a primary asthma prevention strategy.

Increased coherence among striatal regions in the theta range during attentive wakefulness

The striatum, the largest component of the basal ganglia, is usually subdivided into associative, motor and limbic components. However, the electrophysiological interactions between these three subsystems during behavior remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that the striatum might be particularly active during exploratory behavior, which is presumably associated with increased attention. We investigated the modulation of local field potentials (LFPs) in the striatum during attentive wakefulness in freely moving rats. To this end, we implanted microelectrodes into different parts of the striatum of Wistar rats, as well as into the motor, associative and limbic cortices. We then used electromyograms to identify motor activity and analyzed the instantaneous frequency, power spectra and partial directed coherence during exploratory behavior. We observed fine modulation in the theta frequency range of striatal LFPs in 92.5 ± 2.5% of all epochs of exploratory behavior. Concomitantly, the theta power spectrum increased in all striatal channels (P < 0.001), and coherence analysis revealed strong connectivity (coefficients >0.7) between the primary motor cortex and the rostral part of the caudatoputamen nucleus, as well as among all striatal channels (P < 0.001). Conclusively, we observed a pattern of strong theta band activation in the entire striatum during attentive wakefulness, as well as a strong coherence between the motor cortex and the entire striatum. We suggest that this activation reflects the integration of motor, cognitive and limbic systems during attentive wakefulness.

Action and object naming in Parkinson's disease without dementia

The present study aimed to assess the ability in objects and actions naming in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Further, we wished to assess the effect of a particular conceptual dimension, i.e. manipulability, on the naming of object and actions. Patients were recruited from the Department of Neurology, University of Brescia. Thirty-two were diagnosed as PD, according to published criteria, and 15 healthy volunteers matched in age and education to patients' sample. All patients underwent a detailed clinical and neurological evaluation. The stimuli used in the action-object picture naming task were taken from the Center for Research in Language-International Picture Naming Project corpus. To assess the effect of manipulability (or the involvement of fine hand movements) the noun-verb stimuli were re-categorized into manipulable and non-manipulable items (i.e. objects which can or cannot be manipulated and actions which do or do not involve fine hand movements). Patients showed a deficit both in action and object naming, compared with controls. In addition, patients with PD but not controls were significantly more impaired in action than in object naming. The current study supports the view that action naming is affected in patients with PD, possibly reflecting the presence of prefrontal dysfunction.

[Electrophoretic patterns of salivary hemeproteins (nitrophorines) of Rhodnius colombiensis and R. prolixus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae)]

INTRODUCTION

Salivary hemeprotein electrophoresis in starch gels is a recent technique used for differentiation of Rhodnius species with great phenotypic similarity. Furthermore, populations of the same species can be differentiated from geographically separated locales. Of the 15 described Rhodnius species in Latin America, at least eight have been reported in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE

To use the salivary hemeproteins electrophoresis for R. prolixus and R. colombiensis identification. These two species are phenotypically similar and have overlapping domestic and sylvatic cycles where they occur in the upper basin of the Magdalena river, Central Colombia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The content of salivary glands of each insect was subjected to starch gel electrophoresis using glycine buffer, and the bands were revealed with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine. Band patterns were photographically recorded.

RESULTS

Electrophoretic patterns of salivary hemeproteins of R. prolixus and R. colombiensis were able to unequivocally differentiate the two species.

CONCLUSION

The usefulness of the starch gel technique for distinguishing between R. prolixus and R. colombiensis was demonstrated as an additional tool to the morphometric and molecular methods already in use for differentiation of these two species.

[Comparison of the life cycles of Rhodnius colombiensis Moreno, Jurberg & Galvão, 1999 and R. prolixus Stal, 1872 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) under laboratory conditions]

INTRODUCTION

Rhodnius colombiensis is a sylvatic triatomine associated with wine palm trees (Attalea butyracea) in the high basin of the Magdalena river (Colombia). The frequent invasion of these vectors into human dwellings and the high prevalences of natural infection with Trypanosoma cruzi of these insects suggest an important role in the transmission of Chagas disease.

OBJECTIVE

The length of the life cycles of R. colombiensis and R. prolixus under laboratory conditions were compared.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ninety-two individuals for each species were studied. The mean duration time of each stage, the number of bloodmeals for each stage, the percentage of mortality, the cause of death, the mean of eggs laid by female, the number of fertile eggs and the longevity of adults were recorded.

RESULTS

The mean duration time of all stages of R. colombiensis was higher than in R. prolixus, producing significant differences in the overall time from egg to adult. The mean of total eggs and fertile eggs showed significant differences, being higher in R. prolixus than in R. colombiensis. The total mortality was 31.5% for R. colombiensis and 6.5% for R. prolixus. The longevity of females was higher in R. prolixus.

CONCLUSIONS

The stages of R. prolixus are of relatively short duration. In general, the nymphs take fewer bloodmeals than R. colombiensis, the adults take more bloodmeals and oviposit a larger number of fertile eggs, and females have a greater longevity. These parameters indicated that R. prolixus has superior reproductive success in comparison with R. colombiensis under the experimental conditions used. These new life cycle data of R. colombiensis will be useful for maintenance of laboratory colonies.

[Comparison of feeding and defecation patterns of Rhodnius colombiensis and Rhodnius prolixus(Hempitera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) under laboratory conditions]

INTRODUCTION

Rhodnius colombiensis occasionally comes into human dwellings and consequently its role as an important potential vector in the transmission of American trypanosomiasis has been suggested.

OBJECTIVE

The potential role of R. colombiensis as vector was defined by comparing the feeding and defecation patterns between R. colombiensis and R. prolixus, the main domiciliary vector of Trypanosoma cruzi in Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS. For each developmental stage of R. colombiensis and R. prolixus the following data were collected: (1) time of feeding initiation, (2) the time for reaching the repletion, (3) the number of interruptions and defecations during the feeding, (4) the time between the end of the feeding and the first defecation, (5) the number of defecations during 10, 60 and 95 minutes of observation after feeding, and (6) the quantity of blood ingested.

RESULTS

The mean time of feeding initiation of the fifth instar nymphs, males and females, showed significant differences between the two species. The average of insects that defecated within 10 minutes after feeding was higher for each successive stage of R. prolixus and showed significant differences with Rhodnius colombiensis. In contrast, the mean weight of blood ingested by each stage of R. colombiensis and R. prolixus was significantly different between the N1, N2, N5 and females of these species.

CONCLUSION

Rhodnius colombiensis produced fewer defecations than R. prolixus during feeding. A higher percentage of R. prolixus defecated within 10, 60 and 95 minutes after feeding. However, R. colombiensis remains a longer time in contact with the vertebrate host, thus raising the probability of its role in transmission considering its occasional entry to human dwellings and its higher prevalences of infection withT. cruzi and T. rangeli.

Action and object processing in aphasia: from nouns and verbs to the effect of manipulability

The processing of words and pictures representing actions and objects was tested in 21 aphasic patients and 20 healthy controls across three word production tasks: picture-naming (PN), single word reading (WR) and word repetition (WRP). Analysis 1 targeted task and lexical category (noun-verb), revealing worse performance on PN and verb items for both patients and control participants. For Analysis 2 we used data collected in a concurrent gesture norming study to re-categorize the noun-verb items along hand imagery parameters (i.e., objects that can/cannot be manipulated and actions which do/do not involve fine hand movements). Here, patients displayed relative difficulty with the 'manipulable' items, while controls displayed the opposite pattern. Therefore, whereas the noun-verb distinction resulted simply in lower verb accuracy across groups, the 'manipulability' distinction revealed a 'double-dissociation' between patients and control participants. These results carry implications for theories of embodiment, lexico-semantic dissociations, and the organization of meaning in the brain.

Action and object naming in frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration

Action naming has been reported to be disproportionately impaired in comparison to object naming in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This finding has been attributed to the crucial role of frontal cortex in action naming. The investigation of object and action naming in the different subtypes of FTD, as well as in the related conditions of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD), may thus contribute to the elucidation of the cerebral correlates of the action-object discrepancy as well as provide clues to the underlying cognitive mechanisms. The results indicated that, with the exception of semantic dementia, action naming was more impaired than object naming in all patient groups. The discrepancy was similar in frontal variant of FTD and Alzheimer's disease patients, whereas patients with nonfluent primary progressive aphasia, PSP, and CBD were significantly more impaired in the oral production of actions than of objects. These findings indicate that action naming impairment is not a general feature of FTD, but rather is associated with conditions that affect the frontoparietal-subcortical circuits involved in action knowledge and action representation.

[The biological aftereffects of preoperative and palliative percutaneous biliary drainage]

Biological repercussions in 78 patients with malignant obstructive jaundice in whom percutaneous biliary drainage was performed, are reported. In 37 cases drainage was done during operation while 41 were palliative. Biochemistry, proteinogram, hematological studies, renal function and immunology were assessed 15.7 +/- 3.4 days postoperatively and 25.2 +/- 4.7 days in palliative drainage. Results show a significant improvement of all parameters, more important in preoperative drainages especially in those combining percutaneous and internal drainage techniques.

[Evaluation of transparietal hepatic cholangiography in the diagnosis of cholestatic syndrome]

Three hundred and thirty-two percutaneous cholangiograms were done in 313 patients. The etiology was benign in 137 cases and malignant in 152 instances. The level of obstruction was correctly localized in 97.8% of cases. The total sensitivity was 88.5% and specificity 95.9%. Positive predictive value 95.4% and negative predictive value 89.6%. Major complications occurred in 3.3% of cases. Complications occurred more frequently when the bile ducts were dilated. They were not related to the number of attempts to puncture ther biliary tree or the experience of the physician.

[Results of extended resections in colorectal cancer]

We present 50 cases of super-radical surgery in cancer of the colon and rectum with tumoral spread. In the same period of time a total of 426 colorectal neoplasms were operated on, which represents 11% of the total. The mean age was 65.7 years, with a predominance of females (29/21). In every case the primitive tumor and contiguous organ affected were excised with an oncologic criterion; the principal location was the rectum, with 14 cases, and the viscus most affected was the female genital tract. The mean hospital stay was slightly longer than that of the general series (20.9/14); the mortality was 4%, a figure similar to that of the general series; the index of morbidity did not rise, survival was comparable and the patient's comfort was enhanced. In our opinion, this technique is indicated in all cases in which the tumor invades contiguous regions when local and/or general conditions permit.

On the electrical double layer between mercury and aqueous solutions of sodium citrate

The adsorption of citrate ions at the Hg/aqueous CitNa3 interface was studied, using both differential capacity and electrocapillary measurements. The results contrast with those obtained previously by Barradas etal. The hump of the Cd–E curve increases as the concentration of the solution increases to 0.5 M, to diminish beyond 1 M. The plots of [Formula: see text] vs. q−1 are linear and parallel to one another for the different values of q, which is in agreement with the results obtained by other authors for different anions. A Frumkin isotherm is also associated for the adsorption process and, finally, the parameters are obtained for the interface, using a type of isotherm proposed by Grahame.