Interactive impacts of boron and organic amendments in plant-soil microbial relationships

Water shortage and low organic carbon content in soil limit soil fertility and crop productivity. The use of desalinated seawater is increasing as an alternative source of irrigation water. However, it has a high boron (B) content that could cause toxicity in the plant-soil microbial system. Here, we evaluated the responses of the soil microbiota and lemon trees to 3 irrigation B doses (0.3, 1, and 15 mg L^-1) under two types of soil management (conventional, CS; and organic, OS) in a 180-days pot experiment. High B doses promoted B accumulation in soil, reaching harmful concentrations that affected soil biodiversity. Our results suggest a close interaction between B and organic labile fractions that increased B availability in soil solution. Besides, B addition to soil impacted on microbial biomass. The bacterial community showed sensitivity to the B dose. Organic amendment did not increase B soil adsorption but it favored B plant uptake. The highest B dose had a detrimental impact on plant physiology, finally resulting lethal for the plants. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of the microbes-plant interactions in soils irrigated with water with high B content. This will be fundamental in the design of future fertirrigation strategies.

Boron in soil: The impacts on the biomass, composition and activity of the soil microbial community

The high boron (B) content in desalinated seawater is a concern for crop development. However, in spite of the importance of the soil microbial community in soil fertility, the below-ground impacts of B are still unknown. Here, in a soil-ryegrass model system, the activity, biomass and diversity of the soil microbial community were evaluated in response to irrigation with: i) 0.3 mg B L^-1; ii) 1 mg B L^-1; and iii) 50 mg B L^-1. We assessed two different compounds of boron: boric acid (H₃BO₃) and disodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O). Overall, the 1 mg B L^-1 dose was identified as the threshold limit that did not irreversibly harm soil sustainability. In contrast, the highest B dose had a noticeable impact on the nitrogen (N) cycle of the soil, as demonstrated by an increase in the water-soluble N content and a decrease in urease activity. Analysis of the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) revealed that the effect of B on the soil microbial biomass was dependent on the chemical form used. High B doses reduced soil microbial respiration and influenced the composition of the bacterial and fungal communities, with fungal diversity being diminished, as revealed by sequencing approaches.

Leukoaraiosis May Confound the Interpretation of CT Perfusion in Patients Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Leukoaraiosis frequently coexists in patients with acute stroke. We studied whether leukoaraiosis could confound the interpretation of CTP findings in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed 236 patients with stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy and studied with CTP, of whom 127 (53.8%) achieved complete reperfusion. Periventricular white matter hyperintensities on MR imaging and hypodensities on NCCT were assessed through the Fazekas score. CTP-predicted nonviable tissue was defined as relative CBF <30%, and final infarct volume was quantified in DWI. We estimated mean MTT, CBV, and CBF in the asymptomatic hemisphere. In patients achieving complete reperfusion, we assessed the accuracy of nonviable tissue to predict final infarct volume using the intraclass correlation coefficient across periventricular hyperintensity/hypodensity Fazekas scores and variable relative CBF cutoffs.

RESULTS

MTT was longer (Spearman ρ = 0.279, P < .001) and CBF was lower (ρ = -0.263, P < .001) as the periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score increased, while CBV was similar across groups (ρ = -0.043, P = .513). In the subgroup of patients achieving complete reperfusion, nonviable tissue-final infarct volume reliability was excellent in patients with periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score grade 0 (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.900; 95% CI, 0.805-0.950), fair in patients with periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas scores 1 (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.569; 95% CI, 0.327-0.741) and 2 (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.444; 95% CI, 0.165-0.657), and poor in patients with periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score 3 (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.310; 95% CI, -0.359-0.769). The most accurate cutoffs were relative CBF <30% for periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score grades 0 and 1, relative CBF <25% for periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score 2, and relative CBF <20% for periventricular hyperintensity Fazekas score 3. The reliability analysis according to periventricular hypodensity Fazekas score grades on NCCT was similar to that in follow-up MR imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with stroke, the presence of leukoaraiosis confounds the interpretation of CTP despite proper adjustment of CBF thresholds.

Plant-plant competition outcomes are modulated by plant effects on the soil bacterial community

Competition is a key process that determines plant community structure and dynamics, often mediated by nutrients and water availability. However, the role of soil microorganisms on plant competition, and the links between above- and belowground processes, are not well understood. Here we show that the effects of interspecific plant competition on plant performance are mediated by feedbacks between plants and soil bacterial communities. Each plant species selects a singular community of soil microorganisms in its rhizosphere with a specific species composition, abundance and activity. When two plant species interact, the resulting soil bacterial community matches that of the most competitive plant species, suggesting strong competitive interactions between soil bacterial communities as well. We propose a novel mechanism by which changes in belowground bacterial communities promoted by the most competitive plant species influence plant performance and competition outcome. These findings emphasise the strong links between plant and soil communities, paving the way to a better understanding of plant community dynamics and the effects of soil bacterial communities on ecosystem functioning and services.

The composition and depth of green roof substrates affect the growth of Silene vulgaris and Lagurus ovatus species and the C and N sequestration under two irrigation conditions

Extensive green roofs are used to increase the surface area covered by vegetation in big cities, thereby reducing the urban heat-island effect, promoting CO2 sequestration, and increasing biodiversity and urban-wildlife habitats. In Mediterranean semi-arid regions, the deficiency of water necessitates the use in these roofs of overall native plants which are more adapted to drought than other species. However, such endemic plants have been used scarcely in green roofs. For this purpose, we tested two different substrates with two depths (5 and 10 cm), in order to study their suitability with regard to adequate plant development under Mediterranean conditions. A compost-soil-bricks (CSB) (1:1:3; v:v:v) mixture and another made up of compost and bricks (CB) (1:4; v:v) were arranged in two depths (5 and 10 cm), in cultivation tables. Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke and Lagurus ovatus L. seeds were sown in each substrate. These experimental units were subjected, on the one hand, to irrigation at 40% of the registered evapotranspiration values (ET0) and, on the other, to drought conditions, during a nine-month trial. Physichochemical and microbiological substrate characteristics were studied, along with the physiological and nutritional status of the plants. We obtained significantly greater plant coverage in CSB at 10 cm, especially for L. ovatus (80-90%), as well as a better physiological status, especially in S. vulgaris (SPAD values of 50-60), under irrigation, whereas neither species could grow in the absence of water. The carbon and nitrogen fixation by the substrate and the aboveground biomass were also higher in CSB at 10 cm, especially under L. ovatus - in which 1.32 kg C m(-2) and 209 g N m(-2) were fixed throughout the experiment. Besides, the enzymatic and biochemical parameters assayed showed that microbial activity and nutrient cycling, which fulfill a key role for plant development, were higher in CSB. Therefore, irrigation of 40% can maintain an adequate plant cover of both endemic species, particularly in a deeper and soil-containing substrate.

Novel alternatively spliced ADAM8 isoforms contribute to the aggressive bone metastatic phenotype of lung cancer

ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) are transmembrane proteins involved in a variety of physiological processes and tumorigenesis. Recently, ADAM8 has been associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer. However, its contribution to tumorigenesis in the context of lung cancer metastasis remains unknown. Native ADAM8 expression levels were lower in lung cancer cell lines. In contrast, we identified and characterized two novel spliced isoforms encoding truncated proteins, Delta18a and Delta14', which were present in several tumor cell lines and not in normal cells. Overexpression of Delta18a protein resulted in enhanced invasive activity in vitro. ADAM8 and its Delta14' isoform expression levels were markedly increased in lung cancer cells, in conditions mimicking tumor microenvironment. Moreover, addition of supernatants from Delta14'-overexpressing cells resulted in a significant increase in tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase+ cells in osteoclast cultures in vitro. These findings were associated with increased pro-osteoclastogenic cytokines interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-6 protein levels. Furthermore, lung cancer cells overexpressing Delta14' increased prometastatic activity with a high tumor burden and increased osteolysis in a murine model of bone metastasis. Thus, the expression of truncated forms of ADAM8 by the lung cancer cells may result in the specific upregulation of their invasive and osteoclastogenic activities in the bone microenvironment. These findings suggest a novel mechanism of tumor-induced osteolysis in metastatic bone colonization.

Composting anaerobic and aerobic sewage sludges using two proportions of sawdust

Sawdust has been proven to be a good bulking agent for sludge composting; however, studies on the most suitable ratio of sludge:sawdust for sludge composting and on the influence of the sludge nature (aerobic or anaerobic) on the composting reaction rate are scarce. In this study two different sewage sludges (aerobic, AS, and anaerobic, ANS) were composted with wood sawdust (WS) as bulking agent at two different ratios (1:1 and 1:3 sludge:sawdust, v:v). Aerobic sludge piles showed significantly higher microbial activity than those of anaerobic sludge, organic matter mineralization rates being higher in the AS mixtures. The lowest thermophilic temperatures during composting were registered when the anaerobic sludge was mixed with sawdust at 1:1 ratio, suggesting the presence of substances toxic to microorganisms. This mixture also showed the lowest decreases of ammonium during composting. All this matched with the inhibitory effect on the germination of Lepidium sativum seeds of this mixture at the first stages of composting, and with its low values of microbial basal respiration. However, the ANS+WS 1:3 compost developed in a suitable way; the higher proportion of bulking agent in this mixture appeared to have a diluting effect on these toxic compounds. Both the proportions assayed allowed composting to develop adequately in the case of the aerobic sludge mixture, yielding suitable composts for agricultural use. However, the ratio 1:1 seems more suitable because it is more economical than the 1:3 ratio and has a lower dilution effect on the nutritional components of the composts. In the case of the anaerobic sludge with its high electrical conductivity and ammonium content, and likely presence of other toxic and phytotoxic substances, the 1:3 ratio is to be recommended because of the dilution effect.

Abiotic ecotypes in south-central Spanish rivers: reference conditions and pollution

Physico-chemical water quality in five of Spain's main rivers was assessed during the years 2001-2003. A previous physiographical river typology was carried out by applying System B of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/CE) which distinguished four main river ecotypes: calcareous headwaters, siliceous rivers, plain rivers, and large rivers. The physiographical classification into river ecotypes also corresponded to distinct hydrochemical types. Reference values of ammonium, nitrate and phosphate fitted for local river ecotypes surpassed only slightly the natural and background levels established by the European Environmental Agency (EEA, 2003). Half of the sampled sites were above the limits established as reference conditions. Additionally, concentrations of ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate increased when more percentage of land was dedicated to agriculture and less to forest land.

Alveolar-interstitial pneumopathy after gold-salts compounds administration, requiring mechanical ventilation

The pulmonary toxicity of gold salts is an uncommon cause of life-threatening respiratory failure. Currently, patients who suffer from this do not need mechanical ventilation, and the toxicity can be difficult to diagnose when it occurs in patient with an illness producing pulmonary manifestations. We report a case of severe respiratory failure due to gold salt toxicity in a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis requiring mechanical ventilation. At such a time, the poor respiratory function makes some diagnostic procedures harmful. The diagnosis can be made after the exclusion of other causes of rheumatoid lung when the patient's poor respiratory status precludes invasive exploration. The clinical findings, radiological features, and results of pulmonary function tests may be enough to diagnose gold-related pneumopathy. This avoids the need for bronchoscopic examination or transfer of the patient for computed tomography. Attention must be paid to this complication because the outcome and functional prognosis are better when pulmonary involvement is gold related: in our case steroid therapy was life-saving and induced complete recovery of the lung damage.

Characterization of the acute endocrine actions of (-)-11-hydroxy-delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol-dimethylheptyl (HU-210), a potent synthetic cannabinoid in rats

In the present study we have characterized the effects of the acute administration of the synthetic cannabinoid (-)-11-hydroxy-delta8-tetrahydrocannabinol-dimethylheptyl (HU-210, 4, 20 and 100 microg/kg), on the secretion of prolactin, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone in adult male rats. HU-210 administration resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of plasma growth hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone 60 min after the acute intraperitoneal injection, starting at 20 microg/kg. Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels revealed a dose-dependent activation of the pituitary-adrenal axis after acute exposure to HU-210. Plasma prolactin levels reflected a biphasic action of HU-210: the 4 microg/kg dose resulted in high prolactin levels and the 20 and 100 microg/kg doses induced a decrease in the levels of this hormone. The time course of the endocrine effects of HU-210 was examined using the 20 microg/kg dose and was found to parallel the onset of the immobility and hypothermic effects of this cannabinoid. HU-210 (20 microg/kg) was also found to block the hormonal surges of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin occurring during the afternoon of the proestrus phase in adult female rats. This dose induced activation of tubero-infundibular dopaminergic neurons, as reflected by the decrease in hypothalamic contents of dopamine in both males and females in the afternoon of the proestrus phase. The actions of HU-210 during early postnatal development revealed a delayed maturation of the endocrine response to HU-210, with respect to the behavioral effects. The findings of the present study reveal that HU-210 induces a set of endocrine alterations closely related to those described for natural cannabinoids such as delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol but at doses 50-200 times lower than those required for delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

[Lafora and neuropathology]

This article wants to be a memory to the figure and neuro-pathologic work of D. Gonzalo Rodríguez-Lafora. The tediousness of its neurological work allows to divide it in its slopes neurophatologic, neurophysiologic, clinic and therapy. Also, it embraces other topics outside of the field of the neurology, centered fundamentally in the psychiatry. It is without a doubt the facet neuro-histopathologic the one that provides him bigger national and international prestige and it contributes to deepen in the histopathology of the senility, picking up in a definitive way in their work critical valuation of the discoveries histopathological in the senility (1952) their thought in this respect. Mention separated deserves its more important discovery: The inclusions amylaceous in cells ganglionars, in a certain type of epilepsy myoclonic that today takes its name. Other entities like the illness of Wernicke, the hemorrhages hipofisarias, the Parkinson (for scarce months he is not early to Levy in an important discovery), or the alterations of the malaria in the cerebral fabric plows object of their attention, of the work of Lafora highlights its anatomo-pathologics works next to figures as Kraepelin, Alzheimer, Vogt, Openheim or Brodmann. Professor Lafora's figure is known internationally as neuropathologist, recognizing its contribution, collection in the world literature, to the study of the myoclonic epilepsy: 'Lafora disease. A form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy.

Early vs conventional extubation after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

OBJECTIVES

Sedation and ventilation overnight after cardiac surgery is common practice. However, early extubation may be feasible with no increase in postoperative complications. This study examines (1) if early extubation is possible in a significant number of patients, (2) if it reduces ICU stay, and (3) if this practice increases postoperative complications.

DESIGN

Prospective, controlled, randomized clinical trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We randomized 404 consecutive patients to early extubation (7 to 11 h postoperatively) (group A, 201 patients) or conventional extubation (between 8 and 12 AM the following day) (group B, 203 patients). Variables included type and severity of the disease, surgical risk, type of operation, operative incidences, postoperative complications, duration of mechanical ventilation, intubation and ICU stay, bleeding, reoperation, vasoactive drugs, and mortality.

RESULTS

Groups were comparable. Extubation within the preestablished time was successful in 60.2% of patients in group A and 74.4% in group B. Median ICU stay was 27 h in group A and 44 h in group B (p=0.008). Discharge from ICU within the first 24 h postoperatively was 44.3% in group A and 30.5% in group B (p=0.006). There was no significant difference in complications between groups. Successfully extubated patients in group A had more reintubation and prolonged ventilation than in group B.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Sixty percent of our patients were extubated within 11 h of operation. (2) As a result, the length of stay in ICU was reduced and the percentage of patients discharged within 24 h was increased. (3) There was no increase in clinically important postoperative complications.

The effect of shockwaves on mature and healing cortical bone

It has been proposed that high energy shockwaves could be used to create microfractures in cortical bone. This quality might be exploited clinically to perform closed osteotomies and promote healing in nonunion (15). However, no study has previously documented the effect of shockwaves on cortical bone "in vivo". We report an investigation designed to demonstrate the effect of shockwaves on mature cortical and healing bone. An osteotomy was performed on the tibiae of 37 lambs; two weeks later the operation site was exposed to shockwaves. Three weeks later the lambs were killed and specimens of the bone examined histologically and radiographically. Shockwaves had no effect on the periosteal surface of mature cortical bone, but on the endosteal surface some new trabecular bone was seen. Healing of bone was delayed by the shockwave therapy. We conclude that there is currently little place for shockwave treatment in clinical orthopaedics.

Effect of diosmectite on intestinal permeability changes in acute diarrhea: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial

The effect of diosmectite on intestinal permeability changes in acute diarrhea was measured during a double-blind placebo-controlled trial carried out in 59 Gabonese children aged 5-35 months. Intestinal permeability tests (IPTs), measuring the urinary elimination of orally administered lactulose and mannitol at a dosage of 1 g/10 kg each, were performed during the morning following admission and repeated 2 days later after treatment by diosmectite or placebo. During the first IPT, urine volume and lactulose and mannitol urinary recoveries were comparable in the diosmectite and in the placebo groups: 50 vs. 35.5 ml (median; p = 0.21), 1.01 vs. 1.27% (p = 0.35), and 2.20 vs. 2.87% (p = 0.12). As a result, the lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio was similar in the two groups: 44.44 vs. 35.33% (p = 0.98). During the second IPT, the urinary lactulose recovery decreased similarly in both groups (-0.18 vs. -0.29%; p = 0.76), whereas the urinary mannitol recovery exhibited opposite variations, the increase in the diosmectite group (+ 1.43%) contrasting significantly with the decrease in the placebo group (-0.47%; p = 0.01). When comparing the first and the second IPT, the decrease of the L/M ratio was significant in the diosmectite group (44.44 vs. 28.32%; p = 0.02) and not in the placebo group (35.33 vs. 48.23%; p = 0.91). During gastroenteritis, diosmectite appears to enhance absorption of mannitol, a marker of intestinal absorptive area.

Influence of intestinal parasitism on lactose absorption in well-nourished African children

Hydrogen breath tests were performed in Gabon (Central Africa) after a loading dose of lactose in 67 well-nourished African children (50 with intestinal parasites and 17 unparasitized) and in 18 unparasitized young adults. All had normal nutritional status, and none had diarrhea or digestive symptoms. Parasites that were found included Ascaris lumbricoides in 76% of the parasitized children, Trichuris trichiura in 58%, Giardia in 24%, Entamoeba histolytica in 20%, Schistosoma intercalatum in 16%, and Necator Americanus in 14%. A similar proportion of parasitized (64%) or unparasitized (62.8%) subjects were lactose malabsorbers. Giardia infection was associated with a higher, but not significantly different, proportion of lactose intolerance (10 of 12, 83.3%). The presence of infection with A. lumbricoides or T. trichiura did not increase the percentage of lactose malabsorption. These data indicate that a decrease of lactase activity in well-nourished African children is not related to the presence or the importance of Ascaris or other intestinal parasites if the nutritional status is normal.

Efficacy, safety and acceptability of halofantrine in the treatment of acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria in African children (Gabon)

Halofantrine chlorhydrate 2 per cent suspension was given to 50 children (mean age 6.2 years in a dose of 8 mg/kg three times a day as a single day treatment. The children were born and lived in Gabon, where malaria transmission is continuous. They all had acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The children were kept in hospital for 5 days, and regularly followed over a 15-day period. The 50 children were cured and efficacy was evaluated as good in 44 cases, and excellent in six cases, as judged by improvement in their clinical signs and parasitaemia. Two criterias were considered in the evaluation of efficacy: clearance of parasitaemia (mean day 4), fever clearance (mean hour 24). There were two cases of persistences of parasites at day 15 with a very low parasitaemia rate. Tolerance to halofantrine was good from a clinical and biological point of view. Acceptability was excellent in all cases. Halofantrine 2 per cent suspension is a good alternative in the treatment of acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children, especially with the present situation of multidrug-resistant strains in Central Africa.

[The practice of pediatric oncology in a general pediatric service in Black Africa. The experience of the hospital center of Libreville (Gabon)]

From 1984 through 1990, 41 children with malignant diseases were admitted to the department of general pediatrics of 6,700 patients. The department had 40 beds including ten for neonates. Patients often sought medical advice only late in the disease. In many cases, solutions can be found to the problems raised by the treatment of these patients in a tropical area with no specialized facilities. However, this treatment is a significant burden for both the physicians and the families and new, adapted solutions are needed.

Serological tests in cerebrospinal fluid for congenital syphilis in central Africa

Serological tests were performed in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 13 children with active congenital syphilis (presence of specific IgM FTA-ABS antibodies) and of seven seropositive children with no active syphilis (FTA-ABS IgM-negative) born to syphilitic treated mothers in Libreville, Gabon. Antibodies against treponema were measured by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL), the Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) and the fluorescent treponema antibody absorption tests (FTA-ABS IgG and IgM). Of the 13 children with active syphilis, seven had a positive FTA-ABS IgG in the CSF. The result of this test was not correlated with the severity of clinical features, CSF protein levels or number of CSF white blood cells. The CSF-TPHA test was positive in four out of 12 children, and the CSF-VDRL test was negative in all the children with active congenital syphilis. One of the seven newborns with mother-transmitted antibodies had a positive FTA-ABS and TPHA in the CSF. These data show that the VDRL is not sensitive enough to diagnose congenital neurosyphilis, and that FTA-ABS or, at least, TPHA are convenient, sometimes with false-positive results, when a sophisticated method of detecting specific IgM in CSF is not available.

[Placental transfer of tetanus antibodies and protection of newborn infants]

Total IgG and tetanus antibodies were evaluated in 2 series of mother-child pairs: 50 in Paris and 134 in Africa. All pregnancies had been normal and birth weights greater than 3 kg. Cord blood mothers tetanus antibodies ratios were 1.5 in Paris and 0.98 in Libreville (p less than 0.01) respectively. Some African children were not protected, either due to the lack of response of their mothers to immunization (2.2%) or to an insufficient antibodies transplacental transport (2.9%), or to the lack of immunization of mothers (5.9%). On the contrary, all European children were protected, in spite of low maternal antibody levels. Likewise, in Paris cord blood IgG level was 12.24 g/l vs 9.42 in mothers (cord blood/mother ratio: 1.34) and in Africa 18.4 g/l in cord blood and 22.3 g/l in mothers (cord blood/mother ratio: 0.88; p less than 0.01). The correlations between maternal IgG levels and placental transfer rates indicate that the transplacental active transfer is limited by common high IgG levels in Africa, thus contributing to a decrease in protection of neonates, especially against tetanus in which humoral responses predominate.

[Maxillofacial location of Burkitt's lymphoma in Africa (apropos of 7 cases)]

Omnipresent disease, Burkitt's lymphoma is the most frequent non-Hodgkin malignant lymphoma in children (NHML). As a matter of course, maxillo-facial lesions are not exclusive, as we thought thirty years ago, but it is evident that they are extremely frequent in tropical areas. They strike all facial quadrants. Their aspects are always impressive, they perfectly diminish by a well applied polychemotherapy.

[A case of entomophthoromycosis caused by Conidiobolus coronatus]

The authors report a case of entomophthoromicosis caused by Conidiobolus coronatus, a saprophytic fungus that belongs to the class Zygomycetes (Phycomycetes in the past). Our patient was from a rural area. The paranasal sinuses had been drained surgically and a polyp was removed from his nasal cavity. He had a deformity in the face and nasal obstruction. His general condition and immunological status were normal except for epistaxis since childhood. The diagnosis was made clinically by the appearance of the lesion and confirmed by the mycological and histopathological findings. The therapeutic response was slow but with total resolution of the lesion.

[Migration from Southern Italy to Argentina: Calabrians and Sicilians (1880-1930)]

"The study analyzes Italian emigration to Argentina from Sicily and Calabria between 1880-1930, compared with out-migration flows from Piedmont. The concepts of cultural patrimony and of migratory strategy are used to measure the different potentials and job opportunities in the Argentinean labor market as well as in the Italian context for those returning home. Considering the high proportion of returnees, a positive or negative correlation between region of origin and of destination can be proposed. Southern Italians indicate a more permanent settlement. The authors conclude that the Argentinean society in its Italian component is the result of Southern rather than Northern influences." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND FRE)

[The first isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Panama]

Mycoplasma pneumoniae was isolated for first time in Panama and identified from a nine years old girl with pneumonia. SP4 medium was used to isolate the bacteria. Confirmatory serological results were obtained by indirect immunofluorescence and were also suggested by the presence of cryoagglutinins in the sera of this patient. DNA hybridization tests (Gen--Probe) were carried out.

Hereditary branchial myoclonus with spastic paraparesis and cerebellar ataxia: a new autosomal dominant disorder

We report a family with branchial myoclonus, spastic paraparesis, and cerebellar ataxia in which six members were affected in two generations and the inheritance appeared to be autosomal dominant. Age at onset ranged from 40 to 50 years. Rhythmic myoclonus involving the palate, pharynx, larynx, and face was followed by truncal ataxia and spastic paraparesis in most patients. CT and MRI revealed mild atrophy of the cerebral and cerebellar cortex and severe atrophy of the medulla and spinal cord. The pons appeared normal and the olives not hypertrophic. CSF studies revealed severe reduction of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Treatment with 5-hydroxytryptophan and carbidopa at highest tolerated dose mildly improved ataxia but did not modify the myoclonus. Treatment with anticholinergics, benzodiazepines, phenytoin, valproate, carbamazepine, and baclofen was unsuccessful. The clinical symptoms were progressive, leading to death or severe disability 5 to 10 years after the onset of the disease.

[Interaction between Salmonella and Schistosoma intercalatum]

Close interactions between salmonellae and Schistosoma intercalatum were demonstrated by a study of 118 children conducted at Libreville, Gabon. Bilharziasis, confirmed by rectal biopsy, was present in 76% of children hospitalized for typhoid-like salmonella septicaemia, as against 38% of controls of the same age living in the same district (P less than 0.001). Although the clinical symptoms were typical of typhoid fever, with stupor, myocarditis or leucopenia depending on the cases, the germs responsible in 26 out of 42 cases were salmonella species regarded as minor. Finally, the salmonella infection was clinically prolonged by bilharziasis in 1 out of 3 patients. It would therefore appear that salmonella adheres to the wall of S. intercalatum as to that of other schistosoma species, and that both infections must be treated concomitantly.

[The demographic and occupational characteristics of Italian migrants to Argentina, 1880-1930]

"This essay studies...the demographic and socio-professional characteristics of the Italian emigrants in Argentina during the period 1880-1930. Besides a reconstruction of the demographic variables (age, sex, mortality, and fertility) in the historical series, the essay also depicts the professional profile of the Italians in Argentina...." (summary in ENG, FRE)