From slenderness to robustness: Understanding long bone shape in sigmodontine rodents.

The morphological evolution of the appendicular skeleton may reflect the selective pressures specific to different environments, phylogenetic inheritance, or allometry. Covariation in bone shapes enhances morphological integration in response to ecological specializations. In contrast to previous multivariate studies using classical linear morphometry, we use a geometric morphometric approach to explore the morphological diversity of long bones and examine relationships between ecological categories and morphological characters in a species-rich and ecomorphologically diverse group of rodents.

Haemovigilance survey and screening strategy for arthropod-borne viruses in blood donors from Argentina.

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) count among emerging infections, which represent a major challenge for transfusion safety worldwide. To assess the risk of arboviruses-transmission by transfusion (ATT), we performed a survey to evaluate the potential threat for transfusion safety. Samples were retrospectively and randomly collected from donors who donated during the peak of dengue incidence in Cordoba (years: 2016 and 2019-2022).

Breakthrough infection by hepatitis B virus in a vaccinated blood donor: An emerging threat for transfusion safety in low-endemic countries?

We present the case of a breakthrough infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV), intending to warn about the challenge that HBV represents for transfusion safety. Virological markers for HBV infection were assayed during a blood donor screening by detection of HBsAg, anti-HBc, and viral nucleic acid (HBV DNA) by a nucleic acid test (NAT). Additionally, samples were analyzed for detection of immunoglobulin M anti-HBc, HBeAg, anti-HBe, and anti-HBs.

Infection by human polyomaviruses JCPyV and BKPyV in blood donors of Argentina.

Background And Objectives: A spectrum of blood-borne infectious agents may be transmitted through transfusion of blood components from asymptomatic donors. Despite the persistence of polyomaviruses in blood cells, no studies have been conducted in Argentina to assess the risk of transfusion infection.

Materials And Methods: We investigated BKPyV and JCPyV in 720 blood donors, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for a region of T antigen common to both viruses.

Seronegative human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1 carriers in blood banks: A potential viral source for silent transmission?

Background And Objectives: Transfusion-transmitted viruses count among the greatest threats to blood safety. In Argentina, current laws oblige testing all donated blood for the presence of antibodies against human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2). In endemic zones of the country, a high rate of seronegative HTLV-1 individuals with clear evidence of infection because of symptoms and/or presence of tax sequences of HTLV-1 and/or IgG anti-Tax antibodies has been recently described.

Hepatitis E virus in blood donors from Argentina: A possible source of viral infection?

Background: The hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute hepatitis, which can progress to chronicity in immunosuppressed patients. It is transmitted mainly by the fecal-oral or zoonotic routes, but there is current evidence that it can be transmitted by blood transfusions. The objective of the study was to investigate HEV infections in blood donors in Argentina, within the framework of a hemovigilance program.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in Argentinean blood donors.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the main cause of enteric acute viral hepatitis worldwide. In this epidemiological framework, it has become a threat to blood safety and a relevant issue for blood transfusions. However, there is a paucity of data regarding prevalence of HEV infection.

Establishment of the first platelet-donor registry in Argentina.

Background: Platelet transfusions are necessary to prevent and treat haemorrhages in thrombocytopenic patients or those with severe platelet dysfunction. In Latin American countries, including Argentina, blood supplies from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors remain dependent on family replacement donors, since altruistic repeat donors are exceptional and platelet donors are very scarce. The aim of this study was to recruit a group of frequent, voluntary, altruistic blood donors and determine their human platelet antigen (HPA)-genotype in order to establish the first registry of HPA-typed voluntary platelet donors in Argentina.

Gender-neutral donor deferral policies: experience in Argentina implementing individual risk-assessment policies.

Background: In Argentina, with the aim of moving to a safe supportive and inclusive National Blood System, in September 2015 the Ministry of Health stipulated that eligibility criteria for blood donation should only take into account the so-called 'risk practices', focusing on a 'gender-neutral' policy. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the impact of such regulation on the prevalence of STI in the population of blood donors in Argentina, through the analysis of the scientific evidence obtained from 174 074 donors from a large central region of the country, focused on a regional Blood Bank for a 6-year period (pre- and post-entry into force of the regulations).

Materials And Methods: To analyse the evolution of prevalence rates of STI, two periods of 3 years each were evaluated: The first period (P1) lasted from 16 September 2012 to 15 September 2015 (prior to the entry into force of the law) and the second one (P2) from 16 September 2015 to 15 September 2018 (after the entry into force of the law).

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: a late or missed diagnosis disease in fetal and perinatal health-care settings.

Introduction: Even though Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) has been recognized as the main cause of primary hemorrhagic morbidity and mortality in fetuses and newborns, screening programs to detect pregnancies at risk have not yet been implemented in any country. Moreover, in spite of increased concerns about maternal, fetal and neonatal health care in general, this potentially lethal disease is still underdiagnosed. The aim of this report is to highlight the importance of considering FNAIT in fetal and perinatal health-care settings and show the usefulness of molecular tools in early diagnosis of this clinical entity.

Usefulness of Non-Invasive Fetal RHD Genotyping towards Immunoprophylaxis Optimization.

Since anti-D immunoprophylaxis given to D-negative pregnant women is a blood product, blood donations have an impact on the availability of prophylactic doses. The Pan American Health Organization reported, in June 2017, that less than half of blood donors are volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean. In these countries, guidelines for use of anti-D prophylaxis are still controversial.

Usefulness of nucleic acid testing to reduce risk of hepatitis B virus transfusion-transmitted infection in Argentina: high rate of recent infections.

Background: Results from 10-year experience using nucleic acid test (NAT) screening in a blood bank of Córdoba are presented, showing the first data on prevalence of recent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and occult HBV infections (OBIs) in Argentina.

Study Design And Methods: Molecular screening was performed by COBAS AmpliScreen human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 (HIV-1) test Version 1.5 and COBAS AmpliScreen hepatitis C virus (HCV) test Version 2.

First phylogenetic analysis of the tribe Phyllotini (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) combining morphological and molecular data.

Previous phylogenetic analyses of the tribe Phyllotini, one of the largest components of the subfamily Sigmodontinae, have been based on a single source of evidence. In particular, morphological analyses were largely based on craniodental data, almost neglecting the potential phylogenetic information present in the postcranium. Despite the significant advances made in relation to the knowledge of phyllotine phylogeny in recent times, there are several unsolved issues that highlight the importance of a phylogenetic analysis that integrates multiple sources of evidence, including previously considered sources as well as new sources of data.

Diagnosis of Leishmania infection in a nonendemic area of South America.

American tegumentary leishmaniasis is the generic name for a variety of cutaneous and mucocutaneous presentations of parasitosis caused by several species of the genus Leishmania. This is a widespread infection in the American continent, from the South of the United States to the North of Argentina. We herein describe the management of a patient with American tegumentary leishmaniasis in Mendoza, Argentina, a nonendemic area of South America, whose diagnosis and treatment were significantly delayed, because the patient did not report a recent history of travel to any known endemic areas.

Interplay between postcranial morphology and locomotor types in Neotropical sigmodontine rodents.

Sigmodontine rats are one of the most diverse components of the Neotropical mammal fauna. They exhibit a wide ecological diversity and a variety of locomotor types that allow them to occupy different environments. To explore the relationship between morphology and locomotor types, we analyzed traits of the postcranial osteology (axial and appendicular skeletons) of 329 specimens belonging to 51 species and 29 genera of sigmodontines exhibiting different locomotor types.

Characterization of the impact of catheter-tissue contact force in lesion formation during cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation in an experimental swine model.

Aims: Catheter-tissue contact is critical for effective lesion creation. The objective of this study was to determine in an experimental swine model the pathological effects of cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation using two systems that provide reliable measures of the pressure at the catheter tip during radiofrequency ablation procedures.

Methods And Results: We performed the procedure in eight pigs in our experimental electrophysiology laboratory after right femoral vein dissection and insertion of a 12 Fr.

Evolution of differentiated thyroid cancer during pregnancy in a community University Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Objective: To analyze the presentation, follow-up and evolution of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) detected during pregnancy.

Subjects And Methods: Twenty nine women with DTC detected during pregnancy were analyzed. Group I (n = 13) was seen during pregnancy and DTC was diagnosed during gestation; detection of the nodule occurred during pregnancy (first trimester).

Altered renal expression of Na(+) transporters and ROMK in protein-deprived rats.

Potassium depletion has been associated with altered sodium reabsorption in tubule segments. We studied if the altered abundance of Na(+) transporters and ROMK are associated with distal potassium secretion that contributes to the development of hypokalemia in protein-deprived rats. After weaning, Wistar rats were fed with a low-protein diet (8%, LP) for 14 days and then recovered with a normal-protein (NP) diet (24%, RP).

Na+/K+ -ATPase stabilization by Hsp70 in the outer stripe of the outer medulla in rats during recovery from a low-protein diet.

A low-protein (LP) diet induces injury from energy depletion in renal epithelial cells. Overexpression of heat-shock proteins has been implicated in the restoration of the cytoskeletal anchorage of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. We tested if Hsp70 stabilizes renal Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase attachment to the cytoskeleton from the cortex and the outer stripe of the outer medulla (OSOM) in rats during recovery from a LP diet.

Apoptosis induction is associated with decreased NHE1 expression in neonatal unilateral ureteric obstruction.

OBJECTIVE To examine the participation of NHE1 in the regulation of the apoptotic response in neonatal obstruction, as the ubiquitously expressed NHE1 isoform is an important component of regulatory volume increase. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats had a unilateral ureteric obstruction (UUO) or a sham operation, and the kidneys were harvested 5 and 14 days afterward. Cellular apoptosis in proximal tubules (PT) and collecting ducts (CD) was assessed using a standard assay, and NHE1 expression in the renal cortex assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blots.

Heat shock protein 70 expression is associated with inhibition of renal tubule epithelial cell apoptosis during recovery from low-protein feeding.

The cellular stress response can mediate cellular protection through expression of heat shock protein (Hsp70), which can interfere with the process of apoptotic cell death. Factors regulating renal epithelial cell apoptosis include angiotensin II. In the present study, we have examined the relationship between the Hsp70 expression and the apoptotic pathway in the kidneys from low-protein-fed rats (8% protein).

Renal caveolin-1 expression in children with unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction.

Caveolae are plasma membrane invaginations that contain a variety of signal transduction molecules and receptors for growth factors and cytokines. This study was performed to examine the in vivo expression and localization of caveolin-1 in kidneys from 19 children who underwent surgery release of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) in relation to renal function and degree of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Renal biopsies were carried out at the time of surgery for obstruction release.

Angiotensin II type I antagonist on oxidative stress and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) expression in obstructive nephropathy.

Angiotensin II, a profibrotic cytokine, plays a main role in the initiation of renal fibrogenesis at a very early stage leading to a progressive loss of renal function in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We studied the involvement of AT1 angiotensin II receptor in the physiopathology of tubulointerstitial fibrosis in UUO, focusing in the regulation of the oxidative stress state and in the HSP 70 expression, in renal tissue. UUO or control sham operation was perform to Wistar Kyoto rats after being treated with the AT1 angiotensin II receptor antagonist Losartan (10 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water for 15 days.