D-index as a Risk Factor for Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia From a Reference Hematology Center in Bogota.

Introduction Patients with hematologic malignancies are susceptible hosts for the development of invasive fungal infection (IFI), one of the main life-threatening infectious complications faced by these patients. Currently, we have antifungal prophylaxis strategies and antifungal treatment schemes and we recognize that the main risk factor involved is profound and prolonged neutropenia. D-index and cumulative D-index are quantitative parameters, which determine the magnitude of neutropenia, as a function of duration and depth and their value correlates with the occurrence of IFI.

Assessment of a potential bioproduct for controlling Cerotoma arcuata tingomariana (coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Aims: The leaf-feeding pest Cerotoma arcuata tingomariana (Bechyné) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) produces huge economic losses in different crops. This study aimed to produce conidia by semisolid-state fermentation and to establish the insecticidal activity of two formulation prototypes based on a native Beauveria bassiana isolate for controlling this pest.

Methods And Results: A novel fabric-based semisolid-state fermentation strategy for quick and large-scale conidia production was performed and characterized.

Use of Trichoderma koningiopsis chitinase to enhance the insecticidal activity of Beauveria bassiana against Diatraea saccharalis.

Trichoderma is a well-known soil-borne fungus, highly efficient producer of extracellular enzymes including chitinases. The aim of this study was to recover a chitinase from fermentation waste after harvesting Trichoderma koningiopsis Th003 conidia and assess its potential as an enhancer of Beauveria bassiana insecticidal activity against Diatraea saccharalis. T.

Metarhizium rileyi biopesticide to control Spodoptera frugiperda: Stability and insecticidal activity under glasshouse conditions.

The insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium rileyi is highly sensitive to nutritional and environmental conditions which makes it difficult to produce as a stable biopesticide. In this study, a Colombian isolate of this fungus was produced in bulk, and conidia were formulated as an emulsifiable concentrate (EC). The stability of formulated conidia was studied.

Identification of Diatraea spp. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) based on cytochrome oxidase II.

Diatraea spp. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) are a group of insects that are agriculture pests in many economically relevant crops such as sugarcane, sorghum, corn and rice. Recognized species for this genus respond differentially to natural enemies used in their biological control, emphasizing the importance of species in a regional approach.

Implications of Clostridium septicum in Vascular Surgery: A Case Report and Outcomes Literature Review.

Clostridium septicum is a rare organism, accounting for approximately 1.3% of clostridial infections and is associated with synchronous colonic malignancy. This case report describes a patient successfully treated for a mycotic aortic aneurysm secondary to C.

Early results after synchronous carotid stent placement and coronary artery bypass graft in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Background: The optimal management of patients with combined carotid and coronary artery disease requiring cardiac surgery is still unknown. Staged carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting (CAS), each followed by coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), are options frequently employed. However, for patients with severe carotid artery disease in urgent need of open cardiac revascularization, staged operations may not be the most appropriate alternative.

MammaPrint Feasibility in a Large Tertiary Urban Medical Center: An Initial Experience.

Background. The MammaPrint (MP) diagnostic assay stratifies breast cancer patients into high- and low-risk groups using mRNA analysis of a 70-gene profile. The assay is validated for assessment of patients with estrogen receptor positive or negative tumors less than 5 cm with 3 or fewer malignant lymph nodes.

Surface engineered Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles for intracellular delivery: uptake and cytotoxicity--a confocal raman microscopic study.

Confocal Raman Microscopy (CRM) is used to study the cell internalization of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) fabricated by emulsion techniques with either poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) as surface stabilizers. HepG2 cells were exposed to PEI and BSA stabilized PLGA NPs. Spontaneous Confocal Raman Spectra taken in one and the same spot of exposed cells showed bands arising from the cellular environment as well as bands characteristic for PLGA, proving that the PLGA NPs have been internalized.

IgD in the reptile leopard gecko.

Immunoglobulin D (IgD) has been a mysterious antibody ever since it was discovered in mammals 40 years ago. It shares with IgM the role of antigen-receptor in the membrane of mature B cells. The absence of IgD in birds and its description in bony fishes contributed to the confusion about its evolutionary origins.

Memory and the creation of art: the syndrome, as in de Kooning, of 'creating in the midst of dementia'.

The creation of abstract art demands high intellectual capacities. Willem de Kooning, nonetheless, accomplished his last paintings while crippled by impairments diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. Until my research neither art nor science offered an explanation, or a thinking method, for identifying this phenomenon, for solving a mystery that pertains to human discovery and creation.

A novel IgA-like immunoglobulin in the reptile Eublepharis macularius.

The appearance of antibody genes over evolution coincided with the origin of the vertebrates. Reptiles are of great interest in evolution since they are the link between the amphibians, birds, and mammals. This work describes the presence of a gene in the reptile leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) where phylogenetic studies suggest that it is the gene orthologue of immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin X (IgX) in Xenopus.

Percutaneous balloon occlusion of the inferior vena cava as an adjunct for treating ruptured type IV thoracoabdominal aneurysm and aortocaval fistula.

Spontaneous aortocaval fistulas are rare and thoracoabdominal aneurysms eroding into the inferior vena cava are rarer still. We describe a patient who presented to our hospital with a fistula between a Type IV thoracoabdominal aneurysm and the inferior vena cava. Expanding endovascular capabilities of vascular surgeons enabled us to insert proximal and distal occluding balloon catheters into the vena cava which greatly minimized blood loss.

Which adolescents are most receptive to tobacco industry marketing? implications for counter-advertising campaigns.

This study sought to identify adolescents most receptive to tobacco advertising based on individual differences in novelty-seeking personality and other key variables. Confidential self-report surveys were completed by 1,071 high school freshmen at 5 public high schools. The survey included validated measures of novelty-seeking personality, smoking habits, peer and family smoking, and tobacco advertising receptivity.