[History and physycal examination].

The most effective method for diagnosing food allergy is the clinical history, which includes anamnesis and physical examination. The anamnesis must include a directed and detailed questioning, and together with the physical examination, it will provide the necessary data to guide the diagnosis and suggest whether the pathophysiology is mediated or not by IgE, which is relevant for the selection and interpretation of the tests. specific and establish the accurate diagnosis, in addition to evaluating the possibility of distinguishing between the different differential diagnoses.

An annotated and illustrated identification guide to common mesophotic reef sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, and Homoscleromorpha) inhabiting Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and vicinities.

Sponges are recognized as a diverse and abundant component of mesophotic and deep-sea ecosystems worldwide. In Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary region within the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, sponges thrive among diverse biological and geological habitats between 16-200+ m deep (i.e.

Antiplasmodial Compounds from Deep-Water Marine Invertebrates.

Novel drug leads for malaria therapy are urgently needed because of the widespread emergence of resistance to all available drugs. Screening of the Harbor Branch enriched fraction library against the chloroquine-resistant strain (Dd2) followed by bioassay-guided fractionation led to the identification of two potent antiplasmodials; a novel diterpene designated as bebrycin A () and the known C21 degraded terpene nitenin (). A SYBR Green I assay was used to establish a Dd2 EC of 1.

(VGIII) Meningoencephalitis Acquired in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

We describe a case of chronic meningoencephalitis with hydrocephalus caused by (VGIII) in an immunocompetent patient from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This first report of a member of the species complex from Bolivia suggests that (VGIII) is present in this tropical region of the country and complements our epidemiological and clinical knowledge of this group of emerging fungal pathogens in South America.

The marine natural product Scalarin inhibits the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and autophagy in the PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, has a negative prognosis because metastasis occurs before symptoms manifest. Although combination therapies are showing improvements in treatment, the survival rate for pancreatic cancer five years post diagnosis is only 8%, stressing the need for new treatments. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has recently emerged as a chemotherapeutic target in KRAS driven pancreatic cancers both for treatment and in chemoprevention.

Selective Killing of Dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Marine Natural Products.

The dormant phenotype acquired by during infection poses a major challenge in disease treatment, since these bacilli show tolerance to front-line drugs. Therefore, it is imperative to find novel compounds that effectively kill dormant bacteria. By screening 4,400 marine natural product samples against dual-fluorescent under both replicating and nonreplicating conditions, we have identified compounds that are selectively active against dormant This validates our strategy of screening all compounds in both assays as opposed to using the dormancy model as a secondary screen.

How a collaborative integrated taxonomic effort has trained new spongiologists and improved knowledge of Martinique Island (French Antilles, eastern Caribbean Sea) marine biodiversity.

Although sponges are important components of benthic ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea, their diversity remained poorly investigated in the Lesser Antilles. By organizing a training course in Martinique, we wanted both to promote taxonomy and to provide a first inventory of the sponge diversity on this island. The course was like a naturalist expedition, with a field laboratory and a classroom nearby.

Genotyping and Persistence of Candida albicans from Pregnant Women with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis.

Objective: To study Candida albicans genotypes using RAPD and their susceptibility to fluconazole in healthy pregnant women and in vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) patients after topical treatment with clotrimazole.

Methods: Vaginal swabs were collected at t = 0 and t = 1 (1 month later) in pregnant women (control group, n = 33), and before (t = 0), at 1 month (t = 1) and at 2 months (t = 2) after clotrimazole treatment in pregnant women with VVC.

Results: Candida albicans was isolated in 30% of healthy pregnant women and 80% of patients with VVC.

Altitude effect on birth weight and prematurity in the Province of Catamarca (Argentina).

Objectives: To analyze the effect of altitude on weight and prematurity at birth in the Province of Catamarca (Argentina), between the years 1994 and 2003.

Methods: Records of 22,628 newborns were collected from the vital statistics of the census of Catamarca. Weight was recategorized to include low birth weight (<2,500 g), and gestational age was divided into births that had occurred before or after 37 weeks (preterm or at term births).

The Porifera Ontology (PORO): enhancing sponge systematics with an anatomy ontology.

Background: Porifera (sponges) are ancient basal metazoans that lack organs. They provide insight into key evolutionary transitions, such as the emergence of multicellularity and the nervous system. In addition, their ability to synthesize unusual compounds offers potential biotechnical applications.

[Sponges (porifera) distribution along a depth gradient in a coral reef, Parque Nacional San Esteban, Carabobo, Venezuela].

Sponges constitute one of the most diverse and abundant animal groups in the marine tropical benthos especially in coral reefs, though poorly studied to species level. The aim of this study is to characterize the sponge community along a depth gradient at Isla Larga (Parque Nacional San Esteban, Venezuela) fringe reef. Net and total sedimentation, roughness index, sponge species richness, density and proportion of the bottom covered by sponges, were evaluated at seven depths (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 m), 17 species were identified grouped in 10 demosponges families.

Fluconazole and itraconazole resistance of yeasts isolated from the bloodstream and catheters of hospitalized pediatric patients.

Background: In critically ill children, Candida species and other yeasts appear as an important nosocomial pathogen. The emerging fungal pathogens are usually less susceptible to azole compounds, and the management of such infections could be problematic.

Methods: 6,065 bloodstream cultures and 627 catheters from intensive care units and hospitalized oncology pediatric patients were studied.

Etiology of fungaemia and catheter colonisation in Argentinean paediatric patients.

Yeast strains obtained from blood cultures and catheters from intensive care units (ICU) and hospitalised oncology paediatrics were studied. Yeast were the first cause of catheter colonisation (51/627), and the third cause of bloodstream infection (44/6065). In catheter, the most frequent species were Candida albicans (34%), C.

Candidemia in a Brazilian tertiary care hospital: species distribution and antifungal susceptibility patterns.

Recent studies have shown differences in the epidemiology of invasive infections caused by Candida species worldwide. In the period comprising August 2002 to August 2003, we performed a study in Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar, Brazil, to determine Candida species distribution associated with candidemia and their antifungal susceptibility profiles to amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole. Antifungal susceptibility was tested according to the broth microdilution method described in the NCCLS (M27A-2 method).

Invasive fungal infections in Chile: a multicenter study of fungal prevalence and susceptibility during a 1-year period.

During the first year of an ongoing surveillance program of invasive fungal infections (IFI) a total of 130 patients (56% male) with fungal strains isolated from blood and other sterile sites were reported from 13 hospitals in Chile. Significant yeast isolates were obtained from 118 patients, and molds affected 12 patients. The main patient groups affected were neonates, children less than 1 year old and adults aged 50-79 years.

[Prevalence of Candida albican serotypes in blood isolates in Chile, and first report of Candida dubliniensis candidemia].

Our main goal was to determine the prevalence of C. albicans serotypes isolates from blood cultures and identify the presence of C. dubliniensis.

Unsuccessful treatment with voriconazole of a brain abscess due to Cladophialophora bantiana.

Cladophialophora bantiana is a dematiaceous fungus, associated with brain abscess in normal or immunosuppressed patients. We report a case of CNS infection in this agent unsuccessfully treated by surgery and various antifungal compounds including high doses of voriconazole (6 mg/kg bid). No adverse effects related to this compound were observed.

[Verrucous endocarditis secondary to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A case report].

We report a preterm infant with 30 weeks of gestation, that received broad spectrum antimicrobials during the first days of life. At nine days of life, the infant appeared with abdominal distension and hematochezia. A systolic murmur with changing auscultatory features also appeared.