Normal values for segmental bioimpedance spectroscopy in pediatric patients.

Introduction: Localized limb edema is a clinically relevant sign in diseases such as post-thrombotic syndrome and lymphedema. Quantitative evaluation of localized edema in children is mainly done by measuring the absolute difference in limb circumference, which includes fat and fat-free mass. Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) provides information on the fluid volume of a body segment.

[Vaginal infections in a Family Health Clinic in the Metropolitan Region, Chile].

Background: Vaginal infections are a frequent cause for consultation, but their prevalence and etiology vary in different populations.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and etiologies of vaginal infection in women attending a family health center in the Metropolitan Region of Chile.

Methods: The microbiological diagnosis was made by wet mount and Gram stain.

Response to Denosumab Treatment for 2 Years in an Adolescent With Osteoradionecrosis.

Radiotherapy, an essential component of cancer treatment, is not without risk to bone, particularly to the immature or growing skeleton. Known side effects range from post-radiation osteitis to osteoradionecrosis. We report the case of a 14-year-old male patient undergoing denosumab treatment, a new antiresorptive agent, for osteoradionecrosis.

Complete genome sequence of an isolate of Potato virus X (PVX) infecting Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) in Colombia.

Transcriptome analysis of a Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) plant with leaf symptoms of a mild yellow mosaic typical of a viral disease revealed an infection with Potato virus X (PVX). The genome sequence of the PVX-Physalis isolate comprises 6435 nt and exhibits higher sequence similarity to members of the Eurasian group of PVX (~95 %) than to the American group (~77 %). Genome organization is similar to other PVX isolates with five open reading frames coding for proteins RdRp, TGBp1, TGBp2, TGBp3, and CP.

A microRNA upregulated in asthma airway T cells promotes TH2 cytokine production.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exert powerful effects on immunological function by tuning networks of target genes that orchestrate cell activity. We sought to identify miRNAs and miRNA-regulated pathways that control the type 2 helper T cell (TH2 cell) responses that drive pathogenic inflammation in asthma. Profiling miRNA expression in human airway-infiltrating T cells revealed elevated expression of the miRNA miR-19a in asthma.

Whole-exome sequencing of muscle-invasive bladder cancer identifies recurrent mutations of UNC5C and prognostic importance of DNA repair gene mutations on survival.

Purpose: Because of suboptimal outcomes in muscle-invasive bladder cancer even with multimodality therapy, determination of potential genetic drivers offers the possibility of improving therapeutic approaches and discovering novel prognostic indicators.

Experimental Design: Using pTN staging, we case-matched 81 patients with resected ≥pT2 bladder cancers for whom perioperative chemotherapy use and disease recurrence status were known. Whole-exome sequencing was conducted in 43 cases to identify recurrent somatic mutations and targeted sequencing of 10 genes selected from the initial screening in an additional 38 cases was completed.

In vivo tracking and immunological properties of pulsed porcine monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Cellular therapies using immune cells and in particular dendritic cells (DCs) are being increasingly applied in clinical trials and vaccines. Their success partially depends on accurate delivery of cells to target organs or migration to lymph nodes. Delivery and subsequent migration of cells to regional lymph nodes is essential for effective stimulation of the immune system.

Heterogeneous pathological outcomes after experimental pH1N1 influenza infection in ferrets correlate with viral replication and host immune responses in the lung.

The swine-origin pandemic (p) H1N1 influenza A virus causes mild upper-respiratory tract disease in most human patients. However, some patients developed severe lower-respiratory tract infections with fatal consequences, and the cause of these infections remain unknown. Recently, it has been suggested that different populations have different degrees of susceptibility to pH1N1 strains due to host genetic variations that are associated with inappropriate immune responses against viral genetic characteristics.

Microstructural trabecular bone from patients with osteoporotic hip fracture or osteoarthritis: its relationship with bone mineral density and bone remodelling markers.

Osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA) are the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders in the elderly but the relationship between them is unclear. The purposes of this study are to analyze the bone turnover markers (BTM), bone mineral density (BMD) and the structural and mechanical properties of trabecular bone in patients with OP and OA, and to explore the relationship between these two diseases. We studied 12 OP patients and 13 OA patients.

Neuroendocrine mechanisms for immune system regulation during stress in fish.

In the last years, the aquaculture crops have experienced an explosive and intensive growth, because of the high demand for protein. This growth has increased fish susceptibility to diseases and subsequent death. The constant biotic and abiotic changes experienced by fish species in culture are challenges that induce physiological, endocrine and immunological responses.

Attitudes Toward Cancer Clinical Trial Participation in Young Adults with a History of Cancer and a Healthy College Student Sample: A Preliminary Investigation.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-39 at diagnosis have very low cancer clinical trial accrual rates. To date, no studies have examined attitudes toward clinical trial participation in this age range to determine if certain individuals are less likely to enroll if offered participation. The current study assessed attitudes toward participation using the Cancer Treatment Subscale of the Attitudes toward Cancer Trials Scales.

Genetic characterization of influenza A viruses circulating in pigs and isolated in north-east Spain during the period 2006-2007.

Swine influenza virus is one of the most important pathogens involved in the swine respiratory disease complex. Recent serological surveys showed a high prevalence of swine influenza strains belonging to the H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 subtypes circulating in pigs in Spain. However, little is known about their genome sequence.

The effect of donor age on penetrating keratoplasty for endothelial disease: graft survival after 10 years in the Cornea Donor Study.

Objective: To determine whether the 10-year success rate of penetrating keratoplasty for corneal endothelial disorders is associated with donor age.

Design: Multicenter, prospective, double-masked clinical trial.

Participants: A total of 1090 participants undergoing penetrating keratoplasty at 80 sites for Fuchs' dystrophy (62%), pseudophakic/aphakic corneal edema (34%), or another corneal endothelial disorder (4%) and followed for up to 12 years.

Immune characterization of long pentraxin 3 in pigs infected with influenza virus.

Long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a conserved pattern-recognition secreted protein and a host-defence-related component of the humoral innate immune system. The aim of the present study was to characterize swine PTX3 (SwPTX3) protein expression in influenza virus infected pigs. First, we performed in silico studies to evaluate the cross-reactivity of PTX3 human antibodies against SwPTX3.

Are the intertidal fish highly resistant to UV-B radiation? A study based on oxidative stress in Girella laevifrons (Kyphosidae).

Sea chub, Girella laevifrons, is a coastal fish that inhabits high intertidal rockpools along the coast of Chile. The intertidal pools where the juveniles live, are an extreme environment with high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, becoming harmful to the organisms, due to oxidative stress generated by reactive oxygen species. For this reason organisms develop adaptations that allow them to survive in this complex environment.

Iceberg discharges of the last glacial period driven by oceanic circulation changes.

Proxy data reveal the existence of episodes of increased deposition of ice-rafted detritus in the North Atlantic Ocean during the last glacial period interpreted as massive iceberg discharges from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Although these have long been attributed to self-sustained ice sheet oscillations, growing evidence of the crucial role that the ocean plays both for past and future behavior of the cryosphere suggests a climatic control of these ice surges. Here, we present simulations of the last glacial period carried out with a hybrid ice sheet-ice shelf model forced by an oceanic warming index derived from proxy data that accounts for the impact of past ocean circulation changes on ocean temperatures.

Immune system cells in healthy ferrets: an immunohistochemical study.

The ferret has emerged as an excellent animal model to characterize several physiologic and pathologic conditions. The distribution and characterization of different types of immune system cells were studied in healthy ferret tissues. Eight primary antibodies were tested for immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed tissues: anti-CD3, anti-CD79α, anti-CD20, anti-HLA-DR, anti-lysozyme, anti-CD163, anti-SWC3, and anti-Mac387.

Cell-based fuzzy metrics enhance high-content screening (HCS) assay robustness.

High-content screening (HCS) allows the exploration of complex cellular phenotypes by automated microscopy and is increasingly being adopted for small interfering RNA genomic screening and phenotypic drug discovery. We introduce a series of cell-based evaluation metrics that have been implemented and validated in a mono-parametric HCS for regulators of the membrane trafficking protein caveolin 1 (CAV1) and have also proved useful for the development of a multiparametric phenotypic HCS for regulators of cytoskeletal reorganization. Imaging metrics evaluate imaging quality such as staining and focus, whereas cell biology metrics are fuzzy logic-based evaluators describing complex biological parameters such as sparseness, confluency, and spreading.

Symptomatic versus inapparent outcome in repeat dengue virus infections is influenced by the time interval between infections and study year.

Four dengue virus serotypes (DENV1-4) circulate globally, causing more human illness than any other arthropod-borne virus. Dengue can present as a range of clinical manifestations from undifferentiated fever to Dengue Fever to severe, life-threatening syndromes. However, most DENV infections are inapparent.

Antimicrobial selection and its impact on the incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

The study objective was to determine which antimicrobials place patients at a higher risk for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) and which interventions can reduce their risk. All patients with diarrhea and a positive toxin assay for Clostridium difficile for 3 months were included in the study. Patients were broken down into either community-acquired infection or health care-associated infection based on symptom onset, antibiotic usage prior to admission, and where the patient was admitted from.

Virus-like particle-based vaccines for animal viral infections.

Vaccination is considered one of the most effective ways to control pathogens and prevent diseases in humans as well as in the veterinary field. Traditional vaccines against animal viral diseases are based on inactivated or attenuated viruses, but new subunit vaccines are gaining attention from researchers in animal vaccinology. Among these, virus-like particles (VLPs) represent one of the most appealing approaches opening up interesting frontiers in animal vaccines.

[Outbreaks of Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes associated with poultry consumption. Systematic review].

Introduction: Food borne diseases are a serious public health problem. Poultry are often associated with these outbreaks.

Objective: A systematic review of the literature is provided concerning the distribution and frequency of food borne outbreaks associated with consumption of chicken contaminated with Salmonella spp.

Swine, human or avian influenza viruses differentially activates porcine dendritic cells cytokine profile.

Swine influenza virus (SwIV) is considered a zoonosis and the fact that swine may act as an intermediate reservoir for avian influenza virus, potentially infectious for humans, highlights its relevance and the need to understand the interaction of different influenza viruses with the porcine immune system. Thus, in vitro porcine bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (poBMDCs) were infected with a circulating SwIV A/Swine/Spain/SF32071/2007(H3N2), 2009 human pandemic influenza virus A/Catalonia/63/2009(H1N1), low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) A/Anas plathyrhynchos/Spain/1877/2009(aH7N2) or high pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A/Chicken/Italy/5093/1999(aH7N1). Swine influenza virus H3N2 infection induced an increase of SLA-I and CD80/86 at 16 and 24h post infection (hpi), whereas the other viruses did not.