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The aim of the study was to compare and correlate levels of ferritin, transferrin, iron and APPs in healthy horses and those surgically treated for strangulating colic. On admission, measurements of inflammatory markers related to iron and total protein, fibrinogen, albumin, haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin were made. The study comprised 22 horses, divided into a control group (CG) of healthy horses (n = 10) and horses with surgically treated acute abdomen (n = 12), obstruction group (OG). The OG was subdivided according to the affected intestinal segment (small vs. large) and according to outcome (survivors vs. non survivors). The OG had higher haptoglobin (34.8±14.2 mg/dL vs 20.8±7.21 mg/dL) and transferrin (487±161 mg/dL vs 369±71.4 mg/dL) values and lower iron (96.9±65 µg/dL vs 218±105 µg/dL) values than the CG. The OG horses with large intestine obstruction had lower values of transferrin (374.6±130 mg/dL) than horses with small intestinal obstruction (598.6±98.9 mg/dL). There was no difference in outcome between horses with large and small intestinal obstruction. Ferritin levels were moderately correlated with total protein (r = 0.594; P = 0.042) and albumin (r = 0.584; P = 0.046) in OG. In the multivariate exploratory analysis, fibrinogen levels were higher in animals that did not survive. In conclusion, haptoglobin, transferrin and iron were useful inflammatory markers for colic in horses. The correlation of ferritin with other APPs shows a possible role of ferritin as an APP in horses. Fibrinogen levels are higher in horses with greater risk of death from strangulating obstructions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are accumulated through time and can exert different effect on ecosystems. POPs and Chlorpyrifos, a current use pesticide, were assessed in body feathers of males and females of Black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris, BBA) and Cape petrels (Daption capense, CAP) during their non-breeding seasons at the Patagonian Shelf, Argentina. Chlorpyrifos showed the highest values among all pollutants in both species (49.56-84.88 ng g -1 ), resulting from current agricultural practices. The pattern OCPs > PCBs > PBDEs was observed in both species, and CAP showed higher concentrations than BBA probably as a consequence of higher lipid mobilization and pollutants availability during dispersion. Non-significant differences between sexes about POPs levels were found; however a slight tendency was observed, females>males in CAP, and males>females in BBA. More attention and further studies are needed to understand seabirds' physiology and its relationship with the pollutants distribution in their tissues and considering breeding season., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the study was the investigation of bacterial diversity from sediments collected at Santos Estuarine System, regarding to their abilities for hexadecane biotransformation. Hexadecane is a medium-chain linear alkane, considered as a model molecule for hydrocarbon biodegradation studies. It is a component from aliphatic fraction of crude petroleum, commonly related to environmental contamination by diesel oil. Santos Basin is an area with historical petroleum contamination. In the present work, sediment samples from this area were inoculated in artificial seawater (ASW), containing hexadecane as carbon source. Six bacterial isolates were selected as resistant to hexadecane. Chromatographic results showed biodegradation indexes above 97%. After 48 h of culture, five of them could degrade >80% of the initial hexadecane added. These isolates were characterized by 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis. The following species were found: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Nitratireductor aquimarinus, and Bacillus pumilus., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the videotape scoring system collected during knee arthroscopy for meniscal tears, and to test the consistency with intra-operative findings., Methods: Fifty-seven patients undergoing arthroscopic treatment of meniscal tears were included in the analysis. The cartilage damage was assessed intra-operatively, at six sites, using the Outerbridge scoring system. The meniscal tears were graded according to the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) classification. The presence of synovial inflammation was scored, at four different sites, according to the macro-score method. The total cartilage, meniscal and synovial scores were calculated for each knee by the sum of the maximum grade of the lesions at each anatomic site. In order to assess the reliability of the arthroscopic scoring system, the videotapes recorded during the arthroscopy were reviewed by two independent observers one year after the surgery and compared with the scores completed by the surgeon during the operation., Results: The total cartilage score showed substantial inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, and moderate consistency with the intra-operative score provided by the surgeon. The total meniscal score showed substantial inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, and good consistency with the intra-operative findings. The total synovial score showed substantial inter-rater agreement, substantial intra-rater reliability, and moderate consistency with intra-operative findings., Conclusions: The videotape scoring system provided a reliable and reproducible system for recording the intra-operative state of the whole joint pathology in patients undergoing arthroscopic treatment of meniscal tears., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bartter's and Gitelman's syndromes are two different genetic renal diseases, but are both characterised by hypokalaemia and metabolic alkalosis. Bartter's syndrome is characterised by multiple gene mutations (Na-K-2Cl cotransporter; K(+) channels renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK); Cl channels, chloride channel Kb (ClCNKb); regulatory protein Barttin; and Ca(2+) -sensing receptor, CaSR) at the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop, while Gitelman's syndrome is caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the renal thiazide sensitive Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter, located in the apical membrane of the distal convoluted tubule. The co-existence of hypokalaemia with hypomagnesaemia and hypocalciuria represents the biochemical hallmark of Gitelman's syndrome that distinguishes it from Bartter's syndrome. Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) including chondrocalcinosis has been frequently reported in association with Bartter's syndrome. Some authors postulate that these cases were probably due to Gitelman's syndrome and not due to Bartter's syndrome as all patients had hypomagnesaemia. This electrolyte disorder seems to induce CCP crystal deposition. To date, no cases of CPPD have been reported in patients who had Bartter's syndrome without hypomagnesaemia. CPPD may be found in other conditions associated with hypomagnesaemia, such as short bowel syndrome or tacrolimus therapy in liver transplantation patients. As acute CPP crystal arthropathy or pseudogout can be the onset presentation of Gitelman's syndrome, CPPD should be considered a major feature of this disease. Rheumatologists should be aware of the association between Gitelman's syndrome and CPPD, and should consider this metabolic disorder when CPPD occurs in younger patients., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We investigated the concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc among feather tissues in sexes of Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys killed in longliners off Argentina in 2005. We found no different metal concentration with sex for cadmium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in feathers of adult birds, though there were significant body-size differences between sexes. However, the concentrations of trace metals differed significantly among the type of feather within individual bird. The mean concentrations of copper, iron, and zinc in breast feathers of T. melanophrys were lower than those reported for the species from Georgias del Sur/South Georgia, the southern Indian Ocean and for other seabirds' worldwide. While cadmium fall within the known range of concentrations for bird feathers lead were not. Our results may be indicating that level of pollution in Patagonia may not be as negligible as previously thought at least for some trace metals., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Septic arthritis (SA) is a clinical emergency with considerable morbidity and mortality that can lead to rapid joint destruction and irreversible functional loss. The reported incidence varies from 2-5 cases/100,000 person-years in the general population to 70 cases/100,000 person-years among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis are at particular risk for developing SA. This may be due to several reasons: joint disease predisposes to bacterial joint colonization and RA itself and its treatment with corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological therapies may decrease the immune function required for protection from pathogens. Steroids and DMARDs seem to affect the leukocyte synovial count; indeed, RA patients with SA have a leukocyte count in synovial fluid (SF) lower than patients with SA without underlying rheumatic diseases. The diagnosis of SA in RA patients can be difficult because the development of a hot painful joint is often confused with a relapse of the underlying joint disease leading to delay in diagnosis. For this reason the microscopic analysis and culture of synovial fluid are crucial to exclude septic arthritis.

From July 18 through November 27, 1989, 12 anaphylactoid reactions (ARs) occurred in 10 patients at a hemodialysis center in Virginia. One patient required hospitalization; no patients died. ARs occurred within minutes of initiating dialysis and were characterized by peripheral numbness and tingling, laryngeal edema or angioedema, facial or generalized sensation of warmth, and/or nausea or vomiting. All 12 ARs occurred with dialyzers that had been reprocessed with an automated reprocessing system. A cohort study, including all patients undergoing dialysis sessions on the six days when an AR occurred, showed that the patients who experienced ARs were significantly more likely than patients who did not to be treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (7/10 vs. 3/33; relative risk = 7.9; 95% confidence interval = 2.5 to 25.2) and to have been exposed to reused dialyzers rather than to new dialyzers (12/70 sessions vs. 0/31; P = 0.016). In those sessions using a reused dialyzer, the mean number of dialyzer uses in case-sessions was significantly higher than for noncase-sessions (10.3 vs. 6.2; P = 0.016). After reuse of dialyzers was discontinued at the center, no further ARs occurred, despite the continued administration of ACE inhibitors. This is the first report of an outbreak of ARs associated exclusively with reused dialyzers. We hypothesize that interactions between a dialyzer that has been repeatedly reprocessed and reused, blood, and additional factors, such as ACE inhibitors, increased the risk of developing ARs.

The water used for dialysate (dialysis fluid) in hemodialysis centers is produced by water treatment systems (WTS), which require careful and frequent monitoring. On November 3, 1988, nine patients receiving hemodialysis treatments at a single dialysis center suddenly developed hypotension within 30 minutes of onset of dialysis. Eight patients exhibited symptoms and two experienced syncopal episodes; there were no deaths. The incidence of dialysis-associated hypotension occurring within 30 minutes after dialysis onset for these patients was significantly higher during outbreak treatments than during preoutbreak (September 1 through November 2, 1988) treatments, (9 of 9 vs. 0 of 238, P less than 0.00001, Fisher's t-test). Sodium azide, a potent hypotensive agent, was identified as the probable contaminant within the WTS of the dialysis center at the time of the outbreak because: 1) it was mixed with glycerine as the preservative solution of each of the four ultrafilters that were put on-line in the WTS without rinsing, 12 hours before the outbreak; and 2) high levels of total organic carbons were detected from dialysis water collected at point-of-use sites at the time of the outbreak, suggesting contamination of the WTS with the sodium azide-glycerine preservative solution. To prevent similar occurrences, we recommend that ultrafilters (and other components of the WTS) be rinsed free of potentially toxic chemicals prior to use. Dialysis center personnel need to be aware of the potential affects that each modification of disinfection of the WTS may have upon the product water used to prepare dialysate for patient treatments.

Dialysis fluids containing at least 10(7) bacteria per milliliter and as much as 12,500 ng of endotoxin equivalents per milliliter were dialyzed and ultrafiltered with three types of disposable hemodialyzers. Neither bacteria nor endotoxin, as measured by the Limulus lysate assay, was detected in the sterile compartment despite ultrafiltration. Under these favorable conditions for endotoxin transfer, the maximum transfer rate was calculated to be less than 3.5 ng of endotoxin equivalents per hour. At this rate, it is unlikely that pyrexia during hemodialysis is due to the transfer of endotoxin across an intact dialyzing membrane. Provided that the integrity of the dialyzing membrane is maintained, this investigation indicates that the risk of endotoxemia or bacteremia associated with the use of contaminated dialysis fluids is negligible.

Between July 24 and Aug. 19, 1974, an outbreak of pyrogenic reactions occurred in patients at a private haemodialysis centre in a suburb of Washington, D.C. 49 reactions characterised by chills, fever, and hypotension occurred in twenty-three of the seventy patients dialysed during this period. No infections could be documented in any of the affected individuals. Despite the fact that only low levels of gram-negative bacterial contamination of the haemodialysis system were found, high levels of endotoxin contamination of dialysis fluid and endotoxaemia in patients experiencing overt reactions were recorded using the Limulus lysate test. The cause of these reactions was traced to an increase in endotoxin contamination of the tap water used to prepare dialysate, possibly caused by an increase in the algae levels in the local water source. The installation of a reverse osmosis system for water treatment may be a solution to the problem of endotoxin contamination of water used to prepare dialysis fluid.

Forty samples of air with a mean sample volume of 104 liters were collected during the treatment of patients whose blood was positive for HBsAG: no samples contained HBsAG and occult blood. These findings suggest that, if environmentally mediated transmission of hepatitis B occurs in the dental operatory, it is more likely to occur through contact with contaminated surfaces than through the airborne route.