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Background The severity of acute alcohol-related pancreatitis (AAP) with alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) has not been studied. Electrocardiogram (ECG) has not been used as a predictor of severity in patients with AWS and acute pancreatitis. Objectives The study aimed to determine whether the ECG heart rate (HR) could predict the severity of AAP; secondarily, whether AWS influenced the severity of AAP based on Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP). Methods Demographics, comorbid illnesses, AWS, biochemistry, ECG, arterial blood gases, and CT findings were noted in patients with AAP. The severity of pancreatitis was scored into mild, moderate, and severe based on CT. BISAP, APACHE II, and ECG heart rate-APACHE (E-APACHE) were compared in patients with and without AWS. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to find the best predictor of severity. Results Among 138 patients (M=128), 94 had AWS. ECG changes (≥1) were seen in 50%. Patients with AWS were younger, had consumed alcohol for a shorter duration, had higher systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), APACHE II, and E-APACHE II scores. APACHE II and E-APACHE II correlated significantly with severity grading, HR, alcohol duration, and AWS. HR was the best predictor of severe pancreatitis; E-APACHE was the best predictor for moderately severe pancreatitis. Conclusions Mostly, AAP appears to be mild; >2/3rds have AWS. ECG findings were seen in 50%. HR has not been previously studied in patients with both AAP and AWS and is an easy and inexpensive test to predict the severity of pancreatitis in this cohort.

According to publicly available transcriptome datasets, the abundance of Annexin A3 (ANXA3) is robustly increased during the course of sepsis; however, no studies have examined the biological significance or clinical relevance of ANXA3 in this pathology. Here we explored this interpretation gap and identified possible directions for future research. Based on reference transcriptome datasets, we found that ANXA3 expression is restricted to neutrophils, is upregulatedin vitroafter exposure to plasma obtained from septic patients, and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Secondly, an increase in ANXA3 transcript abundance was also observedin vivo, in the blood of septic patients in multiple independent studies. ANXA3 is known to mediate calcium-dependent granules-phagosome fusion in support of microbicidal activity in neutrophils. More recent work has also shown that ANXA3 enhances proliferation and survival of tumour cells via a Caspase-3-dependent mechanism. And this same molecule is also known to play a critical role in regulation of apoptotic events in neutrophils. Thus, we posit that during sepsis ANXA3 might either play a beneficial role, by facilitating microbial clearance and resolution of the infection; or a detrimental role, by prolonging neutrophil survival, which is known to contribute to sepsis-mediated organ damage.

42 páginas, 15 figuras, 1 tabla. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) represent a serious threat to humans, especially for those living in poor or developing countries. Almost one-sixth of the world population is at risk of suffering from these diseases and many thousands die because of NTDs, to which we should add the sanitary, labor and social issues that hinder the economic development of these countries. Protozoan-borne diseases are responsible for more than one million deaths every year. Visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas disease or sleeping sickness are among the most lethal NTDs. Despite not being considered an NTD by the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria must be added to this sinister group. Malaria, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is responsible for thousands of deaths each year. The treatment of this disease has been losing effectiveness year after year. Many of the medicines currently in use are obsolete due to their gradual loss of efficacy, their intrinsic toxicity and the emergence of drug resistance or a lack of adherence to treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent and global need for new drugs. Despite this, the scant interest shown by most of the stakeholders involved in the pharmaceutical industry makes our present therapeutic arsenal scarce, and until recently, the search for new drugs has not been seriously addressed. The sources of new drugs for these and other pathologies include natural products, synthetic molecules or repurposing drugs. The most frequent sources of natural products are microorganisms, e.g., bacteria, fungi, yeasts, algae and plants, which are able to synthesize many drugs that are currently in use (e.g. antimicrobials, antitumor, immunosuppressants, etc.). The marine environment is another well-established source of bioactive natural products, with recent applications against parasites, bacteria and other pathogens which affect humans and animals. Drug discovery techniques have rapidly advanced since the beginning of the millennium. The combination of novel techniques that include the genetic modification of pathogens, bioimaging and robotics has given rise to the standardization of High-Performance Screening platforms in the discovery of drugs. These advancements have accelerated the discovery of new chemical entities with antiparasitic effects. This review presents critical updates regarding the use of High-Throughput Screening (HTS) in the discovery of drugs for NTDs transmitted by protozoa, including malaria, and its application in the discovery of new drugs of marine origin. Financial support from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, AEI, FEDER, UE)[MINECO: AGL2016-79813-C2-1R and SAF2017-83575-R], the Junta de Castilla y León co-financed by FEDER, UE[LE020P17] to RBF and DBT, New Delhi [BT/IN/Spain/39/SM/2017-18] to MS are gratefully acknowledged. MAB(LE051-18) and DSC (LE020P17) are supported by a scholarship from the Junta de Castilla y León co-financed byFSE. MMV is supported by the Spanish “Ramon y Cajal” Programme Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness(Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad; MMV, RYC-2015-18368). We thank University of Leon for providingfunding to cover publication expenses.

Scrub typhus is a multisystem disease, and the respiratory system is commonly involved. Scrub typhus-related parkinsonism has been reported in three patients previously, and none of them underwent a lumbar puncture. Cerebral salt wasting is generally observed in vascular emergencies of the brain. We report a patient with acute parkinsonism and cerebral salt wasting syndrome, a combination of which has not been previously reported in scrub typhus. A 50-year-old farmer presented with an acute febrile illness of two weeks' duration and a one-day history of parkinsonism symptoms. His workup revealed hypoosmolar hyponatremia, increased urinary sodium excretion, hepatorenal and hematological dysfunction, and normal findings on cerebrospinal fluid examination. Clinical and biochemical improvement was noticed with the institution of doxycycline. Empirical doxycycline may be needed in patients with acute parkinsonism following an acute febrile illness in areas endemic for scrub typhus. Better biochemical facilities in resource-poor tropical countries would help in evaluating the etiology of hyponatremia due to infectious causes.

Objective: The current investigation focuses on determining the vitamin content of marine red alga Champia parvula. Methods: Vitamins were divided and analyzed using Milichrom A-02 LC and multiwavelength ultraviolet visible as a detector. A 2 mm (ID)×250 mm (l) column was used to filter comprising C18 in the inverse stage used for separation. Results: The results suggest that the seaweed, C. parvula, contains 0.583±0.01, 3.43±0.01, 4.95±0.01, 1.95±0.01, 6.33±0.00, 174.74±0.01, and 15.75±0.01 μg of Vitamin A, B1, B5, folic acid, B12, C, and E, respectively, per gram of dry weight of the seaweed. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the seaweed, C. parvula, has a higher nutritional value and could be used as great dietary supplements for vitamins.