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International audience; Caleta Valdés (CV) is a coastal lagoon of the Patagonian Atlantic coast located in the Península de Valdés declared as Humanity Mundial Patrimony due to its remarkable biodiversity, ecosystemic richness, and pristine state. Marine mammal populations are well documented in this area but few studies have been carried out on the local macrobenthic communities. The goals of this study were (a) to evaluate for the first time the seasonal variation of the structure and activity (i.e., sediment reworking) of the intertidal macrobenthic communities of CV, and (b) to validate an ex situ experimental protocol for future ecotoxicological studies. To do so, sedimentary (granulometry, water content, and organic matter) and biological (macrobenthic assemblages, biodiffusive-like and advective sediment reworking components) parameters were analyzed using a combination of in situ and ex situ measurements. Overall, polychaete and crustacean dominated the macrobenthic community. The highest abundances were found in spring–summer along with a predominance of biodiffusors versus conveyors. Ex situ and in situ measurements demonstrated similar results, thus allowing validation of an ex situ experimental procedure for macrobenthic community and functioning studies. In addition, these results provide a first baseline of benthic information on CV that will be helpful to monitor the effects of potential pollution in Patagonian coastal systems.

International migration to North America continues to rise, and with it the meeting of different cultural norms surrounding child caregiving and supervision. Previous research shows that high rates...

UNLABELLED: Balance disorders are common in adult patients but less usual in the pediatric population. When this symptomatology appears in children it is a cause for concern, both for parents and health-care professionals. OBJECTIVES: To explain the balance disorders in children describing a case series and to discuss the main etiologies found according to age. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective, observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted. POPULATION: Patients aged 1-18 years who consulted because of balance disorders at the otolaryngology department of a pediatric tertiary-care hospital between March 2012 and July 2015. RESULTS: Two hundred and six patients were included in the study. Median age was 10 years. The most common diagnoses were vestibular migraine in 21.8% of the children, ataxia in 9.22%, benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood in 7.77%, and post-traumatic vertigo in 6.31%.Overall, 61 videonystagmographies- of which 46 were normal - and 55 video head impulse tests - which were normal in 45 and showed abnormalities in the vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in 10 - were performed. CONCLUSIONS: In a child with balance disorders, the medical history and neurotological examination are essential. Vestibular migraine is the most commonly found disorder in every age group, and most of the patients have a family history of migraine. Ancillary studies, especially the video head-impulse test, provide important data to confirm the diagnosis.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Language: en

Loss of cardiomyocytes is a major cause of heart failure, and while the adult heart has a limited capacity for cardiomyogenesis, little is known about what regulates this ability or whether it can be effectively harnessed. Here we show that 8 weeks of running exercise increase birth of new cardiomyocytes in adult mice (~4.6-fold). New cardiomyocytes are identified based on incorporation of 15N-thymidine by multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS) and on being mononucleate/diploid. Furthermore, we demonstrate that exercise after myocardial infarction induces a robust cardiomyogenic response in an extended border zone of the infarcted area. Inhibition of miR-222, a microRNA increased by exercise in both animal models and humans, completely blocks the cardiomyogenic exercise response. These findings demonstrate that cardiomyogenesis can be activated by exercise in the normal and injured adult mouse heart and suggest that stimulation of endogenous cardiomyocyte generation could contribute to the benefits of exercise., The adult mammalian heart has a limited cardiomyogenic capacity. Here the authors show that intensive exercise leads to a 4.6-fold increase in murine cardiomyocyte proliferation requiring the expression of miR-222, and that exercise induces an extended cardiomyogenic response in the murine heart after infarction.

The true incidence of acute otitis media (AOM) in neonates and infants younger than three months is unknown. In this population organisms causing AOM may disseminate leading to bacteremia, sepsis, and meningitis [1] . Objectives To describe the clinical presentation, associated severe infections, bacteriologic etiology, and antibiotic resistance patterns of organisms isolated from the middle ear of infants younger than three months that were not vaccinated against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Methods Otomicroscopy was performed in all children to confirm the suspected diagnosis of AOM. When purulent effusion retained in the middle ear was diagnosed, tympanocentesis and culture of middle-ear fluid was performed by conventional methods. Serotyping was done using the Quellung technique. Results From May 2, 2009 to February 28, 2010, 52 infants met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-six were male (69.2%) and 16 were female (30.8%). From these 52 patients, 76 samples were obtained for culture. Bilateral acute suppurative otitis media was diagnosed in 24 (46.2%) infants. Of all infants, 18 (34.6%) had been treated with antibiotics before tympanocentesis. Eight patients (44.4%) had negative middle-ear fluid cultures. Sixty bacterial pathogens were isolated from the middle-ear fluid of 43 patients. Mixed infections were recorded in 14/52 patients (26.9%). Nine cultures were negative (17.3%), of which eight were from patients that had previously been treated with antibiotics. S. pneumoniae was isolated from middle-ear aspirates of 26/52 (50%) patients with acute suppurative otitis media. Twenty-two out of the 26 isolates were susceptible (84.7%) and four were intermediately susceptible to penicillin (15.3%). Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated in 3/52 (5.8%) and Haemophilus influenzae in 18/52 patients (34.6%). Five (27.8%) of these were beta-lactamase producers. Blood cultures, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine cultures were negative. Parenteral antimicrobial treatment was indicated in 29/52 (56%). Conclusions S. pneumoniae is the most frequent pathogen to cause AOM in this age group. Empirical treatment with amoxicillin or ceftriaxone should be considered depending on clinical suspicion of severe invasive infection.

Background To describe the clinical features of intratemporal complications of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, a retrospective study was carried out for 2 years. Methods We considered acute mastoiditis, presence of postauricular swelling, erythema and tenderness, and anteroinferior displacement of the auricle; labyrinthitis, presence of vestibular symptoms (spontaneous nystagmus and ataxia with or without vomiting; and facial nerve palsy, absence or decreased motility in hemiface. All children underwent otomicroscopy for evidence of coexistent or recent AOM. Cultures were obtained by tympanocentesis and myringotomy, drainage of subperiosteal abscess, or from granulation tissue during tympanomastoidectomy. Results From January 2008 to December 2009, 17 patients fulfilled the entry criteria. Median age: 54.2 months. Of the 17 cases, 30% were infants younger than 12 months and most were boys (70.6%). 8/17 were receiving antimicrobial treatment. Diagnoses included 9/17 (52.9%) acute mastoiditis, 7/17 (41.2%) labyrinthitis, and 1/17 (5.9%) facial nerve palsy. Intracranial complications were present in 17.6%. All required intravenous antimicrobial treatment. Myringotomy was performed in 16/17, drainage of subperiosteal abscess in 3/17, and tympanomastoidectomy in 2/17. Bacteriology was positive in 9/17 cases, isolating Streptococcus pyogene s ( S. pyogenes ) in 44% of patients. Secuelaes: One unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusions Acute mastoiditis is the most common complication. Labyrinthitis was diagnosed in 41.2% of cases. S. pyogenes was prevalent in these serious invasive infections in our area. Associated intracranial complications were present in 17.6% cases. Resolution of AOM complications required surgical procedures in all cases (myringotomy, drainage of subperiosteal abscess, or tympanomastoidectomy).

Resumen Introduccion Para describir las caracteristicas clinicas de los ninos con complicaciones intratemporales de otitis media aguda (OMA), se realizo un trabajo retrospectivo y descriptivo durante dos anos. Metodos Se considero mastoiditis al eritema y edema retroauricular, protrusion del pabellon auricular y caida de la pared posterior del conducto auditivo externo; laberintitis, al vertigo con o sin nauseas, vomitos y nistagmus, y paralisis facial periferica, a la ausencia o disminucion de la movilidad en hemicara. Previa otomicroscopia para diagnostico de enfermedad otologica aguda coexistente, se tomo material para estudio bacteriologico de oido medio, de absceso subperiostico o de cavidad mastoidea. Resultados Entre enero de 2008 y diciembre de 2009 fueron asistidos 17 pacientes con complicaciones intratemporales de OMA. Edad media: 54,23 meses; 30% menores de 12 meses; 12/17 masculinos y 5/17 femeninos; 8/17 recibian antibioticoterapia; 7/17 presentaban fiebre; 9/17 (52,9%) con mastoiditis aguda; 7/17 (41,2%) con laberintitis y 1/17 (5,9%) con paralisis facial periferica. El 17,6% presento complicaciones endocraneales. Todos requirieron antibioticoterapia parenteral. Se realizo miringotomia en 16/17 (94,1%); drenaje de absceso subperiostico en 3/17 (17,6%) y antromastoidectomia en 2/17 (11,8%). La bacteriologia fue positiva en 9/17, aislandose Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) en el 44% de los casos. Secuelas: una hipoacusia neurosensorial. Conclusion La mastoiditis aguda es la complicacion intratemporal mas frecuente. S. pyogenes es prevalente en estas infecciones invasivas en nuestro medio. La resolucion de la OMA complicada requiere procedimientos quirurgicos en todos los casos (miringotomia, drenaje de absceso subperiostico o antromastoidectomia) y tratamiento antimicrobiano parenteral.

The Patagonian coast is characterized by the existence of pristine ecosystems which may be particularly sensitive to oil contamination. In this study, a simulated oil spill at acute and chronic input levels was carried out to assess the effects of contamination on the macrobenthic community structure and the bioturbation activity of sediments sampled in Caleta Valdés creek. Superficial sediments were either noncontaminated or contaminated by Escalante crude oil and incubated in the laboratory for 30 days. Oil contamination induced adverse effects on macrobenthic community at both concentrations with, for the highest concentration, a marked decrease of approximately 40 and 55 % of density and specific richness, respectively. Besides the disappearance of sensitive species, some other species like Oligochaeta sp. 1, Paranebalia sp., and Ostracoda sp. 2 species have a higher resistance to oil contamination. Sediment reworking activity was also affected by oil addition. At the highest level of contamination, nearly no activity was observed due to the high mortality of macroorganisms. The results strongly suggest that an oil spill in this protected marine area with no previous history of contamination would have a deep impact on the non-adapted macrobenthic community. Fil: Ferrando, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Gonzalez, Emilia. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina Fil: Franco, Marcos Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Chubut; Argentina Fil: Commendatore, Marta Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Nievas El Makte, Marina Lucrecia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Chubut; Argentina Fil: Militon, Cécile. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Stora, Georges. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Gilbert, Franck. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Universite Toulose 1 Capitole; Francia Fil: Esteves, Jose Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina Fil: Cuny, Philippe. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia

Rationale: Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and GDF8 are members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily sharing 89% protein sequence homology. We have previously shown that circulating GDF11 levels decrease with age in mice. However, a recent study by Egerman et al reported that GDF11/8 levels increase with age in mouse serum. Objective: Here, we clarify the direction of change of circulating GDF11/8 levels with age and investigate the effects of GDF11 administration on the murine heart. Methods and Results: We validated our previous finding that circulating levels of GDF11/8 decline with age in mice, rats, horses, and sheep. Furthermore, we showed by Western analysis that the apparent age-dependent increase in GDF11 levels, as reported by Egerman et al, is attributable to cross-reactivity of the anti-GDF11 antibody with immunoglobulin, which is known to increase with age. GDF11 administration in mice rapidly activated SMAD2 and SMAD3 signaling in myocardium in vivo and decreased cardiac mass in both young (2-month-old) and old (22-month-old) mice in a dose-dependent manner after only 9 days. Conclusions: Our study confirms an age-dependent decline in serum GDF11/8 levels in multiple mammalian species and that exogenous GDF11 rapidly activates SMAD signaling and reduces cardiomyocyte size. Unraveling the molecular basis for the age-dependent decline in GDF11/8 could yield insight into age-dependent cardiac pathologies.

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