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The effect of various factors and compounds used in the manufacturing of ‘Cantimpalos chorizo’, a fermented meat sausage made in Spain, on the growth of three strains of Penicillium olsonii isolated from the surface of the sausage has been investigated. In addition, one strain of Penicillium nalgiovense (ATCC 66742), used as starter culture in fermented foods, has been included in the study. Fungi were grown under various ecological conditions (temperature, water activity and pH) and in the presence of the main antimicrobial compounds (sodium chloride, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate) and spices (paprika, oregano and garlic) that are added to the initial sausage mixture. The effect of different combinations of some of the factors was also investigated.The results showed that at the levels found during the manufacturing of the sausage, the most influencing parameters on the growth of both species were water activity, temperature and sodium chloride. Both P. olsonii and Penicillium nalgiovense were capable of growing at 10°C. Penicillium nalgiovense and one of the natural P. olsonii strains could also grow at the lowest water activity tested (0·86). However, the optimum water activity was higher for both species (0·92 for P. olsonii and close to 1 for P. nalgiovense). The pH, nitrates and nitrites, and the spices tested had no or a very little effect on the growth of both species. Differences among the naturally isolated strains were not significant (P>0·05) in most experiments. Also, in general terms, the behaviour of our isolates was very similar to the reference strain of P. nalgiovense, which indicates closeness to this species from a technological point of view and suggests the possibility of the use of P. olsonii as starter culture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tidal flats are inhabited by benthic microalgae (microphytobenthos, MPB) supporting important ecosystem functions and services. Studies on MPB have been conducted mainly in temperate systems, despite that the majority of tidal flats on Earth are found in the tropical zone (∼55%). To fill this gap of knowledge and evaluate the contribution of tidal flat MPB in one of the most productive estuaries worldwide, sediment cores were collected from 14 stations along the inner Gulf of Nicoya (Costa Rica) at different tidal heights or sea levels (SL) from October 2013 to April 2014. MPB abundance, using chlorophyll a (Chla) biomass as a proxy, and net primary production (P N ) and dark respiration (R D ), using O 2 microsensors, were measured together with other sediment biogeochemical variables in muddy and sandy sediments. Landsat-8 satellite images were used to map the extension of tidal flats and the abundance of MPB using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy. Chla ranged from 0.45 to 7.45 μg cm -2 , with higher concentrations observed closer to the river mouth. There was no significant correlation between Chla and SL nor with any other sediment physicochemical variable. MPB abundance estimated by remote sensing displayed considerable spatial heterogeneity, both within and among tidal flats, and clear seasonal differences with higher abundance during the rainy season. P N ranged between 0.8 and 8.6 mmol O 2 m -2 h -1 , being positively correlated to SL and to the accumulated rain during 30 days prior to the sampling date and inversely to the mean irradiance at noon during the previous month. Daily net community metabolism estimated from P N and R D data and converted to carbon fixation rates indicates that the unvegetated tidal flats of the gulf contribute as much as the total input of allochthonous C from the Tempisque River. However, the results presented here have to be confirmed with direct measurements of C transfer, including the contribution of the adjacent mangrove system. Such studies are crucial to assess the local, regional and global importance of production and other ecosystem services by MPB in tropical areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Alfonso Corzo reports financial support was provided by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Alfonso Corzo reports financial support was provided by Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Microphytobenthos (MPB) provides important ecosystem functions and services, contributing significantly to the total primary production in shallow coastal ecosystems. However, determining the factors that regulate the seasonal changes of MPB and its distribution patterns at larger scales is hindered by the considerable spatial and temporal variability in these environments. Here, we studied the dynamics of intertidal MPB biomass, cover, and net growth rates in a south European tidal flat (Cadiz Bay, Spain) over a four-year period using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from Sentinel-2 satellite images. Pixels dominated by different benthic communities (MPB, Zostera sp., Caulerpa sp. and green macroalgae) were identified at a 10-m resolution using a Random Forest (RF) machine learning classification algorithm. MPB dominated the intertidal zone. MPB cover did not show a clear seasonal pattern and was clearly higher in the middle of the intertidal range of sea level. Despite interannual variability, MPB biomass was always higher during winter, coinciding with observations from other low latitude intertidal flats with temperate climate, and in the upper-middle intertidal. Net rates of MPB biomass change, calculated from the differences in MPB NDVI over time, showed maximal net growth rates from autumn to winter and maximum loss rates during spring and summer, although with high variability. Our study demonstrates that RF algorithms allow mapping MPB and other intertidal communities from Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite imagery accurately obtaining invaluable information from large areas at very high spatio-temporal resolution. The dissimilarities observed in the patterns of MPB variables over time or sea level, indicate differences in their ecological regulation, still largely unknown both here and in other temperate climate intertidal flats. High resolution remote sensing can aid in their detailed and systematic study producing a more integrated view of these systems and contributing to their science-based management and conservation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Alicycliphilus is a promising candidate for participating in the development of novel xenobiotics bioremediation processes. Members of the Alicycliphilus genus are environmental bacteria mostly found in polluted sites such as landfills and contaminated watercourses, and in sewage sludges from wastewater treatment plants. They exhibit a versatile metabolism and the ability to use oxygen, nitrate and chlorate as terminal electron acceptors, which allow them to biodegrade xenobiotics under oxic or anoxic conditions. Pure cultures of Alicycliphilus strains are able to biodegrade some pollutants such as industrial solvents (acetone, cyclohexanol and N-methylpyrrolidone), aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and anthracene), as well as polyurethane varnishes and foams, and they can even transform Cr(VI) to Cr(III). In addition, Alicycliphilus has also been identified in bacterial communities involved in wastewater treatment plants for denitrification, and the degradation of emerging pollutants such as triclosan, nonylphenol, N-heterocyclic aromatic compounds (indole and quinoline), and antibiotics (tetracycline and oxytetracycline). This work summarizes the current knowledge on the Alicycliphilus genus, describing its different metabolic characteristics, focusing on its xenobiotic biodegradation abilities and examining the distinct pathways and molecular bases that sustain them. We also discuss the progress made in genetic manipulation and 'omics' analyses, as well as Alicycliphilus participation in novel bioremediation strategies., (© 2019 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Addressing language and cultural nuance is required to improve the quality of care among all patients. The tenth version of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS) recommends implementing ongoing assessments to integrate specific actions into measurement and continuous quality improvement activities. To this end, we have created the Interventional Cultural and Language Assistance Program (ICLAP). As part of ICLAP, we conducted a cross-sectional needs assessment survey with 564 consecutive patients receiving outpatient Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging at a comprehensive cancer center in the five most prevalent languages of New York City: English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. The purpose of this study is to describe the language assistance characteristics and needs of a sample of patients receiving care in the cancer center. We examined the relationship between race, ethnicity, birthplace, communication and language assistance characteristics and the satisfaction with the care received. Our results show that race and ethnicity, birthplace, cultural beliefs, language assistance, and communication characteristics were all factors associated with patients' satisfaction with care, illustrating that there is an unmet need among cancer patients to have cultural and linguistic sensitive services.

Objective: To evaluate the use and effectiveness of a routine invasive strategy (RIS) in patients with acute coronary syndrome without persistent ST-segment elevation with renal dysfunction in the real world scenario., Methods: A retrospective cohort study based on the ARIAM-SEMICYUC Registry (2011-2014) was carried out. Renal dysfunction was defined as GFR (Cockroft-Gault)<60ml/min (moderate dysfunction) or<30ml/min (severe dysfunction). Patients in which early angiography (<72h) was performed due to cardiogenic shock or recurrent myocardial ischemia were excluded. The primary endpoint was hospital mortality. Confounding factors were controlled using propensity score analysis., Results: A total of 4,279 patients were analyzed, of which 26% had moderate renal dysfunction and 5% severe dysfunction. Patients with renal dysfunction had greater severity and comorbidity, higher hospital mortality (8.6 vs. 1.8%), and lesser use of the RIS (40 vs. 52%). The adjusted OR for mortality in patients without/with renal dysfunction were 0.38 (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 0.17 to 0.81) and 0.52 (95%CI 0.32 to 0.87), respectively (interaction P-value=.4779). The impact (adjusted risk difference) of RIS was higher in the group with renal dysfunction (-5.1%, 95%CI -8.1 to -2.1 vs. -1.6%, 95%CI -2.6 to -0.6; interaction P-value=.0335). No significant interaction was detected for the other endpoints considered (ICU mortality, 30-day mortality, myocardial infarction, acute renal failure or moderate/severe bleeding)., Conclusions: The results suggest that the effectiveness of IRS is similar in patients with normal or abnormal renal function, and alert to the under-utilization of this strategy in such patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To measure accessibility to health care among diabetic patients and analyze whether differences in delay explain differences in hospital mortality., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation included in the ARIAM-SEMICYUC registry (2010-2013). Crude and adjusted analyses were performed using unconditional logistic regression., Results: A total of 4817 patients were analyzed, of whom 1070 (22.2%) were diabetics. No differences were found in access to health care between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients presented with longer patient delay (90 min vs. 75 min; p=.004) and prehospital delay (150 min vs. 130 min; p=.002). Once the health system was contacted, diabetic patients had a lower reperfusion rate (50% vs. 57.7%; p<.001), but no longer delay in treatment was observed compared with the non-diabetic individuals. Diabetic patients have greater in-hospital mortality (12.5 vs. 6%; p <.001), though neither patient delay nor prehospital delay were identified as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality., Conclusions: Diabetic patients had a longer delay in access to health care, though such delay was not independently related to increased mortality., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: Elastofibroma dorsi has been described in the literature as an unusual tumor or pseudotumor. However, autopsies and imaging studies have revealed that it is a non-negligible finding., Purpose: The aim of this study has been to illustrate and become familiar with this type of lesion in order to prevent misdiagnosis., Materials and Methods: From 3 December 2008 to 5 January 2010, 1,751 patients were evaluated with (18)FDG-PET/CT. Of these, 29 cases of elastofibroma dorsi were recorded as an incidental finding. A retrospective and descriptive analysis was performed on this study series., Results: The study showed a prevalence of 1.66%. Out of the 29 findings, 22 (75.86%) were females and 7 (24.14%) males. Seventeen (58.62%) cases were bilateral, 12 (41.38%) unilateral and the SUVmax ranged from 1.4 to 3.2. These lesions were reported as soft tissue density images with mild or moderate diffuse metabolic activity., Conclusion: The elastofibroma dorsi is a relatively common finding in PET/CT that should be known in order to avoid making wrong diagnoses., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

Numbers and species of motile Aeromonas were determined in freshly caught freshwater fish, in the surrounding environment, and also during iced chilled storage of fish specimens. Although no significant differences were observed in water samples, initial levels for skin, gill, and intestines were significantly lower in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) than in wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) and pike (Esox lucius). During storage of wild specimens, naturally occurring aeromonads grew fairly well on the surfaces of skin and body cavity. Of 171 strains assigned to the genus Aeromonas, 88% were identified to phenospecies and putative genospecies level by using comprehensive biochemical schemes. The isolates were allocated to putative hybridization groups (HGs) 1 and 3 Aeromonas hydrophila (29%); putative HG 8 Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria (19%); putative HG 2 Aeromonas bestiarum (18%); putative HG 9 Aeromonas jandaei (16%); putative HGs 4 and 5a Aeromonas caviae (2%); putative HG 12 Aeromonas schubertii (2%); and putative HG 11 (unnamed, 0.6%). The remaining 20 isolates (12%) resembled A. schubertii but could not be allocated to currently recognized phenospecies or to putative HGs. Although cultured rainbow trout yielded strains of putative HGs 1, 4, and 8, which appear to be of major clinical importance, most isolates assigned to putative HGs 1 and 8 were recovered from pike. Differences among HGs found in wild animals could be related to their origin (unpolluted rivers for brown trout and urban rivers for pike). The recovery of these aeromonads species was not related to sampling site. The initial levels of motile aeromonads, their behavior during storage, and the strong potential spoilage activity of most isolates confirm that these bacteria can contribute to deterioration of iced wild freshwater fish. Although adequate cooking would inactivate motile aeromonads, the high incidence of isolates belonging to gastroenteritis-associated HGs should be regarded as a potential health concern, particularly for susceptible populations when there is a possibility of cross-contamination.

Three phenotypic identification systems were employed to identify 106 strains of gram-negative, nonmotile, aerobic bacteria obtained during iced storage of wild (Salmo trutta and Esox lucius) and farmed (Oncorhynchus mykiss) freshwater fish. Using diagnostic tables and computer-assisted identification, the isolates were Psychrobacter (64 strains), Acinetobacter (24 strains), Moraxella (6 strains), Chryseobacterium (5 strains), Myroides odoratus (2 strains), Flavobacterium (1 strain), Empedobacter (1 strain), and unidentified (3 strains). Overall similarities of all strains were determined for 108 characters by numerical analysis (simple matching coefficient of similarity [S] and clustering by unweighted pair group average linkage [UPGMA]). At the 77% similarity level, 92 strains formed nine major clusters (3 or more strains) and four small clusters (2 strains). Cluster 1 (25 isolates divided into two main subclusters) could be assigned to Psychrobacter phenylpyruvicus, clusters 2 and 3 (26 isolates) were designated as Psychrobacter immobilis, and clusters 4 (3 isolates) and 7 (4 isolates) were identified as Psychrobacter urativorans and Psychrobacter spp., respectively. Clusters 5 (five isolates), 6 (three isolates), and 9 (five isolates) were labeled as Acinetobacter spp., Acinetobacter johnsonii, and Acinetobacter lwoffii, respectively. Cluster 8 (12 isolates), with a high resemblance to Thornley's phenon 4 (a heterogeneous group of bacteria isolated from poultry and related to Acinetobacter), remained unnamed. The restriction pattern was identical for strains grouped into clusters 2 and 3 (P. immobilis) but was different for the remaining Psychrobacter isolates. A large proportion of isolates belonging to the family Moraxellaceae were closely related. Psychrobacters and A. johnsonii were present in freshly caught fish and river water. In the latter stages of storage, P. phenylpyruvicus and acinetobacters tended to decrease, whereas P. immobilis increased.

The hemolytic activity and siderophore production of several strains of motile aeromonads were determined. The hemolytic activity of Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas eucrenophila was enhanced after trypsinization of the samples. The enhancement of hemolysis was observed in strains that carried an aerolysin-like gene, detected by a PCR procedure. Siderophore production was demonstrated in all but one strain of Aeromonas jandaei. No apparent relationship was observed between the presence of plasmid DNA and hemolysis or siderophore production.

The aim of this study was to determine the presence of hemolytic and elastolytic enzymes in several strains of Plesiomonas shigelloides in relation to the availability of iron in culture media. Hemolytic activity and elastolytic activity were detected in strains of P. shigelloides and were enhanced when the strains were grown in an iron-depleted medium and lost after thermal treatment at 100 degrees C for 10 min. Also, elastolytic activity was inactivated by phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride, an inhibitor of serine proteases. Hemolytic activity was detected extracellularly in cell-free supernatants, whereas elastin degradation activity was cell associated. Both activities may be related to the virulence of P. shigelloides.

Initial numbers of bacteria associated with wild (brown trout and pike) and cultured (rainbow trout) freshwater fish as well as with the water in which they were caught were determined. Subsequently, a total of 979 randomly selected isolates were characterized and identified to the genus level. For all counts performed (aerobes, psychrotrophs, anaerobes, Enterobacteriaceae, and enterococci), no significant differences were observed in water samples, the highest level corresponding to psychrotrophs in pike environments (4.23 X 10(3) CFU/ml). Overall, the skin and intestinal content of brown trout were the most contaminated, while rainbow trout specimens (gills and gut) yielded the lowest numbers. For all bacterial groups, pike gills had the highest numbers. Counts for all of the sampling sites compare well with findings in other temperate geographical environments. Biological characteristics (feeding and skin properties) and the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture might have influenced these results. Motile and nonmotile aerobic gram-negative bacteria together with Enterobacteriaceae accounted for 50 to 70% of the psychrotrophs isolated from water. Micrococcaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus, and coryneforms were also found. The groups represented in psychrotrophic isolates from the outer surfaces do not reflected those detected in water, so it was common that those organisms recovered in significant numbers from fish were not detected in surrounding habitat of the fish. Motile aeromonads and Carnobacterium were the dominant psychrotrophs in the guts of pike and brown trout, respectively. The intestinal content of reared fish gave a high incidence of Bacillus and coryneforms, while Enterobacteriaceae was absent. Again, rearing practices could have influenced this finding. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in any of the examined samples. Two strains of Salmonella, which belonged to the same serovar and lysotype, were recovered from pond-water samples taken from one facility on different sampling days. From the gut of a pike specimen and from the pike's environment, two Plesiomonas shigelloides strains of different serovars were recovered. These latter four strains were resistant to a considerable number of antimicrobial compounds (multiple antibiotic resistance indices > 0.2).

The prevalence of aeromonads in the initial mixes of 14 batches of chorizo and longaniza obtained from three small- and middle-sized factories was 78.5%, with counts ranging from >1.00 to 4.47 log10 CFU/g. Only 2 of 10 mixture samples prepared at a large and modern processing plant yielded these organisms, with levels below 1 log10 CFU/g. The hygienic status of factories significantly affected incidence and counts. Of 39 presumptive isolates from glutamate starch penicillin agar, 36 were confirmed as motile aeromonads and allocated to Aeromonas hydrophila (n = 24), A. veronii biovar sobria (n = 10), and A. caviae (n = 2). All of them were beta-hemolytic and capable of growing at 5 degrees C. Regardless of initial contamination, aeromonads were rapidly inactivated during the early stages of manufacture.

We discuss a case of a 68 years old man with an acute myocardial infarction and a cardiopulmonary arrest that 3 days after his admission developed a continuous abdominal pain and findings of peritoneal inflammation. The mesenteric angiographical study was normal. A laparotomy was practised and disclosed a local peritonitis and a colonic infarction without mesenteric vascular occlusion. This picture is very unusual in patients with acute myocardial infarction or cardiopulmonary arrest.

The current report summarizes the available published and unpublished data from several investigators on resistance in clinical isolates following prolonged stavudine therapy. Results suggest that stavudine resistance is both modest in degree and infrequent in appearance. Phenotypic evaluation of 61 patients on stavudine therapy showed only modest changes in drug sensitivity following up to 29 months of treatment. The post-treatment isolates from 15 patients exhibited an increase in EC50 value > fourfold (level above variability of assay) when compared with the corresponding pretreatment isolates. However, the vast majority (11) of these pretreatment isolates either had unexpectedly low EC50 levels and/or had post-treatment isolates that lacked any amino acid changes within their reverse transcriptase (RT) gene to account for the observed change in sensitivity. Of the four remaining isolates, two appeared to have a multi-resistant phenotype to several nucleoside analogues and two had no detectable RT amino acid changes to account for the observed change in stavudine sensitivity. To date, clinical HIV-1 isolates displaying stavudine-specific resistance have yet to be reported. Furthermore, full or partial RT sequence analysis of 194 post-treatment isolates failed to identify any consistent amino acid changes. The strain-specific V75T mutation reported to confer stavudine resistance to the HXB2 HIV-1 strain in vitro, was found in only six isolates and did not correlate with stavudine resistance. This low incidence of stavudine resistance is in striking contrast to that observed with other nucleoside analogues and further supports the use of stavudine in first-line combination therapy for HIV patients.

We have analyzed the sequence of the 5'-untranslated region of hepatitis C virus from 24 patients with chronic hepatitis C and we found a conserved six-nucleotide motif previously described as a modulator of gene expression.

The large majority of women who acquire Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are in their childbearing years and are current or potential users of contraceptive methods. Certain STDs augment women's risk for HIV due to damage which these diseases produce in the integrity of the epithelial lining of the vagina and the vulva. There also exists evidence that some contraceptive methods, such as the intrauterine device and certain hormonal products, may increase the risk of HIV and other STDs. Condoms and spermicides offer good levels of protection against these diseases, but are not highly effective contraceptives. The interrelations among these risks are important and create a great problem for women's reproductive health. Moreover, the high vulnerability of the female population for these diseases is also related to a variety of social factors which are referred to as gender relations (power of females in society relative to that of females). Among the gender-related inequalities which affect women are their lack of power to successfully control many aspects of sexual relations. Another problem has to do with the fact that there are no highly reliable female controlled methods for preventing infection by HIV and other STDs. Improvement in the reproductive health care of women depends on the development of new disease prevention products and structural changes in the delivery of care, as well as continued research efforts on the interrelations among contraceptive methods, HIV and other STD.

This paper describes current methods useful to define molecular markers from a collection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains. The procedures of auxotyping, serotyping and plasmid profiling led to the obtention of 10 auxotypes, 19 serotypes and five plasmid types (including beta-lactamase plasmids) among 41 gonococci studied. Twelve patterns of antimicrobial resistance were determined as well, through in vitro susceptibility testing by agar dilution. These tools in conjunction, offer the possibility to study gonorrhea in a dynamic fashion from an epidemiologic perspective. Furthermore, they have allowed us to establish a gonococcal reference laboratory in our institution.