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The study of intestinal microbiota in vector insects like triatomines is paramount in parasitology because many parasitic species inhabit the vector's gut. Although knowledge on the gut microbiota in various vectors of the parasitic flagellate Trypanosoma cruzi has grown, research efforts have focused on South American triatomines. This study reports the isolation of bacterial microbiota in the anterior and posterior gut of Meccus pallidipennis (a triatomine species endemic to Mexico) by culture, as well as its identification by phenotypic and biochemical tests and its quantification by counting colony‐forming units. The study was performed on fifth‐instar nymph and adult specimens of M. pallidipennis, either laboratory‐bred or collected in the field and either infected or not with T. cruzi. Overall, 17 bacterial species were identified, with the genera Bacillus and Staphylococcus being the most prevalent regardless of the origin of the insects. No differences were observed in the number of bacterial species in the gut of laboratory‐bred and field‐collected insects, neither with respect to life stage or infection status. In general, the Shannon‐Weaver diversity index was higher in non‐infected insects than in infected ones. Further studies using non‐culture methods are required to determine whether bacterial species diversity is modified by laboratory breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although the majority of thyroid nodules are benign in nature, 5% of them can contain a malignant tumor with an incidence of 25,000 new patients with thyroid cancer per year, causing more than 1,400 annual deaths. Materials and methods: The present study was performed at the Dr. Enrique Garcés General Hospital (HEG) during the period between January 2005 and December 2015. 150 patients who had a thyroidectomy performed due to thyroid nodules findings were studied. Serologic markers were determined in order to establish a diagnosis prior to the surgery and histopathological tests were performed as a diagnosis after the surgery. Furthermore, the most frequent type of cancer and recurrence was also studied. Results: The majority of nodules were present in the female sex with a greater prevalence of benign pathology (59.3%). It was demonstrated that thyroid cancer usually presents with normal thyroid hormones levels. The papillary type was the most frequent. Medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancer were the ones with the highest risk of recurrence. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of thyroid cancer in the thyroidectomies performed at the Dr. Enrique Garcés General Hospital in Quito, presenting typically as papillary cancer with an intermediate recurrence risk. Therefore, an increase in research regarding risk factors associated to its incidence is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]