Acute phase protein profile in agoutis (Dasyprocta azarae; Lichtenstein, 1823) in captivity, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrilamyde gel electrophoresis

The acute phase response refers to a nonspecific and complex systemic reaction of the organism that occurs shortly after any tissue injury. The acute phase response is considered a part of the innate host defense system, which is responsible for the survival of the host during the critical early stages of attack, and in evolutionary terms, it precedes the acquired immune response. The purpose of this study was to determine serum protein concentrations, including the acute phase protein profile in agoutis (Dasyprocta azarae) in captivity, by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Blood samples from 11 adult healthy animals (nine females and two males) were obtained. The serum proteinogram had 21 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 15 to 240 kD. The acute phase proteins identified were: ceruloplasmin, transferrin, albumin, haptoglobin, α-1-acid glycoprotein, and hemoglobin. IgA, IgG heavy and light chains, and nonnominal identified proteins of 240, 210, 140, 98, 78, 48, 35, 31, 23, and 15 kD were also identified. The determination of the acute phase protein concentrations is a useful method for the early detection of subclinical disease or changes in the healthy animal, with predictive information on the development of disease in the future. It is possible to standardize the reference values of the serum protein profile of agoutis, which can be used for diagnosis and prognosis, treatment and clinical follow-up of nutritional disorders, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases that may affect these animals.     

Drug-induced gingival overgrowth: a case report

A variety of systemic drugs can lead to adverse effects in the oral environment. This article reports the case of a 61-year-old man who had a severe drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO) caused by nifedipine. DIGO is relevant due to severe gingival enlargement, which causes disfigurement and blocks physiological and social functions such as mastication and speaking. Management of DIGO is always a challenge due to the patient's systemic condition. This article shows, step-by-step, how the treatment was executed and how the DIGO was reversed.     

Comparison of dose calculation algorithms in slab phantoms with cortical bone equivalent heterogeneities

To evaluate the dose values predicted by several calculation algorithms in two treatment planning systems, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and measurements by means of various detectors were performed in heterogeneous layer phantoms with water- and bone-equivalent materials. Percentage depth doses (PDDs) were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), plane parallel and cylindrical ionization chambers, and beam profiles with films. The MC code used for the simulations was the PENELOPE code. Three different field sizes (10 x 10, 5 x 5, and 2 x 2 cm2) were studied in two phantom configurations and a bone equivalent material. These two phantom configurations contained heterogeneities of 5 and 2 cm of bone, respectively. We analyzed the performance of four correction-based algorithms and one based on convolution superposition. The correction-based algorithms were the Batho, the Modified Batho, the Equivalent TAR implemented in the Cadplan (Varian) treatment planning system (TPS), and the Helax-TMS Pencil Beam from the Helax-TMS (Nucletron) TPS. The convolution-superposition algorithm was the Collapsed Cone implemented in the Helax-TMS. All the correction-based calculation algorithms underestimated the dose inside the bone-equivalent material for 18 MV compared to MC simulations. The maximum underestimation, in terms of root-mean-square (RMS), was about 15% for the Helax-TMS Pencil Beam (Helax-TMS PB) for a 2 x 2 cm2 field inside the bone-equivalent material. In contrast, the Collapsed Cone algorithm yielded values around 3%. A more complex behavior was found for 6 MV where the Collapsed Cone performed less well, overestimating the dose inside the heterogeneity in 3%-5%. The rebuildup in the interface bone-water and the penumbra shrinking in high-density media were not predicted by any of the calculation algorithms except the Collapsed Cone, and only the MC simulations matched the experimental values within the estimated uncertainties. The TLD and MOSFET detectors were suitable for dose measurement inside bone-equivalent materials, while parallel ionization chambers, applying the same calibration and correction factors as in water, systematically underestimated dose by 3%-5%.     

Molecular phylogeny of the genus Sticta (lichenized Ascomycota: Lobariaceae) in Colombia

We present a molecular phylogenetic study of the lichen genus Sticta focusing on Colombia, using the ITS fungal barcoding gene for a total of 370 ingroup OTUs, with 322 newly generated sequences. The topology resulting from a maximum likelihood approach does not support current species concepts in Sticta, which use a morphological concept, but in contrast shows that similar morphodemes evolved multiple times independently within the genus. As a consequence, currently applied names such as S. fuliginosa and S. weigelii comprise numerous (up to more than 20) unrelated species-level lineages, which can be distinguished also phenotypically using previously unrecognized characters such as lobe configuration, lobe surface structure, tomentum type, and anatomy of the basal membrane of the cyphellae. We conclude that the genus Sticta contains about four to five times the number of species currently recognized. In Colombia alone, approximately 150 species of Sticta are present.