Drug-resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates among Spanish middle aged and older adults with community-acquired pneumonia

Background  

Pneumococcal diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Updated data on drug-resistance from different populations may be important to recognize changes in disease patterns. This study assessed current levels of penicilin resistance among Streptococcus Pneumoniae causing pneumonia in Spanish middle age and older adults.     

The Role of Community Health Workers Within the Continuum of Services for HIV,Viral Hepatitis,and Other STIs Amongst Men Who Have Sex with Men in Europe

Journal of Community Health - Little is known about Community Health Workers (CHWs) who work in non-clinical settings to provide sexual health support around HIV, viral hepatitis, and other...     

A typology of female sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago,Chile

In Chile, sex work takes place covertly in a variety of venues and locations. Formative research using time-location sampling methods is important in order to understand the nature of this diversity. This study used qualitative methods to develop a typology of female sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, using semi-structured interviews, focus groups and ethnographic fieldwork during visits to sex work venues. The study identified seven types of venue, which reflect the context and regulatory framework of the country and the structural vulnerabilities that affect female sex workers in Chile. These venues and locations include: cafés con piernas (coffee with legs); nightclubs, topless bars and cabarets; brothels; hotels; street and highway soliciting; massage parlours; and private residences. Formative research methods were helpful in identifying and characterising the venues and locations in which sex work occurred. Barriers to accessing and mapping specific locations were also identified. Recommendations for addressing these barriers include working with non-governmental organisations to map venues and initiate contact with the populations of interest. A comprehensive typology of sex work in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, Chile, is an essential element for future time-location sampling and bio-behavioural research in the context of second-generation surveillance for HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Chile.     

MR Denoising Increases Radiomic Biomarker Precision and Reproducibility in Oncologic Imaging

Journal of Digital Imaging - Several noise sources, such as the Johnson–Nyquist noise, affect MR images disturbing the visualization of structures and affecting the subsequent extraction of...     

Regional vulnerability of hippocampal subfields to aging measured by structural and diffusion MRI

In the past few years, there has been an increasing awareness of the regional vulnerability of the hippocampus to age‐related processes. However, to date, no studies have assessed the effects of age on different structural magnetic resonance parameters in the specific hippocampal subfields. In this study, we measured volume, mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the presubiculum, subiculum, fimbria, cornu ammonis (CA) 1,2‐3,4‐DG and the whole hippocampus in fifty cognitively intact elder adults between 50 and 75 years of age (20 men, 30 women). Segmentation of hippocampal subfields was performed using FreeSurfer. Individual MD and FA images were coregistered to T1‐weighted volumes using FLIRT of FSL. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the effects of age on the anatomical measures of each subfield. In addition, multiple regression analyses were also carried out to assess which of the anatomical measures that showed a correlation with age in the previous analyses, were the best age predictors in the hippocampus. In agreement with previous studies, our results showed a significant association between age and volume (P < 0.001) as well as MD (P < 0.001) in the whole hippocampus. Regarding the specific hippocampal subfields, we found that age had a significant negative effect on volume in CA2‐3 (P < 0.001) and CA4‐DG (P < 0.001). Importantly, we found a positive effect of age on MD in CA2‐3 (P < 0.001) and fimbria (P < 0.001) as well as a negative age effect on FA in the subiculum (P < 0.001). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the best overall predictors of age in the hippocampus were MD in the fimbria and volume of CA2‐3, which explained 73.8% of the age variance. These results indicate that age has an effect both on volume and diffusion tensor imaging measures in different subfields, suggesting they provide complementary information on age‐related processes in the hippocampus. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Changes in whole-brain functional networks and memory performance in aging

We used resting-functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 98 healthy older adults to analyze how local and global measures of functional brain connectivity are affected by age, and whether they are related to differences in memory performance. Whole-brain networks were created individually by parcellating the brain into 90 cerebral regions and obtaining pairwise connectivity. First, we studied age-associations in interregional connectivity and their relationship with the length of the connections. Aging was associated with less connectivity in the long-range connections of fronto-parietal and fronto-occipital systems and with higher connectivity of the short-range connections within frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes. We also used the graph theory to measure functional integration and segregation. The pattern of the overall age-related correlations presented positive correlations of average minimum path length (r = 0.380, p = 0.008) and of global clustering coefficients (r = 0.454, p < 0.001), leading to less integrated and more segregated global networks. Main correlations in clustering coefficients were located in the frontal and parietal lobes. Higher clustering coefficients of some areas were related to lower performance in verbal and visual memory functions. In conclusion, we found that older participants showed lower connectivity of long-range connections together with higher functional segregation of these same connections, which appeared to indicate a more local clustering of information processing. Higher local clustering in older participants was negatively related to memory performance.     

Follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: To what extent is fine-needle aspiration reliable?

We have reappraised the fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) of 5 cases of the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (FVPCT). Three of these had been performed on cold thyroid nodules and had been diagnosed as follicular proliferations. The remaining 2 had been performed on cervical lymphadenopathies and had been diagnosed as metastatic papillary carcinoma, probably of thyroid origin. Careful reassessment of the slides did not allow any change of the original diagnoses. We found two constant cytologic features present in all cases studied; syncytial clusters without acinar formation, and monolayered sheets. Nonconstant findings included: follicular pattern, ropy colloid, multinucleated giant cells (MGCs), and nucleoli in FNAs performed on thyroid nodules, and papillae, pseudonuclear inclusions, nuclear grooves, MGCs, and nucleoli in FNAs performed on cervical lymphadenopathies. Our findings suggest that the cytologic diagnosis of FVPCT is very difficult if based solely on the cytologic features seen in FNAs, and that it is necessary to resort to the study of surgical specimens if a definitive diagnosis is to be achieved. We are also of the opinion that more weight should be given to the aforementioned nonconstant findings when faced by a thyroid aspirate with cell richness, syncytial clusters without acinar formation, and monolayered sheets. Diagn Cytopathol 1996;15:12–16. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effects of 17beta-estradiol exposure in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis: a possible regulating role for steroid acyltransferases

Mussels (Mytilus galloaprovincialis) were exposed to different concentrations of estradiol (20, 200, and 2000 ng/L) in a semi-static regime (1-day dosing intervals) for up to 7 days in an attempt to see how mussels deal with exogenous estrogenic compounds. Whole tissue free-estradiol levels were only significantly elevated at the high exposure dose, whereas total-estradiol (free+esterified) sharply increased in a dose-dependent manner, from 2 ng/g in controls to 258 ng/g at the high exposure group. Neither free nor esterified testosterone levels showed significant differences between control and exposed organisms. The results suggest the existence of mechanisms that allow mussels to maintain their hormonal levels stable, with the exception of the high exposure dose, and the important role that fatty acid esterification, e.g. palmitoyl-CoA:estradiol acyltransferases, may play within those mechanisms. Additionally, the activity of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17beta-HSD), 5alpha-reductase, P450-aromatase, and estradiol-sulfotransferases were investigated in digestive gland microsomal and cytosolic fractions. All these activities were differently affected by estradiol exposure. Overall, the study contributes to the better knowledge of molluscan endocrinology, and defines new mechanisms of regulation of free steroid-levels in mussels.