Un nouveau procede de culture continue a dialyse pour le phytoplancton

Summary Equipment and methods for continuous dialysis culture are described which make feasible the continous aseptic production of dense cultures of phytoplankton (unicellular marine algae). New features include the use of independently-replaceable fibre dialysis units and renewal of the nutrient medium (sea water) by controlled hydraulic diffusion. Cell densities of up to 4 × 10⁷ are attained.     

La enfermedad de Cushing en 2012

The aim of this study was to review the literature published and the most important papers presented to meetings on Cushing's disease from October 2011 to September 2012. The selection has been performed according to the authors’ criteria. Articles have been classified into five groups: quality of life and perception of the disease, clinical features and pathophysiology, comorbidity conditions, diagnosis, and treatment. The results and conclusions of each publication are discussed.     

La culture visuelle du Tardiglaciaire en Italie

The Author summarizes data on Italian figurative evidence dated to the last 10,000 years of Late Glacial (Epigravettian culture) and describes the possible scenario conceivable after a multidisciplinary analysis of different archaeologica data. During Ancient Epigravettian, the rare evidence indicates the presence in Italy of “franco-cantabric style”. During Evolved (or Recent) Epigravettian the Italian visual productions appear more innovative and original in relation to a more polymorphic iconography. The variability of evidence is greater during the Final Epigravettian and the rich documentation allows to define in detail the visual culture during the last 4000 years of Palaeolithic.     

La notion de complexes et de seuils en bioclimatologie humaine

Sans résumé Note: Cette communication est le résumé d'un travail beaucoup plus important a paraitre à l'Institut Fran?ais d'Afrique Noire et où une application des principes énoncés faite sur une quarantaine de stations d'Afrique occidentale et de l'Afrique du Sud.     

La tomographie par émission de positons en cardiologie

Cardiovascular PET imaging is progressively emerging, owing to wider availability of cameras for non-oncology indications, as well as to the development of dedicated imaging agents. This article briefly reviews main indications of cardiovascular PET.     

La calidad de vida en ancianos polimedicados con multimorbilidad

Objectives

To estimate the values of the quality of life dimensions using the SF-12 questionnaire in the elderly on polymedication and with multiple morbidities, and identify the variables associated with it.

Material and methods

A cross-sectional study on a sample of 393 patients selected from the elderly population over 67 years and who took more than 5 drugs. The SF-12 was complemented by a personal interview in the clinic or in the home of the patient. Central tendency, dispersion, and the percentiles of the 8 dimensions were calculated, as well as the SF-36 physical and mental component summary measures (PCS and MCS). All patients below the 25th percentile of the PCS and MCS were classified as patients with a deterioration. Logistic regression was used to determine the variables that were associated with the deterioration in the quality of life.

Results

It is a population with high morbidity. The subjects showed very low scores on the general health scales −mean (SD): 25.7 (17.4)−; physical function −32.6 (32.1)−; and PCS: [(37.8 (25.1)]. Women had a worse quality of life than men in all the scales. Female sex, being over 80 years, frequent falls, chronic pain, cancerous disease, and depression, are variables that determine the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL).

Conclusion

This population has a poor HR-QoL, particularly in the physical dimensions. Chronic pain and depression, together with age and being female are variables that determine the deterioration in the HR-QoL.     

La evaluación de la calidad de vida en personas con demencia

Quality of life (QoL) is one of the most important outcome variables in the study of the efficacy of interventions with people with dementia. However, its assessment is difficult 1) because it is a complex construct for which there is no unified theoretical or conceptual approach, and 2) because of the inherent difficulties in the cognitive impairments of the people under study. In this work different methods and instruments to this end are reviewed, and related findings are discussed. It is important to take into account the subjective view of the assessed person, as assessments done by proxies tend to underestimate QoL. In spite of the need for further development in this field, it is concluded that the instrument of choice is the QOL-AD, as it is change-sensitive, it correlates with health measurements, it is translated into several languages and it can be administered to people with low MMSE scores.     

La desesperanza como predictora de la soledad en adultos mayores

Background and objectiveHopelessness is characterized by a set of negative cognitive schemas about the future, conceptualized on the basis of three dimensions: affective, motivational and cognitive. This construct is linked to loneliness, the incidence of which in older adults is increasingly high. The aim of this research is to test whether hopelessness factors predict levels of loneliness in older adults.Material and methods138 non-institutionalized persons from Valencia city between 65-90 years old participated, with a mean age of 73.67 (SD = 4.8), and 59.4% were women. The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) were administered to assess participants.ResultsThe motivational and cognitive factors acted as statistically significant predictors of loneliness, while the affective factor was not presented as a significant factor. The final model obtained an R² adj = .442, F(3, 87) = 23.97, p < .001.ConclusionsLoneliness is a phenomenon of great concern in the field of gerontology due to its high incidence and impact. The results indicate that hopelessness, specifically loss of motivation and negative expectations about the future, are critical issues for the development of feelings of loneliness in older adults. Thus, it is relevant to pay attention to these variables in order to apply loneliness prevention programs.     

Le lait comme milieu de culture en Bacteriologie

Conclusion En résumant: le lait comme milieu de culture est à mÊme d'apporter une précieuse contribution à la connaissance de la physiologie, de l'enzymologie et du métabolisme des microbes, ainsi qu'à la connaissance intime du lait mÊme, au service de la science pure et de la science appliquée, à la médecine, à l'industrie, à l'agriculture. Je n'ai pas besoin de rappeler la grande signification de la conquÊte de notions concernant la vie microbienne, aussi pour la biologie générale.Pourtant, de tout ce qui précède découle la nécessité que l'étude de l'action des bactéries sur le lait soit fondée sur l'examen de plusieurs cultures faites dans des laits différents avec des ensemencements assez larges et sous des conditions différentes de l'ambiance; et il faut avant tout que l'observation soit faite avec l'oeil du biologiste et avec la diligence et la persévérance queHugo de Vries pose comme conditionssine qua non pour ce genre de recherches.     

La hidrofobicidad de la superficie celular como indicador de otros factores de virulencia en Candida albicans

ObjectiveTo evaluate virulence factors involved in the adhesion process, such as cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), adherence to plastic capacity, adherence capacity to buccal epithelial cells (BEC), and biofilm formation, in 17 strains of C. albicans isolated from bronchial aspirates of critically ill patients.MethodThe CSH of the strains of C. albicans was determined using the MATH method, a microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons test. The study of adherence to plastic was performed in microtitre plates in accordance with Christensen's technique. Biofilm formation was studied in polystyrene microtitre plates, according to the method of Ramage. Adherence to BEC was evaluated by quantifying the percentage of adhered yeasts to cells.ResultsAll the strains studied showed factors directly involved in adhesion, with variability in the degree of expression among them. Medium-high levels of CSH were found in 52.9% of the strains. The percentage of strains with high values in adherence to plastic was 35.3%. The most hydrophobic strains were the most adherent to plastic, with a correlation coefficient of 0.76. Of the 12 biofilm-producing strains, 6 were high producers. These strains had also high levels of CSH and adherence to plastic, with significant results. All the strains studied adhered to BEC, with results ranging widely from 45 to 157 yeasts/100 BEC, with no significant correlation with the rest of the parameters studied, although CSH was seen to be an indispensable prior requisite for adherence to cells.ConclusionCSH is a variable characteristic in C. albicans and is directly related to adherence to plastic and biofilm formation. Ease in evaluating CSH permits its quantification, and could be used as an indicator of the presence of other determinants of pathogenicity.     

La resorption de l'os mort etudiee par la methode de culture des tissus

Résumé Les histiocytes sont, en culture de tissus, les seuls éléments responsables de la résorption de fragments osseux nécrosés. Ils se présentent en général sous forme d'un réseau de cellules fixes, anastomosées les unes avec les autres, mais, en présence de polynucléaires, se transforment, en partie tout au moins, en macrophages mobiles, mononucléés. Il n'a jamais été observé, dans les conditions expérimentales, de cellules géantes multinuclées.     

La inmunofluorescencia indirecta en el diagnostico serologico de las candidiasis sistemicas

Resumen Estudiamos la presencia de anticuerpos contraCandida albicans, mediante la técnica de inmunofluorescencia indirecta, este trabajo pretende completar un estudio anterior, presentado por uno de nosotros, en el que demostramos el valor de las pruebas de fijación de complemento e inmunodifusión en gel de agar para el diagnóstico de las septicemias y endocarditis moniliásicas.El antígeno empleado fué una suspension de células deCandida albicans cepa 3043 del Centro de Micología.La antiglobulina humana unida a isotiocianato de fluoresceina provenía del Instituto Pasteur de París.Se estudiaron los sueros de 100 dadores de un banco de sangre, 51 dieron reacciones positivas y 49 negativas, los títulos de los sueros positivos fueron: 1/10 22 sueros, 1/20 13, 1/40 8, 1/80 4, y 1/160 3.Se examinaron 35 sueros de pacientes portadores de candidiasis superficiales, de los cuales 33 fueron positivos con títulos que variaron de 1/10 a 1/320.Estudiamos los sueros de 10 pacientes que padecían septicemias y endocarditis porCandida con hemocultivos positivos, todos dieren reacciones fuertemente positivas con títulos que oscilaron entre 1/2560 y 1/20480. La prueba de inmunofluorescencia indirecta fué igualmente positiva, con títulos moderadamente elevados en dos pacientes portadores de moniliasis broncopulmonar y en uno con una endoftalmitis porCandida.

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The results of complement fixation tests and immunodiffusion agar gel tests in the serological studies of cases ofCandida septicaemia andCandida endocarditis were published in a previous paper. The results of the indirect immunofluorescence technic applied to the diagnosis of candidiasis are here reported. 51 positive results with titers ranging from 1/10 to 1/160 were obtained from sera of 100 persons without clinical manifestations of candidiasis. 33 positive results with titers ranging from 1/10 to 1/320 were registered from sera of 35 patients with superficialCandida infections. Sera from 10 patients withCandida septicaemia andCandida endocarditis gave strong positive reactions with titers ranging from 1/2.560 to 1/20.480. Positive results with fairly high titers were obtained in cases of bronchopulmonary candidiasis and in one case of candida endophthalmitis.