5 research outputs found
Human disease caused by Streptococcus alactolyticus: A case report of native valve infective endocarditis and review of the literature
No full textStreptococcus alactolyticus, a member of the Streptococcus bovis/Streptoccus equinus complex, is primarily hosted in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and rarely of humans, with only scarce reports relating to human disease. We herein present a case of subacute infective endocarditis (IE) caused by S. alactolyticus in a 64-year old male with pre-existing mitral prolapse. Despite a 10-month history of low-grade fever and weight loss, the diagnosis of IE was triggered by left quadrant abdominal pain which revealed splenic infarcts on computed tomography. A definitive diagnosis of IE was subsequently established by four consecutive blood cultures positive for S. alactolyticus plus demonstration of a vegetation on the mitral valve by trans-esophageal ultrasound. Further workup revealed multiple embolic phenomena including brain and spine. A dental abscess was identified as the most probable origin of the bacteraemia, while colonoscopy revealed no evidence of cancer. Although rare, IE caused by S. alactolyticus may be severe and of obscure origin; oral cavity should not be overlooked as a possible origin. Attention should be given in patients with preexisting risk factors. © The Author(s), 2020 Licensee PAGEPress, Italy Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 2020; 90:142
The importance of small-sized copepods in a frontal area of the Aegean Sea
No full textDistribution, production and grazing of the copepod community were investigated in the northern Aegean Sea, which is characterized by a permanent thermohaline front. Cruises were conducted along a transect crossing the frontal area during spring and late summer. Biomass and production of autotrophs were measured by size fractionation and heterotrophic nanoflagellates and ciliates were also studied. Copepod biomass, production and grazing impact on the phytoplankton and ciliate populations were estimated. The copepod community was sampled with a 45 μm net to include the smallest species and their developmental stages. The size, structure and distribution of the phytoplankton imply that most carbon was fixed by picoplankton during both seasons and throughout the study area. The partitioning of carbon among the different plankton compartments was not a broad-based pyramid and the biomass of heterotrophs was higher than that of autotrophs, except in the non-frontal region during spring. Copepod biomass was substantially higher in the frontal area. Our results showed that the small-sized copepods (calanoids and cyclopoids) dominated in terms of biomass and production, but also had a greater influence on the efficiency of the trophic coupling between the primary producers and the protozooplankton than the larger species, stressing their importance in the northern Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean in general. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
Colonic mucosal and serum expression of microRNAs in canine large intestinal inflammatory bowel disease
No full textBackground: Canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorders of still largely unknown etiology. Canine IBD diagnosis is time-consuming and costly as other diseases with similar signs should be initially excluded. In human IBD microRNA (miR) expression changes have been reported in GI mucosa and blood. Thus, there is a possibility that miRs may provide insight into disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and even treatment of canine IBD. The aim of this study was to determine the colonic mucosal and serum relative expression of a miRs panel in dogs with large intestinal IBD and healthy control dogs. Results: Compared to healthy control dogs, dogs with large intestinal IBD showed significantly increased relative expression of miR-16, miR-21, miR-122 and miR-147 in the colonic mucosa and serum, while the relative expression of miR-185, miR-192 and miR-223 was significantly decreased. Relative expression of miR-146a was significantly increased only in the serum of dogs with large intestinal IBD. Furthermore, serum miR-192 and miR-223 relative expression correlated to disease activity and endoscopic score, respectively. Conclusion: Our data suggest the existence of dysregulated miRs expression patterns in canine IBD and support the potential future use of serum miRs as useful noninvasive biomarkers. © 2020 The Author(s)
LA SALUD MENTAL EN LA PSICOLOGÍA DE LA RELIGIÓN Y DE LA ESPIRITUALIDAD
No full textSi bien la psicología se ha interesado por los fenómenos religiosos y espirituales desde sus origines, recién en la década del ochenta se constituye la psicología de la religión y de la espiritualidad como un área específica de la psicología. En este marco, entre las principales líneas de investigación, numerosos autores se han interesado en explorar el modo en que la religiosidad y la espiritualidad se asocian a la salud mental. Sin embargo, a pesar de la considerable cantidad de estudios que abordan el tema, en la literatura especializada aún se evidencia una amplia diversidad de resultados contradictorios. El presente trabajo se propone revisar los antecedentes vinculados al modo en que se han asociado estas variables, atendiendo a los debates teórico-epistemológicos que podrían contribuir a explicar las enormes diferencias que se observan entre los distintos hallazgos empíricos.
Abstract.
Although psychology has been interested in religious and spiritual phenomena since its origins, it was not until the 1980s that the psychology of religion and spirituality was established as a specific psychological field. Within this framework, among the main lines of research, numerous authors have been interested in exploring the way in which religiosity and spirituality are associated with mental health. However, despite the considerable number of studies that address the issue, a wide diversity of mixed results is still evident in the literature. The present work intends to review the antecedents linked to the way in which these variables have been associated, taking into account the theoretical-epistemological debates that could contribute to explain the enormous differences that are observed between the different empirical findings
