Cross-sectional study about primary health care professionals views on the inclusion of the vaccine against human papillomavirus in the vaccine schedules

BACKGROUND

Although the inclusion of the HPV vaccine has been registered in Spain since 2007, vaccination rates are lower than expected. The patients wish to be vaccinated is heavily influenced by information they have received from many source. The Knowledge of primary health care professionals affects the information provided to patients and is fundamental in the decision making. The aim of this study is to assess the opinions of primary health care professionals on the vaccine against HPV and their knowledge about HPV infection and its links to with gynecological and oropharyngeal cancer.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study. A 19-item survey was drawn up. It included questions on basic aspects of HPV infection and marketed vaccines, personal opinion about the inclusion in the immunization schedules and their level of prescription and recommendation to patients in their clinical practice. From October 2013 to December 2013, 607 surveys were distributed among 20 primary health centers affiliated to the University Hospital 12 de Octubre. The results were analyzed using SPSS statistical package.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty four successfully completed surveys were obtained for analysis. 89 % of the professionals knew about the relationship between HPV infection and cervical cancer, 57.3 % did not know any of the serotypes against which vaccines are targeted; 40.4 % believed that there is insufficient data to support the commercialization of the vaccines. Of these, 65.7 % argue that there is no data of its long-term effectiveness, 13.4 % that there is no data as to its side effects, 13.4 % believed that the cost effectiveness is not worthwhile.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a strong controversy among health professionals regarding the marketing and inclusion of HPV vaccine in immunization schedules. However, the knowledge of the primary care health professionals on key aspects of infection and vaccine protection are insufficient. The training of professionals in vaccination, cervical pathology and HPV infection should be improved to provide objective information on the use as this vaccine for patients.

LEO Baby Stent Use following Balloon-Assisted Coiling: Single- and Dual-Stent Technique--Immediate and Midterm Results of 29 Consecutive Patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We report our preliminary results in terms of safety and efficacy in using the low-profile LEO Baby stent for the treatment of large-neck and complex intracranial aneurysms with balloon-then-stent-assisted coiling and single- or dual-stent-assisted coiling.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Clinical and radiologic data of all consecutive patients treated at our institution from September 2012 to October 2013 for an intracranial aneurysm by using a LEO Baby stent were retrospectively analyzed. Immediate and midterm clinical and anatomic follow-up of each patient is reported.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients with 29 aneurysms were treated with LEO Baby stents at our institution. The mean age of patients was 48 years; 20 patients were women (71%). One patient was treated in the acute phase of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. In 8 procedures, a double-lumen-catheter balloon was used for balloon-then-stent-assisted coiling. In 3 cases, a LEO Baby stent was used in a Y-, T-, and telescopic dual-stent configuration. In 18 cases, a single LEO Baby stent was used. In 2 cases, technical failure to deploy the stent resulted in acute parent artery thrombosis. In 3 further cases, thromboembolic complications occurred intraoperatively. MR imaging and angiographic midterm follow-up showed complete aneurysm occlusion for 96% of the followed patients (27/29). Clinical outcome was favorable for all patients followed up.

CONCLUSIONS

Results obtained in our study by using the LEO Baby stent for balloon-then-stent and single- or dual-stent-assisted coiling of complex and distally located intracranial aneurysms are encouraging. Incomplete or inadequate opening of the device is a potential cause of laminar blood flow alteration and thrombus formation.

Percepción de alteraciones dermatológicas de baja expresión y calidad de vida: el papel mediador del afrontamiento

La percepción de una enfermedad tiene que ver con las estrategias de afrontamiento de la misma y la calidad de vida del paciente. El objetivo de este trabajo es contrastar el papel mediador de varias estrategias de afrontamiento en la relación entre la percepción de la enfermedad dermatológica y la calidad de vida. Participaron 220 personas que cumplimentaron, de forma individual y anónima, un cuestionario que evaluaba expresión sintomatológica cutánea, impacto psicológico de las condiciones de la piel, estrategias de afrontamiento ante alteraciones cutáneas y calidad de vida. Los resultados muestran que, en personas que creen tener una alteración dermatológica leve, la influencia del impacto psicológico de las condiciones de la piel sobre la calidad de vida está mediada de forma diferencial por las estrategias de afrontamiento. Mientras que el uso de la estrategia de pensamientos positivos contribuye a mantener la calidad de vida, utilizar la estrategia pensamientos desiderativos produce una disminución de la misma.

Inverse Kinematic Study of the (26g)Al(d,p)(27)Al Reaction and Implications for Destruction of (26)Al in Wolf-Rayet and Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

In Wolf-Rayet and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, the (26g)Al(p,γ)(27)Si reaction is expected to govern the destruction of the cosmic γ-ray emitting nucleus (26)Al. The rate of this reaction, however, is highly uncertain due to the unknown properties of key resonances in the temperature regime of hydrogen burning. We present a high-resolution inverse kinematic study of the (26g)Al(d,p)(27)Al reaction as a method for constraining the strengths of key astrophysical resonances in the (26g)Al(p,γ)(27)Si reaction. In particular, the results indicate that the resonance at E(r)=127  keV in (27)Si determines the entire (26g)Al(p,γ)(27)Si reaction rate over almost the complete temperature range of Wolf-Rayet stars and AGB stars.

Measurement of 23Na(α,p)26Mg at Energies Relevant to 26Al Production in Massive Stars

26Al is an important radioisotope in astrophysics that provides evidence of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. The 23Na(α, p)26Mg reaction has been identified by a sensitivity study as being one of the most important reactions for the production of 26Al in the convective C/Ne burning shell of massive stars. Owing to large uncertainties in previous experimental data, model calculations are used for the reaction rate of 23Na(α, p)26Mg in this sensitivity study. Current experimental data suggest a reaction rate a factor of ∼40 higher than model calculations. However, a new measurement of this reaction cross section has been made in inverse kinematics in the energy range E(c.m.)=1.28-3.15  MeV at TRIUMF, and found to be in reasonable agreement with the model calculation. A new reaction rate is calculated and tight constraints on the uncertainty in the production of 26Al, due to this reaction, are determined.

Complications and follow up of subarachnoid hemorrhages

Complications of subarachnoid hemorrhage are the major life threatening and functional components of the follow up of a ruptured aneurysm. Knowing how to identify these is a key challenge. They vary in type throughout the postoperative follow up period. The aim of this article is firstly to list the main complications of the acute phase (rebleeding, acute hydrocephalus, acute ischemic injury and non-neurological complications), the subacute phase (vasospasm) and the chronic phase of subarachnoid hemorrhages: (chronic hydrocephalus and cognitive disorders) and to describe their major clinical and radiological features. Secondly, we describe the long-term follow up strategy for patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and have been treated endovascularly or by surgery. This follow up involves a combination of clinical consultations, cerebral MRI and at least one review angiogram.

Structure of dung beetle communities in an altitudinal gradient of neotropical dry forest

To understand the effects of global warming in tropical insect communities, it is necessary to comprehend how such communities respond to different abiotic factors that covariate with altitude. In this study, we partially answer this question applied to dung beetle communities distributed along an altitudinal gradient. The sampling was conducted in seven stations 100 m apart each in altitude in a dry mountain scrub in southern Ecuador. A total of 7422 individuals belonging to six species were captured. Canthon balteatus Boheman was the most abundant with 6502 individuals, and Onoreidium ohausi (Arrow) was the least abundant with 20 individuals. We found significant changes in the structure of the dung beetle communities with altitude. Two abiotic factors showed a relationship with the abundance pattern for all species (altitude, Z = 0.011, p < 0.01, and temperature, Z = 0.859, p < 0.01). Canthon balteatus Boheman showed a positive relationship with altitude (Z = 1.422, p < 0.001) and temperature (Z = 1.121, p < 0.001), Dichotomius problematicus (Lüederwaldt) a positive relationship with precipitation (Z = 0.113, p < 0.001), and Malagoniella cupreicollis (Waterhouse) a positive relationship with temperature (Z = 0.668, p < 0.001) and negative with precipitation (Z = -0.189, p < 0.001). Phanaeus achilles Boheman, Onthophagus sp., and O. ohausi (Arrow) did not show any relationship with the studied variables, nor was the richness correlated with the studied variables. These results suggest that the effects of global warming over dung beetle communities will be difficult to predict because of species-specific responses to global warming.

Production of phytotoxic cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides in plant cells using inducible promoters

Synthetic linear antimicrobial peptides with cationic α-helical structures, such as BP100, have potent and specific activities against economically important plant pathogenic bacteria. They are also recognized as valuable therapeutics and preservatives. However, highly active BP100 derivatives are often phytotoxic when expressed at high levels as recombinant peptides in plants. Here we demonstrate that production of recombinant phytotoxic peptides in transgenic plants is possible by strictly limiting transgene expression to certain tissues and conditions, and specifically that minimization of this expression during transformation and regeneration of transgenic plants is essential to obtain viable plant biofactories. On the basis of whole-genome transcriptomic data available online, we identified the Os.hsp82 promoter that fulfilled this requirement and was highly induced in response to heat shock. Using this strategy, we generated transgenic rice lines producing moderate yields of severely phytotoxic BP100 derivatives on exposure to high temperature. In addition, a threshold for gene expression in selected tissues and stages was experimentally established, below which the corresponding promoters should be suitable for driving the expression of recombinant phytotoxic proteins in genetically modified plants. In view of the growing transcriptomics data available, this approach is of interest to assist promoter selection for specific purposes.

Morphometric Variation on the Cypress Aphid Cinara cupressi (Buckton) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Associated to Urban Trees

Cinara cupressi (Buckton) is an important aphid pest of the Cupressaceae family, originally reported in Chile in 2003. Since then, it has spread over 4,000 km, contributing to conservation issues, mostly associated with native and urban trees of the Cupressaceae. In the present work, the morphometric variation of C. cupressi was examined to determine if the species present in Chile corresponds to a specific entity, and to identify variations among specimens from different localities in the study area. Colonies were collected from urban trees from northern, central, and southern Chile. Morphometric data for 14 characters in aphids from 63 localities in all the distribution ranges were measured and analyzed by multivariate analysis. Results showed that the species present in Chile corresponds to C. cupressi like a single specific entity, showing no morphological variation across the regions sampled. Our data will be discussed within the context of correct taxonomic identification for the implementation of effective biological control strategies.

Prostate tumor OVerexpressed-1 (PTOV1) down-regulates HES1 and HEY1 notch targets genes and promotes prostate cancer progression

BACKGROUND

PTOV1 is an adaptor protein with functions in diverse processes, including gene transcription and protein translation, whose overexpression is associated with a higher proliferation index and tumor grade in prostate cancer (PC) and other neoplasms. Here we report its interaction with the Notch pathway and its involvement in PC progression.

METHODS

Stable PTOV1 knockdown or overexpression were performed by lentiviral transduction. Protein interactions were analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation, pull-down and/or immunofluorescence. Endogenous gene expression was analyzed by real time RT-PCR and/or Western blotting. Exogenous promoter activities were studied by luciferase assays. Gene promoter interactions were analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP). In vivo studies were performed in the Drosophila melanogaster wing, the SCID-Beige mouse model, and human prostate cancer tissues and metastasis. The Excel package was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Knockdown of PTOV1 in prostate epithelial cells and HaCaT skin keratinocytes caused the upregulation, and overexpression of PTOV1 the downregulation, of the Notch target genes HEY1 and HES1, suggesting that PTOV1 counteracts Notch signaling. Under conditions of inactive Notch signaling, endogenous PTOV1 associated with the HEY1 and HES1 promoters, together with components of the Notch repressor complex. Conversely, expression of active Notch1 provoked the dismissal of PTOV1 from these promoters. The antagonist role of PTOV1 on Notch activity was corroborated in the Drosophila melanogaster wing, where human PTOV1 exacerbated Notch deletion mutant phenotypes and suppressed the effects of constitutively active Notch. PTOV1 was required for optimal in vitro invasiveness and anchorage-independent growth of PC-3 cells, activities counteracted by Notch, and for their efficient growth and metastatic spread in vivo. In prostate tumors, the overexpression of PTOV1 was associated with decreased expression of HEY1 and HES1, and this correlation was significant in metastatic lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

High levels of the adaptor protein PTOV1 counteract the transcriptional activity of Notch. Our evidences link the pro-oncogenic and pro-metastatic effects of PTOV1 in prostate cancer to its inhibitory activity on Notch signaling and are supportive of a tumor suppressor role of Notch in prostate cancer progression.