This paper demonstrates the application of a Decision Support System (DSS) developed for decision... more This paper demonstrates the application of a Decision Support System (DSS) developed for decision makers and stakeholders to manage and raise awareness of coastal flood risk. The DSS is a GIS-based framework that predicts flooding consequences and is structured around the Source Pathway Receptor Consequence (SPRC) model. The DSS draws together points of view from engineering, ecology and socio-economics, allowing the comparative assessment of the consequences of a range of management interventions. The utility of the tool is demonstrated through application to an estuary field site -the Teign estuary in UK. Vulnerability maps, generated by the DSS for pre-set climate scenarios can be used to show their comparative efficacy in changing the consequences of flooding from a range of stakeholder viewpoints. Recently constructed "tidal" defences built within the estuary are shown to be highly effective.
This study investigates impacts of a wave farm on waves, currents and coastal morphology adjacent... more This study investigates impacts of a wave farm on waves, currents and coastal morphology adjacent to the wave farm, which is located in the Southwest of England (the Wave Hub). In this study, we focus on the interaction between waves and tides due to the presence of the wave farm and its effects on wave radiation stresses, bottom shear stresses and consequently on the sediment transport and the coast adjacent to the wave farm, using an integrated numerical modelling system. The modelling system consists of the near-shore wave model SWAN, the ocean circulation model ROMS and a sediment transport model for morphological evolution. The results show that tidal elevation and tidal currents can have a significant effect on waves and that tidal forcing and waves have a significant effect on bottom shear stresses. Waves can impact on the processes related to the bottom boundary layer and mixing intensity in the water column. The wave farm has an impact on the gradients of radiation shear stresses and bottom shear stresses that modify current speeds and wave heights, which in turn impact on the near-shore sediment transport and the resulting morphological changes. Bed load transport rates show a decrease when the wave farm is present, even during storm conditions. The results highlight the importance of the interactions between waves and tides when modelling coastal morphology with presence of wave energy devices.
To determine the value of systemic cytokines as predictors of relapse in inflammatory bowel disea... more To determine the value of systemic cytokines as predictors of relapse in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A prospective study with 135 patients in clinical remission for at least 3 months. At enrollment, a venous blood was drawn in order to measure, by an ELISA test, the following cytokines: TNFalpha, TNFalpha-R1 and R2, IL-16, IL-1beta, IL 2, IL-R2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFNgamma. All patients were followed-up for one year. Sixty-six patients had Crohn's disease (CD) and 69 had ulcerative colitis (UC). Thirty-nine (30%) had a relapse. Forty-four percent were receiving immunomodulatory therapy. No differences were found regarding detection and baseline concentration of the various cytokines between patients with CD and UC, or between patients with or without ongoing use of immunomodulators. The detection and concentration levels of cytokines were not associated with the risk of relapse of IBD. Systemic cytokines are of little value to predict IBD relapse.
Research on the ecology of sympatric dolphins has increased worldwide in recent decades. However,... more Research on the ecology of sympatric dolphins has increased worldwide in recent decades. However, many dolphin associations such as that between common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) are poorly understood. The present study was conducted in the San Matías Gulf (SMG) ecosystem (North Patagonia, Argentina) where a high diet overlap among both species was found. The main objective of the present work was to explore the niche overlap of common and dusky dolphins in the habitat and temporal dimensions. The specific aims were (a) to evaluate the habitat use strategies of both species through a comparison of their group attributes (social composition, size and activity), and (b) to evaluate their habitat preferences and habitat overlap through Environmental Niche modeling considering two oceanographic seasons. To accomplish these aims, we used a historic database of opportunistic and systematic records collected from 1983 to 2011. Common and dusky...
Objective: To evaluate the neurocognitive function in 220 women enrolled in the Women's Interagen... more Objective: To evaluate the neurocognitive function in 220 women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a study of disease progression in women living with HIV/AIDS and in HIV-negative controls.
The order Siphonophora, free-swimming colonial pelagic hydrozoans (Cnidaria), has the greatest de... more The order Siphonophora, free-swimming colonial pelagic hydrozoans (Cnidaria), has the greatest degree of polymorphism and functional specialization and the most complex organization of all colonial animals. For those reasons and their fragility, they are very difficult to study, and many of described earlier species require a complement or expansion of their taxonomic features. Pyrostephos vanhoeffeni Moser, 1925 is a Physonectae siphonophore with a very complex morphology, especially in their nectophores. This species was been considered to be endemic to the Antarctic and Subantarctic waters until recent studies and it is one of the very few Physonectid species well adapted to cold waters. We recorded P. vanhoeffeni in the continental shelf of Argentina up to 39º S; the most northern occurrence in Atlantic waters so far. A total of 599 colonies were found in 71 zooplankton samples collected between 1996 and 2008. Although the colonial structure was damaged during sampling and fixat...
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has demonstrated antioxidant activity and gene-regulatory properties... more Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has demonstrated antioxidant activity and gene-regulatory properties. d-Galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced cell death is mediated by nitric oxide in hepatocytes, and it is associated with hepatic steatosis. The beneficial properties of alpha-tocopherol and their relation to oxidative stress and gene regulation were assessed in D-GalN-induced cell death. Hepatocytes were isolated from human liver resections by a collagenase perfusion technique. alpha-Tocopherol (50 microM) was administered at the advanced stages (10 h) of D-GalN-induced cell death in cultured hepatocytes. Cell death, oxidative stress, alpha-tocopherol metabolism, and NF-kappaB-, pregnane X receptor (PXR)-, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-alpha)-associated gene regulation were estimated in the hepatocytes. D-GalN increased cell death and alpha-tocopherol metabolism. alpha-Tocopherol exerted a moderate beneficial effect against apoptosis and necrosis induced by D-GalN. Indu...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preoperative anemia is a major risk factor for perioperative transfusio... more BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preoperative anemia is a major risk factor for perioperative transfusion in orthopedic surgery and aging is associated with an increased risk for devoloping anemia. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of preoperative ...
Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences, 2011
Rifampicin has been used for the treatment of patients with jaundice and pruritus. This study eva... more Rifampicin has been used for the treatment of patients with jaundice and pruritus. This study evaluated the effect of rifampicin on the expression of different detoxification systems and bile acid transporters during in-vivo and in-vitro experimental models of cholestasis. Rifampicin was administered to glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA)-treated human hepatocytes and bile duct-obstructed rats. Different parameters related to cell death, and the expression of phase I and II drug metabolizing enzymes (DME) and bile acid transporters were determined. The induction of hepatocellular injury induced by cholestasis was associated with a reduction in cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4), CYP7A1, and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B4 (UGT2B4) expression, as well as an increase in import (Na(+)-taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide, NTCP) system expression. The beneficial properties of rifampicin were associated with an increase in DME and export bile acid systems (multidrug resistance-associated protein 4, MRP4, and bile acid export pump to bile duct, BSEP) expression, as well as a reduction in NTCP expression. The beneficial effect of rifampicin in cholestasis is associated with an increase in DME expression involved in toxic, bile acid and cholesterol metabolism, as well as a reduction in the bile acid importing system in hepatocytes.
We studied 66 subjets diaganosed as Functional Reactive Hypoglycemic Syndrome (FRHS) aged between... more We studied 66 subjets diaganosed as Functional Reactive Hypoglycemic Syndrome (FRHS) aged between 2 and 63 years (26.2 ± 15.3). Insulin Autoantibodies (IAA) and Islet Cell Antibodies (ICA) were determined and their relation to patient's age, sex, duration of symptoms, body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and insulin levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
Bariatric surgery is the most effective method for treating patients with morbid obesity, and par... more Bariatric surgery is the most effective method for treating patients with morbid obesity, and participation of the anesthesiologist in the treatment of these patients is more and more frequent. Therefore it is important for anesthesiologists to be familiar with anatomic and physiologic implications and the pharmacologic changes associated with obesity, so they can offer optimal perioperative treatment. The present study describes a series of 37 patients with an average body mass index of 50.3 kg/m 2 who underwent bariatric surgery in a third-level teaching hospital in Mexico City. Preoperative assessment, airway management, perioperative treatment, and the incidence of complications are analyzed. We found a high frequency of associated diseases, among which diabetes mellitus and systemic arterial hypertension were the most prominent. Cardiorespiratory complications such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and obesity-hypoventilation syndrome were particularly frequent (16.2% and 22.0%, respectively). Both general anesthesia and mixed anesthesia (peridural block plus light general anesthesia) were employed. The incidence of complications related to perioperative and anesthetic management was low. We discuss and propose protocols for the evaluation and management of airway and associated cardiorespiratory complications.
Coastal and estuarine waters are the site of intense anthropogenic influence with concomitant use... more Coastal and estuarine waters are the site of intense anthropogenic influence with concomitant use for recreation and seafood harvesting. Therefore, coastal and estuarine water quality has a direct impact on human health. In eastern North Carolina (NC) there are over 240 recreational and 1025 shellfish harvesting water quality monitoring sites that are regularly assessed. Because of the large number of sites, sampling frequency is often only on a weekly basis. This frequency, along with an 18-24 h incubation time for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) enumeration via culture-based methods, reduces the efficiency of the public notification process. In states like NC where beach monitoring resources are limited but historical data are plentiful, predictive models may offer an improvement for monitoring and notification by providing real-time FIB estimates. In this study, water samples were collected during 12 dry (n = 88) and 13 wet (n = 66) weather events at up to 10 sites. Statistical predictive models for Escherichiacoli (EC), enterococci (ENT), and members of the Bacteroidales group were created and subsequently validated. Our results showed that models for EC and ENT (adjusted R(2) were 0.61 and 0.64, respectively) incorporated a range of antecedent rainfall, climate, and environmental variables. The most important variables for EC and ENT models were 5-day antecedent rainfall, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. These models successfully predicted FIB levels over a wide range of conditions with a 3% (EC model) and 9% (ENT model) overall error rate for recreational threshold values and a 0% (EC model) overall error rate for shellfish threshold values. Though modeling of members of the Bacteroidales group had less predictive ability (adjusted R(2) were 0.56 and 0.53 for fecal Bacteroides spp. and human Bacteroides spp., respectively), the modeling approach and testing provided information on Bacteroidales ecology. This is the first example of a set of successful statistical predictive models appropriate for assessment of both recreational and shellfish harvesting water quality in estuarine waters.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2008
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse... more ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina. To this end, analyses of stomach and gut contents were carried out and the diet composition was compared to the potential preys available in the natural environment. Samples were collected from different places in San Antonio Bay, a Marine Protected Area in San Matías Gulf. Type and number of prey present in the digestive tracts were registered and frequency of occurrence (%FO) and number of prey (%N) were calculated for each study area. Amphipods (Gammaridae, Caprellidae and Hiperidae) and decapods are the main dietary items of H. patagonicus in San Antonio Bay. There were differences in %FO and %N at different sites, which could indicate differences in abundance and availability of prey in the environment. No dietary differences were detected between sex and size of seahorse (ANOVA, P > 0.05). Results from the present study show that, in nature and probably due to limiting environmental factors, H. patagonicus behaves as an opportunistic predator, which preys on the most abundant and vulnerable species present in the environment.
This study sought to develop and validate a screening battery for detecting HIV-related neuropsyc... more This study sought to develop and validate a screening battery for detecting HIV-related neuropsychological (NP) impairment. Six NP measures representing the ability areas most likely affected by HIV infection were paired in 14 combinations and their diagnostic accuracy rates compared. The measures were selected from a larger NP battery administered to 190 HIV-seropositive (HIV+) participants. Screening battery performance was classified as NP impaired if demographically corrected T-scores fell below 40 on both tests, or below 35 on one test. Using blind clinical ratings of NP test results from the larger battery as the "gold standard" for global NP status (impaired or unimpaired), we found that several test combinations demonstrated adequate diagnostic accuracy in detecting NP impairment. The most sensitive test combinations were the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R; Total Recall) and the Grooved Pegboard Test nondominant hand (PND) pair and the HVLT-R and WAIS-III Digit Symbol (DS) subtest pair (sensitivity = 78% and 75%, respectively). Both test combinations (HVLT-R/PND, HVLT-R/DS) were more accurate than the HIV Dementia Scale (HDS) in classifying HIV+ participants as NP impaired or unimpaired. Results suggest that demographically corrected T-scores from pairs of common NP measures may serve as valid screening instruments to identify subjects with HIV-related neurocognitive impairment who could benefit from more extensive NP examination.
The liver is one organ clearly influenced by nitric oxide (NO), and acute and chronic exposure to... more The liver is one organ clearly influenced by nitric oxide (NO), and acute and chronic exposure to this substance has been associated with distinct patterns of liver disease. Disruption or deregulation of S-nitrosothiol (SNO) signalling leads to impairment of cellular function and disease, and this study was aimed to identify potential targets for protein S-nitrosation during alteration of SNO homeostasis in human hepatocytes. Cells were treated with S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CSNO), an effective physiological nitrosothiol for delivering NO bioactivity to cells. Treatment with CSNO augmented the levels of S-nitrosoproteins detected both by chemiluminescence and the biotin switch method. CSNO treatment also increased S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity that returned SNO content to basal levels. This increased enzymatic activity was related to augmented levels of ADH-5 mRNA, the gene encoding for GSNOR in humans. In addition, the treatment with the SNO also increased cell death. Twenty S-nitrosoproteins were identified in CSNO-treated hepatocytes, including mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, protein disulphide isomerase, Hsp60, GRP75 and Raf kinase inhibitor protein. The identification in the Snitrosatable proteome of proteins involved in metabolism, maintenance of cellular homeostasis and signalling points to the relevance of protein S-nitrosation to the physiology and pathophysiology of human hepatocytes.
This paper demonstrates the application of a Decision Support System (DSS) developed for decision... more This paper demonstrates the application of a Decision Support System (DSS) developed for decision makers and stakeholders to manage and raise awareness of coastal flood risk. The DSS is a GIS-based framework that predicts flooding consequences and is structured around the Source Pathway Receptor Consequence (SPRC) model. The DSS draws together points of view from engineering, ecology and socio-economics, allowing the comparative assessment of the consequences of a range of management interventions. The utility of the tool is demonstrated through application to an estuary field site -the Teign estuary in UK. Vulnerability maps, generated by the DSS for pre-set climate scenarios can be used to show their comparative efficacy in changing the consequences of flooding from a range of stakeholder viewpoints. Recently constructed "tidal" defences built within the estuary are shown to be highly effective.
This study investigates impacts of a wave farm on waves, currents and coastal morphology adjacent... more This study investigates impacts of a wave farm on waves, currents and coastal morphology adjacent to the wave farm, which is located in the Southwest of England (the Wave Hub). In this study, we focus on the interaction between waves and tides due to the presence of the wave farm and its effects on wave radiation stresses, bottom shear stresses and consequently on the sediment transport and the coast adjacent to the wave farm, using an integrated numerical modelling system. The modelling system consists of the near-shore wave model SWAN, the ocean circulation model ROMS and a sediment transport model for morphological evolution. The results show that tidal elevation and tidal currents can have a significant effect on waves and that tidal forcing and waves have a significant effect on bottom shear stresses. Waves can impact on the processes related to the bottom boundary layer and mixing intensity in the water column. The wave farm has an impact on the gradients of radiation shear stresses and bottom shear stresses that modify current speeds and wave heights, which in turn impact on the near-shore sediment transport and the resulting morphological changes. Bed load transport rates show a decrease when the wave farm is present, even during storm conditions. The results highlight the importance of the interactions between waves and tides when modelling coastal morphology with presence of wave energy devices.
To determine the value of systemic cytokines as predictors of relapse in inflammatory bowel disea... more To determine the value of systemic cytokines as predictors of relapse in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A prospective study with 135 patients in clinical remission for at least 3 months. At enrollment, a venous blood was drawn in order to measure, by an ELISA test, the following cytokines: TNFalpha, TNFalpha-R1 and R2, IL-16, IL-1beta, IL 2, IL-R2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFNgamma. All patients were followed-up for one year. Sixty-six patients had Crohn's disease (CD) and 69 had ulcerative colitis (UC). Thirty-nine (30%) had a relapse. Forty-four percent were receiving immunomodulatory therapy. No differences were found regarding detection and baseline concentration of the various cytokines between patients with CD and UC, or between patients with or without ongoing use of immunomodulators. The detection and concentration levels of cytokines were not associated with the risk of relapse of IBD. Systemic cytokines are of little value to predict IBD relapse.
Research on the ecology of sympatric dolphins has increased worldwide in recent decades. However,... more Research on the ecology of sympatric dolphins has increased worldwide in recent decades. However, many dolphin associations such as that between common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) are poorly understood. The present study was conducted in the San Matías Gulf (SMG) ecosystem (North Patagonia, Argentina) where a high diet overlap among both species was found. The main objective of the present work was to explore the niche overlap of common and dusky dolphins in the habitat and temporal dimensions. The specific aims were (a) to evaluate the habitat use strategies of both species through a comparison of their group attributes (social composition, size and activity), and (b) to evaluate their habitat preferences and habitat overlap through Environmental Niche modeling considering two oceanographic seasons. To accomplish these aims, we used a historic database of opportunistic and systematic records collected from 1983 to 2011. Common and dusky...
Objective: To evaluate the neurocognitive function in 220 women enrolled in the Women's Interagen... more Objective: To evaluate the neurocognitive function in 220 women enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a study of disease progression in women living with HIV/AIDS and in HIV-negative controls.
The order Siphonophora, free-swimming colonial pelagic hydrozoans (Cnidaria), has the greatest de... more The order Siphonophora, free-swimming colonial pelagic hydrozoans (Cnidaria), has the greatest degree of polymorphism and functional specialization and the most complex organization of all colonial animals. For those reasons and their fragility, they are very difficult to study, and many of described earlier species require a complement or expansion of their taxonomic features. Pyrostephos vanhoeffeni Moser, 1925 is a Physonectae siphonophore with a very complex morphology, especially in their nectophores. This species was been considered to be endemic to the Antarctic and Subantarctic waters until recent studies and it is one of the very few Physonectid species well adapted to cold waters. We recorded P. vanhoeffeni in the continental shelf of Argentina up to 39º S; the most northern occurrence in Atlantic waters so far. A total of 599 colonies were found in 71 zooplankton samples collected between 1996 and 2008. Although the colonial structure was damaged during sampling and fixat...
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has demonstrated antioxidant activity and gene-regulatory properties... more Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) has demonstrated antioxidant activity and gene-regulatory properties. d-Galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced cell death is mediated by nitric oxide in hepatocytes, and it is associated with hepatic steatosis. The beneficial properties of alpha-tocopherol and their relation to oxidative stress and gene regulation were assessed in D-GalN-induced cell death. Hepatocytes were isolated from human liver resections by a collagenase perfusion technique. alpha-Tocopherol (50 microM) was administered at the advanced stages (10 h) of D-GalN-induced cell death in cultured hepatocytes. Cell death, oxidative stress, alpha-tocopherol metabolism, and NF-kappaB-, pregnane X receptor (PXR)-, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-alpha)-associated gene regulation were estimated in the hepatocytes. D-GalN increased cell death and alpha-tocopherol metabolism. alpha-Tocopherol exerted a moderate beneficial effect against apoptosis and necrosis induced by D-GalN. Indu...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preoperative anemia is a major risk factor for perioperative transfusio... more BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preoperative anemia is a major risk factor for perioperative transfusion in orthopedic surgery and aging is associated with an increased risk for devoloping anemia. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of preoperative ...
Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences, 2011
Rifampicin has been used for the treatment of patients with jaundice and pruritus. This study eva... more Rifampicin has been used for the treatment of patients with jaundice and pruritus. This study evaluated the effect of rifampicin on the expression of different detoxification systems and bile acid transporters during in-vivo and in-vitro experimental models of cholestasis. Rifampicin was administered to glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA)-treated human hepatocytes and bile duct-obstructed rats. Different parameters related to cell death, and the expression of phase I and II drug metabolizing enzymes (DME) and bile acid transporters were determined. The induction of hepatocellular injury induced by cholestasis was associated with a reduction in cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4), CYP7A1, and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B4 (UGT2B4) expression, as well as an increase in import (Na(+)-taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide, NTCP) system expression. The beneficial properties of rifampicin were associated with an increase in DME and export bile acid systems (multidrug resistance-associated protein 4, MRP4, and bile acid export pump to bile duct, BSEP) expression, as well as a reduction in NTCP expression. The beneficial effect of rifampicin in cholestasis is associated with an increase in DME expression involved in toxic, bile acid and cholesterol metabolism, as well as a reduction in the bile acid importing system in hepatocytes.
We studied 66 subjets diaganosed as Functional Reactive Hypoglycemic Syndrome (FRHS) aged between... more We studied 66 subjets diaganosed as Functional Reactive Hypoglycemic Syndrome (FRHS) aged between 2 and 63 years (26.2 ± 15.3). Insulin Autoantibodies (IAA) and Islet Cell Antibodies (ICA) were determined and their relation to patient's age, sex, duration of symptoms, body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and insulin levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
Bariatric surgery is the most effective method for treating patients with morbid obesity, and par... more Bariatric surgery is the most effective method for treating patients with morbid obesity, and participation of the anesthesiologist in the treatment of these patients is more and more frequent. Therefore it is important for anesthesiologists to be familiar with anatomic and physiologic implications and the pharmacologic changes associated with obesity, so they can offer optimal perioperative treatment. The present study describes a series of 37 patients with an average body mass index of 50.3 kg/m 2 who underwent bariatric surgery in a third-level teaching hospital in Mexico City. Preoperative assessment, airway management, perioperative treatment, and the incidence of complications are analyzed. We found a high frequency of associated diseases, among which diabetes mellitus and systemic arterial hypertension were the most prominent. Cardiorespiratory complications such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and obesity-hypoventilation syndrome were particularly frequent (16.2% and 22.0%, respectively). Both general anesthesia and mixed anesthesia (peridural block plus light general anesthesia) were employed. The incidence of complications related to perioperative and anesthetic management was low. We discuss and propose protocols for the evaluation and management of airway and associated cardiorespiratory complications.
Coastal and estuarine waters are the site of intense anthropogenic influence with concomitant use... more Coastal and estuarine waters are the site of intense anthropogenic influence with concomitant use for recreation and seafood harvesting. Therefore, coastal and estuarine water quality has a direct impact on human health. In eastern North Carolina (NC) there are over 240 recreational and 1025 shellfish harvesting water quality monitoring sites that are regularly assessed. Because of the large number of sites, sampling frequency is often only on a weekly basis. This frequency, along with an 18-24 h incubation time for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) enumeration via culture-based methods, reduces the efficiency of the public notification process. In states like NC where beach monitoring resources are limited but historical data are plentiful, predictive models may offer an improvement for monitoring and notification by providing real-time FIB estimates. In this study, water samples were collected during 12 dry (n = 88) and 13 wet (n = 66) weather events at up to 10 sites. Statistical predictive models for Escherichiacoli (EC), enterococci (ENT), and members of the Bacteroidales group were created and subsequently validated. Our results showed that models for EC and ENT (adjusted R(2) were 0.61 and 0.64, respectively) incorporated a range of antecedent rainfall, climate, and environmental variables. The most important variables for EC and ENT models were 5-day antecedent rainfall, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. These models successfully predicted FIB levels over a wide range of conditions with a 3% (EC model) and 9% (ENT model) overall error rate for recreational threshold values and a 0% (EC model) overall error rate for shellfish threshold values. Though modeling of members of the Bacteroidales group had less predictive ability (adjusted R(2) were 0.56 and 0.53 for fecal Bacteroides spp. and human Bacteroides spp., respectively), the modeling approach and testing provided information on Bacteroidales ecology. This is the first example of a set of successful statistical predictive models appropriate for assessment of both recreational and shellfish harvesting water quality in estuarine waters.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2008
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse... more ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary composition of the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus in San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina. To this end, analyses of stomach and gut contents were carried out and the diet composition was compared to the potential preys available in the natural environment. Samples were collected from different places in San Antonio Bay, a Marine Protected Area in San Matías Gulf. Type and number of prey present in the digestive tracts were registered and frequency of occurrence (%FO) and number of prey (%N) were calculated for each study area. Amphipods (Gammaridae, Caprellidae and Hiperidae) and decapods are the main dietary items of H. patagonicus in San Antonio Bay. There were differences in %FO and %N at different sites, which could indicate differences in abundance and availability of prey in the environment. No dietary differences were detected between sex and size of seahorse (ANOVA, P > 0.05). Results from the present study show that, in nature and probably due to limiting environmental factors, H. patagonicus behaves as an opportunistic predator, which preys on the most abundant and vulnerable species present in the environment.
This study sought to develop and validate a screening battery for detecting HIV-related neuropsyc... more This study sought to develop and validate a screening battery for detecting HIV-related neuropsychological (NP) impairment. Six NP measures representing the ability areas most likely affected by HIV infection were paired in 14 combinations and their diagnostic accuracy rates compared. The measures were selected from a larger NP battery administered to 190 HIV-seropositive (HIV+) participants. Screening battery performance was classified as NP impaired if demographically corrected T-scores fell below 40 on both tests, or below 35 on one test. Using blind clinical ratings of NP test results from the larger battery as the "gold standard" for global NP status (impaired or unimpaired), we found that several test combinations demonstrated adequate diagnostic accuracy in detecting NP impairment. The most sensitive test combinations were the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R; Total Recall) and the Grooved Pegboard Test nondominant hand (PND) pair and the HVLT-R and WAIS-III Digit Symbol (DS) subtest pair (sensitivity = 78% and 75%, respectively). Both test combinations (HVLT-R/PND, HVLT-R/DS) were more accurate than the HIV Dementia Scale (HDS) in classifying HIV+ participants as NP impaired or unimpaired. Results suggest that demographically corrected T-scores from pairs of common NP measures may serve as valid screening instruments to identify subjects with HIV-related neurocognitive impairment who could benefit from more extensive NP examination.
The liver is one organ clearly influenced by nitric oxide (NO), and acute and chronic exposure to... more The liver is one organ clearly influenced by nitric oxide (NO), and acute and chronic exposure to this substance has been associated with distinct patterns of liver disease. Disruption or deregulation of S-nitrosothiol (SNO) signalling leads to impairment of cellular function and disease, and this study was aimed to identify potential targets for protein S-nitrosation during alteration of SNO homeostasis in human hepatocytes. Cells were treated with S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CSNO), an effective physiological nitrosothiol for delivering NO bioactivity to cells. Treatment with CSNO augmented the levels of S-nitrosoproteins detected both by chemiluminescence and the biotin switch method. CSNO treatment also increased S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity that returned SNO content to basal levels. This increased enzymatic activity was related to augmented levels of ADH-5 mRNA, the gene encoding for GSNOR in humans. In addition, the treatment with the SNO also increased cell death. Twenty S-nitrosoproteins were identified in CSNO-treated hepatocytes, including mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, protein disulphide isomerase, Hsp60, GRP75 and Raf kinase inhibitor protein. The identification in the Snitrosatable proteome of proteins involved in metabolism, maintenance of cellular homeostasis and signalling points to the relevance of protein S-nitrosation to the physiology and pathophysiology of human hepatocytes.
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Papers by raul Gonzalez