Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine gel (CHX-G) 2%, chlorhexidine powder (CHX-P) 1%, povidone-iodine (PVP-I), polyhexanide and camphorated-and-mentholated chlorophenol (ChKM) ex vivo.Materials and Methods:For every medicament group 10 root segments (15 mm long) of extracted human teeth were prepared to ISO-size 45 and sterilized (n = 50). The root segments were then inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis and aerobically incubated at 37°C. After 1 week, ten root canals were filled with one of the medicaments, respectively and aerobically incubated at 37°C for another week. Ten teeth served as positive controls and were filled with sterile saline solution. After 7 days, the medicaments were inactivated and all root canals were instrumented to ISO-size 50. The obtained dentin samples were dispersed in Ringer solution followed by the preparation of serial dilutions. 10 μl per sample were applied to an agar plate and incubated at 37°C for 48 h. The colony forming units were counted and the reduction factors (RFs) were calculated and statistically analyzed.Results:Compared with the positive controls all medicaments exhibited an antibacterial effect against E. faecalis. The RFs for CHX-G, CHX-P and ChKM were significantly higher compared to PVP-I and polyhexanide (P < 0.05). In contrast to PVP-I and polyhexanide, CHX-G, CHX-P and ChKM were able to eliminate E. faecalis from all dentin samples.Conclusions:Within the limitations of this ex vivo investigation, 2% CHX-G and CHX-P were as effective as ChKM against E. faecalis. Thus, when choosing a root canal medicament the better biocompatibility of CHX compared with ChKM should be taken in consideration.

BackgroundAcute Aspergillus fumigatus infection in immunocompetent patients is rare. This is the first known case of a patient who survived Aspergillus sepsis after being treated early with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane (ECMO) and antifungal therapy.Case presentationAn immunocompetent 54-year-old woman was exposed to plant mulch during gardening and subsequently developed pulmonary failure that progressed to sepsis with multiorgan failure. Owing to her severe clinical condition, she was treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with veno-venous ECMO. Empiric antifungal therapy comprising voriconazole was also initiated owing to her history and a previous case report of aspergillosis after plant mulch exposure, though there was no microbiological proof at the time. A. fumigatus was later cultured and detected on antibody testing. The patient recovered, and ECMO was discontinued 1 week later. After 7 days of antifungal treatment, Aspergillus antibodies were undetectable.ConclusionsIn cases of sepsis that occur after gardening, clinicians should consider Aspergillus inhalation as an aetiology, and early antimycotic therapy is recommended.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0600-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Resumen: En un contexto en que hay gran interés en intensificar la colaboración internacional dentro de la práctica científica, este trabajo plantea un acercamiento sobre cómo medir y visualizar el trabajo colaborativo internacional a nivel institucional. Como caso de estudio consideramos las tres áreas del Subsistema de Investigación Científica de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. La información se obtuvo de la base de datos Web of Science, Core Collection y consideramos la producción con participación de instituciones extranjeras (coautoría), en el periodo 1981 a 2013. Para medir la colaboración internacional construimos un índice con base en el número de colaboraciones por institución, en que dichos vínculos se ponderaron a partir de su consistencia durante el periodo considerado. Otro índice toma en cuenta las instituciones extranjeras y países de origen. Visualizamos las redes con Pajek.Palabras clave: redes académicas; colaboración internacional; UNAM; práctica científica. The local and the global of scientific collaboration: what does it mean and how to visualize and measure it?Abstract: In a context in which there is great interest in intensifying international collaboration within scientific practice, this paper presents an approach on how to measure and visualize international collaborative work at the institutional level. As a case study, the three areas in scientific research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico were considered. The information was obtained from the Web of Science database, Core Collection, and all production made with participation of foreign institutions (co-authorship) from 1981 until 2013 was also considered. In order of measuring the international collaboration, we built an index based on the number of collaborations per institution, weighting these links on the base of their consistency during the considered period. A second index was calculated taking into account foreign institutions and countries of origin. Visualizations were made with Pajek.

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DNA barcoding has emerged as valuable tool to document global biodiversity. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences serve as genetic markers to catalogue species richness in the animal kingdom and to identify cryptic and polymorphic animal species. Furthermore, DNA barcoding data serve as a fuel for ecological studies, as they provide the opportunity to unravel species interactions among hosts and parasites, predators and prey, and among competitors in unprecedented detail. In a recent paper we described how DNA barcoding in combination with morphological and ecological data unravelled a striking predator-prey interaction of organisms from temporary aquatic habitats, the predatory notostracan Triops and its prey, cladocerans of the Daphnia atkinsoni complex.