High body fat is related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) in all ethnic groups. Based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition of MetS, the aim of this study was to explore thresholds of body fat percentage (BF%) and fat mass index (FMI) for the prediction of MetS among Colombian University students. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1687 volunteers (63.4% women, mean age = 20.6 years). Weight, waist circumference, serum lipids indices, blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose were measured. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and FMI was calculated. MetS was defined as including more than or equal to three of the metabolic abnormalities according to the IDF definition. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine optimal cut-off points for BF% and FMI in relation to the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity in both sexes. The overall prevalence of MetS was found to be 7.7%, higher in men than women (11.1% vs. 5.3%; p < 0.001). BF% and FMI were positively correlated to MetS components (p < 0.05). ROC analysis indicated that BF% and FMI can be used with moderate accuracy to identify MetS in university-aged students. BF% and FMI thresholds of 25.55% and 6.97 kg/m2 in men, and 38.95% and 11.86 kg/m2 in women, were found to be indicative of high MetS risk. Based on the IDF criteria, both indexes’ thresholds seem to be good tools to identify university students with unfavorable metabolic profiles.

No abstract

To evaluate the clinical, laboratory, and immune characteristics of Zika virus (ZIKV)-associated encephalitis in pediatric patients after the epidemic in Huila, southern Colombia. Methods: A pediatric neuro-surveillance hospital study was conducted in a referral health center in southern Colombia, from October 2016 to October 2017. Cases of encephalitis were confirmed by nucleic acid amplification tests and serological methods in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and/or urine. Levels of six cytokines were evaluated by flow cytometry. Patients underwent daily clinical and laboratory follow-up. Results: Twenty children with probable encephalitis were included for further studies and 16 of them were confirmed. Four cases of bacterial meningoencephalitis (Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli) and 12 cases of viral encephalitis were identified, six of them associated with ZIKV infection. Other viral encephalitis cases were caused by herpes viruses (n = 3), enterovirus (n = 2), and dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2; n = 1) infections. ZIKVassociated encephalitis symptoms subsided faster than those of patients with encephalitis caused by other agents. CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis. Compared to healthy controls, children with ZIKV-associated encephalitis presented modest plasma interleukin (IL)-10 but not IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, interferon gamma (IFN-g), or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Cytokine expression was differentially regulated, as dramatically elevated IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-g levels were observed in CSF but not in paired plasma samples in one of the patients with ZIKV detectable in CSF. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that ZIKV is responsible for pediatric encephalitis in endemic areas, and the local presence of the virus may induce cephalic but not systemic expression of cytokines.

No abstract

Homeopathy medicines have been applied with positive results in agriculture, livestock and freshwater aquaculture. Commercial formulations such as Homeopatila? have been successfully evaluated in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) with measurable effects on growth, survival, and immune response during culture, management and transport. The spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus is a marine fish with meat of exceptional quality, and commercial importance because of its potential for marine aquaculture. To assess the value of homeopathy on health enhancement of the species, ten groups of 30 juveniles each (8.72 ? 4.07 g; 8.47 ? 1.24 cm) were cultivated for 30 days in 120 L fiberglass cylinders provided with continuous aeration and filtered (50 ?m) seawater daily exchanged by 900%. An experimental design with five different treatments, each one with two replicates, was developed to determine the effect of three homeopathic mixes: Hel-Mix, Pav-Mix, and Hel-Mix/Pav-Mix, and two control groups: No-Medication (NM) and Ethanol 300GL (E). Homeopathic medicines (31CH) in treated groups and E in control group were sprayed (5% V/W) in commercial balanced food (Silvercup?) and supplied ad-libitum five times a day. Growth in total length and live weight was expressed as percentage increase. A significant (p < 0.05) increase (T1?T0) in total length and live weight occurred with homeopathic treatments Hel-Mix/Pav-Mix (15.17% and 68.16%), Pav-Mix (11.50% and 55.04%) and Hel-Mix (9.88% and 47.83%). No significant (p < 0.05) increase (T1?T0) occurred with control treatments NM (5.39% and 13.97%) and E (0.11% and 5.40%). Significantly (p < 0.05) higher survival (93.1%) occurred in homeopathic treatments Pav-Mix and Hel-Mix, compared to homeopathic mix Hel-Mix/Pav-Mix (50%) and both control groups (48.21%). These results suggest that homeopathic medicines have potential application in marine fish aquaculture. We recommend studying overall response of broodstock, larvae and juveniles treated with homeopathic medicines to improve hatchery operations from spawning to stocking size.

In this study, we identified, at the single-cell level, naturally induced cytokine-producing circulating cells (CPCCs) in children with dengue virus (DENV) infection ranging clinically from mild to severe disease. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) CPCCs were detected in children with primary or secondary acute dengue virus (DENV) infection, and the pattern of these cytokines was similar to that seen in the supernatant of cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells and partially comparable to that found in plasma. Monocytes, B cells, and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) were the primary CPCCs detected, and the frequency of mDCs was significantly higher in severe disease. B cells isolated from children with dengue spontaneously secreted TNF-α, IL-6, and interleukin 10, and supernatants from cultures of purified B cells induced activation of allogeneic T cells, supporting an antibody-independent function of these cells during DENV infection. Thus, CPCCs could be a new immune parameter with potential use to evaluate pathogenesis in this infection.

A survey of the helminth parasites of alien freshwater fishes from Argentinean Patagonia is presented, based on samples taken from 2010 to 2017 and including previous published records. A total of 1129 fishes were collected, belonging to 11 species from 7 families. We surveyed 34 localities in 12 river basins, and found 43 parasite taxa (15 digeneans, 14 monogeneans, 5 cestodes, 5 nematodes, and 4 acanthocephalans), belonging to 22 families. Data are presented as a parasite/host list with information on host species and localities, site of infection, parasite life–history stage, origin, previous records in Patagonia, and accession numbers to vouchers. The most frequently found helminths were monogeneans and digeneans. Our data suggest that invading fish in Patagonia have transmitted fewer parasite species than they have received by spillback. Twenty–three (53%) of the parasites seem to be acquired by the exotic fishes from native hosts, while 15 helminths were co–introduced along with their exotic fish host and continue to parasitize these alien fish but did not invade native hosts; 4 of these species were introduced with carp, 3 with Cheirodon interruptus, 3 with Corydoras paleatus, 3 with Cnesterodon decemmaculatus, 1 with Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and 1 with Jenynsia multidentata. The majority of these co–introduced parasites came from the Brazilic ichthyogeographic region (10 species). This is the first review of helminth parasites of alien fishes in Argentina; in total 12 new records of parasites for Argentina, 6 new records of parasites for Patagonia, and 29 new host–parasite records are presented here. This list is far from complete, however, given that some basins in southern Patagonia remain unexplored in terms of parasite detection.

The objectives of this secondary analysis are (1) to investigate the differential effects of exercise training modalities–high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training (RT), combined training (CT = HIIT + RT), and/or nutritional guidance (NG) alone–on local fat/lean mass indexes in adults with excess of adiposity; (2) to identify the individual patterns of response based on either a clinical criterion of weight loss (≥5%) and/or technical error (TE) of measurement of local fat/lean mass indexes; and (3) to assess the individual change for body composition parameters assigned either to HIIT, RT, CT, and/or NG groups utilizing a TE. A 12-week trial was conducted in 55 participants randomized to one of the four interventions. The primary outcome was clinical change in body weight (i.e., weight loss of ≥5%). Secondary outcomes included change in ratio of android and gynoid fat mass, as well as local fat and lean mass indexes (arms, trunk, and legs), before and after intervention. The main findings from the current analysis revealed that (i) after 12 weeks of follow-up, significant decreases in several body composition indexes were found including body weight, arm, trunk, and legs fat mass, and android and gynecoid fat mass were observed in HIIT, RT, and CT groups (p < 0.05); (ii) a significant proportion of individuals showed a positive response following 12 weeks of training, led by the HIIT group with 44% and followed by RT with 39% in 9 indexes; (iii) the HIIT group showed lowest rates of adverse responders with (6%); and (iv) the individual patterns of response utilizing clinically meaningful weight loss were not necessarily associated with the corresponding individual training-induced changes in body composition indexes in adults with excess of adiposity. Overall, the study suggests that HIIT has an important ability to reduce the prevalence of non-response to improve body composition indexes.