The province of Formosa, Argentina, is endemic for leprosy. In the present paper, we assessed the trend (T, 2002-2016 time series) and the forecast for 2022 of new case detection rate (NCDR) and ...determined the spatial distribution of new cases detected (NCD) of leprosy.
This is a descriptive observational study of 713 NCD of leprosy from provincial medical records between January 2002 and December 2016. The whole dataset from the provincial medical record was used to independently estimate the NCDR trends of the general population, age groups, sexes and Departments. This same database was used to estimate the NCDR forecast of the general population for 2022, applying a dynamic linear model with a local linear trend, using the MCMC algorithm. The NCDR was higher in men (p<0.05), increased with age (0.20, 8.17, 21.04, and 29.49 for the 0-14, 15-44, 45-64 and over 65-year-old age groups, respectively; p<0.05) and showed a downward trend (negative values) of estimated slopes for the whole province and each Department. Bermejo Department showed the highest (T:-1.02, 95%CI: -1.42, -0.66) and Patiño the lowest decreasing trend (T:-0.45, 95%CI: -0.74, -0.11). The NCDR trend for both sexes was similar (T:-0.55, 95%CI: -0.64, -0.46), and age groups showed a decreasing trend (S15-44:-103, S45-64:-81, S>65:-61, p<0.05), except for the 0-14 age group (S:-3, p>0.05), which showed no trend. Forecasts predicted that leprosy will not be eliminated by 2022 (3.64, 95%CI: 1.22, 10.25).
Our results highlight the status of leprosy in Formosa and provide information to the provincial public health authorities on high-risk populations, stressing the importance of timely detection of new cases for further elimination of the disease in the province.
Two new solifuge species of the genus Pseudocleobis (Solifugae, Arachnida) from northern Patagonia and southern Monte desert biogeographical regions are described: P. mauryi sp. nov. and P. profanus ...sp. nov. New records of P. huinca Maury, 1976, P. bardensis Maury, 1976 and P. solitarius Maury, 1976 are provided. The female of P. solitarius is described based on specimens from the type locality. SEM photographs, schemes of diagnostic characters, and maps of the known distributional records are provided for the five species treated here. Pseudocleobis profanus sp. nov. is closely related to P. huinca and P. bardensis, and the three species may form a species group characterized by the peculiar morphology of the male movable finger mucron and the flagellum. Ctenidia on male sternite III and IV are reported for the five species.
Haematophagous insects suffer big changes in water needs under different levels of starvation. Rhodnius prolixus is the most important haematophagous vector of Chagas disease in the north of South ...America and a model organism in insect physiology. Although there have been some studies on patterns of gas exchange and metabolic rates, there is little information regarding water loss in R. prolixus. We investigated whether there is any modulation of water loss and metabolic rate under different requirements for saving water. We measured simultaneously CO2 production, water emission and activity in individual insects in real time by open-flow respirometry at different temperatures (15, 25 and 35°C) and post-feeding days (0, 5, 13 and 29). We found: (1) a clear drop in metabolic rate between 5 and 13 days after feeding that cannot be explained by activity and (2) a decrease in water loss rate with increasing starvation level, by a decrease in cuticular water loss during the first 5 days after feeding and a drop in the respiratory component thereafter. We calculated the surface area of the insects and estimated cuticular permeability. In addition, we analysed the pattern of gas exchange; the change from a cyclic to a continuous pattern was affected by temperature and activity, but it was not affected by the level of starvation. Modulation of metabolic and water loss rates with temperature and starvation could help R. prolixus to be more flexible in tolerating different periods of starvation, which is adaptive in a changing environment with the uncertainty of finding a suitable host.
The genus Lanta Hebard 1921 includes three species found in the Neotropical region. Two species are known from Argentina, L. peniculiger (province of Santa Fe), and L. scotia (provinces of Córdoba ...and Santiago del Estero) (see Crespo et al. 2010), and one from Brazil, L. borgesae, (Araras, São Paulo) (Rocha e Silva & Vasconcellos, 1984). All species have been described on the basis of male external characters, such as wing veins, leg spines, hypandrium, shape and position of the styli, in addition to coloration and size. Except for a partial representation of the male genitalia of L. borgesae (Rocha e Silva & Vasconcellos 1984), this structure went untreated in morphological and phylogenetic investigations of the Blattaria (Snodgrass 1937; McKittrick 1964; Grandcolas 1996; Klass 1997; Roth 2003;). Females remain unknown.
The monotypic genus Chileotrecha Maury, 1987, includes Chileotrecha atacamensis Maury, 1987 from Atacama and Coquimbo regions in Chile. We describe Chileotrecha argentinensis n. sp., which is the ...first record of the genus from Argentina. Phylogenetic relationships of Chileotrecha with other genera of Ammotrechidae are discussed based on external morphology. We report for the first time the presence of blunt and clubbed setae in Ammotrechidae. We also report for the first time the presence of two pairs of microsetae in the posterior margin of genital plate and in the posterior margin of spiracular sternites I and II, and the presence of a single microseta on each side of postspiracular sternite I.
 The Smicridea brasiliana species group includes five species distributed in northeastern Argentina and Brazil: Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) brasiliana (Ulmer), S. (R.) weidneri Flint, S. (R.) ...vermiculata Flint, S. (R.) arobasis Flint, and S. (R.) nanda Flint. The original descriptions of these species and their placement in the brasiliana species group were mainly based on the morphology of the male genitalia. However, the fine structure of the internal sclerites of the phallus, which proved to be useful for species delimitation, was not analyzed at the time. In this contribution, we provide a detailed description of the male genitalia and the morphology of the head, and analyze the shape of the wings using geometric morphometrics. The analyzed species can be easily differentiated by the shape of the phallus, especially by the structure of the internal sclerites, the shape of the head in dorsal view, and the shape of the cephalic setose warts. Furthermore, the geometric morphometric approach allowed their separation through the wing shape. The preliminary analysis of these features suggests that the brasiliana species group is not natural but its monophyly should be further tested within the framework of a phylogenetic analysis of all the species of the subgenus Rhyacophylax. Keywords: Forewing shape, male genitalia, Neotropical, Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) atrobasis , Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) nanda , Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) vermiculata , Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) weidneri
A longitudinal study of two species of Belostoma Latreille (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae): allometry and ontogeny Iglesias, Mónica S.(Univ. de Buenos Aires Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Depto. de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental); Gaspe, María S.(Univ. de Buenos Aires Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Depto. de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental); Valverde, Alejandra C.(Univ. de Buenos Aires Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Depto. de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental)
Neotropical entomology,
2008, Letnik:
37, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The multivariate allometric growth patterns from longitudinal data of leg and rostral segments of all instars of Belostoma elegans (Mayr) and B. cummingsi De Carlo are presented for the first time, ...and the allometric coefficients are compared. The segments of the middle and hind legs present allometric coefficients with opposite polarity to those of forelegs. This discrepancy in the ontogenetic trajectories may be due to the different functions of the legs. The foreleg main function is to capture of the prey, while the middle and hind legs are adapted to swimming. The relative size of rostral segments is an important taxonomic character in Belostoma. In B. cummingsi, the proximal segment is longer than the middle one, while in B. elegans they are subequal. Our purpose is to explain these differences through the analysis of their ontogenetic trajectories in an attempt to illuminate the morphological differences among species from a developmental perspective.
Los patrones de crecimiento alométrico de los segmentos del rostro y de las patas de Belostoma elegans (Mayr) y B. cummingsi De Carlo son presentados y comparados por primera vez. Se emplearon datos longitudinales de todos los estadios ninfales en un contexto multivariado. Los segmentos de la pata media y posterior presentan coeficientes alométricos con polaridad opuesta a los de la pata anterior. Estas diferencias observadas pueden deberse al diferente rol que presentan las patas. La función principal de la pata anterior es la captura de las presas, mientras que las patas media y posterior están adaptadas para la natación. El tamaño relativo de los segmentos del rostro es una característica taxonómica importante en Belostoma. En B.cummingsi el segmento proximal es más largo que el medio, mientras que en B. elegans son subiguales. Nuestro propósito es explicar estas diferencias a través del análisis de las trayectorias ontogéneticas en un intento de aclarar diferencias morfológicas entre especies desde una perspectiva del desarrrollo.
A new species of the genus Paravelia (Heteroptera: Veliidae) is described, increasing the number of species of the genus known from Argentina to three: P. platensis Berg 1883, P. paxila Drake 1957, ...and the new sp. P. correntina. Some ecological and statistical notes are included. Scanning electron micrographs and illustrations are provided.
Abstract Background and purpose Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment for sleep apnea (SA), although the evidence for improving chronic heart failure (CHF) is ...inconclusive. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of CPAP treatment on the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) among other cardiological variables in a randomized, multicenter, placebo (sham-CPAP)-controlled study. Methods After the selection procedure, 60 patients with CHF with LVEF < 45% and SA with an apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) > 10/h were evaluated at baseline, and after 3 months of treatment with optimal CPAP or sham-CPAP. The assessment was based on the LVEF, hypertension, daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale ESS), quality of life (SF-36), New York Heart Scale (NYHA score), dyspnea (by using the Borg scale) and exercise tolerance (6-min walk test). Results The mean AHI was normalized in the optimal CPAP group but not in the sham-CPAP group. The LVEF showed a significant improvement in the group of patients treated with CPAP (2.5; 95% CI: 0.6 to 4.3), which was not observed in the sham-CPAP group (0.0; 95% CI: −2.1 to 2.1). However, the change in the LVEF from baseline to 3 months was not significantly greater in the whole group (obstructive and Cheyne–Stokes events) treated with CPAP than in the control group ( p : 0.07). In patients with only obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), who account for 83% of the total population, there was a significant improvement in the LVEF in the group of patients treated with CPAP but no such improvement in the sham-CPAP group. In this OSA group, the change in the LVEF from baseline to 3 months was significantly greater in the group treated with CPAP than in the sham-CPAP group ( p : 0.03). The other variables studied were not modified. When the patients were divided according to the severity of the LVEF (a LVEF cut-off of 30%), improvement was observed in those with a LVEF > 30. No changes were found in the other cardiological variables. Conclusions CPAP therapy proved to be useful in patients with associated sleep-disordered breathing and CHF. The improvement was more marked in patients with a LVEF > 30%. However, the increased LVEF in the CPAP group was not accompanied by changes in the other cardiological variables.
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