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Abstract Increased serum CA 19-9 levels in patients with nonmalignant diseases have been investigated in previous reports. This study evaluates the clinical significance of serum CA 19-9 elevation in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease and pulmonary tuberculosis. The median CA 19-9 level was higher in patients with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease than in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease: 13.80, tuberculosis: 5.85, p < 0.001). A multivariate logistic regression analysis performed in this study showed that Mycobacterium abscessus (OR 9.97, 95% CI: 1.58, 62.80; p = 0.014) and active phase of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease (OR 12.18, 95% CI: 1.07, 138.36, p = 0.044) were found to be risk factors for serum CA 19-9 elevation in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. The serum CA 19-9 levels showed a tendency to decrease during successful treatment of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease but not in pulmonary tuberculosis. These findings suggest that CA 19-9 may be a useful marker for monitoring therapeutic responses in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease, although it is not pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease-specific marker.

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Increased serum CA 19-9 levels in patients with nonmalignant diseases have been investigated in previous reports. This study evaluates the clinical significance of serum CA 19-9 elevation in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease and pulmonary tuberculosis. The median CA 19-9 level was higher in patients with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease than in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease: 13.80, tuberculosis: 5.85, p<0.001). A multivariate logistic regression analysis performed in this study showed that Mycobacterium abscessus (OR 9.97, 95% CI: 1.58, 62.80; p=0.014) and active phase of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease (OR 12.18, 95% CI: 1.07, 138.36, p=0.044) were found to be risk factors for serum CA 19-9 elevation in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. The serum CA 19-9 levels showed a tendency to decrease during successful treatment of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease but not in pulmonary tuberculosis. These findings suggest that CA 19-9 may be a useful marker for monitoring therapeutic responses in pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease, although it is not pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease-specific marker.

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Metallothionein is a cytosolic protein found in a variety of tissues and have been involved in the regulation of essential trace metals such as copper and zinc, and in the detoxification of essential and nonessential metals. With the aim to study their seasonal variation and their possible role in reproductive behavior, we evaluated metallothioneins (Mts) in Perna viridis, taken from Rio Caribe and Chacopata localities in the North coast of Sucre state, Venezuela. A total of 325 samples were obtained from February to December 2003. We determined the following biometric indices in bivalves: Condition Index (CI), meat yield (RC) and dry weight-length relationship (PSL). Besides, Mts in whole tissue were separated by molecular exclusion chromatography, Sephadex G-50 and quantified by saturation with cadmium. Our results showed that the biometric indices (RC and PSL) had seasonal variations between localities and maturity stages, with the exception of IC. No significant differences were found between sexes. Mts showed seasonal variations between localities, with the highest concentrations between February and March, and minimum ones between September and December, coinciding with the respectively high and low productivity periods in the area. The mussels from Rio Caribe had higher Mts concentration than those from Chacopata. Furthermore, immature mussels showed the highest Mts concentration while the lowest was found in spawned specimens. We found a significant negative relationship between Mts and CI. Our results demonstrated that MTs in Perna viridis are influenced by the condition index and reproductive status, as well as physico-chemical factors in the marine environment.

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Metallothionein is a cytosolic protein found in a variety of tissues and have been involved in the regulation of essential trace metals such as copper and zinc, and in the detoxification of essential and nonessential metals. With the aim to study their seasonal variation and their possible role in reproductive behavior, we evaluated metallothioneins (Mts) in Perna viridis, taken from Rio Caribe and Chacopata localities in the North coast of Sucre state, Venezuela. A total of 325 samples were obtained from February to December 2003. We determined the following biometric indices in bivalves: Condition Index (CI), meat yield (RC) and dry weight-length relationship (PSL). Besides, Mts in whole tissue were separated by molecular exclusion chromatography, Sephadex G-50 and quantified by saturation with cadmium. Our results showed that the biometric indices (RC and PSL) had seasonal variations between localities and maturity stages, with the exception of IC. No significant differences were found between sexes. Mts showed seasonal variations between localities, with the highest concentrations between February and March, and minimum ones between September and December, coinciding with the respectively high and low productivity periods in the area. The mussels from Rio Caribe had higher Mts concentration than those from Chacopata. Furthermore, immature mussels showed the highest Mts concentration while the lowest was found in spawned specimens. We found a significant negative relationship between Mts and CI. Our results demonstrated that MTs in Perna viridis are influenced by the condition index and reproductive status, as well as physicochemical factors in the marine environment.

Las metalotioninas (Mts) son proteínas de baja masa molecular que juegan un rol importante en la detoxificación de metales, en vista de su papel ecotoxicológico se evaluaron las metalotioneínas (MTs) en 350 ejemplares del bivalvo Perna viridis en dos localidades de la costa norte del estado Sucre, desde febrero hasta diciembre 2003. Se determinaron los índices biométricos: índice de condición (IC), rendimiento de carne (RC) y relación peso seco-talla (PSL). Las Mts fueron separadas por cromatografía de exclusión molecular, Sephadex G-50 y se cuantificaron por saturación con cadmio. Los índices biométricos (RC y PSL) mostraron variaciones estacionales, entre localidades y estados de madurez, con la excepción del CI. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre sexos. Las Mts mostraron variaciones estacionales, con concentraciones más elevadas entre febrero y marzo y mínimos entre septiembre y diciembre, que coincidieron con los períodos de alta y baja productividad en el área, respectivamente. Los mejillones de Río Caribe presentaron una mayor concentración de Mts que los de Chacopata. Los mejillones inmaduros mostraron la mayor concentración de Mts y la más baja en los desovados. Se encontró una relación negativa y significativa entre Mts y CI. Los resultados demuestran que las Mts de Perna viridis están influidas por el índice de condición y la condición reproductiva, asi como también pot los factores físico-químicos del ambiente marino.

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We evaluated RNA/DNA ratio as an index of physiological condition during larval development of a hybrid between the fishes Colossoma macropomum (cachama) and Piaractus brachypomus (morocoto). The samples were obtained by induced reproductive technology and the eggs were maintained in acrylic conical incubator with a continuous waterflow. Embryonic development, from egg fertilization to cell division and hatch out, took 12 hours 20 minutes at 29.5 degrees C, dissolved oxygen contents of 6.0 ppm and pH 7.5. Nucleic acids quantification was determined by fluorometry with ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33258 dyes. We observed significant changes of RNA/DNA ratios during all stages of the embryonic larval development. Therefore, RNA/DNA relation is an useful technique to evaluate physiological condition in short period and could be utilized as nutritional condition and/or instantaneous growth for routine check to verify the health status in early life of cultivated species

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We evaluated RNA/DNA ratio as an index of physiological condition during larval development of a hybrid between the fishes Colossoma macropomum (cachama) and Piaractus brachypomus (morocoto). The samples were obtained by induced reproductive technology and the eggs were maintained in acrylic conical incubator with a continuous waterflow. Embryonic development, from egg fertilization to cell division and hatch out, took 12 hours 20 minutes at 29.5 degrees C, dissolved oxygen contents of 6.0 ppm and pH 7.5. Nucleic acids quantification was determined by fluorometry with ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33258 dyes. We observed significant changes of RNA/DNA ratios during all stages of the embryonic larval development. Therefore, RNA/DNA relation is an useful technique to evaluate physiological condition in short period and could be utilized as nutritional condition and/or instantaneous growth for routine check to verify the health status in early life of cultivated species.

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Physiological response of tropical organisms to salinity changes was studied for some marine, estuarine and freshwater fishes (Astyanax bimaculatus, Petenia karussii, Cyprinodon dearborni, and Oreochromis mossambicus), marine and freshwater crustaceans (Penaeus brasiliensis, Penaeus schmitti and Macrobrachium carcinus), and marine bivalves (Perna perna, Crassostrea rhizophorae, and Arca zebra) collected from Northeast Venezuela. They were acclimated for four weeks at various salinities, and (1) placed at high salinities to determine mean lethal salinity, (2) tested by increasing salinity 5@1000 per day to define upper lethal salinity tolerance limit, or (3) observed in a saline gradient tank to determine salinity preference. Acclimation level was the most significant factor. This phenomenon is important for tropical aquatic organisms in shallow waters, where they can adapt to high salinity during the dry season and cannot lose their acclimation level at low salinity during abrupt rain. For saline adaptation of tropical organisms, this behavior will contribute to their proliferation and distribution in fluctuating salinity environments.

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The Masson-Fontana silver stain for melanin was employed for the differentiation of pathogenic fungal species in human or mouse tissues. The fungi studied were Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata (Torulopsis glabrata), Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus bacillisporus, Coccidioides immitis, Blastomycoses dermatitidis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii, Rhizopus rhizopodiformis, and Aspergillus fumigatus. The tissue sections stained with Masson-Fontana silver stain showed a dark brown to black color in the wall of cryptococci, whereas the walls of remaining fungal species were hyaline, except for those of S. schenckii. The yeastlike cells of S. schenckii showed faint brown pigment on the wall. Cultures of these fungi showed staining characteristics identical to those of the in vivo results. Cultures of four nonpathogenic Cryptococcus species, Cryptococcus uniguttulatus, Cryptococcus laurentii, Cryptococcus terreus, and Cryptococcus luteolus, were also tested for staining by the Masson-Fonatna procedure. Of these, only C. laurentti stained positively, and the pigment on the cell wall was as intense as that of the cells of C. neoformans. These results indicate that the Masson-Fontana silver stain can be used as a specific stain in the histological diagnosis of cryptococcosis

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