Acute inflammation was induced in pigs using a single subcutaneous turpentine injection. The acute phase serum protein response was analyzed using crossed immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion. The concentration of C reactive protein and haptoglobin increases 5-7 times 48 h after the injection, whereas the concentration of an alpha 2-globulin, named pig major acute phase protein (pig-MAP), increases at least 15-fold. A molecular mass of 115 kDa for pig-MAP was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This protein did not crossreact with antisera to human hemopexin, ceruloplasmin, H-kininogen and complement factor C3. Albumin and alpha-lipoprotein were negative acute phase proteins because their concentration significantly decreased during inflammation. Finally, the concentration of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, fetuin, alpha 1-protease inhibitor, transferrin and alpha 2-macroglobulins, as well as total proteins, did not change significantly during inflammation.

The Salar de Atacama is one of the most well-known saline endorheic basins in the world. It accumulates the world main lithium reserves and contains very sensitive ecosystems. The objective of this work is to characterize the hydrodynamics of the Salar de Atacama, and to quantify its complex water balance prior to the intense brine extraction. The methodology and results can be extrapolated to the groundwater flow and recharge of other salt flats. A three-dimensional groundwater flow model using low computational effort was calibrated against hundreds of hydraulic head measurements. The water infiltrated from the mountains ascends as a vertical flux through the saline interface (mixing zone) produced by the density contrast between the recharged freshwater and the evaporated brine of the salt flat nucleus. This water discharges and is largely evaporated from lakes or directly from the shallow water table. On the other hand, the very low hydraulic gradients, coupled with the presence of the mixing zone that operates as barrier, leads the salt flat nucleus to act as a hydrodynamically quasi-isolated area. The computed water table shows the lowest hydraulic head in the salt flat nucleus near the discharge at the mixing zone. The groundwater balance of the Salar de Atacama in its natural regime was quantified resulting in an inflow/outflow of 14.9 m·s. This balance considers the basin as an endorheic system. The very low infiltration values that are generally assumed for hyperarid basins are not consistent with the hydrogeology of the Salar de Atacama. Indeed, very high infiltration rates (up to 85% of rainfall) occur because of the high degree of fracturing of rocks and the scarce vegetation. This high infiltration is consistent with the light isotopic composition of the water from the recharge area (Altiplano). Therefore, the existence of additional inflows outside the basin is unlikely.

No abstract

The age of liver donors has been increasing in the past several years because of a donor shortage. In the United States, 33% of donors are age 50 years or older, as are more than 50% in some European countries. The impact of donor age on liver transplantation (LT) has been analyzed in several studies with contradictory conclusions. Nevertheless, recent analyses of the largest databases demonstrate that having an older donor is a risk factor for graft failure. Donor age is included as a risk factor in the more relevant graft survival scores, such as the Donor Risk Index, donor age and Model for End-stage Liver Disease, Survival Outcomes Following Liver Transplantation, and the Balance of Risk. The use of old donors is related to an increased rate of biliary complications and hepatitis C virus-related graft failure. Although liver function does not seem to be significantly affected by age, the incidence of several liver diseases increases with age, and the capacity of the liver to manage or overcome liver diseases or external injuries decreases. In this paper, the importance of age in LT outcomes, the role of donor age as a risk factor, and the influence of aging on liver regeneration are reviewed.

The use of grafts from donors≥60 yr decreased graft survival after liver transplantation and was related to a higher frequency of non-anastomotic biliary strictures.