Purpose Parinaud's oculo-glandular syndrome (POGS) is the most frequent manifestation of ocular bartonellosis, and usually presents with local lymphadenopathies and systemic symptoms. We present a case of isolated conjunctival granuloma as the sole manifestation of ocular bartonellosis. Observations A 67-year-old female presented to the authors’ eye clinic with complaints of a 2-week history of unilateral red eye and chemosis. Slit lamp examination revealed an isolated bulbar conjunctival granuloma. The remainder of the eye examination was unremarkable. Topical treatment with gatifloxacin and prednisolone acetate was started. Etiological work-up was performed. General laboratory tests revealed only a mild leukocytosis, and interferon gamma-release assay and chest computed tomography were normal. Serological testing for Bartonella henselae was positive at titers of 1:1024. Three weeks after initial symptoms, lymphadenopathies, malaise, and fever appeared. Systemic azithromycin was added, which resulted in complete regression of the disease. Conclusion and importance Conjunctival granulomas present a wide range of differential diagnoses to the practitioner. Ocular bartonellosis is a relevant cause of conjunctival granuloma. POGS should be suspected in cases of conjunctival granulomata non-responsive to local therapy. It is important to consider that other agents to treat POGS have been described and are available, and that appropriate serological tests should be performed.

Bacteremia caused by Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139 carrying a region homologous to pathogenicity island VpaI-7We report a case of V. cholerae non-O1 / non-O139 bacteremia in an 81-year-old woman with abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, liquid stools, choluria and jaundice, while visiting a rural area without access to potable water. The identification was made by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique and subsequently the non-toxigenic non-O1 / non-139 strain was confirmed in the national reference laboratory. The molecular characterization demonstrated the absence of the cholera toxin gene (CTX), and the TCP pilus, however, presented 5 of 6 virulence genes present in an island of homologous pathogenicity named VPaI-7 of V. parahaemolyticus (vcs N2 +, vcs C2 +, vcs V2 +, toxR-, vspD +, T vopF +) and in addition it was positive for hylAy rtxA virulence genes recognized outside the island. This is the first case reported in Chile of a clinical strain of V. cholerae non-O1, non-O139 isolated from blood culture that carries in its genome a homologous segment of the pathogenicity island named VPaI-7 of V. parahaemolyticus, which codifies for a type III secretion system (TTSS) that probably contributes to his virulence.

Abstract. The achievement of reliable simulations, in the case of complex processes as is the investment casting, is not a trivial task. Their accuracy is significantly related with the knowledge of the material properties and boundary conditions involved, but the estimation of these values usually is highly complex. One helpful option to try to avoid these difficulties is the use of inverse modelling techniques, where experimental temperature measurements are used as base to correlate the simulation models. The research presented hereafter corresponds to the correlation of a finite element model of the investment casting process of two nickel base superalloys, Hastelloy X and Inconel 718. The simulation model has been developed in a commercial software focused specifically on metal casting simulation. The experimental measurements used as base for the adjustment, have been performed at industrial facilities. The methodology employed combines the use of an automatic tool for model correlation with the manual adjustment guided by the researchers. Results obtained present a good agreement between simulation and experimental measurements, according to the industrial necessities. The model obtained is valid for the two studied cases with the only difference of the alloy material properties. The values obtained for the adjusted parameters in both cases are reasonable compared with bibliographic values. These two circumstances suggest that the obtained correlation is appropriate and no overfitting problems exist on it.

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