De Buenos Aires Research Articles

Blood meal sources of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in domestic and open green environments from two urbanisations of temperate Argentina.

Understanding the blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes is essential for evaluating their potential as disease vectors, especially in urban areas where mosquitoes coexist with humans, domestic animals and wildlife. This study aimed to bridge a substantial gap in regional knowledge by identifying the blood meal sources of field-collected mosquitoes in domestic and open green environments from two urbanisations of temperate Argentina, the Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) and Tandil, using molecular techniques. Female mosquitoes were collected from November 2019 to March 2020 and April-May 2021. A bipartite network analysis was performed for each environment and urbanisation. A total of 103 blood meals from Aedes (2 species) and Culex (7 species) were identified. Among these, five mammal and 18 bird species were recognised as hosts. Aedes mosquitoes exclusively fed on mammals, while Culex mosquitoes exhibited a broader host range including both birds and mammals. In AMBA, the open green environments were composed by more mosquito species than the domestic environments, while both presented similar numbers of vertebrate species. In contrast, in open green environments from Tandil only blood-fed Aedes albifasciatus were collected. For open green environments of AMBA and domestic environments of Tandil, results suggested some degree of host selection. For the three main vectors of diseases in the region, Aedes aegypti, Ae. albifasciatus and Culex pipiens molestus, we present the first molecular evidence of human blood meals in South America. Epidemiological significance of the present findings is discussed.

Le musée, l’artiste et l’identité comme marques : le cas du musée d’art latino-américain de Buenos Aires (MALBA)

The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) illustrates what Robert Fleck (2014) calls the "21st Century Museum": a new type of museum built on branding. This concept is aligned with the debates that, since the 1980s, have proposed the end of the museum as an elitist place for the conservation of the canon, to make way for a museum institution conceived as a mass medium that adheres to the logic of the spectacle, as Andreas Huyssen (1994) postulates. The author describes the phenomenon of musealisation, which is evident in the increasing number of museum openings and the public’s growing interest in the museum experience. This article studies the MALBA as a paradigmatic case in which two conceptual categories coexist: a 21st-century museum conceived as a mass media. From its exhibition proposals to its communication strategies, the museum appropriates the logic of the spectacle, constituting a "star system" of Latin American art, variable according to marketing objectives. We are interested in how the institution constructs itself as a brand, and in the discursive mechanisms through which certain Latin American artists and ideas of "Latin Americanness" serve institutional positioning. We also observe how MALBA adopts some of the positioning strategies of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). This article therefore presents a) a study of the institutional communication strategies of the two museums; b) an analysis of four curatorial discourses of the museum’s collection (from 2010 to 2022) in order to observe the different ways in which MALBA presents Latin American art history and Latin Americanness; and c) an analysis of the construction of the MALBA brand based on the artists that make up its collection.

Aplicabilidad de las determinaciones de absorción en el UV-visible para la caracterización de las sustancias húmicas en ambientes acuáticos

The applicability of UV-visible absorption measurements was analyzed as a rapid and easy way for the determination and characterization of humic substances in aquatic environments taking into account their ecological meaning. Samples for these studies were taken from Río Samborombón, Arroyo Vitel and Laguna de Chascomús (Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina). In spite of the different absorption of humic and fulvic acids at the wavelengths employed, the method proved to be useful to account for the relative proportion of them, to make comparisons betwcen different ecosystems and to give the possibility of using it to follow the dinamycs of these substances in a given water body. In an attempt to use absorbance determinations as a measure of soluble organic matter content, correlation between Chemical oxygen demand and absorbance at 250 nm and at 365 nm was analyzed. Good results were obtained for Río Samborombón at both wavelengths, while in the other cases correlation was more significative at 365 nm.

Developing Optimization Tools for Municipal Solid Waste Collection in the Argentine City of Berazategui

We apply mathematical and computational techniques to the development of an approach for optimizing the waste collection system of the Argentine city of Berazategui, 26 km south of Buenos Aires. Taking full account of the city’s particular characteristics, our objective is to not only improve the system’s efficiency but also ensure equitable workloads for waste collection truck crews, including both drivers and collectors. The optimization problem is partitioned into three stages. In the first stage, a heuristic constructs structurally simple collection zones that are balanced in terms of collectors’ walking distances. In the second stage, a mixed-integer linear programming model designs a collection truck route for each zone and minimizes its length. In the third and final stage, each truck is assigned to two zones in such a way as to equalize to the extent possible the length of drivers’ working day. Because working-day length is influenced by multiple factors, we formulate this objective as a biobjective optimization problem and solve it by integer linear programming coupled with an iterative algorithm. The city implemented the approach in early 2020, resulting in a markedly more equitable workload distribution and significant fuel savings and maintenance expense for the city. History: This paper was refereed. Funding: This work was partly financed by the Universidad de Buenos Aires Ciencia y Técnica [Grant 20020170100495BA] (Argentina) and Proyectos de Investigación Plurianuales - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Grant 11220200100084CO (Argentina)]. G. A. Durán is also funded by the Instituto Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería in Chile [Grants Iniciativa Científica Milenio - Fondo de Innovación para la Competitividad P05-004-F and Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica FB0816].

PB1234 Prevalence of Studies with Acquired von Willebrand Syndrome Laboratory Profile at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (HIBA)

PB1234 Prevalence of Studies with Acquired von Willebrand Syndrome Laboratory Profile at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (HIBA)

Resecciones hepáticas laparoscópicas: ¿qué hemos aprendido luego de más de 20 años de experiencia?

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to describe our experience in the last 8years of laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) for benign and malignant tumors, to evaluate indications and results, and to compare the results with our previous experience and with other reference centers worldwide. MethodsBased on a prospective database of the Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, patients who underwent LLR between September 2014 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed (periodB) and where compared to our own experience from 2000-2014 previously published (periodA). ResultsColorectal liver metastasis was the main indication for surgery (26.4%). Major hepatectomies accounted for 15.7% of resections and the most frequently performed procedure was typical and atypical hepatectomies (58.4%) followed by left lateral hepatectomy (20.3%). The total postoperative major complications rate was 10.1% and the 90-day postoperative mortality was 1%. The median postoperative stay was four (IQR: 3-6) days. The overall survival rate estimated at 1, 3 and 5 years was 94%, 84% and 70%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 22.9months. ConclusionsLLRs in the hands of trained surgeons continue to grow safely, and we have seen an increase in the indication of LLR for malignant pathologies and major resections, a trend that follows the rest of the major centers in the world and has become the method of choice for surgical treatment of most liver tumors.

Remote sensing and archaeology in Modern Age: The study case of the Aldea de Buenos Aires in Sierra Morena

In this paper we demonstrate a holistic strategy for the study of the disappeared Aldea de Buenos Aires (Sierra Morena, Aldeaquemada, Jaén, Spain), founded in 1767 within a complex of foundations called “Nuevas Poblaciones” under king Charles III (1759–1788). In order to achieve the goal, we combined different documentary sources – manuscripts, printed materials, maps – and we associated them with information obtained by the use of different remote sensors, such as LiDAR, UAS-based photogrammetry and multispectral data. The final analysis of the collected data enables us to propose a hypothesis on the urban structure and dimensions of Aldea de Buenos Aires, along with its interrelation with the surrounding landscape and agricultural partitions.

Discurso del Presidente de la Academia Argentina de Cirugía

It is a great honor and an enormous responsibility to have been elected president of such a prestigious institution as the Academia Argentina de Cirugía by my peers, and I am deeply grateful for this nomination. This academy was created almost 112 years ago at a very particular historical moment in our country (a rich and migrant-receiving country). Buenos Aires was a thriving, cosmopolitan city with important medical advances. It was in this context that a group of surgeons, led by Dr. Daniel Cranwell, gathered at his home to found the Sociedad de Cirugía de Buenos Aires, the first association of surgeons in Argentina. Later, in 1939, it became Academia Argentina de Cirugía, following the guidelines of the French Academy of Surgery. However, for political reasons, it was forced to return to its original name in 1954, and it was not until 1969 that it took on its current name.

Prevalence of Demodex spp. in patients with chronic blepharitis

Blepharitis is a very common disease in ophthalmology, dermatology and allergy practice. It generally follows a chronic course and is frequently associated with objective and/or subjective symptoms such as epiphora, red eye, dandruff, gritty sensation, itching, burning, photophobia, and blurred vision. The purpose of this study is to analyze the prevalence of Demodex spp. in patients with symptoms of chronic blepharitis. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the period between 2016 and 2020. All patients with symptoms of chronic blepharitis who underwent a parasitological test of eyelashes (Rapitest) in the Dermatology Department of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires were included. Those with previously established blepharitis due to another infectious cause were excluded. We analyzed 972 patients. Sixty percent (n=585) underwent a positive Rapitest for the presence of Demodex spp. Seventy five percent (n=728) were women. There were no significant differences in the prevalence associated with sex (p=0.38). Among the patients positive for Demodex spp., 65% (n=628) were older than 60 years old. The most frequently associated symptom was itching, present in 35% (n=342). A statistically significant decrease in the number of consultations was observed during the cold months of the year (May–June–July–August). Our results show a high prevalence of Demodex spp. in patients with chronic blepharitis. As its presence reveals a direct association with age, we recommend looking for this parasite in this age group.

Application of participatory design and open source to a sustainable proposal for sorption reactor design

An implementation proposal that seeks to globalize the scope of the sustainable technologies developed in the University laboratories is presented. This approach uses the generation of triple-impact projects placing people at the center of technological development to bring technical and scientific knowledge into a service design oriented to global sustainable solutions. This research is an approach to what a hub for scientific research, technological implementation, and human needs would look like by designing common environments in which to interact and expand knowledge in an iterated way through the experience of all the actors involved in technological implementation. As a control case, a new technology developed at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, consisting of using sustainable materials as tubular reactor fillers for water treatment was chosen. Based on data obtained within the framework of a University extension project, in which the water quality diagnosis for human consumption was carried out and cross-examined with the mathematical analysis of sorption, design parameters of the reactor, participatory design, and open source concepts application, different virtual environments were generated with distinct objectives: i) open design environment: publishing and mapping of installed sorption reactors, reactor model plans, and useful information related to drinking water quality (aimed at contributors of the open source design environment); ii) platform for academic actors linking: connecting data between prototyping lab for participatory design of sorption reactors (aimed at university research users); iii) information disclosure page: space where the implemented technology impact is displayed and shows options to contact researchers and request a reactor design diagnosis for another community (aimed at beneficiary users). A technological service designed to link the University with the community was proposed, by resolving one of the main gaps related to the possibility for communities to access public financing for self-managed improvement projects, increasing the appropriation of the adopted technology and democratizing public investment, making it sustainable over time.

Prevalence of the use of antidepressants in patients with venous thromboembolism

To estimate the prevalence of Antidepressant use in patients with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Describe the patient's characteristics and which drugs are the most prescribed. A cross-sectional study involving a consecutive sample of patients included in the Registro de Enfermedad Tromboembólica (RIET) from the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires in a period between 01/01/2014 to 01/09/2018. All patients presented symptomatic VTE and confirmed diagnosis. Drugs considered included in this study were: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), Dopamine and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRI), Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI) and Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA). From a total of 2373 patients with VTE, 472 were active users of antidepressants, showing a prevalence of antidepressant use of 19.9% (CI 95%). The most frequently prescribed drugs by drug classification were: SSRI 83.9%, TCA 20.5%, ISRN 14.6%, and NDRI 2.5%. Patients presented a median age of 76 years, predominantly women (71.4%), with several comorbidities: 52.24% arterial hypertension, 37.29% overweight, and 34.75% history of smoking. Concerning relevant history, we observed: 29.03% active oncologic disease, 26.27% major surgery before the VTE, and 21.61% previous VTE. The prevalence of antidepressant use in patients with VTE is 19.9%, superior by far to that of the general population. Depression is a major cause of morbidity worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing over the years.

Chemotherapy at the end of life is compatible with dignified death and palliative care

Cancer treatment is increasingly aggressive. The aim was to estimate who died due to cancer, to report use of chemotherapy (CT) in the last 3 months of life, and to describe clinical-epidemiological characteristics of these patients. We included a consecutive sample of deceased during 2017, affiliated to Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Through manual review of medical helath records, they were classified according to the cause of death (cancer or other cause), validating diagnosis and baseline stage, performance status (PS). Prevalences with 95% CI are reported and descriptive statistics were used. A total of 2293 adults died, 59% women with a median age of 84 years old. There were a total of 736 deaths from cancer, representing 32% (95%CI 30-34). This last subgroup were 54% women, with a median age of 75 years, and only one patient had advance directives. Regarding the place of death, 80% were hospitalized (65% general ward and 15% intensive care units). The most frequent tumors were: lung, colorectal-gastric, hematological, and breast. A total of 390 patients received CT at the end of life (53%; 95%CI 49-57), 53% being women and with a mean age of 68 years. Regarding the underlying oncological disease: 81% had a solid tumor, 75% advanced stage, and mostly with poor/regular ability to perform daily activities (25% PS3 and 32% PS4, respectively). There is a high frequency of CT at the end of life and deaths continue to be mainly in-hospital.

(2952) Proposal to conserve the name Coccidioides posadasii against Posadasia esferiformis, Coccidium posadasi, Pseudococcidioides mazzae, Geotrichum louisianoideum, Glenospora meteuropea, Glenospora metamericana and Trichosporon proteolyticum (Ascomycota)

(2952) Proposal to conserve the name <i>Coccidioides posadasii</i> against <i>Posadasia esferiformis</i>, <i>Coccidium posadasi</i>, <i>Pseudococcidioides mazzae</i>, <i>Geotrichum louisianoideum</i>, <i>Glenospora meteuropea</i>, <i>Glenospora metamericana</i> and <i>Trichosporon proteolyticum</i> (<i>Ascomycota</i>)

Overall survival in treated ovarian cancer patients in Argentina: OCEANIA study.

e17595 Background: OCEANIA is a retrospective, real-world database study that evaluated treatment patterns and outcomes in a cohort of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC) in private healthcare settings in Latin America. The present analysis focused on evaluating up to five-year overall survival (OS) in a cohort of treated patients with OC in Argentina. Methods: Patients with an OC code diagnosed from 2010 to 2019 and with a cancer-related treatment claim (antineoplastics, surgery, and/or radiotherapy) were selected from a private healthcare provider’s database (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires) in Argentina. Patients were followed from diagnosis until the end of observation period or death. Frequency of OC patients by FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage was described. Cumulative treatment type was described through the whole follow-up period. One- to five-year survival Kaplan–Meier curves were built; patients who were lost to follow-up were censored. Results: 741 patients with OC were identified in the database with a mean (standard deviation) follow-up time of 31.7 (30.6) months; 539 (72.7%) were treated during this period. Among this population, 76.3% had information about FIGO staging: 73 (17.8%) were stage 1; 36 (8.8%) stage 2; 259 (63.0%) stage 3; and 43 (10.5%) stage 4. Cumulative distribution across treatment types revealed 355 (65.9%) patients received antineoplastics (321 [90.4%] received platinum-based treatment), 496 (92.0%) surgery and 18 (3.3%) radiotherapy. During a five-year observation window, 111 patients died (more than one half within two years of diagnosis). The adjusted cumulative OS for all treated patients in years 1–5 was 93.2%, 87.2%, 80.9%, 74.1%, and 69.0%, respectively (Table). Conclusions: OS is a key outcome in assessing the impact of current standards of care. Based on the results, although most (69.0%) of the patients survived after 5 years of follow-up, further improvement in OS presents a challenge. However, recent drug releases for OC management in Latin America may change this scenario. [Table: see text]

Minimally Invasive Surgery with the Bentall-De Bono Technique. Initial Experience at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Minimally Invasive Surgery with the Bentall-De Bono Technique. Initial Experience at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Minimally Invasive Surgery with the Bentall-De Bono Technique Initial experience at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Minimally Invasive Surgery with the Bentall-De Bono Technique Initial experience at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Progression-free survival in patients receiving first-line platinum-based therapy in Argentina: OCEANIA study.

e17593 Background: OCEANIA is a retrospective database study that evaluated treatment patterns and outcomes in a cohort of patients diagnosed with all ovarian cancer (OC) types in private healthcare settings in Brazil and Argentina. The present analysis described up to 5-year real-world (RW) outcomes in an OC cohort of patients who received first-line platinum-based treatment (PBT) in Argentina. Methods: Patients with an OC code diagnosed from 2010 to 2019 who received a PBT alone or in combination with other therapeutic modalities (other antineoplastics, surgery, and/or radiotherapy) were selected from a private healthcare provider’s database (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires) in Argentina. Frequency of PBT patients by FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage was described. Cumulative risk of progression to subsequent treatment or death was calculated for one year up to five years after the end of first PBT from the survival analysis (using Kaplan–Meier analyses). RW progression-free survival (RW-PFS) was defined as the time between the end of first PBT and the beginning of subsequent treatment or death; patients who were lost to follow-up were censored at the end of the study period. Results: From 741 OC patients in the database, 321 (43.3%) were exposed to a PBT. Among this population, 89.4% had information about FIGO staging: 39 (13.6%) were stage 1; 23 (8.0%) stage 2; 195 (67.9%) stage 3; and 30 (10.5%) stage 4. During the follow-up period, 209 events were recorded, including 181 progressions to subsequent treatments and 28 deaths. The unadjusted mean (standard deviation) and median RW-PFS were 16 (22.3) months and 6 months, respectively. The adjusted cumulative risks of progression or death for years 1–5 were 53.8%, 67.6%, 71.2%, 74.4%, and 76.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Almost two thirds (65.1%) of patients with OC exposed to PBT progressed to subsequent treatment or death during follow-up. The greatest risk of progression was observed within the first year after end of PBT, likely because almost 80% of patients were at stages 3 and 4 and the therapeutic options available during the study period were limited. Funding: GSK213815.

Spatial Inequities in Life Expectancy in Small Areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina 2015–2017

Studies of life expectancy (LE) in small areas of cities are relatively common in high-income countries but rare in Latin American countries. Small-area estimation methods can help to describe and quantify inequities in LE between neighborhoods and their predictors. Our objective was to analyze the distribution and spatial patterning of LE across small areas of Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina, and its association with socioeconomic characteristics. As part of the SALURBAL project, we used georeferenced death certificates in 2015–2017 for CABA, Argentina. We used a spatial Bayesian Poisson model using the TOPALS method to estimate age- and sex-specific mortality rates. We used life tables to estimate LE at birth. We obtained data on neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics from the 2010 census and analyzed their associations. LE at birth was higher for women (median of across neighborhoods = 81.1 years) compared to men (76.7 years). We found a gap in LE of 9.3 (women) and 14.9 years (men) between areas with the highest and the lowest LE. Better socioeconomic characteristics were associated with higher LE. For example, mean differences in LE at birth in areas with highest versus lowest values of composite SES index were 2.79 years (95% CI: 2.30 to 3.28) in women and 5.61 years (95% CI: 4.98 to 6.24) in men. We found large spatial inequities in LE across neighborhoods of a large city in Latin America, highlighting the importance of place-based policies to address this gap.

Laparoscopic liver resections: What have we learned after more than 20 years of experience?

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to describe our experience in the last 8 years of laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) for benign and malignant tumors, to evaluate indications and results, and to compare the results with our previous experience and with other reference centers worldwide. MethodsBased on a prospective database of the Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, patients who underwent LLR between September 2014 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed (period B) and where compared to our own experience from 2000 to 2014 previously published (period A). ResultsColorectal liver metastasis was the main indication for surgery (26.4%). Major hepatectomies accounted for 15.7% of resections and the most frequently performed procedure was typical and atypical hepatectomies (58.4%) followed by left lateral hepatectomy (20.3%). The total postoperative major complications rate was 10.1% and the 90-day postoperative mortality was 1%. The median postoperative stay was four (IQR: 3–6) days. The overall survival rate estimated at 1, 3 and 5 years was 94%, 84% and 70%, respectively, with a median follow-up of 22.9 months. ConclusionsLLRs in the hands of trained surgeons continue to grow safely, and we have seen an increase in the indication of LLR for malignant pathologies and major resections, a trend that follows the rest of the major centers in the world and has become the method of choice for surgical treatment of most liver tumors.

Evaluation of the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique for the identification of dermatophytes: Use of an extended database

BackgroundIdentification of dermatophytes is usually performed through morphological analyses. However, it may be hindered due to the discovery of new species and complexes and, with some isolates, by the absence of fructification. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) seems to be an option for improving identification. AimsTo develop a database (DB) for the identification of dermatophytes with MALDI-TOF MS, including 32 isolates from the Red de Micología de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires [Mycology Network of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires] (RMCABA) and one reference isolate (RMCABA DB), and evaluate its performance when added to the DB from the supplier, Bruker (Bruker DB). MethodsAll the isolates in the RMCABA DB were identified based on morphology and sequencing. To evaluate the performance of the extended DB (Bruker DB plus RMCABA DB), 136 clinical isolates were included. ResultsThe percentages of identification at the species level increased from 45% to 88%, but the identification at the genus level decreased from 23% to 7%. ConclusionsMALDI-TOF MS yielded better performance in the identification of dermatophytes after including the RMCABA DB, which encompassed local isolates.