Release of Glycoprotein (GP1) from the Tegumental Surface of Taenia solium by Phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens Suggests a Novel Protein-Anchor to Membranes

In order to explore how molecules are linked to the membrane surface in larval Taenia solium, whole cysticerci were incubated in the presence of phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens (PLC). Released material was collected and analyzed in polyacrylamide gels with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Two major bands with apparent molecular weights of 180 and 43 kDa were observed. Western blot of released material and localization assays in cysticerci tissue sections using antibodies against five known surface glycoproteins of T. solium cysticerci indicated that only one, previously called GP1, was released. Similar localization studies using the lectins wheat-germ-agglutinin and Concanavalin A showed that N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic, sialic acid, αmethyl-D-mannoside, D-manose/glucose, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues are abundantly present on the surface. On the other hand, we find that treatment with PLC releases molecules from the surface; they do not reveal Cross Reacting Determinant (CRD), suggesting a novel anchor to the membrane for the glycoprotein GP1

The Hamster Model for Identification of Specific Antigens of Taenia solium Tapeworms

Humans acquire taeniasis by ingesting pork meat infected with Taenia solium cysticerci, which are the only definitive hosts of the adult stage (tapeworm) and responsible for transmitting the human and porcine cysticercosis. Hence, detection of human tapeworm carriers is a key element in the development of viable strategies to control the disease. This paper presents the identification of specific antigens using sera from hamsters infected with T. solium tapeworms analyzed by western blot assay with crude extracts (CEs) and excretion-secretion antigens (E/S Ag) obtained from T. solium cysticerci and tapeworms and extracts from other helminthes as controls. The hamster sera infected with T. solium tapeworms recognized specific bands of 72, 48, 36, and 24 kDa, in percentages of 81, 81, 90, and 88%, respectively, using the T. solium tapeworms E/S Ag. The antigens recognized by these hamster sera could be candidates to improve diagnosis of human T. solium taeniasis

Anticuerpos: sus propiedades, aplicaciones y perspectivas

Los anticuerpos surgieron en los organismos en respuesta a las necesidades imperantes de neutralizar y destruir los embates de agentes externos nocivos para los mismos. Los anticuerpos son macromoléculas que por sus propiedades de especificidad y afinidad a sus antígenos, han sido utilizados para toda una gama de estudios en la medicina, su manipulación fuera de los sistemas vivientes ha permitido su aplicación en la terapéutica y el diagnóstico oportuno de varias enfermedades. El presente trabajo muestra una sinopsis de las propiedades bioquímicas de los anticuerpos y de las estrategias más recientes que han permitido la manipulación de estas moléculas, con la finalidad de mejorar su afinidad y avidez, así como en los métodos de producción para incrementar su potencial de aplicación en la investigación biológica y médica. PALABRAS CLAVE: Anticuerpos. Anticuerpos recombinantes. Anticuerpos monoclonales. Bacteriófagos.Inmunoglobulinas. Fragmento scFv. Terapia

Anxiety in Natural and Surgical Menopause — Physiologic and Therapeutic Bases

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, affecting a high percentage of human beings around the world. This emotional disorder possesses marked gender differences and occurs more often in women than in men, in a proportion of 2:1. Accompanying the reproductive cycle of women are significant fluctuations in plasma and brain steroid hormone concentrations, including oestradiol, progesterone, and allopregnanolone, among others. These hormonal changes are related to some illnesses and with the development of anxiety and mood swings occurring in the premenstrual and postpartum period, and particularly during the menopause. Menopause is a clinical term used to indicate the cessation of the woman\u27s reproductive ability that occurs naturally, but also may be surgically induced by bilateral oophorectomy, with or without the removal of the Fallopian tubes and uterus. Natural menopause includes specific periods related to the physiological and hormonal changes produced by ovarian failure, it is usually a natural stage that occurs to women in midlife, during their late 40s or early 50s, indicating the end of the reproductive period in the woman. During the menopause transition years, women experience changes in the production of ovarian hormones, which are associated with significant changes in the physiological, emotional, and affective processes. Unfortunately, surgical menopause occurs at an early age, and produces similar physiological and psychiatric disorders, but they are more severe in this instance. In both cases, typical symptoms associated with menopause critically deteriorate the mental health of the women. In this way, the therapeutic management of clinical symptoms of menopause include replacement hormone therapy, the use of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs, and other natural alternatives based on the use of chemical compounds obtained from plants such as soya. However, a general effective treatment for menopause symptoms does not yet exist. For this reason, experimental studies have proposed ovariectomy in rats as a potential tool to study the effects of a long-term absence of ovarian hormones associated with surgical menopause, which also allowed the study of substances with potential therapeutic application to ameliorate typical symptoms associated with surgical menopause. The aim of this chapter is to review the participation of ovarian hormones in the regulation of emotional and affective disorders in women with natural or surgical menopause; particularly their anatomical pathways, neurotransmission systems, and the resulting behavioural patterns. Finally, preclinical and clinical research suggested that long-term absence of ovarian hormones associated with natural or surgical menopause is the principal cause of physiological and psychiatric disorder in the women; therefore, oestrogenic compounds seem to play an important role in the maintenance of the brain structures that regulate anxiety, mood, memory, and cognitive functions in menopausal women

Development of New Drugs to Treat <em>Taenia solium</em> Cysticercosis: Targeting 26 kDa Glutathione Transferase

Taenia solium causes neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection of the central nervous system in humans. The costs of management, treatment, and diagnosis of patients with neurocysticercosis are high, and some patients do not respond to the currently available treatments. Helminth cytosolic glutathione transferases (GSTs) are essential enzymes involved in the regulation of immune responses, transport, and detoxification. In T. solium, three cytosolic GSTs with molecular masses of 26.5 (Ts26GST), 25.5 (Ts25GST), and 24.3 kDa (TsMσGST), classified as mu-alpha, mu and sigma GST-classes, respectively, constitute the main detoxification system, and they may be immune targets for the development of vaccines and new anthelmintics. We performed a successful virtual screen, and identified I7, a novel selective inhibitor of Ts26GST that showed a non-competitive inhibition mechanism towards substrate glutathione with a Ki of 55.7 mM and mixed inhibition towards the electrophilic substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene with a Ki of 8.64 mM. Docking simulation studies showed that I7 can bind to a site that is adjacent to the electrophilic site and the furthest from the glutathione site. This new inhibitor of Ts26GST will be used as a lead molecule to develop new effective and safe drugs against diseases caused by T. solium

Differential effects of acute and chronic treatment with the flavonoid chrysin on anxiety-like behavior and Fos immunoreactivity in the lateral septal nucleus in rats

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of acute (a single injection) and chronic (21 consecutive days) treatments with chrysin 2, 4, and 8 umol kg–1 on anxiety-like behavior and Fos immunoreactivity in the lateral septum nucleus (LSN), a structure that is involved in the regulation of anxiety, in male Wistar rats. These effects were compared with the clinically effective anxiolytic diazepam 7 umol kg–1. The results showed that acute, but not chronic treatment, with 4 umol kg-1 chrysin exerted anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects, andwith these effects were being similar to that of diazepam. Also, none of the above above-mentioned treatments did alter Fos immunoreactivity in the LSN, but a tendency towards athe reduction of this variable was detected with chrysin 4 umol kg–1 and diazepam 7 umol kg–1. Altogether, results suggest that chrysin exerts anxiolytic-like effects, but however, it can produce pharmacological tolerance after repeated use, similar to benzodiazepines

PUBLICIDAD INTERACTIVA MEDIANTE EL RECORRIDO DE UN ZOOLÓGICO VIRTUAL USANDO REALIDAD AUMENTADA (INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING THROUGH THE TRAVEL OF A VIRTUAL ZOOLOGICAL USING AUGMENTED REALITY)

Resumen El presente documento describe la investigación realizada para el desarrollo de publicidad interactiva a través de una aplicación móvil que usa Realidad Aumentada y que consiste en el recorrido de un Zoológico Virtual que genere consciencia ecológica entre los usuarios. El recorrido permite identificar, usando dispositivos móviles, “marcas” que representan a los animales del zoológico y que “disparan” una imagen animada en 3D del animal identificado. Cada vez que el usuario logra una identificación recibe un puntaje que se va acumulando hasta el final del recorrido, y que luego puede canjearse por productos u ofertas. El objetivo que se alcanza con este trabajo es el de demostrar el uso de la Realidad Aumentada como una forma de hacer publicidad interactiva y en este caso en particular generar consciencia ecológica. El documento presenta una breve introducción, antecedentes, continúa con la metodología utilizada, se hace una breve discusión sobre el prototipo obtenido y se analizan los resultados obtenidos. Palabras Clave: Imagen 3D, Realidad Aumentada, Tecnologías de la información y comunicación, Zoológico Virtual. Abstract This document describes the research carried out for the development of interactive advertising through a mobile application that uses Augmented Reality and that consists of the tour of a Virtual Zoo that generates ecological awareness among users. The route allows identify, using mobile devices, “marks” that represent the animals of the zoo and that “shoot” a 3D animated image of the identified animal. Each time the user achieves identification, he receives a score that accumulates until the end of the tour, and which can then be exchanged for products or offers. The objective achieved with this work is to demonstrate the use of Augmented Reality as a way to make interactive advertising and in this case in particular generate ecological awareness. The document presents a brief introduction, background, continues with the methodology used, there is a brief discussion about the prototype obtained and the results are analyzed Keywords: 3D Image, Augmented Reality, Information and communication technologies, Virtual Zoo

Lead, Cadmium and Cobalt (Pb, Cd, and Co) Leaching of Glass-Clay Containers by pH Effect of Food

Recent studies have shown that handcrafted glass-clay containers are a health risk because they can be contaminated by heavy metals, which can be transferred to food, thus reaching the human body to potentially cause illness. Therefore, in the present work, we evaluate the leaching of lead, cadmium, and cobalt from glass-clay containers into two types of food: tomato sauce (salsa), and chickpea puree. The containers were obtained from four regions in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Repetitive extractions from the containers were carried out to quantify the leaching of the heavy metals into the salsa, the chickpea puree, and acetic acid using the technique proposed by the USFDA. The results show that greater use of the containers leads to more leaching of heavy metals into both types of food and into the acetic acid, with the greatest metal extraction recorded for the Ixmiquilpan vessels. These results indicate that the metals present in the glass-clay containers leach into the food and that increased reuse increases the risk to the people who use them in food preparation

Introduccion del ingeniero biomédico en el ámbito hospitalario

Tesis (Ingeniería Biomédica), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, UPIBI, 2009, 1 archivo PDF, (51 páginas). tesis.ipn.m