Evaluation of Hemodynamic Autonomic Control in an Animal Model of Acute Heart Failure Induced by High Dose of Halothane

Acute animal models of cardiac failure are necessary to study new therapeutic options and should be thoroughly characterized from the hemodynamic point of view, including the response of the autonomic nervous system. Thus, the aim of this work was to characterize the pathophysiological adaptation of the autonomic nervous system to acute cardiac failure induced by high doses of halothane (4%). In six sheep, electrocardiogram, aortic pressure and flow were obtained and calculation of systemic vascular resistances was done. Variability analyses in the time and frequency domains were also performed. In the time domain, after heart failure induction using halothane 4%, a significant decrease of both aortic blood flow variability (from 0. 13 ± 0. 05 to 0. 09 ± 0. 02 L min -1, p < 0. 05) and the broad band spectra (from 1. 80 ± 0. 66 to 1. 25 ± 0. 57 L 2 min -2, p < 0. 005) was observed. Both mean RR (472 ± 44 to 567 ± 68 ms, p < 0. 01), and low frequency band of RR intervals (from 6. 2 ± 0. 9 to 7. 7 ± 1. 5 ms 2, p < 0. 05), showed a significant increase, and no change in systemic vascular resistance (from 54. 9 ± 29. 5 to 50. 3 ± 38. 4 mmHg min L -1), all of them after heart failure induction. We conclude that in this model of heart failure the autonomic nervous system activity is still functioning, the combination of increased mean and RR low frequency band, with no change in systemic vascular resistance suggest an increase in the sympathetic control (due to maintained SVR), in an attempt to compensate the depression in the cardiac activity and hemodynamic alterations after severe myocardial depression induced by halothane.Fil: Camus, Juan M.. Universidad de Mendoza. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez, Agustín José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Risk, Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Palacios, Pablo J.. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: de Forteza, Eduardo. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Cabrera Fischer, Edmundo Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; Argentin

Surface chemistry and germination improvement of Quinoa seeds subjected to plasma activation

Plasma treatment is recognized as a suitable technology to improve germination efficiency of numerous seeds. In this work Quinoa seeds have been subjected to air plasma treatments both at atmospheric and low pressure and improvements found in germination rate and percentage of success. Seed water uptake by exposure to water vapor, although slightly greater for plasma treated seeds, did not justify the observed germination improvement. To identify other possible factors contributing to germination, the chemical changes experienced by outer parts of the seed upon plasma exposure have been investigated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX). XPS revealed that the outer layers of the Quinoa plasma treated seeds were highly oxidized and appeared enriched in potassium ions and adsorbed nitrate species. Simultaneously, SEM-EDX showed that the enrichment in potassium and other mineral elements extended to the seed pericarp and closer zones. The disappearance from the surface of both potassium ions and nitrate species upon exposure of the plasma treated seeds to water vapor is proposed as a factor favoring germination. The use of XPS to study chemical changes at seed surfaces induced by plasma treatments is deemed very important to unravel the mechanisms contributing to germination improvement

Diversidad genética y conservación de pinos nativos de la cuenca del río Cupatitzio, en Michoacán

La conservación de los hábitats terrestres asociados a cuencas hidrográficas tiene como componente intrínseco la conservación de los recursos genéticos de las especies que conforman la cubierta vegetal de estos sistemas. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar los niveles de variación y estructura genética de las poblaciones de pino distribuidas en la cuenca del río Cupatitzio, en Michoacán, con el uso de cuatro microsatélites de núcleo. El estudio incluye ocho poblaciones de cuatro especies de pino distribuidas en las zonas altas, media y baja de la cuenca. Los resultados indican que las poblaciones SL3 de P. pseudostrobus y RB6 de P. douglasiana contienen los valores más altos de variación genética (HE =0.674 y HE= 0.615, respectivamente). Las poblaciones presentan importantes niveles de endogamia (FIS entre 0.057-0.544) y una diferenciación genética significativa (FST entre 0.094-0.152), la cual se asocia de manera moderada con la distribución geográfica de las poblaciones (r= 0.443) y se agrupa de acuerdo con las especies. La parte alta de la Reserva, en Quinceo y la Tzaráracua, presenta los niveles más bajos de variación genética y los mayores niveles de endogamia, por lo que se recomienda hacer actividades de restauración en estas localidades. Así mismo, se sugieren actividades de conservación in situ en San Lorenzo y la parte baja de la Reserva, ya que ambas poblaciones presentan los tamaños efectivos más grandes y son representativas del acervo genético de los bosques de pino en la cuenca del Cupatitzio

What to do in case of an endoscopic image of gastric necrosis or ischaemia post-funduplication? A case report

The association of gastric ischemia with a fundoplication is very rare and its management is not always surgical. The present paper describes the mechanism of post-fundoplication gastric ischemia that occurred in a patient diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease treated with a Nissen-type gastric fundoplication. A clinical case of the Foregut Clinic of the Hospital General de Mexico (HGM) is presented. This is a 24-year-old patient undergoing a Nissen-type fundoplication who was discharged without eventualities and who presented intestinal occlusion, acute gastric dilation and gastric ischemia

Interaction between Calpain 5, Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma and Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta genes: a polygenic approach to obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Context</p> <p>Obesity is a multifactorial disorder, that is, a disease determined by the combined effect of genes and environment. In this context, polygenic approaches are needed.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To investigate the possibility of the existence of a crosstalk between the <it>CALPAIN 10 </it>homologue <it>CALPAIN 5 </it>and nuclear receptors of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors family.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>Cross-sectional, genetic association study and gene-gene interaction analysis.</p> <p>Subjects</p> <p>The study sample comprise 1953 individuals, 725 obese (defined as body mass index ≥ 30) and 1228 non obese subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the monogenic analysis, only the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (<it>PPARD</it>) gene was associated with obesity (OR = 1.43 [1.04–1.97], p = 0.027). In addition, we have found a significant interaction between <it>CAPN5 </it>and <it>PPARD </it>genes (p = 0.038) that reduces the risk for obesity in a 55%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that <it>CAPN5 </it>and <it>PPARD </it>gene products may also interact in vivo.</p

Neurexin and neuroligin genes in Alzheimer's disease

Póster presentado en la 11th International Conference on Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases, celebrada en Florencia del 6 al 10 de marzo de 2013.-- Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Inititive[Objectives] The interaction between neurexins and neuroligins promotes the formation of functional synaptic structures. Recently, it has been reported that neurexins and neuroligins are proteolytically processed by presenilins at synapses. Based on this interaction and the role of presenilins in familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), we hypothesized that dysfunction of the neuroligin-neurexin pathway might be associated with AD.[Methods] To explore this hypothesis we carried out a meta-analysis of five genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 1256 SNPs in the NRXN1, NRXN2, NRXN3 and NLGN1 genes (3009 cases and 3006 control individuals) using PLINK software.[Results] We identified a marker in the NRXN3 gene (rs17757879) that showed a consistent protective effect in all GWAS, however the statistical significance obtained did not resist multiple testing corrections (OR=0.851, p=0.002). Nonetheless, gender analysis revealed that this effect was restricted to males. A replication study with SNP rs17757879 in a Spanish population (1785 cases and 1634 controls) confirmed this observation (OR=0.752, C.I.=0.570-0.991, p=0.042).[Conclusions] We conclude that NRXN3 might have a role in susceptibility to AD in males (rs17757879, OR=0.742, 95% C.I.=0.632-0.872, p=0.00028, final meta-analysis).Peer Reviewe

Genetic study of neurexin and neuroligin genes in Alzheimer's disease

The interaction between neurexins and neuroligins promotes the formation of functional synaptic structures. Recently, it has been reported that neurexins and neuroligins are proteolytically processed by presenilins at synapses. Based on this interaction and the role of presenilins in familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), we hypothesized that dysfunction of the neuroligin-neurexin pathway might be associated with AD. To explore this hypothesis, we carried out a meta-analysis of five genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 1, 256 SNPs in the NRXN1, NRXN2, NRXN3, and NLGN1 genes (3,009 cases and 3,006 control individuals). We identified a marker in the NRXN3 gene (rs17757879) that showed a consistent protective effect in all GWAS, however, the statistical significance obtained did not resist multiple testing corrections (OR = 0.851, p = 0.002). Nonetheless, gender analysis revealed that this effect was restricted to males. A combined meta-analysis of the former five GWAS together with a replication Spanish sample consisting of 1,785 cases and 1,634 controls confirmed this observation (rs17757879, OR = 0.742, 95% CI = 0.632-0.872, p = 0.00028, final meta-analysis). We conclude that NRXN3 might have a role in susceptibility to AD in males.Peer Reviewe

Cientópolis: motorizando la ciencia ciudadana

En ciertas situaciones como la toma, clasificación y etiquetado de muestras, el científico realiza un gran número de tareas simples, repetitivas, que no pueden ser automatizadas y que podrían ser ejecutadas por personas sin formación en la materia si se las entrena y asiste con herramientas. En el pasado, en proyectos de conservación, astronomía y biología, entre otros, este tipo de tareas se ha delegado de manera efectiva a voluntarios. Cuando se convoca a ciudadanos voluntarios para colaborar con los científicos, se habla de ciencia ciudadana. Encontrar e involucrar a esos voluntarios, sumado a coordinar y reconocer su trabajo, es una tarea compleja. Definir y conducir proyectos de ciencia ciudadana presenta desafíos en tres áreas críticas: metodologías, tecnologías y construcción de comunidades de voluntarios. El proyecto Cientópolis (http://cientopolis.org) tiene como objetivo producir avances en estas tres áreas y socializarlos con la comunidad. En la actualidad, Cientópolis brinda espacios para compartir conocimiento y experiencias, ofrece herramientas para la construcción de proyectos de toma de muestras con dispositivos móviles y construcción colaborativa de conocimiento, da acceso a una comunidad creciente de ciudadanos científicos y explora estrategias de ludificación para consolidar y sostener dicha comunidad.Laboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

PD-1 is expressed in cytotoxic granules of NK cells and rapidly mobilized to the cell membrane following recognition of tumor cells

5 figures.-- Supplementary information available.The contribution of the T cell-related inhibitory checkpoint PD-1 to the regulation of NK cell activity is still not clear with contradictory results concerning its expression and role in the modulation of NK cell cytotoxicity. We provide novel key findings on the mechanism involved in the regulation of PD-1 expression on NK cell membrane and its functional consequences for the elimination of cancer cells. In contrast to freshly isolated NK cells from cancer patients, those from healthy donors did not express PD-1 on the cell membrane. However, when healthy NK cells were incubated with tumor target cells, membrane PD-1 expression increased, concurrent with the CD107a surface mobilization. This finding suggested that PD-1 was translocated to the cell membrane during NK cell degranulation after contact with target cells. Indeed, cytosolic PD-1 was expressed in freshly-isolated-NK cells and partly co-localized with CD107a and GzmB, confirming that membrane PD-1 corresponded to a pool of preformed PD-1. Moreover, NK cells that had mobilized PD-1 to the cell membrane presented a significantly reduced antitumor activity on PD-L1-expressing-tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, which was partly reversed by using anti-PD-1 blocking antibodies. Our results indicate that NK cells from healthy individuals express cytotoxic granule-associated PD-1, which is rapidly mobilized to the cell membrane after interaction with tumor target cells. This novel finding helps to understand how PD-1 expression is regulated on NK cell membrane and the functional consequences of this expression during the elimination of tumor cells, which will help to design more efficient NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies.Work in the JP laboratory is funded by FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional), Gobierno de Aragón (Group B29_20R), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCUN), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (SAF2017-83120-C2-1-R; PID2020-113963RBI00), Fundación Inocente Inocente, ASPANOA, and Carrera de la Mujer de Monzón. Postdoctoral Juan de la Cierva Contract (MA and LS) and Predoctoral Grant from AECC (CP). JP is supported by ARAID Foundation; Fundación Agencia Aragonesa para la investigación y el Desarrollo; Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer.Peer reviewe