Synthesis of temperature-responsive Dextran-MA/PNIPAAm particles for controlled drug delivery using superhydrophobic surfaces

Purpose: To implement a bioinspired methodology using superhydrophobic surfaces suitable for producing smart hydro- gel beads in which the bioactive substance is introduced in the particles during their formation. Methods: Several superhydrophobic surfaces, including polystyrene, aluminum and copper, were prepared. Polymeric solutions composed by photo-crosslinked dextran-methacrylated and thermal responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) mixed with a protein (insulin or albumin) were dropped on the superhydrophobic surfaces, and the obtained millimetric spheres were hardened in a dry environment under UV light. Results: Spherical and non-sticky hydrogels particles were formed in few minutes on the superhydrophobic surfaces. The proteins included in the liquid formulation were homogeneously distributed in the particle network. The particles exhibited temperature-sensitive swelling, porosity and protein release rate, with the responsiveness tunable by the dextran-MA/PNIPAAm weight ratio.Conclusions: The proposed method permitted the preparation of smart hydrogel particles in one step with almost 100% encapsulation yield. The temperature-sensitive release profiles suggest that the obtained spherical-shaped biomaterials are suitable as protein carriers. These stimuli-responsive beads could have potential to be used in pharmaceutical or other biomedical applications, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.The authors acknowledge funding from the project: PTDC/QUI/68804/2006 (FCT), IBEROMARE-Procept, FEDER and MICINN (SAF2008-01679). The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement #NMP4-SL-2009-229292. The authors are grateful to project DISC REGENERATION, Collaborative Project-Large-scale integrating project, NMP3-LA-2008-213904 for the use of the UV lamp

Providing Outreach and Enrollment Assistance: Lessons Learned from Community Health Centers in Massachusetts

Six years ago, Massachusetts implemented a broad expansion of health coverage to the uninsured population in the state. Understanding that outreach and enrollment assistance would be essential to the success of the expansion, state policymakers provided for public education campaigns, but also for person-to-person, hands-on assistance, especially in communities with large numbers of uninsured people. Community health centers play a central role in this effort. As states and communities gear up to provide outreach and enrollment assistance under the ACA, the experience of the Massachusetts health centers offers lessons that can help inform current efforts to reach and enroll millions of low-income, uninsured Americans in health insurance. Recent interviews conducted with a sample of Massachusetts health centers point to four key findings: Finding #1: Intensive outreach and enrollment assistance is crucial to connect low-income, uninsured people with coverage. Finding #2: Assistance is not a one-time matter – it is needed at all stages of the enrollment process and to ensure continued coverage. Finding #3: Immediate access to enrollment assistance boosts the effectiveness of outreach efforts. Finding #4: Even when health reform is mature, the need for aggressive outreach and enrollment assistance remains high and the resource demands remain significant. The Massachusetts health center experience demonstrates that, in addition to broad public education about affordable insurance options and how to enroll, intensive one-on-one assistance is a vital complement to help disadvantaged populations and communities obtain and keep coverage that meets their needs. The intensive support they require, and ongoing rather than occasional needs for assistance, suggest the importance of sustained investment in outreach and enrollment efforts conducted by health centers and other organizations

Epidemiologia del parasitismo intestinal infantil en el valle del Guadalquivir, España

BACKGROUND : Intestinal parasitisms represents a public health problem that should be periodically assessed in each region. In the present paper, a study about prevalence of intestinal parasites, has been carried out in children from the natural region of the Guadalquivir Valley. METHODS: During the period 1994-1996, 1.917 children without symptoms, aging between 6 and 10, were studied by means of coprologycal analysis and Graham method, all of them living in 20 villages in the Guadalquivir valley. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitisms have been of 27,12%. The reported parasites and their prevalence are as follows: Enterobius vermicularis (20,44%), Giardia lamblia (5,05%), Entamoeba coli (2,45%), Endolimax nana (1,61%), Entamoeba histolytica (0,31%), Entamoeba hartmanni (0,05%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (0,05%). CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites is similar to that found in other spanish region, if only a little bit more favourable probably due to the long lasting drought and the improvements in health resourses, no geohelmints have been detected unlike other protozoosis, giardiasis mantains a relatively high prevalence.FUNDAMENTO: Las parasitosis intestinales en los niños constituyen un problema de salud pública que debe ser valorado periódicamente en cada región. En este trabajo se aborda, por primera vez en la región natural del Valle del Guadalquivir, un estudio amplio sobre la prevalencia del parasitismo intestinal en la población infantil de la zona. MÉTODOS: Durante el período 1994-1996, mediante análisis coprológico y método de Graham, se ha estudiado a 1.917 niños y niñas asintomáticos, con edades comprendidas entre seis y diez años, residentes en veinte localidades del Valle del Guadalquivir. RESULTADOS: El índice global de parasitación ha sido del 27,12 %. Las especies parásitas detectadas, así como sus prevalencias fueron: Enterobius vermicularis (20,44%), Giardia lamblia (5,05%), Entamoeba coli (2,45%), Endolimax nana (1,61%), Entamoeba histolytica (0,31%), Entamoeba hartmanni (0,05%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (0,05%). CONCLUSIONES: La prevalencia global encontrada es similar a la de otras regiones españolas, aunque quizás pueda considerarse algo más favorable. No se detectan geohelmintos, debido posiblemente a la mejora de la infraestructura higiénico-sanitaria y a los efectos de la prolongada sequía en la zona. La giardiasis, a diferencia de las restantes protozoosis, mantiene una prevalencia relativamente alta

Failure of Supervised Chloroquine and Primaquine Regimen for the Treatment of Plasmodium vivax in the Peruvian Amazon

The widespread use of primaquine (PQ) and chloroquine (CQ), together, may be responsible for the relatively few, isolated cases of chloroquine-resistant P. vivax (CQRPV) that have been reported from South America. We report here a case of P. vivax from the Amazon Basin of Peru that recurred against normally therapeutic blood levels of CQ. Four out of 540 patients treated with combination CQ and PQ had a symptomatic recurrence of P. vivax parasitemia within 35 days of treatment initiation, possibly indicating CQ failure. Whole blood total CQ level for one of these four subjects was 95 ng/ml on the day of recurrence. Based on published criteria that delineate CQRPV as a P. vivax parasitemia, either recrudescence or relapse, that appears against CQ blood levels >100 ng/mL, we document the occurrence of a P. vivax strain in Peru that had unusually high tolerance to the synergistic combination therapy of CQ + PQ that normally works quite well

Gut microbiome composition in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos is shaped by geographic relocation, environmental factors, and obesity.

Background: Hispanics living in the USA may have unrecognized potential birthplace and lifestyle influences on the gut microbiome. We report a cross-sectional analysis of 1674 participants from four centers of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), aged 18 to 74 years old at recruitment.Results: Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene V4 and fungal ITS1 fragments from self-collected stool samples indicate that the host microbiome is determined by sociodemographic and migration-related variables. Those who relocate from Latin America to the USA at an early age have reductions in Prevotella to Bacteroides ratios that persist across the life course. Shannon index of alpha diversity in fungi and bacteria is low in those who relocate to the USA in early life. In contrast, those who relocate to the USA during adulthood, over 45 years old, have high bacterial and fungal diversity and high Prevotella to Bacteroides ratios, compared to USA-born and childhood arrivals. Low bacterial diversity is associated in turn with obesity. Contrasting with prior studies, our study of the Latino population shows increasing Prevotella to Bacteroides ratio with greater obesity. Taxa within Acidaminococcus, Megasphaera, Ruminococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Clostridiales, Christensenellaceae, YS2 (Cyanobacteria), and Victivallaceae are significantly associated with both obesity and earlier exposure to the USA, while Oscillospira and Anaerotruncus show paradoxical associations with both obesity and late-life introduction to the USA.Conclusions: Our analysis of the gut microbiome of Latinos demonstrates unique features that might be responsible for health disparities affecting Hispanics living in the USA

The Role of Stress in Understanding Differences in Sedentary Behavior in Hispanic/Latino Adults: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study

Chronic stress and/or lifetime traumatic stress can create a self-reinforcing cycle of unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating and sedentary behavior, that can lead to further increases in stress. This study examined the relationship between stress and sedentary behavior in a sample of Hispanic/Latino adults (N = 4244) from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study

Tissue remodelling and increased DNA damage in patients with incompetent valves in chronic venous insufficiency

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), in which blood return to the heart is impaired, is a prevalent condition worldwide. Valve incompetence is a complication of CVI that results in blood reflux, thereby aggravating venous hypertension. While CVI has a complex course and is known to produce alterations in the vein wall, the underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the presence of DNA damage, pro-inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix remodelling in CVI-related valve incompetence. One hundred and ten patients with CVI were reviewed and divided into four groups according to age (<50 and ≥50 years) and a clinical diagnosis of venous reflux indicating venous system valve incompetence (R) (n = 81) or no reflux (NR) (n = 29). In vein specimens (greater saphenous vein) from each group, PARP, IL-17, COL-I, COL-III, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 expression levels were determined by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The younger patients with valve incompetence showed significantly higher PARP, IL-17, COL-I, COL-III, MMP-2 and reduced TIMP-2 expression levels and a higher COL-I/III ratio. Young CVI patients with venous reflux suffer chronic DNA damage, with consequences at both the local tissue and systemic levels, possibly associated with ageing.This study (FIS-PI18/00912) was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Plan Estatal de I + D+i 2013-2016) and co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe” (ERDF) and B2017/BMD-3804 MITIC-CM

Association of Childhood Economic Hardship with Adult Height and Adult Adiposity among Hispanics/Latinos. The HCHS/SOL Socio-Cultural Ancillary Study

The study examined the association of childhood and current economic hardship with anthropometric indices in Hispanic/Latino adults, using data from the HCHS/SOL Socio-cultural ancillary study (N = 5,084), a community-based study of Hispanic/Latinos living in four urban areas (Bronx, NY, Chicago, IL, Miami, FL, and San Diego, CA). Childhood economic hardship was defined as having experienced a period of time when one’s family had trouble paying for basic needs (e.g., food, housing), and when this economic hardship occurred: between 0–12, 13–18 years old, or throughout both of those times. Current economic hardship was defined as experiencing trouble paying for basic needs during the past 12 months. Anthropometry included height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and percentage body fat (%BF). Complex survey linear regression models were used to test the associations of childhood economic hardship with adult anthropometric indices, adjusting for potential confounders (e.g., age, sex, Hispanic background). Childhood economic hardship varied by Hispanic background, place of birth, and adult socio-economic status. Childhood economic hardship during both periods, childhood and adolescence, was associated with shorter height. Childhood economic hardship was associated with greater adiposity among US born individuals only. Current economic hardship was significantly associated with all three measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, %BF). These findings suggest that previous periods of childhood economic hardship appear to influence adult height more than adiposity, whereas current economic hardship may be a better determinant of adult adiposity in Hispanics

t(10;16)(q22;p13) and MORF-CREBBP fusion is a recurrent event in acute myeloid leukemia

Recently, it was shown that t(10;16)(q22;p13) fuses the MORF and CREBBP genes in a case of childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) M5a, with a complex karyotype containing other rearrangements. Here, we report a new case with the MORF-CREBBP fusion in an 84-year-old patient diagnosed with AML M5b, in which the t(10;16)(q22;p13) was the only cytogenetic aberration. This supports that this is a recurrent pathogenic translocation in AML