Juvenile xanthogranuloma. Presentation of a clinical case and review of the topic

El Xantogranuloma Juvenil (XGJ) es un tumor benigno de piel que afecta principalmente la población infantil, más comúnmente durante el primer año de edad. Hace parte del grupo de las Histiocitosis no X y tienden a ser autorresolutivas. Ocasionalmente puede comprometer otros órganos, siendo el compromiso ocular el más frecuente con riesgo de llevar hasta la ceguera. Los autores presentan un caso en una niña de 2 meses con lesiones múltiples y hacen una revisión del tema. (Camargo AM, Rojas RF, Serrano JC. Xantogranuloma juvenil. Presentación de un caso clínico y revisión del tema. MedUNAB 2003; 6:155-9)Juvenile Xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a benign skin tumor that mainly affects children, more commonly during the first year of age. It is part of the non-X Histiocytosis group and tends to be self-resolving. Occasionally it can compromise other organs, being the ocular compromise the most frequent with risk of even blindness. The authors present a case of a 2-month-old girl with multiple injuries and review the subject. (Camargo AM, Rojas RF, Serrano JC. Juvenile xanthogranuloma. Presentation of a clinical case and review of the topic. MedUNAB 2003; 6:155-9

Atorvastatin Improves Survival in Septic Rats: Effect on Tissue Inflammatory Pathway and on Insulin Signaling

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the survival-improving effect of atorvastatin in sepsis is accompanied by a reduction in tissue activation of inflammatory pathways and, in parallel, an improvement in tissue insulin signaling in rats. Diffuse sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture surgery (CLP) in male Wistar rats. Serum glucose and inflammatory cytokines levels were assessed 24 h after CLP. The effect of atorvastatin on survival of septic animals was investigated in parallel with insulin signaling and its modulators in liver, muscle and adipose tissue. Atorvastatin improves survival in septic rats and this improvement is accompanied by a marked improvement in insulin sensitivity, characterized by an increase in glucose disappearance rate during the insulin tolerance test. Sepsis induced an increase in the expression/activation of TLR4 and its downstream signaling JNK and IKK/NF-κB activation, and blunted insulin-induced insulin signaling in liver, muscle and adipose tissue; atorvastatin reversed all these alterations in parallel with a decrease in circulating levels of TNF-α and IL-6. In summary, this study demonstrates that atorvastatin treatment increased survival, with a significant effect upon insulin sensitivity, improving insulin signaling in peripheral tissues of rats during peritoneal-induced sepsis. The effect of atorvastatin on the suppression of the TLR-dependent inflammatory pathway may play a central role in regulation of insulin signaling and survival in sepsis insult

La Red Internacional de Inventarios Forestales (BIOTREE-NET) en Mesoamérica: avances, retos y perspectivas futuras

Conservation efforts in Neotropical regions are often hindered by lack of data, since for many species there is a vacuum of information, and many species have not even been described yet. The International Network of Forest Inventory Plots (BIOTREE-NET) gathers and facilitates access to tree data from forest inventory plots in Mesoamerica, while encouraging data exchange between researchers, managers and conservationists. The information is organised and standardised into a single database that includes spatially explicit data. This article describes the scope and objectives of the network, its progress, and the challenges and future perspectives. The database includes above 50000 tree records of over 5000 species from more than 2000 plots distributed from southern Mexico through to Panama. Information is heterogeneous, both in nature and shape, as well as in the geographical coverage of inventory plots. The database has a relational structure, with 12 inter-connected tables that include information about plots, species names, dbh, and functional attributes of trees. A new system that corrects typographical errors and achieves taxonomic and nomenclatural standardization was developed using The Plant List (http://theplantlist.org/) as reference. Species distribution models have been computed for around 1700 species using different methods, and they will be publicly accessible through the web site in the future (http://portal.biotreenet.com). Although BIOTREE-NET has contributed to the development of improved species distribution models, its main potential lies, in our opinion, in studies at the community level. Finally, we emphasise the need to expand the network and encourage researchers willing to share data and to join the network and contribute to the generation of further knowledge about forest biodiversity in Neotropical regions

Xantogranuloma juvenil. Presentación de un caso clínico y revición del tema

ResumenEl Xantogranuloma juvenil (XGJ) es un tumor benigno de piel que afecta principalmente la población infantil, más comúnmente durante el primer año de edad. hace parte del grupo de las Histiocitosis no X y tienden a ser autorresolutivas.[Camargo AM, Rojas RF, Serrano JC. Xantogranuloma juvenil. Presentación de un caso clínico y revición del tema. MedUNAB 2003; 6:155-9].Palabras clave: Xantogranuloma juvenil

Thermogenic capacity of human periaortic adipose tissue is transformed by body weight

The anatomical location of adipose tissue might have direct implications for its functionality and risk of cardiovascular disease. Adipose tissue surrounding blood vessels may be thermogenically more active in specific areas of the body, releasing substances that regulate vascular metabolism. In humans, the phenotypic characteristics of adipose tissue surrounding the aorta and the cardiovascular disease risk that it might entail remain largely unknown. Here, we compared thermogenesis-related molecular features of human periaortic adipose tissue samples with those of subcutaneous adipose tissue, obtained by sternotomy from 42 patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. To determine the expression of genes related to energy expenditure and the levels of some adipokines, histological examinations, quantitative PCR, and protein expression measurements in adipocyte precursor cells were performed. Periaortic adipocytes were smaller than those from subcutaneous tissue