GABA and Dopamine Release from Different Brain Regions in Mice with Chronic Exposure to Organophosphate Methamidophos

Organophosphates such as methamidophos, usually used in the agricultural field, have harmful effects on humans. Exposures to insecticides has been associated with many disorders, including damage to the central and peripheral nervous system. Chronic exposure to organophosphates may lead to persistent neurological and neurobehavioral effects. This study was conducted to determine the effect of methamidophos on [3H]-dopamine (DA) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from different brain regions after chronic exposure to it for 3, 6 or 9 months. After a six-month methamidophos treatment, the mice showed high susceptibility to convulsive seizures and a reduction in stimulated gamma aminobutyric acid release from the cerebral cortex and hippocampal slices, whereas stimulated (DA) release was slightly decreased from the striatum after three months of methamidophos exposure. The results indicate changes in gamma aminobutyric acid and dopamine neurotransmission, suggesting a specific neuronal damage

Estrategias competitivas de la industria del arándano: análisis comparativo entre Chile y Perú

57 p.El mercado internacional de arándanos ha experimentado en las últimas décadas un rápido crecimiento del volumen exportado por parte de los países productores. Sin embargo, la oferta no ha podido satisfacer el rápido crecimiento de la demanda global. Lo que ha provocado una excelente oportunidad para aquellos países que cumplen con las condiciones para su producción. Con el objetivo de establecer una industria orientada en la producción y comercialización del arándano, para así satisfacer la creciente demanda de los consumidores en el mercado mundial. Lo anterior, ha permitido la aparición de nuevos competidores que otorgan un mayor dinamismo dentro del mercado, obligando a la industria a mejorar la eficiencia productiva y comercial. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar y comparar las estrategias competitivas de la industria del arándano de Chile y Perú. La hipótesis de trabajo es que la industria chilena tiene estrategias competitivas superiores a las que presenta la industria peruana. Para este efecto se realizó un análisis ambiental de ambas industrias, mediante un análisis PEST que busca evaluar los aspectos políticos, económicos, sociales y tecnológicos que se encuentran en el macro entorno de la industria. Además, se analizan los aspectos internos y externos de la industria mediante el uso de las cinco fuerzas de Porter, con el objetivo de identificar las oportunidades, amenazas, fortalezas y debilidades dentro de la industria. Por último, mediante el uso de una matriz FODA se sintetizan las amenazas, oportunidades, fortalezas, debilidades que poseen las industrias del arándano en Chile y Perú, de manera de poder comparar con mayor facilidad las ventajas competitivas de cada industria. En conclusión, la industria del arándano chilena posee estrategias competitivas superiores a las de la industria peruana, a pesar de que Perú posee ciertas ventajas climáticas y comerciales, principalmente debido a la mayor trayectoria de la industria. Esto último, ha permitido a Chile poseer una mayor experiencia y manejo de conocimientos de importancia para la producción y comercialización del arándano. Además, esto ha permitido presentar un mayor avance en lo que respecta a la investigación y desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías, nuevas variedades, y presentan un mayor grado de incorporación de tecnologías independiente del tamaño de la empresa./ABSTRACT: The International blueberry market has experienced in recent decades a rapid growth in the volume exported by the producing countries. But the offer has not been able to meet the rapid growth of global demand. This has caused an excellent opportunity for those countries that meet the conditions for their production. With the aim of establishing an industry oriented in the production and marketing of blueberry, in order to satisfy the growing demand of the consumers in the world market. The foregoing has allowed the emergence of new competitors, thus giving greater dynamism within the market, forcing the industry to improve productive and commercial efficiency. The objective of this research is to analyze and compare the competitive strategies of the blueberry industry in Chile and Peru. The working hypothesis is that the Chilean industry has competitive strategies superior to those presented by the Peruvian industry. For this purpose an environmental analysis of both industries was carried out, through a PEST analysis that seeks to evaluate the political, economic, social and technological aspects that are found in the macro environment of the industry. In addition, the internal and external aspects of the industry are analyzed through the use of Porter's five forces, aiming to identify opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses within the industry. Finally, the use of a SWOT matrix summarizes the threats, opportunities, strengths, weaknesses that the blueberry industries have in Chile and Peru, so as to be able to compare the competitive advantages of each industry more easily. In conclusion, the Chilean blueberry industry possesses competitive strategies superior to those of the Peruvian industry, despite the fact that Peru has certain climatic and commercial advantages, mainly due to the greater trajectory of the industry. The latter has enabled Chile to have greater experience and management of important knowledge for the production and marketing of Blueberry. In addition, this has made it possible to present further progress in research and development of new technologies, new varieties, and have a greater degree of incorporation of technologies independent of the size of the company

Diplomado de profundización en farmacovigilancia

formato de reporte de eventos adversoEn el presente trabajo consolidaremos los temas vistos a lo largo del Diplomado de Profundización en Farmacovigilancia, a través del cual se expone el papel del regente de farmacia en la farmacovigilancia. Los temas relacionados en este informe son las generalidades de farmacovigilancia, su normatividad, eventos adversos y su clasificación, funciones propias del Regente de Farmacia en el campo de la Farmacovigilancia, el quehacer del farmacéutico y su relación con la farmacovigilancia, importancia de la farmacovigilancia en la construcción e identificación de los perfiles de seguridad de los medicamentos, importancia de la farmacovigilancia como herramienta para el uso racional de medicamentos, importancia de la farmacovigilancia en la evaluación de la seguridad y efectividad de los tratamientos y tratamientos farmacológicos.In this paper we will consolidate the issues seen throughout the Deepening Diploma in Pharmacovigilance, through which the role of the pharmacy manager in pharmacovigilance is exposed. The topics related in this report are the generalities of pharmacovigilance, its regulations, adverse events and its classification, functions of the Pharmacy Regent in the field of Pharmacovigilance, the work of the pharmacist and its relationship with pharmacovigilance, importance of pharmacovigilance in the construction and identification of drug safety profiles, importance of pharmacovigilance as a tool for the rational use of drugs, importance of pharmacovigilance in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drug treatments and treatments

Efecto de la recuperación nutricia en la concentración sérica de lipoperoxidos en niños con desnutrición proteínico-energética primaria grave.

Objective. The purpose is to show lipid peroxide’s serum concentration trend during a four-week nutritional recovery period in children with primary and severe protein energy malnutrition (PEM). Methods. In a clinical intervention 12 primarily and severely malnourished children (three to 48 months of age) were included. Dependent variable: Serum lipid peroxide (LPO) concentration (nmol/mL). Independent variables: non lactose starting infant formula (200 kcal/kg/d and proteins 4 g/kg/d). Age, sex, nutritional recovery, weight/age, length/age and weight/length indices calculated and expressed as Z scores were included. For statistical analysis a repeated measure ANOVA model was applied. A non-parametric Mann Whitney U-Test was used to compare groups. Null hypothesis was rejected with a p value 0.05. Results. Throughout the study the LPO concentration was higher in subjects with PEM than in the control group (p< 0.001). There was a decrease in the LPO concentration (nmol/mL) between basal vs. two weeks (12.9 vs. 7.3, p = 0.06) and basal vs. four weeks (12.9 vs. 8.16, p = 0.08). Conclusion. LPO concentrations were significantly higher in children with severe PEM at the beginning and end of the four-week nutritional recovery period. This finding was probably associated with increased metabolism of the cellular tissue and/or the high consumption of energy and nutrients compared to a control group. The null hypothesis of basal-end differences in LPO serum concentrations could not be rejected due to the great variability in serum lipoperoxides in these children with severe primary proteinenergy malnutrition

Cervical cancer cell lines expressing NKG2D-ligands are able to down-modulate the NKG2D receptor on NKL cells with functional implications

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cervical cancer represents the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the defense against viruses, intracellular bacteria and tumors. NKG2D, an activating receptor on NK cells, recognizes MHC class I chain-related molecules, such as MICA/B and members of the ULBP/RAET1 family. Tumor-derived soluble NKG2D-ligands have been shown to down-modulate the expression of NKG2D on NK cells. In addition to the down-modulation induced by soluble NKG2D-ligands, it has recently been described that persistent cell-cell contact can also down-modulate NKG2D expression. The goal of this study was to determine whether the NKG2D receptor is down-modulated by cell-cell contact with cervical cancer cells and whether this down-modulation might be associated with changes in NK cell activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate that NKG2D expressed on NKL cells is down-modulated by direct cell contact with cervical cancer cell lines HeLa, SiHa, and C33A, but not with non-tumorigenic keratinocytes (HaCaT). Moreover, this down-modulation had functional implications. We found expression of NKG2D-ligands in all cervical cancer cell lines, but the patterns of ligand distribution were different in each cell line. Cervical cancer cell lines co-cultured with NKL cells or fresh NK cells induced a marked diminution of NKG2D expression on NKL cells. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity of NKL cells against K562 targets was compromised after co-culture with HeLa and SiHa cells, while co-culture with C33A increased the cytotoxic activity of the NKL cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that differential expression of NKG2D-ligands in cervical cancer cell lines might be associated with the down-modulation of NKG2D, as well as with changes in the cytotoxic activity of NKL cells after cell-cell contact with the tumor cells.</p

Farmacovigilancia, el nuevo reto para la implementación de protocolos en la dispensación de medicamentos fitoterapéuticos

Imagenes, entrevistas y folletosLa creación de protocolos de farmacovigilancia ayuda a cualquier tipo de establecimiento farmacéutico contrarrestando las reacciones adversas a medicamentos Fitoterapéuticos. Sin embargo, las actividades que realizan les falta más vigilancia u organización, debido a que los pacientes se automedican, toman más de lo que el médico les envía o el personal de la farmacia se equivoca con la dosis, medicamento o le indica una mala información. La farmacovigilancia ayuda a la detección, evaluación, entendimiento y prevención de reacciones adversas de nivel moderado a grave según cómo sea el caso relacionado al medicamento fitoterapéutico, el objetivo es la implementar protocolos de farmacovigilancia como adecuada dispensación de medicamentos Fitoterapeuticos. Con el fin, de reportar cualquier sospecha de esto y dejar todo en un formato para la institución Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA). Asi que crear un protocolo de farmacovigilancia en la drogueria san isidro es la mejor manera de mejorar el sistema de atencion, calidad y vigilacia de medicamentos fitoterapeuticos con el fin de minimizar o llegar a prevenir reacciones adversas a los mismos.The creation of pharmacovigilance protocols helps any type of pharmaceutical establishment by counteracting adverse reactions to Phytotherapeutic medications. However, the activities they carry out lack more supervision or organization, because patients self-medicate, take more than what the doctor sends them, or the pharmacy staff makes mistakes with the dosage, medication, or gives them bad information. . Pharmacovigilance helps to detect, evaluate understand, and prevent moderate to severe adverse reactions depending on how the case is related to the phytotherapeutic medication. The objective is to implement pharmacovigilance protocols such as adequate dispensing of phytotherapeutic medications. To report any suspicion of this and leave everything in a format for the National Food and Drug Surveillance Institution (INVIMA)

MEIS1, PREP1, and PBX4 Are Differentially Expressed in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Association of MEIS1 Expression with Higher Proliferation and Chemotherapy Resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Three-amino acid-loop-extension (<it>TALE</it>) superfamily of homeodomain-containing transcription factors have been implicated in normal hematopoiesis and in leukemogenesis and are important survival, differentiation, and apoptosis pathway modulators. In this work, we determined the expression levels of <it>TALE </it>genes in leukemic-derived cell lines, in blood samples of patients with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and in the blood samples of healthy donors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we show increased expression of <it>MEIS1, MEIS2, </it>and <it>PREP1 </it>genes in leukemia-derived cell lines compared with blood normal cells. High levels of <it>MEIS1 </it>and <it>PREP1</it>, and low levels of <it>PBX4 </it>expression were also founded in samples of patients with ALL. Importantly, silencing of <it>MEIS1 </it>decreases the proliferation of leukemia-derived cells but increases their survival after etoposide treatment. Etoposide-induced apoptosis induces down-regulation of MEIS1 expression or <it>PREP1 </it>up-regulation in chemotherapy-resistant cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that up-regulation of <it>MEIS1 </it>is important for sustaining proliferation of leukemic cells and that down-regulation of <it>MEIS1 </it>or up-regulation of <it>PREP1 </it>and <it>PBX </it>genes could be implicated in the modulation of the cellular response to chemotherapeutic-induced apoptosis.</p

MHC class I-related chain A and B ligands are differentially expressed in human cervical cancer cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Natural killer (NK) cells are an important resource of the innate immune system directly involved in the spontaneous recognition and lysis of virus-infected and tumor cells. An exquisite balance of inhibitory and activating receptors tightly controls the NK cell activity. At present, one of the best-characterized activating receptors is NKG2D, which promotes the NK-mediated lysis of target cells by binding to a family of cell surface ligands encoded by the MHC class I chain-related (MIC) genes, among others. The goal of this study was to describe the expression pattern of MICA and MICB at the molecular and cellular levels in human cervical cancer cell lines infected or not with human papillomavirus, as well as in a non-tumorigenic keratinocyte cell line.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we show that MICA and MICB exhibit differential expression patterns among HPV-infected (SiHa and HeLa) and non-infected cell lines (C33-A, a tumor cell line, and HaCaT, an immortalized keratinocyte cell line). Cell surface expression of MICA was higher than cell surface expression of MICB in the HPV-positive cell lines; in contrast, HPV-negative cells expressed lower levels of MICA. Interestingly, the MICA levels observed in C33-A cells were overcome by significantly higher MICB expression. Also, all cell lines released higher amounts of soluble MICB than of soluble MICA into the cell culture supernatant, although this was most pronounced in C33-A cells. Additionally, Real-Time PCR analysis demonstrated that MICA was strongly upregulated after genotoxic stress.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides evidence that even when MICA and MICB share a high degree of homology at both genomic and protein levels, differential regulation of their expression and cell surface appearance might be occurring in cervical cancer-derived cells.</p

Potentiation of Anticancer Drugs: Effects of Pentoxifylline on Neoplastic Cells

The drug efflux activity of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, a product of the mdr1 gene, ABCB1 member of ABC transporter family) represents a mechanism by which tumor cells escape death induced by chemotherapeutics. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms involved in the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) on P-gp-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) in mouse leukemia L1210/VCR cells. Parental sensitive mouse leukemia cells L1210, and multidrug-resistant cells, L1210/VCR, which are characterized by the overexpression of P-gp, were used as experimental models. The cells were exposed to 100 μmol/L PTX in the presence or absence of 1.2 μmol/L vincristine (VCR). Western blot analysis indicated a downregulation of P-gp protein expression when multidrug-resistant L1210/VCR cells were exposed to PTX. The effects of PTX on the sensitization of L1210/VCR cells to VCR correlate with the stimulation of apoptosis detected by Annexin V/propidium iodide apoptosis necrosis kit and proteolytic activation of both caspase-3 and caspase-9 monitored by Western blot analysis. Higher release of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-2, which could be attenuated by PTX, was found in L1210/VCR than in L1210 cells by gelatin zymography in electrophoretic gel. Exposure of resistant cells to PTX increased the content of phosphorylated Akt kinase. In contrast, the presence of VCR eliminated the effects of PTX on Akt kinase phosphorylation. Taken together, we conclude that PTX induces the sensitization of multidrug-resistant cells to VCR via downregulation of P-gp, stimulation of apoptosis and reduction of MMPs released from drug-resistant L1210/VCR cells. These facts bring new insights into the mechanisms of PTX action on cancer cells