Effectiveness of laser punctures treatment in patients with acne vulgaris

Introducción: el acné vulgar constituye una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica de la unidad pilosebácea, su comienzo coincide con la pubertad y genera en quienes lo padecen alteraciones psicosociales. Aunque la terapéutica es efectiva no se observan resultados a corto plazo. Objetivo: determinar la efectividad del tratamiento con laserpuntura en pacientes con Acné Vulgar.Método: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, longitudinal prospectivo en el servicio de Medicina Natural y Tradicional del hospital Carlos J. Finlay de La Habana. El universo estuvo constituido por 117 pacientes con edad entre 15 y 39 años y diagnóstico de Acné Vulgar. La muestra correspondió a 52 pacientes que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. Se determinó en cada caso el diagnóstico según la medicina tradicional china y la muestra fue dividida en dos grupos a los cuales se le aplicó tratamiento con láser de baja potencia en puntos de acupuntura, durante 20 aplicaciones.Resultados: predominaron las edades entre 15 y 19 años, el sexo masculino y el acné leve y moderado, los diagnósticos tradicionales determinados estuvieron en la mayoría de los casos relacionados con el órgano principal pulmón, en el 98% de los casos se obtuvo una respuesta al tratamiento satisfactoria, con 15 aplicaciones se logró una buena evolución clínica en el 75% de los casos y no se identificaron reacciones adversas.Conclusiones: en la muestra estudiada el tratamiento con laserpuntura constituyó un método efectivo para tratar el Acné Vulgar. Introduction: acne vulgaris constitutes a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous component; its onset coincides with puberty and generates psychosocial disorders in those who suffer it. Although the therapy is effective, no short-term effects are observed. Objective: to determine the effectiveness of laser puncture treatment in patients with Acne Vulgaris. Method: a descriptive, longitudinal prospective study was carried out at the Natural and Traditional Medicine Service of the Carlos J. Finlay Hospital in Havana. The target group consisted of 117 patients between 15 to 39 years old and the diagnosis of Acne Vulgaris. The sample included 52 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. In each case the diagnosis was determined according to traditional Chinese medicine and the sample was divided into two groups which were treated with low power laser at acupuncture points during 20 applications. Results: ages between 15 and 19 years predominated, male gender and mild and moderate acne, the traditional diagnoses determined were in most cases related to the lung as a main organ, in 98% of cases the treatment was successful, with 15 applications a good clinical evolution was achieved in 75% of the cases and no adverse reactions were identified. Conclusions: in the sample studied the treatment with laser puncture was an effective method to treat Acne Vulgaris.

Effectiveness of laser punctures treatment in patients with acne vulgaris

Introduction: acne vulgaris constitutes a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous component; its onset coincides with puberty and generates psychosocial disorders in those who suffer it. Although the therapy is effective, no short-term effects are observed.   Objective: to determine the effectiveness of laser puncture treatment in patients with Acne Vulgaris.   Method: a descriptive, longitudinal prospective study was carried out at the Natural and Traditional Medicine Service of the Carlos J. Finlay Hospital in Havana. The target group consisted of 117 patients between 15 to 39 years old and the diagnosis of Acne Vulgaris. The sample included 52 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. In each case the diagnosis was determined according to traditional Chinese medicine and the sample was divided into two groups which were treated with low power laser at acupuncture points during 20 applications.   Results: ages between 15 and 19 years predominated, male gender and mild and moderate acne, the traditional diagnoses determined were in most cases related to the lung as a main organ, in 98% of cases the treatment was successful, with 15 applications a good clinical evolution was achieved in 75% of the cases and no adverse reactions were identified.   Conclusions: in the sample studied the treatment with laser puncture was an effective method to treat Acne Vulgaris

Altered mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, tau hyperphosphorylation and mild spatial learning dysfunction in transgenic rats expressing the β-amyloid peptide intracellularly in hippocampal and cortical neurons

The pathological significance of intracellular Aβ accumulation in vivo is not yet fully understood. To address this, we have studied transgenic rats expressing Alzheimer's-related transgenes that accumulate Aβ intraneuronally in the cerebral and hippocampal cortices but do not develop extracellular amyloid plaques. In these rats, the presence of intraneuronal Aβ is sufficient to provoke up-regulation of the phosphorylated form of extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) 2 and its enzymatic activity in the hippocampus while no changes were observed in the activity or phosphorylation status of other putative tau kinases such as p38, glycogen synthase kinase 3, and cycline-dependent kinase 5. The increase in active phospho-ERK2 was accompanied by increased levels of tau phosphorylation at S396 and S404 ERK2 sites and a decrease in the phosphorylation of the CREB kinase p90RSK. In a water maze paradigm, male transgenic rats displayed a mild spatial learning deficit relative to control littermates. Our results suggest that in the absence of plaques, intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ peptide correlates with the initial steps in the tau-phosphorylation cascade, alterations in ERK2 signaling and impairment of higher CNS functions in male rats.This research was supported by grants from the US Alzheimer's Association (IIRG-00-1964) and the CIHR (MOP-37996) to A.C.C., and by a Wellcome Traveling Fellowship to E.D. A.C.C. was the recipient of a Visiting Professorship from the Iberdrola Foundation (Spain), which made some of this collaborative research possible. A.C.C. is the holder of the McGill University Charles E. Frosst Merck Chair in Pharmacology.Peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 10

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 10, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, que cuenta con el esfuerzo de investigadores de varios países del mundo, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico que consoliden la transformación del conocimiento en diferentes escenarios, tanto organizacionales como universitarios, para el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas del quehacer diario. La gestión del conocimiento es un camino para consolidar una plataforma en las empresas públicas o privadas, entidades educativas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, ya sea generando políticas para todas las jerarquías o un modelo de gestión para la administración, donde es fundamental articular el conocimiento, los trabajadores, directivos, el espacio de trabajo, hacia la creación de ambientes propicios para el desarrollo integral de las instituciones

Characterization of older adults' sexual life in a health area

Background: sexuality in the elderly is an essential factor in maintaining their quality of life.Objective: to characterize the sexual life of older adults in a health area.Methods: a descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in office 163 of the Raúl Sánchez University Polyclinic, in Pinar del Río in the period between September 2020 and September 2021. The universe of work was made up of 104 older adults and the sample consisted of 72 elderly, by means of intentional sampling by criteria. The instrument used was the interview; the data obtained were taken to a survey that with closed questions was personally applied to each of the study members. The following variables were analyzed: sex, marital status, education, sexual life, preferred sexual techniques, sexual functioning, causes that prevent the performance of the sexual act, associated diseases and drug use.Results: there was a predominance of primary school level, marital status without partners, female sex and sexual inactivity; vaginal intercourse predominated as the most frequent way of manifesting sexual activity. More than 90 % of men have some difficulty in sexual life. 22.5% present difficulties due to organic diseases.Conclusions: it is false that the elderly is an entity devoid of interest in sexual life, but it is affected by several factors, among which organic diseases and lack of a partner stand out.</p

A path toward precision medicine for neuroinflammatory mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease

Neuroinflammation commences decades before Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical onset and represents one of the earliest pathomechanistic alterations throughout the AD continuum. Large-scale genome-wide association studies point out several genetic variants—TREM2, CD33, PILRA, CR1, MS4A, CLU, ABCA7, EPHA1, and HLA-DRB5-HLA-DRB1—potentially linked to neuroinflammation. Most of these genes are involved in proinflammatory intracellular signaling, cytokines/interleukins/cell turnover, synaptic activity, lipid metabolism, and vesicle trafficking. Proteomic studies indicate that a plethora of interconnected aberrant molecular pathways, set off and perpetuated by TNF-α, TGF-β, IL-1β, and the receptor protein TREM2, are involved in neuroinflammation. Microglia and astrocytes are key cellular drivers and regulators of neuroinflammation. Under physiological conditions, they are important for neurotransmission and synaptic homeostasis. In AD, there is a turning point throughout its pathophysiological evolution where glial cells sustain an overexpressed inflammatory response that synergizes with amyloid-β and tau accumulation, and drives synaptotoxicity and neurodegeneration in a self-reinforcing manner. Despite a strong therapeutic rationale, previous clinical trials investigating compounds with anti-inflammatory properties, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), did not achieve primary efficacy endpoints. It is conceivable that study design issues, including the lack of diagnostic accuracy and biomarkers for target population identification and proof of mechanism, may partially explain the negative outcomes. However, a recent meta-analysis indicates a potential biological effect of NSAIDs. In this regard, candidate fluid biomarkers of neuroinflammation are under analytical/clinical validation, i.e., TREM2, IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, TNF-α receptor complexes, TGF-β, and YKL-40. PET radio-ligands are investigated to accomplish in vivo and longitudinal regional exploration of neuroinflammation. Biomarkers tracking different molecular pathways (body fluid matrixes) along with brain neuroinflammatory endophenotypes (neuroimaging markers), can untangle temporal–spatial dynamics between neuroinflammation and other AD pathophysiological mechanisms. Robust biomarker–drug codevelopment pipelines are expected to enrich large-scale clinical trials testing new-generation compounds active, directly or indirectly, on neuroinflammatory targets and displaying putative disease-modifying effects: novel NSAIDs, AL002 (anti-TREM2 antibody), anti-Aβ protofibrils (BAN2401), and AL003 (anti-CD33 antibody). As a next step, taking advantage of breakthrough and multimodal techniques coupled with a systems biology approach is the path to pursue for developing individualized therapeutic strategies targeting neuroinflammation under the framework of precision medicine.Sorbonne University Foundation and sponsored by la Fondation pour la Recherche sur Alzheimer. HH is an employee of Eisai Inc. During his previous work (until April 2019), he was supported by the AXA Research Fund, the Fondation partenariale Sorbonne Université and the Fondation pour la Recherche sur Alzheimer, Paris, Franc

Association of plasma YKL-40 with brain amyloid-β levels, memory performance, and sex in subjective memory complainers

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