Fototerapia para el tratamiento de la leishmaniasis cutánea

ResumenLa leishmaniasis es una enfermedad endémica en 98 países, con más de 350 millones de personas en riesgo de adquirir la infección y 12 millones de casos. Los antimonios pentavalentes, la anfotericina B y la miltefosina han sido el tratamiento de elección para todas las formas de leishmaniasis. Sin embargo, desventajas como el alto costo, la duración del tratamiento y los efectos tóxicos asociados, promueven la falta de cumplimiento del tratamiento o su abandono y la aparición de cepas resistentes o poco sensibles al medicamento. Estos factores han estimulado la búsqueda de alternativas terapéuticas que sean económicas, sin efectos adversos y con resultados cosméticos favorables. La fototerapia es un procedimiento en el cual un agente fotosensibilizador, al ser activado por luz da lugar a la producción de especies reactivas del oxígeno. Este tratamiento utilizado en varias formas de cáncer, herpes y otras enfermedades e infecciones localizadas, surge como una prometedora estrategia para la leishmaniasis cutánea, con amplias ventajas como bajo costo, fácil manejo y resolución total de la lesión, haciéndola favorable frente a otras alternativas de manejo de la enfermedad.AbstractLeishmaniasis is an endemic disease in 98 countries around the world, with 12 million cases and more than 350 million people at risk of acquiring infection. Available drugs such as pentavalent antimony, amphotericin B and miltefosine, have been the treatment of choice for all clinical forms of leishmaniasis. However, disadvantages such as high cost, duration of treatment and toxicity, promote non-adherence or neglect of treatment and the emergence of resistant or less sensitive to medicine. These problems have stimulated the search of new therapeutic alternatives that are affordable, without adverse effects and favorable cosmetic results. Phototherapy is a procedure in which an agent photosensitizer when activated by light leads to production reactive oxygen species. This therapy used in the treatment of various forms of cancer, herpes and other and localized infectious diseases, is emerging as a promising strategy for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with large advantages such as low cost, easy handling and total resolution injury, becoming a very promising alternative compared to the traditional treatment approaches

9-[(E)-2-phenylethenyl]anthracene and 9-[(E)-2-(naphthalen-2-yl)ethenyl]anthracene as traps for singlet oxygen: photosensitized oxidation and photodynamic effect on Leishmania tarentolae parasites

Introducción: El oxígeno singulete es una especie reactiva que se obtiene mediante t r a n s f e r e n c i a e n e r g é t i c a u s a n d o u n fotosensibilizador. Su cuantificación directa requiere de instrumentación costosa, por lo cual es necesario recurrir a métodos indirectos que tengan suficiente selectividad y bajo costo. Estos procedimientos se basan en la interceptación química del oxígeno singulete produciendo una especie que se pueda detectar por métodos analíticos convencionales. En este artículo se describe la utilización del 9-[(E)-2-feniletenil] antraceno 1 (PEA) y del 9-[(E)-2-(naftalen-2-il) etenil]antraceno 2 (NEA), como alternativas viables y económicas para la cuantificación indirecta del oxígeno singulete, en medios acuosos. Su ventaja radica en la fácil detección de la desactivación de su fluorescencia una vez son oxidados por el oxígeno singulete. Materiales y Métodos: Los compuestos se sintetizaron y caracterizaron siguiendo procedimientos previamente reportados. Su capacidad para atrapar oxígeno singulete se determinó siguiendo su oxidación fotosensibilizada en solución de H2O/THF y en parásitos de Leishmania tarentolae, empleando azul de metileno o rosa bengala como fotosensibilizadores. Las muestras experimentales se iluminaron con una lámpara de emisión de luz visible, y se utilizaron métodos espectroscópicos (absorción UV-Vis, fluorescencia, RMN-1H) y espectrometría de masas para monitorear el atrapamiento y fotooxidación. Resultados y Discusión: Las pruebas espectroscópicas demostraron la capacidad que tienen los compuestos PEA 1 y NEA 2 para atrapar oxígeno singulete en solución acuosa y dentro de parásitos de L. tarentolae. Estudios de viabilidad parasitaria demuestran que PEA 1 es citotóxico en la oscuridad y cuando los cultivos son expuestos a la luz, mientras que NEA 2 no es citotóxico en la oscuridad, pero sí lo es cuando el cultivo es expuesto a la luz. En conclusión, los compuestos estudiados pueden servir como sondas para detectar y medir la producción de oxígeno singulete en medio acuoso y potencialmente en cultivos celulares, aunque es recomendable evaluar su actividad citotóxica en la oscuridad y bajo iluminación en estos casos.Introduction: Singlet oxygen is a reactive species obtained via energy transfer using a photosensitizer. Its direct quantification requires expensive instrumentation, so it is necessary to use indirect methods having sufficient selectivity and low cost. These procedures are based on the chemical interception of singlet oxygen producing a species that can be detected using conventional analytical methods. This article describes the utilization of 9-[(E)-2- phenylethenyl]anthracene 1 (PEA) and 9-[(E)-2- (naphtalen-2-yl)ethenyl]anthracene 2 (NEA) as suitable and economic alternatives for the indirect quantification of singlet oxygen in aqueous media. Their advantage is the easy detection of their fluorescence once they are oxidized by singlet oxygen. Materials and Methods: Compounds were synthesized and characterized following procedures previously reported. Their capacity to trap singlet oxygen was determined by monitoring their photosensitized oxidation in either a H2 O/THF solution or within Leishmania tarentolae parasites, utilizing methylene blue or rose bengal as photosensitizers. Experimental samples were illuminated with a lamp emitting visible light, while spectroscopical techniques (absorption, fluorescence, 1 H-NMR) and mass spectrometry were used to monitor trapping and photooxidation. Results and Discussion: Spectroscopical evidence demonstrates that both PEA 1 and NEA 2 are capable of trapping singlet oxygen in both aqueous media and within L. tarentolae parasites. Viability studies demonstrate that PEA 1 is cytotoxic in the dark and when parasite cultures were exposed to light, while NEA 2 does not show dark cytotoxicity, but is toxic when cultures were exposed to light. It can be concluded that both compounds under study may be utilized as probes to detect and quantify the production of singlet oxygen in aqueous media and potentially in cell cultures, although it is recommended to evaluate their cytotoxic activity both in the dark and upon light exposure in these cases

Animal Pain Models for Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an electrical neuromodulation technique with proven effectiveness and safety for the treatment of intractable chronic pain in humans. Despite its widespread use, the mechanism of action is not fully understood. Animal models of chronic pain, particularly rodent-based, have been adapted to study the effect of SCS on pain-like behavior, as well as on the electrophysiology and molecular biology of neural tissues. This chapter reviews animal pain models for SCS, emphasizing on findings relevant to advancing our understanding of the mechanism of action of SCS, and highlighting the contribution of the animal model to advance clinical outcomes. The models described include those in which SCS has been coupled to neuropathic pain models in rats and sheep based on peripheral nerve injuries, including the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model and the spared nerve injury model (SNI). Other neuropathic pain models described are the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) for neuropathic pain of segmental origin, as well as the chemotherapy-induced and diabetes-induced peripheral neuropathy models. We also describe the use of SCS with inflammatory pain and ischemic pain models

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees.

Premise of the studyField methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes.Methods and resultsLiving trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness.ConclusionsSonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial to assess safety of teleconsultation compared with face-to-face consultation: the ECASeT study

BackgroundThe use of remote consultation modalities has exponentially grown in the past few years, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a huge body of the literature has described the use of phone (tele) and video consultations, very few of the studies correspond to randomized controlled trials, and none of them has assessed the safety of these consultation modalities as the primary objective. The primary objective of this trial was to assess the safety of remote consultations (both video and teleconsultation) in the follow-up of patients in the hospital setting.MethodsMulticenter, randomized controlled trial being conducted in four centers of an administrative healthcare area in Catalonia (North-East Spain). Participants will be screened from all individuals, irrespective of age and sex, who require follow-up in outpatient consultations of any of the departments involved in the study. Eligibility criteria have been established based on the local guidelines for screening patients for remote consultation. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of the two study arms: conventional face-to-face consultation (control) and remote consultation, either teleconsultation or video consultation (intervention). Routine follow-up visits will be scheduled at a frequency determined by the physician based on the diagnostic and therapy of the baseline disease (the one triggering enrollment). The primary outcome will be the number of adverse reactions and complications related to the baseline disease. Secondary outcomes will include non-scheduled visits and hospitalizations, as well as usability features of remote consultations. All data will either be recorded in an electronic clinical report form or retrieved from local electronic health records. Based on the complications and adverse reaction rates reported in the literature, we established a target sample size of 1068 participants per arm. Recruitment started in May 2022 and is expected to end in May 2024.DiscussionThe scarcity of precedents on the assessment of remote consultation modalities using randomized controlled designs challenges making design decisions, including recruitment, selection criteria, and outcome definition, which are discussed in the manuscript.Trial registrationNCT05094180. The items of the WHO checklist for trial registration are available in Additional file 1. Registered on 24 November 2021

Sequencing three crocodilian genomes to illuminate the evolution of archosaurs and amniotes

The International Crocodilian Genomes Working Group (ICGWG) will sequence and assemble the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and Indian gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) genomes. The status of these projects and our planned analyses are described

4to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

Este volumen acoge la memoria académica de la Cuarta edición del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2017, desarrollado entre el 29 de noviembre y el 1 de diciembre de 2017 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) en su sede de Guayaquil. El Congreso ofreció un espacio para la presentación, difusión e intercambio de importantes investigaciones nacionales e internacionales ante la comunidad universitaria que se dio cita en el encuentro. El uso de herramientas tecnológicas para la gestión de los trabajos de investigación como la plataforma Open Conference Systems y la web de presentación del Congreso http://citis.blog.ups.edu.ec/, hicieron de CITIS 2017 un verdadero referente entre los congresos que se desarrollaron en el país. La preocupación de nuestra Universidad, de presentar espacios que ayuden a generar nuevos y mejores cambios en la dimensión humana y social de nuestro entorno, hace que se persiga en cada edición del evento la presentación de trabajos con calidad creciente en cuanto a su producción científica. Quienes estuvimos al frente de la organización, dejamos plasmado en estas memorias académicas el intenso y prolífico trabajo de los días de realización del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad al alcance de todos y todas