Airborne particulate matter PM2.5 from Mexico City affects the generation of reactive oxygen species by blood neutrophils from asthmatics: an in vitro approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Mexico City Metropolitan Area is densely populated, and toxic air pollutants are generated and concentrated at a higher rate because of its geographic characteristics. It is well known that exposure to particulate matter, especially to fine and ultra-fine particles, enhances the risk of cardio-respiratory diseases, especially in populations susceptible to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fine particles on the respiratory burst of circulating neutrophils from asthmatic patients living in Mexico City.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In total, 6 subjects diagnosed with mild asthma and 11 healthy volunteers were asked to participate. Neutrophils were isolated from peripheral venous blood and incubated with fine particles, and the generation of reactive oxygen species was recorded by chemiluminescence. We also measured plasma lipoperoxidation susceptibility and plasma myeloperoxidase and paraoxonase activities by spectrophotometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Asthmatic patients showed significantly lower plasma paraoxonase activity, higher susceptibility to plasma lipoperoxidation and an increase in myeloperoxidase activity that differed significantly from the control group. In the presence of fine particles, neutrophils from asthmatic patients showed an increased tendency to generate reactive oxygen species after stimulation with fine particles (PM_2.5).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that asthmatic patients have higher oxidation of plasmatic lipids due to reduced antioxidant defense. Furthermore, fine particles tended to increase the respiratory burst of blood human neutrophils from the asthmatic group.</p> <p>On the whole, increased myeloperoxidase activity and susceptibility to lipoperoxidation with a concomitant decrease in paraoxonase activity in asthmatic patients could favor lung infection and hence disrupt the control of asthmatic crises.</p

Micro-RNA Profiling in Human Serum Reveals Compartment-Specific Roles of miR-571 and miR-652 in Liver Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as crucial modulators of molecular processes involved in chronic liver diseases. The few miRNAs with previously proposed roles in liver cirrhosis were identified in screening approaches on liver parenchyma, mostly in rodent models. Therefore, in the present study we performed a systematic screening approach in order to identify miRNAs with altered levels in the serum of patients with chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis. METHODS: We performed a systematic, array-based miRNA expression analysis on serum samples from patients with liver cirrhosis. In functional experiments we evaluated the relationship between alterations of miRNA serum levels and their role in distinct cellular compartments involved in hepatic cirrhosis. RESULTS: The array analysis and the subsequent confirmation by qPCR in a larger patient cohort identified significant alterations in serum levels of miR-513-3p, miR-571 and miR-652, three previously uncharacterized miRNAs, in patients with alcoholic or hepatitis C induced liver cirrhosis. Of these, miR-571 serum levels closely correlated with disease stages, thus revealing potential as a novel biomarker for hepatic cirrhosis. Further analysis revealed that up-regulation of miR-571 in serum reflected a concordant regulation in cirrhotic liver tissue. In isolated primary human liver cells, miR-571 was up-regulated in human hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells in response to the pro-fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β. In contrast, alterations in serum levels of miR-652 were stage-independent, reflecting a concordant down-regulation of this miRNA in circulating monocytes of patients with liver cirrhosis, which was inducible by proinflammatory stimuli like bacterial lipopolysaccharide. CONCLUSION: Alterations of miR571 and miR-652 serum levels in patients with chronic liver disease reflect their putative roles in the mediation of fibrogenic and inflammatory processes in distinct cellular compartments involved in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis

ANTI-GIARDIA ACTIVITY OF HEXANE EXTRACT OF CITRUS AURANTIFOLIA (CHRISTIM) SWINGLE AND SOME OF ITS CONSTITUENTS

Giardia lamblia is a parasite that causes giardiasis in humans and other mammals. The common treatment includes different classes of drugs, which were described to produce unpleasant side effects. Citrus aurantifolia, popularly known as lima, is a plant used in the traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-Giardia activity of 10 pure compounds obtained from a hexanic extract of Mexican lime, on the basis of trophozoite growth inhibition. 4-hexen-3-one, citral and geraniol showed IC50 values of 34.2, 64.5 and 229.49 µg/ml in axenic cultures after 24 h of incubation, respectively. The obtained results lead us to propose that these compounds from C. aurantifolia have potential for use as therapeutic agents against giardiasis

Informe final sobre monitoreo a la rehabilitación del socioecosistema anfibio en La Mojana, con énfasis en monitoreo comunitario

Este documento presenta los resultados del monitoreo a la rehabilitación del socioecosistema anfibio en La Mojana. En la primer sección se presenta los resultados de la línea base de monitoreo -LBM- a la rehabilitación de modos de vida anfibio, donde se identificaron siete (7) indicadores socio ambientales y culturales derivados de una caracterización de 9 la percepción de servicios ecosistémicos por parte de las familias, para este monitoreo se realizó la selección de 20 familias en la comunidad de Pasifueres del municipio de San Benito Abad, donde se encontraron todos los modos de vida relacionados con los servicios ecosistémicos de provisión de los humedales que los rodean, de los cuales depende su subsistencia y con quienes se adelantó el registro de datos. Para identificar la incidencia de las acciones de rehabilitación sobre los modos de vida, se tomaron datos de las familias vinculadas al proyecto PNUD-MADS y otras que para la fecha, no se encontraban dentro de la estrategia de rehabilitación de humedales. En la segunda sección, la LBM ecosistémica aborda la valoración y seguimiento de las variables ecológicas que mostrarán las tendencias de crecimiento y consolidación de sistemas cada vez más complejos y estables, que para el caso de las intervenciones realizadas se busca recomponer los servicios ecosistémicos que estos prestan. Para esto se establecieron 25 parcelas en las veredas de Seheve en el municipio de Ayapel, El Torno, El Pital y Las Flores de San Marcos y Pasifueres en el municipio de San Benito Abad. Finalmente, se incluye un documento donde se desarrolla una propuesta de monitoreo participativo ó comunitario con el objeto de dar a conocer los aspectos necesarios para su diseño e implementación según se requiera. En la primera parte, se presenta la base teórica necesaria para entender que es un monitoreo participativo y los pasos necesarios para su diseño e implementación, mientras que en la segunda se expone a manera de ejemplo el cómo se aplica cada uno de los pasos del monitoreo participativo tomando como ejemplo la comunidad de Pasifueres en San Benito Abad, Sucre.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11761/34999http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11761/34993Bogotá, ColombiaGestión Territorial de la Biodiversida

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented