Criterios para la evaluación curricular del director de tesis doctoral en Ciencias de la Salud

Antecedentes: El Director de Tesis (DT) y su competencia son determinantes mayores para la adecuada formación de un doctorando, por lo que debe cumplir con requisitos tales como estar doctorado, haber formado recursos humanos y publicar regularmente. Respecto a esto último, existe discusión hacer de los criterios necesarios para cumplimentarlo. Objetivos: Establecer y fundamentar criterios para evaluar curricularmente la producción científico-tecnológica de un posible DT. Material y métodos: Se revisó la reglamentación vigente (Universidad, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva) y publicaciones sobre la temática, siendo una revisión narrativa corta. Resultados: Se incorporaron los criterios de diferentes disciplinas, tales como básicas, sanitarias, sociales y humanas, identificando los niveles de registro de publicaciones óptimos. Se reconoció la validez de plataformas tecnológicas, como Scopus (ej.: SCImago), cuyas bases de datos ponderan diferencialmente por disciplina sin restringrse por ciertos criterios estereotípicos.  Se observó además que el artículo científico era sólo una forma de producción, sin excluir otras que puedan ser pertinentes de acuerdo al área de investigación del DT. Hubo acuerdo sobre el ritmo de producción. Conclusiones: Tomando como requisitos básicos tener título máximo y formación de recursos humanos, se considera como producción válida aquella publicada en los últimos cinco años con referato y registrada bajo estándares internacionales, con un mínimo de dos trabajos completos con coherencia curricular (artículos -excluyendo resúmenes-, libros y capítulos, patentes, desarrollos tecnológicos). Además de unificar criterios evaluativos de calidad científica, es necesario abordar el impacto sanitario de la producción lograda como criterio adicional.</p

Roles emergentes del Doctor en Ciencias de la Salud: Un abanico de posibilidades en el siglo XXI

El campo de acción de un Doctor egresado del Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud se extiende, hoy, más allá de las perspectivas laborales que venían desarrollando. Inicialmente las perspectivas estaban circunscritas al ámbito académico, sea dentro de la Universidad o de organismos gubernamentales promotores de ciencia y tecnología, tales como el Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Otra posición más tradicionalista tomaba la obtención de este título como cierre consagratorio de la vida profesional. Actualmente, en consonancia con tendencias internacionales y nacionales, es posible considerar otros campos de acción de un Doctor en Ciencias de la Salud, con un amplio abanico de posibilidades laborales y un nuevo perfil destinado a cubrirlas, enfrentando las exigencias de este siglo XXI...</p

Saúde comportamental das mulheres no pós-parto durante a pandemia de COVID-19 e sua influência na lactação humana

During the COVID-19 pandemic, puerperal women increased their consumption of caffeinated beverages, mainly maté and coffee. Both infusions had opposing effects on their health, regardless of caffeine content. While yerba mate intake has been linked to lower severity of postpartum depression, coffee intake has been linked to higher levels of stress and insomnia. These differences translated into improvements in memory and lactation functions in the first case, while the opposite was true in the second. Thus, yerba mate could be particularly beneficial for lactating women. Furthermore, the importance of factors that modulate stress management is underlined. Such a contrast could be explained by the presence of different bioactive components, such as certain polyphenols capable of overcoming the effects of caffeine. This knowledge is of major significance for the development of nutritional and psychosocial support strategies for women during the postpartum period to address prevalent and emerging health problems.Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, las puérperas aumentaron su consumo de bebidas cafeinadas, principalmente mate y café. Ambas infusiones tuvieron efectos contrapuestos sobre su salud, independientemente del contenido de cafeína. Mientras que la ingesta de yerba mate se asoció con una menor severidad de depresión postparto, la de café se asoció a mayores niveles de estrés e insomnio. Estas diferencias se tradujeron en mejoras en las funciones de memoria y lactancia en el primer caso, mientras sucedió lo opuesto en el segundo. Entonces, la yerba mate podría ser particularmente beneficiosa para las mujeres lactantes. Además, se subraya la importancia de factores que modulen la gestión del estrés. Dicha contraposición podría explicarse por la presencia de diferentes componentes bioactivos, como ciertos polifenoles capaces de superar los efectos de la cafeína. Estos conocimientos son muy importantes para desarrollar estrategias de apoyo nutricional y psicosocial de las mujeres durante el postparto para enfrentar problemáticas sanitarias prevalentes y emergentes.Durante a pandemia de COVID-19, as mulheres no período pós-parto aumentaram o seu consumo de bebidas com cafeína, principalmente mate e café. Ambas as infusões tiveram efeitos opostos na sua saúde, independentemente do teor de cafeína. Embora a ingestão de erva-mate tenha sido associada a uma menor gravidade de depressão pós-parto, a ingestão de café foi associada a níveis mais elevados de estresse e insônia. Essas diferenças se traduziram em melhorias na memória e nas funções de lactação nas primeiras, enquanto o oposto foi verdadeiro nas segundas. Assim, a erva-mate poderia ser particularmente benéfica para as mulheres lactantes. Além disso, é sublinhada a importância dos fatores que modulam a gestão do stress. Este contraste poderia ser explicado pela presença de diferentes componentes bioactivos, como certos polifenóis capazes de superar os efeitos da cafeína. Este conhecimento é de grande importância para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de apoio nutricional e psicossocial das mulheres durante o período pós-parto, a fim de abordar problemas de saúde prevalentes e emergentes

Modulation of Fatty Acids and Interleukin-6 in Glioma Cells by South American Tea Extracts and their Phenolic Compounds

[EN] Dietary phenolic compounds are plant metabolites with beneficial effects on the central nervous system. Thus, our aim was to identify anti-inflammatory compounds from South American plants on glia, which regulates neuro-immune response. The compounds were extracted from Lantana grisebachii (LG), Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco (AQB), and Ilex paraguariensis (IP) teas and identified by HPLC-DAD-MS. Extracts (0–200 mg/ml) were tested on human T98-G and rat C6 glioma lines. Cellular viability (by the resazurin assay), fatty acid profile (by gas chromatography) and proinflammatory interleukin-6 release (IL-6 by ELISA) were determined. Data were analyzed by partial least-square regression to discriminate bioactive compounds. Twenty-one compounds were determined in LG, mainly iridoids, which were linked to v-3 and v-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but not to IL-6 release. Thirty-one compounds were found in AQB, mostly hydroxybenzoic derivatives, which were positively related to IL-6 release. Twenty-three compounds were identified in IP, including caffeoylquinic derivatives and mainly chlorogenic acid. They increased the v-7 palmitoleic fatty acid, which was related to IL-6 decrease. These results enhances phytochemical knowledge of widely available plants, and suggest the lipid-related anti-inflammatory activity of IP phenolic compounds, which give nutritional relevance to the tea

Chapter 1

Experimenting is fundamental to the training process of all scientists and engineers. While experiments have been traditionally done inside laboratories, the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies added two alter-natives accessible anytime, anywhere. These two alternatives are known as virtual and remote labs, and are sometimes indistinguishably referred as online labs. Sim-ilarly to other instructional technologies, virtual and remote labs require some ef-fort from teachers in integrating them into curricula, taking into consideration sev-eral factors that affect their adoption (i.e. cost) and their educational effectiveness (i.e. benefit). This chapter analyses these two dimensions and sustains the case where only through international cooperation it is possible to serve the large num-ber of teachers and students involved in engineering education. It presents an ex-ample in the area of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, based on a remote lab named Virtual Instruments System in Reality, and it then describes how a number of European and Latin-American institutions have been cooperating under the scope of an Erasmus+ project2, for spreading its use in Brazil and Argentina.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots

Tropical forests are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. While better understanding of these forests is critical for our collective future, until quite recently efforts to measure and monitor them have been largely disconnected. Networking is essential to discover the answers to questions that transcend borders and the horizons of funding agencies. Here we show how a global community is responding to the challenges of tropical ecosystem research with diverse teams measuring forests tree-by-tree in thousands of long-term plots. We review the major scientific discoveries of this work and show how this process is changing tropical forest science. Our core approach involves linking long-term grassroots initiatives with standardized protocols and data management to generate robust scaled-up results. By connecting tropical researchers and elevating their status, our Social Research Network model recognises the key role of the data originator in scientific discovery. Conceived in 1999 with RAINFOR (South America), our permanent plot networks have been adapted to Africa (AfriTRON) and Southeast Asia (T-FORCES) and widely emulated worldwide. Now these multiple initiatives are integrated via ForestPlots.net cyber-infrastructure, linking colleagues from 54 countries across 24 plot networks. Collectively these are transforming understanding of tropical forests and their biospheric role. Together we have discovered how, where and why forest carbon and biodiversity are responding to climate change, and how they feedback on it. This long-term pan-tropical collaboration has revealed a large long-term carbon sink and its trends, as well as making clear which drivers are most important, which forest processes are affected, where they are changing, what the lags are, and the likely future responses of tropical forests as the climate continues to change. By leveraging a remarkably old technology, plot networks are sparking a very modern revolution in tropical forest science. In the future, humanity can benefit greatly by nurturing the grassroots communities now collectively capable of generating unique, long-term understanding of Earth's most precious forests.Additional co-authors: Susan Laurance, William Laurance, Francoise Yoko Ishida, Andrew Marshall, Catherine Waite, Hannsjoerg Woell, Jean-Francois Bastin, Marijn Bauters, Hans Beeckman, Pfascal Boeckx, Jan Bogaert, Charles De Canniere, Thales de Haulleville, Jean-Louis Doucet, Olivier Hardy, Wannes Hubau, Elizabeth Kearsley, Hans Verbeeck, Jason Vleminckx, Steven W. Brewer, Alfredo Alarcón, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Ezequiel Chavez, Todd Fredericksen, René Guillén Villaroel, Gloria Gutierrez Sibauty, Timothy Killeen, Juan Carlos Licona, John Lleigue, Casimiro Mendoza, Samaria Murakami, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Guido Pardo, Marielos Peña-Claros, Lourens Poorter, Marisol Toledo, Jeanneth Villalobos Cayo, Laura Jessica Viscarra, Vincent Vos, Jorge Ahumada, Everton Almeida, Jarcilene Almeida, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Wesley Alves da Cruz, Atila Alves de Oliveira, Fabrício Alvim Carvalho, Flávio Amorim Obermuller, Ana Andrade, Fernanda Antunes Carvalho, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Ana Carla Aquino, Luiz Aragão, Ana Claudia Araújo, Marco Antonio Assis, Jose Ataliba Mantelli Aboin Gomes, Fabrício Baccaro, Plínio Barbosa de Camargo, Paulo Barni, Jorcely Barroso, Luis Carlos Bernacci, Kauane Bordin, Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros, Igor Broggio, José Luís Camargo, Domingos Cardoso, Maria Antonia Carniello, Andre Luis Casarin Rochelle, Carolina Castilho, Antonio Alberto Jorge Farias Castro, Wendeson Castro, Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Flávia Costa, Rodrigo Costa de Oliveira, Italo Coutinho, John Cunha, Lola da Costa, Lucia da Costa Ferreira, Richarlly da Costa Silva, Marta da Graça Zacarias Simbine, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura, Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Lia de Oliveira Melo, Luciano de Queiroz, José Romualdo de Sousa Lima, Mário do Espírito Santo, Tomas Domingues, Nayane Cristina dos Santos Prestes, Steffan Eduardo Silva Carneiro, Fernando Elias, Gabriel Eliseu, Thaise Emilio, Camila Laís Farrapo, Letícia Fernandes, Gustavo Ferreira, Joice Ferreira, Leandro Ferreira, Socorro Ferreira, Marcelo Fragomeni Simon, Maria Aparecida Freitas, Queila S. García, Angelo Gilberto Manzatto, Paulo Graça, Frederico Guilherme, Eduardo Hase, Niro Higuchi, Mariana Iguatemy, Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa, Margarita Jaramillo, Carlos Joly, Joice Klipel, Iêda Leão do Amaral, Carolina Levis, Antonio S. Lima, Maurício Lima Dan, Aline Lopes, Herison Madeiros, William E. Magnusson, Rubens Manoel dos Santos, Beatriz Marimon, Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Roberta Marotti Martelletti Grillo, Luiz Martinelli, Simone Matias Reis, Salomão Medeiros, Milton Meira-Junior, Thiago Metzker, Paulo Morandi, Natanael Moreira do Nascimento, Magna Moura, Sandra Cristina Müller, Laszlo Nagy, Henrique Nascimento, Marcelo Nascimento, Adriano Nogueira Lima, Raimunda Oliveira de Araújo, Jhonathan Oliveira Silva, Marcelo Pansonato, Gabriel Pavan Sabino, Karla Maria Pedra de Abreu, Pablo José Francisco Pena Rodrigues, Maria Piedade, Domingos Rodrigues, José Roberto Rodrigues Pinto, Carlos Quesada, Eliana Ramos, Rafael Ramos, Priscyla Rodrigues, Thaiane Rodrigues de Sousa, Rafael Salomão, Flávia Santana, Marcos Scaranello, Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Juliana Schietti, Jochen Schöngart, Gustavo Schwartz, Natalino Silva, Marcos Silveira, Cristiana Simão Seixas, Marta Simbine, Ana Claudia Souza, Priscila Souza, Rodolfo Souza, Tereza Sposito, Edson Stefani Junior, Julio Daniel do Vale, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Dora Villela, Marcos Vital, Haron Xaud, Katia Zanini, Charles Eugene Zartman, Nur Khalish Hafizhah Ideris, Faizah binti Hj Metali, Kamariah Abu Salim, Muhd Shahruney Saparudin, Rafizah Mat Serudin, Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri, Serge Begne, George Chuyong, Marie Noel Djuikouo, Christelle Gonmadje, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Bonaventure Sonké, Hermann Taedoumg, Lise Zemagho, Sean Thomas, Fidèle Baya, Gustavo Saiz, Javier Silva Espejo, Dexiang Chen, Alan Hamilton, Yide Li, Tushou Luo, Shukui Niu, Han Xu, Zhang Zhou, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Juan Carlos Andrés Escobar, Henry Arellano-Peña, Jaime Cabezas Duarte, Jhon Calderón, Lina Maria Corrales Bravo, Borish Cuadrado, Hermes Cuadros, Alvaro Duque, Luisa Fernanda Duque, Sandra Milena Espinosa, Rebeca Franke-Ante, Hernando García, Alejandro Gómez, Roy González-M., Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta, Eliana Jimenez, Rubén Jurado, Wilmar López Oviedo, René López-Camacho, Omar Aurelio Melo Cruz, Irina Mendoza Polo, Edwin Paky, Karen Pérez, Angel Pijachi, Camila Pizano, Adriana Prieto, Laura Ramos, Zorayda Restrepo Correa, James Richardson, Elkin Rodríguez, Gina M. Rodriguez M., Agustín Rudas, Pablo Stevenson, Markéta Chudomelová, Martin Dancak, Radim Hédl, Stanislav Lhota, Martin Svatek, Jacques Mukinzi, Corneille Ewango, Terese Hart, Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu, Janvier Lisingo, Jean-Remy Makana, Faustin Mbayu, Benjamin Toirambe, John Tshibamba Mukendi, Lars Kvist, Gustav Nebel, Selene Báez, Carlos Céron, Daniel M. Griffith, Juan Ernesto Guevara Andino, David Neill, Walter Palacios, Maria Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Gorky Villa, Sheleme Demissie, Tadesse Gole, Techane Gonfa, Kalle Ruokolainen, Michel Baisie, Fabrice Bénédet, Wemo Betian, Vincent Bezard, Damien Bonal, Jerôme Chave, Vincent Droissart, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Annette Hladik, Nicolas Labrière, Pétrus Naisso, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Plinio Sist, Lilian Blanc, Benoit Burban, Géraldine Derroire, Aurélie Dourdain, Clement Stahl, Natacha Nssi Bengone, Eric Chezeaux, Fidèle Evouna Ondo, Vincent Medjibe, Vianet Mihindou, Lee White, Heike Culmsee, Cristabel Durán Rangel, Viviana Horna, Florian Wittmann, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Kofi Affum-Baffoe, Ernest Foli, Michael Balinga, Anand Roopsind, James Singh, Raquel Thomas, Roderick Zagt, Indu K. Murthy, Kuswata Kartawinata, Edi Mirmanto, Hari Priyadi, Ismayadi Samsoedin, Terry Sunderland, Ishak Yassir, Francesco Rovero, Barbara Vinceti, Bruno Hérault, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Kanehiro Kitayama, Armandu Daniels, Darlington Tuagben, John T. Woods, Muhammad Fitriadi, Alexander Karolus, Kho Lip Khoon, Noreen Majalap, Colin Maycock, Reuben Nilus, Sylvester Tan, Almeida Sitoe, Indiana Coronado G., Lucas Ojo, Rafael de Assis, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, Douglas Sheil, Karen Arévalo Pezo, Hans Buttgenbach Verde, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jimmy Cesar Cordova Oroche, Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Massiel Corrales Medina, Nallaret Davila Cardozo, Jano de Rutte Corzo, Jhon del Aguila Pasquel, Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Luis Freitas, Darcy Galiano Cabrera, Roosevelt García Villacorta, Karina Garcia Cabrera, Diego García Soria, Leticia Gatica Saboya, Julio Miguel Grandez Rios, Gabriel Hidalgo Pizango, Eurídice Honorio Coronado, Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Yuri Tomas Huillca Aedo, Jose Luis Marcelo Peña, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Vanesa Moreano Rodriguez, Percy Núñez Vargas, Sonia Cesarina Palacios Ramos, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Antonio Peña Cruz, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, José Reyna Huaymacari, Carlos Reynel Rodriguez, Marcos Antonio Ríos Paredes, Lily Rodriguez Bayona, Rocio del Pilar Rojas Gonzales, Maria Elena Rojas Peña, Norma Salinas Revilla, Yahn Carlos Soto Shareva, Raul Tupayachi Trujillo, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Jim Vega Arenas, Christian Amani, Suspense Averti Ifo, Yannick Bocko, Patrick Boundja, Romeo Ekoungoulou, Mireille Hockemba, Donatien Nzala, Alusine Fofanah, David Taylor, Guillermo Bañares-de Dios, Luis Cayuela, Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda, Manuel Macía, Juliana Stropp, Maureen Playfair, Verginia Wortel, Toby Gardner, Robert Muscarella, Hari Priyadi, Ervan Rutishauser, Kuo-Jung Chao, Pantaleo Munishi, Olaf Bánki, Frans Bongers, Rene Boot, Gabriella Fredriksson, Jan Reitsma, Hans ter Steege, Tinde van Andel, Peter van de Meer, Peter van der Hout, Mark van Nieuwstadt, Bert van Ulft, Elmar Veenendaal, Ronald Vernimmen, Pieter Zuidema, Joeri Zwerts, Perpetra Akite, Robert Bitariho, Colin Chapman, Eilu Gerald, Miguel Leal, Patrick Mucunguzi, Miguel Alexiades, Timothy R. Baker, Karina Banda, Lindsay Banin, Jos Barlow, Amy Bennett, Erika Berenguer, Nicholas Berry, Neil M. Bird, George A. Blackburn, Francis Brearley, Roel Brienen, David Burslem, Lidiany Carvalho, Percival Cho, Fernanda Coelho, Murray Collins, David Coomes, Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Greta Dargie, Kyle Dexter, Mat Disney, Freddie Draper, Muying Duan, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Robert Ewers, Belen Fadrique, Sophie Fauset, Ted R. Feldpausch, Filipe França, David Galbraith, Martin Gilpin, Emanuel Gloor, John Grace, Keith Hamer, David Harris, Tommaso Jucker, Michelle Kalamandeen, Bente Klitgaard, Aurora Levesley, Simon L. Lewis, Jeremy Lindsell, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Jon Lovett, Yadvinder Malhi, Toby Marthews, Emma McIntosh, Karina Melgaço, William Milliken, Edward Mitchard, Peter Moonlight, Sam Moore, Alexandra Morel, Julie Peacock, Kelvin Peh, Colin Pendry, R. Toby Pennington, Luciana de Oliveira Pereira, Carlos Peres, Oliver L. Phillips, Georgia Pickavance, Thomas Pugh, Lan Qie, Terhi Riutta, Katherine Roucoux, Casey Ryan, Tiina Sarkinen, Camila Silva Valeria, Dominick Spracklen, Suzanne Stas, Martin Sullivan, Michael Swaine, Joey Talbot, James Taplin, Geertje van der Heijden, Laura Vedovato, Simon Willcock, Mathew Williams, Luciana Alves, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Gabriel Arellano, Cheryl Asa, Peter Ashton, Gregory Asner, Terry Brncic, Foster Brown, Robyn Burnham, Connie Clark, James Comiskey, Gabriel Damasco, Stuart Davies, Tony Di Fiore, Terry Erwin, William Farfan-Rios, Jefferson Hall, David Kenfack, Thomas Lovejoy, Roberta Martin, Olga Martha Montiel, John Pipoly, Nigel Pitman, John Poulsen, Richard Primack, Miles Silman, Marc Steininger, Varun Swamy, John Terborgh, Duncan Thomas, Peter Umunay, Maria Uriarte, Emilio Vilanova Torre, Ophelia Wang, Kenneth Young, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Lionel Hernández, Rafael Herrera Fernández, Hirma Ramírez-Angulo, Pedro Salcedo, Elio Sanoja, Julio Serrano, Armando Torres-Lezama, Tinh Cong Le, Trai Trong Le, Hieu Dang Tra

Determination of arsenic retention in immune system components by SR-µXRF and EDXRF. En el Capítulo: RADIACIÓN DE SINCROTRÓN, PIXE, AES, XPS

Arsenic (As) is an environmental contaminant which causes immune dysfunction by chronic exposure through contaminated drinking water. As has intestinal absorption and is widely transported by erythrocytes. In some cases, it is retained and accumulated, thus enhancing its toxic effects. However, there are no reports about As retention in lymphocytes. Although the plasmatic concentration of these cells is 500 times lower than red blood cells, a high number of lymphocytes are accumulated in certain tissues, called secondary lymphoid organs. One of them is the spleen, where B and T cells coexist in the white pulp, and erythrocytes mainly in the red pulp. To study spleen As retention as well as the effects on concentration and distribution of other elements, adult rats consumed water with 50 µg/L As for 60 days. Spleens were removed, then were cut into 0.5 mm slides and lyophilized. Slides were analyzed by SR-µXRF and EDXRF. A high concentration of As was found in lyophilized spleens (~50 µg/g ) in both white and red pulps in a similar extent, while a decrease of Cu and Fe was seen in treated animals. Therefore, these techniques allow determining the As distribution and the As-associated elemental alterations in rat splenic tissues.Peer Reviewe

Effect of a healthcare gender gap on progression of HIV/AIDS defined by clinical-biological criteria among adults from Cordoba City (Argentina) from 1995 to 2005 Condicionamiento de la evolución del VIH/sida definida por criterios clínico-biológicos en adultos de la ciudad de Córdoba (Argentina), de 1995 a 2005, por la brecha sanitaria existente entre ambos sexos

Objective: To establish the influence of clinical status at diagnosis and of gender on progression of HIV/AIDS determined by clinical-biological factors in patients from Cordoba City (Argentina) from 1995 to 2005). Methods: Gender and clinical and laboratory data were evaluated by descriptive statistics, non-parametric survival analysis, and generalized linear models at the beginning of the study (diagnosis) and at the end (hospital records, n=209). Results: At diagnosis, women (n=28, 13.4%) had a higher probability of being asymptomatic than men (n=181, 86.6%). High viremia was associated with advanced clinical stages, but was inversely related to CD4 count. Truncated Kaplan-Meier curves were similar for both sexes. The probability of not having AIDS criteria at the end of the study was higher in patients without these criteria at diagnosis. Women had a higher probability of having AIDS at the end of the follow-up than men. In contrast, men had a higher prevalence of venereal diseases (n=38, 21%), dysmetabolic profile (n=14, 7.7%) and positive serology for opportunists (n=31, 17.1%). Marker diseases were mainly represented by internal mycosis and waste syndrome, although less specific findings (anemia, oral lesions) were also associated with progression. Conclusions: Using an integrative approach, high viremia was critically linked to clinical and lymphocyte impairment. Early diagnosis was a major determinant of clinical course, with women having a worse prognosis. However, men were diagnosed in clinically advanced stages and with other non-HIV-related entities, which could affect progression. These findings should be integrated into the planning of preventive strategies.Objetivos: Establecer la influencia de la condición médica al diagnóstico y del sexo en la evolución del VIH/Sida determinada por factores clínico-biológicos en pacientes de la ciudad de Córdoba (Argentina, 1995-2005). Métodos: El sexo, los datos clínicos y los de laboratorio fueron evaluados por estadística descriptiva, análisis de supervivencia no paramétrico y modelos lineales generalizados al inicio (diagnóstico) y al final del estudio (registro hospitalario, 209 casos). Resultados: Las mujeres (n=28, 13,4%) tienen mayor probabilidad de estar asintomáticas que los hombres (n=181, 86,6%) en el momento del diagnóstico. La viremia alta está asociada con estadios clínicos avanzados, pero está inversamente relacionada con el de CD4. Las curvas truncadas de Kaplan-Meier son similares para ambos sexos. La probabilidad de no tener criterios de sida al final del estudio está incrementada para los pacientes diagnosticados sin ellos. Además, las mujeres tienen mayor probabilidad de presentar sida que los hombres al finalizar el seguimiento recuento. No obstante, ellos mostraron una elevada prevalencia de enfermedades venéreas (n=38, 21%), perfil dismetabólico (n=14, 7,7%) y serología para oportunistas (n=31, 17,1%). Las enfermedades marcadoras fueron principalmente micosis internas y síndrome consuntivo, aunque hallazgos menos específicos (anemia, lesiones orales) también se asociaban a la progresión. Conclusiones: Utilizando un enfoque integrador, la viremia estuvo muy ligada al empeoramiento clínico y linfocitario, siendo el diagnóstico temprano un determinante mayor de evolución, con las mujeres teniendo peor pronóstico. Sin embargo, los hombres fueron diagnosticados avanzados clínicamente, con otros problemas no asociados al VIH que podrían afectar su evolución. Estos resultados deberían ser integrados en el planeamiento sanitario de prevención

Immunotoxicological effects of arsenic bioaccumulation on spatial metallomics and cellular enzyme response in the spleen of male Wistar rats after oral intake

Arsenic (As) is a worldwide environmental contaminant, which compromises immunity and causes various associated disorders. To further investigate its immunotoxicity, male Wistar rats were exposed to 100 ppm of sodium arsenite (inorganic AsIII) in drinking water for 2 months. Given that metals are significant immune regulators, their content and distribution were analysed in spleen tissues, to then evaluate subsequent changes of redox enzyme responses in spleen parenchyma cells (splenocytes). X-ray fluorescence spectrometry demonstrated As accumulation in both white and red pulps (p < 0.005), and As-related pulp-dependent modifications of the content of Cu, Ca, Zn and Fe (p < 0.01). Correlational path analysis revealed direct effects of As on their spatial distribution (Cu: −0.76, Ca: −0.61, Zn: 0.38; p < 0.02). As-exposed splenocytes showed ɣ-glutamyltranspeptidase inhibition, peroxidase induction, and variable responses of nitric oxide synthase (p < 0.05). Concanavalin A-treated splenocytes (T cell mitogen) were more susceptible in vitro to these As-related enzymatic changes than those treated with lipopolysaccharide (B cell mitogen) (p < 0.05). The study thus established the impact of As bioaccumulation on metallic spatial homeostasis in the spleen, and then identified enzymatic dysfunctions in splenocytes. This suggested that arsenic disrupts biometal-dependent immune pathways and redox homeostasis, with mitogen exposure modifying the toxicological response.Fil: Soria, Elio Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Roberto Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Queralt, Ignasi. Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research; EspañaFil: Pérez, Carlos A.. Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron; BrasilFil: Bongiovanni, Guillermina Azucena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología y Energías Alternativas; Argentin