When a collective outcome triggers a rare individual event: a mode of metastatic process in a cell population

A model of early metastatic process is based on the role of the protein PAI-1, which at high enough extracellular concentration promotes the transition of cancer cells to a state prone to migration. This transition is described at the single cell level as a bi-stable switch associated with a subcritical bifurcation. In a multilevel reaction-diffusion scenario, the microenvironment of the tumor is modified by the proliferating cell population so as to push the concentration of PAI-1 above the bifurcation threshold. The formulation in terms of partial differential equations fails to capture spatio-temporal heterogeneity. Cellular-automata and agent-based simulations of cell populations support the hypothesis that a randomly localized accumulation of PAI-1 can arise and trigger the escape of a few isolated cells. Far away from the primary tumor, these cells experience a reverse transition back to a proliferative state and could generate a secondary tumor. The proposed role of PAI-1 in controlling this metastatic cycle is candidate to explain its role in the progression of cancer

Identificación de fitonematodos Meloidogyne sp. en cafetos de la finca “La mata” en Coatepec, Ver.

Los nematodos fitoparásitos constituyen un factor limitante para la producción de café en muchas zonas del mundo. Veracruz es la segunda entidad productora de café aportando el 25 % del volumen nacional. En las regiones de Huatusco y Coatepec, desde 1960´s, se han registrado fincas cafetaleras con síntomas de afectación por fitonematodos. El trabajo estuvo principalmente dirigido a determinar la presencia y afecciones por fitonematodos en la finca cafetalera “La Mata”, en Coatepec, Ver. Se sugiere que los síntomas de clorosis que presentan las plantas del café de esta finca se deben a la presencia de fitonematodos. El área de estudio fue de 100 m x 100 m donde se realizaron tres muestreos en los meses de Abril y Mayo. En el área se colocaron diagonalmente 5 cuadrantes y por cada cuadrante se colectaron 100 g. de muestra de suelo y raíces de una planta de café de un agujero de 30 cm de profundidad. En el laboratorio las muestras de raíz se analizaron bajo el microscopio estereoscópico y las muestras de suelo que se filtraron mediante el embudo de Baerman, se analizaron en el microscopio compuesto. En el primer muestreo se encontraron 7 fitonematodos, en el segundo se encontraron 22, en el tercero se encontraron 17; En total fueron 47 fitonematodos de estos 57% fueron hembras y el 43% machos. Se identificó que los fitoparasitos de esta finca pertenecieron al género Meloidogyne. Las plantas de café muestran síntomas de clorosis que confirmamos que es causada por Meloidogyne sp

Remnant cholesterol levels are associated with severity and death in COVID-19 patients

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients with severe complications present comorbidities like cardiovascular-disease, hypertension and type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM), sharing metabolic alterations like insulin resistance (IR) and dyslipidemia. Our objective was to evaluate the association among different components of the lipid-lipoprotein profile, such as remnant lipoprotein (RLP)-cholesterol, in patients with COVID-19, and to analyze their associations with the severity of the disease and death. We studied 193 patients (68 (29–96) years; 49.7% male) hospitalized for COVID-19 and 200 controls (46 (18–79) years; 52.5% male). Lipoprotein profile, glucose and procalcitonin were assessed. Patients presented higher glucose, TG, TG/HDL-cholesterol and RLP-cholesterol levels, but lower total, LDL, HDL and no-HDL-cholesterol levels (p < 0.001). When a binary logistic regression was performed, age, non-HDL-cholesterol, and RLP-cholesterol were associated with death (p = 0.005). As the COVID-19 condition worsened, according to procalcitonin tertiles, a decrease in all the cholesterol fractions (p < 0.03) was observed with no differences in TG, while levels of RLP-cholesterol and TG/HDL-cholesterol increased (p < 0.001). Lower levels of all the cholesterol fractions were related with the presence and severity of COVID-19, except for RLP-cholesterol levels and TG/HDL-cholesterol index. These alterations indicate a lipid metabolic disorder, characteristic of IR states in COVID-19 patients. RLP-cholesterol levels predicted severity and death in these patients.Fil: Fabre, Bibiana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Machulsky, Nahuel Hernan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Olano, Carolina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Jacobsen, Darío. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Maria Eugenia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Perazzi, Beatriz Elizabeth. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Zago, Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Zopatti, Damián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Ferrero, Andrés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Schreier, Laura Ester. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Berg, Gabriela Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; Argentin

Clinical Performance of Two Methods for Detecting Anti SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies

Evaluating the clinical performance of available methods to detect antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a primordial issue in clinical laboratories. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of two methods for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection, an automated Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CLIA) and an immunochromatographic Lateral-Flow Assay (LFA) in patients with positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Performance for CLIA method was Positive Agreement (PA) 56.6% and Negative Agreement (NA) 96,6% for IgM and PA 85.8%/NA 90,2% for IgG. Performance for LFA method was PA 56.2% and NA 100% for IgM and PA 95.5% and NA 100 % for IgG. LFA general agreement IgG was better than CLIA. In both methods, significant differences in Kappa index are observed when IgG and IgM are compared. When evaluating the data from a clinical perspective, we found that both method performance for IgM detection may not meet the expected requirements for their clinical utility and could lead to an inappropriate medical decision. The findings of this study show that both immunoassay methods might be reliable for assessing immunological response in COVID-19 patients. Our results also confirm that IgG measurement could be helpful, especially for epidemiological studies in our population. These results provide evidence to justify epidemiological studies in our population.Fil: Jacobsen, Dario Gustavo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, D.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Jamardo, J.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Ibar, C.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Pugliese, L.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Fortuna, F.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Carrizo, E.. Coordinadora de Salud Misionar; ArgentinaFil: Caro, E. M.. Laboratorio Biogenar; ArgentinaFil: Perazzi, Beatriz Elizabeth. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Repetto, Esteban Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Reboredo, G.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Fabre, B.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica; Argentin

A randomized trial comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus cisplatin with docetaxel plus cisplatin in patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer with quality of life as the primary objective

International audienceOBJECTIVES: Adjuvant chemotherapy with vinorelbine plus cisplatin (VC) improves survival in resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but has negative impact on quality of life (QoL). In advanced NSCLC, gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) and docetaxel plus cisplatin (DC) exhibit comparable efficacy, with possibly superior QoL compared to VC. This trial investigated these regimens in the adjuvant setting. METHODS: Patients with Stage IB to III NSCLC were eligible following standardized surgery. Overall, 136 patients were included, with 67 and 69 assigned to the GC and DC arms, respectively. Cisplatin (75 mg/m(2), Day [D] 1) plus gemcitabine (1250 mg/m(2), D1 and D8) or docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) D1) were administered for three cycles. Primary end-point was QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), with the study designed to detect a 10-point difference between arms. Overall survival, safety and cost were secondary end-points. RESULTS: No between-group imbalance was observed in terms of patient characteristics. At inclusion, global health status (GHS) scores (/100) were 63.5 and 62.7 in GC and DC, respectively (P = 0.8), improving to 64.5 and 65.4 after 3 months (P = 0.8). No significant difference in functional or symptoms scores was observed between the arms except for alopecia. Grade 3/4 haematological and non-haematological toxicities were found in 33.8 and 21.7% (P = 0.11), and 33.8 and 26.1% (P = 0.33) of patients, in GC and DC, respectively. At 2 years, 92.9 and 89.8% of patients remained alive in GC and DC, respectively (P = 0.88). CONCLUSIONS: DC and GC adjuvant chemotherapies for completely resected NSCLC were well tolerated and appear free of major QoL effects, and are therefore representing candidates for comparison with the standard VC regimen

Impacto del aprendizaje basado en proyectos en estudiantes de la carrera pedagogía de las ciencias experimentales: Informática

Project-Based Learning is a learning method that consists of strengthening the analytical, autonomous, cooperative and evaluative capacities of the student, through the elaboration of projects based on a social problem, the students must not only understand the dimensions of the problem, but also They must come up with solutions. In addition, it is a strategy used by teachers which allows promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills along with content learning through the use of real-world situations or problems. Fostering creativity, individual responsibility, collaborative work, critical capacity, decision-making, efficiency and the ease of expressing personal opinions are some of the advantages that this type of methodology offers in the teaching-learning process. This paper analyzes and justifies the importance of understanding the Project-Based Learning model and how this type of strategy trains students in the future, in addition to how technological tools are part of this type of strategy, it should be noted that it is proposed as an objective The main objective is to understand the impact generated by the implementation of Project-Based Learning in the students of the Technical University of Babahoyo of the Pedagogy of Experimental Computer Sciences career, in this research an exploratory methodology was used with a quantitative approach, the same that allows to have a clearer vision of the importance that this type of methodological strategies have within the teaching-learning process.El Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos es un método de aprendizaje que consiste en fortalecer las capacidades analíticas, autónomas, cooperativas y evaluativas del estudiante, mediante la elaboración de proyectos en base a una problemática social, el alumnado no solo debe entender las dimensiones del problema, también deben plantear soluciones. Además, es una estrategia utilizada por los docentes la cual permite favorecer el pensamiento crítico y las habilidades de solución de problemas junto con el aprendizaje de contenidos a través&nbsp;del&nbsp;uso de situaciones o problemas&nbsp;del&nbsp;mundo real. Fomentar la creatividad, la responsabilidad individual, el trabajo colaborativo, la capacidad crítica, la toma de decisiones, la eficiencia y la facilidad de expresar sus opiniones personales son algunas de las ventajas que brinda este tipo de metodología en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje. El presente trabajo analiza y justifica la importancia de entender el modelo de Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos y como este tipo de estrategias capacitan al alumnado a futuro, además de cómo las herramientas tecnológicas forman parte de este tipo de estrategias, cabe destacar que se plantea como objetivo principal el comprender el impacto que genera la implementación del Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos en los estudiantes de la Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo de la Carrera Pedagogía de las Ciencias Experimentales de la Informática, en esta investigación se utilizó una metodología exploratoria con un enfoque cuantitativo, la misma que permite tener una visión más clara de la importación que tienen este tipo de estrategias metodológica dentro del proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje

La inclusión educativa virtual de estudiantes con discapacidad en la carrera de pedagogía de ciencias experimentales: Informática

The purpose of this article is to analyze and determine the use of virtual inclusion for students with disabilities, where the relationship between virtual education and students with a disability is recognized, in addition, the research focuses on inclusion strategies and effective learning in virtual environments, with the objective of identifying and analyzing virtual strategies that allow students to adapt according to their needs, as well as foster analytical skills, the different types of disabilities that can occur in students such as visual , audit, motor, intellectual or developmental and speech or language, highlighting the phases of virtual inclusive education with accessibility, flexibility and adaptability, focusing on students from the Technical University of Babahoyo of the Science Pedagogy Career Experimental: Informatics, using a quantitative approach with closed questions, data collection techniques are also used, based on an experimental and exploratory design. The results highlight the accessibility of virtual strategies in education, the value of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in educational inclusion and the benefit of adapted pedagogical training, finally, the positive impact of educational inclusion is highlighted. virtual in the educational community, the acceptance of ICT tools and the valuable guidance to implement it in crisis situations. This study contributes to the understanding of virtual educational inclusion in challenging circumstances, promoting equitable and effective learning for students with disabilities.El presente artículo tiene como finalidad analizar y determinar el uso de la inclusión virtual a estudiantes con discapacidad, donde se reconozca la relación que existe entre la educación virtualidad y los estudiantes que poseen una discapacidad, además, la investigación se enfoca en estrategias de inclusión y aprendizaje efectivo en entornos virtuales, con el objetivo de identificar y analizar estrategias virtuales les permitan a los estudiantes adaptarse de acuerdo a sus necesidades, así como fomentar habilidades analíticas, se detallan los diferentes tipos de discapacidades que se pueden dar en los estudiantes como la visual, audita, motora, intelectual o del desarrollo y la del habla o el lenguaje, destacando las fases de la educación inclusiva virtual con la accesibilidad, flexibilidad y adaptabilidad, centrándose en estudiantes de la Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo de la Carrera de Pedagogía de las Ciencias Experimentales: Informática, empleando un enfoque cuantitativo con preguntas cerradas, también se utiliza técnicas de recolección de datos, basadas en un diseño experimental y exploratorio. Los resultados destacan la accesibilidad de las estrategias virtuales en la educación, el valor de las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) en la inclusión educativa y el beneficio de la formación pedagógica adaptada, finalmente, se resaltan el impacto positivo de la inclusión educativa virtual en la comunidad educativa, la aceptación de las herramientas TIC y la valiosa orientación para implementarla en situaciones de crisis. Este estudio contribuye al entendimiento de la inclusión educativa virtual en circunstancias desafiantes, promoviendo un aprendizaje efectivo para estudiantes con discapacidad

Selective EGF-Receptor Inhibition in CD4+ T Cells Induces Anergy and Limits Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Several epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors have been successfully developed for the treatment of cancer, limiting tumor growth and metastasis. EGFR is also expressed by leukocytes, but little is known about its role in the modulation of the immune response. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether EGFR expressed on CD4+ T cells is functional and to address the consequences of EGFR inhibition in atherosclerosis, a T cell-mediated vascular chronic inflammatory disease. METHODS: The authors used EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (AG-1478, erlotinib) and chimeric Ldlr-/-Cd4-Cre/Egfrlox/lox mouse with a specific deletion of EGFR in CD4+ T cells. RESULTS: Mouse CD4+ T cells expressed EGFR, and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG-1478 blocked in vitro T cell proliferation and Th1/Th2 cytokine production. In vivo, treatment of Ldlr-/- mice with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib induced T cell anergy, reduced T cell infiltration within atherosclerotic lesions, and protected against atherosclerosis development and progression. Selective deletion of EGFR in CD4+ T cells resulted in decreased T cell proliferation and activation both in vitro and in vivo, as well as reduced interferon-γ, interleukin-4, and interleukin-2 production. Atherosclerotic lesion size was reduced by 2-fold in irradiated Ldlr-/- mice reconstituted with bone marrow from Cd4-Cre/Egfrlox/lox mice, compared to Cd4-Cre/Egfr+/+ chimeric mice, after 4, 6, and 12 weeks of high-fat diet, associated with marked reduction in T cell infiltration in atherosclerotic plaques. Human blood T cells expressed EGFR and EGFR inhibition reduced T cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR blockade induced T cell anergy in vitro and in vivo and reduced atherosclerosis development. Targeting EGFR may be a novel strategy to combat atherosclerosis

Longitudinal assessment of cognitive and psychosocial functioning after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Exploring disaster impact on middle-aged, older, and oldest-old adults

The authors examined the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on cognitive and psychosocial functioning in a lifespan sample of adults 6-14 months after the storms. Participants were recruited from the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study. Most were assessed during the immediate impact period and retested for this study. Analyses of pre- and post-disaster cognitive data confirmed that storm-related decrements in working memory for middle-aged and older adults observed in the immediate impact period had returned to pre-hurricane levels in the post-disaster recovery period. Middle-aged adults reported more storm-related stressors and greater levels of stress than the two older groups at both waves of testing. These results are consistent with a burden perspective on post-disaster psychological reactions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc