Atividade leishmanicida do extrato de Echinaster (Othilia) echinophorus

In this study, a methanolic extract from Echinaster (Othilia) echinophorus was evaluated for activity against Leishmania amazonensis. The extract showed activity against the promastigote and amastigote forms with IC50 values of 62.9 and 37.5 μg.mL-1 respectively. This extract showed a moderate toxicity on macrophages from BALB/c mice. A dose of 100 mg/kg/day was effective when administered during 15 days by intraperitoneal route to BALB/c mice infected experimentally.Neste estudo descreve-se o efeito de um extrato metanólico de Echinaster echinophorus spp. no parasita Leishmania amazonensis. Em testes com as formas promastigotas e amastigotas, o IC50 do extrato foi 62,9 e 37,5 μg.mL-1, respectivamente. O extrato também tem toxicidade moderada em macrófagos de camundongos BALB/c. O tratamento de camundongos BALB/c infectados com L. amazonensis com doses diárias de 100 mg/kg/dia via intraperitoneal durante 15 dias mostrou-se relativamente efetivo no controle da infecção. Esta investigação confirma a importância de produtos naturais como fonte para a descoberta de fármacos com funções anti-Leishmania

Differences in the Ovine HSP90AA1 Gene Expression Rates Caused by Two Linked Polymorphisms at Its Promoter Affect Rams Sperm DNA Fragmentation under Environmental Heat Stress Conditions

Heat shock (HS) is one of the best-studied exogenous cellular stresses. Almost all tissues, cell types, metabolic pathways and biochemical reactions are affected in greater or lesser extent by HS. However, there are some especially thermo sensible cellular types such as the mammalian male germ cells. The present study examined the role of three INDELs in conjunction with the -660G/C polymorphism located at the HSP90AA1 promoter region over the gene expression rate under HS. Specially, the -668insC INDEL, which is very close to the -660G/C transversion, is a good candidate to be implied in the transcriptional regulation of the gene by itself or in a cooperative way with this SNP. Animals carrying the genotype II-668 showed higher transcription rates than those with ID-668 (FC = 3.07) and DD-668 (FC = 3.40) genotypes for samples collected under HS. A linkage between gene expression and sperm DNA fragmentation was also found. When HS conditions were present along or in some stages of the spermatogenesis, alternative genotypes of the -668insC and -660G/C mutations are involved in the effect of HS over sperm DNA fragmentation. Thus, unfavorable genotypes in terms of gene expression induction (ID-668GC-660 and DD-668GG-660) do not produce enough mRNA (stored as messenger ribonucleoprotein particles) and Hsp90α protein to cope with future thermal stress which might occur in posterior stages when transcriptional activity is reduced and cell types and molecular processes are more sensible to heat (spermatocytes in pachytene and spermatids protamination). This would result in the impairment of DNA packaging and the consequent commitment of the events occurring shortly after fertilization and during embryonic development. In the short-term, the assessment of the relationship between sperm DNA fragmentation sensitivity and ram’s fertility will be of interest to a better understanding of the mechanisms of response to HS and its consequences on animal production and reproduction performance.Publishe

Characterization of patients with an anatomopathological diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease

Introduction: In Cuba, cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) are very common non-communicable chronic conditions. Objectives: Characterize patients from intensive care unit with a pathological diagnosis of CVD. Methods: Observational, descriptive and transversal study in a sample of 176 patients. Variables: Age (19-39 years, 40-59 years, 60-100 years), sex, type of CVD (hemorrhagic, ischemic), APACHE II scale (= 15, > 15 score) and Glasgow coma on admission (= 8, > 8 score), mechanical ventilation (yes, no), length of stay (= 7, > 7 days) and direct cause of death. Frequencies, measures of central tendency, chi-square and Student's t tests (significance level of 5%) were calculated. Results: Hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease, male sex (52.8%) and the age group of 60-100 years (64.8%) predominated. The mean age was 63.8 years. The average value of the APACHE II and Glasgow scales was 21.6 and 6.5. 97.6% received mechanical ventilation. The mean stay was 7.0 days. Severe cerebral edema was the main cause of direct death (79.3%). Conclusions: There is a predominance of hemorrhagic CVD, in male patients, aged 60-100 years, APACHE II score > 15, Glasgow score = 8, ventilated patients, stay = 7 days and intense cerebral edema

OLEOZON® Oral as a treatment alternative for dyschromia of devitalized uniradicular permanent teeth

Introducción: el ozono ha sido estudiado y aplicado con gran éxito en diferentes áreas de la Estomatología, premisa que impone la necesidad de que los profesionales se familiaricen con nuevos procedimientos para los pacientes con discromía.Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad del OLEOZON® Oral como tratamiento alternativo en la discromía de dientes permanentes unirradiculares desvitalizados de los pacientes atendidos en el Servicio de Estomatología del Policlínico Universitario Sur del municipio Morón.Métodos: estudio experimental, con diseño preprueba/posprueba y grupo de control, durante enero del 2020 hasta abril del 2021. Se trabajó con el total del universo, constituido por 18 pacientes, nueve integraron el grupo estudio (OLEOZON® Oral) y nueve el grupo control (peróxido de hidrógeno al 30 %). Se empleó estadística descriptiva e inferencial.Resultados: según trascurrían los días de evolución el cambio de color varió en cada uno de los grupos, a los 35 días de aplicado los tratamientos el 75,0 % de los controles y el 50,0 % del grupo estudio alcanzó un cambio de coloración total (color deseado) según la guía de colores empleada en todos los momentos de la intervención. Las pruebas U de Mann-Whitney y de Kruskal-Wallis resultaron no significativas, por lo que no existió diferencias estadísticas entre los resultados obtenidos en cada uno de los grupos de tratamiento, existiendo homogeneidad entre ambos.Conclusiones: se logró una variación del color del diente en cada uno de los grupos en estudio, por lo que se pudo inferir que el tratamiento con OLEOZON® Oral resultó efectivo.Introduction: ozone has been studied and applied with great success in different areas of Stomatology, a premise that imposes the need for professionals to become familiar with new procedures for patients with dyschromia. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of Oral OLEOZON® as an alternative treatment for dyschromia of devitalized permanent uniradicular teeth in patients treated at the Stomatology Service of the Policlínico Universitario Sur of Morón municipality. Methods: experimental study, with pretest/posttest design and control group, during January 2020 until April 2021. We worked with the total universe, constituted by 18 patients, nine integratedthe study group (OLEOZON® Oral) and nine the control group (hydrogen peroxide at 30 %). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: as the days of evolution elapsed, the color change varied in each of the groups. At 35 days after  the treatments were applied,75,0 % of the controls and 50,0 % of the study group achieved a total color change (desired color) according to the shade guide usedat all times during the intervention. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were not significant, so there were no statistical differences between the results obtained in each of the treatment groups, there being homogeneity between them. Conclusions: there was a variation in the color of the tooth in eachof the groups under study, so it could be inferred that the treatmentwith OLEOZON® Oral was effective

Nivel de conocimiento sobre uso profiláctico y terapéutico del zinc en edades pediátricas

A descriptive study is done in 40 doctors and 25 in the area of professional practice at the polyclinic "4 de Abril ", with the aim of knowing the knowledge about the prophylactic and therapeutic use of zinc in pediatric patients from August to December 2012. Variables were studied: scientific category, level of knowledge, mistakes, opinion prescribers, result and factors affecting its usefulness. To carry out this were reviewed research and document procedures of the main statistics and Situation Analysis of Health. It was shown little knowledge of the prophylactic and therapeutic use of zinc in the pediatric age, being the main cause, besides the absence of the drug in pharmacies. It was recommended extending the proposal to other areas and measures its impact.Se realiza un estudio cuanticualitativo descriptivo en 40 médicos graduados y 25 en práctica profesional del área del Policlínico Universitario “4 de Abril”, con el objetivo de conocer el conocimiento sobre el uso profiláctico y terapéutico del zinc en edades pediátricas, durante el período de agosto a diciembre de 2012. Las variables estudiadas son: categoría científica, nivel de conocimiento, errores cometidos, opinión de los prescriptores, resultado obtenido y factores que influyen en su utilidad. Para llevar a cabo la investigación se aplicaron procedimientos como la revisión documental de las principales estadísticas y Análisis de la Situación de Salud. Se demostró el poco conocimiento del uso profiláctico y terapéutico del zinc en edades pediátricas; siendo esta la causa fundamental, además de la inexistencia del medicamento en  farmacias del área. Se recomienda extender la propuesta a otras áreas y medir su impacto.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Fanhdi ®, a Plasma-Derived VWF/Factor VIII Concentrate, in von Willebrand Disease in Spain : A Retrospective Study

UDHEBRONTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of a plasma-derived factor VIII concentrate containing von Willebrand Factor (pdVWF/FVIII) in standard clinical practice in von Willebrand Disease (VWD) patients. A retrospective, multicentric, observational study of VWD patients treated with Fanhdi ®, a pdVWF/FVIII concentrate, from January 2011 to December 2017 was conducted at 14 centers in Spain. Efficacy and safety were evaluated for acute bleeding episodes, for prevention of bleeding in surgeries, and for secondary long-term prophylaxis. Seventy-two eligible patients, type 1, 2, 3 VWD (25%/38.9%/36.1%) were treated for spontaneous and traumatic bleeding (140 episodes, n = 41 patients), to prevent surgical bleeding (69 episodes, n = 43 patients); and for secondary long-term prophylaxis (18 programs, n = 13 patients). Replacement therapy with pdVWF/FVIII showed an excellent to good clinical efficacy in 96.7% of the bleeding episodes, 100% during surgical procedures and 100% during prophylaxis. No adverse events (AEs), nor serious AEs related to the product were observed. Fanhdi ® was effective, safe and well tolerated in the management of bleeding episodes, the prevention of bleeding during surgeries, and for secondary long-term prophylaxis in VWD patients

Cystatin D locates in the nucleus at sites of active transcription and modulates gene and protein expression

Cystatin D is an inhibitor of lysosomal and secreted cysteine proteases. Strikingly, cystatin D has been found to inhibit proliferation, migration, and invasion of colon carcinoma cells indicating tumor suppressor activity that is unrelated to protease inhibition. Here, we demonstrate that a proportion of cystatin D locates within the cell nucleus at specific transcriptionally active chromatin sites. Consistently, transcriptomic analysis show that cystatin D alters gene expression, including that of genes encoding transcription factors such as RUNX1, RUNX2, and MEF2C in HCT116 cells. In concordance with transcriptomic data, quantitative proteomic analysis identified 292 proteins differentially expressed in cystatin D-expressing cells involved in cell adhesion, cytoskeleton, and RNA synthesis and processing. Furthermore, using cytokine arrays we found that cystatin D reduces the secretion of several protumor cytokines such as fibroblast growth factor-4, CX3CL1/fractalkine, neurotrophin 4 oncostatin-M, pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine/CCL18, and transforming growth factor B3. These results support an unanticipated role of cystatin D in the cell nucleus, controlling the transcription of specific genes involved in crucial cellular functions, which may mediate its protective action in colon cancer

Revisiting the usefulness of the short acute octreotide test to predict treatment outcomes in acromegaly

Introduction: We previously described that a short version of the acute octreotide test (sAOT) can predict the response to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) in patients with acromegaly. We have prospectively reassessed the sAOT in patients from the ACROFAST study using current ultra-sensitive GH assays. We also studied the correlation of sAOT with tumor expression of E-cadherin and somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) .Methods: A total of 47 patients treated with SRLs for 6 months were evaluated with the sAOT at diagnosis and correlated with SRLs' response. Those patients whose IGF1 decreased to = 3SDS, were considered non-responders. The 2 hours GH value (GH2h) after s.c. administration of 100 mcg of octreotide was used to define predictive cutoffs. E-cadherin and SSTR2 immunostaining in somatotropinoma tissue were investigated in 24/47 and 18/47 patients, respectively.Results: In all, 30 patients were responders and 17 were non-responders. GH(2h) was 0.68 (0.25-1.98) ng/mL in responders vs 2.35 (1.59-9.37) ng/mL in non-responders (p<0.001). GH(2h) = 1.4ng/mL showed the highest ability to identify responders (accuracy of 81%, sensitivity of 73.3%, and specificity of 94.1%). GH(2h) = 4.3ng/mL was the best cutoff for non-response prediction (accuracy of 74%, sensitivity of 35.3%, and specificity of 96.7%). Patients with E-cadherin-positive tumors showed a lower GH(2h) than those with E-cadherin-negative tumors [0.9 (0.3-2.1) vs 3.3 (1.5-12.1) ng/mL; p<0.01], and patients with positive E-cadherin presented a higher score of SSTR2 (7.5 +/- 4.2 vs 3.3 +/- 2.1; p=0.01).Conclusion: The sAOT is a good predictor tool for assessing response to SRLs and correlates with tumor E-cadherin and SSTR2 expression. Thus, it can be useful in clinical practice for therapeutic decision-making in patients with acromegaly

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO