Endoscopic ultrasound-guided injection of coils for the treatment of refractory post-ERCP bleeding

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The potential role of the adipokine HMGB1 in obesity and insulin resistance. Novel effects on adipose tissue biology

Discovery of the adipose tissue as a major source of signaling molecules almost three decades ago set a novel physiological paradigm that paved the way for the identification of metabolic organs as endocrine organs. Adipocytes, the main adipose tissue cell type, do not only represent the principal site of energy storage in form of triglycerides, but also produce a variety of molecules for short and long distance intercellular communication, named adipokines, which coordinate systemic responses. Although the best known adipokines identified and characterized hitherto are leptin and adiponectin, novel adipokines are continuously being described, what have significantly helped to elucidate the role of adipocyte biology in obesity and associated comorbidities. One of these novel adipokines is high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a ubiquitous nuclear protein that has been recently reported to be dysregulated in obese dysfunctional adipocytes. Although the classical function of HMGB1 is related to inflammation and immunity, acting as an alarmin, novel advances evidence an active implication of HMGB1 in tissue remodeling and fibrosis. This review summarizes the current evidence on the mechanisms controlling HMGB1 release, as well as its role as a regulator of adipocyte function and extracellular matrix remodeling, with special emphasis on the potential of this novel adipokine as a target in the obesity treatment

Proteasome Dysfunction Associated to Oxidative Stress and Proteotoxicity in Adipocytes Compromises Insulin Sensitivity in Human Obesity

AIMS: Obesity is characterized by a low-grade systemic inflammatory state and adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction, which predispose individuals to the development of insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic disease. However, a subset of obese individuals, referred to as metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals, are protected from obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities. Here, we aim at identifying molecular factors and pathways in adipocytes that are responsible for the progression from the insulin-sensitive to the insulin-resistant, metabolically unhealthy obese (MUHO) phenotype. RESULTS: Proteomic analysis of paired samples of adipocytes from subcutaneous (SC) and omental (OM) human AT revealed that both types of cells are altered in the MUHO state. Specifically, the glutathione redox cycle and other antioxidant defense systems as well as the protein-folding machinery were dysregulated and endoplasmic reticulum stress was increased in adipocytes from IR subjects. Moreover, proteasome activity was also compromised in adipocytes of MUHO individuals, which was associated with enhanced accumulation of oxidized and ubiquitinated proteins in these cells. Proteasome activity was also impaired in adipocytes of diet-induced obese mice and in 3T3-L1 adipocytes exposed to palmitate. In line with these data, proteasome inhibition significantly impaired insulin signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. INNOVATION: This study provides the first evidence of the occurrence of protein homeostasis deregulation in adipocytes in human obesity, which, together with oxidative damage, interferes with insulin signaling in these cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that proteasomal dysfunction and impaired proteostasis in adipocytes, resulting from protein oxidation and/or misfolding, constitute major pathogenic mechanisms in the development of IR in obesity.IMIBIC/Universidad de Córdoba-SCAI (ProteoRed, PRB2-ISCIII)MINECO/FEDERJunta de Andalucía/FEDERCIBERobn(Instituto de Salud Carlos III

CROMOSOMAS, LESIÓN DEL ADN Y MALFORMACIÓN NUCLEAR EN LA TORTUGA DULCEACUÍCOLA KINOSTERNON LEUCOSTOMUM (TESTUDINES: KINOSTERNIDAE)

Kinosternon leucostomum is one of the common freshwater turtles in Tabasco State, Mexico. However, studies of this species are limited for this region. The pollution in aquatic ecosystems from Tabasco is increasing and the effects on wildlife have not been properly made. Therefore, a chromosomic study and DNA lesion and nuclear malformation was performed in K. leucostomum from Tabasco. The karyotype in the turtle K. leucostomum is 34 msm/A + 22 T/C(2n=56 chromosomes). Also, intracellular malformations were identified: Chromosomes and DNA damage (micronucleus), binucleated cells, trinucleated cells, tetranucleated cells, cells in apoptosis and nucleoplasmic bridge, in irregular proportions. The probable origin of cell disorders is due to the presence of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems from Tabasco.La especie Kinosternon leucostomum, es una de las tortugas dulceacuícolas comunes del estado de Tabasco, México. Sin embargo, los estudios en esta especie son escasos para esta región. La contaminación en los ecosistemas acuáticos de Tabasco están aumentando cada vez más, y los efectos a la fauna silvestre no se han realizado adecuadamente. Por ello, se realizó un estudio cromosómico, de lesión de ADN y malformación nuclear en la especie K. leucostomum de Tabasco. El cariotipo en la tortuga K. leucostomum fue 34 msm/A + 22 T/C (2n=56 cromosomas). También, se identificaron malformaciones intracelulares: lesión del ADN y cromosomas (micronúcleos), células binucleadas, células trinucleadas, células tetranucleadas, células en apoptosis y puentes nucleoplásmicos, en proporciones irregulares. El origen probable de las alteraciones celulares es debido a la presencia de contaminantes en los ecosistemas acuáticos de Tabasco

Effective interactions of colloids on nematic films

The elastic and capillary interactions between a pair of colloidal particles trapped on top of a nematic film are studied theoretically for large separations $d$. The elastic interaction is repulsive and of quadrupolar type, varying as $d^{-5}$. For macroscopically thick films, the capillary interaction is likewise repulsive and proportional to $d^{-5}$ as a consequence of mechanical isolation of the system comprised of the colloids and the interface. A finite film thickness introduces a nonvanishing force on the system (exerted by the substrate supporting the film) leading to logarithmically varying capillary attractions. However, their strength turns out to be too small to be of importance for the recently observed pattern formation of colloidal droplets on nematic films.Comment: 13 pages, accepted by EPJ

The Minimum-Uncertainty Squeezed States for for Atoms and Photons in a Cavity

We describe a six-parameter family of the minimum-uncertainty squeezed states for the harmonic oscillator in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. They are derived by the action of corresponding maximal kinematical invariance group on the standard ground state solution. We show that the product of the variances attains the required minimum value 1/4 only at the instances that one variance is a minimum and the other is a maximum, when the squeezing of one of the variances occurs. The generalized coherent states are explicitly constructed and their Wigner function is studied. The overlap coefficients between the squeezed, or generalized harmonic, and the Fock states are explicitly evaluated in terms of hypergeometric functions. The corresponding photons statistics are discussed and some applications to quantum optics, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and superfocusing in channeling scattering are mentioned. Explicit solutions of the Heisenberg equations for radiation field operators with squeezing are found.Comment: 27 pages, no figures, 174 references J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys., Special Issue celebrating the 20th anniversary of quantum state engineering (R. Blatt, A. Lvovsky, and G. Milburn, Guest Editors), May 201

Ethnicity and health policy : Building equitable solutions in the face of ethnic inequalities

Fundamentos: La evidencia pone de manifiesto la importancia de abordar la etnicidad en relación a los determinantes sociales de la salud para el logro progresivo del acceso universal a la salud y la cobertura universal en salud. Esto implica que todas las personas y las comunidades tengan acceso, sin discriminación alguna, a servicios integrales de salud adecuados, oportunos, de calidad, a la vez que se asegura que el uso de esos servicios no expone a los usuarios a dificultades financieras. La Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS/OMS) reconoció la necesidad de un compromiso político y marco estratégico consensuado para avanzar hacia la equidad en salud, elaborando la primera política sobre etnicidad y salud para las Américas aprobada por los ministerios de salud en septiembre de 2017 durante la 29ª Conferencia Sanitaria Panamericana. Esta política, impulsada por la OPS/ OMS, que incluye la etnicidad como uno de sus cuatro ejes transversales de trabajo, está alineada con importantes compromisos globales, incluida la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible. El presente artículo presenta la forma como se elaboró esta política, y los desafíos para su implementación. Dicha política tiene en cuenta la necesidad de trabajar en conjunto y reorientar los servicios de salud con un enfoque intercultural para mejorar las condiciones de salud de los pueblos indígenas, los afrodescendientes, los romaníes y otros grupos étnicos que coexisten en la región de las Américas y que, en muchas ocasiones, presentan resultados de salud más desfavorables que el resto de la población. Conclusiones: Con la aprobación de esta política, la región de las Américas se convierte en la primera región de la OMS en dar respuesta a la necesidad de adoptar un abordaje intercultural, en el contexto de los determinantes sociales de la salud, considerando las desigualdades de género que interaccionan con las de etnicidad, las diferencias en acceso a la salud a través del curso de vida, la promoción y el respeto de los derechos individuales y, para los pueblos indígenas, de los derechos colectivos.Background: The evidence highlights the importance of working with ethnicity in relation to the social determinants of health for the progressive achievement of universal access to health and universal health coverage. This implies that all people and communities have access, without any kind of discrimination, to comprehensive, appropriate and timely, quality health services, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose users to financial hardship. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) recognized the need for a political commitment and a consensual strategic framework to advance towards equity in health. As a result, in a participatory way, the first policy on ethnicity and health was elaborated and approved by the Ministries of Health in September 2017 during the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference. This policy, promoted by PAHO / WHO, includes ethnicity as one of its four cross cutting themes for work, aligned with important global commitments, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This article presents the way in which this political proposal was elaborated, and the challenges for its implementation. This policy takes into account the need to work together and reorient health services with an intercultural approach in order to improve the health conditions of indigenous peoples, afro-descendants, Roma people and other ethnic groups that coexist in the Americas region, who present health results more unfavorable than the rest of the population. Conclusions: With the approval of the policy, the Americas becomes the first region of WHO to respond to the need to adopt an intercultural approach in the context of the social determinants of health. This is done by taking into account the gender and ethnic inequalities that interact, the differences in access to health throughout the life course, as well as the promotion and respect of individual rights and, in the case of indigenous peoples, collective rights

Brucella ceti infection in dolphins from the Western Mediterranean sea

Background: Brucella ceti infections have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. Brucellosis in these animals is associated with meningoencephalitis, abortion, discospondylitis’, subcutaneous abscesses, endometritis and other pathological conditions B. ceti infections have been frequently described in dolphins from both, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the Mediterranean Sea, only two reports have been made: one from the Italian Tyrrhenian Sea and the other from the Adriatic Sea. Results: We describe the clinical and pathological features of three cases of B. ceti infections in three dolphins stranded in the Mediterranean Catalonian coast. One striped dolphin had neurobrucellosis, showing lethargy, incoordination and lateral swimming due to meningoencephalitis, A B. ceti infected bottlenose dolphin had discospondylitis, and another striped dolphin did not show clinical signs or lesions related to Brucella infection. A detailed characterization of the three B. ceti isolates was performed by bacteriological, molecular, protein and fatty acid analyses. Conclusions: All the B. ceti strains originating from Mediterranean dolphins cluster together in a distinct phylogenetic clade, close to that formed by B. ceti isolates from dolphins inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean. Our study confirms the severity of pathological signs in stranded dolphins and the relevance of B. ceti as a pathogen in the Mediterranean Sea

Evaluation of the antioxidant activity from bovine serum albumin protein fractions

Objective:  Evaluate the antioxidant activity of protein fractions obtained from (bovine serum albumin) BSA protein hydrolysates. Design / methodology / approach: Bioinformatics tools, such as the NCBI database, were used to search for primary sequences of BSA proteins. The methodology included a prediction of peptides with antioxidant activity through various bioinformatics servers. The antioxidant activity was determined by different methods. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate possible significant differences using the Student Newman Keulls test for group comparison. Results: Through in silica hydrolysis the following peptides were found: valine-alanine-phenylalanine (VAF), lysine-tryptophan (KW), phenylalanine-tyrosine (FY), alanine-proline (AP), among others that may have antioxidant activity. The results showed that the fraction <1 kDa hydrolyzed with chymotrypsin, this fraction showed 84% copper chelation, 61% iron chelation, while 75% inhibition of the DPPH radical. In the case of the fraction <1 kDa hydrolyzed with pepsin, it only showed 16% iron chelation, while in the other methods no value was detected. Study limitations / implications: The enzyme used for enzymatic hydrolysis generates low degrees of hydrolysis and generates oligopeptide dipeptides that may not be as like some of the tested methods, in addition to the protein concentration in the fraction <1 kDa with pepsin it had very low values that could not be detected by some antioxidant methods. Findings / conclusions: The antioxidant activity of the <1 kDa fraction obtained with chymotrypsin showed greater antioxidant and chelating activity, compared to the <1 kDa fraction obtained with pepsin. However, at the concentration of 2% and 5% fluctuations are observed in both fractions, because probably the composition of amino acids that is present in both fractions determines the activity in each of the tested method

Serological survey of enzootic bovine leukemia in the principal province of the of dairy zone of the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Con el objetivo de investigar la seroprevalencia de Leucosis Enzoótica Bovina (LEB) en la cuenca lechera del departamento de Santa Cruz - Bolivia, se procesaron 1769 sueros de bovinos hembras, mayores de dos años, de diferentes razas existentes en la región, durante los meses de Abril a Septiembre 2009, pertenecientes a 94 unidades productivas (tambos) distribuidas en cinco provincias del departamento (Andrés Ibáñez, Warnes, Ichilo Obispo Santistevan y Sara). La técnica serológica utilizada fue inmunodifusión en gel de agar. Los resultados se interpretaron de acuerdo a las variables: provincia, raza y edad. Los datos fueron analizados mediante la prueba de x2 y Fisher. Sobre el total de animales muestrea- dos, 492 de las muestras fueron positivos, lo cual representa una prevalencia del 27,81%. La mayor seroprevalencia fue encontrada en las provincia Obispo Santistevan (52,50%) y Warnes (38,44%), observándose diferencias significativas (p0.05). No se encontraron diferencias significativas de seroprevalencia asociadas a las variables raza y edad (p>0.05). Ningún animal se evidenció sintomatología clínica compatible con la enfermedad.During the months of April to September 2009, 1769 serum samples from cows over two years old, from different races belonging to 94 productive units in five provinces of the department (Andrés Ibáñez, Warnes, Ichilo Obispo Santistevan and Sara) were processed in order to investigate the seroprevalence of Enzootic Bovine Leukosis (EBL) in the milk basin of the department of Santa Cruz - Bolivia. The serological technique used in this study was agar gel immunodiffusion. The results were interpreted according to the variables: province, race and age. The data were analyzed by x2 and Fisher test. Over all animals sampled, 492 samples were positive to ELB, representing a prevalence of 27,81%. The higher prevalence was found in the provinces of Obispo Santistevan (52,50%) and Warnes (38,44%), showing significan! differences (p 0.05).There were no significant differences in seroprevalence associated with race and age variables (p > 0.05). No animals showed clinical symptoms compatible with the disease.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria