Cytological effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields and static magnetic fields induced by a therapeutic device on in vivo exposed rats

Background: There is a trend towards the use of magnetic fields in medicine. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) technology was based upon 20 years of fundamental studies on the electromechanical properties of bone and other connective tissues. More recently, these magnetic fields have been used to treat several health conditions. There remains continuing concern that exposure to electromagnetic devices may cause adverse effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cytological effects induced in rats exposed in a patented medical device that uses PEMFs combined with static magnetic fields (SMFs).Material and Methods: Thirty sexually mature 14-week-old male and female Sprague Dawley rats were distributed into three groups: (a) 5 males and 5 females (independently) exposed to PEMFs combined with SMFs, (b) animals treated with SMFs only, and (c) non-exposed animals. Acridine orange fluorescent-staining micronucleus test and male germ cells analysis were performed according to standardized techniques.Results: A lack of evidence for alterations on micronucleus frequency, on polychromatic erythrocytes percentage, and on sperm counts and morphological characteristics of male germ cells were found in mature rats exposed to PEMFs medical device compared to non-exposed animals.Conclusions: This study suggests that the applied magnetic field generated in a therapeutic device did not have any detectable cytotoxic or genotoxic effect in exposed rats. In view of these findings and the contradictory reports in the literature, it is necessary to carry out more research to help clarify the controversy concerning cytogenotoxic risk associated with therapeutic magnetic fields exposures.Keywords: Cytotoxicity, pulsed electromagnetic fields, static magnetic fields, micronuclei, sperm abnormalitie

Anti-giardia activity of hexane extract of Citrus aurantifolia (Christim) swingle and some of its constituents

Background: Giardia lamblia is a parasite that causes giardiasis in humans and other mammals. The common treatment includes different drugs, which were described to produce unpleasant side effects. Citrus aurantifolia, popularly known as “lima”, is a plant used in 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.Materials and Methods: A hexanic extract obtained from fresh fruit peels of Citrus aurantifolia was tested on G. lamblia strain 0989:IMSS trophozoites cultured in TYI-S-33 medium. The concentration of all standard drugs, analyzed by gas chromatography, was adjusted at 10 mg/mL. Metronidazole was used as a positive control. Growth inhibition was determined by counting the number of trophozoites using a Neubauer chamber. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of each drug was calculated by probit analysis and 95% confidence limits were calculated.Results: 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 hr of incubation, respectively. When these results were compared with a positive control of metronidazole; 4-hexen-3-one was 66 times; citral was 112 and geraniol was 441 times less active respectively. The other tested compounds did not inhibit the growth of cultured G. lamblia trophozoites.Conclusion: The obtained results lead us to propose that these tested compounds from C. aurantifolia have potential for use as therapeutic agents against giardiasis.Keywords: antigiardial ; Citrus aurantifolia; antiprotozoal activity; Giardia lambli

Genotoxicity by Electromagnetic Fields

Modern life implies a constant exposure of living organisms to many sources of radiation, especially electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by our technological devices. The question of whether or not EMFs in the non-ionizing extremely low frequency (ELF) range can induce genotoxic effects is currently a subject of interest. People of industrialized societies are commonly exposed to EMFs and waves in a very broad range of frequencies, including power lines, telecommunications, and domestic and industrial equipment. In this review, we present controversial evidence from our research group and others of genotoxicity induced by ELF-EMFs, since scientific community consider EMF devices produce marginal amounts of energy, which does not justify any DNA alterations, together with conflicting laboratory results and few epidemiological studies. However, in 2002 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized ELF-EMFs as being potential carcinogenic and genotoxic agents to humans. The aim of the present chapter is to discuss the role of ELM-EMFs on human genotoxicity

Extensión del estudio de sequías hidrológicas a la región NOA y Cuyo de la República Argentina

Fil: Díaz, H. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Heredia, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Fil: García, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Fil: Rodríguez, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Dölling, O. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Departamento de Ingeniería Civil; Argentina.Fil: Moya, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Bertoni, J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Las sequías son fenómenos complejos que afectan el desarrollo y aprovechamiento de los recursos hídricos en una misma región. En virtud de ello en este trabajo se abordó la identificación y caracterización de sequías desde el punto de vista hidrológico, con el fin de obtener el máximo aprovechamiento de las informaciones referidas a caudales anuales. Este estudio comprende un área de 13 cuencas hidrográficas argentinas (Río Colorado, Río Mendoza, Río San Juan, Río Ctalamochita, Río Anisacate, Río Xanaes, Río Suquía, Río Dulce, Río Juramento, Río Salado, Río Paraná, Río Bermejo y Río Pilcomayo). El objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido identificar y caracterizar temporal y espacialmente sequías hidrológicas para evaluar la disponibilidad hídrica regional, que es una componente esencial en la planificación del agua. El período de análisis seleccionado está comprendido entre los años 1906 y 2013. La metodología empleada responde a la definición de Yevjevich (1967), según la cual, dada una serie cronológica que representa la oferta de agua y otra la demanda, una sucesión de períodos en que la oferta no satisface la demanda puede considerarse como una sequía. Las sequías detectadas en cada zona han sido caracterizadas en cuanto a sus propiedades de duración, magnitud, intensidad media y máxima. Se observó un marcado agrupamiento espacial y temporal de los periodos de excesos y déficit hídricos en la región de estudio.http://www.CongresoLatinoamericanodeHidraulica.htmlFil: Díaz, H. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Heredia, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Fil: García, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Fil: Rodríguez, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Dölling, O. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Departamento de Ingeniería Civil; Argentina.Fil: Moya, G. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Hidráulica; Argentina.Fil: Bertoni, J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. CETA; Argentina.Otras Ingeniería Civi

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum