La Ingeniería Automotriz clave para el desarrollo sostenible de Ecuador

El presente texto es una contribución al desarrollo de la sostenibilidad ecuatoriana y mantiene el debate sobre temas del estudio de la Ingeniería Automotriz. El mérito del libro radica en una triple condición: alimenta la investigación académica ecuatoriana, contribuye a llenar el vacío de producción científica automotriz direccionada a las necesidades del Ecuador y reconoce el esfuerzo de los investigadores que se dedican a la producción académica técnica. La Universidad Politécnica Salesiana —en su sede Guayaquil— realizó en 2018, las Segundas Jornadas Científicas de Ingeniería Automotriz; este texto es el producto final de ese evento académico, cuyas memorias técnicas son constituidas por ocho resultados de investigaciones en Ingeniería Automotriz que aportarán desarrollo sostenible al Ecuador en áreas como: el diseño, el control de contaminación, la eficiencia energética y la movilidad. Este recorrido por varias ramas de la Ingeniería Automotriz muestra al lector múltiples aplicaciones y cambios de paradigmas en la industria; no somos solamente consumidores de tecnología, somos también productores de la misma. Este texto da cuenta del desarrollo de la industria automotriz ecuatoriana. Ing. Renato Fierro J. MSc

Comorbilidades en pacientes ecuatorianos con artritis reumatoide

Introducción: La Artritis Reumatoide (AR) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica caracterizada por producir compromiso poliarticular y gran discapacidad en el paciente. En promedio un paciente con AR presenta aproximadamente 1.6 comorbilidades, siendo mayor a medida que aumenta la edad. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal descriptivo de selección de pacientes con diagnóstico establecido de artritis reumatoide, que además acudían a consultorios públicos o privados de reumatología en la ciudad de Guayaquil, Ecuador. La selección se llevó a cabo mediante criterios de inclusión y exclusión. Resultados: Se analizaron 400 pacientes con diagnóstico establecido de AR, más del 50% de los participantes demostró tener alguna comorbilidad, las más frecuentes fueron: dislipidemias (55%), enfermedad gástrica (28%), hipertensión arterial (24%), obesidad y depresión (20%), seguidas de enfermedad tiroidea (15%), alergias (11%), hipertransaminasemia (10%), anemia (9%) y diabetes mellitus (7%). Conclusión: Los pacientes con AR tienen múltiples comorbilidades. Este es el primer estudio descriptivo de comorbilidades en sujetos con artritis reumatoide en Ecuador.

Interferon-β alleviates delayed tPA-induced adverse effects via modulation of MMP3/9 production in ischemic stroke

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved drug for ischemic stroke. However, delayed tPA administration is associated with increased risk of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and hemorrhagic transformation (HT). Interferon-β (IFNβ), an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, is a cytokine with immunomodulatory properties. Previous studies, including ours, demonstrated that IFNβ or type I IFN receptor signaling conferred protection against ischemic stroke in preclinical models, suggesting IFNβ might have translational therapeutic potential for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Currently, whether IFNβ could be coadministered with tPA to alleviate delayed tPA-induced adverse effects remains unknown. To elucidate that, IFNβ was coadministered with delayed tPA to ischemic stroke animals, and the severity and pathology of ischemic brain injury were assessed. We found delayed tPA treatment exacerbated ischemic brain injury, manifested by aggravated BBB disruption and HT. Notably, IFNβ ameliorated delayed tPA–exacerbated brain injury and alleviated adverse effects. Mechanistic studies revealed IFNβ suppressed tPA-enhanced neuroinflammation and MMP3/9 production in the ischemic brain. Furthermore, we identified IFNβ suppressed MMP9 production in microglia and attenuated tight junction protein degradation in brain endothelial cells. Moreover, we observed that peripheral immune cells may participate to a lesser extent in delayed tPA–exacerbated brain injury during the early phase of ischemic stroke. In conclusion, we provide the first evidence that IFNβ can be coadministered with tPA to mitigate delayed tPA–induced adverse effects of BBB disruption and HT that could potentially extend the tPA therapeutic window for the treatment of ischemic stroke

Human Brucellosis in Northwest Ecuador: Typifying Brucella spp., Seroprevalence, and Associated Risk Factors

Human brucellosis in Ecuador is underreported and based only on passive surveillance. Since 2008, brucellosis was removed from the list of communicable diseases in the country. Until now, the true human brucellosis picture has not yet been determined. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of the disease, identify risk factors associated with brucellosis seropositivity in humans, and isolate circulating strains of Brucella spp. in the northwestern part of Ecuador. Between 2006 and 2008, a large transect survey was conducted, based on blood sampling of people from the northwestern part of Ecuador (n=3733) together with an epidemiological inquiry. On the basis of three diagnostic tests used in parallel, the overall seroprevalence was estimated as 1.88% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-2.38). Based on a multivariable random effects logistic regression analysis, the main risk factors associated with human brucellosis seropositivity were contact with livestock (odds ratio [OR]=3.0; CI 1.25-7.08), consumption of fetus and placenta (OR=2.5; CI 1.18-5.22), and involvement in activities at risk for brucellosis infection (OR=1.8; CI 1.00-3.35). Noticeable variation in brucellosis seropositivity among humans within cantons was observed. The circulating strain was Brucella abortus biotype 4. This study emphasized that contact with livestock, consumption of fetus and placenta, and occupational hazard group were all significant risk factors for the transmission of brucellosis among individuals in the northwestern part of Ecuador. Alongside encouraging the launching of educational campaigns against brucellosis, especially in rural areas where 36% of the population lives, controlling this zoonotic disease in animals will directly benefit its prevention in humans, especially because there is no safe and efficacious vaccine against brucellosis in humans