Relación de los mecanismos inmunológicos del asma y la contaminación ambiental

Introducción. Se calcula que más de 300 millones de personas alrededor del mundo padecen asma y se estima que para el año 2025 esta cifra se incremente a 400 millones debido a los contaminantes criterio. Sin embargo, dadas sus limitaciones, los estudios epidemiológicos son controversiales sobre la contaminación y el desarrollo de asma.Objetivos. Describir las diferencias y similitudes de la respuesta inmunológica de pacientes asmáticos y los modelos animales de asma alérgica después de la exposición a contaminantes criterio y elementos biológicos, para así identificar los factores inmunológicos relacionados con el desarrollo de asma.Materiales y método. Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en las bases de datos sobre asma y los diferentes contaminantes criterio.Resultados. La respuesta Th2 es activada por la inhalación de ozono, dióxido de nitrógeno, azufre y la exposición aguda a material particulado, mientras que el contacto con ciertos tipos de pólenes y glucanos y la exposición crónica de partículas incrementa la respuesta Th1, la cual inhibe a la respuesta Th2 produciendo un “efecto protector”.Conclusiones. La respuesta Th1 podría causar baja o nula asociación entre la exposición a contaminación y el desarrollo de asma en las diferentes ciudades, adicionando de esta manera otra limitación a los estudios epidemiológicos.Introduction: More than 300 million people around the world suffer from asthma, and estimations indicate that this figure will increase to 400 million by 2025 due to criteria pollutants. However, given their limitations, epidemiological studies on pollution and its role in the development of asthma are controversial. Objectives: To describe the differences and similarities of the immunological response of asthmatic patients and animal models to allergic asthma after exposure to criteria pollutants and biological elements, in order to identify the immunological factors related to the development of asthma. Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted in asthma databases and criteria pollutants. Results: The Th2 response is activated by the inhalation of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur and acute exposure to particulate matter. On the other hand, contact with certain types of pollens and glucans and the chronic exposure of particles increases the Th1 response, which inhibits Th2 response producing a “protective effect”. Conclusions: Th1 response could cause low or no association between exposure to pollution and the development of asthma in different cities, which constitutes another limitation in epidemiological studies

Molecular Tools for Gene Analysis in Fission Yeast

Schizosaccharomyces pombe or fission yeast has been called micromammal due to the potential application of the knowledge derived from the yeast in the physiology of higher eukaryotes. Fission yeast has been consolidated as an excellent model for the study of highly conserved cellular processes. The possibility of using haploid or diploid strains facilitates the analysis of the dominant or recessive phenotype of an allele as well as its function, making it a model of first choice for the development of any investigation in eukaryotes cells. With a growing community that employs fission yeast as a model system for the study of numerous cellular processes, it has motivated the simultaneous development of molecular tools that facilitate the study of genes and proteins in the yeast. In this review, we present the most used molecular techniques in fission yeast for the analysis of genes, its characterization, as well as the determination of its function

Pollen morphology of the Ephedra (Ephedraceae) species distributed in Mexico

Antecedentes y Objetivos: El género Ephedra incluye aproximadamente 50 especies distribuidas en zonas semiáridas del mundo. En México se encuentran ocho: Ephedra antisyphilitica, E. aspera, E. californica, E. compacta, E. nevadensis, E. pedunculata, E. torreyana y E. trifurca. La falta de información detallada de la morfología del polen de las especies mexicanas actuales de Ephedra, ha dificultado la asignación de la afinidad botánica del polen fósil de Ephedripites. El objetivo de este trabajo fue caracterizar la morfología polínica de las ocho especies de Ephedra presentes en México y detectar las variables morfológicas distintivas de cada una. Métodos: Se revisaron ocho variables morfológicas del polen obtenido de ejemplares herborizados. Los granos de polen fueron acetolizados y examinados mediante microscopía fotónica y electrónica de barrido. Las variables fueron analizadas con técnicas estadísticas uni y multivariadas. Resultados clave: Las variables morfológicas distintivas fueron el número y distancia entre plicae, y forma de la plica y del pseudosulco. De estas, la distancia entre plicae comúnmente no se considera relevante en los estudios de morfología polínica de Ephedra. La forma del pseudosulco aporta más información referente a la variación morfológica del polen al vincularse con la presencia o ausencia de ramificaciones en el pseudosulco. Con base en las características polínicas, las especies estudiadas se agruparon en cuatro clases: I) E. aspera, E. compacta y E. pedunculata; II) E. californica y E. trifurca; III) E. antisyphilitica y E. torreyana; y IV) E. nevadensis. Conclusiones: Los métodos estadísticos multivariados permitieron analizar de manera conjunta caracteres cualitativos y cuantitativos del polen de las especies de Ephedra que hay en México. La agrupación en clases con base en su morfología polínica puede servir de referencia para asignar afinidades botánicas con especies actuales que tengan polen tipo Ephedroide, el cual ha sido registrado en algunas paleocuencas de México.Background and Aims: The Ephedra genus contains nearly 50 species distributed in semi-arid regions of the world. Mexico contains eight of these species: Ephedra antisyphilitica, E. aspera, E. californica, E. compacta, E. nevadensis, E. pedunculata, E. torreyana and E. trifurca. The botanical affinities of Ephedripites fossil pollen are difficult to assign due to lack of detailed data on pollen morphology of extant Ephedra species distributed in Mexico. The objective of this work was to characterize the pollen morphology of the eight Ephedra species distributed in Mexico as well as to detect the distinctive morphological variables of each species.Methods: Pollen grains were taken from herbarium specimens and processed with the acetolysis technique. Eight morphological variables were reviewed with both photonic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. All variables were analyzed with univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Key results: The variables of morphological importance were number of plicae and distance among plicae, and plica form and pseudosulcus form. Of these, the distance among plicae is not a variable commonly considered relevant in studies of pollen morphology of Ephedra. The pseudosulcus form accounted for the most pollen variation provided it is linked to presence or absence of pseudosulcus ramifications. Ephedra species were grouped into four classes: I) E. aspera, E. compacta and E. pedunculata; II) E. californica and E. trifurca; III) E. antisyphilitica and E. torreyana; and IV) E. nevadensis.Conclusions: Multivariate statistical methods allowed us to jointly analyze qualitative and quantitative characters of the pollen of the Ephedra species from Mexico and group them into classes based on their pollen morphology. This serves as a reference to assign botanical affinities with current species that have typical Ephedroid pollen recorded in some paleobasins of Mexico

Study of Cellular Processes in Higher Eukaryotes Using the Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a Model

Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Sz. pombe), or fission yeast, is an ascomycete unicellular fungus that has been used as a model system for studying diverse biological processes of higher eukaryotic cells, such as the cell cycle and the maintenance of cell shape, apoptosis, and ageing. Sz. pombe is a rod-shaped cell that grows by apical extension; it divides along the long axis by medial fission and septation. The fission yeast has a doubling time of 2–4 hours, it is easy and inexpensive to grow in simple culture conditions, and can be maintained in the haploid or the diploid state. Sz. pombe can be genetically manipulated using methods such as mutagenesis or gene disruption by homologous recombination. Fission yeast was defined as a micro-mammal because it shares many molecular, genetic, and biochemical features with cells of higher eukaryotes in mRNA splicing, post-translational modifications as N-glycosylation protein, cell-cycle regulation, nutrient-sensing pathways as the target of rapamycin (TOR) network, cAMP-PKA pathway, and autophagy. This chapter uses Sz. pombe as a useful model for studying important cellular processes that support life such as autophagy, apoptosis, and the ageing process. Therefore, the molecular analysis of these processes in fission yeast has the potential to generate new knowledge that could be applied to higher eukaryotes

Fortalecimiento del manejo y conservación de corales en Áreas Naturales Protegidas del Pacífico mexicano mediante una red colaborativa

Most of the coral communities of the Mexican Pacific Ocean are located in Natural Protected Areas (NPAs); nevertheless, they are in risk for climatic and anthropogenic threats. In order to promote the conservation of coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific Ocean, one has formed the Coral Conservation Network of the Mexican Pacific. The efforts of collaboration have focused on four principal axes a) strengthening of the management in NPAs, b) training and diffusion of good tourism practices, c) evaluation of the state of conservation of the coral reefs, and d) environmental sensitization. There has been achieved the publication and diffusion of the State of Conservation of the Corals of the Mexican Pacific, in which there are estimated the indicators of coral coverage, abundance and biomass of fish, abundance of invertebrates, and the calculation of the Integrated Index of Reef Health. These indicators reflect the management implemented in the ANPs, participants of these analyses; the utility of standardized protocols that allow comparisons in the time and between NPAs, as well as the need to carry out the monitoring, adapted to the region, and coherent with the capacities of the actors on each ANP. On the other hand, sensitization has been carried out on the importance and the threats towards the corals to persons of different sectors across campaigns of environmental sensitization that reached 5,000 students, as well as the distribution of 12,000 guides of the identification of species and good tourism practices in NPAs. These efforts have been important, nevertheless the creation and permanence of the Coral Conservation Network of the Mexican Pacific Ocean has been perhaps the most impactful achievement on management and conservation in the Region.La mayoría de las comunidades coralinas del Pacífico mexicano están ubicadas en Áreas Naturales Protegidas (ANPs); sin embargo, están en riesgo por amenazas climáticas y antropogénicas. Con el fin de promover la conservación de arrecifes de coral en el Pacífico mexicano, se ha formado la Red de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano. Los esfuerzos de colaboración se han enfocado en cuatro ejes principales a) fortalecimiento del manejo de ANPs, b) capacitación y difusión de buenas prácticas turísticas, c) evaluación del estado de conservación de los sistemas arrecifales, y d) sensibilización ambiental. Se ha logrado la publicación y difusión del Estado de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano, en el cual se estiman los indicadores de cobertura de coral, abundancia y biomasa de peces, abundancia de invertebrados y el cálculo del Índice Integrado de Salud Arrecifal. Estos indicadores reflejan las medidas de manejo en las ANPs que participaron, la utilidad de protocolos estandarizados que permiten realizar comparaciones en el tiempo y entre ANPs, así como la necesidad de llevar a cabo los monitoreos de forma adaptada a la región y congruente con las capacidades de los actores en cada ANP. Por otro lado, también se ha llevado a cabo la sensibilización sobre la importancia y las amenazas hacia los corales a personas de diferentes sectores, a través de campañas de sensibilización ambiental que han alcanzado 5,000 estudiantes, así como de la distribución de 12,000 guías de identificación de especies y buenas prácticas turísticas en ANPs. Estos esfuerzos han sido importantes, sin embargo la creación y permanencia de la Red de Conservación de los Corales del Pacífico mexicano ha sido quizás el mayor logro de manejo y conservación en la Región

Relation of Immunologic Mechanism of Asthma and Air Pollution

Introduction: More than 300 million people around the world suffer from asthma, and estimations indicate that this figure will increase to 400 million by 2025 due to criteria pollutants. However, given their limitations, epidemiological studies on pollution and its role in the development of asthma are controversial.   Objectives: To describe the differences and similarities of the immunological response of asthmatic patients and animal models to allergic asthma after exposure to criteria pollutants and biological elements, in order to identify the immunological factors related to the development of asthma.   Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted in asthma databases and criteria pollutants.   Results: The Th2 response is activated by the inhalation of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur and acute exposure to particulate matter. On the other hand, contact with certain types of pollens and glucans and the chronic exposure of particles increases the Th1 response, which inhibits Th2 response producing a “protective effect”.   Conclusions: Th1 response could cause low or no association between exposure to pollution and the development of asthma in different cities, which constitutes another limitation in epidemiological studies

Sampling and composition of airborne particulate matter (PM10) from two locations of Mexico City

The PM10 airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm is considered as a risk factor of various adverse health outcomes, including lung cancer. Here we described the sampling and composition of PM10 collected from an industrial zone (IZ), and a commercial zone (CZ) of Mexico City. The PM10 was collected with a high-volume sampler in the above mentioned locations and both types of PM10 sampled were characterized by the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and endotoxin. The endotoxin PM10 content from IZ and CZ displayed 138.4 UE/mg and 170.4 UE/mg of PM10, respectively