Why Should Growth Hormone (GH) Be Considered a Promising Therapeutic Agent for Arteriogenesis? Insights from the GHAS Trial

Despite the important role that the growth hormone (GH)/IGF-I axis plays in vascular homeostasis, these kind of growth factors barely appear in articles addressing the neovascularization process. Currently, the vascular endothelium is considered as an authentic gland of internal secretion due to the wide variety of released factors and functions with local effects, including the paracrine/autocrine production of GH or IGF-I, for which the endothelium has specific receptors. In this comprehensive review, the evidence involving these proangiogenic hormones in arteriogenesis dealing with the arterial occlusion and making of them a potential therapy is described. All the elements that trigger the local and systemic production of GH/IGF-I, as well as their possible roles both in physiological and pathological conditions are analyzed. All of the evidence is combined with important data from the GHAS trial, in which GH or a placebo were administrated to patients suffering from critical limb ischemia with no option for revascularization. We postulate that GH, alone or in combination, should be considered as a promising therapeutic agent for helping in the approach of ischemic disease

The Role of Growth Hormone on Ovarian Functioning and Ovarian Angiogenesis

Although not yet well-understood, today it is clear that Growth Hormone (GH) exerts a relevant role in the regulation of ovulation and fertility; in fact, fertility is lower in women with GH deficiency (GHD), and GH receptors (GHR) and GH mRNA have been found in the ovary since the onset of follicular development in humans. However, despite the strong evidence of GH in the regulation of fertility, many aspects of GH actions at this level are still not well-established, and it is likely that some controversial data depend on the species analyzed, the dose of the hormone and the duration of use of GH. Folliculogenesis, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation and maintenance are processes that are critically dependent on angiogenesis. In the ovary, new blood vessel formation facilitates oxygen, nutrients, and hormone substrate delivery, and also secures transfer of different hormones to targeted cells. Some growth factors and hormones overlap their actions in order to control the angiogenic process for fertility. However, we still know very little about the factors that play a critical role in the vascular changes that occur during folliculogenesis or luteal regression. To promote and maintain the production of VEGF-A in granulosa cells, the effects of local factors such as IGF-I and steroids are needed; that VEGF-A-inducing effect cannot be induced by luteinizing hormone (LH) or chorionic gonadotropin (CG) alone. As a result of the influences that GH exerts on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, facilitating the release of gonadotropins, and given the relationship between GH and local ovarian factors such as VEGF-A, FGF-2, IGF-1, or production of sex steroids, we assume that GH has to be a necessary factor in ovarian angiogenesis, as it happens in other vascular beds. In this review we will discuss the actions of GH in the ovary, most of them likely due to the local production of the hormone and its mediators

Sobre la presencia de Sternbergial Lutea (L.) Ker-Gawler (Amaryllidaceae) en extremadura

On the presence of Sternbergia iutea (L.) Ker-Gawler (Amaryllidaceae) in Extremadura. Palabras clave. Sternbergia, Amaryllidaceae, corología, Extremadura, España. Key words. Stern bergia, Amaryllidaceae, chorology, Extremadura, Spain

Gomphocarpus R. Br. (Apocynaceae sufma. Asclepiadoideae) en Andalucía Occidental

Se da a conocer la presencia en Andalucía Occidental de Gomphocarpus physocarpus E. Mey., un neófi to originario del E y S de África. Se comenta la fenología de la fl oración y fructifi cación, así como la capacidad de dispersión de las plantas en las poblaciones naturalizadas, y se comparan con las de G. fruticosus (L.) T.W. Aiton, también presente en el territorio. Se discute el carácter invasor de las tres especies de Asclepiadaceae citadas en el texto.In this article the neophyte Gomphocarpus physocarpus E.Mey., widely distributed in SE Africa, is fi rst cited in western Andalucía (southern Spain). The flowering and fruit ripening phenology and dispersal potential of plants in different naturalized populations are described and compared with that of G. fruticosus (L.) T.W. Aiton also present in this territory. The invasive potential of the three Asclepiadaceae species here considered is also discussed.Fundación MIGRE

Checklist de Festuca L. (Poaceae) en la Península Ibérica

Se ha elaborado una checklist actualizada del género Festuca en la Pe¬nínsula Ibérica. El catálogo incluye 73 especies, que suman 98 taxones si se consideran las subespecies y variedades, de los que casi el 40% son endémicos del territorio. Para cada taxón se recoge el nombre válido y las sinonimias más importantes, la indicación locotípica, el número cromosómico, las características ecológicas, la distribución general y en el territorio, y la información bibliográfica de interés. Además, se recogen en varios apéndices los nombres sin asignación, los híbridos interespecíficos detectados en el territorio, los híbridos intergenéricos conocidos, los taxones excluidos provisionamente y aquellos cuya presencia es probable en el territorio.Checklist of Festuca L. (Poaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula. We present an updated checklist of the genus Festuca in the Iberian Peninsula. The catalogue includes 73 species, suming up 98 taxa considering infraspecific taxa (subspecies and varieties). Of them, approximately 40% are endemic to the region. Information about the valid name and the most important synonyms, the locus classicus reference, the chromosome number, the ecology, the global and regional geographical distributions, and the most relevant bibliographic references is provided for each taxon. Additional information on the taxa without clear taxonomic assignation, the interspecific hybrids detected in the territory, the described intergeneric hybrids, and the taxa provisionally excluded from the Iberian checklist and those that could be present in the Iberian Peninsula is indicated in the appendices

Contribución al conocimiento florístico de las Sierras de Algeciras (Cádiz, España)

A number of 745 taxa are indicated from mountains near Algeciras (Cádiz), withais- tribution in this area, abundance and flowering date.Se relaciona un total de 745 taxones para las sierras cercanas a la población de Algeciras (Cádiz), de las que se indica su distribución en la zona, abundancia y época de floración

Accuracy of a method based on atomic absorption spectrometry to determine inorganic arsenic in food : Outcome of the collaborative trial IMEP-41

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