Periodontal disease and inflammatory blood cytokines in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Periodontal disease has been associated with elevations of blood cytokines involved in atherosclerosis in systemically healthy individuals, but little is known about this association in stable cardiovascular patients. The aim of this study was to assess the association between periodontal disease (exposure) and blood cytokine levels (outcomes) in a target population of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Material and Methods This cross-sectional study included 91 patients with stable CAD who had been under optimized cardiovascular care. Blood levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were measured by Luminex technology. A full-mouth periodontal examination was conducted to record probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment (CA) loss. Multiple linear regression models, adjusting for gender, body mass index, oral hypoglycemic drugs, smoking, and occurre:nce of acute myocardial infarction were applied. Results CAD patients that experienced major events had higher concentrations of IFN-γ (median: 5.05 pg/mL vs. 3.01 pg/mL; p=0.01), IL-10 (median: 2.33 pg/mL vs. 1.01 pg/mL; p=0.03), and TNF-α (median: 9.17 pg/mL vs. 7.47 pg/mL; p=0.02). Higher numbers of teeth with at least 6 mm of CA loss (R2=0.07) and PD (R2=0.06) were significantly associated with higher IFN-γ log concentrations. Mean CA loss (R2=0.05) and PD (R2=0.06) were significantly related to IL-10 concentrations. Elevated concentrations of TNF-α were associated with higher mean CA loss (R2=0.07). Conclusion Periodontal disease is associated with increased systemic inflammation in stable cardiovascular patients. These findings provide additional evidence supporting the idea that periodontal disease can be a prognostic factor in cardiovascular patients

Importancia de la citología exfoliativa en el diagnóstico de lesiones bucales

Toda patología comienza a nivel celular presentando cambios morfológicos o funcionales, por lo que es de suma importancia el empleo de técnicas que permitan la observación de dichos cambios y lleven a un diagnóstico certero y por ende a un adecuado tratamiento. La citología exfoliativa es un procedimiento simple e incruento que ha sido objeto de controversia sobre su validez real en patología oral. En los últimos tiempos ha resurgido en base a su aplicación en el precáncer y el cáncer oral, tanto como metodología diagnóstica como predictiva y para la monitorización de los pacientes. Actualmente el diagnóstico a través de la citología se ha traducido en el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas como las preparaciones de base líquida, el uso de esta técnica es considerada como una herramienta auxiliar para el diagnóstico de lesiones de la mucosa bucal y actualmente ha despertado un renovado interés por su aplicación en técnicas de biología molecular

Selección de Levaduras Resistentes al Estrés del Proceso Fermentativo y Caracterización de la Fisiología de su Crecimiento

El objetivo de este estudio fue aislar del lactosuero cepas de Kluyveromyces marxianus tolerantes a factores de estrés del proceso de fermentación para la obtención de etanol y obtener biomasa para la producción del mismo. Se analizaron 11 muestras de lactosuero, las cuales fueron enriquecidas con cloranfenicol para inhibir el crecimiento bacteriano, luego se llevaron a cabo diluciones en buffer fosfato salino que fueron sembradas en placas con medio conteniendo lactosa como única fuente de carbono y rojo de fenol como indicador de los microorganismos que la utilizan. Se seleccionaron las levaduras fermentadoras de lactosa. La identificación a nivel de especie se realizó por técnicas moleculares amplificando la región ITS1 (5,8S) ITS2. Se realizaron ensayos de tolerancia a altas temperaturas, bajo pH y altas concentraciones de etanol. La producción de biomasa se realizó en biorreactor. Se obtuvieron 16 aislados del lactosuero. Se identificaron 3 cepas de K. marxianus tolerantes a los factores de estrés. La cepa K. marxianus L31 fue seleccionada para la obtención de biomasa. En futuros estudios se debería determinar la producción de etanol por la cepa seleccionada usando como fuente de carbono el lactosuero

Do ecosystem insecurity and social vulnerability lead to failure of water security?

Achieving water security for humans and ecosystems is a pervasive challenge globally. Extensive areas of the Americas are at significant risk of water insecurity, resulting from global-change processes coupled with regional and local impacts. Drought, flooding, and water quality challenges pose significant threats, while at the same time, rapid urban expansion, competing water demands, river modifications, and expanding global markets for water-intensive agricultural products drive water insecurity. This paper takes a social-ecological systems perspective, aiming to identify examples and pathways towards resilient ecosystems and social development. It draws on lessons from two science-policy network projects, one focusing on water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Mexico and the United States; and the second addressing river and lake basins as sentinels of climate variability and human effects on water quantity and quality in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Chile. Together, these ?complementary contrasts? provide an analytical basis to empirically examine stakeholder engagement, knowledge co-production and science-policy interaction supporting decision-making to achieve water security. The paper identifies four tenets for decision-making based on water-security-focused global-change science in the Americas: 1) Decision makers should focus on protecting ecosystems because water security (along with food and energy security) depend on them; 2) Water-use and allocation decisions ought to be made considering future environmental and societal vulnerabilities, especially climate projections; 3) Holistic approaches (at basin or other appropriate levels) are best suited to ensure social-ecological system resilience and reduce vulnerability; and 4) It is essential to support local/traditional livelihoods, and underserved populations to achieve equitable water security and ecosystem resilience.Fil: Scott, Christopher A.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Zilio, Mariana Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Harmon, Thomas Christopher. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Zuniga Teran, Adriana. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Díaz Caravantes, Rolando. El Colegio de Sonora; MéxicoFil: Hoyos, Natalia. Universidad del Norte; ColombiaFil: Perillo, Gerardo Miguel E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Meza, Andrés Francisco. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Varady, Robert G.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Neto, Alfredo Ribeiro. Universidade Federal da Bahia; BrasilFil: Velez, Maria Isabel. University Of Regina; CanadáFil: Martin, Facundo Damian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Escobar, Jaime. Universidad del Norte; ColombiaFil: Piccolo, Maria Cintia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mussetta, Paula Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Montenegro, Suzana. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Rusak, James A.. Ontario Ministry Of The Environment; CanadáFil: Pineda, Nicolas. El Colegio de Sonora; Méxic

Spiroplasma Bacteria Enhance Survival of Drosophila hydei Attacked by the Parasitic Wasp Leptopilina heterotoma

Maternally-transmitted associations between endosymbiotic bacteria and insects are ubiquitous. While many of these associations are obligate and mutually beneficial, many are facultative, and the mechanism(s) by which these microbes persist in their host lineages remain elusive. Inherited microbes with imperfect transmission are expected to be lost from their host lineages if no other mechanisms increase their persistence (i.e., host reproductive manipulation and/or fitness benefits to host). Indeed numerous facultative heritable endosymbionts are reproductive manipulators. Nevertheless, many do not manipulate reproduction, so they are expected to confer fitness benefits to their hosts, as has been shown in several studies that report defense against natural enemies, tolerance to environmental stress, and increased fecundity.We examined whether larval to adult survival of Drosophila hydei against attack by a common parasitoid wasp (Leptopilina heterotoma), differed between uninfected flies and flies that were artificially infected with Spiroplasma, a heritable endosymbiont of Drosophila hydei that does not appear to manipulate host reproduction. Survival was significantly greater for Spiroplasma-infected flies, and the effect of Spiroplasma infection was most evident during the host's pupal stage. We examined whether or not increased survival of Spiroplasma-infected flies was due to reduced oviposition by the wasp (i.e., pre-oviposition mechanism). The number of wasp eggs per fly larva did not differ significantly between Spiroplasma-free and Spiroplasma-infected fly larvae, suggesting that differential fly survival is due to a post-oviposition mechanism.Our results suggest that Spiroplasma confers protection to D. hydei against wasp parasitism. This is to our knowledge the first report of a potential defensive mutualism in the genus Spiroplasma. Whether it explains the persistence and high abundance of this strain in natural populations of D. hydei, as well as the widespread distribution of heritable Spiroplasma in Drosophila and other arthropods, remains to be investigated

Large-scale population disappearances and cycling in the white-lipped peccary, a tropical forest mammal.

Many vertebrate species undergo population fluctuations that may be random or regularly cyclic in nature. Vertebrate population cycles in northern latitudes are driven by both endogenous and exogenous factors. Suggested causes of mysterious disappearances documented for populations of the Neotropical, herd-forming, white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari, henceforth "WLP") include large-scale movements, overhunting, extreme floods, or disease outbreaks. By analyzing 43 disappearance events across the Neotropics and 88 years of commercial and subsistence harvest data for the Amazon, we show that WLP disappearances are widespread and occur regularly and at large spatiotemporal scales throughout the species' range. We present evidence that the disappearances represent 7-12-year troughs in 20-30-year WLP population cycles occurring synchronously at regional and perhaps continent-wide spatial scales as large as 10,000-5 million km2. This may represent the first documented case of natural population cyclicity in a Neotropical mammal. Because WLP populations often increase dramatically prior to a disappearance, we posit that their population cycles result from over-compensatory, density-dependent mortality. Our data also suggest that the increase phase of a WLP cycle is partly dependent on recolonization from proximal, unfragmented and undisturbed forests. This highlights the importance of very large, continuous natural areas that enable source-sink population dynamics and ensure re-colonization and local population persistence in time and space