La medicina, arte oculto en la excepcional obra martiana

Introduction: Marti’s literary work reached an exceptional impact on those topics related to preventive medicine that collocates him in the top of science in all times. Objective: to describe the direct relation between Martí´s literary and artistic work and his knowledge about the preventive and interventionist medicine. Methods: a bibliographic review was carried out, using as information resources those available through the Infomed network, as well as the Google Academic search engine, for which 7 bibliographies were reviewed, including as reference guides, articles of scientific bases such as PubMed, MedLine and Scielo. Development: Marti dedicated special attention to medical topics related to prevention and promotion of diseases, particularly hygiene and his provisory character. Conclusions: Marti´s interest on medical science was mediated, firstly for his wide general formation and secondly, for his deep necessity to know about his own diseases.Introducción: la obra literaria de José Martí alcanzó un auge excepcional en los temas relacionados con la medicina preventiva que lo coloca en un punto culminante en la ciencia de todos los tiempos. Objetivo: describir la relación directa entre la obra artística literaria de José Martí y sus conocimientos científicos generales sobre la medicina preventiva e intervencionista. Material y Métodos: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica, utilizando como recursos de información los disponibles a través de la red Infomed, así como el motor de búsqueda Google Académico, para lo cual se revisaron un total de 7 bibliografías comprendiendo como guías de referencia artículos de bases científicas como PubMed, MedLine y Scielo. Desarrollo: Martí realizó un especial tratamiento a los temas médicos relacionados con la prevención y promoción de enfermedades en su obra literaria, demostrando su profundo carácter provisorio y su interés por la higiene. Conclusiones: el interés martiano hacia esta ciencia, estuvo mediado primero por su vasta cultura general y segundo, por su profunda necesidad de conocer sobre sus propios padecimientos

Resultados de una intervención comunitaria sobre infecciones de transmisión sexual en Sancti Spíritus

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections are a global health problem that demands a different treatment from the educational and interventionist point of view.Objective: To describe the results of the application of a community intervention on sexually transmitted infections in a community of Sancti Spíritus. Methodological Design: A non-observational study of community intervention type was conducted with the 127 patients belonging to CMF 15, central area of Sancti Spíritus province in the period between September 2016 and August 2017, who maintained a sexually active life. The study was divided into three stages. The information was obtained through a survey conducted by the authors. Descriptive statistics were used for all the variables.Results: Before the intervention there was an appearance of 29 new cases; and after this, 5 new cases appeared. After the intervention, 118 patients stated that if they used the condom and 100% of the patients knew the consequences of the STIs and also had access to the information related to them.Conclusions: After the community intervention, the appearance of a smaller number of new cases of STIs was observed with respect to before the intervention, as well as a considerable increase in the use of the condom and knowledge of the complications of these infections.Introducción: Las infecciones de transmisión sexual constituyen un problema de salud en ascenso global que demanda un tratamiento diferenciado desde el punto de vista educativo e intervencionista.Objetivo: Describir los resultados de una intervención comunitaria sobre infecciones de transmisión sexual en una comunidad de Sancti Spíritus.Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio no observacional de tipo intervención comunitaria con los 127 pacientes pertenecientes al CMF 15, área centro de la provincia Sancti Spíritus en el período comprendido entre septiembre de 2016 y agosto de 2017, que mantuvieran una vida sexualmente activa. El estudio se dividió en tres etapas. La información se obtuvo mediante una encuesta realizada por los autores. Se emplearon estadígrafos descriptivos para todas las variables.Resultados: Antes de la intervención hubo una aparición de 29 nuevos casos; y posterior a esta, 5 casos nuevos aparecieron. Después de la intervención 118 pacientes afirmaron que si usaban el condón y el 100 % de los pacientes conocía las consecuencias de las ITS y, además, tenían acceso a la información relacionada con estas.Conclusiones: Después de la intervención comunitaria se observó la aparición de un menor número de casos nuevos de ITS con respecto a antes de la intervención, así como, un aumento considerable en el uso del condón y en los conocimientos sobre las complicaciones de estas infecciones

The expression pattern of the Picea glauca Defensin 1 promoter is maintained in Arabidopsis thaliana, indicating the conservation of signalling pathways between angiosperms and gymnosperms*

A 1149 bp genomic fragment corresponding to the 5' non-coding region of the PgD1 (Picea glauca Defensin 1) gene was cloned, characterized, and compared with all Arabidopsis thaliana defensin promoters. The cloned fragment was found to contain several motifs specific to defence or hormonal response, including a motif involved in the methyl jasmonate reponse, a fungal elicitor responsive element, and TC-rich repeat cis-acting element involved in defence and stress responsiveness. A functional analysis of the PgD1 promoter was performed using the uidA (GUS) reporter system in stably transformed Arabidopsis and white spruce plants. The PgD1 promoter was responsive to jasmonic acid (JA), to infection by fungus and to wounding. In transgenic spruce embryos, GUS staining was clearly restricted to the shoot apical meristem. In Arabidopsis, faint GUS coloration was observed in leaves and flowers and a strong blue colour was observed in guard cells and trichomes. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the PgD1::GUS construct were also infiltrated with the hemibiotrophic pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. It caused a suppression of defensin expression probably resulting from the antagonistic relationship between the pathogen-stimulated salicylic acid pathway and the jasmonic acid pathway. It is therefore concluded that the PgD1 promoter fragment cloned appears to contain most if not all the elements for proper PgD1 expression and that these elements are also recognized in Arabidopsis despite the phylogenetic and evolutionary differences that separates them

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR in Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Based on Transcriptome Sequence Data

Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most precise and widely used methods of gene expression analysis. A necessary prerequisite of exact and reliable data is the accurate choice of reference genes. We studied the expression stability of potential reference genes in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) in order to find the optimal reference for gene expression analysis in this economically important crop. Recently sequenced buckwheat floral transcriptome was used as source of sequence information. Expression stability of eight candidate reference genes was assessed in different plant structures (leaves and inflorescences at two stages of development and fruits). These genes are the orthologs of Arabidopsis genes identified as stable in a genome-wide survey gene of expression stability and a traditionally used housekeeping gene GAPDH. Three software applications – geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper - were used to estimate expression stability and provided congruent results. The orthologs of AT4G33380 (expressed protein of unknown function, Expressed1), AT2G28390 (SAND family protein, SAND) and AT5G46630 (clathrin adapter complex subunit family protein, CACS) are revealed as the most stable. We recommend using the combination of Expressed1, SAND and CACS for the normalization of gene expression data in studies on buckwheat using qRT-PCR. These genes are listed among five the most stably expressed in Arabidopsis that emphasizes utility of the studies on model plants as a framework for other species

Petunia Floral Defensins with Unique Prodomains as Novel Candidates for Development of Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Transgenic Banana Plants

Antimicrobial peptides are a potent group of defense active molecules that have been utilized in developing resistance against a multitude of plant pathogens. Floral defensins constitute a group of cysteine-rich peptides showing potent growth inhibition of pathogenic filamentous fungi especially Fusarium oxysporum in vitro. Full length genes coding for two Petunia floral defensins, PhDef1 and PhDef2 having unique C- terminal 31 and 27 amino acid long predicted prodomains, were overexpressed in transgenic banana plants using embryogenic cells as explants for Agrobacterium–mediated genetic transformation. High level constitutive expression of these defensins in elite banana cv. Rasthali led to significant resistance against infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense as shown by in vitro and ex vivo bioassay studies. Transgenic banana lines expressing either of the two defensins were clearly less chlorotic and had significantly less infestation and discoloration in the vital corm region of the plant as compared to untransformed controls. Transgenic banana plants expressing high level of full-length PhDef1 and PhDef2 were phenotypically normal and no stunting was observed. In conclusion, our results suggest that high-level constitutive expression of floral defensins having distinctive prodomains is an efficient strategy for development of fungal resistance in economically important fruit crops like banana

Four plant defensins from an indigenous South African Brassicaceae species display divergent activities against two test pathogens despite high sequence similarity in the encoding genes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant defensins are an important component of the innate defence system of plants where they form protective antimicrobial barriers between tissue types of plant organs as well as around seeds. These peptides also have other activities that are important for agricultural applications as well as the medical sector. Amongst the numerous plant peptides isolated from a variety of plant species, a significant number of promising defensins have been isolated from Brassicaceae species. Here we report on the isolation and characterization of four defensins from <it>Heliophila coronopifolia</it>, a native South African Brassicaceae species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four defensin genes (<it>Hc-AFP1</it>-<it>4) </it>were isolated with a homology based PCR strategy. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences showed that the peptides were 72% similar and grouped closest to defensins isolated from other Brassicaceae species. The Hc-AFP1 and 3 peptides shared high homology (94%) and formed a unique grouping in the Brassicaceae defensins, whereas Hc-AFP2 and 4 formed a second homology grouping with defensins from <it>Arabidopsis </it>and <it>Raphanus</it>. Homology modelling showed that the few amino acids that differed between the four peptides had an effect on the surface properties of the defensins, specifically in the alpha-helix and the loop connecting the second and third beta-strands. These areas are implicated in determining differential activities of defensins. Comparing the activities after recombinant production of the peptides, Hc-AFP2 and 4 had IC₅₀values of 5-20 μg ml^-1against two test pathogens, whereas Hc-AFP1 and 3 were less active. The activity against <it>Botrytis cinerea </it>was associated with membrane permeabilization, hyper-branching, biomass reduction and even lytic activity. In contrast, only Hc-AFP2 and 4 caused membrane permeabilization and severe hyper-branching against the wilting pathogen <it>Fusarium solani</it>, while Hc-AFP1 and 3 had a mild morphogenetic effect on the fungus, without any indication of membrane activity. The peptides have a tissue-specific expression pattern since differential gene expression was observed in the native host. <it>Hc-AFP1 </it>and <it>3 </it>expressed in mature leaves, stems and flowers, whereas <it>Hc-AFP2 </it>and <it>4 </it>exclusively expressed in seedpods and seeds.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Two novel Brassicaceae defensin sequences were isolated amongst a group of four defensin encoding genes from the indigenous South African plant <it>H. coronopifolia</it>. All four peptides were active against two test pathogens, but displayed differential activities and modes of action. The expression patterns of the peptide encoding genes suggest a role in protecting either vegetative or reproductive structures in the native host against pathogen attack, or roles in unknown developmental and physiological processes in these tissues, as was shown with other defensins.</p

Libro &quot;Crisis, familia y psicoterapia&quot; (aporte de una nueva tecnología al tratamiento de los trastornos psí­quicos)

El libro que se presenta como Tesis, portador material de la psicoterapia concreta de actitudes, contribuci&amp;oacute;n te&amp;oacute;rica y pr&amp;aacute;ctica del autor, es Resultado de un Proyecto Ramal y Territorial de Innovaci&amp;oacute;n Tecnol&amp;oacute;gica, culminado satisfactoriamente. En &amp;eacute;l se integran los aportes conceptuales y emp&amp;iacute;ricos de la experiencia psicoterap&amp;eacute;utica de los psiquiatras marxistas cubanos, en particular los espec&amp;iacute;ficos del Autor, con los aportes internacionales cient&amp;iacute;ficamente reconocidos en la materia, procediendo a la construcci&amp;oacute;n del modelo te&amp;oacute;rico y metodol&amp;oacute;gico, y a la descripci&amp;oacute;n detallada, de una t&amp;eacute;cnica aut&amp;oacute;ctona de psicoterapia, llamada a satisfacer necesidades asistenciales y docentes de nuestro sistema de salud en materia de terapia individual, breve y profunda, grupal y familiar, acorde a nuestros principios filos&amp;oacute;ficos. Mediante su utilizaci&amp;oacute;n en un sistema de actividades de postgrado a lo largo del pa&amp;iacute;s, se capacitaron equipos de salud mental de 10 provincias, incluida la capital, facilitando la introducci&amp;oacute;n de la t&amp;eacute;cnica mencionada en los servicios correspondientes. El libro se distribuy&amp;oacute; adem&amp;aacute;s en todas las provincias y est&amp;aacute; disponible f&amp;iacute;sica y electr&amp;oacute;nicamente en la red de Infomed. Por su calidad cient&amp;iacute;fica, obtuvo el Premio Anual de la Salud, el Premio Academia 2003 y el reconocimiento a su utilidad y valor por parte del Grupo Nacional y de la Sociedad Cubana de Psiquiatr&amp;iacute;a

Libro &quot;Crisis, familia y psicoterapia&quot; (aporte de una nueva tecnología al tratamiento de los trastornos psí­quicos)

El libro que se presenta como Tesis, portador material de la psicoterapia concreta de actitudes, contribuci&amp;oacute;n te&amp;oacute;rica y pr&amp;aacute;ctica del autor, es Resultado de un Proyecto Ramal y Territorial de Innovaci&amp;oacute;n Tecnol&amp;oacute;gica, culminado satisfactoriamente. En &amp;eacute;l se integran los aportes conceptuales y emp&amp;iacute;ricos de la experiencia psicoterap&amp;eacute;utica de los psiquiatras marxistas cubanos, en particular los espec&amp;iacute;ficos del Autor, con los aportes internacionales cient&amp;iacute;ficamente reconocidos en la materia, procediendo a la construcci&amp;oacute;n del modelo te&amp;oacute;rico y metodol&amp;oacute;gico, y a la descripci&amp;oacute;n detallada, de una t&amp;eacute;cnica aut&amp;oacute;ctona de psicoterapia, llamada a satisfacer necesidades asistenciales y docentes de nuestro sistema de salud en materia de terapia individual, breve y profunda, grupal y familiar, acorde a nuestros principios filos&amp;oacute;ficos. Mediante su utilizaci&amp;oacute;n en un sistema de actividades de postgrado a lo largo del pa&amp;iacute;s, se capacitaron equipos de salud mental de 10 provincias, incluida la capital, facilitando la introducci&amp;oacute;n de la t&amp;eacute;cnica mencionada en los servicios correspondientes. El libro se distribuy&amp;oacute; adem&amp;aacute;s en todas las provincias y est&amp;aacute; disponible f&amp;iacute;sica y electr&amp;oacute;nicamente en la red de Infomed. Por su calidad cient&amp;iacute;fica, obtuvo el Premio Anual de la Salud, el Premio Academia 2003 y el reconocimiento a su utilidad y valor por parte del Grupo Nacional y de la Sociedad Cubana de Psiquiatr&amp;iacute;a