Conservative surgical treatment in cervical dysplastic lesions associated with cystorectocele

The treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia aims at removing the squamocolumnar junction area, including abnormal tissues, up to the healthy tissue. Old postpartum perineal tears associated with cystorectocele, hypertrophic cervical elongation, and first and second degree uterine prolapse are pelvic static disorders. Particular aspects of pelvic-genital static disorder are related to the vulnerability of the pelvic-perineal floor during birth. On the occasion of birth, especially when there are different forms of dystocia during labor, the degradation of soft pelvic, genital, and vaginal-perineal tissues can occur. The objective of this study was to re-evaluate the conservative treatment of cervical dysplasia, depending on the degree of cervical lesions, the surface extension, the age of the patients, and the pathology associated with cervical lesions – colpocele, cystorectocele, and urinary incontinence in the old postpartum perineal tears. In order to solve the three types of concomitant lesions, we used the Manchester operation: the anterior colporrhaphy with the recalibration of the urethra and the suspension of the cystocele, the minimal colpectomy, the lesional cervical amputation with the anterior fixation of the parameters, and the posterior colpoperineorrhaphy with high myorrhaphy of the levator ani muscles. The decision on the management of cervical dysplasia has taken into account the degree of cervical lesions, the extension on the surface, the patients’ age and the pregnancy planning, and the pathology associated with cervical lesions. The Manchester operation is a conservative surgical procedure, effective in women under 45 years old, multiparous, with present genital activity, with dysplastic cervical lesions and cystorectocele. It also solves cystorectocele, cervical dysplasia, hypertrophic cervical elongation, and first and second degree uterine prolapse

Programa de Extensión Acción Comunitaria

El Programa, se encuentra interactuando con la sociedad santacruceña a partir de las demandas sociales y de las necesidades prioritarias insatisfechas desde el año 2010. Se creó una Red de Registros de Organizaciones Comunitarias en la aplicación de las Políticas Sociales y Comunitarias, ya que algunas de las organizaciones con las que se comparte el trabajo, no tienen relación entre ellas. Este espacio genera un lazo entre ellas y es el nexo de encuentro para desarrollar tareas en forma conjunta. Hasta la fecha, estas son algunas de las Actividades de Extensión desarrolladas: (1) Programa UPAMI: Universidad Para los Adultos Mayores. Gracias a esta propuesta más de 800 adultos vuelven a la universidad y hasta algunos lo hacen por primera vez. Tiene desarrollo en las cuatro Unidades Académicas (Río Gallegos, Río Turbio, San Julián y Caleta Olivia), y en sus once Cibereducativos (Los Antiguos, Piedra Buena, 28 de Noviembre, El Chaltén, Perito Moreno, Puerto Santa Cruz, El Calafate, Las Heras, Gobernador Gregores, Pico Truncado y Puerto Deseado; (2) Proyecto de Extensión “Acompañando algunos proyectos de los preadolescentes de Puerto San Julián: procreación responsable y buenos hábitos alimenticios”. Todas las escuelas de esta localidad tuvieron su espacio institucional y recibieron la información sobre salud sexual y alimentación. (3) Proyecto de Extensión “Dos orejas una boca: Consejería en Salud para estudiantes del tercer ciclo de E.G.B en una escuela de la ciudad de Río Gallegos”. Desde el año 2009 se brindan herramientas para el autocuidado, mediante un espacio de escucha para que los estudiantes de 3º Ciclo de las escuelas de Río Gallegos puedan integrar la educación para la salud en su vida cotidiana. (4) Proyecto de Extensión "Observatorio de Género". Junto con la Subsecretaría Provincial de la Mujer de Santa Cruz se está trabajando de manera conjunta y se creó el sitio del Observatorio que en unos meses será alojado en la web. Además se está realizando una Encuesta en toda la provincia de Santa Cruz para el relevamiento de información sobre violencia contra las mujeres

Interaction of rat liver glucocorticoid receptor with heparin.

When rat liver cytosol containing [3H]dexamethasone-glucocorticoid receptor complex is exposed to immobilized heparin (Sepharose-heparin; Seph-hep) the steroid receptor complex binds to the substituted Sepharose avidly [Kd = 3.5 (+/- 1.7) X 10(-10) M], and 80-90% of the receptor present is adsorbed to the solid phase after 40 min at 0 degree C. The binding is enhanced by Mn2+ (10 mM) and Mg2+, whereas Ca2+ and Sr2+ are ineffective. Sodium molybdate (10 mM) does not influence the reaction but enhances receptor stability. Moreover, binding of the receptor to Seph-hep is dependent on the ionic strength of the medium, because binding is totally reversed by 300 mM KCl. The bound [3H]dexamethasone-receptor complex can be recovered from Seph-hep with solutions (4 mg/mL) of heparin (95% release), dextran sulfate (88%), and chondroitin sulfate (63%); total calf liver RNA is less effective (9%), whereas dextran, D-glucosamine, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, D-glucuronic acid, and sheared calf thymus DNA are totally ineffective (less than 3%). Both "native" and temperature "transformed" forms of the glucocorticoid receptor interact with immobilized heparin. These results strongly suggest that the receptor site that binds heparin is distinct from that binding DNA. An immediate application of this newly found ability of the glucocorticoid receptor to interact with heparin is the use of Seph-hep for affinity chromatography purification of the glucocorticoid receptor. A purification of 10-fold, with a recovery of 55-65%, can be achieved by using either 4 mg/mL heparin or 300 mM KCl to elute [3H]dexamethasone-receptor bound to the resin

Conservative surgical treatment in cervical dysplastic lesions associated with cystorectocele

The treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia aims at removing the squamocolumnar junction area, including abnormal tissues, up to the healthy tissue. Old postpartum perineal tears associated with cystorectocele, hypertrophic cervical elongation, and first and second degree uterine prolapse are pelvic static disorders. Particular aspects of pelvic-genital static disorder are related to the vulnerability of the pelvic-perineal floor during birth. On the occasion of birth, especially when there are different forms of dystocia during labor, the degradation of soft pelvic, genital, and vaginal-perineal tissues can occur. The objective of this study was to re-evaluate the conservative treatment of cervical dysplasia, depending on the degree of cervical lesions, the surface extension, the age of the patients, and the pathology associated with cervical lesions – colpocele, cystorectocele, and urinary incontinence in the old postpartum perineal tears. In order to solve the three types of concomitant lesions, we used the Manchester operation: the anterior colporrhaphy with the recalibration of the urethra and the suspension of the cystocele, the minimal colpectomy, the lesional cervical amputation with the anterior fixation of the parameters, and the posterior colpoperineorrhaphy with high myorrhaphy of the levator ani muscles. The decision on the management of cervical dysplasia has taken into account the degree of cervical lesions, the extension on the surface, the patients’ age and the pregnancy planning, and the pathology associated with cervical lesions. The Manchester operation is a conservative surgical procedure, effective in women under 45 years old, multiparous, with present genital activity, with dysplastic cervical lesions and cystorectocele. It also solves cystorectocele, cervical dysplasia, hypertrophic cervical elongation, and first and second degree uterine prolapse

Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of new synthesized Silver Ultra-NanoClusters (SUNCs) against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori colonizes approximately 50% of the world\u2019s population and it is the cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The increase of antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges of our century due to its constant increase. In order to identify an alternative or adjuvant strategy to the standard antibiotic therapy, the in vitro activity of newly synthesized Silver Ultra-NanoClusters (SUNCs), characterized by an average size inferior to 5 nm, against clinical strains of Helicobacter pylori, with different antibiotic susceptibilities, was evaluated in this study. MICs and MBCs were determined by the broth microdilution method, whereas the effect of drug combinations by the checkerboard assay. The Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) was measured using AlamarBlue (AB) assay and Colony Forming Unit (CFU) counts. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by performing the MTT assay on AGS cell line. The inhibitory activity was expressed in terms of bacteriostatic and bactericidal potential, with MIC50, MIC90, and MBC50 of 0.33 mg/L against planktonic Helicobacter pylori strains. Using the fractional inhibitory concentration index, SUNCs showed synergism with metronidazole in one clinical strain, and very close to synergistic effect on the reference strain; the combination with clarythromicin evidenced an effect very close to synergism on both strains considered. The biofilm eradication was obtained after treatment with 2X, 3X and 4X MIC value. Moreover, SUNCs showed low toxicity on human cells and was effective in eradicating a mature biofilm produced by H. pylori. The data presented in this study demonstrate that SUNCs could represent a novel strategy for the treatment of H. pylori infections either alone or in combination with metronidazole

A Multivariate Analysis of Depression Prevalence in Psoriasis Patients: A Cohort Study

The literature reported higher depression rates in psoriasis patients compared to the general population. Our study aimed to verify whether variability in depression prevalence was due to using different diagnostic tools. We also aimed to determine whether dysfunctional coping strategies might increase the depression burden. We assessed psoriasis severity by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and PSOdisk. We analyzed mental alterations of 120 outpatients by Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-D and HAM-A), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), plus coping strategies and quality of life by Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). We divided our cohort into five subgroups from minimal to severe psoriasis using the PSOdisk total score. Depression prevalence varied according to the assessment criteria for specificity, frequency, and severity. Different mood disorders other than major depression emerged when we used DSM-IV-TR criteria. Correlation analysis of the criteria we used to diagnose depression or depressed mood indicated that a dysfunctional coping strategy was highly and positively correlated only in patients of the severe subgroup. Differently, a negative correlation emerged between the SF-36 Mental Summary Component (MSC) and behavioral disengagement, thus suggesting that psychopathological distress might induce patients with a marked/severe psoriasis to adopt dysfunctional coping strategies. Dermatologists are fundamental in detecting comorbid depression, referring psoriasis patients to mental health specialists to achieve adequate treatments, and preventing suicide risk

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Carvacrol, Amoxicillin and Salicylhydroxamic Acid Alone and in Combination vs. Helicobacter pylori: Towards a New Multi-Targeted Therapy

The World Health Organization has indicated Helicobacter pylori as a high-priority pathogen whose infections urgently require an update of the antibacterial treatments pipeline. Recently, bacterial ureases and carbonic anhydrases (CAs) were found to represent valuable pharmacological targets to inhibit bacterial growth. Hence, we explored the underexploited possibility of developing a multiple-targeted anti-H. pylori therapy by assessing the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of a CA inhibitor, carvacrol (CAR), amoxicillin (AMX) and a urease inhibitor (SHA), alone and in combination. Minimal Inhibitory (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal (MBC) Concentrations of their different combinations were evaluated by checkerboard assay and three different methods were employed to assess their capability to eradicate H. pylori biofilm. Through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis, the mechanism of action of the three compounds alone and together was determined. Interestingly, most combinations were found to strongly inhibit H. pylori growth, resulting in an additive FIC index for both CAR-AMX and CAR-SHA associations, while an indifferent value was recorded for the AMX-SHA association. Greater antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of the combinations CAR-AMX, SHA-AMX and CAR-SHA against H. pylori were found with respect to the same compounds used alone, thereby representing an innovative and promising strategy to counteract H. pylori infections

Targeting Hypoxia in Cancer Cells by Restoring Homeodomain Interacting Protein-Kinase 2 and p53 Activity and Suppressing HIF-1α

BACKGROUND:The tumor suppressor homeodomain-interacting protein kinase-2 (HIPK2) by phosphorylating serine 46 (Ser46) is a crucial regulator of p53 apoptotic function. HIPK2 is also a transcriptional co-repressor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) restraining tumor angiogenesis and chemoresistance. HIPK2 can be deregulated in tumors by several mechanisms including hypoxia. Here, we sought to target hypoxia by restoring HIPK2 function and suppressing HIF-1alpha, in order to provide evidence for the involvement of both HIPK2 and p53 in counteracting hypoxia-induced chemoresistance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Upon exposure of colon and lung cancer cells to hypoxia, by either low oxygen or cobalt, HIPK2 function was impaired allowing for increased HIF-1alpha expression and inhibiting the p53-apoptotic response to drug. Cobalt suppressed HIPK2 recruitment onto HIF-1alpha promoter. Hypoxia induced expression of the p53 target MDM2 that downregulates HIPK2, thus MDM2 inhibition by siRNA restored the HIPK2/p53Ser46 response to drug. Zinc supplementation to hypoxia-treated cells increased HIPK2 protein stability and nuclear accumulation, leading to restoration of HIPK2 binding to HIF-1alpha promoter, repression of MDR1, Bcl2, and VEGF genes, and activation of the p53 apoptotic response to drug. Combination of zinc and ADR strongly suppressed tumor growth in vivo by inhibiting HIF-1 pathway and upregulating p53 apoptotic target genes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:We show here for the first time that hypoxia-induced HIPK2 deregulation was counteracted by zinc that restored HIPK2 suppression of HIF-1 pathway and reactivated p53 apoptotic response to drug, underscoring the potential use of zinc supplementation in combination with chemotherapy to address hypoxia and improve tumor treatment

Highlighting chromosome loops in DNA-picked chromatin (DPC).

"Growing evidence supports the concept that dynamic intra-and inter-chromosomal links between specific loci contribute to the creation of cell type-specific gene expression profiles. Therefore, analysis of the establishment of peculiar functional correlations between sites, also distant on linear DNA, that govern the transcriptional process appears to be of fundamental relevance. We propose here an experimental approach showing that 17 beta-estradiol-induced transcription associates to formation of loops between the promoter and termination regions of hormone-responsive genes. This strategy reveals as a tool to be also suitably used, in conjunction with automated techniques, for an extensive analysis of sites shared by multiple genes for induced expression.