Defective IL-10 production in severe phenotypes of Crohn’s disease

et al.Loss of tolerance toward commensal bacteria has been invoked as a mechanism for Crohn's disease. IL-10 is a key anti-inflammatory cytokine that plays a role in induction and maintenance of tolerance. The aim of this study is to determine IL-10 production in response to bacterial components in Crohn's disease patients, who were classified according to their phenotypes as stricturing, penetrating, or inflammatory. Peripheral blood was obtained from Crohn's disease patients and healthy controls. Cytokine production was measured in whole blood cultures, isolated CD4(+) cells, and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). Under unstimulated conditions, IL-10, but not IL-12, was down-regulated significantly in blood cultures of patients with severe phenotypes, compared with inflammatory, nonpenetrating, nonstricturing Crohn's disease patients. In response to LPS, IL-10 was up-regulated more significantly in patients with no fistulae or fibrosis. Study of IL-10 production by isolated cell subsets showed that DCs, but not CD4(+) T cells, from penetrating Crohn's disease produced significantly less IL-10 in response to LPS. Differences were not associated with the 1082A/G polymorphism in the IL-10 gene promoter. We show a defect in IL-10 production in whole blood cell cultures and MDDCs in patients with severe forms of Crohn's disease. This defect in IL-10 production by a group of Crohn's disease patients may represent a mechanism mediating more severe manifestations of the disease. We propose that treatment with IL-10 or IL-10-inducing therapies could be of particular benefit to these group of patientsThis work was supported by Grant SAF2005-03755 from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain.Peer reviewe

Helminth diversity of two anurans: Rhinella marina and Incilius valliceps (Anura: Bufonidae) from lagunas de Yalahau, Yucatán, Mexico

En México, las comunidades de helmintos en anfibios han recibido poca atención. Durante 2005 y 2006, un total de 52 individuos del sapo marino (Rhinella marina) y 54 del sapo de la costa del golfo (Incilius valliceps) fueron recolectados en las lagunas de Yalahau (Yucatán, México) para estudiar dichas comunidades. Para comparar entre sus comunidades, se produjeron curvas de rarefacción y extrapolación basadas en el tamaño de la muestra y se estimó la diversidad usando los números de Hill. Se calcularon los 3 primeros números que se asocian a los estimadores de riqueza y dominancia de especies y se construyeron las curvas de rarefacción y extrapolación respectivas. Los resultados mostraron que con el tamaño de la muestra obtenido se registró la mayor parte de las especies de parásitos en ambos hospederos. Una mayor diversidad de helmintos y número de especies se registraron en R. marina frente a I. valliceps. Sin embargo, la extrapolación mostró que al alcanzar los 50 individuos no hay diferencias estadísticas entre ambas comunidades. Las comunidades de estos anfibios en esta región del trópico se ajustan al patrón descrito en latitudes neárticas. Igualmente, el hábitat que ocupan es un factor importante en la estructuración de sus comunidades helmínticas. ABSTRACT Helminth communities in amphibians in Mexico have received little attention. During 2005 and 2006, we collected a total of 52 individuals of the marine toad (Rhinella marina) and 54 of the southern Gulf Coast toad (Incilius valliceps) in the Lagunas de Yalahau (Yucatán, Mexico), in order to study their helminth communities. We produced rarefaction and extrapolation sample-size-based and coverage-based curves to provide asymptotic diversity estimators based on Hill numbers to compare the communities. We calculated the first 3 Hill numbers, which are associated with estimators of species richness and species dominance. In general, all results showed that the sample size was large enough to register most of the species of parasites present in both host toad species. We found more helminth species and a higher diversity in the R. marina community than that in I. valliceps. However, extrapolation analysis showed that when a sample size of 50 individuals is reached, there are no statistical differences between the helminth communities. Our results suggest that amphibian communities in this part of the tropics follow the same pattern as described for Nearctic latitudes, equally the terrestrial habitat of the hosts is an important factor in the structure of its helminth communities

Lipoma intrauricular derecho. Reporte de un caso

We present the case of a 56-year-old male patient with a history of atrial flutter for six months; he was admitted to the hospital for presenting a mass of 8 cm in maximum diameter in the right atrium, which prolapsed through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. Emergency surgery was scheduled, performing exeresis of the tumor and tricuspid annuloplasty. The Pathological anatomy determined that the removed mass corresponded to a cardiac lipoma.Se presenta el caso de un paciente varón de 56 años, con antecedente de Flutter auricular desde hace 6 meses; ingresó al hospital por presentar una masa de 8 cm de diámetro máximo en la aurícula derecha, la cual prolapsaba a través de la válvula tricúspide hacia el ventrículo derecho. Se programó la cirugía de urgencia en la que se realizó la exéresis de la tumoración y la anuloplastia tricuspídea. La anatomía patológica determinó que la masa extraida correspondía a un lipoma cardiaco

Arabidopsis AtDjA3 null mutant shows increased sensitivity to abscisic acid, salt, and osmotic stress in germination and post-germination stages

"DnaJ proteins are essential co-chaperones involved in abiotic and biotic stress responses. Arabidopsis AtDjA3 gene encodes a molecular co-chaperone of 420 amino acids, which belongs to the J-protein family. In this study, we report the functional characterization of the AtDjA3 gene using the Arabidopsis knockout line designated j3 and the 35S::AtDjA3 overexpression lines. Loss of AtDjA3 function was associated with small seed production. In fact, j3 mutant seeds showed a reduction of 24% in seed weight compared to Col-0 seeds. Expression analysis showed that the AtDjA3 gene was modulated in response to NaCl, glucose, and abscisic acid (ABA). The j3 line had increased sensitivity to NaCl and glucose treatments in the germination and cotyledon development in comparison to parental Col-0. Furthermore, the j3 mutant line exhibited higher ABA sensitivity in comparison to parental Col-0 and 35S::AtDjA3 overexpression lines. In addition, we examined the expression of ABI3 gene, which is a central regulator in ABA signaling, in j3 mutant and 35S:rAtDjA3 overexpression lines. Under 5 RNA ABA treatment at 24 h, j3 mutant seedlings displayed higher ABI3 expression, whereas in 35S::AtDjA3 overexpression lines, ABI3 gene expression was repressed. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the AtDjA3 gene is involved in seed development and abiotic stress tolerance.

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein lipidation and control of CD1d on antigen-presenting cells

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone that loads lipids onto apolipoprotein B, also regulates CD1d presentation of glycolipid antigens in the liver and intestine. We show MTP RNA and protein in antigen-presenting cells (APCs) by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and by immunoblotting of mouse liver mononuclear cells and mouse and human B cell lines. Functional MTP, demonstrated by specific triglyceride transfer activity, is present in both mouse splenocytes and a CD1d-positive mouse NKT hybridoma. In a novel in vitro transfer assay, purified MTP directly transfers phospholipids, but not triglycerides, to recombinant CD1d. Chemical inhibition of MTP lipid transfer does not affect major histocompatibility complex class II presentation of ovalbumin, but considerably reduces CD1d-mediated presentation of α-galactosylceramide (α-galcer) and endogenous antigens in mouse splenic and bone marrow–derived dendritic cells (DCs), as well as in human APC lines and monocyte-derived DCs. Silencing MTP expression in the human monocyte line U937 affects CD1d function, as shown by diminished presentation of α-galcer. We propose that MTP acts upstream of the saposins and functions as an ER chaperone by loading endogenous lipids onto nascent CD1d. Furthermore, our studies suggest that a small molecule inhibitor could be used to modulate the activity of NKT cells

Intestinal Inflammation Modulates the Epithelial Response to Butyrate in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: Butyrate-producing gut bacteria are reduced in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), supporting the hypothesis that butyrate supplementation may be beneficial in this setting. Nonetheless, earlier studies suggest that the oxidation of butyrate in IBD patients is altered. We propose that inflammation may decrease epithelial butyrate consumption. Methods: Non-IBD controls and IBD patients were recruited for the study. Stool samples were used for short-chain fatty acid and bacterial butyryl CoA:acetate CoA-transferase quantification. Colonic biopsies and ex vivo differentiated epithelial organoids (d-EpOCs) treated with bu- tyrate and/or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) were used for analyzing the expression of transporters MCT1 and ABCG2, metabolic enzyme ACADS, and butyrate receptor GPR43, and for butyrate metabolism and consumption assays. Results: We observed that lower stool content of butyrate-producing bacteria in active IBD patients did not correlate with decreased bu- tyrate concentrations. Indeed, the intestinal epithelial expression of MCT1, ABCG2, ACADS, and GPR43 was altered in active IBD patients. Nonetheless, d-EpOCs derived from IBD patients showed SLC16A1 (gene encoding for MCT1 protein), ABCG2, ACADS, and GPR43 expres- sion levels comparable to controls. Moreover, IBD- and non-IBD-derived d-EpOCs responded similarly to butyrate, as assessed by transcriptional regulation. TNFα significantly altered SLC16A1, ABCG2, and GPR43 transcription in d-EpOCs, mimicking the expression profile observed in biopsies from active IBD patients and resulting in reduced butyrate consumption. Conclusions: We provide evidence that the response to butyrate is not intrinsically altered in IBD patients. However, TNFα renders the epithe- lium less responsive to this metabolite, defeating the purpose of butyrate supplementation during active inflammation

Proyecto de emprendimiento para la microempresa BOLDONIC dedicada a la producción, comercialización y distribución de té a base de la planta medicinal Boldo, ubicada en el municipio de Jinotepe, en el departamento de Carazo, durante el segundo semestre del año 2019

BOLDONIC es una microempresa dedicada a la producción, comercialización y distribución de té a base de la planta medicinal peumus boldus, conocida como boldo. La creación de la micro empresa se debe a que hoy en día la población ingiere muchos productos tanto alimenticios como medicinales que son dañinos para la salud y por ende producen problemas en nuestro organismo. La microempresa BOLDONIC surge debido a la necesidad de reducir la alta tasa de desempleo que existe en el país, ya que es una forma de subsistencia aprovechando los beneficios que la naturaleza nos ofrece. Se pretende conseguir una gran posición en el mercado haciendo conciencia en la población de la necesidad de ingerir productos medicinales naturales beneficiosos para la salud debido a que la planta tiene importantes propiedades, por ejemplo: entre los más de 20 alcaloides presentes, se encuentra la Boldina, esta se encarga de estimular el funcionamiento de la vesícula biliar, actuando de forma directa con propiedades beneficiosas para el hígado, el Cineol también presente en la planta tiene propiedades expectorantes, ideales para aliviar resfriados, y ayuda a evitar las digestiones pesadas. Se ha elaborado una investigación de mercado para lograr identificar de manera concreta los principales clientes de este producto y como resultado de ello se logró observar que tiene un grado de aceptación del 87.59%, siendo la perspectiva de esto que las infusiones tenga calidad y un precio accesible. Para llevar a cabo la planificación de este, se necesitó de la indagación general de cómo establecer un negocio en el país, todo ello esta descrito en el presente trabajo siendo BOLDONIC clasificada como micro empresa y requiere de una inversión inicial de C$ 113,902.19 córdobas la cual se espera recuperar a más tardar en un plazo de 1 año y 4 meses años de inicio de operaciones

SINDROME POST COVID 19

El síndrome de post COVID es una entidad poco conocida, la epidemiologia es casi en un tercio de los pacientes que presentaron COVID en cualquiera de sus modalidades y además se sabe que presenta y comparte muchos síntomas del COVID 19; lo característico es que se presenta en forma más severa que la misma enfermedad en la mayoría de los casos siendo desconocido el origen de estos. El diagnostico se basa principalmente en hallazgos laboratoriales, imágenes y la clínica de la enfermedad y el tratamiento es según a las manifestaciones que se presentan durante la enfermedad