Updated Parkinson’s Disease Motor Subtypes Classification and Correlation to Cerebrospinal Homovanillic Acid and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid Levels

INTRODUCTION: Motor classifications of Parkinson\u27s Disease (PD) have been widely used. This paper aims to update a subtype classification using the MDS-UPDRS-III and determine if cerebrospinal neurotransmitter profiles (HVA and 5-HIAA) differ between these subtypes in a cohort from the Parkinson\u27s Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI). METHODS: UPDRS and MDS-UPDRS scores were collected for 20 PD patients. Akinetic-rigid (AR), Tremor-dominant (TD), and Mixed (MX) subtypes were calculated using a formula derived from UPDRS, and a new ratio was developed for subtyping patients with the MDS-UPDRS. This new formula was subsequently applied to 95 PD patients from the PPMI dataset, and subtyping was correlated to neurotransmitter levels. Data were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic models and ANOVA. RESULTS: Compared to previous UPDRS classifications, the new MDS-UPDRS TD/AR ratios produced significant areas under the curve (AUC) for each subtype. The optimal sensitivity and specificity cutoff scores were ≥0.82 for TD, ≤0.71 for AR, and \u3e0.71 and CONCLUSIONS: This MDS-UPDRS motor classification system provides a method to transition from the original UPDRS to the new MDS-UPDRS. It is a reliable and quantifiable subtyping tool for monitoring disease progression. The TD subtype is associated with lower motor scores and higher HVA levels, while the AR subtype is associated with higher motor scores and lower 5-HIAA levels

Fluoro-perovskite nanomaterials for photodynamic cancer treatment”

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNps) possess the ability to convert light from low to high energy. In particular, the absorption of radiation by these nanomaterials in the near-infrared region of the spectrum, and their subsequent emission in the visible region, is of great interest for biomedical applications. Conventional antitumor therapies often produce a high degree of side effects. Consequently, it is proposed to investigate the development of less invasive alternative therapies as photothermal therapy, using UCNps. The upconversion property could be achieved by incorporating dopants (rare earths and transition metals) in fluorine-based crystalline environments. On the other hand, it is important to control the size of the nanoparticles for their use in biomedical applications, for that reason we plan to obtain nanoparticles with an approximate size less than 50 nm. In the present work, the development of KMgF3 fluoroperovskite nanoparticles by solvothermal synthesis is presented, applying a factorial experimental design which consists of four factors (temperature, time and two limiting reagents) at two levels and choosing the average particle size as a variable response. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy, in order to know the crystalline phase and particle size. As a result, KMgF3 nanoparticles with an average size between 13 and 31 nm were obtained. In addition, data obtained were statistically processed by Analysis of Variance, to determine the significant factors and their interactions, achieving the optimal synthesis conditions. From these results, a series of samples doped with Mn2+ and/or Nd3+ were obtained in order to find the optimal dopant concentrations for efficient upconversion properties. Our work is the starting point for the development of UCNps allowing them to be applied in future antitumor therapies.Agencia Nacional de investigación e InnovaciónPrograma de Desarrollo de las Ciencias BásicasComisión Académica de Postgrad

Development of doped-KMgF3 fluoro-perovskite nanoparticles with upconversion properties for potential biomedical application

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNps) possess the ability to convert light from low to high energy. In particular, the absorption of radiation by these nanomaterials in the near-infrared region of the spectrum, and their subsequent emission in the visible region, is of great interest for biomedical applications. Conventional antitumor therapies often produce a high degree of side effects. Consequently, it is proposed to investigate the development of less invasive alternative therapies as photothermal therapy, using UCNps. The upconversion property could be achieved by incorporating dopants (rare earths and transition metals) in fluorine-based crystalline environments. On the other hand, it is important to control the size of the nanoparticles for their use in biomedical applications, for that reason we plan to obtain nanoparticles with an approximate size less than 50 nm. In the present work, the development of KMgF3 fluoroperovskite nanoparticles by solvothermal synthesis is presented, applying a factorial experimental design which consists of four factors (temperature, time and two limiting reagents) at two levels and choosing the average particle size as a variable response. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy, in order to know the crystalline phase and particle size. As a result, KMgF3 nanoparticles with an average size between 13 and 31 nm were obtained. In addition, data obtained were statistically processed by Analysis of Variance, to determine the significant factors and their interactions, achieving the optimal synthesis conditions. From these results, a series of samples doped with Mn2+ and/or Nd3+ were obtained in order to find the optimal dopant concentrations for efficient upconversion properties. Our work is the starting point for the development of UCNps allowing them to be applied in future antitumor therapies.Agencia Nacional de investigación e InnovaciónPEDECIBAComisión Académica de Postgrad

“Protégete del sol, protégete del Lupus”. Integración curricular en el grado de Farmacia a través de la Metodología aprendizaje Servicio

[ES] El proyecto “Protégete del sol, protégete del Lupus”, emplea la estrategia metodológica de Aprendizaje Servicio como herramienta de integración curricular en la formación del futuro farmacéutico. El objetivo que se pretende alcanzar es aplicar, en un paciente crónico, un caso de intervención dermofarmacéutica, concretamente, se va a tratar la fotosensibilidad en el paciente de Lupus. En esta iniciativa, van a participar alumnos de 3º y 5º curso del grado de Farmacia de la Universidad San Jorge. Las asignaturas implicadas en el aprendizaje planteado son: Fisiología III (3º), Inmunología(3º), Dermofarmacia (5º), Medicamento Individualizado (5º) y Estancias Clínicas (5º). El objetivo de aprendizaje es la integración horizontal y vertical de asignaturas del grado de farmacia con un enfoque común, que es la salud del paciente crónico, concretamente, el paciente de Lupus; al cual se le ofrece un servicio: la información, prevención, análisis y dermoconsejo farmacéutico. Se va a trabajar con la Asociación de Pacientes ALADA (Asociación de Enfermos de Lupus y Antifosfolípido de Aragón. El proyecto conlleva una serie de actividades que tratan de compaginar el aprendizaje activo de los alumnos, mediante metodologías novedosas, con un servicio sanitario a la sociedad, representada, en este caso, por esta asociación de pacientes.Uriel Gallego, M.; Abarca Lachén, E.; Berenguer Torrijo, N.; Sáez-Benito Suescun, L.; Sáez-Benito Suescun, A.; Gómez Rincón, C. (2017). “Protégete del sol, protégete del Lupus”. Integración curricular en el grado de Farmacia a través de la Metodología aprendizaje Servicio. En In-Red 2017. III Congreso Nacional de innovación educativa y de docencia en red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 303-314. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2017.2017.6756OCS30331

A Study of the Relationship Between Uric Acid and Substantia Nigra Brain Connectivity in Patients With REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Parkinson’s Disease

Low levels of the natural antioxidant uric acid (UA) and the presence of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are both associated with an increased likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). RBD and PD are also accompanied by basal ganglia dysfunction including decreased nigrostriatal and nigrocortical resting state functional connectivity. Despite these independent findings, the relationship between UA and substantia nigra (SN) functional connectivity remains unknown. In the present study, voxelwise analysis of covariance was used in a cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between UA and whole-brain SN functional connectivity using the eyes-open resting state fMRI method in controls without RBD, patients with idiopathic RBD, and PD patients with and without RBD. The results showed that controls exhibited a positive relationship between UA and SN functional connectivity with left lingual gyrus. The positive relationship was reduced in patients with RBD and PD with RBD, and the relationship was found to be negative in PD patients. These results are the first to show differential relationships between UA and SN functional connectivity among controls, prodromal, and diagnosed PD patients in a ventral occipital region previously documented to be metabolically and structurally altered in RBD and PD. More investigation, including replication in longitudinal designs with larger samples, is needed to understand the pathophysiological significance of these changes

Long-term results between interval surgery and follow-up after percutaneous cholecystostomy: a retrospective cohort study

Introduction: Although cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis (AC), in patients with high surgical risk percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is chosen in some cases. The aim of this report is to follow up these patients and evaluate biliary recurrences after PC. Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was carried out in a third level hospital from August 2005 to December 2014. All patients diagnosed with acute lithiasis cholecystitis who were indicated as initial treatment with antibiotic therapy and PC echo-guided were included. Patients requiring emergent cholecystectomy during hospital and those who died during the AC episode were excluded. After hospital discharge, the patients were divided into two groups group 1 (interval cholecystectomy) and group 2 (no surgery). Results: From the 86 healed patients, there were 8 losses in the follow-up, so 78 patients were analyzed group 1 (n = 12) and group 2 (n = 66

Iga-Biome Profiles Correlate With Clinical Parkinson\u27s Disease Subtypes

BACKGROUND: Parkinson\u27s disease is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder with distinctive gut microbiome patterns suggesting that interventions targeting the gut microbiota may prevent, slow, or reverse disease progression and severity. OBJECTIVE: Because secretory IgA (SIgA) plays a key role in shaping the gut microbiota, characterization of the IgA-Biome of individuals classified into either the akinetic rigid (AR) or tremor dominant (TD) Parkinson\u27s disease clinical subtypes was used to further define taxa unique to these distinct clinical phenotypes. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to separate IgA-coated and -uncoated bacteria from stool samples obtained from AR and TD patients followed by amplification and sequencing of the V4 region of the 16 S rDNA gene on the MiSeq platform (Illumina). RESULTS: IgA-Biome analyses identified significant alpha and beta diversity differences between the Parkinson\u27s disease phenotypes and the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio was significantly higher in those with TD compared to those with AR. In addition, discriminant taxa analyses identified a more pro-inflammatory bacterial profile in the IgA+ fraction of those with the AR clinical subclass compared to IgA-Biome analyses of those with the TD subclass and with the taxa identified in the unsorted control samples. CONCLUSION: IgA-Biome analyses underscores the importance of the host immune response in shaping the gut microbiome potentially affecting disease progression and presentation. In the present study, IgA-Biome analyses identified a unique proinflammatory microbial signature in the IgA+ fraction of those with AR that would have otherwise been undetected using conventional microbiome analysis approaches

Iga-Biome Profiles Correlate With Clinical Parkinson\u27s Disease Subtypes

BACKGROUND: Parkinson\u27s disease is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder with distinctive gut microbiome patterns suggesting that interventions targeting the gut microbiota may prevent, slow, or reverse disease progression and severity. OBJECTIVE: Because secretory IgA (SIgA) plays a key role in shaping the gut microbiota, characterization of the IgA-Biome of individuals classified into either the akinetic rigid (AR) or tremor dominant (TD) Parkinson\u27s disease clinical subtypes was used to further define taxa unique to these distinct clinical phenotypes. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to separate IgA-coated and -uncoated bacteria from stool samples obtained from AR and TD patients followed by amplification and sequencing of the V4 region of the 16 S rDNA gene on the MiSeq platform (Illumina). RESULTS: IgA-Biome analyses identified significant alpha and beta diversity differences between the Parkinson\u27s disease phenotypes and the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio was significantly higher in those with TD compared to those with AR. In addition, discriminant taxa analyses identified a more pro-inflammatory bacterial profile in the IgA+ fraction of those with the AR clinical subclass compared to IgA-Biome analyses of those with the TD subclass and with the taxa identified in the unsorted control samples. CONCLUSION: IgA-Biome analyses underscores the importance of the host immune response in shaping the gut microbiome potentially affecting disease progression and presentation. In the present study, IgA-Biome analyses identified a unique proinflammatory microbial signature in the IgA+ fraction of those with AR that would have otherwise been undetected using conventional microbiome analysis approaches