Motor and Cognitive Performance in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is associated with mild cognitive impairment and frailty. This study aims to identify cognitive and motor differences in cirrhotic patients with and without MHE, and the correlations between motor signs and cognitive performance. Gait, balance, hand strength and motor speed performance were evaluated in 66 cirrhotic patients (38 without and 28 with MHE, according to the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES). Cognitive performance was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination, Verbal Fluency Test, Aprendizaje Verbal España-Complutense Test (TAVEC), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III, Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scale and Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). MHE patients performed worse than patients without MHE in cognitive and autonomous functioning, learning and long-term memory, and verbal fluency. The same pattern was found in gait, center of pressure movement, variability of hand strength performance and hand motor speed. In MHE patients, high correlations were found between balance and FAST test, gait velocity and verbal skills, hand strength variability and anxiety and depression, and motor speed and FAST and TAVEC. MHE patients showed worse motor and cognitive performance than patients without MHE. MHE patients could have impaired movement control expressed as bradykinesia, and this reduced motor performance could correlate with cognitive performance

Neuroprotective effect of adult hematopoietic stem cells in a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration

Degenerative spinal motor diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are produced by progressive degeneration of motoneurons. Their clinical manifestations include a progressive muscular weakness and atrophy, which lead to paralysis and premature death. Current pharmacological therapies fail to stop the progression of motor deficits or to restore motor function. The purpose of our study was to explore the possible beneficial effect of mouse adult hematopoietic stem cells (hSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord of a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration. Our results show that grafted hSCs survive in the spinal cord. In addition, the number of motoneurons in the transplanted spinal cord is larger than in non-transplanted mdf mice at the same spinal cord segments and importantly, motor function significantly improves. These effects can be explained by the increased levels of glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) around host motoneurons produced by the grafted cells. Thus, these experiments demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of adult hSCs in the model employed and indicate that this cell type may contribute to ameliorating motor function in degenerative spinal motor diseases

Neuroprotective effect of adult hematopoietic stem cells in a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration

Degenerative spinal motor diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are produced by progressive degeneration of motoneurons. Their clinical manifestations include a progressive muscular weakness and atrophy, which lead to paralysis and premature death. Current pharmacological therapies fail to stop the progression of motor deficits or to restore motor function. The purpose of our study was to explore the possible beneficial effect of mouse adult hematopoietic stem cells (hSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord of a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration. Our results show that grafted hSCs survive in the spinal cord. In addition, the number of motoneurons in the transplanted spinal cord is larger than in non-transplanted mdf mice at the same spinal cord segments and importantly, motor function significantly improves. These effects can be explained by the increased levels of glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) around host motoneurons produced by the grafted cells. Thus, these experiments demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of adult hSCs in the model employed and indicate that this cell type may contribute to ameliorating motor function in degenerative spinal motor diseases.This study was supported by Fundación Diógenes of ALS patients from Elche (Alicante), Neuropharma, La Caixa (02/168-01), Instituto Carlos III (TERCEL G03/210, RD06/0010/0023 and REA G03/056) to S.M. and by MEC (BFU2004-00350/BFI) to L.T.Peer reviewe

Neuroprotective effect of adult hematopoietic stem cells in a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration

Degenerative spinal motor diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are produced by progressive degeneration of motoneurons. Their clinical manifestations include a progressive muscular weakness and atrophy, which lead to paralysis and premature death. Current pharmacological therapies fail to stop the progression of motor deficits or to restore motor function. The purpose of our study was to explore the possible beneficial effect of mouse adult hematopoietic stem cells (hSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord of a mouse model of motoneuron degeneration. Our results show that grafted hSCs survive in the spinal cord. In addition, the number of motoneurons in the transplanted spinal cord is larger than in non-transplanted mdf mice at the same spinal cord segments and importantly, motor function significantly improves. These effects can be explained by the increased levels of glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) around host motoneurons produced by the grafted cells. Thus, these experiments demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of adult hSCs in the model employed and indicate that this cell type may contribute to ameliorating motor function in degenerative spinal motor diseases

A reliable enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for African swine fever using the major structural protein as antigenic reagent

The VP73 structural protein is a major viral protein in MS cells infected with African swine fever virus. It can be purified by simple extraction from the cytoplasmic fraction of infected cells and used as an effective antigen in ELISA studies. © 1981 Springer-Verlag

Enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles. Caracterización comparativa para gestantes portadoras y su descendencia

Las funciones de la reproducción humana y la enfermedad propia o asociada en la gestante, se identifican e interactúan en ella con frecuencia e impacto de diversa magnitud. Los autores de este informe decidieron evaluar el curso de la gestación, el parto y el posparto en 1 093 grávidas con diagnóstico confirmado de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles -- hemoglobinopatías de tipo S, hipertensión arterial, cardiopatías, diabetes y anemias deficitarias --, así como algunos parámetros de interés en sus hijos; ambos tratados en el Hospital Ginecoobstétrico Docente "Tamara Bunke Bider", en el Centro de Cirugía Cardiovascular y en servicios diversos del Hospital Provincial Docente Clinicoquirúrgico "Saturnino Lora Torres" de Santiago de Cuba, durante el período 1985-2009. A tal fin fueron seleccionadas las variables: prevalencia, edad, paridad, estado nutricional de la madre (índice de masa corporal), índice de cesárea primitiva, partos pretérmino y postérmino, bajo y alto peso del recién nacido y estado nutricional del recién nacido (crecimiento retardado y crecimiento acelerado), para, finalmente, analizar la morbilidad neonatal y materna y la mortalidad perinatal y materna

Correct localization of hMeCP2e1-RFP fusion protein in stable transfected neural cell lines.

<p>(<b>A</b>). Photomicrographs show phase-contrast (PhC) and fluorescence images of hMeCP2e1-RFP⁺ expressing neural cell lines. Scale bar = 100μm. (<b>B</b>) Nuclear localization of hMeCP2e1-RFP in mouse and human interphase nuclei. Scale bar = 100μm. (<b>C</b>) hMeCP2e1-RFP fusion protein localized to metaphase chromosomes in mitotic nuclei. Scale bar = 50μm.</p

Multiple MeCP2 and RFP immunoreactive bands in p.T158M MeCP2e1-RFP mutant expressing neural cell line.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Diagram of the hMeCP2e1-RFP protein illustrating the position of the MeCP2 and RFP antibodies. (<b>B</b>) RFP immunoreactive bands in wild-type and p.T158M hMeCP2e1-RFP⁺ mutant expressing neural cell lines. Blots were also double-stained for β-actin, as a loading control. The asterisks marks β-actin bands. (<b>C</b>) Higher denaturing conditions did not affect the recognition of the RFP immunoreactive bands. (<b>D-G</b>) RFP and MeCP2 immunoreactive bands in wild-type and p.T158M hMeCP2e1-RFP⁺ mutant expressing neural cell lines. (<b>H-K</b>) Only one RFP immunoreactive band around 70kDa (faster migration band) was visible in hMeCP2e1-RFP⁺ HEK293 and N2A cell lines in the absence of phosphatase inhibitor. Blots were stained with Ponceau solution as a loading control. Protein size markers (in kilodaltons) are indicated on the right of each panel.</p