Evaluación de la función endotelial por medición de la íntima media arterial, pcr ultrasensible y vasodilatación mediada por flujo en mujeres ecuatorianas con hipotiroidismo subclínico

Introducción: a nivel mundial ha aumentado el diagnóstico del hipotiroidismo subclínico. Se conoce que la hipofunción de las hormonas tiroideas trastorna el metabolismo de los lípidos a través la disminución cuantitativa de los receptores de las lipoproteínas de baja densidad. Sin embargo, la asociación entre el hipotiroidismo subclínico y la disfunción endotelial no ha sido determinada con exactitud. Objetivo: determinar la relación entre los niveles de hormona estimulante de la tiroides (TSH) y la función endotelial. Materiales y métodos: estudio observacional, transversal en pacientes con diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo subclínico, realizado mediante dos determinaciones de TSH entre 4 y 10 mUI/L y tiroxina libre (FT4) entre 0.7 y 1.9 ng/dl. La función endotelial se estableció mediante la medición del grosor de la capa íntima-media de la arteria braquial, la vasodilatación mediada por flujo en ecografía Doppler y los niveles de proteína C reactiva ultrasensible (PCR). Se utilizó test de correlación de Pearson para establecer relación entre los niveles de TSH y PCR. Resultados: se incluyeron 16 pacientes de sexo femenino con hipotiroidismo subclínico, con una media de edad de 49 años, en quienes no se encontró correlación significativa entre los niveles de TSH y PCR ultrasensible (p=0.43). En relación a los niveles de TSH y la respuesta vasodilatadora la diferencia no fue estadísticamente significativa (p= 0.96), al igual que la relación entre PCR ultrasensible y vasodilatación que no fue significativa (p= 0,79). Conclusiones: no se encontró correlación entre los niveles de TSH y las alteraciones de la función endotelial. Es recomendable realizar estudios longitudinales en los que se pueda recolectar información que permita establecer si existe o no asociación entre éstas variables

Biogeographical origin and timing of the founder ichthyosis TGM1 c.1187G > A mutation in an isolated Ecuadorian population

An unusually high frequency of the lamellar ichthyosis TGM1 mutation, c.1187G > A, has been observed in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi. Recently, the same mutation has been detected in a Galician patient (Northwest of Spain). By analyzing patterns of genetic variation around this mutation in Ecuadorian patients and population matched controls, we were able to estimate the age of c.1187G > A and the time to their most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of c.1187G > A Ecuadorian carriers. While the estimated mutation age is 41 generations ago (~1,025 years ago [ya]), the TMRCA of Ecuadorian c.1187G > A carrier haplotypes dates to just 17 generations (~425 ya). Probabilistic-based inferences of local ancestry allowed us to infer a most likely European origin of a few (16% to 30%) Ecuadorian haplotypes carrying this mutation. In addition, inferences on demographic historical changes based on c.1187G > A Ecuadorian carrier haplotypes estimated an exponential population growth starting ~20 generations, compatible with a recent founder effect occurring in Manabi. Two main hypotheses can be considered for the origin of c.1187G > A: (i) the mutation could have arisen in Spain >1,000 ya (being Galicia the possible homeland) and then carried to Ecuador by Spaniards in colonial times ~400 ya, and (ii) two independent mutational events originated this mutation in Ecuador and Galicia. The geographic and cultural characteristics of Manabi could have favored a founder effect that explains the high prevalence of TGM1 c.1187G > A in this region

Viruses Associated with Ovarian Degeneration in Apis mellifera L. Queens

Queen fecundity is a critical issue for the health of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies, as she is the only reproductive female in the colony and responsible for the constant renewal of the worker bee population. Any factor affecting the queen's fecundity will stagnate colony development, increasing its susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens. We discovered a pathology affecting the ovaries, characterized by a yellow discoloration concentrated in the apex of the ovaries resulting from degenerative lesions in the follicles. In extreme cases, marked by intense discoloration, the majority of the ovarioles were affected and these cases were universally associated with egg-laying deficiencies in the queens. Microscopic examination of the degenerated follicles showed extensive paracrystal lattices of 30 nm icosahedral viral particles. A cDNA library from degenerated ovaries contained a high frequency of deformed wing virus (DWV) and Varroa destructor virus 1 (VDV-1) sequences, two common and closely related honeybee Iflaviruses. These could also be identified by in situ hybridization in various parts of the ovary. A large-scale survey for 10 distinct honeybee viruses showed that DWV and VDV-1 were by far the most prevalent honeybee viruses in queen populations, with distinctly higher prevalence in mated queens (100% and 67%, respectively for DWV and VDV-1) than in virgin queens (37% and 0%, respectively). Since very high viral titres could be recorded in the ovaries and abdomens of both functional and deficient queens, no significant correlation could be made between viral titre and ovarian degeneration or egg-laying deficiency among the wider population of queens. Although our data suggest that DWV and VDV-1 have a role in extreme cases of ovarian degeneration, infection of the ovaries by these viruses does not necessarily result in ovarian degeneration, even at high titres, and additional factors are likely to be involved in this pathology

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Evaluación de la función endotelial por medición de la íntima media arterial, pcr ultrasensible y vasodilatación mediada por flujo en mujeres ecuatorianas con hipotiroidismo subclínico

Introducción: a nivel mundial ha aumentado el diagnóstico del hipotiroidismo subclínico. Se conoce que la hipofunción de las hormonas tiroideas trastorna el metabolismo de los lípidos a través la disminución cuantitativa de los receptores de las lipoproteínas de baja densidad. Sin embargo, la asociación entre el hipotiroidismo subclínico y la disfunción endotelial no ha sido determinada con exactitud. Objetivo: determinar la relación entre los niveles de hormona estimulante de la tiroides (TSH) y la función endotelial. Materiales y métodos: estudio observacional, transversal en pacientes con diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo subclínico, realizado mediante dos determinaciones de TSH entre 4 y 10 mUI/L y tiroxina libre (FT4) entre 0.7 y 1.9 ng/dl. La función endotelial se estableció mediante la medición del grosor de la capa íntima-media de la arteria braquial, la vasodilatación mediada por flujo en ecografía Doppler y los niveles de proteína C reactiva ultrasensible (PCR). Se utilizó test de correlación de Pearson para establecer relación entre los niveles de TSH y PCR. Resultados: se incluyeron 16 pacientes de sexo femenino con hipotiroidismo subclínico, con una media de edad de 49 años, en quienes no se encontró correlación significativa entre los niveles de TSH y PCR ultrasensible (p=0.43). En relación a los niveles de TSH y la respuesta vasodilatadora la diferencia no fue estadísticamente significativa (p= 0.96), al igual que la relación entre PCR ultrasensible y vasodilatación que no fue significativa (p= 0,79). Conclusiones: no se encontró correlación entre los niveles de TSH y las alteraciones de la función endotelial. Es recomendable realizar estudios longitudinales en los que se pueda recolectar información que permita establecer si existe o no asociación entre éstas variables

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

No abstract available

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present