Estructura y actividad de sapogeninas triterpenicas

La leishmaniasis es una enfermedad ampliamente difundida en América latina, desafortunadamente para su tratamiento hay muy pocas drogas, que tambien tienen una baja efectividad. Por esta razón el mundo urge de nuevas y más efectivas moléculas. En la búsqueda de sustancias antiparasitarias se detecto una alta actividad leishmanicida de Sapindus saponaria ricas en sapogeninas. El fraccionamiento y posterior purificación se obtuvieron tres sapogeninas triterpenicas cuyas estructuras se describen ene este articulo

Genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus protects against cerebral malaria in mice.

Plasmodium falciparum has exerted tremendous selective pressure on genes that improve survival in severe malarial infections. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is six to eight times more prevalent in women of African descent than in women of European descent. Here we provide evidence that a genetic susceptibility to SLE protects against cerebral malaria. Mice that are prone to SLE because of a deficiency in FcγRIIB or overexpression of Toll-like receptor 7 are protected from death caused by cerebral malaria. Protection appears to be by immune mechanisms that allow SLE-prone mice better to control their overall inflammatory responses to parasite infections. These findings suggest that the high prevalence of SLE in women of African descent living outside of Africa may result from the inheritance of genes that are beneficial in the immune control of cerebral malaria but that, in the absence of malaria, contribute to autoimmune disease

Heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies are produced by individuals immunized with a seasonal influenza vaccine

The target of neutralizing antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection is the viral protein HA. Genetic and antigenic variation in HA has been used to classify influenza viruses into subtypes (H1–H16). The neutralizing antibody response to influenza virus is thought to be specific for a few antigenically related isolates within a given subtype. However, while heterosubtypic antibodies capable of neutralizing multiple influenza virus subtypes have been recently isolated from phage display libraries, it is not known whether such antibodies are produced in the course of an immune response to influenza virus infection or vaccine. Here we report that, following vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine containing H1 and H3 influenza virus subtypes, some individuals produce antibodies that cross-react with H5 HA. By immortalizing IgG-expressing B cells from 4 individuals, we isolated 20 heterosubtypic mAbs that bound and neutralized viruses belonging to several HA subtypes (H1, H2, H5, H6, and H9), including the pandemic A/California/07/09 H1N1 isolate. The mAbs used different VH genes and carried a high frequency of somatic mutations. With the exception of a mAb that bound to the HA globular head, all heterosubtypic mAbs bound to acid- sensitive epitopes in the HA stem region. Four mAbs were evaluated in vivo and protected mice from challenge with influenza viruses representative of different subtypes. These findings reveal that seasonal influenza vaccination can induce polyclonal heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies that cross-react with the swine-origin pandemic H1N1 influenza virus and with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Egresados de Fonoaudiología de la Universidad Santiago de Cali: Percepción de los empleadores

Esta investigación se realizó en el Programa de Fonoaudiología de la Universidad Santiago de Cali (USC), con la colaboración de cada uno de los empleadores participantes.  Su objetivo fue caracterizar la percepción de los empleadores frente a la calidad académica de los egresados del Programa. Es un estudio  descriptivo, con una muestra de 23 empleadores que tienen a su cargo a 83 egresados; como recurso metodológico se diseñó un encuesta que califica la apreciación en una escala liker.  Los resultados evidencian que las prácticas formativas son una plataforma para la iniciación laboral del egresado, especialmente en ámbitos clínicos que trabajan áreas de neurodesarrollo y neurohabilitación. Igualmente se determina que la percepción de los empleadores es de orientación positiva en los ejes cognitivos, praxiológicos y actitudinales indagados. Es importante resaltar que los fonoaudiólogos formados en la USC asumen un rol asistencial – empleado; y en poca proporción un rol de empleador siendo relevante fomentar el emprendimiento empresarial. Los resultados se configuran como un momento iniciático en la identificación de  las tensiones entre academia- egresado- empleador, y su continuidad permitirá dar profundidad a la pertinencia social del programa, el proyecto educativo institucional y la articulación entre los propósitos de formación, el horizonte de expectativas del estudiante y las dinámicas de mercado

An intranasally administered monoclonal antibody cocktail abrogates ricin toxin-induced pulmonary tissue damage and inflammation

Ricin toxin, a plant-derived, mannosylated glycoprotein, elicits an incapacitating and potentially lethal inflammatory response in the airways following inhalation. Uptake of ricin by alveolar macrophages (AM) and other pulmonary cell types occurs via two parallel pathways: one mediated by ricin’s B subunit (RTB), a galactose-specific lectin, and one mediated by the mannose receptor (MR;CD206). Ricin’s A subunit (RTA) is a ribosome-inactivating protein that triggers apoptosis in mammalian cells. It was recently reported that a single monoclonal antibody (MAb), PB10, directed against an immunodominant epitope on RTA and administered intravenously, was able to rescue Rhesus macaques from lethal aerosol dose of ricin. In this study, we now demonstrate in mice that the effectiveness PB10 is significantly improved when combined with a second MAb, SylH3, against RTB. Mice treated with PB10 alone survived lethal-dose intranasal ricin challenge, but experienced significant weight loss, moderate pulmonary inflammation (e.g., elevated IL-1 and IL-6 levels, PMN influx), and apoptosis of lung macrophages. In contrast, mice treated with the PB10/SylH3 cocktail were essentially impervious to pulmonary ricin toxin exposure, as evidenced by no weight loss, no change in local IL-1 and IL-6 levels, retention of lung macrophages, and a significant dampening of PMN recruitment into the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. The PB10/SylH3 cocktail only marginally reduced ricin binding to target cells in the BAL, suggesting that the antibody mixture neutralizes ricin by interfering with one or more steps in the RTB- and MR-dependent uptake pathways

Galleria mellonella experimental model for bat fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans and human fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus pannorum

Laboratory investigations of the pathogenesis of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal causal agent of bat White Nose Syndrome (WNS), presents unique challenges due to its growth requirements (4°-15°C) and a lack of infectivity in the current disease models. Pseudogymnoascus pannorum is the nearest fungal relative of P. destructans with wider psychrophilic – physiological growth range, and ability to cause rare skin infections in humans. Our broad objectives are to create the molecular toolkit for comparative study of P. destructans and P. pannorum pathogenesis. Towards these goals, we report the successful development of an invertebrate model in the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. Both P. destructans and P. pannorum caused fatal disease in G. mellonella and elicited immune responses and histopathological changes consistent with the experimental disease

Epidemiology and diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in a low incidence country with high rate of immigrant population: A retrospective study

Immigrant population; Pleural tuberculosis; Tuberculosis diagnostic toolsPoblació immigrant; Tuberculosi pleural; Eines de diagnòstic per la tuberculosiPoblación inmigrante; Tuberculosis pleural; Herramientas de diagnóstico para la tuberculosisBACKGROUND: The confirmatory diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (pTB) remains challenging. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pTB patients and assess the yield of different diagnostic procedures in a low burden country with a high rate of immigrant population. METHODS: All adult patients with pTB between 2007 and 2014 were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: One hundred and three out of 843 patients with tuberculosis had pTB. Fifty-three (54.1%) were male, and the median age was 45years (range 18-87years). Fifty-two (50.49%) patients were immigrants. A confirmed diagnosis was reached in 16 patients (15.5%) by microbiological studies of pleural effusion. Lung involvement was demonstrated by sputum smear microscopy in 13/49 (26.5%), sputum GeneXpert MTB/RIF test in 13/20 (65%), and sputum culture in 16/37 (43.2%). High-resolution computed tomography (CT) showed lung involvement in 47.7% of the patients. The cure rate was 91.3% at the 1-year follow-up. Three patients died, all of them within the first month after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of lung involvement increased by two-fold when lung CT was used; this correlated with the likelihood of finding a positive microbiological result on sputum sample testing. Pleural microbiological studies had a low diagnostic yield, and sputum could have a complementary role

Treatment by internal fixation with cannulated screws in patients with femoral neck fracture at the Hospital Luis Vernaza

Introducción: Evaluar el resultado funcional de pacientes con fractura de cuello femoral desplazada tratados con fijación interna con tornillos canulados en el Hospital Luis Vernaza, Ecuador. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio retrospectivo en 15 pacientes con fractura desplazada del cuello femoral, tratados mediante fijación interna con tornillos canulados durante el período 2015 a 2017 en el Servicio de Traumatología del Hospital Luis Vernaza. El resultado funcional se midió utilizando la escala Merle D'Aubigné a los 12 meses. Resultados: Fuera de la población estudiada, 86.6% (n = 13) <65 años y 13.4% (n = 2) ≥65 años. El resultado funcional obtenido según la escala de Merle D'Aubigné fue: muy bueno (33.3%; n = 5), bueno (33.3% n = 5), regular (20%; n = 3) y pobre (13.4%; n = 2), destacando la presencia de dolor y trastornos de movilidad en los últimos 4 pacientes. Conclusión: Los pacientes con fractura desplazada del cuello femoral tratados mediante fijación interna con tornillos canulados presentaron un resultado funcional bueno o muy bueno en la mayoría de los casos después de 12 meses de seguimiento. Estos datos indican la utilidad potencial de este procedimiento quirúrgico en pacientes menores de 65 años. © 2019, Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacologia y de Farmacologia Clinica y Terapeutica. Todos los derechos reservados. Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacologia y de Farmacologia Clinica y Terapeutica. Todos los derechos reservados. Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacologia y de Farmacologia Clinica y Terapeutica. Todos los derechos reservados.© 2019, Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacologia y de Farmacologia Clinica y Terapeutica. All rights reserved. Introduction: To evaluate the functional outcome of patients with displaced femoral neck fracture treated with internal fixation with cannulated screws at the Hospital Luis Vernaza, Ecuador. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 15 patients with displaced femoral neck fracture, treated by internal fixation with cannulated screws during the period 2015 to 2017 in the Traumatology Service at the Hospital Luis Vernaza. Functional outcome was measured using the Merle D’Aubigné scale at 12 months. Results: Out of the studied population, 86.6% (n=13) <65 years old and 13.4% (n=2) ≥65 years old. The functional outcome obtained according to the Merle D’Aubigné scale was: very good (33.3%; n=5), good (33.3% n=5), regular (20%; n=3), and poor (13.4%; n=2), highlighting the presence of pain and mobility disorders in the last 4 patients. Conclusion: Patients with displaced femoral neck fracture treated by internal fixation with cannulated screws presented a good or a very good functional result in most cases after 12 months of follow-up. This data indicates the potential utility of this surgical procedure in patients younger than 65 years