Increased AGE-RAGE ratio in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: the abnormal epithelial-mesenchymal restorative capacity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been recently associated with an accelerated aging process as a key point for the altered wound healing. The advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are the consequence of non-enzymatic reactions between lipid and protein with several oxidants in the aging process. The receptor for AGEs (RAGEs) has been implicated in the lung fibrotic process and the alveolar homeostasis. However, this AGE-RAGE aging pathway has been under-explored in IPF. Methods: lung samples from 16 IPF and 9 control patients were obtained through surgical lung biopsy. Differences in AGEs and RAGE expression between both groups were evaluated by RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The effect of AGEs on cell viability of primary lung fibrotic fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial cells was assessed. Cell transformation of fibrotic fibroblasts cultured into glycated matrices was evaluated in different experimental conditions. Results: our study demonstrates an increase of AGEs together with a decrease of RAGEs in IPF lungs, compared with control samples. Two specific AGEs involved in aging, pentosidine and Nε-Carboxymethyl lysine, were significantly increased in IPF samples. The immunohistochemistry identified higher staining of AGEs related to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and the apical surface of the alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) surrounding fibroblast foci in fibrotic lungs. On the other hand, RAGE location was present at the cell membrane of AECs in control lungs, while it was almost missing in pulmonary fibrotic tissue. In addition, in vitro cultures showed that the effect of AGEs on cell viability was different for AECs and fibrotic fibroblasts. AGEs decreased cell viability in AECs, even at low concentration, while fibroblast viability was less affected. Furthermore, fibroblast to myofibroblast transformation could be enhanced by ECM glycation. Conclusions: all of these findings suggest a possible role of the increased ratio AGEs-RAGEs in IPF, which could be a relevant accelerating aging tissue reaction in the abnormal wound healing of the lung fibrotic process

Anti-fibrotic Effects Of Pirfenidone And Rapamycin In Primary Ipf Fibroblasts And Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells

Background: Pirfenidone, a pleiotropic anti-fibrotic treatment, has been shown to slow down disease progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal and devastating lung disease. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of fibroblast proliferation could be a potential anti-fibrotic drug to improve the effects of pirfenidone. Methods: Primary lung fibroblasts from IPF patients and human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were treated in vitro with pirfenidone and rapamycin in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta). Extracellular matrix protein and gene expression of markers involved in lung fibrosis (tenascin-c, fibronectin, collagen I (COM Al], collagen III [COL3A1] and alpha-smooth muscle actin [alpha-SMA]) were analyzed. A cell migration assay in pirfenidone, rapamycin and TGF-beta-containing media was performed. Results: Gene and protein expression of tenascin-c and fibronectin of fibrotic fibroblasts were reduced by pirfenidone or rapamycin treatment Pirfenidone-rapamycin treatment did not revert the epithelial to mesenchymal transition pathway activated by TGF-beta. However, the drug combination significantly abrogated fibroblast to myofibroblast transition. The inhibitory effect of pirfenidone on fibroblast migration in the scratch-wound assay was potentiated by rapamycin combination. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the combination of pirfenidone and rapamycin widen the inhibition range of fibrogenic markers and prevents fibroblast migration. These results would open a new line of research for an anti-fibrotic combination therapeutic approach

Design of in-building wireless networks deployments using evolutionary algorithms

In this article, a novel approach to deal with the design of in-building wireless networks deployments is proposed. This approach known as MOQZEA (Multiobjective Quality Zone Based Evolutionary Algorithm) is a hybr id evolutionary algorithm adapted to use a novel fitness function, based on the definition of quality zones for the different objective functions considered. This approach is conceived to solve wireless network design problems without previous information of the required number of transmitters, considering simultaneously a high number of objective functions and optimizing multiple configuration parameters of the transmitters

Platform of Citizen Interaction: the contribution to the governability of New TIC´s and Citizen Relational Management

Understanding "governability" as an interaction process among government and society, the New Technologies of Information and Communications (NTICs) can contribute as a strategy of improvement and conversion in the type of communication between both actors. This article introduces concepts referred to Customer Relationship Management applications turned into Citizen Relationship Management tools. The plus of a modeling of the multiplatforms functionalities that this solution offers and a protocol of implementation and system migration is a step forward in the achievement of obtaining an electronic government with civil democratic interaction and transparency in the management. The idea of a Platform of Citizen Interaction that auspice as a repository of the communication between public and civil entities allows having a unique and centralized database capable of being segmented of different ways to attend to a great diversity of subject matters.VIII Workshop Innovación en Sistemas de Software (WISS).Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Platform of Citizen Interaction: the contribution to the governability of New TIC´s and Citizen Relational Management

Understanding "governability" as an interaction process among government and society, the New Technologies of Information and Communications (NTICs) can contribute as a strategy of improvement and conversion in the type of communication between both actors. This article introduces concepts referred to Customer Relationship Management applications turned into Citizen Relationship Management tools. The plus of a modeling of the multiplatforms functionalities that this solution offers and a protocol of implementation and system migration is a step forward in the achievement of obtaining an electronic government with civil democratic interaction and transparency in the management. The idea of a Platform of Citizen Interaction that auspice as a repository of the communication between public and civil entities allows having a unique and centralized database capable of being segmented of different ways to attend to a great diversity of subject matters.VIII Workshop Innovación en Sistemas de Software (WISS).Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Authentication of tequilas using pattern recognition and supervised classification

[Abstract] Sales of reputed, Mexican tequila grown substantially in last years and, therefore, counterfeiting is increasing steadily. Hence, methodologies intended to characterize and authenticate commercial beverages are a real need. They require a combination of analytical characterization and chemometric tools. This work reports concisely on the former and focus on the chemometric tools employed so far in connection with them. Further, a practical case study presents the classification capabilities of nine supervised classification methods to differentiate white, rested, aged and extra-aged tequilas. The largest set of certified tequilas employed so far was considered. In general, non linear methods performed best than linear ones (accuracy higher than 94% in both training and validation). The case study demonstrates that it is possible to develop fast, cheap, easy to implement and reliable analytical methodologies to authenticate and classify samples of tequilas.Xunta de Galicia; GRC2013-047Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Competitividad; FJCI-2015-2607

Carcass and Meat Quality Traits in an Embden×Toulouse Goose Cross Raised in Organic Dehesa

his study assessed the influence of genetic type (Embden-Anser anser, EE; Toulouse-Anser anser, TT and F1 cross, ET) for meat characteristics (carcass, meat quality and fatty acid (FA) profiles), of domestic geese “Anser anser domesticus” raised in dehesa as an alternative, organic feeding system. Carcass and breast muscle weight (p<0.01) were greater for the ET group at the same live weight. None of the groups showed differences in the production of fatty liver with this type of feeding. Higher values were found for maximum Warner–Bratzler shear force (between 7.62 and 8.87 kg/cm2), which implies the improvement of this parameter. High levels of oleic FAs were obtained, especially for the TT group. The polyunsaturated/saturated FA ratio was highest for the ET group (p<0.001), reflecting the optimum nutritional values as a component of a healthy consumer die

Wunderlich syndrome (spontaneous renal hematoma) as a cause of acute abdomen: a case report

Spontaneous renal hemorrhage, also known as Wünderlich syndrome, is a rare condition that can be life-threatening and consists of the onset of sudden hemorrhage into the subcapsular and perirenal spaces. It can be lethal as it goes unnoticed and requires aggressive treatment. The entity lies mainly in neoplasms, the malignant ones being the most common. We present the case of a 63-year-old female patient with acute abdomen clinic, a diagnostic laparoscopy was performed and renal hematoma was evidenced as the cause of the symptoms. It was managed conservatively without any complications. We emphasize the importance of keeping in mind Wünderlich syndrome as a differential diagnosis to instigate early treatment for a better outcome.

Nivel de conocimiento de manejo de niños y actitud frente a desastres en pediatras del Servicio de Emergencia Pediátrica del Centro Médico Naval del Callao, 2018-2019

Objective: To determine the correlation between the level of knowledge on disaster management for children and the attitude towards disasters of pediatricians from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Centro Médico Naval – Callao from December 2018 to February 2019. Materials and methods: The level of knowledge was established using a questionnaire based on a course on disaster management from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The attitude towards disasters was determined using a validated self-administered Likert-scale questionnaire that measured the cognitive, behavioral and affective areas. The IBM SPSS Statistics V25 was used for the statistical analysis. Frequencies and percentages were employed for the descriptive statistics. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient with a significance level of p &lt; 0.05 was used for the inferential statistics. Results: Eighty percent (80 %) of the study population had a moderate level of knowledge and 76 % had an indifferent attitude. A moderate positive correlation level (0.505) with a significance level of p &lt; 0.05 was found. Conclusions: A correlation between the level of knowledge and the attitude towards disasters was demonstrated. Therefore, it is necessary to train the emergency personnel, particularly the pediatricians.Objetivo: Determinar la correlación entre el nivel de conocimiento de manejo de niños en situación de desastre y la actitud frente a los desastres de los médicos pediatras del Servicio de Emergencia Pediátrica del Centro Médico Naval del Callao durante el período de diciembre de 2018 a febrero de 2019. Materiales y métodos: El nivel de conocimiento se determinó con un cuestionario basado en el Curso de Desastres de la Academia Americana de Pediatría. La actitud frente a los desastres fue establecida con un formulario autoadministrado con respuestas en escala tipo Likert validada, que midió los aspectos en las áreas cognitiva, conductual y afectiva. En el análisis estadístico, se utilizó el programa SPSS v.25. Las frecuencias y los porcentajes se emplearon en la estadística descriptiva. Para la estadística inferencial, se utilizó el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman, con un nivel de significancia p &lt; 0,05. Resultados: El 80,00 % de los pediatras tuvo un nivel medio de conocimiento, y el 76,00 % manifestó una actitud indiferente. Se obtuvo un nivel de correlación positivo intermedio (0,505) con significancia estadística (p &lt; 0,05). Conclusiones: Se demostró una correlación entre el nivel de conocimiento y la actitud frente a los desastres. Por ello, es necesario incidir en la capacitación del personal de emergencia, sobre todo, en los pediatras