Prevalencia de hipertensión arterial y factores de riesgo cardiovascular en una población rural expuesta al arsénico en Argentina / Prevalence of arterial hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors in a rural population exposed to arsenic in Argentina

RESUMEN Objetivos. Determinar la prevalencia de hipertensión arterial y factores de riesgo cardiovascular (FRC) en una población rural expuesta al arsénico (As) en el agua de consumo en la provincia de Tucumán, Argentina. Materiales y métodos. Participaron 352 habitantes adultos. Se midió el consumo de arsénico en agua de bebida y se evaluó la presión arterial, el tabaquismo, el consumo de alcohol de riesgo y perjudicial, la ingesta de sal, la actividad física, el índice de masa corporal, la glucemia y la dislipidemia. El riesgo cardiovascular fue calculado usando el score de Framingham. Resultados. Se dividió la población en Grupo Expuesto (GE) n=90 y Grupo No Expuesto (GNE) n=262. La prevalencia de hipertensión fue 48,9 y 51,1%; tabaquismo 31,1 y 39,7%; consumo de alcohol de riesgo 22,2 y 17,9%; perjudicial 36,6 y 36,6%; ingesta de sal 100 y 100%; actividad física 16,7 y 18,7%; sobrepeso 43,3 y 43,9%; obesidad 25,5 y 25,6%; diabetes 24,4 y 32,8%; y dislipidemia 58,9 y 66,4%. El score de riesgo bajo, moderado o alto fue 50; 21,1; y 28,9% para GE, y 54,6; 19,1 y 26,3% para GNE, respectivamente. Conclusiones. La exposición al As no afecta la prevalencia de FRC. Se identifica una población rural en situación de vulnerabilidad con elevados FRC. La Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgo no refleja lo que ocurre en zonas rurales. La escala de Framingham concuerda con los FRC encontrados. Se requiere la implementación de políticas de promoción de salud que permita mejorar el pronóstico de sufrir eventos cardiovasculares a corto y mediano plazo.

ABSTRACT Objective. To determine the prevalence of arterial hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors (CRF) in a rural population exposed to arsenic (As) in drinking water in the province of Tucumán, Argentina. Materials and methods. A total of 352 adult inhabitants participated. Consumption of arsenic in drinking water was measured. Blood pressure, smoking, risk and harmful alcohol consumption, salt intake, physical activity, body mass index, glycemia and dyslipidemia were evaluated. Cardiovascular risk was calculated using the Framingham score. Results. The population was divided into Exposed Group (EG) n=90 and Non-Exposed Group (NEG) n=262. The prevalence of hypertension was 48.9 and 51.1% in each group, respectively; for smoking it was 31.1 and 39.7%; for risky alcohol consumption, 22.2 and 17.9%; for harmful alcohol consumption, 36.6 and 36.6%; for salt intake, 100 and 100%; for physical activity, 16.7 and 18.7%; for being overweight, 43.3 and 43.9%; for obesity, 25.5 and 25.6%; for diabetes, 24.4 and 32.8%; and for dyslipidemia, 58.9 and 66.4%. The scores for low, moderate, or high-risk were 50; 21.1; and 28.9% in the EG, and 54.6; 19.1 and 26.3% in the NEG, respectively. Conclusions. Exposure to As does not affect the prevalence of CRFs. We identified a rural population in a vulnerable condition with high CRFs. The National Risk Factor Survey does not reflect what happens in rural areas. The Framingham scale is consistent with the found CRFs. The implementation of health promotion policies is required to improve the prognosis of suffering cardiovascular events in the short and medium term.

Utilidad pronóstica del PET/CT en cáncer de páncreas / Prognostic value of PET/CT in pancreatic cancer

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the tenth most prevalent cancer in world, and represents the fourth cause of cancer death. It has a five year-survival of 5%. Aim: To assess the prognostic value of PET/CT in pancreatic cancer. Material and Methods: Sixty-nine patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent staging 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT between December 2008 and July 2016 were selected. Gender, age, body-mass index, laboratory tests (Ca 19-9, hemoglobin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, liver enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase), histological differentiation of tumor, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, size and 18F-FDG uptake (maximal stan-dardized uptake value [SUVmax]) of the primary tumor, nodal involvement and distant metastasis detected by PET/CT were registered. Survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves, Log Rank test and Cox multivariable analysis. Results: Mortality was 66.7%, during a mean observation time of 18 months (range 20 days-66 months). Curative surgery, lack of metastases detected by PET/CT, histologically well differentiated tumors, and SUVmax ≤ 4.3 were significantly associated with a better specific survival, determined by the Log Rank test. Histological differentiation was the only variable that had a statistically significant prognostic value in the multivariable analysis. Conclusions: The detection of distant metastases and the intensity of primary tumor 18F-FDG uptake during PET/CT provide useful prognostic information in pancreatic cancer patients.

Niveles séricos del antígeno prostático específico en varones expuestos y no expuestos al arsénico en el agua de bebida en Tucumán, Argentina / Total prostatic specific antigen levels among subjects exposed and not exposed to arsenic in drinking water

Background: There is an association between arsenic exposure and prostatic cancer mortality. Aim: To analyze and to compare the serum levels of total prostatic specific antigen (TPSA) in asymptomatic men of a rural zone, exposed and not exposed to high concentrations of arsenic (As) in drinking water. Material and Methods: The study included 161 men that were subjected to a clinical evaluation, serum TPSA determination and a trans rectal ultrasonography. Exposed and non-exposed subjects were divided in groups GA, GB and GC according to TPSA levels (<4 ng/ml, 4.1-10 ng/ml and >10.1 ng/ml respectively). Results: Exposed and non-exposed subjects had similar TPSA levels. Among exposed subjects, 88.2, 8,8 and 3% were ascribed to groups GA, GB and GC respectively. The figures for non-exposed subjects were 90. 6, 6,3 and 3,1%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for TPSA in exposed and non-exposed subjects was 0.64 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.40-0.9) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.6-0.8) respectively. Conclusions: No differences in TPSA levels between subjects exposed and non-exposed to arsenic were observed in this study.

Association of rotavirus viroplasms with microtubules through NSP2 and NSP5

Rotavirus replication and virus assembly take place in electrodense spherical structures known as viroplasms whose main components are the viral proteins NSP2 and NSP5. The viroplasms are produced since early times after infection and seem to grow by stepwise addition of viral proteins and by fusion, however, the mechanism of viropIasms formation is unknown. In this study we found that the viroplasms surface colocalized with microtubules, and seem to be caged by a microtubule network. Moreover inhibition of microtubule assembly with nocodazole interfered with viroplasms growth in rotavirus infected cells. We searched for a physical link between viroplasms and microtubules by co-immunoprecipitation assays, and we found that the proteins NSP2 and NSP5 were co-immunoprecipitated with anti-tubulin in rotavirus infected cells and also when they were transiently co-expressed or individually expressed. These results indicate that a functional microtubule network is needed for viroplasm growth presumably due to the association of viroplasms with microtubules via NSP2 and NSP5.