Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. induces cytotoxicity, antiproliferative activity, and cell death in colorectal cancer cells via regulation of caspase 3 and p53.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosed worldwide and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death due to an insufficiency prognosis and is generally diagnosed in the last step of development. The Peruvian flora has a wide variety of medicinal plants with therapeutic potential in several diseases. Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. is a plant used to treat inflammatory process as well as gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the cytotoxic, antiproliferative, and cell death-inducing effects of D. viscosa on colorectal cancer cells (SW480 and SW620). The hydroethanolic extract was obtained by maceration at 70% ethanol, the phytochemical constituents were identified by LC-ESI-MS. D. viscosa revealed 57 compounds some of them are: isorhamnetin, kaempferol, quercetin, methyl dodovisate B, hardwickiic acid, viscosol, and dodonic acid. Regarding the antitumoral activity, D. viscosa induced cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity in both SW480 and SW620 cancer cells, accompanied with, important changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, formation of the Sub G0/G1 population and increasing levels of apoptotic biomarkers (caspase 3 and the tumor suppressor protein p53) in the metastatic derivative cell line (SW620), suggesting an intrinsic apoptotic process after the treatment with the hydroethanolic extract of D. viscosa.

Volatile Components, Antioxidant and Phytotoxic Activity of the Essential Oil of Piper acutifolium Ruiz & Pav. from Peru.

Piper acutifolium Ruiz & Pav is known as "matico" and belongs to the Piperaceae family, and in Peru it is traditionally used as an infusion or decoction to ameliorate wound healings or ulcers. In this study, the aim was to investigate the volatile components, the antioxidant profile, and the phytotoxic activity of the essential oil (EO) of P. acutifolium from Peru. To identify the phytoconstituents, the EO was injected into a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to obtain the chemical profile of the volatile components, followed by the antioxidant activity carried out by the reaction with three organic radicals (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6- sulfonic acid (ABTS); ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP)). Finally, the phytotoxic capabilities of the EO were tested on two model plants, Lactuca sativa seeds and Allium cepa bulbs. As a result, the analysis identified α-phellandrene as its main volatile chemical at 38.18%, followed by ß-myrcene (29.48%) and ß-phellandrene (21.88%). Regarding the antioxidant profile, the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) in DPPH was 160.12 ± 0.30 µg/mL, for ABTS it was 138.10 ± 0.06 µg/mL and finally in FRAP it was 450.10 ± 0.05 µg/mL. The phytotoxic activity demonstrated that the EO had high activity at 5% and 10% against L. sativa seed germination, the inhibition of root length, and hypocotyl length. Additionally, in A. cepa bulbs, the inhibition root length was obtained at 10%, both comparable to glyphosate, which was used as a positive control. The molecular docking on 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) revealed that α-phellandrene had -5.8 kcal/mol, being near to glyphosate at -6.3 kcal/mol. The conclusion shows that the EO of P. acutifolium presented antioxidant and phytotoxic activity and might be useful as a bioherbicide in the future.

Formation of Nano- and Micro-Scale Surface Features Induced by Long-Range Femtosecond Filament Laser Ablation.

In this work, we study the characteristics of femtosecond-filament-laser-matter interactions and laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) at a beam-propagation distance up to 55 m. The quantification of the periodicity of filament-induced self-organized surface structures was accomplished by SEM and AFM measurements combined with the use of discrete two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D-FFT) analysis, at different filament propagation distances. The results show that the size of the nano-scale surface features increased with ongoing laser filament processing and, further, periodic ripples started to form in the ablation-spot center after irradiation with five spatially overlapping pulses. The effective number of irradiating filament pulses per spot area affected the developing surface texture, with the period of the low spatial frequency LIPSS reducing notably at a high pulse number. The high regularity of the filament-induced ripples was verified by the demonstration of the angle-of-incidence-dependent diffraction of sunlight. This work underlines the potential of long-range femtosecond filamentation for energy delivery at remote distances, with suppressed diffraction and long depth focus, which can be used in biomimetic laser surface engineering and remote-sensing applications.

Coal Discrimination Analysis Using Tandem Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

The contribution and impact of combined laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were evaluated for the discrimination analysis of different coal samples. This tandem approach allows simultaneous determination of major and minor elements (C, H, Si, Ca, Al, Mg, etc.) and trace elements (V, Ba, Pb, U, etc.) in the coal. The research focused on coal-classification strategies based on principle component analysis (PCA) combined with K-means clustering, partial least-squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA), and support vector machine (SVM) for analytical performance. Correlation analyses performed from TOF mass and LIBS emission spectra from the coal samples showed that most major, minor, and trace element emissions had negative correlation with the volatile content. Suitable variables for the classification models were determined from these data. The individual TOF data, LIBS data, and combined data of TOF and LIBS as the inputs for different models were analyzed and compared. In all cases, the results obtained with the combined TOF and LIBS data were found to be superior to those obtained with the individual TOF or LIBS data. The nonlinear SVM model combined with TOF and LIBS data provided the best coal-classification performance, with a classification accuracy of up to 98%.

Elemental Analysis of Asphaltenes Using Simultaneous Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)-Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (LA-ICP-OES).

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (LA-ICP-OES) were used simultaneously for the elemental analysis of asphaltene samples using minimum sample pretreatment in combination with low laser energy to reduce the amount of removed particles and avoid carbon deposits in the ablation cell. Quantitative analyses of S, Ni, and V were accomplished with LA-ICP-OES using external calibration with the C line as internal standard. The aromatic/paraffinic nature of the asphaltenes was also obtained throughout the H/C ratio using LIBS and partial least square regression model. The results showed very good agreement (±10%) between the concentration obtained by LA-ICP-OES and microwave-assisted acid digestion values.

Analysis of Plant Leaves Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry: Use of Carbon to Compensate for Matrix Effects.

Direct solid sampling by laser ablation into an inductively coupled plasma synchronous vertical dual view optical emission spectroscope (LA-SVDV-ICP-OES) was used for the elemental analysis of nutrient elements Ca, B, Mn, Mg, K, and Zn and essential (non-metallic) elements P and S in plant materials. The samples were mixed with paraffin as a binder, an approach that provides better cohesion of the particles in the pellets in addition to supplying carbon to serve as an internal standard (atomic line C I 193.027 nm) as a way to compensate for matrix effects, and/or variations in the ablation process. Precision was in the range of 1-8% relative standard deviation (RSD) with limit of detection in the range of 0.4-1 mg/kg-1 and 25-640 mg/kg-1 for metallic and non-metallic elements, respectively.

Laser-Ablation Sampling for Accurate Analysis of Sulfur in Edible Salts.

We evaluated the performance of laser ablation analysis techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), laser ablation inductively coupled optical emission spectrometry (LA-ICP-OES), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), in comparison with that of ICP-OES using aqueous solutions for the quantification of sulfur (S) in edible salts from different geographical origins. We found that the laser ablation based sampling techniques were not influenced by loss of S, which was observed in ICP-OES with aqueous solutions for a certain salt upon their dissolution in aqueous solutions, originating from the formation of volatile species and precipitates upon their dilution in water. Although detection of S using direct laser sampling with LA-ICP-MS has well-known isobaric and polyatomic interferences, LIBS and LA-ICP-OES showed good accuracy in the detection of S for all salts. LIBS also provided the ability to identify the dominant chemical form in which S is present in salts. Correlation between S and oxygen, observed in LIBS spectra, provided chemical information about the presence of S2- or [Formula: see text], which are associated with the origin and quality of edible salts.

Liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge as a secondary excitation source for laser ablation-generated aerosols: parametric dependence and robustness to particle loading.

Liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) microplasma is being developed as a secondary vaporization-excitation source for the optical emission analysis of laser ablation (LA)-generated particle populations. The practicalities of this coupling are evaluated by determining the influence of source parameters on the emission response and the plasma's robustness upon LA introduction of easily ionized elements (EIEs). The influence of discharge current (45-70 mA), LA carrier gas flow rate (0.1-0.8 L min(-1)), and electrode separation distance (0.5-3.5 mm) was studied by measuring Cu emission lines after ablation of a brass sample. Best emission responses were observed for high-discharge currents, low He carrier gas flow rates, and relatively small (<1.5 mm) electrode gaps. Plasma robustness and spectroscopic matrix effects were studied by monitoring Mg(II) : Mg(I) intensity ratios and N2-derived plasma rotational temperatures after the ablation of Sr- and Ca-containing pellets. Plasma robustness investigations showed that the plasma is not appreciably affected by the particle loadings, with the microplasma being slightly more ionizing in the case of Ca introduction. In neither case did the concentration of the concomitant element change the robustness values, implying a high level of robustness. Introduction of the LA particles results in slight increases in the rotational temperatures (∼10% relative), with Ca-containing particles having a greater effect than Sr-containing particles. The observed variation of 9% in the plasma rotational temperature is in the same order of magnitude as the short-term reproducibility determined by the proposed LA-LS-APGD system. The determined rotational temperatures ranged from 1047 to 1212 K upon introducing various amounts of Ca and Sr. The relative immunity to LA particle-induced matrix effects is attributed to the relatively long residence times and high power densities (>10 W mm(-3)) of the LS-APGD microplasma.

Application of TLC and LA ICP SF MS for speciation of S, Ni and V in petroleum samples.

A coupling of thin layer chromatography with laser ablation ICP SF MS was developed for the fractionation of Ni, V, Fe and S in crude oil and its fractions (saturate, aromatic, resin and asphaltene). The detection limits were 18 ng g(-1) and 23 ng g(-1) for nickel and vanadium, respectively, and a sample could be characterized in terms of the metal distribution as a function of species polarity within 10 min. The method was used to characterize the metal distribution in crude oils of different origins and their different fractions.

Riesgo cardiovascular en el paciente con infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana que recibe tratamiento antirretroviral / Cardiovascular risk in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection receiving

Con el advenimiento de la terapia antirretroviral, los pacientes con infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana viven más tiempo y con mejor calidad de vida. Sin embargo, estudios epidemiológicos recientes sugieren un aumento del riesgo de enfermedad ateroesclerótica prematura en esta población, especialmente si reciben algún inhibidor de la proteasa, dentro de su esquema de tratamiento. Se realiza un estudio epidemiológico, observacional, analítico, transversal, para establecer el riesgo cardiovascular clínico, bioquímico e imaginológico en pacientes con el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana, procedentes del Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Ruiz y Páez, Ciudad Bolívar, octubre 2008–2010. Se evaluaron 119 pacientes, con edad media de 42 años. El 52% recibió algún inhibidor de la proteasa. El 69% fueron hombres. Los pacientes que recibieron un inhibidor de la proteasa presentaron en promedio valores de presión arterial en el rango normal alto. Los valores de colesterol total estuvieron dentro de lo normal. Se observó una media muy baja de colesterol HDL independiente del esquema de tratamiento. La frecuencia de tabaquismo fue de 47%. La presencia de diabéticos osciló entre 1,75% y 3,22%. Los pacientes que recibieron inhibidor de la proteasa tuvieron mayor porcentaje de riesgo cardiovascular según el Framingham Risk Score. Según los valores de la proteína C reactiva ultrasensible ningún paciente presentó riesgo bajo y el 77,32% presentó riesgo alto. El grosor intima-media carotideo estuvo aumentado en el paciente con inhibidor de la proteasa (P=0,003). Se estableció asociación entre un riesgo clínico moderado y un grosor intima-media carotideo superior al percentil 50 (P<0,001, OR=7,04, IC 95%=2,97-16,68). La presencia de grosor-media carotideo aumentado cuando el riesgo es moderado, obligaría a la re-estratificación y por ende al tratamiento intensivo de los factores de riesgo en esta población.

With the advent of antiretroviral therapy or HAART, patients with HIV/AIDS live longer and had better quality of life. However, recent studies suggest increased rates of premature atherosclerotic disease in this population, especially if they receive a regimen with a protease inhibitor. An epidemiologic, observational, analytic, prevalence study was conducted to establish cardiovascular risk using clinical, laboratory and imaging techniques, in patients with HIV/AIDS receiving HAART, from the Hospital Universitario Ruiz y Páez, Ciudad Bolívar, october 2008-2010. 119 patients were evaluated. Average age was 42 years. 52% of the patients received a protease inhibitor. 69% were men. Patients receiving a protease inhibitor were pre-hypertense. Cholesterol values were within normal. There was a very low average of HDL-cholesterol. The frequency of current smoking was 47%. The presence of diabetes was 3.22%. Patients receiving protease inhibitor had a higher percentage of cardiovascular risk according to Framingham Risk Score. No patient had low risk by CRP values, while 77.32% had a high risk. This trend was observed equally in both groups. The carotid intima-media thickness in patients with HIV with protease inhibitor was increased (P=0,003). There were association between moderate and high clinical risk and carotid intima-media thickness above the percentile 50 (P<0.001, OR=7.04,95% CI=2.97 to 16.68). The presence of increased carotid intima-media thickness when the risk is moderate, would require the re-stratification and hence intensive treatment of risk factors in this population.

Temporal segmentation of lung region from MRI sequences using multiple active contours.

Segmentation of the lung is particularly difficult because of the large variation in image quality. A modified Hough transform in combination with a mask creation algorithm can robustly determine synchronous respiratory patterns. The synchronicity restriction is relaxed by applying a greedy active contour algorithm. The respiratory patterns define a point cloud near the lung region boundary representing a subjective contour. The gravitation vector field (GVF) active contour algorithm is used to create an initial segmentation exclusively based on the point cloud. A final active contours algorithm is executed to adjust the boundary to the images. The algorithm was tested with healthy subjects and COPD patients, and the result was checked through temporal registration of coronal and sagittal images.

A dual-beam photothermal reflection based system for thermal diffusivity measurement of optically dense liquids.

A dual-beam photothermal reflection based system capable to measure thermal diffusivities of optically dense liquids has been designed and implemented. The large optical absorption coefficient of these liquids inhibits the possibility to use conventional transmission instruments for direct thermal diffusivity measurements. To overcome this problem, a front heating front detection photothermal reflection system has been proposed. This method expands the range of application and simplifies the experimental procedure of traditional photothermal methods, allowing precise measurement of thermal diffusivity of a variety of liquids. Measurements of the change in thermal diffusivity with the concentration of asphaltene in toluene solutions are described to test the applicability of this technique for reliable measurements of thermal diffusivities of optically dense liquids.

Determination of normal human intrathyroidal iodine in Caracas population.

This study focuses on the determination of iodine content in healthy thyroid samples on male population from Caracas, Venezuela. Contribution to establish a baseline of iodine content in thyroid glands and hence to compare the iodine thyroid concentration of the Venezuelan population with other countries is also our objective. Male post-mortem individual samples were analyzed using a spectrophotometric flow injection method, based on the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. The median intrathyroidal iodine concentration was 1443+/-677 microg/g (wet weight), ranging from 419 to 3430 microg/g, which corresponds to a median of total iodine content of 15+/-8 mg (ranging from 4 to 37). These results were higher than those values reported in the literature. No correlation of iodine content with age or weight of the healthy gland was found.

Dual nebulizer sample introduction system for simultaneous determination of volatile elemental hydrides and other elements.

A dual sample introduction system was explored for volatile hydride generation in inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) performed in the radially viewed mode. The system consists of two pneumatic nebulizers connected to the conventional spray chamber of the instrument via a simple adaptor. This configuration permits hydride generation but still allows other elements to be determined by pneumatic nebulization. This work was focused on the optimization of the plasma operating conditions for the determination of As, Hg, Sb and Se and other elements. The excitation conditions of the ICP-OES instrument operated with the dual sample introduction system were also explored. Results showed that the analytical performance of the dual system for the determination of As, Hg, Sb and Se was superior to those of conventional nebulization systems. The dual system also enabled the determination of elements that do not form volatile hydrides, but with less sensitivity than conventional nebulization systems. An evaluation of the plasma robustness showed that the gases generated in the hydride reactions did not significantly affect the plasma discharge. Similar to conventional hydride generation techniques, the analysis was susceptible to nonspectroscopic interferences produced by transition metals. Finally, the applicability of the dual nebulization system to practical ICP-OES studies was demonstrated by determining the trace elements in an oyster tissue standard reference material.

Prevalencia de ascaris lumbricoides y otros enteroparásitos en habitantes de 12 comunidades rurales del estado Monagas Venezuela / Prevalence of ascaris lumbricoides and others enteroparasites in inhabitants of 12 rural communities of the state Monagas Venezuela

El objetivo de este estudio fue establecer la prevalencia de A. lumbricoides y otros parásitos intestinales, en habitantes de doce comunidades rurales del Municipio Piar, Estado Monagas, diciembre de 2004 a julio de 2005. Fueron evaluados mediante examen directo de heces, 2.648 individuos, de ambos exos y todas las edades. Los resultados se analizaron mediante frecuencias relativas. La prevalencia de parasitosis intestinal fue de 91,10 por ciento . El patógeno más observado fue A. lumbricoides, con una prevalencia de 40,97 por ciento. Otros patógenos: G. lamblia (39,24 por ciento), E. histolytica/E. dispar (11,52 por ciento), H. nana (6,57 por ciento), B. hominis (2,83 por ciento), T. trichiuria (1,17 por ciento), E. vermicularis (0,98 por ciento), A. duodenale (0,64 por ciento), S. stercoralis (0,38 por ciento), T. solium (0,11 por ciento) y comensales en 12,72 por ciento. La alta prevalencia de parasitosis en las comunidades estudiadas, se ve justificada por inadecuado saneamiento ambiental presente en cada uno de los poblados y obliga a realizar futuras investigaciones tendientes a establecer los factores determinantes de estas infecciones, ya que esas altas tasas, aunado al gran poliparasitismo, reflejan una mayor frecuencia de exposición con heces humanas.

Lupus eritematoso sistpemico: factores de riesgo para infección / Lupus erithematous systemic: risk factors infection

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los factores de riesgo de infección en pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico hospitalizados en el Hospital Universitario Ruíz y Páez (Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), enero 1998 a diciembre 2003. Se revisaron parámetros clínicos paraclínicos de las historias clínicas de estos pacientes. La población estadística utilizada fue Chi cuadrado. La población estuvo conformada por 95 pacientes, representado en 90,53 por ciento por mujeres, con una relación de 10:1, la edad media fue de 31,9 años. Se revisaron 205 hospitalizaciones, con 197 episodios de infección. La población estudiada tenía 3 o más años con diagnóstico de lupus eritemaso sistémico en 44,39 por ciento con igual tiempo de duración del tratamiento en 49,18 por ciento. La terapéutica empleada fue la de corticoesteroides en 70,4 por ciento, con dosis superior a 20 mg diarios en 59,02 por ciento. Las alteraciones paraclínicas fueron leucopenia (8,30 por ciento), hipoalbulinemia (53,66 por ciento), proteinuria > 0,5 g en 24 horas (30,73 por ciento), altos niveles séricos de urea (38,54 por ciento) y creatitina (40,98 por ciento) e hipocomplementemia (12,20 por ciento). La Hipoalbulinemia constituyó un factor de riesgo de infección, con un valor estadísticamente signicativo (p=0,0044). Es importante obetener un adecuado conocimiento de los factores de rieso de infección en esta población para así disminuir los ingresos hospitalarios, mejorar la calidad de vida y aumentar la sobre vida.

Investigation of the direct hydride generation nebulizer for the determination of arsenic, antimony and selenium in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.

A direct hydride generation nebulizer (DHGN) was explored for introduction of the sample in inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) using radially viewed mode. This simple hydride generation system was constructed in our laboratory and requires similar plasma operating conditions to conventional nebulizer-spray-chamber arrangements. This work was focused on the optimization of the operating conditions for hydride generation and evaluation of the main analytical figures of merit for the determination of As, Sb and Se. The excitation conditions of the ICP-OES instrument operated with the DHGN were also explored. Results showed that the analytical performance of the new system for the determination of As, Sb and Se was superior to that of conventional nebulization systems. The DHGN also enabled the determination of elements that do not form volatile hydrides, but with less sensitivity than conventional nebulization systems. Evaluation of the plasma robustness showed that gases generated in hydride generation do not significantly affects the plasma discharge. Similar to conventional hydride generation techniques, analysis with DHGN was susceptible to non-spectroscopic interferences produced by transition metals. Finally, the utility of the DHGN in practical ICP-OES studies was demonstrated in the determination of trace elements in an oyster tissue standard reference material.

Mixed-gas inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry using a direct injection high efficiency nebulizer.

Experimental studies and computer simulations were conducted to identify plasma operating conditions and to explore and contrast the excitation conditions of Ar, Ar-O2, and Ar-He inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) for the introduction of microliter volumes of sample solutions with a direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (DIHEN). The best MgII 280.270 nm/MgI 285.213 nm ratio (6.6) measured with Ar ICP atomic emission spectrometry for the DIHEN (RF power = 1500 W; nebulizer gas flow rate = 0.12 L min(-1)) was less than the ratio (8.2) acquired on the same instrument for conventional nebulization (1500 W and 0.6 L min(-1)). Addition of small amounts of O2 or He (5%) to the outer gas flow improved excitation conditions in the ICP, that is, a more robust condition (a MgII/MgI ratio of up to 8.9) could be obtained by using the DIHEN with Ar-O2 and Ar-He mixed-gas plasmas, thereby minimizing some potential spectroscopic and matrix interferences, in comparison to Ar ICPAES.