Assessment of alcohol consumption in mexican pregnant women by hair testing of ethyl glucuronide.

There are no studies that have utilized both biomarkers and self-reported data to evaluate maternal alcohol use during pregnancy in Mexico. Therefore, we aimed to describe the prevalence of alcohol consumption in a cohort of 300 Mexican pregnant women. We used a validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method to measure hair ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair segments that corresponded to the first and second half of pregnancy. We compared the hair EtG values to a self-reported questionnaire on maternal drinking habits and evaluated whether the gestational alcohol use was associated with psychotropic drug use. Based on the EtG measurements, 263 women (87.7%) were alcohol-abstinent during the entire pregnancy, while 37 (12.3%) had used alcohol at least once during the pregnancy. Of these, only two women were found to have problematic alcoholic behavior during the entire pregnancy. No significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics were observed between alcohol-abstinent women and women with drinking habits. The self-reporting data and hair EtG gave heterogeneous results: although 37 women had self-reported alcohol use during pregnancy, only 54.1% of these women tested positive for hair EtG. Of the women who tested positive for hair EtG, 54.1% tested positive for psychoactive substances. In our cohort, the use of drugs of abuse was independent of gestational drinking. This study provided the first objective evidence of prenatal ethanol consumption in a cohort of Mexican pregnant women.

Evaluation of Properties of Chenopodium pallidicaule (Cañihua) Oil for Possible Use in Cosmetic Formulations.

In this study, Chenopodium pallidicaule (Cañihua) oilseed was investigated to determine the composition, and main physico-chemical properties to establish its potential cosmetic applications. The results were compared with well-known vegetable oils. The extraction yield was 2.14±0.01 g of extracted oil/100 g of dry-weight seeds. Unsaturated fatty acids were the most abundant in Cañihua oil. The major unsaturated fatty acid was linoleic acid (42.1%), followed by oleic acid (24.7%) and linolenic acid (3.0%). The specific gravity was 0.897±0.01 (20°C), the average acid value was 0.48±0.14 mg / KOH, the peroxide value was 5.0±1.34 mEqO2/kg, the iodine value was 175.3±18.63 g I2/100 g, and the saponification number was 190.0±0.01 mg KOH / g oil. Other properties for use in cosmetic formulations like surface tension, viscosity, spreadability, and pour and cloud points were similar to those of other vegetable oils used in these formulations. A stable cosmetic emulsion was formulated using Cañihua oil (5%). All results demonstrated the potential of Cañihua oil as an ingredient for cosmetic emulsions for skin treatment.

Exchange Bias Effect of Ni@(NiO,Ni(OH)2) Core/Shell Nanowires Synthesized by Electrochemical Deposition in Nanoporous Alumina Membranes.

Tuning and controlling the magnetic properties of nanomaterials is crucial to implement new and reliable technologies based on magnetic hyperthermia, spintronics, or sensors, among others. Despite variations in the alloy composition as well as the realization of several post material fabrication treatments, magnetic heterostructures as ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic coupled layers have been widely used to modify or generate unidirectional magnetic anisotropies. In this work, a pure electrochemical approach has been used to fabricate core (FM)/shell (AFM) Ni@(NiO,Ni(OH)2) nanowire arrays, avoiding thermal oxidation procedures incompatible with integrative semiconductor technologies. Besides the morphology and compositional characterization of these core/shell nanowires, their peculiar magnetic properties have been studied by temperature dependent (isothermal) hysteresis loops, thermomagnetic curves and FORC analysis, revealing the existence of two different effects derived from Ni nanowires' surface oxidation over the magnetic performance of the array. First of all, a magnetic hardening of the nanowires along the parallel direction of the applied magnetic field with respect their long axis (easy magnetization axis) has been found. The increase in coercivity, as an effect of surface oxidation, has been observed to be around 17% (43%) at 300 K (50 K). On the other hand, an increasing exchange bias effect on decreasing temperature has been encountered when field cooling (3T) the oxidized Ni@(NiO,Ni(OH)2) nanowires below 100 K along their parallel lengths.

Implementation of the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 and the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment in an intensive care unit in Mexico. / Aplicación del índice de mortalidad pediátrica 3 y evaluación de falla orgánica secuencial pediátrica en una unidad de cuidados intensivos en México.

INTRODUCTION: The study objective was to analyze the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 (PIM 3) and the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) for the prediction of mortality. OBJECTIVE: Observational, prospective study; patients aged 1 month to 17.9 years were included. Assessment of area under the curve (AUC) accuracy and estimation of standardized mortality rate. RESULTS: A total of 244 admissions were studied: median age was 60 months. The main diagnoses were solid or hematologic neoplasms (26.5%). The mortality by admission was 18% (44/244). The AUC was 0.77 for PIM 3 and 0.81 for pSOFA; both scales showed an adequate calibration (p > 0.05). The standardized mortality rate was 1.91. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that the PIM 3 and pSOFA have an acceptable discrimination power. The calibration of the PIM 3 was not adequate in patients with solid or hematologic neoplasms.

Introducción. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar el índice de mortalidad pediátrica 3 (PIM 3) y la evaluación de falla orgánica secuencial pediátrica (pSOFA) para predicción de muerte. Métodos. Estudio observacional prospectivo; se incluyeron pacientes de 1 mes a 17,9 años. La precisión se evaluó con el área bajo la curva (AUC) y se estimó la tasa de mortalidad estandarizada. Resultados. Se estudiaron 244 ingresos; la mediana de edad fue 60 meses. Los diagnósticos principales fueron neoplasias sólidas o hematológicas (26,5 %). La mortalidad por ingresos fue del 18 % (44/244). Para PIM 3 el AUC fue de 0,77 y para pSOFA, de 0,81; ambas escalas mostraron adecuada calibración (p > 0,05). La tasa de mortalidad estandarizada fue de 1,91. Conclusiones. Identificamos que las escalas de evaluación de mortalidad PIM 3 y pSOFA muestran capacidad de discriminación aceptable. En pacientes con neoplasias sólidas o hematológicas, PIM 3 no mostró adecuada calibración.

Aplicación del índice de mortalidad pediátrica 3 y evaluación de falla orgánica secuencial pediátrica en una unidad de cuidados intensivos en México / Implementation of the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 and the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment in an intensive care unit in Mexico

Introducción. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar el índice de mortalidad pediátrica 3 (PIM 3) y la evaluación de falla orgánica secuencial pediátrica (pSOFA) para predicción de muerte. Métodos. Estudio observacional prospectivo; se incluyeron pacientes de 1 mes a 17,9 años. La precisión se evaluó con el área bajo la curva (AUC) y se estimó la tasa de mortalidad estandarizada. Resultados. Se estudiaron 244 ingresos; la mediana de edad fue 60 meses. Los diagnósticos principales fueron neoplasias sólidas o hematológicas (26,5 %). La mortalidad por ingresos fue del 18 % (44/244). Para PIM 3 el AUC fue de 0,77 y para pSOFA, de 0,81; ambas escalas mostraron adecuada calibración (p > 0,05). La tasa de mortalidad estandarizada fue de 1,91. Conclusiones. Identificamos que las escalas de evaluación de mortalidad PIM 3 y pSOFA muestran capacidad de discriminación aceptable. En pacientes con neoplasias sólidas o hematológicas, PIM 3 no mostró adecuada calibración.

Introduction. The study objective was to analyze the Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 (PIM 3) and the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (pSOFA) for the prediction of mortality. Methods. Observational, prospective study; patients aged 1 month to 17.9 years were included. Assessment of area under the curve (AUC) accuracy and estimation of standardized mortality rate. Results. A total of 244 admissions were studied: median age was 60 months. The main diagnoses were solid or hematologic neoplasms (26.5%). The mortality by admission was 18% (44/244). The AUC was 0.77 for PIM 3 and 0.81 for pSOFA; both scales showed an adequate calibration (p > 0.05). The standardized mortality rate was 1.91. Conclusions. We identified that the PIM 3 and pSOFA have an acceptable discrimination power. The calibration of the PIM 3 was not adequate in patients with solid or hematologic neoplasms.

Prevalence of Licit and Illicit Drugs Use during Pregnancy in Mexican Women.

For the first time, the present study employed hair testing to investigate the prevalence of classical drugs of abuse and new psychoactive substances use during gestation in a cohort of 300 Mexican pregnant women. An interview was conducted to collect data on sociodemographic aspects of the patients, and a 9 cm-long hair strand was taken from the back of the head of each mother one month after delivery. A validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography−high-resolution mass spectrometry method was used for the screening of classic drugs, new psychoactive substances, and medications in maternal hair. Out of 300 examined hair samples from pregnant women, 127 (42.3%) resulted positive for psychoactive substances: 45 (35.4%) for cannabis only, 24 (18.9%) for methamphetamine only, 13 (10.2%) for cocaine only, 1 (0.3%) for heroin, 1 for N-N-dimethyltryptamine (0.3%), 1 for ketamine (0.8%), and 35 (16.3%) for more than one psychoactive substance. Furthermore, seven samples (2.3%) resulted positive for new psychoactive substances (NPS): two samples for synthetic cannabinoids, two for synthetic cathinones, and three for nor-fentanyl, and 3.3% of women hair resulted positive for anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications. Finally, 83 women hair samples (27.7%) tested positive for nicotine. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other painkillers (60.0%), medications for the treatment of nausea and vomiting (12.3%), antihistamines (8.7%) and nasal/sinus decongestants (6.7%), cough suppressants (5.0%), and bronchodilator agents (5.0%) were also detected in pregnant women hair. The gestational use of psychoactive substances and exposure to tobacco smoke, assessed by hair testing, were associated with a significantly younger age and with a low education grade of the mothers (p < 0.005). This study provides a significant preliminary indication of the under-reported gestational consumption of licit and illicit psychoactive and pharmacologically active drugs in a Mexican environment, showing the value of toxicological and forensic analyses in the global effort to determine the health risks caused by classic drugs and new psychoactive substances during pregnancy.

Assessment of licit and illicit drugs consumption during pregnancy by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) target screening in Mexican women hair.

Substance use in pregnancy is a global public health problem, both in developed and developing countries. Whereas information is available for major western countries, scarce data are present for the second ones. The objective assessment of pregnancy consumption of xenobiotic is provided by analysis of maternal hair, which can account for gestational consumption, given the possibility to analyze 9 cm hair corresponding to the pregnancy months. Here, we describe an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) method used as screening analysis of classic drugs, new psychoactive substances and medications in hair from a cohort of pregnant Mexican women. The UHPLC-HRMS method included Accucore™ phenyl Hexyl (100 × 2.1 mm, 2.6 µm, Thermo, USA) column with a gradient mobile phase and a full-scan data-dependent MS2 (ddMS2) mode for substances identification (mass range 100-750 m/z). Results from the first 100 samples disclosed the presence of several undeclared and declared psychoactive substances and medications, being methamphetamine and paracetamol the most prevalent ones found in 20% and 43% cases, respectively. In addition, biomarkers of cannabis and tobacco use as well as those of antihistamines and antiemetic drugs were also prevalent. Albeit preliminary, these data confirm the feasibility of hair screening by UHPLC-HRMS to objectively assess xenobiotic consumption in pregnant women with consequent risk of fetal exposure to toxic substances.

Purification and molecular characterization of phospholipase, antigen 5 and hyaluronidases from the venom of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina).

The aim of this study was to purify potential allergenic components of Vespa velutina venom, the yellow legged Asian Hornet, and perform a preliminary characterization of the purified proteins. Starting from the whole venom of V.velutina, several chromatographic steps allowed to purify the phospholipase (named Vesp v 1), as well as the antigen 5 (Vesp v 5, the only allergenic component described as such so far). The two hyaluronidase isoforms found (Vesp v 2A and Vesp v 2B) cannot be separated from each other, but they are partially purified and characterized. Purity of the isolated proteins in shown by SDSPAGE, as well as by the results of the N-terminal sequencing. This characterization and nLC-MS/MS data provide most of the sequence for Vesp v 1 and Vesp v 5 (72 and 84% coverage, respectively), confirming that the whole sequences of the isolated natural components match with the data available in public transcriptomic databases. It is of particular interest that Vesp v 1 is a glycosylated phospholipase, a fact that had only described so far for the corresponding allergen components of Dolichovespula maculata and Solenopsis invicta. The availability of the complete sequences of Vespa velutina components permits comparison with homologous sequences from other Hymenoptera. These data demonstrate the higher similarity among the species of the genera Vespa and Vespula, in comparison to Polistes species, as it is especially observed with the hyaluronidases isoforms: the isoform Vesp v 2A only exists in the former genera, and not in Polistes; in addition, the most abundant isoform (Vesp v 2B) exhibits 93% sequence identity with the Ves v 2 isoform of Vespula vulgaris. Finally, the isolated components might be useful for improving the diagnosis of patients that could be allergic to stings of this invasive Asian hornet, as it has been the case of an improved diagnosis and treatment of other Hymenoptera-sensitized patients.

Tratamiento tardío de la intoxicación por paraquat en pacientes pediátricos: Reporte de dos casos / Late treatment of paraquat poisoning in pediatric patients: Report of two cases

El paraquat (PQ) pertenece al grupo de herbicidas de los bipiridilos. Su presentación es en forma líquida o en granulado, usándose con una concentración al 5 %, para uso en jardinería y al 20 % para uso agrícola. En la intoxicación en humanos el órgano blanco es el pulmón. Los pacientes desarrollan insuficiencia respiratoria que puede explicarse por una inicial actividad que involucra un gran estrés oxidativo, con presencia de radicales libres de oxígeno y peroxidación lipídica, con sus consecuentes daños, además de infiltración por polimorfonucleares que con su reacción de liberación empeoran la neumonitis. Puede haber mejoría de la neumonitis y el daño en algunos órganos, pero pronto la aparición de fibrosis pulmonar lleva a falta de respuesta a la administración de oxígeno y a la muerte por insuficiencia respiratoria en algunos días a semanas. De acuerdo con la cantidad ingerida varía la evolución de la severidad del cuadro clínico. Se presentan dos pacientes pediátricos con intoxicación por PQ, a quienes se les inició tratamiento inmunosupresor después de 48 horas de la exposición. Uno de los pacientes se intoxicó de manera no intencional y otro por suicidio. Los dos pacientes recibieron tratamiento similar, sin embargo, el paciente con intención suicida falleció días después de la exposición. Se hace una revisión de la literatura sobre el tratamiento administrado.

Paraquat (PQ) belongs to the bipyridyls herbicides. Its presentation is liquid or granulated, being used at concentrations of 5 %, in gardening and 20 % in agricultural use. In human poisoning, the target organ is the lung. The patients develop respiratory insufficiency that can be explained by an initial activity that involves a great oxidative stress, with the presence of oxygen free radicals and lipid peroxidation, with its consequent damages, in addition to polymorphonuclear infiltration that with its liberation reaction worsen pneumonitis. There may be improvement of pneumonitis, but the appearance of pulmonary fibrosis will lead to a lack of response to the administration of oxygen and death due to respiratory failure in a few days to a few weeks. According to the amount ingested, the evolution of the severity of the clinical picture varies. We present two pediatric patients with PQ poisoning, who were started on immunosuppressant treatment after 48 hours of exposure. One of the patients was poisoned incidentally and the other one by suicide. The two patients received similar treatment, however, the patient with suicidal intention died days after the exposure. A review of the literature on the treatment offered is made.

Morbimortalidad neonatal en un entorno de baja adherencia a corticosteroides prenatales / Neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with low adherence to prenatal corticosteroids

Introducción: Los corticosteroides prenatales disminuyen la morbimortalidad neonatal, sin embargo, existen pocos estudios en países en vías de desarrollo, con resultados no consistentes. El objetivo fue cuantificar la frecuencia del uso de corticosteroides prenatales y estimar su efecto en la morbimortalidad de recién nacidos prematuros. Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo; se seleccionaron los recién nacidos prematuros de un censo realizado entre enero de 2016 y agosto de 2017. De los expedientes maternos se registró el uso de corticosteroides; y de los expedientes de los neonatos se indagó las variables dependientes. La asociación se analizó con regresión logística, ajustada a la edad gestacional y el peso. Resultados: Se estudiaron 1.083 prematuros, el 53,3% de género masculino; la edad gestacional promedio fue 33,4 semanas. Recibieron corticosteroides el 42%, con latencia ≥ 24 horas el 23,6% y ≥ 48 horas el 13,8%. Presentaron síndrome de dificultad respiratoria el 35% (379/1083), sepsis neonatal temprana el 4,4% (48/1083), sepsis neonatal tardía el 10,7% (116/1083), hemorragia intraventricular el 15,1% (137/908), enfermedad pulmonar crónica el 51,4% (165/321) y muerte el 22,3% (242/1083). Los corticosteroides prenatales disminuyeron el riesgo de muerte en menores de 34 semanas (OR: 0,63, IC 95%: 0,40-0,98); el decremento fue mayor si presentaron latencia ≥ 48 horas (OR: 0,40; IC 95%: 0,20-0,80). El resto de variables dependientes no se modificó por la intervención. Conclusiones: El 42% de los prematuros recibe corticosteroides prenatales. En menores de 34 semanas se observó una disminución del riesgo de muerte sin modificación en la morbilidad

Introduction: Prenatal corticosteroids reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity; however, there are few studies in developing countries, and with inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to quantify the frequency of the use of prenatal corticosteroids and to estimate its effect on the morbidity and mortality of premature newborns. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on premature newborns selected from a census conducted between January 2016 and August 2017. The use of corticosteroids was taken from the maternal records, and the dependent variables from the neonatal records. An analysis was made of the relationship using logistic regression, adjusted to gestational age and weight. Results: The study included 1083 premature infants of which 53.3% were male. The mean gestational age was 33.4 weeks. Corticosteroids were received by 42%, with latency ≥ 24 hours in 23.6% and ≥ 48 hours in 13.8%. Respiratory distress syndrome was observed in 35% (379/1083), early neonatal sepsis in 4.4% (48/1083), late neonatal sepsis in 10.7% (116/1083), intraventricular haemorrhage in 15.1% (137/908), chronic lung disease in 51.4% (165/321), and death in 22.3% (242/1083). Prenatal corticosteroids decreased the risk of death in children under 34 weeks (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.98). The decrease was greater if they presented with latency ≥ 48 hours (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.20-0.80). The rest of the dependent variables were not modified by the intervention. Conclusions: In preterm infants, 42% received antenatal corticosteroids. In those with less than 34 weeks, there was a decrease in the risk of death without changes in morbidity

[Neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with low adherence to prenatal corticosteroids]. / Morbimortalidad neonatal en un entorno de baja adherencia a corticosteroides prenatales.

INTRODUCTION: Prenatal corticosteroids reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity; however, there are few studies in developing countries, and with inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to quantify the frequency of the use of prenatal corticosteroids and to estimate its effect on the morbidity and mortality of premature newborns. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on premature newborns selected from a census conducted between January 2016 and August 2017. The use of corticosteroids was taken from the maternal records, and the dependent variables from the neonatal records. An analysis was made of the relationship using logistic regression, adjusted to gestational age and weight. RESULTS: The study included 1083 premature infants of which 53.3% were male. The mean gestational age was 33.4 weeks. Corticosteroids were received by 42%, with latency ≥24hours in 23.6% and ≥48hours in 13.8%. Respiratory distress syndrome was observed in 35% (379/1083), early neonatal sepsis in 4.4% (48/1083), late neonatal sepsis in 10.7% (116/1083), intraventricular haemorrhage in 15.1% (137/908), chronic lung disease in 51.4% (165/321), and death in 22.3% (242/1083). Prenatal corticosteroids decreased the risk of death in children under 34 weeks (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.98). The decrease was greater if they presented with latency ≥48hours (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.20-0.80). The rest of the dependent variables were not modified by the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: In preterm infants, 42% received antenatal corticosteroids. In those with less than 34 weeks, there was a decrease in the risk of death without changes in morbidity.

Intoxicación por mercurio elemental por inyección intramuscular: presentación de caso y revisión de literatura / Poisoning with elemental mercury by intramuscular injection. Case report and review of literature

Se han reportado en la literatura pocos casos de intoxicación por mercurio por administración en tejidos blandos. No se cuenta con suficiente evidencia acerca del manejo con terapia quelante en este tipo de intoxicación. Se reporta el caso de una mujer de 34 años con antecedente psiquiátrico la cual se administró mercurio intramuscular en fosa cubital izquierda con fines autolíticos. Acudió al servicio de urgencias 24 horas posteriores a su administración, el motivo principal fue el dolor intenso en la zona y la presencia de edema, sin efectos sistémicos. La radiografía mostró depósitos metálicos en 1/3 de brazo, localizados en músculo, y que migraron a través de la fascia hacia 2/3 del antebrazo. La placa de tórax no mostró alteraciones. Fue intervenida quirúrgicamente en 3 ocasiones extrayendo mínimas cantidades de mercurio. La paciente fue manejada con antibióticos por presencia de celulitis. Un mes después presentó temblor mercurial, razón por la cual se tomaron muestras de sangre y orina para la determinación de mercurio, el cual resulto elevado en ambas muestras, por lo que se le administró terapia quelante con D-penicilamina.

There are just a few cases of mercury toxicity after administration in soft tissue, reported in the literature. There is insufficient evidence about the management with chelation therapy in this type of poisoning. We report the case of a 34 year-old woman with a psychiatric history who administered herself a mercury injection into de muscle in the left cubital fossa, referred as a suicide attempt. She came to the emergency department 24 hours after administration; the main reason was the intense pain in the area and the presence of edema, with no systemic effects. Radiography showed metallic deposits in 1/3 arm, located in muscle, which moved through the fascia to 2/3 of the forearm. Chest radiography was normal. She underwent surgery trhee times extracting trace amounts of mercury. The patient was managed with antibiotics by the presence of cellulite. One month later she had tremor mercuralis, so a blood and urine samples were sent to the laboratory in order to determinate mercury levels, which resulted high in both fluids, therefore chelation therapy with D-penicillamine was administered.

Hypercontrols in genotype-phenotype analysis reveal ancestral haplotypes associated with essential hypertension.

The angiotensinogen gene locus has been associated with essential hypertension in most populations analyzed to date. Increased plasma angiotensinogen levels have been proposed as an underlying cause of essential hypertension in whites; however, differences in the genetic regulation of plasma angiotensinogen levels have also been reported for other populations. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between angiotensinogen gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with plasma angiotensinogen levels and the risk of essential hypertension in the Mexican population. We genotyped 9 angiotensinogen gene polymorphisms in 706 individuals. Four polymorphisms, A-6, C4072, C6309, and G12775, were associated with increased risk, and the strongest association was found for the C6309 allele (χ(2)=23.9; P=0.0000009), which resulted in an odds ratio of 3.0 (95% CI: 1.8-4.9; P=0.000006) in the recessive model. Two polymorphisms, A-20C (P=0.003) and C3389T (P=0.0001), were associated with increased plasma angiotensinogen levels but did not show association with essential hypertension. The haplotypes H1 (χ(2)=8.1; P=0.004) and H5 (χ(2)=5.1; P=0.02) were associated with essential hypertension. Using phylogenetic analysis, we found that haplotypes 1 and 5 are the human ancestral haplotypes. Our results suggest that the positive association between angiotensinogen gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with essential hypertension is not simply explained by an increase in plasma angiotensinogen concentration. Complex interactions between risk alleles suggest that these haplotypes act as "superalleles."

[Teenage pregnancy as a risk factor for fetal abuse]. / Embarazo en adolescentes como factor de riesgo para maltrato fetal.

OBJECTIVE: To identify if pregnancy in adolescence is a risk factor for fetal abuse. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A case-control study of 333 mothers that made fetal abuse and its controls, was made between October 2005 and May 2006 at the Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Dr. Juan I. Menchaca. The fetal abuse was considered when the prenatal attention was deficient and was documented illicit drugs or physics violence to the mother. The fetal abuse was documented by means of a direct interview to the mother. Was realized a descriptive analyze of different forms of fetal abuse. The odds ratio was calculated for association between adolescent mother and fetal abuse. RESULTS: The prenatal attention was deficient in 284 (69.7%), illicit drugs abuse in 100 (24.5%) and physics violence to the mother en 69 (20.7%). The adolescent mothers had more deficient prenatal attention that adult mothers (54 vs. 37.7%), used more illicit drugs (25.6 vs. 16.6%) and received more physics violence (4.9 vs. 2.8%). The pregnancy in adolescent was associated with fetal abuse OR: 1.9 (95% CI: 1.39-2.71). CONCLUSIONS: The pregnancy in adolescent is a risk factor to fetal abuse and the form more frequent was the deficient prenatal attention.

Generation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against choline kinase alpha and their potential use as diagnostic tools in cancer.

Choline kinase alpha (ChoKalpha) is a metabolic enzyme involved in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, recently implicated in cancer onset since it is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers such as mammary, lung, colorectal and prostate adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, overexpression of ChoKalpha in human HEK293T cells confers them oncogenic properties with the induction of tumors after subcutaneous injection in nude mice. ChoKalpha levels in tumor samples have been analyzed using polyclonal antibodies and Western blotting. These techniques have considerable limitations and do not allow for a precise and efficient evaluation of the real significance of ChoK overexpression in human carcinogenesis. We developed a set of monoclonal antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity against ChoKalpha, and characterized their properties. We provide evidence that the newly generated MoAbs against ChoKalpha have potential use in cancer diagnosis by conventional immunohistochemistry techniques.

Maize cyclin D2 expression, associated kinase activity and effect of phytohormones during germination.

A cDNA corresponding to 16 kDa of the maize cyclin D2 N-terminus was cloned and this polypeptide was overexpressed to produce homologous antibodies. This antibody recognized a 38 kDa protein in extracts from maize embryonic axes which corresponds to the predicted size for cyclin D2 protein. Expression of cyclin D2 was followed at the transcriptional and protein levels, and the effect of cytokinins and abscisic acid (ABA) was followed during maize germination. Cytokinins importantly stimulated cyclin D2 gene expression at late germination times and sucrose was necessary for stimulation, whereas the effect of ABA was not different from that in controls. However, cyclin D2 protein levels in control axes reached a peak at 6 h germination, declining thereafter, and neither cytokinins nor ABA modified this behavior. Two cyclic-dependent kinase A (Cdk-A)-type proteins and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were found co-immunoprecipitating with cyclin D2, and these immunoprecipitates were able to phosphorylate both histone H1 and the maize retinoblastoma-related protein (RBR). This protein kinase activity differed from the pattern of protein accumulation during germination, and the activity was not modified by either cytokinins or ABA. We discuss these findings in terms of the importance of the cell cycle for the germination process.

Succinate dehydrogenase D variants do not constitute a risk factor for developing C cell hyperplasia or sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a tumor that arises from parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland. MTC can occur sporadically (75%) or as part of inherited cancer syndromes (25%). In most cases, hereditary MTC evolves from preneoplastic C cell hyperplasia (CCH), so early detection of this pathology would evidently be critical. A recent study reports that alterations in succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) D are responsible for familial non-RET CCH. First, we studied SDHD in two families with hereditary non-RET CCH and found no alterations related to the inheritance of this disease. Then, we investigated whether the H50R variant could be a risk factor in the sporadic development of MTC in both Spanish and English patients. We found no evidence that the presence of the H50R is strongly associated with the risk of sporadic MTC, although we did observe an association with age at diagnosis of MTC in Spanish H50R carriers that we did not find in English patients. Finally, we looked for evidence of CCH or any other thyroid disease in a panel of germ-line SDH (B or D) mutation carriers and found none. We conclude that SDHD variants do not constitute a risk factor for developing CCH or sporadic MTC.

Choline kinase activation is a critical requirement for the proliferation of primary human mammary epithelial cells and breast tumor progression.

Breast cancer is still one of the most important tumors among women in industrialized countries. Improvement in both understanding the molecular events associated with the disease and the development of new additional treatments is still an important goal to be achieved. Choline kinase (ChoK) is increased in human mammary tumors with high incidence, and this activation is associated with clinical variable indicators of greater malignancy. Here, we have investigated the role of ChoK in the development of breast cancer and found that ChoK is both necessary and sufficient for growth factor-induced proliferation in primary human mammary epithelial cells and an absolute requirement for the specific mitogenic response to heregulin in breast tumor-derived cells. These results demonstrate that ChoK plays an essential role in both normal human mammary epithelial cell proliferation and breast tumor progression. Furthermore, inhibition of ChoK shows a strong in vivo antitumor activity against human breast cancer xenografts. Thus, ChoK constitutes a novel bona fide molecular target for the treatment of breast cancer patients.

Overexpression of choline kinase is a frequent feature in human tumor-derived cell lines and in lung, prostate, and colorectal human cancers.

Carcinogenesis is a long process that results in the accumulation of genetic alterations primarily in genes involved in the regulation of signalling pathways relevant for the regulation of cell growth and the cell cycle. Alteration of additional genes regulating cell adhesion and migration, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and drug resistance confers to the cancer cells a more malignant phenotype. Genes that participate in the regulation of some critical metabolic pathways are also altered during this process. Choline kinase (ChoK) has been reported to belong to the latter family of cancer-related genes. Recently, we have reported that increased activity of ChoK is observed in human breast carcinomas. Here, we provide further evidence that ChoK dysregulation is a frequent event found in a variety of human tumors such as lung, colorectal, and prostate tumors. Furthermore, a large panel of human tumor-derived cell lines also show increased ChoK activity when compared to appropriate non-tumorigenic or primary cells. These findings strongly support the role of ChoK alterations in the carcinogenic process in human tumors, suggesting that ChoK could be used as a tumor marker.

Increased choline kinase activity in human breast carcinomas: clinical evidence for a potential novel antitumor strategy.

Choline kinase (ChoK) and its product, phosphocholine (PCho), have been implicated in human carcinogenesis. Inhibition of this enzyme has been shown to be an efficient antitumor strategy in vivo. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the regulation of ChoK and clinical features in patients with breast cancer. To that end, normal and tumoral tissues from 53 patients with breast carcinomas were analysed for ChoK activity and expression, and compared to some clinical parameters. We report a relevant increase in ChoK activity in 38.5% of the tumoral tissues analysed when compared to the normal levels in healthy tissues. Furthermore, some clinical features were found significant versus ChoK status. First, an association of choline enzymatic activity with histological tumor grade was observed (P<0.001). In addition, increased ChoK activity was also associated with ER-negative breast carcinomas (P=0.037). A significant association between ChoK overexpression and both high histologic tumor grade (P=0.017) and ER-negative tumors (P=0.003) was found. Finally, ChoK overexpression was found in 17% of the samples and all corresponded with those that display the highest increase in ChoK activity (P<0.001). Here we provide evidence that ChoK may be related to the development of human breast cancer, suggesting that this finding may constitute the basis for the development of a novel antitumoral strategy for these patients.