Exploring CD39 and CD73 Expression as Potential Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most diagnosed tumor in males and ranks as the second leading cause of male mortality in the western world. The CD39 and CD73 enzymes play a crucial role in cancer regulation by degrading nucleotides and forming nucleosides. This study aimed to investigate the expression of the CD39 and CD73 enzymes as potential therapeutic targets for PC. The initial part of this study retrospectively analyzed tissue samples from 23 PC patients. Using the TissueFAXSTM cytometry platform, we found significantly higher levels of CD39-labeling its intensity compared to CD73. Additionally, we observed a correlation between the Gleason score and the intensity of CD39 expression. In the prospective arm, blood samples were collected from 25 patients at the time of diagnosis and after six months of treatment to determine the expression of CD39 and CD73 in the serum extracellular vesicles (EVs) and to analyze nucleotide hydrolysis. Notably, the expression of CD39 in the EVs was significantly increased compared to the CD73 and/or combined CD39/CD73 expression levels at initial collection. Furthermore, our results demonstrated positive correlations between ADP hydrolysis and the transurethral resection and Gleason score. Understanding the role of ectonucleotidases is crucial for identifying new biomarkers in PC.

LC-MS/MS methodology development and validation for the screening and quantification of five antibiotics in water.

The generalized use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine may cause the development of antibiotic resistance, namely, in farmed fish, and subsequently, transmission of such resistance to humans. To overcome this serious problem, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of antibiotic removal processes from water, and a route for attaining that goal is the use of hydrophobic ionic liquids. LC-MS/MS is an analytical technique with proven utility for pharmaceutical identification and quantification. A methodology for the identification and quantification of five antibiotics, namely ampicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline, from four families, namely ß-lactams, phenicols, quinolones and tetracyclines, was developed and validated using one SPE extraction and clean-up step for detection analysis by LC-MS/MS. The selected linear range for each analyte is as follows: 5-200 ng mL-1 for ampicillin; 0.1-200 ng mL-1 for amoxicillin and chloramphenicol; and 1-200 ng mL-1 for enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline, respectively. The limits of detection for each target analyte vary between 0.01 ng mL-1 and 0.81 ng mL-1, and the limits of quantification for each target analyte vary between 0.1 ng mL-1 and 5 ng mL-1 for the five antibiotics under study. The extraction recovery value range is between 89.91% and 100.33%. The validation proved that the developed methodology is suitable for the identification and quantification of ampicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline. After validation, this new assay was successfully applied to a liquid-liquid extraction process using a hydrophobic ionic liquid.

Grado de control del tratamiento anticoagulante oral en los centros de Atención Primaria de la Comunidad de Madrid: estudio CHRONOS-TAO / Quality control of oral anticoagulant therapy in Primary Care in Madrid City, Spain: CHRONOS-TAO study

Objetivos: Conocer el grado de control de los pacientes en tratamiento con anticoagulantes orales atendidos en Atención Primaria (AP) estimando el tiempo en rango terapéutico (TRT) según el método de Rosendaal, y compararlo con el porcentaje de international normalized ratio (INR, «razón normalizada internacional») en rango y el análisis transversal (última INR). Material y método: Estudio observacional retrospectivo con datos de la historia clínica electrónica de todos los centros de AP (n = 262) de la Comunidad de Madrid. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes en tratamiento con acenocumarol con rango terapéutico de INR entre 2 y 3. Se excluyeron los pacientes con valvulopatías y aquellos con seguimiento discontinuo (< 3 determinaciones de INR, período de > 90 días o ≥ 3 períodos de > 60 días entre 2 determinaciones). La población final fue de 49.312. Las variables consideradas fueron todos los valores de INR y sus fechas respectivas. Se calculó el TRT por los 3 métodos referidos, considerando «rango terapéutico» valores de INR entre 2-3, y rango «ajustado» valores de INR entre 1,8-3,2. Consideramos «control óptimo» en cada paciente si el TRT > 60%. Resultados: El TRT por el método de Rosendaal fue del 66,8% (81,7% ajustado), el porcentaje de INR en rango, del 58,8% (66,5% ajustado), y el análisis transversal, del 70,5% (76,8% ajustado). La media (desviación estándar) de los TRT por paciente fue del 65% (20,3), y el porcentaje de pacientes con un TRT > 60% fue del 63,3% (88,1% ajustado). Conclusión: El grado de control de los pacientes anticoagulados en AP es aceptable, similar o superior respecto a otros estudios y a los ensayos pivotales de nuevos anticoagulantes. Comparados con el método de Rosendaal, el porcentaje total de INR infraestima el grado de control, y el análisis transversal lo sobrestima ligeramente (AU)

Objectives: To determine quality control of patients with oral anticoagulant treatment recruited in Primary Care (PC) using the Rosendaal method to estimate time in therapeutic range (TTR) and comparing it with fraction of international normalized ratio (INR) in range and cross-sectional analysis (last INR registred). Material and method: A retrospective observational study based on electronic medical record in routine clinical practice. Setting: PC centers (262) in Madrid. We included all patients with acenocumarol treatment, with an INR therapeutic range established between 2 and 3. We excluded patients with valvular pathology and disrupted clinical follow up in PC (< 3 INR determinations in the studied period, a period of > 90 days or ≥ 3 periods of > 60 days between 2 determinations). The final population was 49,312 patients. The variables considered were all INR values and their respective dates. TTR was calculated by the 3 methods above mentioned. We considered 'therapeutic range' INR between 2-3 and 'adjusted range' INR between 1.8-3.2. Optimal control for each patient was considered TTR > 60%. Results: By using Rosendaal method, TTR was 66.8% (81.7% adjusted), with a percentage of total INR in range was 58.8% (66.5% adjusted), and, with the cross-sectional analysis, it was 70.5% (76.8% adjusted). Mean TTR was 65% (standard deviation 20.3), and the percentage of patients with TTR > 60% was 63.3% (88.1% adjusted). Conclusion: The quality control of patients with oral anticoagulants in PC in Madrid is acceptable, similar or higher to other studies and pivotal trials of new anticoagulants. Compared to the Rosendaal method, total fraction of INR underestimates quality control, and cross-sectional analysis slightly overestimates it (AU)

[Quality control of oral anticoagulant therapy in Primary Care in Madrid City, Spain: CHRONOS-TAO study]. / Grado de control del tratamiento anticoagulante oral en los centros de Atención Primaria de la Comunidad de Madrid: estudio CHRONOS-TAO.

OBJECTIVES: To determine quality control of patients with oral anticoagulant treatment recruited in Primary Care (PC) using the Rosendaal method to estimate time in therapeutic range (TTR) and comparing it with fraction of international normalized ratio (INR) in range and cross-sectional analysis (last INR registred). MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective observational study based on electronic medical record in routine clinical practice. SETTING: PC centers (262) in Madrid. We included all patients with acenocumarol treatment, with an INR therapeutic range established between 2 and 3. We excluded patients with valvular pathology and disrupted clinical follow up in PC (<3 INR determinations in the studied period, a period of>90 days or ≥ 3 periods of>60 days between 2 determinations). The final population was 49,312 patients. The variables considered were all INR values and their respective dates. TTR was calculated by the 3 methods above mentioned. We considered "therapeutic range" INR between 2-3 and "adjusted range" INR between 1.8-3.2. Optimal control for each patient was considered TTR>60%. RESULTS: By using Rosendaal method, TTR was 66.8% (81.7% adjusted), with a percentage of total INR in range was 58.8% (66.5% adjusted), and, with the cross-sectional analysis, it was 70.5% (76.8% adjusted). Mean TTR was 65% (standard deviation 20.3), and the percentage of patients with TTR>60% was 63.3% (88.1% adjusted). CONCLUSION: The quality control of patients with oral anticoagulants in PC in Madrid is acceptable, similar or higher to other studies and pivotal trials of new anticoagulants. Compared to the Rosendaal method, total fraction of INR underestimates quality control, and cross-sectional analysis slightly overestimates it.

Heterozygous Hb Hope [beta136(H14)Gly --> Asp] in association with heterozygous beta0-thalassemia with apparent homozygous expression, in a Spanish patient.

Hb Hope [beta136(H14)Gly --> Asp (GGT --> GAT)] has been found alone or in combination with other globin gene mutations in several African-American families, as well as in Japanese, Thai, Laotian, Cuban and Mauritanian families. We report the hematological and molecular characteristics of a heterozygous association of Hb Hope with beta0-thalassemia (thal) in a Spanish patient, in whom the level of expression of abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) by cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrophoresis suggested initially a homozygous expression of the abnormal Hb, although sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified beta-globin gene demonstrated a heterozygous genotype for Hb Hope. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of a case of Hb Hope in a Spanish family.