A compact SPR biosensor device for the rapid and efficient monitoring of gluten-free diet directly in human urine.

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder induced in genetically susceptible individuals by the ingestion of gluten from wheat, rye, barley, or certain varieties of oats. A careful diet follow-up is necessary to avoid health complications associated with long-term gluten intake by the celiac patients. Small peptides (GIP, gluten immunogenic peptides) derived from gluten digestion, which are excreted in the urine and feces, have emerged as promising biomarkers to monitor gluten intake. We have implemented a simple and sensitive label-free point-of-care (POC) device based on surface plasmon resonance for the direct detection of these biomarkers in urine. The assay employs specific monoclonal antibodies and has been optimized for the detection of the 33-mer α2-gliadin, known as the main immunogenic peptide of wheat gluten, and for the detection of GIP. Direct detection in undiluted urine has been accomplished by using biosensing chips containing a robust and stable biorecognition layer, obtained after carefully optimizing the biofunctionalization protocol. Excellent limits of detection have been reached (1.6-4.0 ng mL-1 using mAb G12 and A1, respectively), which ensures the detection of gluten peptides even when the gluten intake is around the maximum tolerable amount in the digestive tract (< 50 mg) for celiac individuals. No sample pretreatment, extraction, or dilution is required, and the analysis takes less than 15 min. The assays have excellent reproducibility' as demonstrated by measuring spiked urine samples containing the same target concentration using different biofunctionalized chips prepared and stored at different periods of time (i.e., CV% of 3.58% and 11.30%, for G12- and A1-based assays, respectively). The assay has been validated with real samples. These features pave the way towards an end-user easy-to-handle biosensor device for the rapid monitoring of gluten-free diet (GFD) and follow-up of the health status in celiac patients.

Nanoplasmonic biosensor device for the monitoring of acenocoumarol therapeutic drug in plasma.

Acenocoumarol (Sintrom®) is an oral anticoagulant prescribed for the treatment of a variety of thromboembolic disorders such as atrial fibrillation and thrombosis or embolism. It inhibits fibrin production preventing clot formation. Acenocoumarol has a narrow therapeutic range, and its effects depend on several factors, such as body weight, age, metabolism, diet, certain medical conditions or the intake of additional drugs, among others. A higher dose may result in the risk of bleeding, while if it is too low, the risk of blood clot can increase. Complementary tools that allow the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of acenocoumarol plasmatic levels from the starting of the treatment would be of paramount importance to personalize the treatment. Point-of-care (POC) devices can offer an added value in facilitating on-site monitoring (i.e. hospitals, primary care doctor or even by the patient itself) and can aid in dosage management. With this aim, we have developed a compact and simple nanoplasmonic sensing device based on gold nanodisks for the rapid monitoring of acenocoumarol, using highly specific polyclonal antibodies produced against this drug. A specific and reproducible label free indirect competitive assay has been developed and the viability of performing the evaluation directly in plasma diluted 1:1 has been demonstrated. A limit of detection (LOD) of only 0.77 ±â€¯0.69 nM, an IC50 of 48.2 ±â€¯5.12 nM and a dynamic range between 3.38 ±â€¯1.33 nM and 1154 ±â€¯437 nM were achieved, which easily fit within the drug plasma levels of acenocoumarol, making this approach a highly attractive option for its decentralized monitoring in human plasma.

Múltiples nódulos hepáticos / Multiple hepatic nodules

No disponible

Patrón difuso bilateral mixto alveolo-intersticial / Alveolar-interstitial and mixed bilateral diffuse pattern

No disponible

Technique for interference reduction in battery powered physiological monitoring devices.

This paper presents a novel simple method to identify and remove systematic interference in battery powered physiological monitoring devices. This interference is very typically introduced via fluctuations in the power supply voltage, caused by the nonideal output resistance of small batteries, when a transceiver chip changes operating modes. The proposed method is designed to have low computational complexity in order to potentially allow for low cost, real-time implementations on low-power-based platforms, either in the system front or back end. Additionally, the paper provides guidelines on how to choose some of the operating conditions of the transceiver in order to minimize the effect of the interference through the application of the proposed method. Overall, successful performance is illustrated with experimental results obtained from an acoustic monitoring system, since this is considered to have specifications which are representative of most physiological monitoring devices.

Development of a new magnetic beads-based immunoprecipitation strategy for proteomics analysis.

Sample pre-treatment is a critical step for an efficient and reliable analysis and it is highly dependent on the complexity of the matrix. This work shows an example of application of an immunoprecipitation approach using a new magnetic beads-based format, which allows a selective/specific extraction of potential biomarkers from metastatic prostate cancer. Results obtained on the development of this method, and its application for the extraction and pre-concentration of certain biomarkers present in metastatic cell lines of prostate cancer, are presented and discussed. It is concluded that the efficiency of the immunoprecipitation step is clearly compromised by the crosslinking conditions and it is highly dependent on the specificity of selected antibodies. The epoxy magnetic beads used in this work allowed an effective crosslinking of the antibodies contributing to an increased efficiency of the immunoprecipitation step. The optimized conditions for the application of these epoxy magnetic beads for the immunoprecipitation of anti-TUBA3C in metastatic prostate cancer cell line (PC3) are discussed here, as an example of application of the immnuprecipitation approach developed, which resulted in a very efficient tool for a specific extraction and pre-concentration of the targeted protein and, therefore, contributing to the efficiency of further analysis.

Comparison of gene expression profiles in a porcine infarct model after intracoronary, transthoracic, or transendocardiac injection of heterologous bone marrow mesenchymal cells.

An in vivo porcine model of myocardial infarction was developed with the aim of comparing the effectiveness for cardiac repair of intracoronary, transthoracic, or transendocardial delivery strategies for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) using an analysis of expression levels of transcripts related to various cellular processes at 8 heart regions using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We observed significant rises in cardiomyogenic markers Mef2C, Gata4 and Nkx2.5, and contractibility marker Serca2A at infarcted regions for cell-treated pigs. We also observed differences in Sdf1 expression related to the organ stress response between delivery strategies. Unexpectedly, increased expression of Col1A1 was detected in 2 cell-treated groups at various heart regions. Our results suggest improvements in both contractility and cardiomyogenic capability of damaged tissue after BMMSC injection, but also warned us about the relevance of the chosen delivery strategy and potential undesired effects like increasing fibrosis after treatment.

[Renal xenotransplant. Acute vascular rejection]. / Xenotrasplante renal. El rechazo vascular agudo.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Organ transplant is nowadays a usual and succesful practice, although with limited application due to the lack of organs. Yearly thousands of patients get access to the waiting list and finally will death while they are waiting for an organ. In the U.S.A., 2005 waiting list for kidneys, heart, liver lung and pancreas was around 94.419. Number of transplants performed was 27.966 and died patients while waiting for an organ, 41.392 (1). Pig xenotransplant is one of the possibilities to ameliorate the lack of organs for transplant. Arrangement of pigs with different genetic modifications generated great expectatives on the use of these organs in clinics. Although preclinical experimental studies with kidneys reached prolonged survivals, these are really insufficient to go on with the clinical appliance. Hyperacute rejection produces destruction of the organ immediately. This problem could be pharmacologically precluded in xeno-transplant. However, acute rejection or vascular rejection usually produces the lost of the implant. New inmunosuppresive schedules delay significantly rejection, but not definitively. Xenotransplant as a therapeutic option introduces important scientific problems, as well as ethical and social. This paper reports a summary of our experience in renal xenotransplant and the management of acute rejection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty xenotransplants from transgenic pig (hDAF) as donor to babuine as receptor. Average weight of the animals ranged 11.4-75 kgrs and babuines 10-26 kg. Xenograft average weight ranged 39-160 grs. Implant was performed to aorta and cava. Four inmunosupressive schedules were used. RESULTS: Average survival was 7-9 days. Final Histological findings are described. Changes observed were secondary to acute tubular necrosis mixed with changes due to acute rejection. Three grafts were lost due to technical major problems. CONCLUSIONS: Although we have observed some promising results, xenotransplant is a very difficult problem to solve in the long-term. A lot of research is still needed-.

Xenotrasplante renal. El rechazo vascular agudo / Renal xenotransplant. Acute vascular rejection

Introducción y objetivos: El trasplante de órganos es hoy una práctica habitual y de éxito, pero de aplicación limitada, debido a la insuficiencia de órganos. Anualmente miles de pacientes en lista de espera fallecen, esperando un órgano. En EEUU en el 2005 la lista de espera para trasplantes de órganos, riñón, corazón, hígado, pulmón, páncreas era de 94.419. El número de trasplantes realizados fue de 27.966 y el de fallecidos esperando un órgano 41.392. (1) El xenotrasplante de órganos de cerdo es una de las esperanzas para aliviar la falta de órganos para el trasplante. La disponibilidad de cerdos con distintas modificaciones genéticas, creó grandes expectativas sobre una pronta utilización clínica de los mismos, sin embargo, aunque los estudios experimentales preclínicos con el riñón han alcanzado supervivencias prolongadas, estas son insuficientes para dar el paso a la fase clínica. El rechazo hiperagudo (RH) con destrucción del órgano de forma inmediata, habitual en el trasplante de órganos entre especies distintas filogenéticamente (trasplante discordante) puede en la actualidad ser evitado sin embargo, la aparición de un posterior rechazo humoral agudo (RHA) también llamado rechazo vascular agudo (RVA) o xenorechazo agudo retardado, da lugar al fracaso del xenotrasplante. La utilización de distintas pautas de inmunosupresión han conseguido retrasar de forma significativa este rechazo, pero no lo previenen de forma sistemática. El xenotrasplante como opción terapéutica plantea importantes problemas científicos, éticos y sociales. En este artículo exponemos un resumen de nuestra experiencia en xenotrasplante renal y comentamos los problemas del RVA. Material y método: Se han practicado 20 xenotrasplantes renales de cerdo transgénico hDAF (donante) a babuino (receptor). El peso de los cerdos osciló entre 11,400 y 75 kg. y el de los babuinos entre 10 y 26,500 kg. El peso del xenoinjerto, riñón del cerdo, osciló entre 39 y 160 g. Resultados: La supervivencia media de los animales estuvo entre 7-9 días. El estudio histológico final de los injertos mostró cambios secundarios a necrosis tubular aguda mezclados con alteraciones propias de rechazo agudo. Tres injertos se perdieron por problemas técnicos mayores. Conclusiones: Aunque hemos observado resultados prometedores, el xenotrasplante es una cuestión de gran dificultad, especialmente a largo plazo. Se precisa aún en la actualidad de mucha actividad investigadora en este campo

Introduction and objectives: Organ transplant is nowadays a usual and succesful practice, although with limited application due to the lack of organs. Yearly thousands of patients get access to the waiting list and finally will death while they are waiting for an organ. In USA, 2005 waiting list for kidneys, heart, liver lung and pancreas was around 94.419. Number of transplants performed was 27.966 and died patients while waiting for an organ, 41.392 (1). Pig xenotransplant is one of the possibilities to ameliorate the lack of organs for transplant. Arrangement of pigs with different genetic modifications generated great expectatives on the use of these organs in clinics. Although preclinical experimental studies with kidneys reached prolonged survivals, these are really insufficient to go on with the clinical appliance. Hyperacute rejection produces destruction of the organ immediately. This problem could be pharmacologically precluded in xenotransplant. However, acute rejection or vascular rejection usually produces the lost of the implant. New inmunosuppresive schedules delay significantly rejection, but not definitively. Xenotransplant as a therapeutic option introduces important scientific problems, as well as ethical and social. This paper reports a summary of our experience in renal xenotransplant and the management of acute rejection. Material and methods: Twenty xenotransplants from transgenic pig (hDAF) as donor to babuine as receptor. Average weight of the animals ranged 11.4-75 kgrs and babuines 10-26 kg. Xenograft average weight ranged 39-160 grs. Implant was performed to aorta and cava. Four inmunosupressive schedules were used. Results: Average survival was 7-9 days. Final Histological findings are described. Changes observed were secondary to acute tubular necrosis mixed with changes due to acute rejection. Three grafts were lost due to technical major problems. Conclusions: Although we have observed some promising results, xenotransplant is a very difficult problem to solve in the long-term. A lot of research is still needed

A 1.2V 1.5 microW 4 kS/s 10b Pipelined ADC for electroencephalogram applications.

This paper presents the design of a Pipelined Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for Electroencephalogram (EEG) applications with 10 bits of resolution, 1.2V of supply voltage and only 1.5 microW of power consumption using a standard 0.5 microm CMOS technology. Low-voltage and low-power operation has been achieved using Quasi-Floating-Gate (QFG) based circuits. The use of a new class-AB operational amplifier in weak inversion allows very low power consumption and high enough open loop gain. Simulation results show an energy efficiency of 0.84 pJ per quantization level, placing the converter into the state-of-the-art of low-frequency low-power ADCs.

[Evolution of anxiety and depression detected during hospitalization in an Internal Medicine service]. / Evolución de la ansiedad y de la depresión detectada durante la hospitalización en un servicio de Medicina Interna.

OBJECTIVE: To study the evolution of the symptoms of anxiety (Ax) and depression (Dp) two months after hospital release and factors associated with their persistence. METHOD: An observational longitudinal study. Patients with Ax or Dp, evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale on the fourth day of hospitalisation, were followed over two months without the use of psychopharmacological drugs. Sociodemographic factors, psychiatric history, functional state, comorbidity and the HAD stage three weeks before admission were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients with Ax (22 males) with a mean age of 62.2 years and 35 patients with Dp (22 males) with a mean age of 68.1 years were studied. Symptoms of Ax persisted in 23 patients (60.5%; CI95%: 43.4-76) and symptoms of Dp persisted in 18 (51.4%; CI95%: 34-68.6). Ax before admission and a lower educational level were associated with the persistence of Ax. An age of 70 or more, female gender and primary studies, Barthel Index on admission of < 100 and depression in the three weeks before admission were associated with persistence of Dp. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms persisted in over half of the patients. The evaluation of HAD before admission may help in determining the treatment course to be followed.

Evolución de la ansiedad y de la depresión detectada durante la hospitalización en un servicio de Medicina Interna / Evolution of anxiety and depression detected during hospitalization in an internal medicine service

Objetivo: Estudiar la evolución de los síntomas de ansiedad (As) y depresión (Dp) a los dos meses del alta hospitalaria y los factores asociados con su persistencia. Método: Estudio longitudinal observacional. Los pacientes con As o Dp, detectada mediante el cuestionario Hospital Ansiedad y Depresión (HAD) en el cuarto día de estancia hospitalaria, fueron seguidos durante dos meses sin recibir psicofármacos. Se valoraron factores sociodemográficos, historia psiquiátrica, estado funcional, comorbilidad y el HAD del estado que tenía tres semanas antes del ingreso. Resultados: Se siguieron 38 pacientes con As (22 varones), edad media 62,2 años, y 35 pacientes con Dp (22 varones), edad media 68,1 años. Persistieron con síntomas de As a los dos meses 23 pacientes (60,5%; IC95%: 43,4 - 76) y con Dp 18 (51,4%; IC95%: 34 - 68,6). La As previa al ingreso y un menor nivel de estudios se asociaron con persistencia de As, y la edad de 70 o más años, sexo femenino, estudios primarios, Barthel durante el ingreso menor a 100 y depresión en las tres semanas previas se asociaron con persistencia de Dp. Conclusiones: Persiste la sintomatología en más de la mitad de los pacientes. La valoración del HAD previo al ingreso puede ayudar a decidir la prescripción de tratamiento

Objective: To study the evolution of the symptoms of anxiety (Ax) and depression (Dp) two months after hospital release and factors associated with their persistence. Method: An observational longitudinal study. Patients with Ax or Dp, evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale on the fourth day of hospitalisation, were followed over two months without the use of psychopharmacological drugs. Sociodemographic factors, psychiatric history, functional state, comorbidity and the HAD stage three weeks before admission were evaluated. Results: Thirty-eight patients with Ax (22 males) with a mean age of 62.2 years and 35 patients with Dp (22 males) with a mean age of 68.1 years were studied. Symptoms of Ax persisted in 23 patients (60.5%; CI95%: 43.4-76) and symptoms of Dp persisted in 18 (51.4%; CI95%: 34-68.6). Ax before admission and a lower educational level were associated with the persistence of Ax. An age of 70 or more, female gender and primary studies, Barthel Index on admission of < 100 and depression in the three weeks before admission were associated with persistence of Dp. Conclusions: Symptoms persisted in over half of the patients. The evaluation of HAD before admission may help in determining the treatment course to be followed

Valoración del fenotipo neoangiogénico y linfangiogénico en lesiones preneoplásicas y primarias de cáncer de pulmón / No disponible

No disponible

Transverse myelitis following general and epidural anaesthesia in a paediatric patient.

A 13-year-old girl developed transverse myelitis 2 weeks after an uncomplicated, combined general and epidural anaesthetic for orthopaedic surgery. Since epidural anaesthesia had been used, a causal relationship might have been assumed. We review the aetiology and pathogenesis of acute transverse myelitis and the role of anaesthesia in this disorder. Although a causal relationship cannot be assumed and regional anaesthesia in children is considered safe, we would like to re-emphasise the management principles and practices that may improve the benefit-to-risk ratio of these techniques.

[Epidural spinal cord stimulation for interstitial cystitis]. / Tratamiento de la cistitis intersticial mediante la estimulación de cordones posteriores.

INTRODUCTION: Interstitial cystitis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bladder wall, is highly painful and incapacitating. Urinary frequency and urgency develop, as well as nocturia, dysuria, perineal pain and reduction of bladder capacity. The condition seems to arise from a variety of factors with multiple and diverse pathogenic mechanisms and is refractory to medical and surgical treatment. Because treatments are ineffective and recent studies have implicated an inflammatory neurogenic mechanism in the pathogenesis of interstitial cystitis, neuromodulation by epidural spinal cord stimulation has been suggested for treating patients in whom other measures have failed. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 66-year-old woman with a 9-year history of urinary incontinence, urinary urgency and suprapubic pain was diagnosed of interstitial cystitis. She was referred to our pain clinic with persistent symptoms after repeated attempts to treat the condition medically. After implantation of a cephalocaudal (retrograde) epidural spinal cord stimulator, pain decreased 80% and the improvement has been maintained with no complications. CONCLUSION: Results from this and previous reports allow us to state that retrograde epidural spinal cord stimulation seems to be a relatively non-invasive therapeutic approach for treating interstitial cystitis that is refractory to conventional treatments.

Flow cytometry complement-mediated cytotoxicity assay detects baboon xenoantibodies directed to porcine epitopes undetected by hemolytic assay.

The pig-to-primate model is increasingly being utilized as the final preclinical means of assessing therapeutic strategies aimed at allowing discordant xenotransplantation. To obtain information about the nature of cytotoxic response in pig-to-baboon xenotransplants, we sought to determine if serum cytotoxicity in this model was assay dependent. Sera from nine kidney or heart xenotransplanted baboons were obtained before transplantation and at the time of acute humoral xenograft rejection (AHXR). Cytotoxicity was measured by an anti-pig haemolytic assay (APHA) and by a flow cytometry complement-dependent assay (FCCA), using pig blood lymphocytes (PBLs). Serum samples showing inter-assay differences were absorbed with pig erythrocytes and assayed by APHA and FCCA, as well as by measuring anti-alphaGal and total anti-pig xenoantibodies. The results showed that in four AHXR samples, FCCA cytotoxicity was higher than APHA cytotoxicity. Absorption with pig erythrocytes diminished FCCA and removed APHA cytotoxicity. Residual FCCA activity was due to total anti-pig and IgM anti-alphaGal and non-Gal antibodies. Our results indicate that some cytotoxic antibodies present in the sera of xenotransplanted baboons at time of AHXR are IgM antibodies directed against pig PBL antigens not detected by APHA.

Anatomía dental: CD ROM interactivo / Dental Anatomy: An interactive CD ROM

La facultad de odontología del CES está interesada en desarrollar nuevas alternativas didácticas para el proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje, que le permitan al estudiante abordar el conocimiento de una manera individual y dinámica...

[Renal xenotransplantation from hDAF pig to baboon. Experience and review]. / Xenotrasplante renal cerdo hDAF-babuino. Experiencia y revisión.

UNLABELLED: The renal xenotransplant could be the solution on the demand of organs for transplantation. We present here our experience and review the actual status of the xenotransplant. METHODS: We have done 20 xenotransplants from transgenic pig h DAF to baboons, with four protocols of immunosuppression. All the hosts were treated with GAS 914. Group A: Cyclophosphamide, Cyclosporine, Mycophenolate, and Steroids (n = 10). Group B: Cyclophosphamide, Cyclosporine, FTY 720, and Steroids (n = 3). Group C: Basiliximab, Cyclosporine, Mycophenolate, and Steroids (n = 3). Group D: Basiliximab, FTY 720, Everolymus, and Steroids (n = 4). RESULTS: The duration of the xenografts ranged between 1 and 31 days. The function of the xenografts in relation to the type of immunosuppression were not significantly different: A) 7 days, B) 8 days, C) 8 days, and D) 9 days. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The cold ischemic time of the graft, has influence in the initial function of the kidneys but not in the evolution and duration of the graft. 2. The hyperacute rejection has been overcome with the utilization of transgenic pigs. The graft failure was due to acute humoral rejection that was not aborted by the actual inmunosupressors. 3. It is necessary to develop new immunosuppression protocols, through new knowledge of their pharmacology and the physiology of the xenografts, and at the same time it is important to avoid the potential risk of transmission of animal infections.