Potential effect of chloroquine and propranolol combination to treat colorectal and triple-negative breast cancers.

Drug repositioning explores the reuse of non-cancer drugs to treat tumors. In this work, we evaluated the effect of the combination of chloroquine and propranolol on colorectal and triple-negative breast cancers. Using as in vitro models the colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116, HT29, and CT26, and as triple-negative breast cancer models the 4T1, M-406, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, we evaluated the effect of the drugs combination on the viability, apoptosis, clonogenicity, and cellular migratory capacity. To explore the in vivo effects of the combination on tumor growth and metastasis development we employed graft models in BALB/c, nude, and CBi mice. In vitro studies showed that combined treatment decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner and increased apoptosis. Also, we demonstrated that these drugs act synergically and that it affects clonogenicity and migration. In vivo studies indicated that this drug combination was effective on colorectal models but only partially on breast cancer. These results contributed to the search for new and safe treatments for colorectal and triple-negative carcinomas.

Farmers' perceptions and acceptance of crossbred guinea pigs in Mantaro Valley, Peru.

This study aimed at assessing farmers' perceptions and acceptance of the proposed breeding strategy of Instituto Veterinario de Investigaciones Tropicales y de Altura (IVITA), located in the Central Andes of Peru. A total of 34 farmers, who had received guinea pigs from IVITA, were interviewed. The questionnaire was performed in Spanish language and covered topics about the guinea pig production, feeding, mating system, training, the main products, perception and acceptance of crossbred lines ("cuy RG"), and the farmers' comment about the terminal crossbred animal ("cuy G"). The preferred feeding strategy was a combination of forage and supplement. All farmers implemented a controlled mating system. Most farmers had received training on feeding, reproduction, management, equipment, and facilities. The main product is animals for slaughter. The 82.40% of farmers reported that they do not purchase guinea pigs from IVITA anymore, because they are highly susceptibility to lymphadenitis, which is a highly contagious disease and causes swollen lymph nodes and affects the meat quality. Most of the respondents classified the "cuy RG" and "cuy G" as suitable for meat production and were satisfied with the performance of the animals. Therefore, 58.80% of respondents already recommended "cuy RG" to other farmers. However, 17.70% of the respondents would not recommend these animals because they are susceptible to disease, especially lymphadenitis. Therefore, IVITA should engage in more structured dialogue with farmers and regularly include their opinion in future improvement of its breeding strategies. This could help to reach higher acceptance rates by farmers.

Development of the Spanish version of the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine: methodology and main issues.

This presentation features linguistic and terminology management issues related to the development of the Spanish version of the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED). It aims at describing the aspects of translating and the difficulties encountered in delivering a natural and consistent medical nomenclature. Bunge's three-layered model is referenced to analyze the sequence of symbolic concept representations. It further explains how a communicative translation based on a concept-to-concept approach was used to achieve the highest level of flawlessness and naturalness for the Spanish rendition of SNOMED. Translation procedures and techniques are described and exemplified. Both the computer-aided and human translation methods are portrayed. The scientific and translation team tasks are detailed, with focus on Newmark's four-level principle for the translation process, extended with a fifth further level relevant to the ontology to control the consistency of the typology of concepts. Finally the convenience for a common methodology to develop non-English versions of SNOMED is suggested.