Metabolomics of Breast Cancer: A Review.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Major advances have been made towards breast cancer prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, the incidence of breast cancer is still increasing globally. Metabolomics is the field of science which studies all the metabolites in a cell, tissue, system, or organism. Metabolomics can provide information on dynamic changes occurring during cancer development and progression. The metabolites identified using cutting-edge metabolomics techniques will result in the identification of biomarkers for the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers. This review briefly introduces the metabolic changes in cancer with particular focus on breast cancer.

miRNome and Functional Network Analysis of PGRMC1 Regulated miRNA Target Genes Identify Pathways and Biological Functions Associated With Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Increased expression of the progesterone receptor membrane component 1, a heme and progesterone binding protein, is frequently found in triple negative breast cancer tissue. The basis for the expression of PGRMC1 and its regulation on cellular signaling mechanisms remain largely unknown. Therefore, we aim to study microRNAs that target selective genes and mechanisms that are regulated by PGRMC1 in TNBCs. METHODS: To identify altered miRNAs, whole human miRNome profiling was performed following AG-205 treatment and PGRMC1 silencing. Network analysis identified miRNA target genes while KEGG, REACTOME and Gene ontology were used to explore altered signaling pathways, biological processes, and molecular functions. RESULTS: KEGG term pathway analysis revealed that upregulated miRNAs target specific genes that are involved in signaling pathways that play a major role in carcinogenesis. While multiple downregulated miRNAs are known oncogenes and have been previously demonstrated to be overexpressed in a variety of cancers. Overlapping miRNA target genes associated with KEGG term pathways were identified and overexpression/amplification of these genes was observed in invasive breast carcinoma tissue from TCGA. Further, the top two genes (CCND1 and YWHAZ) which are highly genetically altered are also associated with poorer overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, our data demonstrates that therapeutic targeting of PGRMC1 in aggressive breast cancers leads to the activation of miRNAs that target overexpressed genes and deactivation of miRNAs that have oncogenic potential.

Pregnancy Inhibits Mammary Carcinogenesis by Persistently Altering the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis.

Early full-term pregnancy is known to reduce the lifetime risk of breast cancer. Although the phenomenon of parity-induced protection is well-established, the physiological mechanisms involved in this protection are not clear. Earlier reports have shown that pregnancy results in alterations of hormone levels. How pregnancy affects hypothalamic hormones and how the change, if any, influences breast cancer is not well understood. Seven-week-old female Lewis rats were given N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Two weeks post carcinogen exposure, a set of females were housed with males to generate the parous rats and another set of rats served as the nulliparous controls. Mammary tumorigenesis was assessed for 9 months. Hypothalamic and pituitary levels of hormones were measured at various timepoints. Further, animals were also challenged with growth hormone and prolactin secretagogues to test the effect of pregnancy on the hypothalamic-pituitary hormonal axis. Persistent alterations in the level of growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin releasing hormone, dopamine, and somatostatin in the hypothalamus of parous animals was observed. Further, we also observed that pregnancy had a significant effect on the pituitary gland and its response to growth hormone and prolactin secretagogues. Our studies using the rodent model system demonstrate that pregnancy could be reducing the risk of breast cancer by persistently altering the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, which could have implications for breast cancers in humans as well.

Aplicaciones clínicas antimicrobianas y no antimicrobianas o antiinflamatorias de las tetraciclinas en dermatología y en otras especialidades / Antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory clinical applications of tetracyclines in dermatology and other specialties

Las tetraciclinas son un grupo de antibióticos muy usados, en la práctica clínica. El objeto de esta revisión es hacer una actualización de estos fármacos con especial mención en sus acciones microbianas y no antimicrobianas en distingas enfermedades cutáneas así como en otras enfermedades.

Vivir con albinismo: la otra realidad enfermedad, discriminación, superstición, brujiría, mutilación y muerte / Living with albinism: the other reality disease, discrimination, superstition, witchcraft, mutilation and death

En todo el mundo hay albinos, pero en el África la cantidad de albinismo es 8 veces mayor a la de los demás países, encontrándose 1 albino por cada 4000 personas y de estas, la mayoría esta en Tanzania, donde hay 1 albino por cada 1.400 habitantes, por eso se la llama "la capital del albinismo".

Automedicación por vía tópica en pacientes de consulta externa en la especialidad de dermatología de la Caja de Salud CORDES en un periodo de enero a junio de 2017 / Topical automedication in outpatient patients in the dermatology specialty of the CORDES Health Fund in a period from January to June 2017

El siguiente trabajo se dirige a determinar la prevalencia y los factores que intervienen en la automedicación en pacientes de la especialidad en Dermatología de la Caja de Salud CORDES, en un periodo de 6 meses. La prevalencia alcanzó el 72.4 % en la ciudad de La Paz y el 78.8 % en la ciudad de El Alto, fue más frecuente en mujeres (72% y 69% respectivamente) entre los 35 a 59 años de edad. La mayoría indico que se automedicaba por falta de tiempo, la automedicación fue más alta por granitos y hongos en La Paz por lo que usaron antimicóticas cremas para acné y cremas antienvejecimiento. En el alto la automedicación fue por manchas granitos y escozor por lo que se usaron cremas polivalentes corticoides tópicos y despigmentantes. La influencia en la automedicación fue mayor por el aviso publicitario en la televisión o radio, en La Paz y en El Alto. El alivio de las molestias solo fue completo en 24 % en La Paz y en 23 % en El Alto. La mayoría de los pacientes opinó que la automedicación no es una buena práctica en La Paz, sin embargo un 39% indico que si lo es en El Alto.

La relación médico paciente: el desarrollo para una nueva cultura médica / Doctor-patient relationship: the development of a new medical culture

La relación entre el médico paciente se ha modificado y se requiere realizar una reflexión crítica en torno a los procesos de salud y enfermedad en los diversos escenarios en que éstos se producen para desarrollar una nueva cultura sanitaria. En este contexto, la Bioética y sus principios favorece una manera diferente de entender la relación entre el médico y el paciente, en donde se privilegia el derecho que tiene el paciente como persona con autonomía en la toma de decisiones sobre su salud y se reconoce una responsabilidad compartida que considera el impacto de factores biológicos, sociales, culturales, económicos, psicológicos y éticos sobre la atención médica y el cuidado de la salud. Se hace necesario el aporte de la Filosofía, la Bioética y Ética Médica para investigar y estudiar la relación médico paciente en sus diferentes dimensiones: ética, médica, social y moral; fortalecer las bases éticas y legales de los médicos, lograr que sean capaces de analizar y hacer propuestas que lleven a la solución de los conflictos y dilemas que se generan con el desarrollo, la innovación del conocimiento y la aplicación de la tecnología en los seres humanos, y en todos los seres vivos (AU).

The doctor-patient relationship has changed and it is necessary to carry out a critical reflection on the health-disease processes in the different sets where they take place to develop a new sanitary culture. In this context, Bioethics and its principles favor a different way of understanding the doctor-patient relationship, where the right the patient has as a person with autonomy in taking decisions about his health is privileged, and it is recognized the a shared responsibility that takes into consideration the strike of ethic, psychological, economic, cultural, social and biological factors on medical and health care. The contribution of Philosophy, Bioethics, and Medical Ethics is necessary to investigate and study the doctor-patient relationship in its different dimensions: ethic, medical, social and moral; strengthening the physicians' ethic and legal bases, achieving them to be able of analyzing making propositions leading to the solution of conflicts and dilemmas generated with the development, knowledge innovation and the application of technology in human people and all the rest of living beings (AU).

La relación médico paciente: el desarrollo para una nueva cultura médica / Doctor-patient relationship: the development of a new medical culture

La relación entre el médico paciente se ha modificado y se requiere realizar una reflexión crítica en torno a los procesos de salud y enfermedad en los diversos escenarios en que éstos se producen para desarrollar una nueva cultura sanitaria. En este contexto, la Bioética y sus principios favorece una manera diferente de entender la relación entre el médico y el paciente, en donde se privilegia el derecho que tiene el paciente como persona con autonomía en la toma de decisiones sobre su salud y se reconoce una responsabilidad compartida que considera el impacto de factores biológicos, sociales, culturales, económicos, psicológicos y éticos sobre la atención médica y el cuidado de la salud. Se hace necesario el aporte de la Filosofía, la Bioética y Ética Médica para investigar y estudiar la relación médico paciente en sus diferentes dimensiones: ética, médica, social y moral; fortalecer las bases éticas y legales de los médicos, lograr que sean capaces de analizar y hacer propuestas que lleven a la solución de los conflictos y dilemas que se generan con el desarrollo, la innovación del conocimiento y la aplicación de la tecnología en los seres humanos, y en todos los seres vivos (AU).

The doctor-patient relationship has changed and it is necessary to carry out a critical reflection on the health-disease processes in the different sets where they take place to develop a new sanitary culture. In this context, Bioethics and its principles favor a different way of understanding the doctor-patient relationship, where the right the patient has as a person with autonomy in taking decisions about his health is privileged, and it is recognized the a shared responsibility that takes into consideration the strike of ethic, psychological, economic, cultural, social and biological factors on medical and health care. The contribution of Philosophy, Bioethics, and Medical Ethics is necessary to investigate and study the doctor-patient relationship in its different dimensions: ethic, medical, social and moral; strengthening the physicians' ethic and legal bases, achieving them to be able of analyzing making propositions leading to the solution of conflicts and dilemmas generated with the development, knowledge innovation and the application of technology in human people and all the rest of living beings (AU).

Operation performance and granule characterization of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating wastewater with starch as the sole carbon source.

Long-term performance of a lab-scale UASB reactor treating starch wastewater was investigated under different hydraulic retention times (HRT). Successful start-up could be achieved after 15days' operation. The optimal HRT was 6h with organic loading rate (OLR) 4g COD/Ld at COD concentration 1000mg/L, attaining 81.1-98.7% total COD removal with methane production rate of 0.33L CH4/g CODremoved. Specific methane activity tests demonstrated that methane formation via H2-CO2 and acetate were the principal degradation pathways. Vertical characterizations revealed that main reactions including starch hydrolysis, acidification and methanogenesis occurred at the lower part of reactor ("main reaction zone"); comparatively, at the up converting acetate into methane predominated ("substrate-shortage zone"). Further reducing HRT to 3h caused volatile fatty acids accumulation, sludge floating and performance deterioration. Sludge floating was ascribed to the excess polysaccharides in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). More efforts are required to overcome sludge floating-related issues.

Studying mixing in Non-Newtonian blue maize flour suspensions using color analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-Newtonian fluids occur in many relevant flow and mixing scenarios at the lab and industrial scale. The addition of acid or basic solutions to a non-Newtonian fluid is not an infrequent operation, particularly in Biotechnology applications where the pH of Non-Newtonian culture broths is usually regulated using this strategy. METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS: We conducted mixing experiments in agitated vessels using Non-Newtonian blue maize flour suspensions. Acid or basic pulses were injected to reveal mixing patterns and flow structures and to follow their time evolution. No foreign pH indicator was used as blue maize flours naturally contain anthocyanins that act as a native, wide spectrum, pH indicator. We describe a novel method to quantitate mixedness and mixing evolution through Dynamic Color Analysis (DCA) in this system. Color readings corresponding to different times and locations within the mixing vessel were taken with a digital camera (or a colorimeter) and translated to the CIELab scale of colors. We use distances in the Lab space, a 3D color space, between a particular mixing state and the final mixing point to characterize segregation/mixing in the system. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Blue maize suspensions represent an adequate and flexible model to study mixing (and fluid mechanics in general) in Non-Newtonian suspensions using acid/base tracer injections. Simple strategies based on the evaluation of color distances in the CIELab space (or other scales such as HSB) can be adapted to characterize mixedness and mixing evolution in experiments using blue maize suspensions.

Long-term effect of the antibiotic cefalexin on methane production during waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion.

Long-term experiments herein were conducted to investigate the effect of cefalexin (CLX) on methane production during waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. CLX exhibited a considerable inhibition in methane production during the initial 25 days while the negative effect attenuated subsequently and methane production recovered depending on CLX doses used (600 and 1000 mg/L). The highest methane yield reached 450 mL at 1000 mg-CLX/L after 157 days of digestion, 63.8% higher than CLX-free one. Stimulated excretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by CLX served as microbial protecting layers, creating a suitable environment for microbes' growth and fermentation. Further examination via ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectra also verified the elevated slime EPS, LB-EPS and TB-EPS indicated by UV-254 in the presence of CLX. Unlike the commonly accepted adverse effect, this study demonstrated the beneficial role of CLX in methane production, providing new insights into its true environmental impacts.

Biodegradability enhancement of wastewater containing cefalexin by means of the electro-Fenton oxidation process.

The comparative degradation behavior of cefalexin (CLX) using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with the aim of improving CLX biodegradability was studied. Among the AOPs used, RuO(2)/Ti anodic oxidation (AO), AO in the presence of electro-generated H(2)O(2) (AO-H(2)O(2)), and the electro-Fenton (EF) process, the EF process was the most effective. In the EF process an activated carbon fiber (ACF) was used as a cathode. Different input variables, including catalyst concentration, pH, and current density were evaluated to find the optimum conditions for the EF. The most suitable operational conditions were as follows: a current density of 6.66 mA/cm(2), a pH of 3, and a concentration of 1 mM of Fe(2+) as the catalyst. Different CLX concentrations were analyzed as well of different reaction times to assess the degree of mineralization. The change in biodegradability was evaluated by the BOD(5)/COD and the BOD(14)/COD ratios. The EF did not effectively remove the COD, but removed enough to achieve suitable biodegradability for a further biological process.

Hemangioma hepático tratado con Vincristina / Hepatic hemangioma treated with Vincristine

Los hemangiomas constituyen el tumor más frecuente en la infancia con una incidencia de 0.8 a 2.3 por ciento al nacimiento. A 80 por ciento de los niños se les manifiesta el hemangioma en el primer mes de vida. La incidencia es mayor en niñas, 3:1, de piel clara, pretérmino, menos de 1500g. Sólo 10 por ciento tienen antecedentes familiares. Sesenta por ciento se localizan en cabeza y cuello, 25 por ciento en tronco y 15 por ciento en extremidades. Se define como una neoplasia benigna compuesta por endotelio vascular hiperplásico y proliferativo. Son lesiones dinámicas que manifiestan una fase de proliferación, estabilización e involución. Se presenta un caso de una niña que presentaba un hemangioma hepático que hizo tórax restrictivo que fue tratada con esteroides orales, intravenosos, se embolizó el vaso nutricio y Vincristina con lo que se obtuvo una mejoría clínica e involución de la lesión. En el presente artículo se hace una revisión del manejo que aún es controversial.