Giant mature cystic teratoma of the mediastinum resected by VATS: a case report.

The incidence of mediastinal teratomas is low, it's important to recognize them between all the differential diagnoses for mediastinal tumors. The treatment is surgical resection. We report a giant mature cystic teratoma of the mediastinum in a 40-year-old woman. She presented with dyspnea, flu-like symptoms during the previous 5 days. An x-ray complemented with a chest CT scan showed a heterogeneous extrapulmonary multiloculated and predominantly fluid density tumor located at the left side of the mediastinum. The patient underwent resection by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The tumor was 15 cm in diameter with a predominant cystic component. Histologic examination revealed a mature cystic teratoma. Treatment of these tumors should attempt a complete resection. Open approaches are painful, require a longer recovery and are associated with higher morbidity. VATS has been used to treat these tumors, demonstrating the same effectiveness and advantages over open procedures.

[Diffusion tensor imaging of the corticospinal pathway and its association with the prognosis of acute cerebral infarction: experience with a cohort in Mexico]. / Imagen del tensor de difusión de la vía corticoespinal y su asociación con el pronóstico del infarto cerebral agudo: experiencia de una cohorte en México.

INTRODUCTION: Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging through the fraction of anisotropy allows evaluation of the integrity of the motor pathways after cerebral infarction. AIMS: To correlate the fraction of anisotropy with the clinical scales and the prognosis of cerebral infarction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Prospective study of patients with cerebral infarction to compare the fraction of anisotropy in different regions of interest with functional evaluations and with controls free of infarction. A subgroup of subjects with rehabilitation underwent an initial MRI scan and another at three months, with clinical follow-up for six months. RESULTS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with middle cerebral artery infarction were included. The fraction of anisotropy values were lower in the ipsilateral corticospinal pathway than the fraction of anisotropy of the corticospinal pathway of the controls. The values of the fraction of anisotropy in the ipsilateral corticospinal pathway were associated with the value of the functional scale on admission. Changes in the fraction of anisotropy values between the initial MRI and the scan performed at three months correlated with the score on the functional scale and the modified Rankin scale at three and six months. CONCLUSIONS: The value of the fraction of anisotropy in the ipsilateral internal capsule is associated with the presence of a lesion and with its presenting symptoms. Changes in the fraction of anisotropy at three months suggest long-term clinical recovery.

TITLE: Imagen del tensor de difusión de la vía corticoespinal y su asociación con el pronóstico del infarto cerebral agudo: experiencia de una cohorte en México.Introducción. La imagen del tensor de difusión por resonancia magnética a través de la fracción de anisotropía permite evaluar la integridad de las vías motoras después de un infarto cerebral. Objetivo. Correlacionar la fracción de anisotropía con las escalas clínicas y el pronóstico del infarto cerebral. Sujetos y métodos. Estudio prospectivo de pacientes con infarto cerebral para comparar la fracción de anisotropía en diferentes regiones de interés con evaluaciones funcionales y con controles sin infarto. En un subgrupo con rehabilitación, se realizó una resonancia magnética inicial y a los tres meses, con un seguimiento clínico durante seis meses. Resultados. Se incluyó a 38 pacientes consecutivos con infarto cerebral de la arteria cerebral media. Los valores de la fracción de anisotropía fueron menores en la vía corticoespinal ipsilateral que en la vía corticoespinal de los controles. Los valores de la fracción de anisotropía en la vía corticoespinal ipsilateral se asociaron con el valor de la escala funcional en el momento de su admisión. Los cambios en los valores de la fracción de anisotropía entre la resonancia magnética inicial y a los tres meses se correlacionaron con la puntuación en la escala funcional y en la escala de Rankin modificada a los tres y a los seis meses. Conclusiones. El valor de la fracción de anisotropía en la cápsula interna ipsilateral se asocia a la presencia de lesión y a su presentación clínica. Los cambios en la fracción de anisotropía a los tres meses sugieren la recuperación clínica a largo plazo.

A systematic review of post-translational modifications in the mitochondrial permeability transition pore complex associated with cardiac diseases.

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple cardiac diseases, such as ischemia/reperfusion injury and heart failure. A growing number of evidence provided by proteomic screening techniques has demonstrated the role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in several key components of the pore in response to changes in the extra/intracellular environment and bioenergetic demand. This could lead to a fine, complex regulatory mechanism that, under pathological conditions, can shift the state of mitochondrial functions and, thus, the cell's fate. Understanding the complex relationship between these PTMs is still under investigation and can provide new, promising therapeutic targets and treatment approaches. This review, using a systematic review of the literature, presents the current knowledge on PTMs of the mPTP and their role in health and cardiac disease.

Primary tracheal schwannoma resected in a Turner syndrome patient: a case report.

We report a case of primary tracheal schwannoma in a 31-year-old woman. She had a previous history of follicular thyroid carcinoma treated surgically and Turner syndrome. In a follow-up computed tomography scan, we found a partially obstructing intraluminal tracheal tumor, which was confirmed by bronchoscopy. The patient was treated by surgical resection and primary tracheal anastomosis. The tumor was 14 mm in diameter, with an intact capsule. Histologic analysis revealed a Schwann cell origin tumor.

Metabolic evolution of non-transgenic Escherichia coli SZ420 for enhanced homoethanol fermentation from xylose.

Efficient utilization of pentose sugars (xylose and arabinose) is an essential requirement for economically viable ethanol production from cellulosic biomass. The desirable pentose-fermenting ethanologenic biocatalysts are the native microorganisms or the engineered derivatives without recruited exogenous gene(s). We have used a metabolic evolution (adaptive selection) approach to improve a non-transgenic homoethanol Escherichia coli SZ420 (ldhA pflB ackA frdBC pdhR::pflBp6-aceEF-lpd) for xylose fermentation. An improved mutant, E. coli KC01, was evolved through a 3 month metabolic evolution process. This evolved mutant increased pyruvate dehydrogenase activity by 100%, cell growth rate (h(-1)) by 23%, volumetric ethanol productivity by 65% and ethanol tolerance by 200%. These improvements enabled KC01 to complete 50 g xylose l(-1) fermentations with an ethanol titer of 23 g l(-1) and a yield of 90%. The improved cell growth and ethanol production of KC01 are likely attributed to its three fold increased ethanol tolerance.

Recombinant scorpine: a multifunctional antimicrobial peptide with activity against different pathogens.

Scorpine is an antimicrobial peptide whose structure resembles a hybrid between a defensin and a cecropin. It exhibits antibacterial activity and inhibits the sporogonic development of parasites responsible for murine malaria. In this communication we report the production of scorpine in a heterelogous system, using a specific vector containing its cloned gene. The recombinantly expressed scorpine (RScp) in (Anopheles gambie) cells showed antibacterial activity against (Bacillus subtilis) and (Klebsiella pneumoniae), at 5 and 10 microM, respectively. It also produced 98% mortality in sexual stages of (Plasmodium berghei) at 15 microM and 100% reduction in (Plasmodium falciparum) parasitemia at 5 microM. RScp also inhibited virus dengue-2 replication in C6/36 mosquito cells. In addition, we generated viable and fertile transgenic (Drosophila) that overexpresses and correctly secretes RScp into the insect hemolymph, suggesting that the generation of transgenic mosquitoes resistant to different pathogens may be viable.

Efectos de una intervención en la utilización del servicio de nutrición en México / Effect of an intervention in the use of the service of nutrition in Mexico

Se aplicó una estrategia de comunicación para mejorar la utilización del servicio de nutrición previa identificación de las barreras de acceso. La intervención consistió en establecer libre demanda al servicio y se utilizaron carteles, volantes y mensajes por altavoz para motivar a la población en el uso del servicio. El 40 por ciento de la población que utilizó el servicio después de la estrategia de medios, lo hizo de manera espontánea. El análisis por tipo de medio de comunicación, mostró diferencias intragrupos en todos los indicadores de uso. En conclusión, todas las estrategias fueron buenas; sin embargo, comparaciones post hoc señalaron un mayor impacto del volante en incremento en la demanda espontánea de consultas.

[Tumor necrosis factor-alpha: a mediator in the pathogenesis of cardiac insufficiency]. / Factor de necrosis tumoral-alpha: un mediador en la patogénesis de la insuficiencia cardiaca.

An increasing body of experimental and clinical work suggesting that tumor necrosis factor alpha plays a pathogenic role in heart failure continues to accumulate. This cytokine is produced in failing but not in normal hearts and experimentally, it's expression is induced by hemodynamic conditions of pressure or volume overload. Specific receptors for this cytokine are present in the heart and dynamic regulation in tumor necrosis factor receptor expression occurs in failing myocardium. In addition, tumor necrosis factor alpha may exert major cardiac effects that contribute to the development of the failing phenotype: induces negative contractil dysfunction, promotes fibrosis, induces cardiomyopathy in experimental animals and it is a major mediator of apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. The knowledge gained from studying the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha in cardiac function draws attention to a series of molecules previously unrecognized as potential mediators in the pathogenesis of heart failure.

[Heterotopic heart transplantation: 13-year experience at the Methodist Hospital of the Baylor Medical College]. / Trasplante cardiaco heterotópico: experiencia de trece años en el Hospital Metodista del Colegio de Medicina de Baylor.

UNLABELLED: In order to evaluate our experience in heterotopic cardiac transplantation, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical files of patients who underwent this procedure. RESULTS: A total of 405 heart transplants were performed in our institution. In 24 (5.9%), the grafts were placed heterotopically. In group I (12 patients), the indication was irreversible pulmonary hypertension and in group II (remaining 12 patients), it was marginal grafts or size mismatch. Both groups demonstrated similar demographics and the survival rate was slightly better in group I. Nine patients from group I demonstrated an early reduction in pulmonary pressures which normalized in one year. CONCLUSIONS: The heterotopic heart supports the function of the native ventricles. In 9 patients, the heterotopic heart enables the reversal of a state of pulmonary hypertension previously thought to be irreversible. This finding supports the use of pulmonary vaso-dilators on a chronic basis or the use of a left ventricular assist device pre-transplant with the intention of normalizing pulmonary pressures and allowing the patients to become candidates for orthotopic cardiac transplantation and thereby avoiding the necessity of heterotopic cardiac transplantation.

Butylated hydroxytoluene prevents hepatic damage induced by food oil.

A rapid and reproducible model of fatty liver in rats was developed by injecting corn oil (s.c.). In preliminary experiments, the mortality due to acute ethanol intoxication was significantly higher in this model of acutely fattened animals. Lipid peroxidation is a process that involves free radicals and consumes as substrate unsaturated fatty acids, which are present in great amounts in corn oil. Thus, in this work we explored whether the acute loads of corn oil increased hepatic lipid peroxidation. The three markers of cellular oxidative stress measured in fatty livers from rats injected with corn oil were: the production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), liver content of triacylglycerides (TAG), and total glutathione (GSH-GSSG). All were significantly modified. We also studied the effect of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a free radical scavenger frequently used in the food industry to prevent lipid oxidation, and found that it prevented the effect of corn oil on TBARS and TAG but enhanced the depletion of GSH-GSSG caused by the acute administration of large loads of corn oil.

[The physiology and molecular pathology of cell receptors]. / Fisiología y patología molecular de los receptores celulares.

A brief review about the following issues of cell receptors is presented: concept historical evolution, the increasing amount of scientific work on this topic, their broad an heterogeneous influence on cellular physiology, the chemical and functional shared by most of them, and their growing impact on human pathology.