Efecto del depura sobre la colitis experimental en ratas / Effect of depura on colitis in rats

Se estudió el efecto del Depura, extracto de hierbas (Zarzaparrilla, Zábila, Ruibarbo, Manzanilla) sobre la inflamación colónica inducida por ácido acético en ratas. Se utilizaron 3 grupos de 12 ratas machos Sprague-Dawley (210-300 g), tratadas por vía intrarrectal: a) grupo control 2 ml de agua, b) grupo inflamado 1 ml de ácido acético al 10 por ciento más 1 ml de agua y c) grupo medicado 1 ml de Depura más 1 ml de ácido acético, se registró el peso corporal durante 4 días, se sacrificaron, se evaluó el intestinal macro y microscópicamente. El tratamiento con Depura causó una significativa disminución de las lesiones macroscópicas 40 por ciento de edema en el grupo medicado contra 93 por ciento en el grupo inflamado (p<0,005), 32 por ciento de erosión en el grupo medicado contra 65 por ciento en el grupo inflamado (p<0,06), 12 por ciento de ulceración en el medicado contra 44 por ciento en el grupo inflamado p<0,047), el grupo control no presentó lesiones. La severidad de las lesiones microscópicas fueron significativamente menores en el grupo medicado, conservando la mucosa, mientras que el grupo inflamado perdieron el 90 por ciento de la mucosa. La pérdida de peso en los intestinos medicados fue de 44 por ciento (p<2,4), en el grupo control de 30 por ciento y en el grupo inflamado de 64 por ciento (p<0,5). La pérdida de peso del grupo control fue de 21,5 g, el grupo medicado 23 g y el grupo inflamado de 28 g. Estos hallazgos sugieren un efecto beneneficioso del Depura sobre la inflamación experimental del colon

C455R notch3 mutation in a Colombian CADASIL kindred with early onset of stroke.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is caused by mutations in the notch3 epidermal growth factor-like repeats. A Colombian kindred carries a novel C455R mutation located in the predicted ligand-binding domain. Stroke occurred in the patients at an unusually early age (median age: 31 years) in comparison to the more frequent onset in the fourth decade of life in other CADASIL populations, including a second Colombian kindred with an R1031C mutation.

Increased differentiation of intracranial white matter lesions by multispectral 3D-tissue segmentation: preliminary results.

MRI is a very sensitive imaging modality, however with relatively low specificity. The aim of this work was to determine the potential of image post-processing using 3D-tissue segmentation technique for identification and quantitative characterization of intracranial lesions primarily in the white matter. Forty subjects participated in this study: 28 patients with brain multiple sclerosis (MS), 6 patients with subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD), and 6 patients with lacunar white matter infarcts (LI). In routine MR imaging these pathologies may be almost indistinguishable. The 3D-tissue segmentation technique used in this study was based on three input MR images (T(1), T(2)-weighted, and proton density). A modified k-Nearest-Neighbor (k-NN) algorithm optimized for maximum computation speed and high quality segmentation was utilized. In MS lesions, two very distinct subsets were classified using this procedure. Based on the results of segmentation one subset probably represent gliosis, and the other edema and demyelination. In SIVD, the segmented images demonstrated homogeneity, which differentiates SIVD from the heterogeneity observed in MS. This homogeneity was in agreement with the general histological findings. The LI changes pathophysiologically from subacute to chronic. The segmented images closely correlated with these changes, showing a central area of necrosis with cyst formation surrounded by an area that appears like reactive gliosis. In the chronic state, the cyst intensity was similar to that of CSF, while in the subacute stage, the peripheral rim was more prominent. Regional brain lesion load were also obtained on one MS patient to demonstrate the potential use of this technique for lesion load measurements. The majority of lesions were identified in the parietal and occipital lobes. The follow-up study showed qualitatively and quantitatively that the calculated MS load increase was associated with brain atrophy represented by an increase in CSF volume as well as decrease in "normal" brain tissue volumes. Importantly, these results were consistent with the patient's clinical evolution of the disease after a six-month period. In conclusion, these results show there is a potential application for a 3D tissue segmentation technique to characterize white matter lesions with similar intensities on T(2)-weighted MR images. The proposed methodology warrants further clinical investigation and evaluation in a large patient population.

Clinical and cerebral blood flow changes in catatonic patients treated with ECT.

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in clinical manifestations and cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after administration of ECT to patients with catatonia due to schizophrenia or mood disorders. METHODS: A sample of nine patients who met DSM-IV criteria for catatonia was studied. Patients received between 5 and 15 sessions (thrice per week) of ECT. Severity of catatonia was measured with the Modified Rogers Scale (MRS). Changes in CBF were measured with a brain single positron emission computer tomography (SPECT) that was performed 1 week before the first ECT and 1 week after the last ECT. RESULTS: Catatonia was due to schizophrenia in five patients and mood disorders in four patients. There were no significant clinical and brain SPECT differences between these two groups before treatment. Pre- vs. post-ECT comparisons showed significant reduction of catatonic symptoms in both groups. However, patients with mood disorders needed less ECT sessions and showed greater clinical improvement. Brain SPECT showed significant increase in CBF in parietal, temporal, and occipital regions in patients with mood disorder and no significant changes in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the efficacy of ECT for treatment of catatonic patients, especially secondary to mood disorders, which seem to be correlated with improvements in CBF.

[Image characterization of Alzheimer's disease associated with the E280A-PS1 mutation. Case-control study: MRI findings]. / Caracterización imagenológica de la enfermedad de Alzheimer asociada a la mutación E280A-PS1. Estudio caso-control: hallazgos en la resonancia magnética.

INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: In order to compare the magnetic resonance image characteristics of individuals belonging to pedigrees carrying the mutation E280A-PS1 associated to early onset Alzheimer disease, coming from Antioquia, Colombia, 78 individuals were studied. 47 of them were carriers of the mutation, 23 of those presented symptoms and 31 individuals being controls (non carriers of the mutation). RESULTS: In summary, significative differences were appreciated between symptomatic individuals and those asymptomatic. There was not significant difference between asymptomatic carriers and the controls. The presence of the perihippocampal fissure constituted a difference statistically significant between the symptomatic individuals and those carriers asymptomatic and between the symptomatic ones and the controls. The interuncal distance increased significantly was another difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals and among symptomatic and control group. The lobar atrophy and the ventriculomegaly were found in symptomatic individuals and they correlate with the disorder graveness. There was not significance in the presence of infarcts and/or hippocampal hyperintensities. CONCLUSION: These results corroborate the statement that magnetic resonance image is very useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of individuals affected by early onset Alzheimer disease.