Proteomic profile of preeclampsia in the first trimester of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Detection of patients at risk before the clinical onset of PE is a priority. Proteomics have become a valuable tool for the discovery of new biomarkers; however, the understanding of the underlying mechanism is necessary. The aim of the study was to determine differences between proteomic serum profiles of PE and normotensive pregnancies using quantitative and qualitative approaches. STUDY DESIGN: Serum samples from pregnant women were taken at 10-12 weeks of gestation with follow-up to determine PE development. Samples were analyzed using nano 2-D liquid chromatography UPLC and qTOF-MS/MS. RESULTS: A total of 136 women were recruited, of which eight (5.9%) developed PE, and eight normotensive were randomly selected as a control group for comparison. A different profile was obtained between groups. Nine proteins showed quantitative differences with fold-change over 1.5: PRRC2C (217.02), HEATR5A (179.46), ATP6 (162.38), PRRC2B (83.09), RBM25 (5.36), NUP205 (3.38), HLA-I (2.27), ZC3H13 (2.15), and SREK1 (1.66); and two under 0.66: Importin-4 (0.55) and Cytochrome b (0.26). Using bilateral Fisher's exact test for the qualitative approach, LRRK1 had statistical significance (p = .044), while PRRC2B (p = .121), PRRC2C (p = .134), and NUP205 (p = .134) showed a tendency to be present in PE. CONCLUSION: The found proteins have plausibility with the early pathophysiological events that have been associated with this pathology. Further studies should be performed to confirm these findings and elucidate their specific roles.

Correlations between major risk factors and closely related Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates grouped by three current genotyping procedures: a population-based study in northeast Mexico.

The characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) patients related to a chain of recent TB transmissions were investigated. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates (120) were genotyped using the restriction fragment length polymorphism-IS6110 (R), spacer oligotyping (S) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats (M) methods. The MTB isolates were clustered and the clusters were grouped according to the similarities of their genotypes. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between the groups of MTB isolates with similar genotypes and those patient characteristics indicating a risk for a pulmonary TB (PTB) chain transmission were ana- lysed. The isolates showing similar genotypes were distributed as follows: SMR (5%), SM (12.5%), SR (1.67%), MR (0%), S (46.67%), M (5%) and R (0%). The remaining 35 cases were orphans. SMR exhibited a significant correlation (p < 0.05) with visits to clinics, municipalities and comorbidities (primarily diabetes mellitus). S correlated with drug consumption and M with comorbidities. SMR is needed to identify a social network in metropolitan areas for PTB transmission and S and M are able to detect risk factors as secondary components of a transmission chain of TB.

Correlations between major risk factors and closely related Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates grouped by three current enotyping procedures: a population-based study in northeast Mexico

The characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) patients related to a chain of recent TB transmissions were investigated. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates (120) were genotyped using the restriction fragment length polymorphism-IS6110 (R), spacer oligotyping (S) and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats (M) methods. The MTB isolates were clustered and the clusters were grouped according to the similarities of their genotypes. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between the groups of MTB isolates with similar genotypes and those patient characteristics indicating a risk for a pulmonary TB (PTB) chain transmission were ana- lysed. The isolates showing similar genotypes were distributed as follows: SMR (5%), SM (12.5%), SR (1.67%), MR (0%), S (46.67%), M (5%) and R (0%). The remaining 35 cases were orphans. SMR exhibited a significant correlation (p < 0.05) with visits to clinics, municipalities and comorbidities (primarily diabetes mellitus). S correlated with drug consumption and M with comorbidities. SMR is needed to identify a social network in metropolitan areas for PTB transmission and S and M are able to detect risk factors as secondary components of a transmission chain of TB.

Flourensia cernua: Hexane Extracts a Very Active Mycobactericidal Fraction from an Inactive Leaf Decoction against Pansensitive and Panresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The efficacy of decoction in extracting mycobactericidal compounds from Flourensia cernua (Hojasé) leaves and fractionation with solvents having ascending polarity was compared with that of (i) ethanol extraction by still maceration, extraction with a Soxhlet device, shake-assisted maceration, or ultrasound-assisted maceration, followed by fractionation with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol; (ii) sequential extraction with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol, by still maceration, using a Soxhlet device, shake-assisted maceration, or ultrasound-assisted maceration. The in vitro mycobactericidal activity of each preparation was measured against drug-sensitive (SMtb) and drug-resistant (RMtb) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. The results of which were expressed as absolute mycobactericidal activity (AMA). These data were normalized to the ΣAMA of the decoction fraction set. Although decoction was inactive, the anti-RMtb normalized ΣAMA (NAMA) of its fractions was comparable with the anti-RMtb NAMA of the still maceration extracts and significantly higher than the anti-SMtb and anti-RMtb NAMAs of every other ethanol extract and serial extract and fraction. Hexane extracted, from decoction, material having 55.17% and 92.62% of antituberculosis activity against SMtb and RMtb, respectively. Although the mycobactericidal activity of decoction is undetectable; its efficacy in extracting F. cernua active metabolites against M. tuberculosis is substantially greater than almost all pharmacognostic methods.

Entamoeba histolytica: soluble and membrane-associated neutral sphingomyelinase-C and other unidentified esterase activity.

Sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity was measured in Entamoeba histolytica particulate and soluble subcellular fractions. The effects on SMase of incubation time, total protein concentration, pH, and several divalent cations were determined. SMase-C and other unidentified esterase activity were detected in soluble and particulate fractions. SMase-C was 94.5-96.0% higher than the unidentified esterase activity. Soluble and insoluble SMase-C specific activities increased with protein dose and incubation time. Soluble and insoluble SMase-C activities were maximum at pH 7.5 and were dependent on Mg(2+), Mn(2+), or Co(2+), and inhibited by Zn(2+), Hg(2+), Ca(2+), and EDTA. SMase-C was active in the pH range of 3-10 and its maximum activity was at pH 7.5. The soluble and insoluble SMases have remarkably similar physicochemical properties, strongly suggesting that E. histolytica has just one isoform of neutral SMase-C that had not been described before and might be essential for E. histolytica metabolism or virulence.