Advancing sustainability in the steel industry: the key role of the triple helix sectors.

The steel industry, crucial to the global economy, grapples with critical sustainable challenges, including high energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and non-renewable resource utilization, making sustainability imperative for upholding its economic role without compromising the planet or societal well-being. This study proposes a framework aimed at advancing sustainability in the steel industry through the articulation of the triple helix sectors (university, industry, and government). Based on the integrative review scientific method, systematic selection, interpretation, and synthesis of information from various sources were carried out to map a technical-scientific scenario of sustainability in the steel industry. This scenario informed benchmarking which, in light of the scientific theory and the authors' expertise, enabled the proposition of customized actions aimed at the triple helix actors. The main theoretical-scientific contribution lies in deepening and expanding the knowledge that connects sustainability to the steel industry, thus reinforcing the basis for future research and empirical studies. As for the managerial-applied contribution, this work can guide universities in developing sustainable projects and establishing industrial partnerships; steel companies benefit from the best practices and technologies, while also achieving regulatory compliance; and governments can promote public policies that boost sustainability in the steel sector.

Analysis of a Novel Peptide That Is Capable of Inhibiting the Enzymatic Activity of the Protein Kinase A Catalytic Subunit-Like Protein from Trypanosoma equiperdum.

A 26-residue peptide possessing the αN-helix motif of the protein kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit-like proteins from the Trypanozoom subgenera (VAP26, sequence = VAPYFEKSEDETALILKLLTYNVLFS), was shown to inhibit the enzymatic activity of the Trypanosoma equiperdum PKA catalytic subunit-like protein, in a similar manner that the mammalian heat-stable soluble PKA inhibitor known as PKI. However, VAP26 does not contain the PKI inhibitory sequence. Bioinformatics analyzes of the αN-helix motif from various Trypanozoon PKA regulatory subunit-like proteins suggested that the sequence could form favorable peptide-protein interactions of hydrophobic nature with the PKA catalytic subunit-like protein, which possibly may represent an alternative PKA inhibitory mechanism. The sequence of the αN-helix motif of the Trypanozoon proteins was shown to be highly homologous but significantly divergent from the corresponding αN-helix motifs of their Leishmania and mammalian counterparts. This sequence divergence contrasted with the proposed secondary structure of the αN-helix motif, which appeared conserved in every analyzed regulatory subunit-like protein. In silico mutation experiments at positions I234, L238 and F244 of the αN-helix motif from the Trypanozoon proteins destabilized both the specific motif and the protein. On the contrary, mutations at positions T239 and Y240 stabilized the motif and the protein. These results suggested that the αN-helix motif from the Trypanozoon proteins probably possessed a different evolutionary path than their Leishmania and mammalian counterparts. Moreover, finding stabilizing mutations indicated that new inhibitory peptides may be designed based on the αN-helix motif from the Trypanozoon PKA regulatory subunit-like proteins.

A new type of phasin characterized by the presence of a helix-hairpin-helix domain is required for normal polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation and granule organization in Caulobacter crescentus.

Bacteria frequently store excess carbon in hydrophobic granules of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) that in some growth conditions can occupy most of the cytoplasmic space. Different types of proteins associate to the surface of the granules, mainly enzymes involved in the synthesis and utilization of the reserve polymer and a diverse group of proteins known as phasins. Phasins have different functions, among which are regulating the size and number of the granules, modulating the activity of the granule-associated enzymes and helping in the distribution of the granules inside the cell. Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic bacterium that shows several morphological and regulatory traits that allow it to grow in very nutrient-diluted environments. Under these conditions, storage compounds should be particularly relevant for survival. In this work, we show an initial proteomic characterization of the PHB granules and describe a new type of phasin (PhaH) characterized by the presence of an N-terminal hydrophobic helix followed by a helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) domain. The hydrophobic helix is required for maximal PHB accumulation and maintenance during the stationary phase while the HhH domain is involved in determining the size of the PHB granules and their distribution in the cell.

The chromatin - triple helix connection.

Mammalian genomes are extensively transcribed, producing a large number of coding and non-coding transcripts. A large fraction of the nuclear RNAs is physically associated with chromatin, functioning in gene activation and silencing, shaping higher-order genome organisation, such as involvement in long-range enhancer-promoter interactions, transcription hubs, heterochromatin, nuclear bodies and phase transitions. Different mechanisms allow the tethering of these chromatin-associated RNAs (caRNA) to chromosomes, including RNA binding proteins, the RNA polymerases and R-loops. In this review, we focus on the sequence-specific targeting of RNA to DNA by forming triple helical structures and describe its interplay with chromatin. It turns out that nucleosome positioning at triple helix target sites and the nucleosome itself are essential factors in determining the formation and stability of triple helices. The histone H3-tail plays a critical role in triple helix stabilisation, and the role of its epigenetic modifications in this process is discussed.

Effect of pH on the secondary structure and thermostability of beetle luciferases: structural origin of pH-insensitivity.

Beetle luciferases were classified into three functional groups: (1) pH-sensitive yellow-green-emitting (fireflies) which change the bioluminescence color to red at acidic pH, high temperatures and presence of heavy metals; (2) the pH-insensitive green-yellow-emitting (click beetles, railroad worms and firefly isozymes) which are not affected by these factors, and (3) pH-insensitive red-emitting. Although the pH-sensing site in firefly luciferases was recently identified, it is unclear why some luciferases are pH-insensitive despite the presence of some conserved pH-sensing residues. Through circular dichroism, we compared the secondary structural changes and unfolding temperature of luciferases of representatives of these three groups: (1) pH-sensitive green-yellow-emitting Macrolampis sp2 (Mac) and Amydetes vivianii (Amy) firefly luciferases; (2) the pH-insensitive green-emitting Pyrearinus termitilluminans larval click beetle (Pte) and Aspisoma lineatum (Al2) larval firefly luciferases, and (3) the pH-insensitive red-emitting Phrixotrix hirtus railroadworm (PxRE) luciferase. The most blue-shifted luciferases, independently of pH sensitivity, are thermally more stable at different pHs than the red-shifted ones. The pH-sensitive luciferases undergo increases of α-helices and thermal stability above pH 6. The pH-insensitive Pte luciferase secondary structure remains stable between pH 6 and 8, whereas the Al2 luciferase displays an increase of the ß-sheet at pH 8. The PxRE luciferase also displays an increase of α-helices at pH 8. The results indicate that green-yellow emission in beetle luciferases can be attained by: (1) a structurally rigid scaffold which stabilizes a single closed active site conformation in the pH-insensitive luciferases, and (2) active site compaction above pH 7.0 in the more flexible pH-sensitive luciferases.

Diseño de Estrategias para la Inclusión Laboral de Personas con Diversidad Funcional Cognitiva en la segunda Ciudad más importante del Huila / Design of Strategies for the Labor Inclusion of People with Cognitive Functional Diversity in the Second Most Important City in Huila

Resumen En el municipio de Pitalito-Huila (Colombia) se evidencia un alto grado de des conocimiento sobre la diversidad funcional cognitiva, generando una proble mática social que levanta barreras e impide la inclusión de personas en esta con dición. Es así que, el problema de inclusión laboral para personas con diversidad funcional surge del desconocimiento de esta condición, de la percepción errada sobre sus capacidades, de las deficiencias educativas en torno a las competen cias laborales y de la falta de intervención gubernamental en la divulgación de las políticas públicas de inclusión. Finalmente, se proponen estrategias bajo el modelo de innovación de la triple hélice para lograr efectividad en los procesos inclusivos de inserción social, educativa y laboral.

Abstract In the municipality of Pitalito, Huila, Colombia, there is a high degree of igno rance about cognitive functional diversity, by generating a social problem, which raises barriers and prevents the inclusion of people in this condition. Thus, the problem of labor inclusion for people with functional diversity arises from the lack of knowledge of this condition, from the wrong perception of their capabil ities, from the educational deficiencies regarding labor competencies and from the lack of governmental intervention in the dissemination of public policies for inclusion. Finally, strategies are proposed under the triple helix innovation mod el to achieve effectiveness in the inclusive processes of social, educational, and labor insertion.

Invertebrate neurons as a simple model to study the hyperexcitable state of epileptic disorders in single cells, monosynaptic connections, and polysynaptic circuits.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by a hyperexcitable state in neurons from different brain regions. Much is unknown about epilepsy and seizures development, depicting a growing field of research. Animal models have provided important clues about the underlying mechanisms of seizure-generating neuronal circuits. Mammalian complexity still makes it difficult to define some principles of nervous system function, and non-mammalian models have played pivotal roles depending on the research question at hand. Mollusks and the Helix land snail have been used to study epileptic-like behavior in neurons. Neurons from these organisms confer advantages as single-cell identification, isolation, and culture, either as single cells or as physiological relevant monosynaptic or polysynaptic circuits, together with amenability to different protocols and treatments. This review's purpose consists in presenting relevant papers in order to gain a better understanding of Helix neurons, their characteristics, uses, and capabilities for studying the fundamental mechanisms of epileptic disorders and their treatment, to facilitate their more expansive use in epilepsy research.

Toward a cleaner and more sustainable world: A framework to develop and improve waste management through organizations, governments and academia.

Waste production is expected to reach 3.40 billion tons annually in 2050. To decrease its negative impacts on the environment generated by human activities, waste management (WM) aims to increase the products life cycle and reduce the use of energy and space. Thus, this work aims to propose a framework with actions to develop and improve WM in the Triple Helix (TH) sectors: organizations, governments, and academia. The framework was developed based on the benchmarking of the technical-scientific scenario and the opportunities and challenges of WM added to the authors' experiences. This study was conducted using a combined method of the literature review and content analysis of articles present in the Scopus database, patents identified in the Orbit database, and governmental actions. As a result, 32 actions have been proposed through the framework, distributed among the TH sectors. The countries analyzed were China, India, and the United States, which highlighted because of the h-index and number of patents published. The main scientific contribution of this work is to add empirical elements coming directly from public and private institutions to the theory about WM, forming a block of knowledge with characteristics closer to reality. The major applied contribution of this work is the proposition of actions to the TH sectors, enabling the development of solutions and technologies to improve WM.

Towards a green industry through cleaner production development.

The growth in global production and consumption rates has resulted in increased pollution generation by industrial companies. To this end, cleaner production is one of the most widely used strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of industry and gain competitive advantage. However, it is still adopted slowly in many places. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a framework composed of governmental, scientific, and industrial strategies, policies, initiatives, and research opportunities for the development of cleaner production. The best practices of the top countries in the cleaner production technical-scientific scenario and the main implementation challenges and opportunities for its scientific development were identified and were the reference for the framework proposals. In the government sector, the framework suggests actions to encourage the adoption of cleaner production practices through national policies, legislation, tax incentives, and educational campaigns. In the scientific sector, it suggested the development of studies about the factors that motivate its adoption, studies about clean technologies, and studies about the cleaner production implementation difficulties. In the industrial sector, it highlighted the importance of the engagement of upper management to focus on efforts to increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes with the adoption of clean technologies, management systems, strengthening of the research and development areas, and replacement of hazardous raw materials. Thus, this study contributes with initiatives that will help the implementation of cleaner production practices, reducing the generation of pollution in industry, increasing the efficiency of its processes, and aligning countries and societies to sustainable development.

Enabling the Industrial Internet of Things to Cloud Continuum in a Real City Environment.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the most demanding IoT applications. The insertion of industries in the context of smart cities and other smart environments, allied with new communication technologies such as 5G, brings a new horizon of possibilities and new requirements. These requirements include low latency, the support of a massive quantity of devices and data, and the need to support horizontal communications between devices at the edge level. To make this feasible, it is necessary to establish an IIoT-to-cloud continuum distributing federated brokers across the infrastructure and providing scalability and interoperability. To attend this type of application, we present the Helix Multi-layered IoT platform and its operating modes. We report and discuss its real-world deployment in the Aveiro Tech City Living Lab in Aveiro, Portugal with functional and performance tests. We tested device-to-device communication across edge and core layers and also interconnected the infrastructure with one in São Paulo, Brazil, replicating the use of a global industry. The successful deployment validates the use of a Helix Multi-layered IoT platform as a suitable backend platform for IIoT applications capable of establishing the IIoT-to-cloud continuum. It also helps for the deployment of other applications in such a domain.

The Spf1p P5A-ATPase "arm-like" domain is not essential for ATP hydrolysis but its deletion impairs autophosphorylation.

The yeast Spf1p P5A-ATPase actively translocates membrane spanning peptides of mislocalized proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum. Loss of Spf1p function causes a pleiotropic ER stress-phenotype associated with alterations of homeostasis of metal ions, lipids, protein folding, glycosylation, and membrane insertion. A unique characteristic of P5A-ATPases is the presence of an extended insertion which was called the "arm-like" domain connecting the phosphorylation domain (P) with transmembrane segment M5 near the peptidyl-substrate binding pocket. Here we have constructed and characterized a Δarm mutant of Spf1p lacking a segment of 117 amino acids of the "arm-like" domain. The Δarm mutant was capable of hydrolyzing ATP at maximal rates of 50% of that of the wild type enzyme. With the non-nucleotide substrate analog pNPP, the hydrolytic activity of the mutant dropped to 10%. The mutant showed an apparent affinity for ATP similar to the wild type. When incubated with ATP the Δarm mutant produced a lower level of the catalytic phosphoenzyme in amounts proportionate to the ATPase activity. These results indicate that the "arm-like" domain is not essential for hydrolytic activity and suggest that it is needed for the stabilization of Spf1p in a phosphorylation-ready conformation.

Syrup Hedera helix Extract Poisoning in Dog: a Clinical Report / Intoxicación con jarabe de extracto de Hedera helix en perros: informe clínico

Abstract This clinical report describes a 1-year-old Golden Retriever dog weighing 24 kg that developed gastroenteritis as a result of the unprescribed and random use of a syrup Hedera helix extract, which is for human use only. Diagnosis was made after ruling out other factors that could cause gastroenteritis. An improvement in clinical findings was observed as a result of supportive treatment. It is already widely recognized that triterpene saponins, biological active compounds of Hedera helix, cause gastroenteritis in dogs and it is considered that unprescribed and random use of syrup Hedera helix at high doses, may cause severe gastroenteritis symptoms that will endanger life. It is concluded that successful management of Hedera helix extract poisoning depends on a good anamnesis, physical exams, and laboratory tests, rapidly ruling out other causes of gastroenteritis, quitting the use of syrup immediately and a supportive treatment.

Resumen En este informe clínico, se describe un cuadro de gastroenteritis desarrollada por un Golden Retriever de 1 año de edad que pesaba 24 kg, como resultado del uso aleatorio y sin receta de un extracto de jarabe de Hedera helix, que es solo para uso por humano. El diagnóstico se realizó después de que se descartados otros factores que podrían causar gastroenteritis. Se observó una mejora en los hallazgos clínicos como resultado del tratamiento de apoyo. Ya se ha reconocido ampliamente que las saponinas triterpénicas, que son compuestos biológicos activos de Hedera helix, causan gastroenteritis en perros y se considera que el uso aleatorio y sin receta de jarabe de extracto de Hedera helix en dosis altas puede provocar síntomas de gastroenteritis más graves que pondrán en peligro la vida. Se concluyó que el manejo exitoso de la intoxicación por Hedera helix depende de una buena anamnesis, exámenes físicos y de laboratorio, descartar rápidamente las otras causas de gastroenteritis, dejar inmediatamente el jarabe y tratamiento de apoyo.

The high stability of the three-helix bundle UBA domain of p62 protein as revealed by molecular dynamics simulations.

The ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain is an important motif in the modulation of many molecular functionalities. It has been mainly associated with ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, a multistep mechanism in which undesirable proteins are tagged with polyubiquitin chains for degradation in the proteasome complex. Comparison among UBA domains reveals a quite small structural variability, displaying an overall fold with a tightly packed three-helix bundle, and a common conserved hydrophobic patch on their surface that is important for ubiquitin binding. Mutations in the UBA domain, mainly in the highly conserved hydrophobic patch, induce conformational instabilities, which can be related to weak affinity for ubiquitin. This raises the question whether such hydrophobic patch presents conserved structural arrangement for selective recognition and protein binding. A concern that led us to investigate the stability of the p62-UBA domain as a case study regarding its structural arrangement as a function of temperature and two NaCl concentrations. Our results reveal that the temperature range and ionic strengths considered in this work produced a negligible effect on the three-helix bundle fold of p62-UBA domain.

Expression of antimicrobial peptide Cecropin P1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its antibacterial and antiviral activity in vitro

BACKGROUND: Cecropin P1, acting as an antimicrobial, has a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity with some antiviral and antifungal properties. It is a promising natural alternative to antibiotics which is originally isolated from the pig intestinal parasitic nematode Ascaris suum. Many studies have shown that Cecropin P1 is helpful for the prevention or treatment of clinical diseases. Therefore, it is very necessary to establish a safe, nontoxic, and efficient expression method of Cecropin P1. RESULTS: The results indicated that the recombinant protein was about 5.5 kDa showed by Tricine­SDS­ PAGE and Western blot. And Cecropin P1 was efficiently secreted and expressed after 12 h of induction, with an increasing yield over the course of the induction. Its maximum concentration was 7.83 mg/L after concentration and purification. In addition, in vitro experiments demonstrated that Cecropin P1 not only exerted a strong inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., and Pasteurella sp., but also displayed an antiviral activity against PRRSV NADC30-Like strain. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the strategy of expressing Cecropin P1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is harmless, efficient, and safe for cells. In addition, the expressed Cecropin P1 has antiviral and antibacterial properties concurrently.

Cooperation and technological areas in the state universities of São Paulo: an analysis from the perspective of the triple helix model

This article analyzes the technological cooperation networks, and their respective areas, of the public universities of the State of São Paulo that resulted in patent. The cooperation networks were built from the assignee data and for the technology areas networks the International Patent Classification. It adopted the metrics of Social Network Analysis to characterize these partnerships and analyze it from the perspective of the Triple Helix. A total of 458 technology partnerships were identified that resulted in patents, 210 at USP, 173 at UNICAMP and 75 at UNESP. The main partners were companies and other universities, follow by research institutes, government support institutions and support foundations had low participation, except for FAPESP and EMBRAPA. Regarding technological areas, technologies with applications in the health sector and chemical were the most representative. It was found that the cooperation is still developed in an incipient way, especially regarding the continuity of technological development. In general, there is the multidisciplinary portfolio of patents from universities, but with strong guidance for the areas of health, indicating the search for expertise in this area of expertise.

Colgajo doble banderín de región retroauricular para reconstrucción del hélix / Double flag flap in the retroauricular region for helix reconstruction

El objetivo del presente artículo es mostrar los resultados de la reconstrucción de los defectos de la superficie del borde del hélix utilizando el colgajo doble banderín de región retroauricular. Se describen los pedículos vasculares del colgajo en disecciones anatómicas. Se presentan detalles técnicos del procedimiento, así como se muestran casos clínicos, analizando resultados y evaluando los mismos en 30 casos

The objective of this article is to show the results of the reconstruction of the defects of the surface of the helix edge using the double flag flap of the retroauricular region. The vascular pedicles of the flap are described in anatomical dissections. Technical details of the procedure are presented, as well as clinical cases are shown, analyzing results and evaluating them in 30 cases.

A Transmembrane Histidine Kinase Functions as a pH Sensor.

The two-component system DesK-DesR regulates the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in the soil bacteria Bacillus subtilis. This system is activated at low temperature and maintains membrane lipid fluidity upon temperature variations. Here, we found that DesK-the transmembrane histidine kinase-also responds to pH and studied the mechanism of pH sensing. We propose that a helix linking the transmembrane region with the cytoplasmic catalytic domain is involved in pH sensing. This helix contains several glutamate, lysine, and arginine residues At neutral pH, the linker forms an alpha helix that is stabilized by hydrogen bonds in the i, i + 4 register and thus favors the kinase state. At low pH, protonation of glutamate residues breaks salt bridges, which results in helix destabilization and interruption of signaling. This mechanism inhibits unsaturated fatty acid synthesis and rigidifies the membrane when Bacillus grows in acidic conditions.

Analyzing RNA-DNA Triplex Formation in Chromatin.

A significant fraction of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is associated with chromatin, shown to regulate gene expression and to organize nuclear architecture. Mechanisms of direct and indirect RNA-chromatin interactions have been described, including the sequence-specific formation of triple helix structures. Triplexes are formed by the sequence-specific binding of RNA to the bases located in the major groove of DNA. We recently showed that triplexes do exist in the context of cellular chromatin and that these structures are stabilized by the histone H3 tail of adjacent nucleosomes. The in vitro characterization of the specificity and binding affinity of triplex sequences next to nucleosomes are essential parameters to identify potential sites of RNA-chromatin interaction in vivo. Here we provide a detailed protocol to determine the influence of nucleosome positioning on triple helix formation. This assay allows the comparative quantification of triplex formation and specificity for triplex targeting sequences relative to the spatial nucleosome position.

Overexpression of bHLH domain of HIF-1 failed to inhibit the HIF-1 transcriptional activity in hypoxia.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is considered as the most activated transcriptional factor in response to low oxygen level or hypoxia. HIF-1 binds the hypoxia response element (HRE) sequence in the promoter of different genes, mainly through the bHLH domain and activates the transcription of genes, especially those involved in angiogenesis and EMT. Considering the critical role of bHLH in binding HIF-1 to the HRE sequence, we hypothesized that bHLH could be a promising candidate to be targeted in hypoxia condition. METHODS: We inserted an inhibitory bHLH (ibHLH) domain in a pIRES2-EGFP vector and transfected HEK293T cells with either the control vector or the designed construct. The ibHLH domain consisted of bHLH domains of both HIF-1a and Arnt, capable of competing with HIF-1 in binding to HRE sequences. The transfected cells were then treated with 200 µM of cobalt chloride (CoCl2) for 48 h to induce hypoxia. Real-time PCR and western blot were performed to evaluate the effect of ibHLH on the genes and proteins involved in angiogenesis and EMT. RESULTS: Hypoxia was successfully induced in the HEK293T cell line as the gene expression of VEGF, vimentin, and ß-catenin were significantly increased after treatment of untransfected HEK293T cells with 200 µM CoCl2. The gene expression of VEGF, vimentin, and ß-catenin and protein level of ß-catenin were significantly decreased in the cells transfected with either control or ibHLH vectors in hypoxia. However, ibHLH failed to be effective on these genes and the protein level of ß-catenin, when compared to the control vector. We also observed that overexpression of ibHLH had more inhibitory effect on gene and protein expression of N-cadherin compared to the control vector. However, it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: bHLH has been reported to be an important domain involved in the DNA binding activity of HIF. However, we found that targeting this domain is not sufficient to inhibit the endogenous HIF-1 transcriptional activity. Further studies about the function of critical domains of HIF-1 are necessary for developing a specific HIF-1 inhibitor.

Reconstrucción auricular en lesiones malignas de hélix / Auricle reconstruction in malignant helix lesions

La complejidad del pabellón auricular hace que su reconstrucción sea técnicamente dificultosa. Hay una gran variedad de técnicas para la reconstrucción del hélix luego de la resección tumoral. La cirugía de elección en los centros especializados es la de Mohs; sin embargo, no se dispone de ella en todos los centros, por lo que debemos tener claras las indicaciones de las técnicas tradicionales. Como objetivo evaluamos la resolución quirúrgica de lesiones malignas ubicadas en el hélix auricular y el resultado estético de acuerdo al tamaño tumoral y su localización. Realizamos un análisis retrospectivo de 7 pacientes tratados con la técnica de cuña escalonada y la de Antia y Buch para defectos de hasta 3 cm del hélix auricular. Concluimos que ambas tienen una extraordinaria versatilidad y un excelente resultado estético funcional, y que la elección de una u otra se basará en el tamaño auricular y el excedente de piel que tengamos al momento de la reconstrucción.

The complexity of the earpiece makes its reconstruction technically complicated. There are several techniques for reconstruction of the helix after tumor resection. Gold standard in specialized centers is Mohs´s surgery; however, you do not have it at all centers, so we must have clear indications of traditional techniques. The aim is to evaluate the surgery resolution of malignant pathology in the auricular helix and the aesthetic result according to tumor size and location. We describe a retrospective analysis of 7 patients treated with the technique step wedge and Antia and Buch for defects up to 3 cm earpiece helix. We conclude that both have an extraordinarily functional versatility with excellent cosmetics result, and we think in choosing one or the other based on the ear size and excess of skin that we have at the time of reconstruction.