Effects of ketoprofen in spermatogenesis of mice exposed to continuos hypobaric hypoxia / Efecto del ketoprofeno en la espermatogénesis de ratones expuestos a hipoxia hipobárica continua

Hypoxia hypobaric (HH) can cause alterations at testicular level, with temperature increase, intrascrotal alteration and deterioration of spermatogenesis. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ketoprofen have anti-angiogenic properties, and can decrease testicular abnormalities. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of ketoprofen on spermatogenesis of mice exposed to continuous hypobaric hypoxia. 78 Mus musculus CF-1 male mice 3 to 4 months old were used and subjected to HH in chamber at 4200 m. They were divided into 13 groups (G) of 6 animals: 10 with HH cycles (1, 2, 3, 4 and 8, lasting 8.3 days each cycle, two groups each) and 3 in normoxia (Nx). Intraperitoneal ketoprofen 25 mg/kg was administered every 4 days. Euthanasia of these animals was performed at the end of each cycle and in the case the Nx groups at the end of cycles 1, 4 and 8. Percentage of microhematocrit and reticulocytes were measured in blood smears and a morphometric and histopathological analysis of the height of the epithelium, the tubular diameter and the diameter of the tubular lumen was made. It was shown that hematocrit increases continuously up to 8 cycles, while reticulocytes increase up to 3 cycles. Continuous HH decreases the tubular diameter in a sustained manner and proportional to HH cycles, and the height increased only in the groups subjected to 8 cycles. The groups treated with ketoprofen saw a decrease in angiogenesis, presenting some degree of protection at the testicular level.

La hipoxia hipobárica (HH) puede provocar alteraciones a nivel testicular, con aumento de la temperatura, alteración intraescrotal y deterioro de la espermatogénesis. Los antiinflamatorios no esteroidales (AINEs) como el ketoprofeno tienen propiedades antiangiogénicas, pudiendo disminuir las alteraciones testiculares. El objetivo de estudio fue evaluar el efecto del ketoprofeno en la espermatogénesis de ratones expuestos a hipoxia hipobárica continua. Se utilizaron 78 ratones macho Mus musculus CF-1 de 3 a 4 meses de edad y se sometieron a HH en cámara a 4200 m. Se dividieron en 13 grupos (G) de 6 animales: 10 con ciclos de HH (1, 2, 3, 4 y 8, con duración de 8,3 días cada ciclo, dos grupos cada uno) y 3 en normoxia (Nx). Se administró ketoprofeno intraperitoneal 25 mg/kg cada 4 días. La eutanasia de estos animales se realizó al final de cada ciclo y en el caso los grupos Nx al final de los ciclos 1, 4 y 8. Se midió porcentaje de microhematocrito y reticulocitos en frotis de sangre y se hizo un análisis morfométrico e histopatológico de la altura del epitelio, el diámetro tubular y el diámetro de la luz tubular. Se evidenció que el hematocrito aumenta de manera continua hasta los 8 ciclos, en cambio los reticulocitos aumentan hasta los 3 ciclos. La HH continua disminuye el diámetro tubular de forma sostenida y proporcional a los ciclos de HH, y la altura aumentó sólo en los grupos sometidos a 8 ciclos. Los grupos tratados con ketoprofeno se vio una disminución de la angiogénesis, presentando algún grado de protección a nivel testicular.

Repositories for academic products/outputs: Latin American and Chilean visions.

Open access policies have been progressing since the beginning of this century. Important global initiatives, both public and private, have set the tone for what we understand by open access. The emergence of tools and web platforms for open access (both legal and illegal) have placed the focus of the discussion on open access to knowledge, both for academics and for the general public, who finance such research through their taxes, particularly in Latin America. This historically unnoticed discussion must, we believe, be discussed publicly, given the characteristics of the Latin American scientific community, as well as its funding sources. This article includes an overview of what is meant by open access and describes the origins of the term, both in its philosophical sense and in its practical sense, expressed in the global declarations of Berlin and Bethesda. It also includes the notion of open access managed (or not) by some reputable institutions in Chile, such as CONICYT (National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research) and higher education institutions reputed nationally, such as the Universdad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Various Latin American initiatives related to open access (Scielo, Redalyc, among others) are described, as well as the presence of Chilean documents in those platforms. The national institutional repositories are listed, as well as their current status and a discussion about what open access has implied in Latin America and its importance for the replicability of the investigations carried out locally. Finally, we describe some governmental initiatives (mainly legislative) at the Latin American level and propose some recommendations regarding the promotion and implementation of repositories for the access to scientific data (for access and replication purposes) of the national research.

Distribution of HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 antigenic groups and haplotypes from the Brazilian bone marrow donor registry (REDOME).

To improve assistance for patients awaiting a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor, it is important to genetically characterize the Brazilian volunteer bone marrow donors registry (REDOME). Our objective was to describe the antigenic groups and haplotype frequencies of HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 in the five regions of Brazil and by self-reported ethnicity groups using the REDOME data. Our study included 3,038,286 individuals. HLA antigenic groups and haplotype frequencies were estimated using an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. All described HLA-A*, HLA-B* and HLA-DRB1* groups were identified in this study. A*02 (25.9%), B*35 (11.8%) and DRB1*13 (13.4%) are the most frequent antigenic groups in REDOME, and the A*01-B*08-DRB1*03 haplotype is the most frequent in the registry. The antigenic group and haplotype frequency data obtained in this study could be helpful for national donor recruitment strategies across the country.

Correlación de la escala de Tarplay y el diagnóstico de pacientes con sospecha de tener síndrome de Sjögren del Centro Médico Nacional <

Objetivo: Establecer la correlación que existe entre la escala de Tarplay y los pacientes con síndrome de Sjögren positivo. Métodos: Se revisaron 321 casos de pacientes con sospecha de tener síndrome de Sjögren de la UMAE, Centro Médico Nacional <

Aim: To establish any existing correlation between Tarplay's grading system and patients with positive diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. Methods: 321 cases of patients suspected to be afflicted with Sjögren's syndrome were reviewed at the Highly Specialized Medical Units (UMAE), Centro Médico Nacional <

Fertility in Gyr Cows (Bos indicus) with Fixed Time Artificial Insemination and Visual Estrus Detection Using a Classification Table.

The aim of this research was to compare two artificial insemination protocols (AIP): hormonal synchronization with fixed time artificial insemination (SC-FTAI) and the use of a table based on visual observation of estrus signs (VO) in order to identify cows in natural or spontaneous estrus being assigned to AI (NSE-IA). Two groups were formed: in the first group 109 cows were assigned to SC-FTAI, in which a commercial protocol is used; the second one included 108 randomly chosen cows, which were assigned to NSE-AI and in this group a modified table was used. Response variable was first service fertility rate (FSF), which was coded 1 for pregnant and 0 for empty. Predictor variables were AIP, postpartum anestrus, daily milk yield, body condition score at AI and calving number. Statistical analyses included association chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results showed an overall 41.94% FSF and a significant association was detected (P < 0.05) between FSF and daily milk yield; pregnancy rates were 42.20% and 41.67% for the SC-FTAI and NSE-IA groups, respectively (P > 0.05). The odds ratio for the effect of AIP was only 1.050, suggesting no differences in FSF between groups. The NSE-AI protocol can enhance both the technique of VO and reproductive efficiency. Further validation of the table is required.

Understanding attrition from international Internet health interventions: a step towards global eHealth.

Worldwide automated Internet health interventions have the potential to greatly reduce health disparities. High attrition from automated Internet interventions is ubiquitous, and presents a challenge in the evaluation of their effectiveness. Our objective was to evaluate variables hypothesized to be related to attrition, by modeling predictors of attrition in a secondary data analysis of two cohorts of an international, dual language (English and Spanish) Internet smoking cessation intervention. The two cohorts were identical except for the approach to follow-up (FU): one cohort employed only fully automated FU (n = 16 430), while the other cohort also used 'live' contact conditional upon initial non-response (n = 1000). Attrition rates were 48.1 and 10.8% for the automated FU and live FU cohorts, respectively. Significant attrition predictors in the automated FU cohort included higher levels of nicotine dependency, lower education, lower quitting confidence and receiving more contact emails. Participants' younger age was the sole predictor of attrition in the live FU cohort. While research on large-scale deployment of Internet interventions is at an early stage, this study demonstrates that differences in attrition from trials on this scale are (i) systematic and predictable and (ii) can largely be eliminated by live FU efforts. In fully automated trials, targeting the predictors we identify may reduce attrition, a necessary precursor to effective behavioral Internet interventions that can be accessed globally.

Interpreting the outcomes of automated internet-based randomized trials: example of an International Smoking Cessation Study.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the largest contributors to the global burden of disease. Internet interventions have been shown to reduce smoking rates successfully. However, improved methods of evaluating effectiveness need to be developed for large-scale Internet intervention trials. OBJECTIVE: To illustrate a method to interpret outcomes of large-scale, fully automated, worldwide Internet intervention trials. METHODS: A fully automated, international, Internet-based smoking cessation randomized controlled trial was conducted in Spanish and English, with 16,430 smokers from 165 countries. The randomized controlled trial replicated a published efficacy trial in which, to reduce follow-up attrition, 1000 smokers were followed up by phone if they did not provide online follow-up data. RESULTS: The 7-day self-reported abstinence rates ranged from 36.18% (2239/6189) at 1 month to 41.34% (1361/3292) at 12 months based on observed data. Given high rates of attrition in this fully automated trial, when participants unreachable at follow-up were presumed to be smoking, the abstinence rates ranged from 13.63% (2239/16.430) at 1 month to 8.28% (1361/16,430) at 12 months. We address the problem of interpreting results with high follow-up attrition rates and propose a solution based on a smaller study with intensive phone follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Internet-based smoking cessation interventions can help large numbers of smokers quit. Large-scale international outcome studies can be successfully implemented using automated Internet sites. Interpretation of the studies' results can be aided by extrapolating from results obtained from subsamples that are followed up by phone or similar cohort maintenance methods. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00721786; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00721786 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/63mhoXYPw).

Factor structure of the CES-D in a sample of Spanish- and English-speaking smokers on the Internet.

Research on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale's (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) factor structure is mixed across diverse and international populations that differ from the one on which the scale was developed. This study examined the CES-D's factor structure in a large international sample of English (n=3827) and Spanish-speaking (n=13,629) smokers. A two-factor solution grouped into Positive and Negative factors emerged for the full English sample; the same two-factor solution emerged in the depressed English subsample identified with a separate screening instrument. A three-factor solution (Anxious/Somatic, Positive, and Negative) emerged for the full Spanish sample. Unlike the depressed English subsample, a different pattern of three factors (Negative, Positive, and Interpersonal Sensitivity) emerged in the depressed Spanish subsample. The findings in both languages differed from the original "four-factor" solution identified by Radloff (1977); they also suggest that the factor structure varies depending on language and depression status in international samples. The meaning of instruments and depressive symptoms may therefore vary across cultural and linguistic contexts.

[A case of the calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (Pindborg's tumor). Reported and literature review]. / Tumor odontogénico epitelial calcificante (tumor de Pindborg). Informe de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

The calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor known as Pindborg's tumor, is a rare odontogenic neoplasm of the jaws. One of their characteristics is the cortical expansion and the relationship with a non erupted tooth. Since the original description in 1955, only 200 cases approximately have been described in the world literature. This article reviews the literature and describes a case of patient who presented calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor in the jaw undergoing surgical excision treatment with an evolution without complications.

International Spanish/English Internet smoking cessation trial yields 20% abstinence rates at 1 year.

INTRODUCTION: There are 1.1 billion smokers worldwide. Traditional smoking cessation methods, such as nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation groups, yield between 14% and 27% abstinence rates at 6 months. Evidence-based Internet interventions with comparable abstinence rates could be a powerful global tool to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We report a randomized control trial in which 500 Spanish-speaking and 500 English-speaking adult Internet users, smoking at least 5 cigarettes/day and intending to quit in the next month, were recruited online from 68 countries. Consenting participants who completed baseline measures, logged cigarettes smoked on 3 days within a week, and set a quit date were randomized to four conditions. Each condition added new elements: Condition 1 was the "Guía Para Dejar de Fumar," a static National Cancer Institute evidence-based stop smoking guide; Condition 2 consisted of Condition 1 plus E-mail reminders to return to the site; Condition 3 consisted of Condition 2 plus mood management lessons; and Condition 4 consisted of Condition 3 plus a "virtual group" (an asynchronous bulletin board). Main outcome measures were 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after initial quit date. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the four conditions. The overall 12-month 7-day abstinence rates were 20.2% for Spanish speakers and 21.0% for English speakers when those with missing data were assumed to be smoking. DISCUSSION: Internet smoking cessation interventions with such abstinence rates provided globally in additional languages could contribute substantially to tobacco control efforts.

TARGETED REJECTION PREDICTS HASTENED ONSET OF MAJOR DEPRESSION.

Although severe life stress frequently precipitates the onset of major depression, little is known about the basic nature of stressors in this general category of adversity and how exposure to different life events might be related to clinical aspects of the disorder. We addressed this issue by introducing, and examining the effects of, targeted rejection (TR), which involves the exclusive, active, and intentional social rejection of an individual by others. Twenty-seven adults with major depressive disorder were administered an interview-based measure of life stress. Severe life events that occurred prior to the onset of depression were subsequently coded as TR or as non-TR. Participants who experienced a pre-onset severe TR event became depressed approximately three times faster than did their non-TR counterparts. These findings highlight the potential importance of TR as a marker of hastened depression onset and demonstrate how refining characterizations of stress may advance our understanding of depression.

[Prognostic factors in head and neck mucoepidermoid carcinoma]. / Factores pronósticos en carcinoma mucoepidermoide de cabeza y cuello.

BACKGROUND: In patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) originating in salivary glands, because of the relative rarity of these tumors and the remarkable variability in their biological behavior, opinions differ about appropriate classification, grading, and treatment. OBJECTIVE: We undertook this study to analyze clinical and histological prognostic factors in a series of patients with MEC using univariate and multivariate survival analyses. METHODS: We reviewed 47 patients with MEC treated at our institution from 1985 to 2000. Clinical, epidemiological, treatment and follow-up data were obtained from medical records. All cases were histologically reviewed. The influence of prognostic factors on 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier actuarial method and log-rank test. Cox regression tests were used to analyze the impact of the prognostic factors on survival. RESULTS: Females represented 59.6% of the patients. The major salivary glands were affected in 74.5%. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 78.3% and 69.3%, respectively. Disease-free survival at 5 years was 73.9% and at 10 years was 67.5%. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that tumor size (T4) (p = 0.0008), regional metastasis (p = 0.000), high histological grade (p = 0.0002), perineural invasion (p = 0.000), positive margin (p = 0.000), necrosis (p = 0.005), and intracystic component <20% (p = 0.0002) were all correlated with a poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical stage and histological grade are the main prognostic factors in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Nevertheless, our univariate and multivariate analyses showed that other clinical and histological prognostic factors are independent significant indicators.

Factores pronósticos en carcinoma mucoepidermoide de cabeza y cuello / Prognostic factors in head and neck mucoepidermoid carcinoma

BACKGROUND: In patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) originating in salivary glands, because of the relative rarity of these tumors and the remarkable variability in their biological behavior, opinions differ about appropriate classification, grading, and treatment. OBJECTIVE: We undertook this study to analyze clinical and histological prognostic factors in a series of patients with MEC using univariate and multivariate survival analyses. METHODS: We reviewed 47 patients with MEC treated at our institution from 1985 to 2000. Clinical, epidemiological, treatment and follow-up data were obtained from medical records. All cases were histologically reviewed. The influence of prognostic factors on 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier actuarial method and log-rank test. Cox regression tests were used to analyze the impact of the prognostic factors on survival. RESULTS: Females represented 59.6% of the patients. The major salivary glands were affected in 74.5%. Overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 78.3% and 69.3%, respectively. Disease-free survival at 5 years was 73.9% and at 10 years was 67.5%. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that tumor size (T4) (p = 0.0008), regional metastasis (p = 0.000), high histological grade (p = 0.0002), perineural invasion (p = 0.000), positive margin (p = 0.000), necrosis (p = 0.005), and intracystic component <20% (p = 0.0002) were all correlated with a poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical stage and histological grade are the main prognostic factors in mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Nevertheless, our univariate and multivariate analyses showed that other clinical and histological prognostic factors are independent significant indicators.

Prevention of depression: the state of the science at the beginning of the 21st Century.

Major depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders and the number one cause of disability worldwide. Once a person experiences a major depressive episode (MDE), the likelihood of recurrence is very high. The prevention of first onset, as well as the protection against recurrence after recovery, are therefore essential goals for the mental health field. By the end of the 20th century, however, most depression research efforts had focused on either acute or prophylactic treatment. In this article, we review USA and international studies that have attempted to reduce incidence of MDE, either 1) to prevent onset in populations of children and adults (including women during the postpartum period) not currently meeting diagnostic criteria for depression, or 2) to prevent a new episode in individuals who have recovered after treatment through protective, but not prophylactic interventions. We identified twelve randomized controlled trials focused on preventing the onset of major depression (both MDE and postpartum depression (PPD)), five randomized controlled trials focusing on preventing relapse, and no randomized controlled trials focused exclusively on preventing recurrent episodes through protective interventions. The review is limited in scope given that depression prevention trials focused on infants, young children, and older adults were not included in the review. The research to date suggests that the prevention of major depression is a feasible goal for the 21st century. If depression prevention interventions become a standard part of mental health services, unnecessary suffering due to depression will be greatly reduced. This review concludes with suggestions for the future direction of depression prevention research.

Severe life events predict specific patterns of change in cognitive biases in major depression.

BACKGROUND: A long-standing debate concerns whether dysfunctional cognitive processes and content play a causal role in the etiology of depression or more simply represent correlates of the disorder. There has been insufficient appreciation in this debate of specific predictions afforded by cognitive theory in relation to major life stress and changes in cognition over time. In this paper we present a novel perspective for investigating the etiological relevance of cognitive factors in depression. We hypothesize that individuals who experienced a severe life event prior to the onset of major depression will exhibit greater changes in dysfunctional attitudes over the course of the episode than will individuals without a severe life event. METHOD: Fifty-three participants diagnosed with major depression were assessed longitudinally, approximately 1 year apart, with state-of-the-art measures of life stress and dysfunctional attitudes. RESULTS: Depressed individuals with a severe life event prior to episode onset exhibited greater changes in cognitive biases over time than did depressed individuals without a prior severe event. These results were especially pronounced for individuals who no longer met diagnostic criteria for major depression at the second assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Specific patterns of change in cognitive biases over the course of depression as a function of major life stress support the etiological relevance of cognition in major depression.

Major life events and major chronic difficulties are differentially associated with history of major depressive episodes.

Major life events have been found to precede onsets of a 1st lifetime episode of depression more commonly than subsequent recurrences. Despite general empirical support for this finding, few data directly address how the role of major life events may change over successive recurrences. Further, little research has examined major chronic difficulties in relation to a 1st lifetime episode versus a recurrence of depression. The present study tested the associations between major life events and major difficulties in relation to lifetime history of depressive episodes in a sample of 96 individuals diagnosed with major depression. Using investigator-based measures of life stress, the authors found that, whereas major life events were associated with fewer lifetime episodes, major chronic difficulties were related to more prior episodes. These findings are discussed in terms of underlying mechanisms that may account for the changing role of major life stress over successive recurrences of depression.

Life stress and the long-term treatment course of recurrent depression: III. Nonsevere life events predict recurrence for medicated patients over 3 years.

Research has consistently documented the significance of severe life events for onset of major depression. Theory, however, suggests other forms of stress are relevant for depression's recurrence. Nonsevere life events were tested in relation to depression for 126 patients with recurrent depression in a 3-year randomized maintenance protocol. Life stress was assessed every 12 weeks and rated along dimensions of severity, focus, and independence. A significant interaction between specific types of nonsevere life events and medication was found. For medicated patients, subject-focused independent nonsevere life events predicted recurrence; for unmedicated patients, these events predicted fewer recurrences. Other nonsevere life events did not predict recurrence. The findings underscore the potential importance of specific stressors for triggering recurrences of depression.

Tumor pardo del hiperparatiroidismo en maxilar y mandíbula. Reporte de un caso / Hyperparathyroidism brown tumor in maxilla and mandible. Report of a case

Los tumores pardos ocasionados por hiperparatiroidismo, ya sea primario o secundario, son lesiones de tejido blando intraóseo, vascularizados, que se presentan con mayor frecuencia en huesos largos, costillas, clavícula, cresta ilíaca, vértebras, pelvis, maxilares, huesos del carpo y del tarso; ocasionalmente, las lesiones llegan a ser periféricas, localizándose sobre procesos alveolares de maxilar y mandíbula

Adenoma pleomórfo en paladar: informe de 10 casos / Pleomorphic adenoma of the palate: report of 10 cases

Objetivo: determinar la frecuencia del adenoma pleomórfico en paladar, en el Departamento de Cirugía Maxilofacial del Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza.Material y métodos: se revisaron los informes del archivo de anatomía patológica y de 2461 biopsias de cavidad bucal realizadas en el departamento referido durante un periodo de 10 años, se eligieron 10 con diagnóstico de adenoma pleomórfico en paladar. En las laminillas revisadas se utilizó tinción con hematoxilina y eosina.Resultados: las edades de los pacientes a quienes pertenecían las biopsias fluctuaron entre 22 a 76 años; predominó el género masculino con una relación de 1.5 a 1; 50 por ciento de las lesiones se presentó en paladar duro; el tamaño varió de 1 a 6 cm en el diámetro mayor, con una evolución de uno a 35 años; todas fueron tratadas quirúrgicamente con excisión amplia y márgenes libres de tumor; hasta el momento de este informe no se habían presentado recidivas. En los 10 casos el patrón histológico fue congruente con adenoma pleomórfico. Conclusiones: se corroboró que la frecuencia del adenoma pleomórfico en paladar es baja, acorde con lo descrito en la literatura mundial. La excisión amplia con márgenes libres de tumor es el tratamiento correcto, ya que no se presentó ninguna recidiva en los casos estudiados. El adenoma pleomórfico fue más común en el género masculino, a diferencia de lo señalado en la literatura.

Osteotomías mandibulares utilizadas en prognatismo / Mandibular osteotomies utilized in prognathism

De 113 pacientes tratados con cirugía ortognática, se seleccionaron 35 intervenidos quirúrgicamente por diagnóstico de prognatismo en el Departamento de Cirugía Maxilofacial del Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, durante el periodo marzo 1996 a marzo 1998. Se analizaron los siguientes datos: edad, sexo, tratamiento ortodóncico prequirúrgico y posquirúrgico, técnica quirúrgica, días de estancia hospitalaria, complicaciones y control posoperatorio, comparándolos con la literatura mundial. Se concluyó que las técnicas quirúrgicas empleadas son adecuadas para resolver el problema de prognatismo mandibular, con un mínimo de complicaciones