Tratamiento de la informacion de violencia de género. Con aportaciones de la inteligencia artificial / Treatment of the information on gender-based violence. With contributions from artificial intelligence

Introducción/objetivos la violencia contra la mujer sigue siendo un grave problema social y de salud a pesar de las medidas puestas en marcha en los últimos años. La exploración de las víctimas por el médico forense en los juzgados es de gran interés puesto que recibe información relacionada no solo con la agresión, sino también de su entorno social, familiar y económico. El objetivo es utilizar dicha información para identificar grupos de riesgo y mejorar/obtener las medidas necesarias. Material y métodos en este trabajo, el forense ha recogido, durante 8 años, una toma abundante de datos sobre las víctimas exploradas en L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. La muestra incluye 1.622 casos de mujeres víctimas de violencia de género. Se realiza un estudio descriptivo poblacional y de las lesiones. Resultados se exponen las principales variables estudiadas tanto socioeconómicas como referentes a la agresión en sí. Se trabaja también con base en la reentrada de las víctimas o repetición de las agresiones (revictimización), que son el 10,9% de la muestra. Finalmente, se presentan los resultados obtenidos tras aplicar técnicas de inteligencia artificial, en este caso, árboles de clasificación CaRT. Conclusiones con los resultados obtenidos concluimos que el tratamiento de la información recogida y sistematizada de la intervención médico-forense permite una mejor comprensión de la violencia sobre la mujer, de la que podemos extraer sugerencias sobre la adopción de medidas de atención y soporte a las víctimas y a los colectivos más vulnerables, así como sobre los recursos administrativos y la optimización de programas de prevención. (AU)

Introduction/objectives Violence against women is still a serious social and health problem, despite the measures implemented in recent years. The examination of the victims by the forensic doctor in the courts is of great interest since it provides information related not only to the aggression, but also to their social, family and economic environment. The objective is to use this information to identify groups at risk and improve/implement the necessary measures. Material and methods In this work, the forensic has collected, for eight years, abundant data on the victims examined in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. The sample includes 1,622 cases of women who have been victims of gender violence. A descriptive study of the population and of the lesions has been carried out. Results The paper presents the main variables studied, both socioeconomic and referring to the aggression itself. This study also analyzes the reentry of the victims, the repetition of aggressions (revictimization), which are 10.9% of the sample. Finally, the results obtained after applying artificial intelligence techniques -in this case, CaRT classification trees- are presented. Conclusions With the results obtained, we conclude that the treatment of the information collected and systematized from the medical-forensic intervention allows a better understanding of Violence Against Women, from which we can extract suggestions on the adoption of care and support measures for the victims and the most vulnerable groups, as well as administrative resources and the optimization of prevention programs. (AU)

Highly private blockchain-based management system for digital COVID-19 certificates.

As a result of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, several proposals of blockchain-based solutions for digital COVID-19 certificates have been presented. Considering that health data have high privacy requirements, a health data management system must fulfil several strict privacy and security requirements. On the one hand, confidentiality of the medical data must be assured, being the data owner (the patient) the actor that maintain control over the privacy of their certificates. On the other hand, the entities involved in the generation and validation of certificates must be supervised by a regulatory authority. This set of requirements are generally not achieved together in previous proposals. Moreover, it is required that a digital COVID-19 certificate management protocol provides an easy verification process and also strongly avoid the risk of forgery. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a protocol to manage digital COVID-19 certificates where individual users decide how to share their private data in a hierarchical system. In order to achieve this, we put together two different technologies: the use of a proxy re-encryption (PRE) service in conjunction with a blockchain-based protocol. Additionally, our protocol introduces an authority to control and regulate the centers that can generate digital COVID-19 certificates and offers two kinds of validation of certificates for registered and non-registered verification entities. Therefore, the paper achieves all the requirements, that is, data sovereignty, high privacy, forgery avoidance, regulation of entities, security and easy verification.

Anatomic medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction with and without tibial tuberosity osteotomy for objective patellar instability.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients treated with anatomic medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction with and without tibial tuberosity osteotomy (TTO). Correlations between patient's age, gender, pre-injury physical activity and the achieved results were investigated as secondary endpoints. METHODS: An observational retrospective study with prospective collected data was performed. Inclusion criteria were: treatment with anatomic MPFL reconstruction with gracilis tendon according to SchÓ§ttle's technique performed between 2011 and 2017; associated TTO as unique accessory procedure; skeletal joint maturity; a minimum follow-up of 12 months after surgery. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the Kujala, Lysholm and Tegner scores. RESULTS: Forty patients (42 knees) were included, 64% of them underwent TTO. The Kujala score significantly improved from 47.4 ± 17.6 preoperatively to 89.4 ± 13.6 postoperatively (p < 0.01). The average Lysholm score was 45.6 ± 20.5 preoperatively: it showed a significant increase to 89.8 ± 12.8 postoperatively (p < 0.01). Pre-injury mean Tegner was 5.9 ± 1.8, while it dropped to 3.0 ± 1.6 after injury. After surgery, Tegner resulted 4.9 ± 1.6. Forty-three percent of patients regained the pre-injury sport activity level. Redislocation rate was 2.4%. CONCLUSION: Anatomic MPFL reconstruction allows excellent patellar stability recovery, knee functionality improvement, return to Activities of Daily Living and a low redislocation rate. Better results were achieved in younger (under 30 years old) and higher sports activity-level subjects. The TTO association provided clinical results comparable to isolated MPFL reconstructions, suggesting that the two procedures can be safely accomplished together without affecting the positive outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Study of association of CTLA4 gene variants to non-anterior uveitis.

This study was undertaken to investigate the possible genetic association of functional CTLA4 polymorphisms with susceptibility to non-anterior uveitis. Four hundred and seventeen patients with endogenous non-anterior uveitis and 1517 healthy controls of Spanish Caucasian origin were genotyped for the CTLA4 polymorphisms rs733618, rs5742909 and rs231775, using predesigned TaqMan(©) allele discrimination assays. PLINK software was used for the statistical analyses. No significant associations between the CTLA4 polymorphisms and susceptibility to global non-anterior uveitis were found. It was also the case when the potential association of these genetic variants with the anatomical localization of the disease, such as intermediate, posterior or panuveitis, was assessed. Our results do not support a relevant role of these CTLA4 polymorphisms in the non-anterior uveitis genetic predisposition.

¿Cómo influye en los pacientes crónicos de hemodiálisis la organización de actividades de ocio durante sus sesiones? / How does the organization of leisure activities during session influence chronic patients on haemodialysis?

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[Limbal stem cell deficiency following multiple intravitreal injections]. / Insuficiencia limbar secundaria a múltiples inyecciones intravítreas.

CASE REPORT: A 68 year-old male with idiopathic choroidal polypoidal vasculopathy received seven intravitreal injections of bevacizumab in the supero-nasal quadrant. He later developed a localized limbal stem cell deficiency which required limbal transplantation from the same eye. Two months after surgery, a slight improvement of visual acuity was noted, along with an intact ocular surface, clear cornea and decreased inflammation. DISCUSSION: Repeated surgical trauma on the limbus and surrounding areas may damage the limbal stem cells, giving rise to a corneal epitheliopathy due to iatrogenic limbal deficiency. Repeated intravitreal injections may be considered as one of the possible causes.

[Comparative study of coaxial microincision cataract surgery and standard phacoemulsification]. / Estudio comparativo entre cirugía de catarata por microincisión coaxial y facoemulsificación estándar.

PURPOSE: To analyse and quantitatively compare the outcomes of microincisional cataract surgery (CCMIC) with those of conventional phacoemulsification, evaluating the induced astigmatism, endothelial cell count, corneal thickness and foveal thickness in the pre- and postoperative period. METHODS: Prospective and randomised study, including 74 eyes of 37 patients with a mean age of 72.97±7.55 years. All of them underwent conventional phacoemulsification in one eye and CCMIC in the other eye. The evaluated parameters were refractive and topographic astigmatism, endothelial cell count, corneal thickness and foveal thickness, which were measured preoperatively and at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: The variations between pre- and postoperative parameters showed no statistically significant differences between the two surgical procedures (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CCMIC is an effective and safe technique that offers an excellent alternative for cataract surgery, with a smaller incision and postoperative outcomes comparable to the standard technique. Prospective studies with more patients and longer follow-ups are needed to establish if there really are statistically significant and clinically relevant differences between both techniques.

Resultados de una serie de biopsias renales percutáneas guiadas ecográficamente en una población pediátrica: nuestra experiencia en 15 años / Results obtained from a series of ultrasound guided percutaneous renal biopsies in a pediatric population: our experience in 15 years

Objetivos: Presentar nuestra experiencia sobre biopsias renales percutáneas guiadas ecográficamente en pacientes en edad pediátrica desde que se instauró dicha técnica en nuestro hospital, y valorar la correlación clínica/anatomopatológica y las complicaciones de la misma. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de 180 biopsias renales percutáneas guiadas ecográficamente realizadas a un total de 164 pacientes (de 6 meses-18 años de edad) durante un periodo de 15 años. El protocolo de la biopsia incluye su realización en el quirófano mediante sedación y una ecografía a las 24 horas. Resultados: El motivo más frecuente de su realización fue la presencia de un síndrome nefrótico cortico dependiente/resistente (29,4%), seguido de la proteinuria de diverso rango con presencia de hematuria. El diagnóstico anatomopatológico más habitual fue la glomérulo nefritis mesangial por IgA (26,1%), seguido de cambios glomerulares mínimos, confirmándose en la mayoría de los casos la sospecha clínica. Únicamente se detectó una complicación grave (hematoma renal/hipotensión arterial)en un paciente de riesgo. Conclusiones: En nuestra experiencia, la biopsia renal percutánea es un método diagnóstico fiable y seguro, independientemente de la edad (AU)

Objectives: We present our experience on ultrasound guided percutaneous renal biopsies in pediatric patients from the beginning that this technique was established in our hospital, to value the clinical/anatomo pathologic correlation as well as the complications of the technique. Patients and methods: Retrospective study of 180 ultrasound guided percutaneous renal biopsies over a total of 164 patients (aged from 6 months to 18 years) in a period of 15 years. The protocol biopsy includes its carrying out in the operating room by means of sedation and also the realization of an ultrasound after 24 hours. Results: The most frequent reason for doing the biopsy was the presence of a corticoid dependent/resistant nephrotic syndrome (29.4%) followed by different levels of. The most frequent anatomopathological diagnostic was glomerulonephritis with Ig A mesangial deposits (26.1%) followed by minimal glomerular changes, confirming in the majority of the cases the initial clinical suspicion. Only in one case a severe complication was detected (renal hematoma/arterial hypotension) in a high-risk patient. Conclusions: In our experience, the percutaneous renal biopsies are a reliable and a safe diagnostic method regardless of age (AU)

Estudio comparativo entre cirugía de catarata por microincisión coaxial y facoemulsificación estándar / Comparative study of coaxial microincision cataract surgery and standard phacoemulsification

ObjetivoAnalizar y comparar cuantitativamente los resultados obtenidos tras la cirugía de catarata por microincisión coaxial (CCMIC) y la facoemulsificación convencional, valorando el astigmatismo inducido, la densidad de células endoteliales, el espesor corneal y el espesor foveal en el pre- y en el postoperatorio.MétodoEstudio prospectivo y aleatorizado, incluyendo 74 ojos de 37 pacientes, con una edad media de 72,97±7,55 años. Todos ellos fueron intervenidos mediante facoemulsificación convencional en un ojo y CCMIC en el ojo contralateral. Las variables estudiadas fueron el astigmatismo refractivo y topográfico, la densidad de células endoteliales, el espesor corneal y el espesor foveal, estableciendo los controles al día siguiente, a la semana, al mes y a los 3 meses de la cirugía.ResultadosLas variaciones entre el pre- y el postoperatorio de las diferentes variables estudiadas no han mostrado diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambas modalidades quirúrgicas (p>0,05).ConclusionesLa CCMIC es una técnica efectiva y segura que ofrece una excelente alternativa para la extracción de la catarata, con una disminución en el tamaño de la incisión y resultados postoperatorios comparables con la técnica estándar. Se requieren estudios prospectivos con mayor número de pacientes y seguimiento más largo para establecer si realmente existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas y clínicamente relevantes entre ambas técnicas(AU)

Purpose: To analyse and quantitatively compare the outcomes of microincisional cataract surgery (CCMIC) with those of conventional phacoemulsification, evaluating the induced astigmatism, endothelial cell count, corneal thickness and foveal thickness in the pre- and postoperative period.Methods: Prospective and randomised study, including 74 eyes of 37 patients with a mean age of 72.97±7.55 years. All of them underwent conventional phacoemulsification in one eye and CCMIC in the other eye. The evaluated parameters were refractive and topographic astigmatism, endothelial cell count, corneal thickness and foveal thickness, which were measured preoperatively and at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after surgery.Results: The variations between pre- and postoperative parameters showed no statistically significant differences between the two surgical procedures (p>0.05).Conclusions: CCMIC is an effective and safe technique that offers an excellent alternative for cataract surgery, with a smaller incision and postoperative outcomes comparable to the standard technique. Prospective studies with more patients and longer follow-ups are needed to establish if there really are statistically significant and clinically relevant differences between both techniques(AU)

[Hemolytic-uraemic syndrome. A review of 58 cases]. / Síndrome hemolítico-urémico. Revisión de 58 casos.

OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to determine epidemiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) treated in our centre, to describe renal and extra-renal complications and the treatment required and to relate our findings with the existing bibliography. METHODS: We performed a 33-year retrospective review. We included all patients diagnosed with HUS and monitored in our hospital from January 1974 to August 2007. Clinical histories and imaging studies were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients were included in our study, with a mean age of 2 years 11 months and most of them were admitted to hospital in summer. Familial hypocomplementaemia was present in one case. A total of 48 patients presented with typical HUS (with diarrhoea D+ HUS). Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were isolated from those patients. While 7 cases presented with atypical HUS (without diarrhoea, D- HUS), most of them associated with a respiratory tract infection due to Streptococcus. In one case platelet count was normal. Kidney biopsy was performed in 18 patients and 25 cases underwent peritoneal dialysis. As regards complications, one child with D+ HUS experienced renal cortical necrosis and required kidney transplant, while in the D-HUS group, the patient with familial hypocomplementaemia had severe hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: a) Incidence of HUS in our environment is low. b) HUS can be present even with a normal platelet count. c) We had one case of HUS in a patient with familial hypocomplementaemia who experienced severe hypertension. d) In our group of patients, the course of the disease was not influenced by the white blood cell counts, decreased diuresis or hypocomplementaemia.

Síndrome hemolítico-urémico. Revisión de 58 casos / Hemolytic-uraemic syndrome. A review of 58 cases

Objetivos: Nuestros objetivos han sido determinar aspectos epidemiológicos, formas clínicas y analíticas de los pacientes con síndrome hemolítico-urémico (SHU) tratados en nuestros centros, así como describir las complicaciones renales y extrarrenales, el tipo de tratamiento requerido y relacionar nuestros casos con la bibliografía actual. Métodos: Efectuamos una revisión retrospectiva de la historia clínica, analítica y estudios de diagnóstico por imagen de los pacientes con diagnóstico de SHU, atendidos desde enero de 1974 hasta agosto de 2007, es decir, durante los últimos 33 años. Resultados: Un total de 58 pacientes fueron incluidos en nuestro estudio, con una edad media de 2 años y 11 meses; de ellos, estaban ingresados en verano 34 niños. Destaca la presencia de hipocomplementemia familiar en un caso. Con SHU típico (diarrea positivo [D+]) aparecieron 48 casos en los que se aislaron Salmonella enteritidis y Escherichia coli 0157:H7. Con SHU atípico (diarrea negativo [D-]) se contabilizaron 7 casos, y entre las causas destacaban procesos respiratorios de etiología estreptocócica. El recuento plaquetario fue normal en un caso. De los procedimientos empleados cabe destacar que se realizó biopsia renal en 18 pacientes y diálisis peritoneal en 25 casos. Entre las complicaciones se encontraron: en el grupo D+, un caso de necrosis cortical que requirió trasplante renal y en el grupo D-, un paciente con SHU familiar, hipocomplementemia e hipertensión arterial maligna. Conclusiones: Hemos llegado a las siguientes conclusiones: a) la enfermedad presenta una baja incidencia en nuestro medio; b) se ha detectado un caso con plaquetas normales; c) un paciente presentó SHU familiar recurrente con hipocomplementemia e hipertensión arterial grave, y d) indicadores como la leucocitosis, la oligoanuria o la hipocomplementemia no influyeron en el curso de la enfermedad (AU)

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine epidemiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) treated in our centre, to describe renal and extra-renal complications and the treatment required and to relate our findings with the existing bibliography. Methods: We performed a 33-year retrospective review. We included all patients diagnosed with HUS and monitored in our hospital from January 1974 to August 2007. Clinical histories and imaging studies were reviewed. Results: A total of 58 patients were included in our study, with a mean age of 2 years 11 months and most of them were admitted to hospital in summer. Familial hypocomplementaemia was present in one case. A total of 48 patients presented with typical HUS (with diarrhoea D+ HUS). Salmonella enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were isolated from those patients. While 7 cases presented with atypical HUS (without diarrhoea, D- HUS), most of them associated with a respiratory tract infection due to Streptococcus. In one case platelet count was normal. Kidney biopsy was performed in 18 patients and 25 cases underwent peritoneal dialysis. As regards complications, one child with D+ HUS experienced renal cortical necrosis and required kidney transplant, while in the D-HUS group, the patient with familial hypocomplementaemia had severe hypertension. Conclusions: a) Incidence of HUS in our environment is low. b) HUS can be present even with a normal platelet count. c) We had one case of HUS in a patient with familial hypocomplementaemia who experienced severe hypertension. d) In our group of patients, the course of the disease was not influenced by the white blood cell counts, decreased diuresis or hypocomplementaemia (AU)

Lack of Na(+),K (+)-ATPase expression in intercalated cells may be compensated by Na(+)-ATPase: a study on MDCK - C11 cells.

The lack of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase expression in intercalated cells (IC) is an intriguing condition due to its fundamental role in cellular homeostasis. In order to better understand this question we compared the activities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and Na(+)-ATPase in two MDCK cell clones: the C11, with IC characteristics, and the C7, with principal cells (PC) characteristics. The Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity found in C11 cells is far lower than in C7 cells and the expression of its beta-subunit is similar in both cells. On the other hand, a subset of C11 without alpha-subunit expression has been found. In C11 cells the Na(+)-ATPase activity is higher than that of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase, and it is increased by medium alkalinization, suggesting that it could account for the cellular Na(+)-homeostasis. Although further studies are necessary for a better understanding of these findings, the presence of Na(+)-ATPase may explain the adequate survival of cells that lack Na(+),K(+)-ATPase.

Cebado profiláctico de catéteres permanentes: ¿causa de obstrucción? / No disponible

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Vanadate-induced cell death is dissociated from H2O2 generation.

Vanadium is an environmentally toxic metal with peculiar and sometimes contradictory cellular effects. It is insulin-mimetic, it can either stimulate cell growth or induce cell death, and it has both mutagenic and antineoplastic properties. However, the mechanisms involved in those effects are poorly understood. Several studies suggest that H(2)O(2) is involved in vanadate-induced cell death, but it is not known whether cellular sensitivity to vanadate is indeed related to H(2)O(2) generation. In the present study, the sensitivity of four cell lines from different origins (K562, K562-Lucena 1, MDCK, and Ma104) to vanadate and H(2)O(2) was evaluated and the production of H(2)O(2) by vanadate was analyzed by flow cytometry. We show that cell lines very resistant to H(2)O(2) (K562, K562-Lucena 1, and Ma104 cells) are much more sensitive to vanadate than MDCK, a cell line relatively susceptible to H(2)O(2), suggesting that vanadate-induced cytotoxicity is not directly related to H(2)O(2) responsiveness. In accordance, vanadate concentrations that reduced cellular viability to approximately 60-70% of the control (10 mumol/L) did not induce H(2)O(2) formation. A second hypothesis, that peroxovanadium (PV) compounds, produced once vanadate enters into the cells, are responsible for the cytotoxicity, was only partially confirmed because MDCK cells were resistant to both vanadate and PV compounds (10 micromol/L each). Therefore, our results suggest that vanadate toxicity occurs by two distinct pathways, one dependent on and one independent of H(2)O(2) production.

Modulation of multidrug resistance protein (MRP1/ABCC1) expression: a novel physiological role for ouabain.

Besides being a (Na(+),K(+))-ATPase inhibitor, high doses of the hormone ouabain have also been reported to modulate both the expression and activity of proteins belonging to the ATP binding cassette family of transporters, such as ABCC7 (CFTR), ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein), and ABCC1 (MRP1). Although these proteins are present in the kidney, only ABCB1 has a putative physiological role in this organ, secreting endobiotics and xenobiotics. In the present work, we studied the relationship between ouabain and ABCC1 expression and function, aiming to establish a physiological role for ouabain. It was observed that prolonged (24 h) but not short (30 min) incubation with 1 nmol/L or higher ouabain concentrations decreased the expression of ABCC1 protein and induced its mRNA expression. This decrease was rapidly reversible, reaching control levels after incubation of cells in ouabain-free medium for 3 h, denoting a hormonal action. Moreover, concentrations equal or higher than 100 nmol/L ouabain also induced impairment of ABCC1 activity, increasing the accumulation of carboxyfluorescein diacetate, an ABCC1 fluorescent substrate. Because ouabain is now accepted as an endogenous hormone, our results suggest that ABCC1 is regulated by hormones related to body volume control, which may have implications for the treatment of hypertensive cancer patients. Moreover, providing ABCC1 is expressed in several other tissues, such as brain, testis, and the immune system, and is related to the transport of glutathione, it is possible that ouabain release may control a number of functions within these organs and tissues by modulating both the expression and the activity of ABCC1.

Oleanolic acid inhibits the activity of the multidrug resistance protein ABCC1 (MRP1) but not of the ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein): possible use in cancer chemotherapy.

The effects of oleanolic acid (OA) on ABCB1 and ABCC1 activities were studied in a cell line constitutively expressing both proteins. It was observed that OA did not alter ABCB1 activity, but inhibited the activity of ABCC1 protein. This inhibition was reversible and only occurred in the presence of OA. In addition, OA did not alter the expression of ABCC1 mRNA. These results suggest that OA could be a good choice in the treatment of MDR tumours, either as a chemotherapic itself in tumours bearing ABCB1, or as an adjuvant in the chemotherapy of ABCC1 expressing tumours.

Methylene blue is more toxic to erythroleukemic cells than to normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells: a possible use in chemotherapy.

Methylene blue (MB) is a phenothiazine with radio and photosensitizing properties and anti-tumoral activity. Our group has shown that MB was capable of inhibiting the in vitro growth of erythroleukemic cells with multidrug resistance (MDR). However, there are no studies comparing the cytotoxicity of this molecule for normal and tumoral cells. In this work, the cytotoxicity of MB was measured by MTT method in erythroleukemic and melanoma lineages, comparing it with that of normal cells:lymphocytes and melanocytes. MB was more cytotoxic for tumoral cells; however, there was no difference between erytroleukemic cells with or without MDR phenotype. Lymphocytes and erythroleukemic cells were much more sensitive to the effects of MB than melanoma cells and melanocytes. The proliferation of phytohemagglutinin-activated lymphocytes was inhibited when 3H-thymidine incorporation to DNA was measured. We tried to analyze whether the cells were dying, via apoptosis or necrosis, using Anexin-V and propidium iodide. Despite higher levels of Anexin-V, it was not possible to distinguish necrosis from apoptosis, as the fluorescence of MB is in the same channel as propidium iodide. The production of hydrogen peroxide was measured by cytometry using dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR). Despite the erythroleukemic cells and lymphocytes being capable of producing free radicals, there was no relation between the production and the sensitivity of various cells to MB. Our results suggest that MB should be used as a chemotherapeutic agent, because of its preferential cytotoxic effects over tumor cells, considering the fact that MDR cells are also sensitive, and due to its radio and photosensitizing activities.

Arginine vasopressin regulates CFTR and ClC-2 mRNA expression in rat kidney cortex and medulla.

The presence of both CFTR and ClC-2 proteins in the kidney suggest that they are involved in chloride transport along the nephron but their physiological roles in this organ are not known. To further understand the role of these chloride channels we studied Wistar rats subjected to dehydration for 2 days and also the homozygous Brattleboro rats, a strain of Long-Evans rats carrying an autosomal recessive mutation that leads to a deficiency of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) secretion in the plasma. The expression of CFTR was increased in the medulla of dehydrated Wistar rats and no variation was observed in the cortex. The expression of both ClC-2 and CFTR mRNAs was low in the renal cortex and medulla of the homozygous Brattleboro rats but returned to normal levels after AVP reposition. By the use of Madine-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) type I epithelial cells, it was observed that AVP (10(-8), 10(-7) and 10(-6) M) increased CFTR mRNA expression "in vitro" but no effect was observed when changes in the medium tonicity were caused by the addition of sucrose, NaCl, manitol or urea. The modulation of both CFTR and ClC-2 mRNA by AVP, the main hormone involved in the regulation of body fluid osmolality, suggests the participation of these two chloride channels in the renal tubule transcellular chloride transport modulated by AVP.

Direct current decreases cell viability but not P-glycoprotein expression and function in human multidrug resistant leukemic cells.

Inhibition of tumor growth induced by treatment with direct current (DC) has been reported in several systems. In the current work, the cellular effects generated by the DC treatment of the human leukemic K562 cell line and its vincristine-resistant derivative K562-Lucena 1 were analyzed by trypan blue staining and transmission electron microscopy. DC stimulation induced cell lysis, alterations in shape, membrane extraction or discontinuity, and intense vacuolization of some cells. In addition, treatment of K562 and K562-Lucena 1 cells caused a marked decrease in viability. Since multidrug resistance is a major factor contributing with failure of chemotherapy in many tumors, the expression and function of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in K562-Lucena 1 cells were also studied. The expression of mdr1, the gene encoding P-gp, was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, which showed that this gene was equally expressed in either treated or untreated cells. These results were confirmed by flow cytometry with a monoclonal anti P-gp antibody and the Rhodamine 123 extrusion method, which revealed that P-gp surface expression and function were unaltered after DC treatment. Our results suggest that DC treatment does not affect P-gp in human leukemic cells, but affects their viability by mechanisms that would involve clear cellular effects, but also additional targets, whose relevance in dc treated tumoral cells is currently discussed.