Comparación entre Células Troncales Mesenquimales obtenidas de Médula Ósea, Tejido Adiposo y Gelatina de Wharton en base a los Criterios de la ISCT / Comparison between Mesenchymal Stem Cells obtained from Bone Marrow, Adipose Tissue and Wharton Gelatin according to the ISCT Criteria

RESUMEN: Las células troncales mesenquimales (CTM) representan una población heterogénea con capacidad para auto-renovarse y diferenciarse a distintos tipos celulares. Estas fueron descritas en un inicio en médula ósea (MO) a mediados del siglo pasado, desde entonces este tejido se ha convertido en el estándar de oro para la obtención y caracterización de CTM. Actualmente se sabe que este tipo de células se encuentran alojadas en nichos distribuidos por todo el organismo, donde contribuyen a los procesos de regeneración del tejido donde se localizan. No obstante, encontrar una fuente alterna de CTM con las mismas características que las de MO, pero que su extracción no suponga riesgo para el donador es fundamental para su utilización con fines terapéuticos. En este trabajo se aislaron células troncales de médula ósea, y se compararon con tejido adiposo y gelatina de Wharton y caracterizaron de acuerdo a los criterios de la Sociedad Internacional para la Terapia Celular (ISCT). Los resultados mostraron que la morfología, diferenciación osteogénica y adipogénica, así como la expresión de los antígenos de superficie CD90, CD73 y CD105 cumplen con los estándares, señalando a las provenientes de gelatina de Wharton como mejor opción.

ABSTRACT: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent a heterogeneous population with the capacity to self-renew and differentiate into different cell types. At the middle of the last century these cells initially were described in bone marrow (BM), thence this tissue has become the gold standard for obtaining and characterization of MSC. It is known that these cells are housed in specific areas called niches distributed throughout all body, where they contribute to tissue regeneration processes of self-tissue were they are located. However, finding an alternative source of CTM with the same characteristics that have showed in MO, but its obtention no represent a risk since the donor is essential to their use for therapeutic purposes. In this study we isolated mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, adipose tissue and Wharton's jelly and they were compared in their characteristics in according to the standards of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT). The results showed that the morphology as well as adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation and also the expression of surface antigens (CD90, CD73, and CD105) from all tissues accomplished the standards, although Wharton's jelly represented the best option.

Experience with Guillain-Barré syndrome in a neurological Intensive Care Unit. / Experiencia del síndrome de Guillain-Barré en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos neurológicos.

INTRODUCTION: Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute polyradiculoneuropathy that presents with weakness and areflexia, is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. In certain patients, respiratory failure is secondary to this disorder, eventually causing patients to require mechanical ventilation and experience additional complications due to diminished respiratory support and related mobility limitations. Prognoses for most of these cases are positive; treatment consists of basic support combined with plasmapheresis or administration of immunoglobulins. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to describe the socio-demographic, clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome who were hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neurological Institute of Colombia between 2006 and 2012. METHODOLOGY: This study presents a case series. RESULTS: We surveyed 25 patients (32% female and 68% male) with Guillain-Barré syndrome and an average age of 54 years. Sixty per cent of these patients were admitted between days 3 and 7 after symptom onset; 64% had a history of respiratory infection and 20% had a history of intestinal infection. In addition, 84% of the patients presented with albuminocytological dissociation. We observed the following clinical subtypes of Guillain-Barré syndrome: inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 32%, acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy in 28%, acute motor axonal neuropathy in 28%, and Miller Fisher syndrome in 12%. CONCLUSIONS: In this descriptive study of a group of critical care patients with GBS, results depended on patients' clinical severity at time of admission. Our findings are similar to results published in the international literature.

Evaluation of the effect of nutrient ratios on biosurfactant production by Serratia marcescens using a Box-Behnken design.

The strain SmSA, identified as Serratia marcescens and known as a biosurfactant producer, was isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated soil from Veracruz, México. The interactions among the C/N, C/Mg and C/Fe ratios have not been examined for this microorganism. In this work was evaluated the effect of these nutrients at three levels using a mineral medium with glucose as the carbon source. A Box-Behnken experimental design was utilised to maximise biosurfactant production, which was assessed by oil spreading and surface tension tests. The treatment with C/N=5, C/Fe=26,000 and C/Mg=30 showed the best result since the surface tension was reduced to 30 mN m(-1). The multiple regression and response surface analyses indicated that the interaction between C/N and C/Mg had the utmost effect on the reduction of surface tension and biosurfactant production. The conditions of the best treatment were used to scale up biosurfactant production in a 3L bioreactor giving a yield of 4.1 gL(-1) of pure biosurfactant. It was found that the biosurfactant was mainly produced in the exponential phase and decreased the surface tension to 31 mN m(-1). The contact between the biosurfactant with heavy oil (15° API) increased its displacement from 9.3 to 18 cm.

Effects of heavy metals on the oyster (Crassostrea virginica) at Mandinga Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico

The Mandinga Lagoon in the Mexican State of Veracruz is an important ecological zone that produces 32% of the oyster output in the state of Veracruz, the main oyster producer in Mexico. Samples of water, sediment, and oysters were collected in 2003 and 2004 to study heavy metal pollution. Metal concentrations were determined in water, soil, and oyster tissues from fresh and detoxified Crassostrea virginica, and histology samples were analyzed. Metal (Cr, Cd, and Pb) concentrations in water were within the Mexican legal limits. The recorded values in sediments corresponded to those not producing biological effects (ERL). In the tissues, the highest concentrations corresponded to Pb, above 5.84 μgg-1 dry weight (d.w.); Cd was of 2.23 μgg-1 d.w., and Cr above 6 μgg-1 d.w. The metal levels detected in oysters exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPL) for Cd and Pb, and oysters were unable to eliminate the concentrations of the bioaccumulated metals during the detoxification stage. The histopathological analysis revealed lesions in the digestive gland, edema, atrophy of epithelia in the digestive tubules, the presence of brown vesicles, hemocytic reaction, and necrosis. During detoxification, a higher number of epithelia were observed in the tubules, as well as an increase in brown vesicles and hemocytic reaction. Forty seven percent of oysters presented histopathological lesions related to metal concentrations. It is important to monitor metal concentrations, to detect the source of pollution, andto evaluate the effects on organisms to establish culture areas and adequate criteria for the exploitation of such an important fishery resource. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (4): 955-962. Epub 2009 December 01.

Effects of heavy metals on the oyster (Crassostrea virginica) at Mandinga Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico.

The Mandinga Lagoon in the Mexican State of Veracruz is an important ecological zone that produces 32% of the oyster output in the state of Veracruz, the main oyster producer in Mexico. Samples of water, sediment, and oysters were collected in 2003 and 2004 to study heavy metal pollution. Metal concentrations were determined in water, soil, and oyster tissues from fresh and detoxified Crassostrea virginica, and histology samples were analyzed. Metal (Cr, Cd, and Pb) concentrations in water were within the Mexican legal limits. The recorded values in sediments corresponded to those not producing biological effects (ERL). In the tissues, the highest concentrations corresponded to Pb, above 5.84 microgg(-1) dry weight (d.w.); Cd was of 2.23 microgg(-1) d.w., and Cr above 6 microgg(-1) d.w. The metal levels detected in oysters exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPL) for Cd and Pb, and oysters were unable to eliminate the concentrations of the bioaccumulated metals during the detoxification stage. The histopathological analysis revealed lesions in the digestive gland, edema, atrophy of epithelia in the digestive tubules, the presence of brown vesicles, hemocytic reaction, and necrosis. During detoxification, a higher number of epithelia were observed in the tubules, as well as an increase in brown vesicles and hemocytic reaction. Forty seven percent of oysters presented histopathological lesions related to metal concentrations. It is important to monitor metal concentrations, to detect the source of pollution, andto evaluate the effects on organisms to establish culture areas and adequate criteria for the exploitation of such an important fishery resource.

Vasoconstrictor effect of Cissus sicyoides on guinea-pig aortic rings.

1. The effect of the aqueous extract of Cissus sicyoides (CS) on isolated guinea pig aortic rings was studied. CS contracts the smooth muscle of the aorta in a dose-response relation. 2. The extract of CS increases the norepinephrine contraction in normal calcium and in solutions without calcium. 3. Lanthanum inhibits the contraction induced by CS. 4. The vasoconstrictor effect of CS was increased in solutions without calcium or with low calcium, which is an inverse calcium-dependent contraction. 5. Prolonged exposure to calcium-free solution did not abolish CS contraction. These contractions can be elicited repeatedly even after 6 hr of continuous exposure to calcium-free solutions. 6. Caffeine reduces contractile response induced by CS in normal calcium, as well as in solutions without calcium. 7. Our results support the idea that the aqueous extract of CS acts at the membrane level, increasing the calcium entry through the membrane as well as acting on the internal calcium deposits, possibly on the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Actions of perezone on rat smooth muscle.

1. Perezone (PZN) on the in vitro intestinal smooth muscle of the rat relaxes the basal tonus of the smooth muscle, interrupts spontaneous activity and also blocks the contractile response induced by ACh, K+, and Ba2+; these actions are dose dependent. 2. Although in presence of small doses of PZN, the isometric contractile response to ACh was increased. 3. In calcium free intestinal smooth muscle preparation, the addition of PZN in low dose before Ca2+ increased the contractile effect of added calcium to the bath, but in presence of high doses of PZN the response to calcium was depressed. 4. PZN in calcium free preparations antagonized the contraction caused by adding barium. 5. These findings suggested that with small doses of PZN more availability of intracellular calcium free exist and/or an increase in excitability and/or an inhibition of AChase could coexist. 6. The responses of the intestine to high doses of PZN were possibly in part by blocking calcium entry. 7. The smooth muscle responses to PZN suggest that it has a membranal effect and/or an action on the internal calcium stores possibly increasing the intracellular calcium concentration. It is likely to be the expression of an increase in the intracellular calcium concentration above the levels normally reached that would be responsible for uncoupling of the smooth muscle, which would occur if the [Ca2+]i rises excessively.

Influence of formamide on the electrical and mechanical properties of the guinea pig ventricle.

1. Guinea pig papillary muscle in vitro upon exposure of Formamide (FMD) exerts a dose dependent positive inotropic effect. 2. The increase in tension developed by papillary muscle is associated with a marked decrease in the duration of the action potential. 3. The increase in extracellular calcium concentration does not modify the positive inotropic effect, but increases the duration of the action potential. 4. FMD markedly potentiate the increase in tension induced by caffeine 3 M suggesting a possible synergetic effect upon the release of Ca2+ ions from the S.R. 5. These experiments suggest that FMD increases the intracellular calcium concentration by exerting a direct action on intracellular calcium stores.

Ca2+-agonistic effects of diazepam, a benzodiazepine 1-4 derivative, on isolated mouse and guinea pig left atria.

In normal Krebs solution, diazepam (1.75X10(-4) M) increased the action potential duration in a reversible form and caused a positive inotropic effect on mouse auricular muscle (4). 2.) Further studies on diazepam action on electrical and mechanical activity of left auricular muscle from mouse and guinea pig, in preparations electrically driven, showed that diazepam induces an increase in action potential duration measured at 20% repolarization, a decrease in the rate of spike depolarization, and modifies the conduction velocity of the action potential. 3.) Diazepam produced in preparation with spontaneous activity, positive chronotropic and inotropic effects, and positive inotropic effect in electrically driven preparations. 4.) The change in action potential duration induced by diazepam on mouse preparations was higher than on guinea pig preparations, ca.X3. 5.) These findings support that diazepam action may be due to an increase in the inward calcium current and a reduction in the inward sodium current.

Anaphylactic reaction in smooth muscle from the duck.

1. To know if the absence of desensitization in the chicken is characteristic of avian tissues, we studied the anaphylactic reaction in the duck. The contractions elicited in pieces of small intestine of actively immunized ducks upon exposure to the specific antigen, or Schultz-Dale reaction, were compared to similar responses of sensitized chicken and guinea pig intestine. 2. The smooth muscle from chicken actively sensitized contracts, when it is exposed in vitro to the specific antigen. Maximal tension, developed during anaphylactic reaction, is kept until the preparation is washed. New exposure of the muscle to the antigen causes it to develop tension again. This means that exposure to the antigen does not desensitize chicken intestine. 3. Intestinal smooth muscle from sensitized duck developed tension when the specific antigen was added to the bath; the tension was transitory and soon reached the basal line, even before washing the antigen. Contrary to the observations in the chicken smooth muscle, a second antigen dose failed to elicit a contraction of the duck intestine. Duck smooth muscle behaved like mammalian tissue. Exposure to the antigen desensitized duck intestine. 4. On multiple sensitized duck, the order of addition of antigens and their desensitization, did not alter the anaphylactic response to each antigen. 5. These observations are discussed in terms of the known properties of duck antibodies.

Anaphylactic reaction in smooth muscle from the duck

1. Para saber si la falta de desensibilizacón en el pollo es característica del tejido aviario, se estudió la reacción anafiláctica en el pato. Las contracciones provocadas en segmentos de intestino de patos sensibilizados activamente, por exposición al antígeno específico, o reacción de Schultz-Dale, se comparan con respuestas similares de intestino sensibilizado de pollo y de cobayo. 2. El músculo liso de pollo sensibilizado activamente, se contrae cuando se le expone in vitro al antígeno específico. La tensión máxima desarrolalada duratne la reacción anafiláctica, se mantiene hasta que se lava la preparación. Una nueva exposición del músculo al antígeno produce otra vez desarrollo de tensión. Esto significa que la exposición al antígeno no desensibiliza el intestino de pollo. 3. El músculo liso intestinal de patos sensibilizados desarrolló tensión cuando se añadió el antígeno específico al bño, la tensión fué transitoria y pronto alcanzó la línea basal aún antes de lavar el antígeno. A diferencia de las observaciones en el músculo liso del pollo, una segunda dosis de antígeno no produce contracciónd el intestino del pato. El músculo liso del pato se comportó como el tejido del mamífero. La exposición al antígeno desensibilizó el intestino del pato. 4. En el pato con sensibilización múltiple, el orden de administración de los antígenos y su desensibilización no modifican la respuesta anafiláctica a cada antígeno. 5. Estos resultados se discuten en términos de las propiedades conocidas de los anticuerpos del pato

Ca2+-Agonistic effects of diazepam, A benzodiazepine 1-4 derivative, on isolated mouse and guinea pig left atria

1.) En solución usual de Krebs, el diazepam (1.75X10-4M) aumentó la duración del potencial de acción en una forma revesible y produjo un efecto inotrópico positivo en músculo auricular del ratón (4). 2.) Estudios adicionales sobre la acción del diazepam en la actividad mecánica y eléctrica del músculo auricular izquierdo del ratón y del cobayo, en preparaciones estimuladas electricamente, mostraron que el diazepam induce un aumento en la duración del potencial de acción medida en el 20% de la repolarización, una disminución en la velocidad de despolarización de la espiga, y modifica la velocidad de conducción del potencial de acción. 3.) El diazepam dió lugar en preparaciones con actividad espontánea, a efectos cronotrópico e inotrópico positivos, y a efecto inotrópico positivo en preparaciones estimuladas eléctricamente. 4.) El cambio en la duración del potencial de acción inducido por el diazepam en las preparaciones del ratón, fue mayor que en las preparaciones de cobayo, ca.X3. 5.) Estos hallazgos apoyan que la acción del diazepam puede deberse a un aumento en la corriente entrante de calcio y a una disminución en la corriente entrante de sodio

Análisis cuantitativo del electroencefalograma en niños retrasados mentales ligeros / Quantitative analysis of electroencefalography in midly mentally retarded children

Se calcularon dos conjuntos diferentes de medidas cuantitativas del EEG en un grupo de 63 niños con Retraso Mental Ligero, comparándose mediante técnicas estadisticas uni y multivariadas con un grupo de niños normales. Se estudiaron medidas cuantitativas globales que permiten hacer inferencias sobre la fisiopatologia de este tipo de trastorno. Se comparan los resultados obtenidos con ambos grupos de medidas cuantitativas (AU)

Análisis cuantitativo del electroencefalograma en niños retrasados mentales ligeros / Quantitative analysis of electroencefalography in midly mentally retarded children

Se calcularon dos conjuntos diferentes de medidas cuantitativas del EEG en un grupo de 63 niños con Retraso Mental Ligero, comparándose mediante técnicas estadisticas uni y multivariadas con un grupo de niños normales. Se estudiaron medidas cuantitativas globales que permiten hacer inferencias sobre la fisiopatologia de este tipo de trastorno. Se comparan los resultados obtenidos con ambos grupos de medidas cuantitativas