Systemic Inflammation in Oncologic Patients Undergoing Systemic Treatment and Receiving Whey Protein-Based Nutritional Support.

There is increasing evidence about the role of inflammation in sarcopenia and tumor progression; thus, its modulation would represent a valuable strategy for improving clinical outcomes in patients with cancer. Several studies have reported that whey protein has significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics in humans. We aimed to evaluate the effects of whey protein-based oral nutritional support on circulating cytokines in patients with solid tumors undergoing systemic treatment. Forty-six patients with solid tumors of different origin and undergoing systemic treatment were evaluated. Nutritional support with two daily whey protein-based oral supplements was administered. Circulating levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1 and IP-10 were determined. Nutritional evaluation included anthropometric, instrumental and biochemical parameters. Over 63% of the evaluated patients underwent surgery, 56.5% required chemotherapy and almost 50% received combined treatment. Patients with resected primary tumor presented with lower baseline IL-6 (p < 0.05) and IP-10 (p < 0.001); after three months of nutritional support, they presented with lower IL-8 (p < 0.05) and tended to present lower IL-6 and IP-10 (p = 0.053 and 0.067, respectively). Significant positive correlations between circulating cytokines, C-reactive protein and ferritin were observed; similarly, negative correlations with anthropometric and biochemical nutritional parameters were noticed (p < 0.05). We did not observe significant changes in circulating cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1 and IP-10) in patients with cancer undergoing systemic treatment after three months of nutritional support with whey protein-based oral supplements. According to a univariate analysis in our cohort, circulating IL-8 was associated with mortality in these patients, additionally, MCP-1 and IP-10 tended to correlate; but an age- and sex-adjusted multivariate analysis revealed that only baseline MCP-1 was significantly associated with mortality (OR 1.03 (95% CI: 1.00-1.05)). In conclusion, surgery of the primary solid tumor and combination treatment allow significant reduction in circulating cytokine levels, which remained stable while patients received nutritional support with whey protein-based oral supplements over three months. The role of MCP-1 as an independent factor for mortality in these patients should be further evaluated.

Nutritional Support Reduces Circulating Cytokines in Patients with Heart Failure.

Increased inflammation is associated with the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). Increased circulating levels of cytokines have been previously reported and generally associated with worse clinical outcomes. In this context, the modulation of inflammation-related parameters seems to be a reasonable therapeutic option for improving the clinical course of the disease. Based on this, we aimed to compare changes in circulating cytokines when Mediterranean diet alone or in combination with hypercaloric, hyperproteic oral nutritional supplements (ONS), enriched with omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids were administered to patients with HF. Briefly, patients were randomly assigned to receive Mediterranean Diet (control group) vs. Mediterranean Diet plus ONS (intervention group). We observed increased circulating levels of IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and IP-10. MCP-1 and IL-6 were associated with overweight and obesity (p = 0.01-0.01-0.04, respectively); IL-6 and IL-8 were positively correlated with fat mass and CRP serum levels (p = 0.02-0.04, respectively). Circulating levels of IL-8 significantly decreased in all patients treated with the Mediterranean diet, while IL-6 and IP-10 only significantly decreased in patients that received plus ONS. In the univariate analysis, MCP-1 and its combination with IL-6 were associated with increased mortality (p = 0.02), while the multivariate analysis confirmed that MCP-1 was an independent factor for mortality (OR 1.01, 95%ci 1.01-1.02). In conclusion, nutritional support using hypercaloric, hyperproteic, n-3 enriched ONS in combination with Mediterranean Diet was associated with decreased circulating levels of some cytokines and could represent an interesting step for improving heart functionality of patients with HF.

Chimeric TßRII-SE/Fc overexpression by a lentiviral vector exerts strong antitumoral activity on colorectal cancer-derived cell lines in vitro and on xenografts.

The TGF signaling pathway is a key regulator of cancer progression. In this work, we report for the first time the antitumor activity of TßRII-SE/Fc, a novel peptibody whose targeting domain is comprised of the soluble endogenous isoform of the human TGF-ß type II receptor (TßRII-SE). Overexpression of TßRIISE/Fc reduces in vitro cell proliferation and migration while inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer-derived cell lines. Moreover, TßRII-SE/Fc overexpression reduces tumorigenicity in BALB/c nude athymic mice. Our results revealed that TRII-SE/Fc-expressing tumors were significantly reduced in size or were even incapable of developing. We also demonstrated that the novel peptibody has the ability to inhibit the canonical TGF-ß and BMP signaling pathways while identifying SMAD-dependent and independent proteins involved in tumor progression that are modulated by TßRII-SE/Fc. These findings provide insights into the underlying mechanism responsible for the antitumor activity of TßRII-SE/Fc. Although more studies are required to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of the novel peptibody as a new therapeutic for the treatment of cancer, our initial in vitro and in vivo results in human colorectal tumor-derived cell lines are highly encouraging. Our results may serve as the foundation for further research and development of a novel biopharmaceutical for oncology.

Predictors of mortality in patients with COVID-19 by flow cytometry.

Despite the great impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we still lack techniques that allow us to anticipate the natural history of the disease in order to avoid or shorten the clinical period of the disease. The values of nine cytokines were measured in COVID-19+ patients admitted to the Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía (HURS) using flow cytometry. The cytokines measured are IL-1ß, IL-6, MCP-1, IP-10, IL-10, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α. Given the absence of previous studies on cytokine values in healthy patients using the flow cytometry technique, and the low availability of resources in the first waves of COVID-19, a control group was lacking, all resources were employed for monitoring sick patients. However, this study has revealed a greater increase in two specific cytokines, which are also found to be higher than the rest in healthy patients: MCP-1 and IP-10, which are mainly responsible for cytokine storm and post-disease thrombosis.

A Novel Splice Variant of Human TGF-ß Type II Receptor Encodes a Soluble Protein and Its Fc-Tagged Version Prevents Liver Fibrosis in vivo.

We describe, for the first time, a new splice variant of the human TGF-ß type II receptor (TßRII). The new transcript lacks 149 nucleotides, resulting in a frameshift and the emergence of an early stop codon, rendering a truncated mature protein of 57 amino acids. The predicted protein, lacking the transmembrane domain and with a distinctive 13-amino-acid stretch at its C-terminus, was named TßRII-Soluble Endogenous (TßRII-SE). Binding predictions indicate that the novel 13-amino-acid stretch interacts with all three TGF-ß cognate ligands and generates a more extensive protein-protein interface than TßRII. TßRII-SE and human IgG1 Fc domain were fused in frame in a lentiviral vector (Lv) for further characterization. With this vector, we transduced 293T cells and purified TßRII-SE/Fc by A/G protein chromatography from conditioned medium. Immunoblotting revealed homogeneous bands of approximately 37 kDa (reduced) and 75 kDa (non-reduced), indicating that TßRII-SE/Fc is secreted as a disulfide-linked homodimer. Moreover, high-affinity binding of TßRII-SE to the three TGF-ß isoforms was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. Also, intrahepatic delivery of Lv.TßRII-SE/Fc in a carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis model revealed amelioration of liver injury and fibrosis. Our results indicate that TßRII-SE is a novel member of the TGF-ß signaling pathway with distinctive characteristics. This novel protein offers an alternative for the prevention and treatment of pathologies caused by the overproduction of TGF-ß ligands.

Great personalities of medicine, great lessons.

The analysis of three characters corresponding to different spaces and times shows the close link between literature and the history of medicine. On one hand, Don Quixote of La Mancha, who reflects the thought of the last years of the Renaissance and that has been assimilated in contemporary Mexico. On the other hand, Doctors Miguel Francisco Jiménez and Rita Levi Montalcini, who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Despite the years that separate these three personalities, many elements in common are observed that do not lose their validity: the value that is given to health, ethics, tenacity and experience to attain successful results. All three characters refer to the medicine of their time, their achievements and the promotion of humanism, always inherent to medicine.

El análisis de tres personajes correspondientes a espacios y tiempos diferentes muestra el estrecho vínculo entre la literatura y la historia de la medicina. Por un lado, don Quijote de la Mancha, quien refleja el pensamiento de los últimos años del Renacimiento y ha sido asimilado en el México contemporáneo. Por otro lado, los doctores Miguel Francisco Jiménez y Rita Levi Montalcini, quienes vivieron en los siglos XIX y XX, respectivamente. A pesar de los años que separan a los tres personaje, se advierten numerosos elementos en común que no pierden vigencia: el valor que se otorga a la salud, la ética, la tenacidad y la experiencia para obtener resultados exitosos, entre otros. Los tres personajes aluden a la medicina de su tiempo, los logros alcanzados y la promoción del humanismo, siempre inherente a la medicina.

Grandes personajes de la medicina, grandes lecciones / Great personalities of medicine. Great lessons

Resumen El análisis de tres personajes correspondientes a espacios y tiempos diferentes muestra el estrecho vínculo entre la literatura y la historia de la medicina. Por un lado, don Quijote de la Mancha, quien refleja el pensamiento de los últimos años del Renacimiento y ha sido asimilado en el México contemporáneo. Por otro lado, los doctores Miguel Francisco Jiménez y Rita Levi Montalcini, quienes vivieron en los siglos XIX y XX, respectivamente. A pesar de los años que separan a los tres personaje, se advierten numerosos elementos en común que no pierden vigencia: el valor que se otorga a la salud, la ética, la tenacidad y la experiencia para obtener resultados exitosos, entre otros. Los tres personajes aluden a la medicina de su tiempo, los logros alcanzados y la promoción del humanismo, siempre inherente a la medicina.

Abstract The analysis of three characters corresponding to different spaces and times shows the close link between literature and the history of medicine. On one hand, Don Quixote of La Mancha, who reflects the thought of the last years of the Renaissance and that has been assimilated in contemporary Mexico. On the other hand, Doctors Miguel Francisco Jiménez and Rita Levi Montalcini who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. Despite the years that separate these three personalities, many elements in common are observed that do not lose their validity: the value that is given to health, ethics, tenacity and experience to attain successful results. All three characters refer to the medicine of their time, their achievements and the promotion of humanism, always inherent to medicine.

Uso de simuladores de miembro superior para aprendizaje de técnica de cateterización venosa periférica / Use of arm simulators for learning of peripheral venous cathetering technique

Introducción: El uso de simuladores para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de medicina es cada vez más común y actualmente forma parte de la formación médica. Objetivo: Elaborar un simulador y describir la percepción de estudiantes de medicina de la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo de un simulador de cateterización venosa de miembro superior. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio transversal, que incluyó 40 estudiantes de cuarto nivel del período académico 2019 quienes evaluaron el simulador. Resultados: El nivel de satisfacción de los estudiantes con el simulador fue del 85%. Los estudiantes consideraron que el simulador les permite aprender la técnica de cateterización venosa periférica previo al conocimiento teórico y de esta manera mejorar su aprendizaje. El 80% considera que los materiales usados fueron los adecuados. El 93% de los estudiantes refieren haber mejorado su seguridad y confianza. Conclusiones: El uso de simuladores en la enseñanza médica mejora la experiencia de aprendizaje de los estudiantes.

Validation of a high performance liquid chromatography method for quantitation of foot-and-mouth disease virus antigen in vaccines and vaccine manufacturing.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an infectious viral disease that affects the main meat and dairy production animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and swine. It is readily transmissible and countries where the disease is present suffer harsh international trade restrictions on livestock products and serious economic losses. Vaccines are important tools to contain outbreaks and maintain the status of free with or without vaccination, as defined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The efficacy of vaccines is reliant on the content and integrity of inactivated virus particles. The long-established method to quantify the viral content of vaccines along the manufacturing process and in the final product is the 140S sucrose density gradient analysis. This method has been a valuable tool for many decades. However, it requires gradient preparation for each sample, a lengthy ultracentrifugation and a manual UV reading of the gradient, rendering it highly operator dependent and almost impossible to automate. We present a method to quantify FMDV particles in vaccines and intermediate process samples that is based on separation of components by size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) and measurement of virus by absorption at 254 nm. The method has been extensively validated; it is accurate, precise and linear. It is applicable to all FMDV strains and sample materials and has a good concordance with the 140S test. The proposed method uses off the shelf HPLC equipment and columns. It is easily automated for high throughput operation, affording a useful process analytical technology and a novel tool for control of final product by manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

[The Bernardino Álvarez Farm Hospital and Farm School: antecedents to Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía]. / El Hospital Granja y la Escuela Granja Bernardino Álvarez: antecedentes del Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía.

By 1960, México's Manicomio General (General Asylum) could no longer fulfill the functions for which it was created so implementation of the so-called Castañeda Operation began, an initiative designed to close down and relocate psychiatric patients to other institutions. At that time, Dr. Manuel Velasco-Suárez was in charge of the General Direction of Neurology, Mental Health and Rehabilitation, and planned to create the Institute of Neurology on a site he already possessed for its construction. The Asylum was a dependency of the aforementioned Direction and Velasco- Suárez decided that some patients at the Castañeda could be moved to the old hacienda house that stood on that terrain. Thus was born the Bernardino Álvarez Farm Hospital. A year later, in 1961, the Farm School for the Weak-Minded, also named Bernardino Álvarez was established there as well. This paper examines the history of these two institutions as antecedents to the Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía.

María Cristina García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado: Primera neurocirujana en Latinoamérica / María Cristina García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado: first female neurosurgeon in Latin America

Neurosurgery is one of the most complex branches of medicine. In most countries, a trained physician requires a minimum of five years of additional preparation to become a neurosurgeon. Though in modern times women have entered almost every area of medicine, the field of neurosurgery continues to be clearly male-dominated. In 2009, for example, the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, the most important institution in Mexico for the training of neurologists and neurosurgeons, had only one female physician registered to become a neurosurgeon, while in previous years the presence of women was almost null. Given this background, a study of the first woman neurosurgeon in Mexico and, in fact, all of Latin America, constitutes an attractive topic. This woman is María Cristina García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado, who began her brilliant career in the 1940's. García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado has a most dignified and pleasant demeanor, with expressive blue eyes and an appearance that belies her real age. Tall and thin, she possesses a natural beauty. Photographs show a very attractive woman. María Cristina García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado de Penichet (her married name) was born on May 22nd 1919 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Her parents were Luis García-Sancho and Ana Álvarez-Tostado Robledo. While still a young girl, her family had to move to Mexico City in search of a better future because of the difficult economic situation that reined in Guadalajara after the Mexican Revolution. The young María Cristina studied high school at the Colegio Motolinía and was then admitted to the School of Medicine at the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), where she belonged to the 1941-1947 generation of students, one made up of 85 women and 850 men. A brilliant student, her interest in neurology began almost from her first day at medical school. It was there that she began to really appreciate the wondrous nature of the human body in general and, above all, of the brain, and came to see the understanding of that organ as a true challenge. She graduated in 1947 with a thesis entitled The Effects of Cephalic-Cranial Trauma (La secuela del traumatismo encéfalo cráneano). Her thesis adviser was Mariano Vázquez, and her brilliant defense won a honorable mention. She went on to study her Master's and Ph.D. degrees in neurosurgery from 1949 to 1951, under the direction of Alfonso Asenjo Gómez, a prestigious, internationally known neurosurgeon at the Institute of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Research in Santiago de Chile (Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales). At that time, this institute was an obligatory reference in everything related to neuroscience, especially clinical medicine and surgery. This Chilean physician was a magnificent teacher and their academic relationship developed later into a solid friendship that lasted until his death. During her training, García-Sancho took courses on neurology, neuropathology, neuro-otology, neuro-ofthalmology, and neuroradiology. At the conclusion of her studies, she had acquired the knowledge and experience needed to perform neurosurgery. Once again, the Chilean government offered a fellowship for her to continue her studies, this time in Europe. So, she spent three months in Germany with Wilhelm Tönnis and Joachim Zülch, and visited several neurosurgery clinics, including the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris with Jacques Le Beau and Jean Tavernier, and Madrid's Institute of Neurosurgery with Sixto Obrador Alcalde. In Portugal, she visited the clinic of Egas Moniz, the inventor of angiography, at the Department of Neurology from the Coimbra University. In all, she was in Europe for over a year. After that period overseas, she returned to Mexico, where she first joined the staff of the La Raza Hospital for a few months. However, she was soon named to the position of Head of Neurosurgery Services at the National Institute of Oncology, where she attended from 1952 more than 63 000 patients and performed operations for pain control such as peripheral blocks, rhizotomies, cordotomies, topectomies and medial, radiotherapeutic and physical treatments. The maturing and consolidation of the Neurosurgery Service under her guidance soon led to publications, congresses, teaching, and the supervision of aspiring neurosurgeons, including such important figures as Mario Echegaray Naveda, Manuel Mandujano, Estela Mandujano, José Carlos Palacios Márquez, María Teresa Ramírez Ugalde, Ramón Cerón Uribe, C. Freigó, Manuel Montoya, Miguel Ángel Hernández Absalón, José Gutiérrez Cabrera, Amelia Cabrera, and Alfonso Peña Torres, the latter four at the Institute of Neurosurgery in Santiago. The experience she acquired in several surgical techniques designed to relieve pain and, more fundamentally, her interest in this topic, led García-Sancho to improve the cordotomy procedure while working in the United States with Irving Cooper, a distinguished neurosurgeon whose main interest was functional neurosurgery. Cordotomy is a procedure used in cases of intolerable pain that resist all other kinds of treatment. It involves sectioning the anterolateral cord of the medulla. Perfecting this technique was just one of García-Sancho's achievements and contributions to Mexican neurosurgery. In fact, the technique is known as «the García-Sancho One-step Bilateral Cordotomy¼, and she used it in more than 1600 cases at the National Institute of Oncology and at the Women's Hospital in cases of cancer. Earlier, the cordotomy was a two-step procedure, but the variant that García-Sancho introduced consisted in cutting the sensitive roots of the medulla in just one intervention: after identifying the anterior roots, a cut is made on the posterior part in the posteroanterior direction in the space between the exit of the posterior root and the emergence of the anterior root in the medulla. García-Sancho's studies of pain and her extensive experience in that field led her to write the book Pain: Diagnosis and Treatment (Dolor, diagnóstico y tratamiento; 1974), which she dedicated to her husband and daughter, and in which she explains such topics as the anatomical channels of pain, its origin, and pain in oncologic processes. In addition to this book, she has published articles in national and international journals, some of them in Neurocirugía, a journal founded by Asenjo. Though García-Sancho is known mainly for her contributions to the understanding and surgical treatment of pain, she is also well-versed and skilled in the use of arteriography, a technique she learned in Portugal at the service of its discoverer, Moniz. García-Sancho also successfully combined her professional career with family life. In April 1954, she married Manuel Penichet, an industrialist, and they had a daughter, María Cristina Penichet García-Sancho, now a practicing psychotherapist. Today, García-Sancho, a widow since 1999, also enjoys the love and achievements of her granddaughter, a lawyer, and grandson, a business administrator. Also worth mentioning is that she studied a second career: Law at the Women's University of Mexico, where she graduated in 1989 with a thesis entitled Current Laws on the Problem of Insemination and in Vitro Fertilization (Las leyes actuales frente al problema de la inseminación y fertilización in vitro). She is also a member -in some cases a founder- of several national and international scientific societies. García-Sancho was not only Mexico's first female neurosurgeon, but also the first in Latin America. She stood out in an especially complex branch of medicine, one dominated by men. Moreover, she perfected a technique that renowned neurologists like Martín, Spiller, Froeser, Asenjo and Le Beau had been performing since 1912. Though her gender made it difficult for her to aspire to certain positions, her other professional activities gave her the intellectual satisfaction and maturity that are so evident in her demeanor.

La neurocirugía es una de las subdisciplinas más complejas de la medicina y pocas mujeres han incursionado en ella. Así pues, resulta muy atrayente estudiar a la primera neurocirujana mexicana y también de Latinoamérica, cuya labor brilló a partir de los años cuarenta del siglo XX. María Cristina García-Sancho y Álvarez-Tostado de Penichet, nació el 22 de mayo de 1919 en Guadalajara, Jalisco. Sus padres fueron los señores Luis García-Sancho y Ana Álvarez-Tostado Robledo. Por motivos económicos su familia emigró a la Ciudad de México en busca de un futuro mejor. María Cristina realizó los estudios preparatorios en el Colegio Motolinía y posteriormente ingresó a la Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM. Pertenece a la generación 1941-1947, que estaba formada por 85 mujeres y 850 hombres. Brillante estudiante, su interés por la neurología se inició desde su ingreso a la Escuela de Medicina. Entonces percibió lo maravilloso que es el cuerpo humano, pero sobre todo el cerebro, cuyo conocimiento consideraba un reto. En 1947 obtuvo el título con la tesis «La secuela del traumatismo encéfalo cráneano¼, dirigida por el doctor Mariano Vázquez y por cuya destacada defensa ganó mención honorífica. La doctora García-Sancho realizó la maestría y el doctorado en neurocirugía de 1949 a 1951, bajo la dirección del doctor Alfonso Asenjo Gómez, prestigioso neurocirujano de fama internacional, en el Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales en Santiago de Chile. En esa época, el Instituto era referencia obligada en lo relativo a las neurociencias, sobre todo en la clínica y la cirugía. El Gobierno de Chile la volvió a becar para continuar su preparación en Europa. En Alemania permanece durante tres meses con los doctores Wilhelm Tönnis y Joachim Zülch. En el Hôtel-Dieu de París estudió con Jacques le Beau y Jean Tavernier; en España con Sixto Obrador Alcalde, en el Instituto de Neurocirugía en Madrid, y en Portugal, en el servicio de Egas Moniz, donde aprendió la técnica de la arteriografía. En total permaneció un año más en Europa. A su regreso a México se incorporó por unos meses al Hospital «La Raza¼, del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, y posteriormente ingresó como jefa del Servicio de Neurocirugía, en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, donde desde 1952 atendió más de 63 000 consultas y realizó múltiples y variadas operaciones para controlar el dolor. Su interés en el tema la llevó a mejorar la cordotomía en Estados Unidos, con Irving Cooper, distinguido neurocirujano. La cordotomía es la sección o corte del cordón anterolateral de la médula en casos de dolor intolerable y resistente a cualquier tratamiento. Su aportación a la neurocirugía mexicana es el perfeccionamiento que hizo a esta maniobra, la que se conoce como «Cordotomía bilateral en un solo tiempo, técnica García-Sancho¼. La autora empleó esta técnica en más de 1600 casos de cáncer en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología y en el Hospital de la Mujer. El estudio y el dominio que tiene sobre el dolor dieron pie a que escribiera: «Dolor, diagnóstico y tratamiento¼ (1974). En abril de 1954 se casó con el industrial Manuel Penichet y tuvieron una hija, María Cristina Penichet García-Sancho, quien ejerce como psicoterapeuta. Es digno de enfatizar que estudió una segunda carrera, la de Derecho, en la Universidad Femenina de México, titulándose en 1989 con la tesis: «Las leyes actuales frente al problema de la inseminación y fertilización in vitro¼. La doctora María Cristina García-Sancho no sólo fue la primera neurocirujana en México, sino también en Latinoamérica. Sobresalió en una rama de la medicina particularmente compleja, de predominio masculino, y además perfeccionó una técnica que brillantes neurocirujanos practicaban desde 1912. La doctora es de trato muy fino y agradable, de expresivos ojos azules, representa una edad menor de la que realmente tiene. Alta y delgada, guarda una belleza natural. Las fotografías muestran una mujer sumamente atractiva. Su condición de género le dificultó acceder a ciertas posiciones, pero en otras actividades de su ejercicio profesional encontró la satisfacción intelectual y la madurez que son evidentes en su trato.

Influencia de las Emociones Negativas (Ansiedad, Depresión e Ira) sobre la Eficacia de un Programa de Tratamiento Cognitivo Conductual de Deshabituación al Tabaco / Influence of Negative Emotions (Anxiety, Depression and Anger) on the Efficiency of Cognitive-Behavioral Quit Smoking Program

Resumen. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar la influencia de la ansiedad, la ira y la depresión, como emociones negativas, sobre el éxito en la aplicación de un tratamiento psicológico de carácter cognitivo-conductual para dejar de fumar. Estas tres respuestas emocionales fueron evaluadas en una muestra final de 180 personas antes de iniciar el tratamiento. Los resultados muestran que la depresión y la ira ejercen una importante influencia sobre el éxito terapéutico; es decir, habiendo dejado de fumar, mientras que la ansiedad no muestra efectos significativos. Sujetos con elevadas puntuaciones en depresión presentan importantes dificultades para finalizar el programa de manera exitosa, mientras que sujetos con puntuaciones elevadas en ira muestran una buena adherencia y un importante porcentaje de éxito en el tratamiento (AU)

Abstract. The main goal of this research is to analyze the influence of anxiety, anger and depression, as negative emotions, on the efficiency of a cognitive-behavioral treatment program for giving up smoking. These three emotional responses were assessed in a final sample of 180 subjects before starting the treatment program. Subjects with high scores in depression showed significant difficulties in completing the program in a successful way, while subjects with higher scores in anger presented a good adherence and therefore, a high level of success in giving up smoking after the treatment (AU)

Esther Chapa Tijerina, 1904-1970 / Esther Chapa Tijerina, 1904-1970

La doctora Esther Chapa Tijerina formó parte de las primeras médicas que se graduaron por la UNAM en el siglo XX. También fue la primera mujer en obtener una cátedra por oposición en la misma Universidad y directora de la Escuela Nacional de Enfermería y Obstetricia. Se distinguió por su participación en diversas problemáticas de carácter social y su interés por los derechos de las mujeres en diferentes frentes. (AU)

El Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales de Santiago de Chile y la primera neurocirujana en Latinoamérica / The Institute of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Research in Santiago de Chile and the first neurosurgeon woman in Latinamerica

La mexicana María Cristina García-Sancho de Penichet (1919- ) fue la primera neurocirujana en América Latina. Estudió medicina en una época en que la inserción de la mujer en esta disciplina todavía era baja y se decidió por una especialidad, inclusive difícil para los mismos hombres; la neurocirugía. Se preparó en este campo con uno de los grandes neurocirujanos de la época, Alfonso Asenjo Gómez (1906-1980) y en uno de los mejores lugares del mundo, el Instituto de Neurocirugía e Investigaciones Cerebrales en Santiago de Chile. Su aportación a la neurocirugía fue haber modificado el proceso quirúrgico de la cordotomía, operación para controlar el dolor y que tradicionalmente se hacía en dos tiempos. La doctora García-Sancho propuso realizarla en un solo paso.

María Cristina García-Sancho de Penichet (1919- ), a Mexican, was the first woman neurosurgeon in Latin America. She studied medicine at a time when women’s participation in medicine was limited, yet she chose specialization that was considered difficult even for men: neurosurgery. She trained in this discipline with one of the great neurosurgeons of the time, the Chilean Alfonso Asenjo Gómez (1906-1918), and at one of the most prestigious establishments in the world: the Institute of Neurosurgery and Cerebral Research in Santiago de Chile. Her main contribution to the field of neurology consisted in modifying the surgical procedure called cordotomy, an operation for pain control that traditionally required a two-step procedure, but which Dr. García-Sancho showed could be performed in just one step.

Salud y humanismo: medicina republicana / Health and Humanism: Republican Medicine

Es el resultado de un notable trabajo de investigación, compilación y análisis de las diferentes etapas por las que ha transitado la medicina mexicana. En este sentido debemos reconocer la invaluable labor de distinguidos investigadores, académicos y reconocidos universitarios, todos expertos en este campo, y que han colaborado con sus interesantes textos. Asimismo deseamos expresar nuestro agradecimiento a Laboratorios Bayer, cuya vocación promotora de la cultura médica queda una vez más demostrada con el libro Medicina republicana que presentamos en esta ocasión

La investigación biomédica en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX / Biomedical research in the second half of the XIX century

En México proliferaron sociedades, academias, revistas, museos, instituciones; lo que de cierta forma significó el reconocimiento a una comunidad, validar la actividad científica y su aceptación social. Había de mejorar las condiciones de higiene, fomentar la salud pública y combatir las enfermedades (AU)