Space colonization by branching trachea explains the morphospace of a simple respiratory organ.

Branching morphogenesis helps increase the efficiency of gas and liquid transport in many animal organs. Studies in several model organisms have highlighted the molecular and cellular complexity behind branching morphogenesis. To understand this complexity, computational models have been developed with the goal of identifying the "major rules" that globally explain the branching patterns. These models also guide further experimental exploration of the biological processes that execute and maintain these rules. In this paper we introduce the tracheal gills of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) larvae as a model system to study the generation of branched respiratory patterns. First, we describe the gills of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum, and quantitatively characterize the geometry of its branching trachea. We next extend this characterization to those of related species to generate the morphospace of branching patterns. Then, we show how an algorithm based on the "space colonization" concept (SCA) can generate this branching morphospace via growth towards a hypothetical attractor molecule (M). SCA differs from other branch-generating algorithms in that the geometry generated depends to a great extent on its perception of the "external" space available for branching, uses few rules and, importantly, can be easily translated into a realistic "biological patterning algorithm". We identified a gene in the C. dipterum genome (Cd-bnl) that is orthologous to the fibroblast growth factor branchless (bnl), which stimulates growth and branching of embryonic trachea in Drosophila. In C. dipterum, this gene is expressed in the gill margins and areas of finer tracheolar branching from thicker trachea. Thus, Cd-bnl may perform the function of M in our model. Finally, we discuss this general mechanism in the context of other branching pattern-generating algorithms.

[Quality of life from the perspective of addiction]. / La calidad de vida desde la perspectiva de las adicciones.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of life (QoL) is a concept that incorporates an individual's perception of health status, style and life satisfaction, mental state or well-being, and helps identify gaps in areas of functioning, facilitating the identification of risk groups and planning of preventive measures. The aim of the study is to assess the quality of life related to health (HRQOL) in patients treated for substance use in the Drug Dependency Care Unit of Monforte de Lemos (Lugo). METHODS: Sociodemographic variables, health, consumer and other related QoL measured by the SF-36 questionnaire were studied in a sample of 100 users. Data were analysed with SPSS 15. RESULTS: There were differences in the means in most of the eight dimensions analysed, with higher scores generally by men, although these differences did not reach statistical significance except for physical role (P=.03). A meaningful data analysis is presented based on the work situation, primary drug, and infectious and somatic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Overall HRQOL is lower in our users than in the general population, and it is higher in men than in women, with the most compromised area being vitality. In the present circumstances, being in active employment leads to a better HRQOL.

25 Años de comunicación y salud / No disponible

No disponible

Progestogens reduce thromboxane production by cultured human endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVES: Progestogens have been poorly studied concerning their roles in endothelial physiology. Prostanoids are vasoactive compounds, such as thromboxane A2, a potent vasoconstrictor, and prostacyclin, a vasodilator. We examined the effects of two progestogens used clinically, progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate, on thromboxane A2 production by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and investigated the role of progesterone receptors and the enzymes involved in production of thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin. METHODS: Cells were exposed to 1-100 nmol/l of either progesterone or medroxyprogesterone acetate, and thromboxane A2 production was measured in culture medium by enzyme immunoassay. Gene expression of prostacyclin synthase and thromboxane synthase was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of prostacyclin synthase protein was analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: Both progestogens decreased thromboxane A2 release after 24 h. Protein and gene expression of prostacyclin synthase were increased after exposure to both progestogens, without changes in thromboxane synthase expression. These effects induced by progestogens were mediated through progesterone receptors, since they were decreased in the presence of the progesterone receptor antagonist RU486. The cyclo-oxygenase-1 selective inhibitor reduced thromboxane release. CONCLUSION: Progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate decreased HUVEC thromboxane release in a progesterone receptor-dependent manner, without changes in thromboxane synthase expression and enhanced prostacyclin synthase gene and protein expression.

Monforte y O Barco de Valdeorras, dos áreas sanitarias diferentes, ¿dos perfiles diferentes? / Monforte and O Barco de Valdeorras are two different health areas. Do they have two different profiles?

Objetivo. La Unidad Asistencial de Drogodependencias (UAD) de Monforte atiende dos áreas sanitarias con características sociodemográficas y económicas distintas (Monforte de Lemos y O Barco de Valdeorras). La oferta asistencial es homogénea, con la particularidad de que desde el año 2002 profesionales de la UAD se desplazan semanalmente a O Barco. El objetivo es verificar si las diferencias de las dos áreas se reflejan en el perfil del usuario de la UAD. Material y métodos. Se incluyeron 186 usuarios que estuvieron en tratamiento durante el 2006 en la UAD de Monforte. Los datos se obtuvieron de la revisión de las historias clínicas de dichos usuarios y se analizaron mediante el programa estadístico SPSS 12.0. Conclusiones. Existen diferencias en las dos áreas sanitarias en lo que se refiere a la vía de acceso, el hábitat, la adicción principal y el nivel de estudios. El nivel de estudios inferior en O Barco se debe probablemente a la corta edad con que los usuarios acceden al mercado laboral, por la amplia oferta de trabajo sin ningún requisito académico. La edad media de consumo es similar en ambas áreas. Resultados. Las vías de acceso mayoritarias después de la iniciativa del sujeto son sustancialmente diferentes. La proporción de usuarios del medio urbano es ligeramente superior en el área monfortina. Sin embargo, si el análisis se realiza en función de la adicción principal, el porcentaje de usuarios que demanda tratamiento por alcohol muestra una diferencia relevante aunque no estadísticamente significativa, el 81,8 % del medio rural de Valdeorras acude por esta sustancia (AU)

Objectives. The Drug Dependency Unit (DDU) of Monforte attends to two different health areas having different socio-demographic and economical characteristics (Monforte de Lemos and O Barco de Valdeorras). The health care offered is homogeneous, with the special characteristic that since 2002 the professionals from the DDU have been going to O Barco de Valdeorras every week. Material and methods. A total of 186 users treated in the DDU of Monforte during 2006 were included. The information has been obtained from the medical records of these users, analyzing it with the statistical program SPSS 12.0. Results. The majority of the pathways used since the initiative of the subject are very different. There is a slightly higher proportion of patients from the urban area than from the Monforte one. However, regarding the principal drug addiction, the percentage of users demanding treatment because of alcohol addiction has a relevant, although not statistically different difference, 81.8 % of the users from O Barco de Valdeorras come due to alcohol addiction. Conclusions. There are differences between both health areas in regards to access pathway, habitat, principal drug and education level. The lower education level in O Barco de Valdeorras is probably due to the younger age of the users who access the work market, due to the large offer for work not requiring an education. The mean age of consumption is similar in both areas (AU)

Pasado y presente. ¿Hay diferencia en el perfil del usuario de la Unidad Asistencial de Drogodependencias de Monforte? 1996-2006 / Past and present. Are there any differences in the user’s profile of the Drug Dependency Unit of Monforte? 1996-2006

Objetivos. El perfil de los consumidoresque solicitan tratamiento en las Unidades Asistencialesde Drogodependencias (UAD) está cambiandoen nuestro país. Nuevos consumos, edad deacceso y nivel formativo, entre otros, suponen unreto para los equipos de las unidades asistenciales.El objetivo de este trabajo es describir el cambio enel perfil del usuario de la UAD de Monforte, atendiendoa variables sociodemográficas y de consumo.Material y métodos. Se han incluido 145 pacientes.El criterio de selección ha sido: que iniciaran oreiniciaran tratamiento en los años 1996 y 2006 enla UAD de Monforte. Se revisaron en las historiasclínicas las entrevistas de inicio/reinicio de tratamiento y se analizaron los datos mediante el programa estadístico SPSS 12.0.Resultados. Se han encontrado diferencias significativasen la edad media, sexo, droga principal, nivelacadémico y vía de acceso.Conclusiones. El porcentaje de pacientes que acudena nuestra UAD por consumo de alcohol y tabacoha aumentado significativamente (p < 0,05), tambiénel número de mujeres a tratamiento.Asimismo, se aprecia un aumento significativo de laedad media de aproximadamente 10 años; en el casode las mujeres es de 14 años (p < 0,05). La vía de accesoprincipal a la UAD sigue siendo por iniciativapropia, evidenciándose un aumento de los pacientesremitidos por Atención Primaria y Unidad deSalud Mental (USM) y una considerable disminuciónde los pacientes que acuden a través de otrosdrogodependientes. La mayoría de los pacientesmantiene el graduado escolar como nivel educativo;se observa que en 2006 la formación era superior,pues se dieron más casos con estudios universitarios

Objectives. The profile of the consumerswho solicit treatment in the Drug DependencyUnits (DDU) is changing in our country. New consumers,age of access and formative level mean a challengefor the teams of the welfare units. The aim isto describe this new user’s profile of the MonforteDDU, in accordance with consumption and sociodemographicvariables.Material and methods. One hundred and fortyfivepatients have been included. The selection criteriawere: patients who commence or recommencetreatment in Monforte DDU from 1996 to 2006. Clinicstories were revised and information was examinedby the statistical program SPSS 12.0.Results. Significant differences were found in theaverage age, sex, principal drug, academic level andaccess tract.Conclusions. The percentage of patients who attendour DDU because of alcohol and tobacco consumptionhas increased significantly (p < 0.05) andthe number of women in the treatment has also increased.Likewise, there is a significant increase inthe average age: approximately 10 years; in the caseof the women is 14 years (p < 0.05). The principalaccess tract in the DDU is still own initiative, proofof the patients remitted by Primary Attention andMental Health Unit (MHU) increase and the decreaseof patients who attend DDU because of othersdrug-dependents. Most of patients have the primaryeducation qualification as educative level. In2006 the educative level is higher among patients,having more cases of patients with university studies

Diastereo- and enantioselective cyclopropanation with chromium fischer carbene complexes: alkenyl oxazolines as useful achiral and chiral substrates.

The cyclopropanation reaction of chromium Fischer carbene complexes with alkenyl oxazolines has been studied in both racemic and enantioselective fashions. The oxazolinyl group acts as both electron-acceptor substituent and chiral auxiliary. Achiral (4,4-dimethyloxazolin-2-yl)alkenes derived from trans-crotonic and trans-cinnamic acids 2a,b undergo the cyclopropanation reaction to give 4a-d,g with excellent diastereoselectivity (trans/cis ratio between 93:7 and >97:3), while those derived from acrylic and metacrylic acids 2c,d give the cyclopropanes 4e,f,h with much lower selectivity (trans/cis ratio between 68:32 and 83:17). The homogeneous catalytic hydrogenolysis of 4 leads in a selective manner to 5 or 6, depending on the nature of the R3 substituent. The removal of the oxazoline moiety is achieved by carboxybenzylation/hydrolysis and ester reduction, yielding monoprotected 1,4- and 1,3-diols 9 and 11, respectively. The alkenes derived from enantiopure (S)-valinol and (S)-tert-leucinol 3 led to cyclopropanes trans-12 with high relative and absolute stereocontrol. Using tert-leucinol as the auxiliary permits attaining total facial stereoselectivity (>98% ee). Reductive cleavage of the cyclopropane ring and removal of the auxiliary afford the enriched alcohols (3S,4S)-9 and (S)-11. The stereochemical outcome of the cyclopropanation reaction is rationalized by a trans approach of the s-cis conformer of the alkenyl oxazoline to the carbene complex involving the less hindered face of the oxazoline auxiliary and the re-face of the carbene complex.

Complex cytogenetic rearrangement of chromosome 8q in a case of Ambras syndrome.

Ambras syndrome (AMS) is a unique form of congenital universal hypertrichosis. The syndrome has been found in association with rearrangements of chromosome 8 in two isolated cases. One of these patients was reported to have an apparently balanced paracentric inversion of chromosome 8, inv(8)(q12q22). Our cytogenetic analysis on this patient showed that the rearrangement of chromosome 8 is more complex than initially reported. We detected an insertion of the q23-q24 region into a more proximal region of the long arm of chromosome 8 as well as a large deletion in 8q23:46,XX, rea(8)(8pter-->8q13::8q23.2-->8q24.1::8q13-->8q23.1::8q24.1-->8qter). Given the large number of breakpoints and the presence of a substantial deletion, it is surprising that the proposita did not show anomalies other than these characteristic of Ambras syndrome.

Genomic changes in glioblastoma cell lines detected by comparative genomic hybridization.

Comparative genomic hybridization serves as a screening test for regions of copy number changes in tumor genomes. We have applied the technique to map DNA gains and losses in 5 cell lines derived from glioblastoma multiforme, the most common primary neoplasm of the central nervous system. The most frequent losses occurred on chromosomes 10 and 13. The most common gains were observed on chromosomes 5, 6, 7 and 20. Some novel sites of genomic alterations were also observed. Analysis of common areas of loss and gain in these cell lines provides a basis for future attempts to more finely map these genetic changes and for elucidation of genes involved in tumor progression.

[Cervical intramedullary neurofibroma]. / Neurofibroma intramedular cervical.

Spinal neurofibromas make up a third of all tumours of the medulla. They are usually found to be intradural and extramedullary. Exceptionally they may be intramedullar. We describe the case of a patient with signs of slowly progressive compression of the medulla, who was operated on surgically for an intramedullary neurofibroma, after imaging studies. We review the previously published cases and analyse the different histogenic theories concerning this tumour.

Increased expression of cyclin D1 and the Rb tumor suppressor gene in c-K-ras transformed rat enterocytes.

Activating mutations in the c-K-ras gene occur in about 40% of human colorectal carcinomas, yet the role of this oncogene in tumorigenesis is not known. We have developed a model cell culture system to study this problem, utilizing the immortalized but non-tumorigenic epithelial cell line IEC18, originally derived from normal rat intestine epithelium. These cells were cotransfected with the drug resistance selectable marker tk-neo and the plasmid pMIKcys, which encodes a mini human c-K-ras gene (15 kb) containing a cysteine mutation at codon 12. Drug resistant clones were isolated. Clones which also expressed the activated c-K-ras gene displayed a transformed morphology, decreased doubling time, increased level of diacylglycerol, anchorage independent growth in soft agar and an aneuploid karyotype and they were also tumorigenic when injected into nude mice. These clones also displayed increased expression, at both the mRNA and protein levels, of cyclin D1 and Rb. These findings may be of clinical relevance since human colorectal tumors also frequently display increased expression of both cyclin D1 and Rb. This model system may be useful for understanding the role and interrelationship between activation of the c-K-ras oncogene and increased expression of cyclin D1 and Rb in colorectal tumorigenesis.

[Development of a computer-assisted system to teach pathologic anatomy. Preliminary results]. / Implantación de un sistema de enseñanza asistida por ordenador de anatomía patológica. Resultados preliminares.

BACKGROUND: The present study describes the implantation of an interactive teaching system to improve both the active involvement of the student and the learning quality of Pathology. The preliminary results from the evaluation of such system are also reported. METHODS: Two attitude questionnaires (rating scale) were passed to a sample of 36 students of Medicine, randomly elected. These students used for 10 weeks a programme of Pathology (Interpat) assisted by computer. Moreover, the data stored after each session by the control stack of this programme are analyzed. RESULTS: The programme is positively evaluated by the users who consider it as an appropriate mode of learning Pathology. In spite of the scarce experience with computers, students have no difficulty in using this programme. 82% of students consider that they learn more Pathology with Interpat than with the traditional system of magistral classes. 63% of students believe that similar systems must be applied in other curricula. The average time of use of the system by each student has been 11 h 45 min (SD 4 h 55 min). The videodisc is the stack more used. CONCLUSIONS: There is a good acceptance of this methodology by the students, being almost no difficulty in using the programme, despite their low level of computer knowledge. The program is a potent instrument for individualizing the teaching of Pathology. The small size of the sample, accurate for a preliminary study as this is, must be take into account when generalizing the results.

[Use of Boyer's score in the differential diagnosis of meningitis]. / Aplicación del "score" de Boyer para el diagnóstico diferencial de las meningitis.

Authors have studied reliability of Boyer's score for diagnosis of bacterial versus aseptic meningitis. This score is based upon clinical and biological data easily available in few hours since the patient's admission to hospital. They their have reviewed all cases of meningitis in hospital during the last four years. Boyer's score was very useful and its specificity (100%) and sensitivity (96,50%) were very high. Authors consider this test convenient and reliable for the presumptive diagnosis of the type of meningitis with its' therapeutic implications.

The role of isoproterenol in pulmonary artery hypertension of unknown etiology (primary): short- and long-term evaluation.

The experience derived from the administration of isoproterenol in six patients with pulmonary hypertension of unknown etiology (PAH-UE) is presented. The diagnosis was made after exclusion of other known diseases capable of producing hypertension in the pulmonary circuit. Catheterization was performed, and basal cardiopulmonary parameters, mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary arteriolar resistance (PAR), cardiac index (CI), alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference P(A-a)O2, and PaO2 were investigated. The effect of infusing 3 micrograms/min of isoproterenol into the pulmonary artery was studied in five cases. Isoproterenol was given sublingually to one patient who had previously received it intravenously; in another case it was given only sublingually. Significant P values (P less than .05) as a group were obtained, in relation to heart rate, CI, PAR, and mean PAP after isoproterenol. A favorable effect on the heart and lungs was seen in two cases, maintained for three years with sublingual isoproterenol with a favorable cardiorespiratory effect. Use of isoproterenol in PAH-UE is justified at present in those cases with a favorable cardiopulmonary response while no specific therapy is available.