ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in a tumor environment and the expression of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) in tumor cells have been associated with a poor prognosis. There are few studies evaluating Treg cells and FOXP3 in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL). This study aimed to evaluate the frequencies of Treg cells in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) of patients with B-cell ALL and to determine their associations with the circulating cytokine profile and the expression of CXCR1 (IL-8 receptor) in Treg cells, as well as to compare FOXP3 expression in blasts of patients with B-cell ALL and normal lymphoid precursors. METHODS: Samples of BM and PB from patients with B-cell ALL and healthy controls were studied. Treg cells, cytokines, FOXP3 and CXCR1 were evaluated using flow cytometry and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients with B-cell ALL and 10 healthy controls were included. In B-cell ALL patients, Treg cell frequencies increased significantly, with higher percentages in the PB. Absolute Treg cell counts were associated with absolute blast counts in the BM and PB and with an IL-8 concentration. The IL-8 and IL-6 levels were associated with the CXCR1 expression in PB Treg cells. In addition, a greater expression of FOXP3 was observed in leukemic blasts than in normal lymphoid precursors. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the presence of Treg cells and cytokines in the tumor environment may correspond to mechanisms to evade the immune response. For that reason, it would be important to monitor these parameters in B-cell ALL to establish their effect on the disease prognosis.
ABSTRACT
The contamination of water by dyes in high concentrations is a worldwide concern, and it has prompted the development of efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly materials and technologies for water purification. The hydration and adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB) in biocomposites (BCs) based on cellulose nanofiber (CNF) (0 to 2 wt%) were studied. BCs were synthesized through a simple and straightforward route and characterized by spectroscopy, microscopic techniques and thermogravimetric analysis, among others. Hydration studies showed that BCs prepared with 2 wt% of CNF can absorb large volumes of water, approximately 2274 % in the case of poly 2-acrylamide-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (PAMPS)-CNF and 2408 % in poly sodium 4-styrene sulfonate (PSSNa)-CNF. These BCs showed outstanding adsorption capacity for highly concentrated MB solutions (4536 mg g-1 PAMPS-CNF and 11,930 mg g-1 PSSNa-CNF). It was confirmed that the adsorption mechanism is through electrostatic interactions. Finally, BCs showed high MB adsorption efficiency after several sorption-desorption cycles and on a simulated textile effluent. Furthermore, the theoretical results showed a preferential interaction between MB and the semiflexible polymer chains at the lowest energy setting. The development and study of a new adsorbent material with high MB removal performance that is easy to prepare, economical and reusable for potential use in water purification treatments was successfully achieved.
Subject(s)
Nanofibers , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Cellulose/chemistry , Coloring Agents , Methylene Blue/chemistry , Nanofibers/chemistry , Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules , Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistry , Adsorption , Methylcellulose , Water/chemistry , KineticsABSTRACT
Introducción: Los niños y adolescentes con discapacidad intelectual (DI) requieren de evaluaciones cognitivas, adaptativas y de calidad de vida (CV) con el fin de programar estrategias integrales de intervención basadas en sus necesidades. El objetivo de este estudio es describir CV, comportamiento adaptativo y cognición en una serie de niños y adolescentes con DI. Método: Se estudiaron 28 pacientes entre 6 a 18 años con escala de CV, evaluaciones cognitivas y comportamiento adaptativo. Resultados: En escala de CV se obtuvo una puntuación promedio, rango percentil 45-50, con menor puntaje en dimensiones de desarrollo personal, relaciones interpersonales e inclusión social. En escala de comportamiento adaptativo la mayoría de los pacientes presentaron nivel adaptativo bajo, sus dominios más afectados fueron comunicación y socialización. Al relacionar CV, comportamiento adaptativo y cognición se encontró una correlación significativa entre función adaptativa general y cognición (r = ,74, p < ,01) y entre función adaptativa e índice de calidad de vida (r = ,63, p < ,01). Conclusiones: En nuestra serie de niños y adolescentes con DI se relaciona un menor comportamiento adaptativo con menor CV y menor cognición. Inclusión social, desarrollo personal y relaciones interpersonales, así como socialización y comunicación, son las líneas a considerar como planes de intervención. (AU)
Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) require cognitive, adaptive and quality of life (QoL) assessments in order to program integral strategies of intervention based on their needs. The objective of this study is to describe quality of life, adaptive behavior and cognition in a series of children and adolescents with ID. Method: 28 patients between 6 and 18 years old were studied with QoL scales, adaptive behavior and cognitive evaluations, and their correlations. Results: On the CV scale, an average score was obtained, 45-50 percentile range, with a lower score in dimensions of personal development, interpersonal relationships and social in-clusion. On the adaptive behavior scale, most of the patients presented a low adaptive level; their most affected domains were communication and socialization. When relat-ing QoL, adaptive behavior and cognition, a significant correlation was found between general adaptive function and cognition (r = ,74, p < ,01) and between adaptive function and quality of life index (r = ,63, p < ,01). Conclusions: In our series of children and adolescent with ID, a lower adaptive behavior is associated with a lower QoL and low-er cognition. Social inclusion, personal development and interpersonal relationships, as well as socialization and communication, are the lines to consider as intervention plans. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Child , Adolescent , Intellectual Disability , Quality of Life , Interpersonal Relations , Disabled Persons , Socialization , CommunicationABSTRACT
INTRODUCCIÓN: La pandemia por Covid-19 ha generado cambios en la atención de salud nacional, observándose en este período cambios en las causas de egresos hospitalarios (EH). OBJETIVO: Analizar el impacto del brote de Covid-19 en las causas de EH por enfermedades del Sistema Nervioso Central (ESNC) en población pediátrica durante el primer año de pandemia. MÉTODO: Estudio transversal. Análisis de base de datos del Departamento de Estadística e Información en Salud en pacientes de 0 a 18 años, comparando años 2019 y 2020. RESULTADOS: En 2020 se redujeron EH por ESNC en un 39% comparado con 2019. Disminuyeron principalmente los EH por secuelas de enfermedades inflamatorias SNC, parálisis cerebral, migraña y paraplejia/cuadriplejia, aumentando los EH por isquemia cerebral transitoria, enfermedades desmielinizantes SNC y polineuropatía inflamatoria. El número EH por ESNC mensual se correlacionó con el número de casos Covid-19 (rho -0.774, p0.003) y con la movilidad mensual del país (rho 0.928, p 0.001). CONCLUSIONES: El impacto del brote Covid-19 se asoció con reducción de EH por ESNC, disminuyeron EH por patologías crónicas y aumentaron causas agudas.
INTRODUCTION: The Covid-19 pandemic has been associated with modifications in national health care, with changes in causes of hospital discharges (HD) in this period. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on causes of HD due to Central Nervous System Diseases (CNSD) in pediatric population during the first year of pandemic. METHOD: Cross-sectional study. Analysis of database of the Department of Statistics and Health Information in patients aged 0 to 18 years, comparing 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: In 2020, HD due to CNSD were reduced in 39% compared to 2019. HD causes that mainly decreased were inflammatory CNS disease sequelae, cerebral palsy, migraine and paraplegia/cuadriplegia. The HD that increased were transient cerebral ischemia, CNS demyelinating diseases and inflammatory polyneuropathy. The monthly HD due to CNSD number was correlated with the number of Covid-19 cases (rho -0.774, p0.003) and with the country's monthly mobility (rho 0.928, p 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Covid-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in HD due to CNSD, with decrease of EH due to chronic pathologies and increase of acute diseases
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant, Newborn , Infant , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Patient Discharge/statistics & numerical data , Central Nervous System Diseases , COVID-19 , Pediatrics , Chile/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Cross-Sectional Studies , PandemicsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by limitations in intellec tual and adaptive functioning, of various etiologies, including genetic causes. OBJECTIVE: to describe genetic studies carried out in a series of children and adolescents with ID of previously undetermined etiology, considering their phenotypic characteristics. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Descriptive study of a series of patients with ID aged 6 to 18 years. Clinical records, cognitive assessment results (Wechsler -TADI), and genetic study performed were reviewed. They were classified according to phenotypic characteristics into Group 1 patients without a specific phenotype, Group 2: patients with Angel- man- and Rett-like neurodevelopmental disorders phenotype, and Group 3: patients with difficult- to-control seizures. Group 1 was studied with CMA and Groups 2 and 3 with specific genetic panels. RESULTS: 18 patients were described, average age 11 years, male predominance, non-consanguineous parents, and with history of psychomotor retardation. Common comorbidities were epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and behavioral difficulties. Most had a neurological examination without focus and had TADI with very poor developmental ages. In Group 1, there was one patient with a 16p11.2 microdeletion and in Group 3 a duplication of the IQSEC2 gene was found in a patient with difficult-to-control seizures. CONCLUSIONS: The phenotypic characteristics allow to guide the choice of specific genetic studies in children and adolescents with ID of previously undetermined etiology to approach the etiological diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Intellectual Disability , Adolescent , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis , Autism Spectrum Disorder/genetics , Female , Genetic Testing , Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/genetics , Humans , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/epidemiology , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Male , Phenotype , Seizures/geneticsABSTRACT
Chromium (Cr) is used in many manufacturing processes, and its release into natural waters is a major environmental problem today. Low concentrations of Cr(VI) are toxic to human health and living organisms due to the carcinogenic and mutagenic nature of this mineral. This work examined the conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) via electrochemical reduction using gold electrode in an acidic sodium alginate (SA) solution and subsequent removal of the produced Cr(III)-SA by the polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) technique. A solution of SA in nitric acid was used both as an electrolytic medium during the voltammetric measurements and bulk electrolysis and as an extracting agent during the PEUF technique. The electroanalysis of Cr(VI) was performed by linear sweep voltammetry in the presence of acidic SA solution to study its voltammetric behavior as a function of the Cr(VI) concentration, pH, presence of Cr(III), SA concentration and scan rate. In addition, the quantitative reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was studied through the bulk electrolysis technique. The results showed efficient reduction with well-defined peaks at approximately 0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl, using a gold working electrode. As the pH increased, the reduction signal strongly decreased until its disappearance. The optimum SA concentration was 10 mmol/L, and it was observed that the presence of Cr(III) did not interfere in the Cr(VI) electroanalysis. Through the quantitative reduction by bulk electrolysis in the presence of acidic SA solution, it was possible to reduce all Cr(VI) to Cr(III) followed by its removal via PEUF.
Subject(s)
Water Pollutants, Chemical , Water Purification , Adsorption , Alginates , Chromium , Humans , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Oxidation-ReductionABSTRACT
Inborn errors of metabolism can cause epileptic encephalopathies. Biallelic loss-of-function variants in the ITPA gene, encoding inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPase), have been reported in epileptic encephalopathies with lack of myelination of the posterior limb of the internal capsule, brainstem tracts, and tracts to the primary visual and motor cortices (MIM:616647). ITPase plays an important role in purine metabolism. In this study, we identified two novel homozygous ITPA variants, c.264-1 G > A and c.489-1 G > A, in two unrelated consanguineous families. The probands had epilepsy, microcephaly with characteristic magnetic resonance imaging findings (T2 hyperintensity signals in the pyramidal tracts of the internal capsule, delayed myelination, and thin corpus callosum), hypotonia, and developmental delay; both died in early infancy. Our report expands the knowledge of clinical consequences of biallelic ITPA variants.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases/genetics , Developmental Disabilities/genetics , Epilepsy/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Multiple Organ Failure/genetics , Muscle Hypotonia/genetics , Pyrophosphatases/genetics , Brain Diseases/complications , Brain Diseases/enzymology , Brain Diseases/mortality , Corpus Callosum/diagnostic imaging , Corpus Callosum/pathology , Developmental Disabilities/complications , Developmental Disabilities/enzymology , Developmental Disabilities/mortality , Epilepsy/complications , Epilepsy/enzymology , Epilepsy/mortality , Female , Genotype , Homozygote , Humans , Infant , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Multiple Organ Failure/complications , Multiple Organ Failure/enzymology , Multiple Organ Failure/mortality , Muscle Hypotonia/complications , Muscle Hypotonia/enzymology , Muscle Hypotonia/mortality , Mutation , Pedigree , Pyramidal Tracts/diagnostic imaging , Pyramidal Tracts/pathology , Exome SequencingABSTRACT
The adsorption of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution was evaluated using a cationic polymer (Amberlite IRA 402) in batch experiments under different experimental variables such as amount of resin, concentration of MO, optimum interaction time and pH. The maximum adsorption capacity of the resin was 161.3 mg g-1 at pH 7.64 at 55 °C and using a contact time of 300 min, following the kinetics of the pseudo-first-order model in the adsorption process. The infinite solution volume model shows that the adsorption rate is controlled by the film diffusion process. In contrast, the chemical reaction is the decisive step of the adsorption rate when the unreacted core model is applied. A better fit to the Langmuir model was shown for equilibrium adsorption studies. From the thermodynamic study it was observed that the sorption capacity is facilitated when the temperature increases.
Subject(s)
Water Pollutants, Chemical , Water Purification , Adsorption , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Kinetics , Temperature , ThermodynamicsABSTRACT
The photocatalytic activity of hydrogenated TiO2 was evaluated in the photooxidation of methyl orange (MO). The hydrogenation of TiO2 was carried out by calcination of a mixture of TiO2 P-25 and NaBH4 , at 300 and 350°C for blue TiO2 and black TiO2 , respectively. An experimental design was made for the determination of the best reaction conditions for the oxidation of MO. The influence of catalyst dosage and pH on photocatalytic efficiency was optimized, and the degradation percentage of MO was the response factor. The photocatalytic reaction was performed using a Xenon lamp that simulates the solar light spectrum for the activation of the catalyst. It was determined that both blue and black TiO2 show the greatest activity at pH = 2 and 0.8 g/L of catalyst. Additionally, the positive influence of hydrogen peroxide in the photocatalytic activity of both hydrogenated catalysts was determined. In parallel, COD and TOC were also studied. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The extent of titania reduction by hydrogenation is dependent on the reaction time with sodium borohydride. The extent of titania reduction affects the photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of methyl orange. An excess of catalyst reduction inhibits the oxidation of the dye because of the increase of recombination points. The best reaction conditions were determined by multivariate optimization as pH 2 and 0.8 g L-1 of hydrogenated catalyst. The addition of hydrogen peroxide into the reaction system improves the oxidation yield attributed to their electron accepting capacity.
Subject(s)
Light , Photolysis , Titanium/chemistry , Azo Compounds/chemistry , Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis , Catalysis , Electron Transport , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Hydrogenation , Multivariate Analysis , TemperatureABSTRACT
Waste water from the wine industry is characterized by a high concentration of dissolved organic matter and the presence of natural phenolic compounds with low biodegradability. High concentrations of phenolic compounds may cause environmental pollution and risks to human health. In this article caffeic acid (CA) was used as a model compound of wine effluent because it is refractory to the conventional wastewater treatments. The oxidation of caffeic acid in water solution (0.01 g L(-1)) by heterogeneous photocatalysis and photo-Fenton reaction was studied using UVA. The optimal conditions for each treatment were performed by multivariate experimental design. The optimal conditions for heterogeneous photocatalysis were pH 5.3 and 0.9 g L(-1) TiO2. In the case of photo-Fenton treatment, optimized variable were 82.4 µmol L(-1) of Fe(2+) and 558.6 µmol L(-1) of H2O2. The degradation profiles of CA were monitored by UV-Vis, HPLC, TOC and COD. To reach 90% of CA removal, 40 and 2 min of reaction, respectively, were required by heterogeneous and photo-Fenton processes, respectively. For comparison purposes, the reactions were also performed under solar light. The use of solar light does not change the efficiency of the photo-Fenton reaction, yet the performance of the heterogeneous process was significantly improved, reaching 90% of degradation in 15 min.
Subject(s)
Caffeic Acids/metabolism , Phenols/metabolism , Sunlight , Ultraviolet Rays , Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods , Wastewater/chemistry , Biodegradation, Environmental , Catalysis , Hydrogen Peroxide , Oxidation-Reduction , Phenols/analysis , Photolysis , WineABSTRACT
Biodegradation of tributyltin (TBT) by four tin resistant Gram negative bacteria isolated from extremely contaminated river sediments in the Atacama Desert in Chile was studied. Moraxella osloensis showed the greatest resistance and degradation capability of TBT, producing less toxic by-products, such as dibutyltin (DBT) and inorganic tin. In 7 days, approximately 80 % of TBT degradation was achieved, generating close to 20 % of DBT as degradation product. The degradation rate constant (k) was 0.022 [day(-1)] and TBT half-life (t1/2) in culture was 4.3 days. Debutylation is stated a probable mechanism of TBT degradation.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/metabolism , Desert Climate , Organotin Compounds/analysis , Tin/analysis , Trialkyltin Compounds/analysis , Alcaligenes/metabolism , Biodegradation, Environmental , Burkholderia cepacia/metabolism , Chile , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Geologic Sediments/chemistry , Half-Life , Moraxella/metabolism , Pseudomonas/metabolism , Rivers , Soil , Soil Microbiology , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Time Factors , Water Pollutants/analysis , Yersinia/metabolismABSTRACT
The proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1) gene encodes the two major proteins of the central nervous system (CNS) myelin: PLP and DM20. PLP1 gene mutations are associated with a large spectrum of X-linked dysmyelinating disorders ranging from hypomyelinating leukodystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD), to spastic paraplegia (SPG2) according to the nature of the mutation. Genetic heterogeneity exists and mutations in the gap-junction alpha 12 (GJA12) gene have been related to PMD. About 20% of patients with the PMD phenotype remain without mutation in these two genes and are classified as affected by Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease (PMLD). To study PLP1 splicing abnormalities, we analyzed PLP/DM20 transcripts from nerves and/or skin cultured fibroblasts of 14 PMD/SPG2 patients carrying different PLP1 mutations and 20 PMLD patients. We found that various types of PLP1 mutations result in missplicing, including one considered as a missense in exon 2 and a nucleotide substitution in intron 3 outside the classical donor and acceptor splicing sites. Moreover, we demonstrated for two patients that the fibroblast transcript pattern was in accordance with the one observed in the corresponding CNS/peripheral nervous system (PNS) tissues. Finally, we observed no abnormal splicing in fibroblasts of 20 PMLD patients tested; suggesting that PLP1 gene splicing abnormalities, potentially caused by undetected intronic mutations, are either not involved or are very rarely implicated in the PMLD phenotype. These results confirm that fibroblasts are reliable, accessible cells useful in detecting PLP1 transcript abnormalities, better characterizing the functional consequences of PLP1 mutations for genotype-phenotype correlation, characterizing new PLP1 splicing regulatory elements, and identifying PLP1 mutations undetected by conventional PLP1 screening.
Subject(s)
Myelin Proteolipid Protein/genetics , Paraplegia/genetics , Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease/genetics , RNA Splicing , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , Cells, Cultured , Fibroblasts/metabolism , Humans , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , RNA Splice SitesABSTRACT
1,4-Dihydropyridines (DHPs) used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, are calcium channel antagonists and also antioxidant agents. These drugs are metabolized through cytochrome P(450) oxidative system, majority localized in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum. Several lipophilic drugs generate oxidative stress to be metabolized by this cellular system. Thus, DHP antioxidant properties may prevent the oxidative stress associated with hepatic biotransformation of drugs. In this work, we tested the antioxidant capacity of several synthetic nitro-phenyl-DHPs. These compounds (I-IV) inhibited the microsomal lipid peroxidation, UDPGT oxidative activation and microsomal thiols oxidation; all phenomena induced by Fe(3+)/ascorbate, a generator system of oxygen free radicals. As the same manner, these compounds inhibited the oxygen consumption induced by Cu(2+)/ascorbate in the absence of microsomes. Furthermore, compound III (2,6-dimethyl-4-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridin-3,5-ethyl-dicarboxylate) and compound V (N-ethyl-2,6-dimethyl-4-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridin-3,5-methyl-dicarboxylate) inhibited the microsomal lipid peroxidation induced by Nitrofurantoin and naphthalene in the presence of NADPH. Oxidative stress induced on endoplasmic reticulum may alter the biotransformation of drugs, so, modifying their plasmatic concentrations and therapeutic effects. When drugs which are activated by biotransformation are administered together with antioxidant drugs, such as DHPs, oxidative stress induced in situ may be prevented.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Ascorbic Acid/toxicity , Dihydropyridines/pharmacology , Microsomes, Liver/drug effects , Naphthalenes/toxicity , Nitrofurantoin/toxicity , Animals , Dihydropyridines/chemistry , Enzyme Activation , Glucuronosyltransferase/metabolism , Lipid Peroxidation , Molecular Structure , NADP , Oxidation-Reduction , Oxygen Consumption , Rats , Sulfhydryl Compounds , UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 1A9ABSTRACT
Genes encoding for the KMP-11 protein were localized on the chromosomes of Trypanosoma rangeli. These genes were located in two chromosomes of 3,100 and 3,400 kb in the KP1(-) strain whereas in the KP1(+) H14 and Choachí strains, the genes are located in a chromosome of 1,600 kb. The Choachí strain presents an additional band of 1,400 kb. In the Shubacbarina and Munanta strains of Trypanosoma cruzi, the KMP-11 genes are located on a chromosomal band of 1,490 kb. Therefore, the chromosomal localization of the KMP-11 genes presents a potential tool to differentiate among these parasites.