Nanocarrier-based systems for wound healing.

In general, the systems intended for the treatment and recovery of wounds, seek to act as a coating for the damaged area, maintaining an adequate level of humidity, reducing pain, and preventing the invasion and proliferation of microorganisms. Although many of the systems that are currently on the market meet the purposes mentioned above, with the arrival of nanotechnology, it has sought to improve the performance of these coatings. The variety of nano-systems that have been proposed is very extensive, including the use of very different materials (natural or synthetic) ranging from polymers or lipids to systems derived from microorganisms. With the objective of improving the performance of the systems, seeking to combat several of the problems that arise in a wound, especially when it is chronic, these materials have been combined, giving rise to nanocomposites or scaffolds. In recent years, the interest in the development of systems for the treatment of wounds is notable, which is reflected in the increase in publications related to the subject. Therefore, this document presents generalities of systems involving nanocarriers, mentioning some examples of representative systems of each case.

[Cryptogenic stroke in a young patient with heart disease and kidney failure]. / Ictus criptogenico en un paciente joven con cardiopatia y fallo renal.

INTRODUCTION: Fabry's disease is an infrequent metabolic pathology linked to the X chromosome which causes a wide variety of signs and symptoms. CASE REPORT: A 39-year-old male who was admitted to our stroke unit with right-side hemiparesis (1 + 0) and dysarthria (1). The score on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale was 2. The patient presented angiokeratomas in both thighs. A computerised axial tomography scan of the head showed left thalamic acute infarction. The duplex scan of the supra-aortic trunks was normal, and the transcranial Doppler reflected a generalised increase in the pulsatility indices. Transthoracic echocardiography showed left ventricular hypertrophy and left atrial dilatation. He was discharged five days later, with antiaggregating medication but asymptomatic. The prolonged Holter-electrocardiogram recording showed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. One notable value in the urine analysis was microalbuminuria of 281 mg/L. In view of the multi-organic involvement and the family history, a study for Fabry's disease was performed. Activity of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A was diminished, and the presence of a mutation in the GLA gene was found. The patient's brother, who suffered from kidney failure and atrial fibrillation, was positive for this mutation. The patient is on treatment with agalsidase beta. CONCLUSIONS: Fabry's disease must be suspected in young males with heart disease, stroke or peripheral neuropathy, skin lesions, kidney failure and a history of cases in the family. Hormone replacement therapy must be established at an early stage, as it can improve the prognosis.

TITLE: Ictus criptogenico en un paciente joven con cardiopatia y fallo renal.Introduccion. La enfermedad de Fabry es una patologia metabolica infrecuente ligada al cromosoma X, que provoca una amplia variedad de signos y sintomas. Caso clinico. Varon de 39 antilde;os que ingreso en nuestra unidad de ictus con hemiparesia derecha (1 + 0) y disartria (1). La puntuacion en la National Institute of Health Stroke Scale era de 2. Presentaba angioqueratomas en ambos muslos. La tomografia axial computarizada craneal mostraba un infarto agudo talamico izquierdo. El duplex de los troncos supraaorticos era normal, y el Doppler transcraneal reflejaba un aumento generalizado de los indices de pulsatilidad. El ecocardiograma transtoracico mostraba hipertrofia ventricular izquierda y dilatacion de la auricula izquierda. Recibio el alta cinco dias despues, asintomatico, con antiagregacion. El registro Holter-electrocardiografico prolongado mostraba fibrilacion auricular paroxistica. En la analitica de orina destacaba microalbuminuria de 281 mg/L. En vista de la afectacion multiorganica y la historia familiar, se curso estudio de enfermedad de Fabry. La actividad de la enzima alfa-galactosidasa-A se encontro disminuida, y se demostro la presencia de una mutacion en el gen GLA. Su hermano, que padecia insuficiencia renal y fibrilacion auricular, fue positivo para dicha mutacion. El paciente se encuentra en tratamiento con agalsidasa beta. Conclusiones. La enfermedad de Fabry debe sospecharse en varones jovenes con cardiopatia, ictus o neuropatia periferica, lesiones cutaneas, fallo renal e historia de familiares afectos. El tratamiento hormonal sustitutivo debe comenzarse precozmente, ya que puede mejorar el pronostico.

Comparative Study of the Optical and Textural Properties of Tetrapyrrole Macrocycles Trapped Within ZrO2, TiO2, and SiO2 Translucent Xerogels.

The entrapping of physicochemical active molecules inside mesoporous networks is an appealing field of research due to the myriad of potential applications in optics, photocatalysis, chemical sensing, and medicine. One of the most important reasons for this success is the possibility of optimizing the properties that a free active species displays in solution but now trapped inside a solid substrate. Additionally it is possible to modulate the textural characteristics of substrates, such as pore size, specific surface area, polarity and chemical affinity of the surface, toward the physical or chemical adhesion of a variety of adsorbates. In the present document, two kinds of non-silicon metal alkoxides, Zr and Ti, are employed to prepare xerogels containing entrapped tetrapyrrolic species that could be inserted beforehand in analogue silica systems. The main goal is to develop efficient methods for trapping or binding tetrapyrrole macrocycles inside TiO2 and ZrO2 xerogels, while comparing the properties of these systems against those of the SiO2 analogues. Once the optimal synthesis conditions for obtaining translucent monolithic xerogels of ZrO2 and TiO2 networks were determined, it was confirmed that these substrates allowed the entrapment, in monomeric form, of macrocycles that commonly appear as aggregates within the SiO2 network. From these experiments, it could be determined that the average pore diameters, specific surface areas, and water sorption capacities depicted by each one of these substrates, are a consequence of their own nature combined with the particular structure of the entrapped tetrapyrrole macrocycle. Furthermore, the establishment of covalent bonds between the intruding species and the pore walls leads to the obtainment of very similar pore sizes in the three different metal oxide (Ti, Zr, and Si) substrates as a consequence of the templating effect of the encapsulated species.

Crossed and linked histories of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles and their use for engineering pores within sol-gel matrices.

The crossed and linked histories of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, interwoven with new research discoveries, suggest that Nature has found in these structures a way to ensure the continuity of life. For diverse applications porphyrins or phthalocyanines must be trapped inside solid networks, but due to their nature, these compounds cannot be introduced by thermal diffusion; the sol-gel method makes possible this insertion through a soft chemical process. The methodologies for trapping or bonding macrocycles inside pristine or organo-modified silica or inside ZrO2 xerogels were developed by using phthalocyanines and porphyrins as molecular probes. The sizes of the pores formed depend on the structure, the cation nature, and the identities and positions of peripheral substituents of the macrocycle. The interactions of the macrocyclic molecule and surface Si-OH groups inhibit the efficient displaying of the macrocycle properties and to avoid this undesirable event, strategies such as situating the macrocycle far from the pore walls or to exchange the Si-OH species by alkyl or aryl groups have been proposed. Spectroscopic properties are better preserved when long unions are established between the macrocycle and the pore walls, or when oligomeric macrocyclic species are trapped inside each pore. When macrocycles are trapped inside organo-modified silica, their properties result similar to those displayed in solution and their intensities depend on the length of the alkyl chain attached to the matrix. These results support the prospect of tuning up the pore size, surface area, and polarity inside the pore cavities in order to prepare efficient catalytic, optical, sensoring, and medical systems. The most important feature is that research would confirm again that tetrapyrrolic macrocycles can help in the development of the authentic pore engineering in materials science.

Endocarditis due to Listeria: description of two cases and review of the literature.

Endocarditis due to Listeria monocytogenes is a very uncommon and very serious disease that may lead to valve dysfunction and cardiac arrest. We report two cases of endocarditis caused by L. monocytogenes and review the papers previously published on the subject.

Fiebre intermitente como manifestación clínica de una fístula biliopulmonar / No disponible

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