MicroRNA Expression Analysis of Centenarians and Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Reveals a Common Expression Pattern.

Micro-RNA (miRNA) are a family of small non-coding ribonucleic acids that inhibits post-transcriptionally the expression of their target messenger RNA (mRNA). We are interested in studying the involvement of miRNA in longevity and autoimmune diseases. In this study we compared the different expression of seven microRNAs between human plasma healthy controls, plasma samples of centenarians and samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We used the Life Technologies' protocol to quantify seven miRNAs from 62 plasma samples: 20 healthy human controls, 14 centenarians, 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. TaqMan MicroRNA assays were used to analyze the expression profiles of miR-125b-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-200b5p, miR-200c-3p, miR-579-3p, miR-212-3p, miR-21-5p and miR-126-3p. The relative expression of mature miRNAs was analyzed using software REST. Our results show that miR-425-5p, miR-21 and miR-212 significantly decreased in centenarians and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared with controls. Furthermore in this work we highlight a connection between corticosteroid treatment and miRNAs expression.

Estudio cuantitativo y cualitativo de la indicación farmacéutica en una farmacia comunitaria / Quantitative and qualitative studies of the pharmacist counselling in the community pharmacy

Objetivos: 1) Caracterizar cuantitativamente la indicación farmacéutica (IndF). 2) Caracterizar cualitativamente la IndF: a) caracterizar a los pacientes; b) analizar la frecuencia y los motivos de consulta más habituales, y c) analizar las recomendaciones indicadas. 3) Valorar la calidad del método de registro cualitativo. Método: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Se registraron todas las IndF, durante 3 meses, de todo usuario que solicitara una indicación para un problema de salud, ya fuera para él mismo o para otra persona, en una farmacia comunitaria. El registro cuantitativo se llevó a cabo mediante el sistema de gestión, y el cualitativo mediante una hoja ad hoc en papel, registrando datos del paciente, de la consulta y de la recomendación y en qué momento se realizó el registro, si durante la entrevista con el paciente (método Foro) o más tarde. Resultados: Se realizaron 690 indicaciones y, de ellas, el 60% pudo ser registrado cualitativamente. Casi un 60% de las IndF registradas cualitativamente fueron para mujeres en edades entre los 45 y los 60 años, y en la mayoría de los casos fue el propio paciente quien solicitó las indicaciones. El motivo de consulta más frecuente fue el dolor. Los medicamentos más aconsejados fueron los del sistema respiratorio, con un 25%. La mayoría de las IndF se resolvieron con una especialidad farmacéutica publicitaria (EFP) o un producto sanitario. Conclusiones: Se consiguió registrar cualitativamente un 60% del total de las IndF. La mayoría de las IndF demandadas se resolvieron con la recomendación de un medicamento. La gran solicitud de indicaciones para el dolor no relacionadas con la recomendación de analgésicos refleja la importancia del asesoramiento farmacéutico (AU)

Objectives: 1) To characterize quantitatively the pharmacist counselling (PhCoun) in minor ailments. 2) To characterize qualitatively the PhCoun: a) to characterize assisted patients; b) to analyze both the frequency and reasons for most common consultations; c) to analyze recommendations suggested at the PhCoun service. 3) To rate the quality of the methodology for the qualitative registration. Methodology: Descriptive transversal study. All pharmacist counselling in minor ailments were fi led during a 3 month period, of any patient who requested counseling for health purposes, whether for themselves or acting on other patient’s behalf, in one community pharmacy. Registration was quantitative, by the administration system, and qualitative by a temporary sheet of paper, filing patient data, consultations, recommendations, and also, when fi ling happens, if during the consulting with patient (Foro method) or later. Results: 690 IndF were made and 60% of them could be recorded qualitatively. Nearly a 60% of the PhCoun filed qualitatively are females, ages within 45-60 years, where in most cases, requested by the patient. Most of the IndF were resolved with an EFP or sanitary product. Being pain the most frequent reason for counseling need. Medication for the respiratory system was the most prescribed (25%). Conclusions: A qualitative record was achieved 60% of total PhCoun. Most solicited PhCoun are dealt with prescribed medication. The high requests for pain consultations not related with analgesic prescriptions refl ect the significance (importance) of pharmaceutical consulting (AU)

Efectos sistémicos del implante de partículas de desgaste del polietileno en el hueso. Estudio experimental / Systemic effects of implantation of polyethylene wear particles on bone. Experimental study

Objetivo: Se ha estudiado el efecto que provoca el implante de partículas de desgaste de polietileno de alta densidad sobre los ganglios linfáticos, el hígado y el pulmón de la rata.Diseño experimental: Se ha implantado 1 mg de polvo de polietileno, constituido por una mezcla hetereogénea de partículas de un tamaño entre 1 y 100 micras, en un orificio practicado en la tibia de 16 ratas de la cepa Sprague-Dawley y se han examinado las muestras de los ganglios de la cadena ilíaca y cervical, tejido hepático y pulmonar a los 15 y 60 días de la intervención. El grupo control ha quedado constituido por 16 ratas a las que se ha realizado la misma intervención pero a las que no se han implantado partículas.Resultados: Un gran número de ganglios presentan hiperplasia difusa con un gran infiltrado macrofágico.Estos cambios no se observan en el grupo control. No se han observado partículas de polietileno en el interior de los ganglios linfáticos. No se han detectado cambios patológicos en las muestras de tejido hepático. En la mitad de las ratas que recibieron partículas se han detectado infiltrados inflamatorios peribronquiales y perivasculares en el pulmón, que no se han observado en el grupo control.Conclusiones: Las partículas de desgaste del polietileno provocan cambios patológicos en órganos a distancia de su lugar de implante. El mecanismo fisiopatológico y las consecuencias de estas alteraciones no son aun bien conocidos (AU)

Effects of static electromagnetic fields on chick embryo pineal gland development.

The effects of static electromagnetic fields on the development of the chick embryo pineal gland were studied. A total of 144 fertilized White Leghorn eggs were sacrificed after 5, 10 and 15 days of incubation. The stage of development was determined in all embryos using the Hamburger and Hamilton method [J Morphol 49: 88-92, 1951]. The various morphometric parameters (diameter and distance of the pineal gland and its lumen) were measured on serial 7-micron-thick sections. The data were obtained in a morphometer and processed statistically. The intensities of the static electromagnetic fields were 18 and 36 mT. Control and exposed embryos were equally distributed and randomly assigned. After 5 days of incubation, 25% of embryos exposed to a static electromagnetic field of 18 mT had a more advanced stage of development than controls and embryos exposed to 36 mT. On the 10th and 15th day, embryos exposed to either 18 or 36 mT tended to be more developed than controls. In the morphometric study, results were similar for the controls and exposed embryos after 5 and 10 days of incubation. However, the values of the 15-day-old embryos exposed to static magnetic fields were lower than the values of the controls (p > 0.01). These differences were more pronounced in the embryos exposed to 36 mT. These results seem to indicate that static electromagnetic fields affect the development and growth of embryos unequally, and that their action can depend not only on the intensity of the static electromagnetic field, but also on the length of exposure and the organ which is developing. It may be interesting to use these data in ultrastructural and physiological studies.

Tissue factor levels and high ratio of fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer as a measure of endothelial procoagulant disorder in pre-eclampsia.

To assess coagulation activation and endothelial cell injury in normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnant women, a comparison was made of plasma levels of tissue factor, fibronectin, fibrinopeptide A and D-dimer. Samples were taken from 50 nonpregnant women, 40 normotensive pregnant women in the third trimester and 27 women with pre-eclampsia after diagnosis and before treatment. High levels of fibrinopeptide A and D-dimer were found in pre-eclamptic women. Moreover, the ratio fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer was much greater in the pre-eclampsia group than in normotensive pregnant women. The levels of fibronectin and tissue factor were also higher in the pre-eclampsia group. The increase of tissue factor levels suggests an alteration of the extrinsic coagulation pathway in pre-eclampsia. The increase of fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer ratio shows that the activation of coagulation is associated with a relative hypofibrinolysis in pre-eclampsia.

Embryonic development of pineal gland vesicles: a morphological and morphometrical study in chick embryos.

Pineal cell aggregates in 5, 10 and 15 day-old chick embryos have been studied. Cell aggregates were classified into rosettes or vesicles and spheroid and ellipsoid vesicles distinguished. The number of pineal vesicles per unit of surface (vesicle density) was determined in three pineal portions: apical, anterior and posterior. By day 5, only cellular rosettes were found, mainly in the apical portion. After 10 and 15 days, the presence of rosettes was occasional. The posterior wall showed only small spheroid vesicles, while in the apical and anterior areas ellipsoid vesicles were also observed. Moreover, the spheroid/ellipsoid vesicle ratio increased from the 10th to the 15th day of incubation. The vesicle density decreased between the 10th and 15th day because of the increase in both vesicle and pineal size, without changes in the total number of vesicles. The results suggest that changes in vesicle morphology and density could be related to the functional activity of the pineal gland during embryonic development.

Endothelial cell lesion in preeclampsia. Morphofunctional study using umbilical endothelial cells.

Morphofunctional study of umbilical cords from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia shows both activation and lesion of endothelium. The cellular findings in umbilical cords from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia can be summarized as: (i) higher number of cells with secretion bladders and increase in the number and size of both secretion bladders and microvilli-like protrusions; (ii) increase in collagen, fibrin, fibronectin and lipidic vesicles in the vessel wall; (iii) vacuolization of endothelial cells; (iv) presence of lipidic vacuoles and lipophages in the vessel wall; (v) erosion and disorganisation of the endothelium that exposes extracellular proteins to the blood flow. Endothelial cell cultures from preeclamptic pregnancies show kinetic disorders and cell detachment. The results confirm that an endothelial cell lesion occurs in preeclampsia and this cellular disorder can be reproduced in vitro.

Histological changes during development of the cerebellum in the chick embryo exposed to a static magnetic field.

Few studies have been performed to evaluate the ultrastructural changes that exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF) can cause to the processes of cell migration and differentiation in the cerebellum during development. Thus, we have studied the development of the cerebellum in the chick embryo (n = 144) under a uniform SMF (20 mT). All of our observations were done on folium VIc of Larsell's classification. The cerebella of chick embryos, which were exposed solely on day 6 of incubation and sacrificed at day 13 of incubation [short exposure (S)1; n = 24], showed an external granular layer (EGL) that was less dense than the EGL in the control group (n = 24). The molecular layer (ML) exhibited a low number of migratory neuroblastic elements. Moreover, the internal granular layer (IGL) was immature, with the cellular elements less abundant and more dispersed than in controls. In chick embryos exposed on day 6 of incubation and sacrificed at day 17 (S2; n = 24), the outstanding feature was the regeneration of the different layers of the cerebellar cortex. The cerebellar cortex of chick embryos exposed continuously to an identical field from the beginning of the incubation up to day 13 [long exposure (L)1; n = 24] or day 17 (L2; n = 24) of incubation showed a higher number of alterations than that of group S1. Electron microscopy confirmed the findings from light microscopy and, at the same time, showed clear signs of cell degeneration and delay in the process of neuronal differentiation. This was more apparent in groups L1 (100%) and L2 (100%) than in groups S1 (95.4%) and S2 (65.2%). In conclusion, the present study showed that SMF can induce irreversible developmental effects on the processes of cell migration and differentiation of the chick cerebellar cortex.

Pattern of arborization of the motor nerve terminals in the fast and slow mammalian muscles.

A silver impregnation method and a morphometric approach were used to define differences existing in the motor nerve terminal branching pattern between a fast-twitch muscle (extensor digitorum longus) and a slow-twitch one (soleus) of the normal adult rat. Because no single measure can describe precisely all geometrical properties (ie both topology and metrics) of the nerve terminals, we evaluated morphologic parameters defining length and angular characteristics in the different terminal segments classified according to their centrifugal order. The main results indicate that the distal free-end segments in the extensor digitorum longus muscle are shorter and less divergent than in the soleus nerve terminals. The endings in the two muscles have different fractal dimensions. Findings are discussed in the context of the hypothetical mechanisms governing motor nerve terminal size and complexity.

Influence of continuous electromagnetic fields on the stage, weight and stature of the chick embryo.

The influence of continuous electromagnetic fields (0, 181 or 361 Gs/cm2) on the development of chick embryo (n = 144) was studied. Several parameters were determined at days 5, 10 and 15 of incubation: stage (following Hamburger and Hamilton), vertex-coccyx length (size) and weight. At 5 days of incubation, all embryos showed a similar stage. However, at days 10 and 15, the embryos exposed to 181 Gs/cm2 showed a stage significantly superior to that of the others. There were no differences between the exposed embryos and the control ones with regard to weight and stature, except at 15 days when the embryos exposed to 361 Gs/cm2 showed greater weight and stature than those of the controls.

meso-2,3-Dimercaptosuccinic acid and prevention of arsenite embryotoxicity and teratogenicity in the mouse.

meso-2,3-Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), an antidote for the treatment of experimental and human poisoning by a number of heavy metals, has been reported to reduce the lethality of animals poisoned with arsenic more effectively than 2,3-dimercaptopropanol. In the present study, the effect of DMSA on arsenite-induced embryotoxic and teratogenic effects was evaluated in mice. In a first experiment, a series of four DMSA injections was administered sc to pregnant Swiss mice immediately after a single ip injection of 12 mg/kg of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) given on Day 10 of gestation, and at 24, 48, and 72 hr thereafter. DMSA effectiveness was assessed at dosage levels of 0, 80, 160, and 320 mg/kg/day. Treatment with DMSA significantly reduced the embryolethality and the incidence of gross external and skeletal malformations and variations provoked by NaAsO2. Based on these findings, the effect of increasing the time interval between acute arsenite exposure and initiation of DMSA therapy was investigated in a second experiment. On Day 10 of gestation, DMSA (320 mg/kg) was administered sc to pregnant mice at 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 4, or 12 hr after a 12-mg/kg ip dose of NaAsO2. Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity derived from NaAsO2 exposure were significantly reduced when DMSA was given during the first hour after NaAsO2 injection. According to these results, a delay between acute arsenite intoxication and DMSA treatment should be avoided to have a practical beneficial effect on the arsenite exposed conceptus.

Morphology of the lumbar vertebral canal.

In a series of 215 anteroposterior X-ray films, a study was made of the horizontal distance between the pedicles of each lumbar vertebra, first of all sequentially, describing the morphology adopted by the lateral limits of the canal, and secondly determining the absolute value for each level separately and in relation to the variables of sex and age. The absolute value of this distance at each level is related to the thickness of the pedicles and the width of the vertebral bodies of L3 and L4. The values obtained were tested with the appropriate statistics in each case.