The Role of SUMOylation and Ubiquitination in Brain Ischaemia: Critical Concepts and Clinical Implications.

Brain ischaemia is a severe form of metabolic stress that activates a cascade of pathological events involving many signalling pathways. Modulation of these pathways is largely mediated by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Indeed, PTMs can rapidly modify pre-existing proteins by attaching chemical or polypeptide moieties to selected amino acid residues, altering their functions, stability, subcellular localizations, or interactions with other proteins. Subsequently, related signalling pathways can be substantially affected. Thus, PTMs are widely deployed by cells as an adaptive strategy at the front line to efficiently cope with internal and external stresses. Many types of PTMs have been identified, including phosphorylation, O-GlcNAcylation, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification (SUMOylation), and ubiquitination. All these PTMs have been studied in brain ischaemia to some extent. In particular, a large body of evidence has demonstrated that both global SUMOylation and ubiquitination are massively activated after brain ischaemia, and this activation may play a critical role in defining the fate and function of cells in the post-ischaemic brain. The goal of this review will be to summarize the current findings on SUMOylation and ubiquitination in brain ischaemia and discuss their clinical implications.

Supervivencia de cáncer gástrico en el occidente de Honduras, estudio piloto: 2002-2012 / Survival of Gastric Cancer in Western Honduras Pilot study: 2002-2012

Antecedentes: El cáncer gástrico es la segunda causa de muerte por cáncer globalmente. En Honduras la incidencia en la década pasada fue de 39 y 21 por 100,000 habitantes para hombres y mujeres, respectivamente. En 2008 IARC (GLOBOCAN) colocó a Honduras como el país con más alta incidencia de cáncer gástrico en Latinoamérica. Objetivo: Determinar la supervivencia en pacientes diagnosticados con cáncer gástrico en el occidente de Honduras entre los años 2002-2012. Métodos: Se diseñó un es- tudio de cohorte retrospectivo de pacientes diagnosticados con cáncer gástrico en el Hospital de Occidente (2002-2012). Una muestra de 144 pacientes fue seleccionada de un total de 490 para obtener un nivel de confianza de 95%. La recolección de datos se obtuvo mediante autopsia verbal. Se analizaron los factores pronósticos de supervivencia mediante modelos de razón de riesgos proporcio - nales de Cox (CI:95%) Resultados: La relación hombre/mujer fue 2.8:1. La media de edad fue 63.29 años. La supervivencia global a cinco años fue 9.39%. Entre los pacientes que recibieron terapia dual (cirugía y quimioterapia), se encontró un aumento estadísti- camente significativo de la supervivencia (10.42%,p=0.048). Entre la localizaci ón proximal (28.95%) y distal (56.58%) se observó diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0.03). No hubo diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre hallazgos macroscópicos (Borrmann) y microscópicos (Lauren). Discusión: Este estudio representa el primer esfuerzo para estimar la supervivencia de cáncer gástrico en Honduras. La supervivencia podría estar ligada a la localización de la lesión primaria y al tipo de tratamiento. Se espera desarrollar estudios con mayor cobertura, para responder a estas preguntas...(AU)

[Survival of Gastric Cancer in Western Honduras Pilot study: 2002-2012]. / SUPERVIVENCIA DE CÁNCER GÁSTRICO EN EL OCCIDENTE DE HONDURAS ESTUDIO PILOTO: 2002­2012.

Background: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death globally. In Honduras the incidence in the last decade was 39 and 21 per 100,000 inhabitants for men and women, respectively. In 2008 IARC (GLOBOCAN) placed Honduras as the country with the highest incidence of gastric cancer in Latin America. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer at the Hospital de Occidente between 2002-2012 was designed. A sample of 144 patients was selected from a total of 490 to obtain a confidence level of 95%. The data collection was obtained by verbal autopsy. Prognostic factors of survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards ratio models (CI: 95%). Outcomes: The male/female ratio was 2.8:1. The mean age was 63.29 years. Overall five-year survival was 9.39%. Among patients receiving dual therapy (surgery and chemotherapy), a statistically significant increase in survival was found (10.42%, p=0.048). Between the proximal (28.95%) and distal (56.58%) locations also a statistically significant difference was observed (p=0.03). There was no statistically significant difference in the macroscopic (Borrmann) and microscopic findings (Lauren). Disscusion: This study represents the first effort to estimate survival of gastric cancer in Honduras. Survival may be linked to the location of the primary lesion and the type of treatment. It is expected to develop studies with greater coverage, to answer these questions.