Comparative analysis of ß-glucosidase activity in non-conventional yeasts.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ß-glucosidase activity in the non-conventional yeasts under cellulose, glucose and sucrose substrates. The participation of the enzyme ß-glucosidase and its contribution to the enzymatic degradation of tannins is known. Within the classification of tannins are ellagitannins, molecules of gallic acid and ellagic acid, which are considered as nutraceutical compounds due to the properties that they present and that they can be used in the design of food and new drugs, synthesis of materials with antimicrobial capacity. The extracellular ß-glucosidase activity was mainly presented in the Candida and Pichia strains, being the glucose and sucrose media the most capable for inducing the activity that showed maximum values with P. pastoris in glucose (0.1682±0.00 µmol/min mg protein), and C. utilis in cellulose (0.1129±0.1349 µmol/min mg of protein), and sucrose (0.0657±0.0214 µmol/min mg protein). Additionally, I. terricola and P. kluyvery stood out in a qualitative cellulose degradation approach measured by Congo red method (9.60±0.04 mm and 9.20±0.05 mm respectively). These indicate that P. pastoris and C. utilis have potential as ß-glucosidase producers, especially when growing under complex carbon sources for biomass conversion, new biofuels production and polyphenol degradation with more manageable bioreactor process.

Different contribution of conserved amino acids to the global properties of triosephosphate isomerases.

It is generally assumed that the amino acids that exist in all homologous enzymes correspond to residues that participate in catalysis, or that are essential for folding and stability. Although this holds for catalytic residues, the function of conserved noncatalytic residues is not clear. It is not known if such residues are of equal importance and have the same role in different homologous enzymes. In humans, the E104D mutation in triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is the most frequent mutation in the autosomal diseases named "TPI deficiencies." We explored if the E104D mutation has the same impact in TIMs from four different organisms (Homo sapiens, Giardia lamblia, Trypanosoma cruzi, and T. brucei). The catalytic properties were not significantly affected by the mutation, but it affected the rate and extent of formation of active dimers from unfolded monomers differently. Scanning calorimetry experiments indicated that the mutation was in all cases destabilizing, but the mutation effect on rates of irreversible denaturation and transition-state energetics were drastically dependent on the TIM background. For instance, the E104D mutation produce changes in activation energy ranging from 430 kJ mol(-1) in HsTIM to -78 kJ mol(-1) in TcTIM. Thus, in TIM the role of a conserved noncatalytic residue is drastically dependent on its molecular background. Accordingly, it would seem that because each protein has a particular sequence, and a distinctive set of amino acid interactions, it should be regarded as a unique entity that has evolved for function and stability in the organisms to which it belongs.

Switching Ratio from Parenteral to Oral Methadone 1:1.2 Is Safer Compared with Ratio 1:2 in Patients with Controlled Cancer Pain: A Multicenter Randomized-Controlled Trial (RATIOMTD-010810).

Background: The most commonly used switching ratio from parenteral to oral methadone is 1:2. Methadone is highly bioavailable and a lower ratio might result in similar analgesia with less toxicity. Objective: To compare success and side effects with two ratios from parenteral to oral methadone: 1:2 versus 1:1.2 in hospitalized patients with cancer pain. Design: A multicenter double-blind randomized clinical trial. Settings/Particiants: Inpatients with well-controlled cancer pain with parenteral methadone requiring rotation to the oral route. Measurements: Outcomes included pain intensity (Brief Inventory Pain), opioid toxicity (Common Toxicology Criteria for Adverse Events), and methadone dose. Success was defined as no toxicity with good pain control at 72 hours. Results: Thirty-nine of forty-four randomized patients were evaluable: 21 in ratio 1:2 and 18 in ratio 1:1.2. Seventy-one percent male. Median age 65 years. No significant differences in basal clinical characteristics between both groups. Median methadone dose pre/post switching was 24.5 mg ±13.5 and 49 mg ±27.3 for ratio 1:2, versus 23.3 mg ±9.4 (p: not significant) and 28 mg ±11.3 (p < 0.01) for ratio 1:1.2. Pain was well controlled without differences between both ratios. Drowsiness at day +1 (p < 0.017) and myoclonus at day +3 (p < 0.019) were more prevalent in group 1:2. Success was observed in 12 patients in ratio 1:2 versus 18 in ratio 1:1.2 (p < 0.001). Methadone side effects were observed in 12 patients in ratio 1:2 (mainly neurotoxicity symptoms) versus 2 in ratio 1:1.2 (p < 0.005). Conclusion: Ratio 1:1.2 when changing from parenteral to oral methadone resulted in lower toxicity and no difference in analgesia. More conservative dose adjustment during methadone route change should be considered. European Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT No. 2010-024092-39).

[The last phase in the progressive neoplasic disease: care at the end-of-life, refractory symptoms and sedation]. / Ultima etapa de la enfermedad neoplásica progresiva: cuidados en la agonía, síntomas refractarios y sedación.

End-of-life is one of the most stressful phases during course of a neoplasic disease. Frequently, death of patients with cancer comes after a continuous and progressive physical impairment. As death approaches, the medical team might redefine outcomes and treat as priority symptoms and relief suffering. That care encompasses the physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and existential needs of patients and their families. However, symptoms are frequently observed that are intolerable for the patient and which do not respond to usual palliative measures. The intolerable nature and being refractory to treatment indicates to the health-care team, on many occasions, the need for sedation of the patient. The medical team can take comfort in the knowledge that they did their best to provide safe passage to all their patients and that, although they did not always cure them, the patients often were healed.

Estrabismos convergentes y divergentes en niños / Exotropias and endotropias in children

En la valoración visual del paciente pediátrico es indispensable determinar el alineamiento ocular, para poder así descartar estrabismos que generan además de ambliopía, pérdida de la visión binocular. La endotropiase considera como el tipo más frecuente de estrabismo en los niños, responsable de más del 50% de las desviaciones, cuyo manejo puede ser quirúrgico o con prescripción óptica de acuerdo a su origen. Las exodesviaciónes son poco frecuentes antes de los 6 meses, generalmente inician de manera intermitente y se vuelven constantes, están asociadas a insuficiencia de convergencia y correspondencia sensorial anómala; dependiendo de su magnitud y permanencia se tratan con ortóptica o con cirugía.

In the visual assessment of pediatric patients is essential to determine the ocular alignment, and to generate further ruled strabismus amblyopia, binocular vision loss. The esotropia is considered the most common type of strabismus in children, accountingfor more than 50% of the deviations, whose management may be surgical or optical prescription according to their origin. Exotropias and endotropias in children. The exotropia are rare before six months, usually starting intermittently and become constant, are associated with convergence insufficiency and abnormal sensory correspondence, depending on their size and permanence, are treated with orthoptics or surgery.

Hepatitis C virus quasispecies variability modulates nonstructural protein 5A transcriptional activation, pointing to cellular compartmentalization of virus-host interactions.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) behaves in infected patients as a complex mixture of genetically distinct but closely related variants referred to as a "quasispecies." By using quasispecies analysis strategies, we showed that HCV nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) has a quasispecies distribution in infected humans and that NS5A quasispecies undergo significant genetic evolution over time, as a result of random accumulation of nucleotide mutations during replication. Genetic evolution of the NS5A quasispecies results in sporadic amino acid changes in the protein sequence. By using the functional in vitro model of HCV NS5A transcriptional activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we showed that natural NS5A quasispecies variants induce different levels of transcriptional activation, according to the charge of the residues (and possibly minor conformational changes) in the quasispecies variant sequence. These findings show that the accumulation of mutations on HCV genomes during replication randomly generates variant proteins with quantitatively different functional properties. The fact that each new variant protein is initially produced in a single infected hepatocyte and may or may not subsequently spread throughout the liver (depending on the replication capacities of the variant virus) points to cellular compartmentalization of virus-host interactions during chronic infection. This feature of quasispecies-distributed viruses could play an important role in various aspects of the viral life cycle and related disease.

Determinación de la variabilidad de la sensibilidad al contraste con el FACT en pacientes miopes antes y después de la cirugía refractiva con MULTISCAN, en OPTILASER / Determination of the variability in sensitivity to contrast whit the FACT (Functional Acuity Contrast Test), in myopic patients before and after refractive surgery with MULTISCAN, in OPTILASER

Este estudio tiene como objetivo determinar el efecto de la cirugía en los pacientes operados en cuanto a la calidad visual, medida por medio del FACT (Functional Acuity Contrast Test), para sugerir el uso del test FACT como prueba de rutina para estos pacientes. Fue un estudio descriptivo con mediciones transversales previas, al mes y a los dos meses de la cirugía. Con 17 pacientes realizo la valoración de 32 ojos, encontrando diferencias entre las mediciones iniciales y al mes la sensibilidad al contraste en la frecuencia espacial 12.0 (p 0.00) y 18.0 (p 0.0104). La curva construida con medianas demuestra el efecto de mejoría de la sensibilidad en las frecuencias espaciales altas. Los resultados controvierten los hallazgos de compromiso de la sensibilidad al contraste, e indican la necesidad de aplicar el FACT para una mejor valoración de los pacientes con cirugía refractiva.

The purpose of this study is to determine surgery effect on patients operated on visual quality, to suggest the use of the test FACT (Functional Acuity Contrast Test) as a routine test for these patients. It was a descriptive study with previous transversal measurements, a month and two months to the surgery. 32 eyes were evaluated in 17 patients, finding out differences in sensitivity to contrast between initial and a month later measurements, in the space frequency of 12.0 (p 0.00) y 18.0 (p 0.0104). the curve constructed with statiscal averages proved the improvement effect to sensitivity within high space frequencies. The results controvert the findings of sensitivity compromise to contrast, and indicate the need to apply FACT for a better evaluation of patients subjected to refractive surgery.

Curva normal de sensibilidad al contraste (FACT) en niños entre 6 y 12 años en el Instituto de Investigaciones Optométricas / Normal sensibility curve at contrast (FACT) in children between 6 and 12 years of age in the Optometry Research Institute

El test de sensibilidad al contraste (FACT) es util en la detección y diagnostico de diversas patologías oculares pero su uso se ha limitado mucho en niños. El objetivo de este estudio fue construir la curva con el rango de normalidad para el mencionado Test, para frecuencias especiales de 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0 y 18.0, para niños de 6 a 12 años que consultan el Instituto de Investigaciones Optométricas de la Universidad de La Salle. Fue un estudio descriptivo para estandarización de un test, con una muestra de 58 niños (nivel de confianza 95 por ciento, error muestral del 5 por ciento), mediante muestreo aleatorio sistemático de los niños que asisten a la unidad de optometría pediátrica, que tenían valoración optométrica previa, agudeza visual entre 20/15 y 20/30 y que tuviesen corrección óptica de ser necesaria. Para establecer este rango de normalidad se tuvo en cuenta la media más o menos una desviación estándar y el rango entre percentil 25 y percentil 75, seleccionando por su distribución normal, la construida con la media, con algunas diferencias con la curva FACT del fabricante. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las curvas, construida mediante intervalos de confianza de 95 por ciento para la media, por ojo, edad, sexo, ojo dominante y estado refractivo, excepto entre amétropes y astigmatas para frecuencias espaciales de 6.0 y 12.0. Además no se encontró concordancia de la agudeza visual entre Snellen y su equivalente FACT. La construcción de esta curva permitirá la validación del test FACT en la consulta optométrica del Instituto de Investigaciones Optométricas.

The functionally acuity contrast test (FACT) is useful in the detection and diagnosis so diverse ophthalmological ocular pathologies but is use is limited in childhood. The purpose of this study was build a normal curve in the range 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0 and 18.0 for special frequencies, in children between the ages of 6 to 11 who attend to Instituto de Investigaciones Optometricas of Universidad de La Salle Colombia. It was a descriptive study for test standardization, with o systematic random sample of 58 child (confidence 95 percent, sample error 5 percent) by a systematic random sample of the children that attend the pediatric optometry unit and who had previous optometry evaluation, visual acuity between 20/15 and 20/30 and optical correction when necessary. To establish this normal rank the media was taken into account plus or minus a standard deviation and the 25th and 75th percentage selected by its normal distribution, the one constructed by its media with some differences related to the curve of FACT of the manufacturer. The curves haven´t statistical differences (95 percent confidence intervals for media) between eye, age, dominant eye and refractive status, except between astigmatic and emetropic for 6.0 and 12.0 spatial frequencies. Also there was not concordance between Snellen and Fact visual acuity. The designing of this curve will allow for the validation of the FACT Test use in the optometry evaluation at the Instituto de Investigaciones Ooptometricas.