RESUMEN
Congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) is a zoonosis resulting from the fetal transmission of the obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii, transplacentally in pregnant women usually in the first trimester of pregnancy. This research consisted in the review of indexed articles made in the Ecuador in the period between the years 2012 and 2017 with prevalence studies of the aforementioned pathology. The purpose of this collection was to determine the current situation of this disease in the Ecuadorian territory and, in addition, to recognize the risk factors involved, affected age groups, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and prevalence of the infection. Among the risk factors were the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, contact with feces of young cats and climatic conditions that stimulate the spread of oocysts, among others. Most affected ages by this disease fluctuate between 20 and 30 years. In 90% of the cases, the disease is asymptomatic or it may present adenopathies, maculo papular erythema, hepatosplenomegaly and other general signs such as fever, malaise, headache and myalgias. According to studies conducted with specific populations, it was established that the causative agent remains latent in first-trimester pregnant women from the provinces of Pichincha (71.4% of 140 pregnant women), Guayas (73% of 5683) and El Oro (16% of 250). The results of this research evidenced missing information in Ecuador, finding few and isolated studies regarding to this pathology. Therefore, it is concluded that an updated research should be conducted in order to elucidate the true epidemiological situation of congenital toxoplasmosis in Ecuador.
Asunto(s)
Complicaciones Parasitarias del Embarazo , Toxoplasmosis Congénita , Adulto , Ecuador , Femenino , Humanos , Embarazo , Factores de Riesgo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of age and diabetic neuropathy on ankle motor function in the frontal plane in terms of rate of torque development and capability for balance recovery. DESIGN: Case control study. Six older women with diabetic neuropathy compared to six women without neuropathy, matched for age and presence of diabetes mellitus; and nine healthy young women. BACKGROUND: Neuropathy causes a distal impairment in lower extremity sensory function which increases fall risk. Impairments in ankle inversion/eversion proprioceptive thresholds have been identified, but the effect of neuropathy on ankle motor strength in the frontal plane is unknown. METHODS: Subjects' abilities to recover from a lateral lean (with center of gravity offset as percentage of foot width) while standing on one foot, and to rapidly generate inversion torque about the ankle, were quantified. RESULTS: All nine of the young, but only one of six older, control subjects recovered from a 10% lean (P=0.0052). Three of six older controls, but no neuropathy subject, recovered from a 5% lean (P=0.083). Neuropathy subjects demonstrated half the ankle rate of torque development [78.2 (50.8) N m/s; P=0.016] of the young and older controls [162.0 (54.6) and 152.7 (22.2) N m/s, respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic neuropathy leads to a decrease in rapidly available ankle strength which impairs balance recovery among older women. Younger women demonstrate similar ankle strength but superior balance recovery compared to older women without neuropathy.
Asunto(s)
Articulación del Tobillo/fisiopatología , Neuropatías Diabéticas/fisiopatología , Movimiento , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Equilibrio Postural , Propiocepción , Rango del Movimiento ArticularRESUMEN
La enfermedad mano-pie-boca y la herpangina causadas por los virus Coxsakie se considern autolimitadas. Recientes epidemias de estas patologías pero por enterovirus 71 en Malasia, Japón y taiwán, causaron complicaciones neurológicas y pulmonares, fatales en muchos casos. En este trabajo nos referimos al pleconaril, un nuevo antiviral en ensayos clínicos para el tratamiento de meningitis e infecciones respiratorias por enterovirus
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Infecciones por Enterovirus/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Enterovirus/terapia , Enfermedad de Boca, Mano y Pie/diagnóstico , Enfermedad de Boca, Mano y Pie/terapia , Herpangina/terapiaRESUMEN
La enfermedad mano-pie-boca y la herpangina causadas por los virus Coxsakie se considern autolimitadas. Recientes epidemias de estas patologías pero por enterovirus 71 en Malasia, Japón y taiwán, causaron complicaciones neurológicas y pulmonares, fatales en muchos casos. En este trabajo nos referimos al pleconaril, un nuevo antiviral en ensayos clínicos para el tratamiento de meningitis e infecciones respiratorias por enterovirus(AU)
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Infecciones por Enterovirus/terapia , Infecciones por Enterovirus/diagnóstico , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Enfermedad de Boca, Mano y Pie/diagnóstico , Enfermedad de Boca, Mano y Pie/terapia , Herpangina/terapiaRESUMEN
Glucocorticoids have been implicated as an important regulator of intestinal epithelial cell ontogeny. The polymeric IgA receptor (pIgR) is expressed in the intestinal epithelial layer and is regulated by several mediators, including glucocorticoids. The mechanism of how corticosteroids alter the transcriptional regulation of pIgR expression has not been defined. In this study, we demonstrated that glucocorticoids upregulate steady-state pIgR mRNA levels in the proximal intestine of suckling rats and in the IEC-6 intestinal cell line. We performed functional analysis of the 5'-flanking region in the presence of glucocorticoids and its receptor using the intestinal cell line Caco-2. We screened 4.7 kb of the upstream region of the murine gene and identified the most potent steroid response element to reside between nt -215 and -163 relative to the start of transcription. Substitution mutation analysis of this region identified the location of the putative steroid response element to be between nt -195 and -176. In vitro DNase I footprint analysis using the recombinant glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding domain confirmed a single area of protection that spans the nt identified by mutagenesis analysis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays of the putative element confirmed the binding of both recombinant and cell synthesized glucocorticoid receptor in a specific manner. In summary, we report the identification and characterization of the glucocorticoid-DNA response element located in the immediate 5'-upstream region of the murine pIgR gene.
Asunto(s)
Glucocorticoides/fisiología , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/fisiología , Receptores Fc/genética , Transcripción Genética/fisiología , Animales , Animales Lactantes/crecimiento & desarrollo , Animales Lactantes/metabolismo , Secuencia de Bases/genética , Células CACO-2 , Corticosterona/farmacología , Huella de ADN , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Genes/efectos de los fármacos , Homeostasis/fisiología , Humanos , Técnicas In Vitro , Ratones , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Polímeros , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/efectos de los fármacos , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/genética , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-DawleyRESUMEN
The regulatory elements that control basal and activated transcriptional expression of the polymeric IgA receptor gene (pIgR) have not been defined. In this study, we performed functional analysis of the murine pIgR 5'-upstream region. Transient transfection studies identified the gene's minimal promoter to reside within 110 nucleotides upstream from the start of transcription. Substitution mutations of this region identified both a putative activator (-78 to -70) and a repressor (-66 to -52) element. DNase I footprint analysis confirmed an area of protection that spans from nucleotides -85 to -62. Mobility shift assays of the putative region confirmed binding of upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF1) to an E box element at positions -75 and -70, representing the putative enhancer. Overexpression studies using various forms of USF suggest that both USF1 and USF2 enhance activity of the pIgR minimal promoter. We report the identification and characterization of the murine pIgR minimal promoter, as well as the critical role of USF in enhancing its basal level of transcription in Caco-2 cells.
Asunto(s)
Intestino Delgado/metabolismo , Receptores Fc/genética , Secuencias Reguladoras de Ácidos Nucleicos , Transcripción Genética , Envejecimiento , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Sitios de Unión , Línea Celular , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Exones , Biblioteca Genómica , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina A/metabolismo , Intestino Delgado/crecimiento & desarrollo , Ratones/genética , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Mutagénesis Sitio-Dirigida , Oligodesoxirribonucleótidos , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Ratas/genética , Receptores Fc/biosíntesis , Proteínas Recombinantes/biosíntesis , Alineación de Secuencia , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , TATA Box , TransfecciónRESUMEN
The role of the polymeric receptor (pIgR) is to transport polymeric IgA across various mucosal epithelial layers. Although several mammalian pIgR cDNAs, including mouse, have been cloned, genomic structure has only been partially analyzed in the human, and neither its 5'-upstream region nor its transcriptional start site is known. We report the isolation and characterization of the murine pIgR gene that spans 32 kb and contains 11 exons. The general organization of the murine gene, including its intron/exon boundaries was similar to its human homolog; however, the second intron was 7.2 kb in the mouse vs. only 0.8 kb in humans. Primer extension and 5'-RACE independently identified the identical transcriptional initiation site. Sequence analysis of 350 base pairs in the 5'-flanking region revealed several motifs, including a TATA box, and putative interferon-gamma, HNF-3beta and AP1 sites. In summary, we have isolated the murine pIgR gene and described its structure and organization.
Asunto(s)
Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Receptores de Inmunoglobulina Polimérica/genética , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Southern Blotting , Clonación Molecular , ADN Complementario , Humanos , Ratones , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Transcripción GenéticaRESUMEN
Factors influencing transformation frequencies using the Agrobacterium-mediated protocol developed for Citrus seedling internodal stem segments in this laboratory were evaluated, with particular emphasis on decreasing the numbers of ``escape'' shoots produced. Although the use of a wild-type ``shooty'' Agrobacterium strain allowed relatively high frequencies of ß-glucuronidase positive (GUS+) shoots to be produced, none of the shoots were free of wild-type T-DNA and would not root. Both use of a liquid medium/kanamycin overlay and horizontal placement of stem segments increased the efficiency of kanamycin selection. Wounding via particle bombardment prior to Agrobacterium inoculation did not increase transformation frequencies. The concentration of benzyladenine (BA) in the regeneration/selection medium inversely influenced the numbers of shoots that regenerated and the subsequent ability of the shoots to root. Regeneration in the presence of kanamycin also influenced the ability of shoots to root. Many of the shoots that regenerated on selection medium were chimeric for GUS expression, and plants established from such shoots ranged from non-staining to solidly staining for GUS. However, solidly transformed plants with integrated T-DNA were obtained, and these plants have maintained the expression of transgenes over several years. The transgenic plants include ones of sour orange (C. aurantium L.) and Key lime (C. aurantifolia (Christm.) Swing.), two species not previously transformed, and have integrated and express the coat protein gene of citrus tristeza virus. This is the first report of a potentially agriculturally important transgene being expressed in Citrus.
RESUMEN
The objective of this work was to study and identify the necessary processing steps for obtaining good quality sunflower seed protein concentrate and isolate when the oil is extracted with ethanol. This work is part of a research project on using ethanol as renewable solvent for sunflower seed oil recovery and possible further processing of the meal. Both 99 degrees GL and 90 degrees GL ethanol were employed in the extractions to produce the concentrate. Isolates were obtained by treating the concentrate with NaOH and HCl solutions and final rinsing with acidified water. Both products were light in color and almost free from chlorogenic acid.