Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in type 2 diabetic patients of Talca, Chile

Apolipoprotein E (apo E) modulates the metabolism of atherogenic lipoprotein particles and participates in the process of cellular incorporation of specific lipoproteins. Genetic polymorphism of apo E has been reported as an important dyslipidemia genetic marker associated with coronary artery disease. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease with a high incidence and prevalence in the world. The main cause of death in these patients is myocardial stroke and a high incidence of general cardiovascular complications. The purpose of this work was to characterize the genotype of apo E in diabetic patients from Talca, Chile, in order to describe the allelic frequency of the apo E gene and its correlation to the lipids profile. Type 2 diabetic patients (200) were recruited from the Diabetes Program of Talca Hospital, Chile. Apo E genotype was determined by restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis. A biochemical characterization was performed in all the subjects. Type 2 diabetic patients had elevated levels of glycemia, lipid profile and BMI compared to the control group. The E3/3 genotype and epsilon3 allele had a higher frequency in both groups. The E2/3 and E3/4 genotypes had higher levels of triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol respectively; however, there was not any statistical relationship between them. In conclusion, genotype of apo E in diabetic patients did not differ with healthy; E2/3 and E3/4 genotypes tend to have higher levels of triglyceride and cholesterol respectively. We think that these results corroborate that in the etiology of the dyslipidemia, there is more than one associate genetic marker.     

Executive functions and selective attention are favored in middle-aged healthy women carriers of the Val/Val genotype of the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene: a behavioral genetic study

Background  

Cognitive deficits such as poor memory, the inability to concentrate, deficits in abstract reasoning, attention and set-shifting flexibility have been reported in middle-aged women. It has been suggested that cognitive decline may be due to several factors which include hormonal changes, individual differences, normal processes of aging and age-related changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a common functional polymorphism, has been related to executive performance in young healthy volunteers, old subjects and schizophrenia patients. The effect of this polymorphism on cognitive function in middle-aged healthy women is not well known. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether measures of executive function, sustained attention, selective attention and verbal fluency would be different depending on the COMT genotype and task demand.     

Chemistry of the Fe2O3/BiFeO3 Interface in BiFeO3 Thin Film Heterostructures

We investigate the interfacial chemistry of secondary Fe₂O₃ phases formed in a BiFeO₃ (BFO) layer in BFO/ La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ (LSMO)/SrTiO₃ (STO) heterostructures. A combination of high-resolution spherical aberration corrected scanning TEM and spectroscopy results, reveals that specific chemical and crystallographic similarities between Fe₂O₃ and BFO, enable the BFO layer to form a facile host for Fe₂O₃.     

The enhanced antigen-specific production of cytokines induced by pertussis toxin is due to clonal expansion of T cells and not to altered effector functions of long-term memory cells

Pertussis toxin (PT) has been shown to act as an adjuvant that enhances the production of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines to coinjected protein antigens. It has remained unresolved, however, how PT affects the clonal sizes, long-term effector functions, and Th1/Th2/Th0 differentiation of the T cell responses induced. We have studied the effects of PT on the development of the CD4(+) T cell response to a prototypic antigen, hen eggwhite lysozyme (HEL). HEL injection with incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) resulted in an IFN-gamma(-)/IL-5(+) Th2 recall response. In comparison, co-administration of PT with HEL:IFA enhanced the frequencies of IL-5-producing T cells up to eightfold, and induced the differentiation of high frequencies of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) T cells. The results showed that the IFN-gamma and IL-5 produced, originated from clonally expanded Th1 and Th2, but not Th0 cells, and that the effector functions of long-term memory cells were unaffected. Adoptive transfer experiments suggested that PT mediated these effects via activation of APC, not by acting on the T cells directly. The effects of PT on the developing T cell response required the presence of the holotoxin (A- and B-subunit); the individual subunits did not show adjuvant effects. The data suggest that PT enhanced cytokine production by promoting differentiation and vigorous clonal expansion of Th1 and Th2 cells via activation of APC.     

Analysis of gene expression in the developing mouse retina

In the visual system, differential gene expression underlies development of the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes. Here we present the results of a microarray screen to identify genes differentially expressed in the developing retina. We assayed gene expression in nasal (anterior), temporal (posterior), dorsal, and ventral embryonic mouse retina. We used a statistical method to estimate gene expression between different retina regions. Genes were clustered according to their expression pattern and were ranked within each cluster. We identified groups of genes expressed in gradients or with restricted patterns of expression as verified by in situ hybridization. A common theme for the identified genes is the differential expression in the dorsal-ventral axis. By analyzing gene expression patterns, we provide insight into the molecular organization of the developing retina.     

Financial consequences of changes in health care demands related to tobacco consumption in Mexico: information for policy makers

This paper presents the results from a longitudinal study in which the main purpose was to determine the health-care costs and financial consequences of changes in the health care demands related to tobacco consumption in Mexico. Eleven health interventions were selected to conduct this study and four probabilistic models were developed to forecast the expected changes in the epidemiologic profile of selected diseases. The costing method was based on the identification of case management costs using the instrumentation and consensus techniques, probabilistic models were designed using the Box-Jenkins technique and allowed us to identify the expected case trends for the 2001-2003 period. The generation of information on case management costs for the selected interventions is a central instrument in the planning of health programs, above all in that which refers to resource allocation by type of demand. On the other hand, the identification of expected cases and the financial consequences allowed us to know the growing trends of the sums required to satisfy health care demands for the period under study. The three types of information are a relevant resource for decision-makers in the production and financing of health services.     

Health care costs and financial consequences of epidemiological changes in chronic diseases in Latin America: evidence from Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To determine the costs of health services and the financial consequences of changes in the epidemiological profile of chronic diseases in Latin America. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted longitudinal analyses of costs and of the economic impact of the epidemiological transition in healthcare services for diabetes and hypertension in the Mexican health system. The study population included both the insured and uninsured populations. METHODS: The cost-evaluation method was based on the instrumentation and consensus techniques. To estimate the epidemiological changes and financial consequences for 2004-2006, six models were constructed according to the Box-Jenkins technique, using confidence intervals of 95% and the Box-Pierce test. FINDINGS: Costs ranged from US$613 to US$887 for diabetes, and from US$485 to US$622 for hypertension. Regarding epidemiological changes for 2004 compared with 2006, an increase is expected in both cases, although results predict a greater increase for diabetes, 10-15% in all three institutions (P<0.05). Comparing the financial consequences of health services required by insured and uninsured populations, the greater increase (17%) will be for the insured population (P<0.05). The financial requirements for both diseases will amount to 9.5% of the total budget for the uninsured population and 13.5% for the insured population. CONCLUSIONS: If the risk factors and the different healthcare models remain as they are at present, the economic impact of expected epidemiological changes on the social security system will be particularly strong. Another relevant financial factor is the appearance of internal competition in the use and allocation of financial resources among the main providers in the health services; this factor becomes even more complicated within each provider. In effect, within each institution, hypertension and diabetes programmes must compete for resources with other programmes for chronic and infectious diseases.