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El estudio de los componentes alimenticios de los quelonios es importante para fundamentar planes de manejo y la preservación de sus hábitats. En este trabajo se reportan los ítems alimenticios de Podocnemis unifilis y P. expansa. Para tal fin fueron realizadas colectas durante las temporadas de aguas ascendentes, altas, descendentes y bajas, en los lagos y afluentes cercanos al río Caquetá, Amazonas, Colombia. Fueron colectados y analizados los contenidos estomacales de tortugas muertas por los comunitarios. Informaciones adicionales sobre los ítems alimenticios fueron obtenidas por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas con miembros de las comunidades indígenas del resguardo Curare-Los Ingleses. Las muestras botánicas colectadas fueron identificadas en la Sede Amazonia y el Instituto de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. El alimento predominante en la alimentación de ambas especies es material vegetal. En P. unifilis las familias botánicas más representativas fueron Bignoniaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Mimosaceae y Cecropiaceae y para P. expansa, Fabaceae, Moraceae, Euphorbiaceae y Cecropiaceae. De las 34 especies de plantas referidas por los comunitarios para P. expansa, se encontró que 64% coincidió con los ítems de los contenidos estomacales examinados, mientras que para P. unifilis de las 26 especies de plantas comentadas, 76,9% fue encontrado en los contenidos estomacales.

Introduction: Tobacco smoking has a significant impact on the development of Crohn's disease (CD) and its clinical course, making smoking cessation one of the main goals in CD therapeutic strategy. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an advice-based smoking cessation strategy among CD patients. Methods: We have performed a prospective multicenter study which enrolled 408 CD smokers. At inclusion all patients were instructed about the risks of smoking and subsequently followed every 3 months. Each center used additional smoking cessation strategies based on available resources. Urinary cotinine and exhaled carbon monoxide levels were evaluated in a subgroup of patients. Results: Median study follow up was 18 months. 31% of the patients achieved complete smoking cessation and 23% were smoking-free at the end of their follow up with 8% of smoking relapse. Most patients not achieving smoking cessation did not change their smoking habit with only 5% presenting a decrease in tobacco load. 63% of patients willing to quit smoking received help from another specialist, most frequently the pulmonologist (47%). Surprisingly, most patients (88%) tried to quit smoking with no pharmacological therapy and bupropion, varenicline and nicotine replacement treatment were used in few patients. Urinary cotinine and exhaled CO levels tested in a subgroup of patients proved to have a good correlation with the self-reported smoking habit. No predictors of successful smoking cessation were identified. Conclusion: Our results underline that an anti-tobacco strategy mostly based on CD patients's education and counseling is feasible and effective in helping patients reach complete abstinence. (C) 2012 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The excitation-contraction coupling mechanism was defined as the entire sequence of reactions linking excitation of plasma membrane to activation of contraction in skeletal muscle. By using different techniques, their regulation and interactions have been studied during the last 50 years, defining until now the importance and origin of the calcium ion as a contractile activator and the main proteins involved in the whole mechanism. Furthermore, the study of the ultrastructural basis and pharmacological regulation of the excitation-contraction coupling phenomenon has begun. The excitation-contraction coupling is thought to be altered in situations as ageing, muscle fatigue and some muscle diseases. However, many questions remain to be answered. For example, (1) How excitation-contraction coupling develops and ages? (2) What role does it play in muscle fatigue and other diseases? (3) What is the nature of the interaction between the proteins believed to be involved? The present review describes excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle and techniques used to better understand it as an introduction for discussing unanswered questions regarding excitation-contraction coupling.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are inflammatory diseases with a multifactorial component that involve the intestinal tract. The two relevant IBD syndromes are Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). One factor involved in IBD development is a genetic predisposition, associated to NOD2/CARD15 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms that might favor infectious enterocolitis that is possibly associated to the development of IBD. The identification of specific immunologic alterations in IBD and their relationship to the etiology of the disease is a relevant research topic. The role of intra and extracellular molecules, such as transcription factors and cytokines that are involved in the inflammatory response, needs to be understood. The relevance of immunologic molecules that might drive the immune response to a T helper (Th) 1, Th 2 or the recently described Th 17 phenotype, has been demonstrated in animal models and clinical studies with IBD patients. CD and UC predominantly behave with a Th 1 and Th 2 immune phenotype, respectively. Recently, an association between CD and Th 17 has been reported. The knowledge acquired from immunologic and molecular research will help to develop accurate diagnostic methods and efficient therapies.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are inflammatory diseases with a multifactorial component that involve the intestinal tract. The two relevant IBD syndromes are Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). One factor involved in IBD development is a genetic predisposition, associated to NOD2/CARD15 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms that might favor infectious enterocolitis that is possibly associated to the development of IBD. The identification of specific immunologic alterations in IBD and their relationship to the etiology of the disease is a relevant research topic. The role of intra and extracellular molecules, such as transcription factors and cytokines that are involved in the inflammatory response, needs to be understood. The relevance of immunologic molecules that might drive the immune response to a T helper (Th) 1, Th 2 or the recently described Th 17 phenotype, has been demonstrated in animal models and clinical studies with IBD patients. CD and UC predominantly behave with a Th 1 and Th 2 immune phenotype, respectively. Recently, an association between CD and Th 17 has been reported. The knowledge acquired from immunologic and molecular research will help to develop accurate diagnostic methods and efficient therapies (Rev Med Chile 2008; 136: 367-75). (Key words: Colitis, ulcerative; Crohn disease; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Nod2 signaling adaptor protein)

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are multifactorial diseases with a genetic background. Genes related to the innate immune response have been observed to be involved. Polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and CARD15/NOD2 are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is no information about the frequency of these polymorphisms in South American and Chilean populations. Aim. To investigate the distribution of CARD15/NOD2 (Arg702Trp, Gly908Arg and Leu1007fsinsC) and TLR4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphisms in Chilean patients with IBD. Methods. DNA was obtained from 22 CD, 22 UC patients and 20 healthy individuals. Genotyping was performed by allele-specific PCR and by PCR-RFLP analysis. Clinical and demographic features were characterized. Results. Among the CD patients, the clinical pattern was deemed inflammatory in 14, while five had penetrating and five stricturing, variants. One patient had esophageal involvement, five perianal, seven ileal and in 16 the colon was involved. Among the UC patients, two had proctitis, two proctosigmoiditis, four left-sided colitis and 14 pancolitis. NOD2/CARD15 analysis revealed the presence of the 702Trp allele in two CD patients (both heterozygotes), 1007fsinsC in one CD patient (heterozygote) while 908Arg was found in one UC patient. The 299Gly TLR4 allele was identified in one UC and one CD patient. Conclusion. This genetic study shows that the alleles frequently associated with IBD (1007fsinsC, 908Arg and 702Trp in NOD2/CARD15 and 299Gly TLR4) have a low incidence in Chilean, IBD patients, which is similar to European populations. It is possible that, in addition to environmental factors, other genetic polymorphisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease in Chilean, IBD patients.

The incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has increased, particularly in the developed world, and probably also in Chile.To report our experience with a large group of patients from two medical centers, Hospital Clinico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCH) and Clinica Las Condes (CLC) and to characterize the clinical features of IBD in Chile.Retrospective review of 238 patients with IBD (age range 14-78 years, 143 women) treated at HCUCH and CLC between January 1990 and August 2002.One hundred eighty one patients had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 57 had Crohn's disease (CD), with an UC/CD ratio of 3.2/1. Forty eight percent of patients were aged between 20 and 39 years old and 69% were diagnosed after 1995. Patients from HCUCH had more severe disease, more complications and needed surgery more often.Clinical features of Chilean patients with IBD are similar to those of other countries. UC is more common than EC. There is a higher proportion of women with the disease. The severity of the disease was higher among HCUCH.

The incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has increased, particularly in the developed world, and probably also in Chile. Aim: To report our experience with a large group of patients from two medical centers, Hospital Clinico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCH) and Clinica Las Condes (CLC) and to characterize the clinical features of IBD in Chile. Patients and methods: Retrospective review of 238 patients with IBD (age range 14-78 years, 143 women) treated at HCUCH and CLC between January 1990 and August 2002. Results: One hundred eighty one patients had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 57 had Crohn's disease (CD), with an UC/CD ratio of 3.2/1. Forty eight percent of patients were aged between 20 and 39 years old and 69% were diagnosed after 1995. Patients from HCUCH had more severe disease, more complications and needed surgery more often. Conclusions: Clinical features of Chilean patients with IBD are similar to those of other countries. UC is more common than EC. There is a higher proportion of women with the disease. The severity of the disease was higher among HCUCH

G A A b st ra ct s increased median number of UC flares during the last 5 years of follow-up (5.5 vs. 1.5 years, P=0.02). The type of biliary involvement (intrahepatic, extrahepatic, or both) was similar in both groups. (Table 1) Kaplan-Meier curve analysis suggested that patients with elevated IgG4 had shorter colectomy-free survival than patients with normal IgG4. (Log Rank p

Auteur(s) : Caroll J Beltran1,2, Enzo Candia1, Benjamin Erranz1, Carolina Figueroa3, Maria J Gonzalez4, Rodrigo Quera3,5, Marcela A Hermoso1 1Disciplinary Program of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile 2Clinical Investigation Department, Clinic Hospital University of Chile 3Internal Medicine Department, Internal Medicine Section, Clinic Hospital University of Chile 4Cell Biology Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad [...]

Solubility measurements of sulfides in aqueous solutions are necessary to understand the behaviour of these scaling minerals in geothermal and oil reservoirs. The low solubility levels of Zinc Sulfide (ZnS), Lead Sulfide (PbS) and Iron Sulfide (FeS) make the solubility measurements a challenging task. Consequently existing data are rare and scattered. The aim of this work is to develop a reliable experimental procedure and to measure solubility of sulfides at high temperature and pressures. Additionally the experimental data are used for estimation of the solid-liquid equilibrium using the Extended UNIQUAC model.The experimental determination of the solubility of ZnS, PbS and FeS is carried out at temperatures up to 200°C and pressures up to 60 bars. The minerals in their pure form are added to ultra-pure water previously degassed with nitrogen. The aqueous solution is prepared in a reduced oxygen atmosphere to avoid the risk of oxidation of sulfide minerals. The solution is kept in an equilibrium cell at constant temperature and pressure with continuous stirring. The concentration of Zn2+, Pb2+, Fe2+ and S2- are measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) as analytical technique.The solid-liquid equilibria is calculated using the Extended UNIQUAC model. The Extended UNIQUAC model is a local composition model and features several advantages compared to other models when describing the behaviour of aqueous electrolytes systems and it was presented by Thomsen and Rasmussen in 1999 1. The model accounts for the dependency of the solubility on pressure and temperature. The pressure parameters were proposed by Villafáfila et al (2005; 2006) 2 on their study on sulfate scaling minerals. The parameter estimation of the model is carried out based on the experimental data produced in our laboratory. The results show that the Extended UNIQUAC model can correlate the solubility data for sulfides within experimental accuracy.