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Las Sigatokas negra y amarilla son enfermedades causadas por Mycosphaerella fijiensis y Mycosphaerella musicola respectivamente. Estas dos especies de hongos estrechamente relacionadas y morfológicamente similares, causan necrosis severa en las hojas de banano y plátano disminuyendo el área de tejido fotosintético y acelerando la maduración del fruto. Las enfermedades producidas por estos hongos afectan la mayoría de las áreas cultivadas de banano y plátano a nivel mundial, generando un gran problema económico y ambiental. Los síntomas que produce cada uno de estos patógenos en el cultivo son similares, por lo que su correcta identificación en campo se hace difícil. Con el fin de hacer una identificación precisa de cada uno de ellos decidimos estandarizar una prueba diagnóstica basada en la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) utilizando dos oligonucleótidos de 21 bases (MF 137 y MM 137) específicos para cada una de las especies M. fijiensis y M. musicola respectivamente. MF 137 y MM 137 codifican regiones variables identificadas en las secuencias interespaciadoras (ITS) del DNA ribosomal.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is an opportunistic bacterium with a high prevalence in diverse pulmonary infections. Although several genes are involved in the system of resistance and evasion of the immunological response of the host, little is known about the inflammatory, degradative, and cell-binding response induced by P. aeruginosa in human lung alveolar epithelial cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the cytokine expression (IL-1β and TNFα), pro matrix metalloproteinases activation (proMMP-2 and proMMP-9), and the effects on the cell-binding adhesion protein (E-cadherin) in an in vitro model of human lung alveolar epithelial cells. A549 cells were stimulated with a different number of colony-forming units of P. aeruginosa for 3, 6, and 24 hours. Subsequently, the culture medium was collected, IL-1β and TNFα levels were evaluated by ELISA; proMMP-2 and -9 levels were determined by substrate gel zymography, and the MMP-9 and E-cadherin assessed by immunostaining of A549 cells. Our results demonstrated that P. aeruginosa induces mainly the secretion of TNFα, increases actMMP-9 level, and significantly reduces the level of E-cadherin in the A549 cells. In summary, the inflammatory/degradative process induced by P. aeruginosa modulates the expression of the E-cadherin protein. The probable clinical implications of this study suggest the use of inhibitors that reduce the degradative activity of proMMP-9 which will be further explored in the next phase of this study.

Introduction: Kidney transplantation (KT) increases fertility in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD); their pregnancies are considered of high risk because of higher incidence of complications. The objective of this study was to propose, based on current concepts, an algorithm for preconception and perinatal care of KT recipients with a desire for parity., Materials and Methods: We searched for literature published within the last 10 years related to pregnancy and KT. Based on the results, we developed an algorithm for the approach to preconception/perinatal care of these patients., Results: Preconception care begins with pre-KT study of women of childbearing age, continues with contraception, and ends with the proper selection of candidates; an exhaustive study of health condition, function of renal graft, and infections that may affect the fetus is required; fetotoxic drugs must be suspended, immunosuppression must be based in corticosteroids, azathioprine, and tacrolimus or cyclosporine. Once conception is achieved, prenatal care should be done by a multidisciplinary team; follow-up of graft function and maternal-fetal health must be strict. Pregnancy has no deleterious effect on graft function; pelvic localization of graft does not contraindicate vaginal delivery; breastfeeding is indicated if immunosuppressive levels in the newborn are low., Conclusions: KT returns the possibility of motherhood to women with CKD. Proper selection and optimal care of patients determines success in maternal, fetal, and graft results.

Introduction: Doppler ultrasound (US) has become the primary imaging technique for the evaluation of renal transplants. It provides information about the intrarenal resistance index (RI). A high RI is seen in every form of graft dysfunction. In this article, we review the utility of sonography, particularly the intrarenal RI measured early after renal transplant, as a predictor of acute and chronic clinical outcome in patients., Results: RI is a valuable marker to determine graft function and related vascular complications. It reveals a strong correlation with serum creatinine levels measured days after transplant. Its elevation is typical for acute tubular necrosis and can be used to predict its duration. An RI >1 (absent end-diastolic flow) seen in the first weeks after transplant is associated with impaired renal graft recovery. In addition, it is an early predictor of chronic allograft nephropathy (even correlated with biopsy results), which will allow a change in therapy., Conclusions: RI measured serially in the early period after kidney transplantation is a valuable marker for determining renal graft function. It is also useful for demonstrating various types of graft dysfunction; however, it cannot differentiate between them. In recent studies, extrarenal factors in kidney transplantation (eg, recipient's age) may significantly influence RI in the recipient, demonstrating that RI depends on the vascular characteristics of the recipient and not on the graft itself.

Urinary tract infection (UTI), including bacteriuria, cystitis, and pyelonephritis, is the most common infectious complication after kidney transplantation (KTx). Over the past few years, many medical groups assumed this pathological process to be a "benign" disease in kidney transplant recipients (KTxR). However, increased medical and scientific advances in knowledge and management of KTx complications have raised questions about UTI as a pathological process that decreases and worsens kidney allograft function and survival. This review sought to clarify diagnostic criteria, as well as to describe factors associated with UTI in KTxR that expose its effects on the allograft. We sought to show the uncertainty of important topics within the field of UTI among kidney allograft recipients and to propose a practical clinical approach to KTxRs with UTI., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Kidney transplantation has become the best treatment for children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In recent times, knowledge concerning the effect of CKD and kidney transplantation over the normal growth rate has increased; now it is known that 40% of children with CKD do not reach the expected height for age. Growth retardation has been associated with the type of nephropathy, metabolic and endocrine disorders that are secondary to kidney disease, immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticoids, and suboptimal function of renal allograft. Nowadays, we know better the role of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis in growth retardation we can see it in children with CKD or recipients of renal allograft. Several studies have shown that administration of recombinant growth hormone (rhGH) has a positive effect on the longitudinal growth of children and teenagers who have received a kidney transplant. On the other hand, there have been reported side effects associated with using rhGH; however, these are not statistically significant. In this article, we show a small review about growth in children with CKD and/or recipients of renal allografts the growth pattern of three children who were known by the Transplant Group of National University of Colombia, and the results obtained with the use of rhGH in one of these cases. We want to show the possibility of achieving a secure use of rhGH in children with CKD and its use as a therapeutic option for treating the growth retardation in children with kidney transplantation, and set out the need of typifying the growth pattern of Colombian children with CKD and/or who are recipients of renal allografts through multicenter studies to propose and analyze the inclusion of rhGH in the therapeutic scheme of Colombian children with these two medical conditions. rhGH could be a useful tool for treating children with CKD or kidney transplantation who have not reached the expected longitudinal growth for age. However, it is necessary to know the growth pattern standards for Colombian children with CKD or kidney transplant in Bogotá-Colombia to include the rhGH in clinical protocols for treatment of these patients., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)