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Aim To determine the value of IFN (intzerferon)-α in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to correlate IFN-α with values of non-specific biochemical parameters of inflammation (C-reactive protein, leukocytes values, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, albumins and globulins). Methods Research included 55 patients with SLE diagnosis and a control group consisted of 25 healthy subjects (during period 2019-2020). IFN (Interferon)-α and non-specific biochemical parameters of inflammation were obtained using standard protocols. Results IFN-α values were independent of gender (p=0.95). The difference in serum IFN-α values in relation with the age in the SLE group was statistically significant (p=0.036). Only serum globulin was significantly higher (p=0.0023) in IFN-α positive compared to IFN-α negative SLE patients. A statistically significant correlation between the values of IFN-α and globulin was proved (r=0.315; p=0.019). No significant correlation was found between other non-specific biochemical parameters and IFN-α values. Conclusion Increased IFN-α values were observed in younger patients, and the correlation between IFN and globulin was proved.

Background: Thimerosal is an organomercury compound with high mercury content. Thimerosal is located in the market as an effective bacteriostatic in a series of pharmaceutical products, ophthalmic and nasal products, immunoglobulin preparations, and as a preservative in vaccines. Aims and Objectives: Since it is a compound with living content, this study aimed to examine the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of thimerosal in human lymphocytes culture. Materials and Methods: We used chromosome aberration analysis and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay to test its genotoxic and cytotoxic potential in human lymphocyte culture. Results: Results showed that the frequency of structural chromosome aberrations and CBMN-cyt assay was significantly increased in treated cultures (1 μg/ml and 0.5 μg/ml) compared to the negative control. Conclusion: Obtained results and statistical analysis show that thimerosal is genotoxic and cytotoxic in human lymphocytes in tested concentrations.

Jon Zabaleta,1 Borja Aguinagalde,1 Iker López,1 Stephany M Laguna,1 Mikel Mendoza,2 Ainhoa Galardi,2 Luis Matey,3,4 Andrea Larrañaga,4 Gorka Baqueriza,5 Ander Izeta61Thoracic surgery service, Donostia University Hospital, IIS Biodonostia, San Sebastian, Spain; 2Radiology service, Donostia Universitary Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain; 3Additive Manufacturing, Ceit-IK4, San Sebastian, Spain; 4School of Engineering, Tecnun-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; 5Additive Manufacturing, Tknika-Basque Centre of Research and Applied Innovation in Vocational Education and Training; 6Tissue Engineering Group, IIS Biodonostia, San Sebastian, SpainIntroduction: In recent years, the use of 3D printing in medicine has grown exponentially, but the use of 3D technology has not been equally adopted by the different medical specialties. Published 3D printing activity in general thoracic surgery is scarce and has been mostly limited to case reports. The aim of this report was to reflect on the results and lessons learned from a newly created multidisciplinary and multicenter 3D unit of the Spanish Society of Thoracic Surgery (SECT).Methods: This is a pilot study to determine the feasibility and usefulness of printing 3D models for patients with thoracic malignancy or airway complications, based on real data. We designed a point-of-care 3D printing workflow involving thoracic surgeons, radiologists with experience in intrathoracic pathology, and engineers with experience in additive manufacturing.Results: In the first year of operation we generated 26 three-dimensional models out of 27 cases received (96.3%). In 9 cases a virtual model was sufficient for optimal patient handling, while in 17 cases a 3D model was printed. Per pathology, cases were classified as airway stenosis after lung transplantation (7 cases, 25.9%), tracheal pathology (7 cases, 25.9%), chest tumors (6 cases, 22.2%) carcinoid tumors (4 cases, 14.8%), mediastinal tumors (2 cases, 7.4%) and Pancoast tumors (one case, 3.7%).Conclusion: A multidisciplinary 3D laboratory is feasible in a hospital setting, and working as a multicenter group increases the number of cases and diversity of pathologies thus providing further opportunity to study the benefits of the 3D printing technology in general thoracic surgery.Keywords: 3d printing, thoracic surgery, multidisciplinary group, preoperative study

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease of B cell population with excessive secretion of immunoglobulins and presence of free light chains (FLCs) that are by products of immunoglobulin synthesis. Free light chains play crucial role in causing renal damage. Interleukine-6 (IL-6) supports the survival and/or expansion of MM cells by stimulating cells as well as by preventing programmed cell death. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum and urine free light chains (FLC)measurement and compare with IL-6 levels in patients with different stages of Multiple Myeloma (MM) and control group of subjects and to determine their relevance in acute kidney injury occurrence. Materials and Methods: Recruitment of patients with MM (n=62) made the hematologist that followed clinical Solomon-Durie MM classification. Control group consisted of 20 healthy individuals. Results: Patients with MM and renal function injury had significantly higher concentration of urine κ chains compared to control group and group of MM without renal function injury (p

The aim of this study was to determine the values of micronuclei (MN) and structural chromosomal aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 200 healthy participants of both genders from general population of FB&H, as well as to explore the influence of gender and age on MN and CA frequencies. Standard protocols for MN test, cultivation and micronuclei analysis from peripheral blood binuclear lymphocytes have been applied. MN values ranged from 0 to 8 MN per 1000 binuclear cells. The results suggest that gender and age influence MN frequency, with pronounced effect on 2 MN frequencies. Females on average have higher values of all observed variables of MN test than men. We have also found significant effect of gender – females had increased number of CAs – chromatid type; and of the age in both genders. Frequency distribution of CTAs and CSAs between male and female groups showed predominance of CTAs over CSAs, independently of gender. The results of this study will be incorporated into reference data base for comparative research in future.

The aim of this study was to determine the values of micronuclei (MN) and structural chromosomal aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 200 healthy participants of both genders from general population of FB&H, as well as to explore the influence of gender and age on MN and CA frequencies. Standard protocols for MN test, cultivation and micronuclei analysis from peripheral blood binuclear lymphocytes have been applied. MN values ranged from 0 to 8 MN per 1000 binuclear cells. The results suggest that gender and age influence MN frequency, with pronounced effect on 2 MN frequencies. Females on average have higher values of all observed variables of MN test than men. We have also found significant effect of gender – females had increased number of CAs – chromatid type; and of the age in both genders. Frequency distribution of CTAs and CSAs between male and female groups showed predominance of CTAs over CSAs, independently of gender. The results of this study will be incorporated into reference data base for comparative research in future.

Introduction: The met-enkephalin (1-5 Adrenorphin) and tridecactide (alpha-corticotropin 1-13) combination is used in the multiple sclerosis (MS) immuno-modulatory treatment. A testing of cytogenetic effects of met-enkephalin resulted in reductions of lymphocytic aberrations in the in the lymphocytes of the peripheral blood (PBL) of patients with immune-mediated diseases. The aim of this research is to evaluate the in vitro effects of the combination of the met-enkephalin and tridecactide on the number and the type of chromosome aberrations in PBL of the MS patients. Methods: We used blood samples from seven female patients with the diagnosis multiple sclerosis based on a McDonald Diagnostic Criteria. The tested combination, met-enkephalin and alpha-ACTH 1-13 was added at three different concentrations and constant volume. Results: Results showed that the combination of tested substances did not reduce the number of structural aberrations, although the treatment did not result in severe aberrations such as ring, fragmented, and dicentric chromosomes. Furthermore, it elicited an increase in the number of numerical aberrations and aneuploidy after the treatment with the test combo. Conclusion: As the changes in ploidy significantly change the DNA as well as the biochemical cell phenotype, we concluded that more research in this field should be conducted, including both toxicological as well as the pharmacodynamic considerations.

Autoimmune diseases occur in 3−5% of the population. Study included 30 patients with clinically diagnosed SLE and 30 healthy controls (American college of Rheumatology, 1997). SLE was diagnosed according to criteria issued in 1997 by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The aim of this study was to evaluate concentration values of each antigen of ENA-6 profile in SLE, to investigate possible correlation between the concentration of Sm antibodies and CIC, and to test their use as possible immunobiological markers in SLE. Furthermore, the aim of our study was to determine whether there is a correlation between Sm antibodies and CIC and SLE activity. The results revealed that all of these ENA-6 and Sm antibodies as biomarkers complement diagnoses of active SLE but their use as solo markers does not allow classifying patients with SLE. Our study has shown that based on calculations from ROC curves, Sm/RNP was clearly a very important marker for diagnosis of SLE (cut off ≥ 9.56 EU, AUC 0,942). The high incidence of Scl-70 (10%) reactivity suggests that ELISA monitoring of this antibody produces more false positive results than other multiplex assay. An important conclusion that can be drawn from the results of our study is that laboratory tests are no more effective than clinical examination for detecting disease relapse, but are helpful in the confirmation of SLE activity.

The open prospective combined cytogenetic and clinical study investigated the impact of biological therapy Rituximab on number and structure of chromosomes in Rheumatoid arthritis patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate safety of Rituximab on chromosomes as well as cytotoxic therapy Methotrexate. A total of 8 seropositive Rheumatoid arthritis patients were analyzed for primary end point of eventual cytotoxic effect of Rituximab. Assessment was done before and 1 month later, actually 2 weeks after the administration of full course of Rituximab in infusion. Patients suffering from active Rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned according to established protocol to receive infusion of Rituximab in a full dose of 2,0 grams divided in a two doses of 1,0 gram on days 1 and 15. The lymphocytes from peripheral blood were cultured according to Moorhead method. The results obtained from this investigation showed that normal male and female karyogram was found after the full therapy of Rituximab. The results from this study, that was done on a rather small number of subjects, indicate that Rituximab does not express either clastogenic or aneugenic effects. But, co-finding of this study was that Methotrexate had a side effect on chromosomal aberration in one female RA patient, and after discontinuation of this treatment the normal karyogram was observed.

Abstract Background Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes both Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is caused by a complex interplay involving genetic predisposition, environmental factors and an infectious agent. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a promising pathogen candidate since it produces a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease in ruminants that resembles CD in humans. MAP is a ubiquitous microorganism, although its presence in the food chain, especially in milk from infected animals, is what made us think that there could be an association between lactase persistence (LP) and IBD. The LCT mutation has brought adaptation to dairy farming which in turn would have increased exposure of the population to infection by MAP. NOD2 gene mutations are highly associated to CD. Methods In our study, CD and UC patients and controls from the North of Spain were genotyped for the lactase gene (LCT) and for three NOD-2 variants, R702W, G908R and Cins1007fs. MAP PCR was carried out in order to assess MAP infection status and these results were correlated with LCT and NOD2 genotypes. Results As for LP, no association was found with IBD, although UC patients were less likely to present the T/T−13910 variant compared to controls, showing a higher C-allele frequency and a tendency to lactase non-persistence (LNP). NOD2 mutations were associated to CD being the per-allele risk higher for the Cins1007fs variant. MAP infection was more extended among the healthy controls (45.2%) compared to CD patients (21.38%) and UC patients (19.04%) and this was attributed to therapy. The Asturian CD cohort presented higher levels of MAP prevalence (38.6%) compared to the Basque CD cohort (15.5%), differences also attributed to therapy. No interaction was found between MAP infection and LCT or NOD2 status. Conclusions We conclude that LP is not significantly associated with IBD, but that MAP infection and NOD2 do show not mutually interacting associations with IBD.

The aim of the research was to examine the state of stereoscopic visual acuity in children with different degrees of visual impairment. The study included 240 respondents, ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old. All respondents were examined in at the orthoptic-pleoptic department of the Clinic for Eye Diseases at the University Clinical Center in Tuzla. The respondents were divided into three age groups, from 3 to 6 years old, from 7 to 14 years old and third group from 15 to 18 years old. Groups were equal in terms of number of respondents, age and gender. For data processing, SPSS 17.0 for Windows was used, applying descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test, p-value and χ² test. After data analysis, considering results of the research, it can be concluded that, for the degree of visual impairment variable, there is statistical significance across all age groups. The research emphasizes the importance of timely educational and rehabilitative treatment in the rehabilitation process of children with stereovision dysfunction at various degrees of visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and additional single-cell omics technologies have provided scientists with unprecedented tools to explore biology at cellular resolution. However, reaching an appropriate number of good quality reads per cell and reasonable numbers of cells within each of the populations of interest are key to infer relevant conclusions about the underlying biology of the dataset. For these reasons, scRNAseq studies are constantly increasing the number of cells analysed and the granularity of the resultant transcriptomics analyses. Methods: We aimed to identify previously described fibroblast subpopulations in healthy adult human skin by using the largest dataset published to date (528,253 sequenced cells) and an unsupervised population-matching algorithm. Results: Our reanalysis of this landmark resource demonstrates that a substantial proportion of cell transcriptomic signatures may be biased by cellular stress and response to hypoxic conditions. Conclusions: We postulate that careful design of experimental conditions is needed to avoid long processing times of biological samples. Additionally, computation of large datasets might undermine the extent of the analysis, possibly due to long processing times.

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The application of stable isotope analyses allows a diachronic characterisation of species habitat and feeding behaviour, information of utmost importance for zooarchaeological research. In South America, the former distribution of the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) encompassed a much larger territory than the current one. Within the Argentinean Great Chaco, only a small native population persists in Northwestern Córdoba province, Central Argentina, where it was once widely distributed. In this paper, we present the first set of dentin and collagen δ13C and δ15N values for this relict population (N = 18) along with archaeological data of guanaco specimens (N = 19) dated to the Middle and Late Holocene from the nearby Ongamira valley. Neither deciduous and permanent teeth nor males and females show marked differences within the modern samples. Both modern and archaeological guanaco δ13C values indicate a mixed diet of C3 and, to a lesser extent, C4 plants. Conversely, the δ15N values exhibit distinct signals between the Arid and the Mountain Chaco subregions. The diet breadth of the archaeological guanacos suggests the use of transitional or ecotonal environments, also reflected in the size of their isotopic niche as opposed to modern guanacos. Regarding the timing of the species retraction in the region, there is no evidence of a shift in its habitat during the period between ~4700 and 190014C years BP. We suggest their retraction probably occurred later than previously proposed in regional zooarchaeological models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report details the successful treatment of a severe neck wound in a feral greylag goose (Anser anser) using autologous thrombocyte‐rich plasma and xenogeneic fibrin mesh from a domestic dog. The goose's thrombocyte‐rich plasma was obtained after collecting 5 mL of blood, mixing it with an acid‐citrate‐dextrose solution, and centrifuging at 200 × g for 10 minutes. The lower third of the plasma, along with the buffy coat, was collected. For xenogeneic fibrin mesh, canine blood was centrifugated at 553 × g for 10 minutes, and the clot was extracted and pressed between culture dishes for 10 minutes to create a mesh and harvest serum. After treatment with thrombocyte‐rich plasma and the fibrin mesh, there was a notable improvement within 1 week, leading to complete healing after 2 weeks. This outcome exemplifies the promising potential of thrombocyte‐rich plasma and xenogeneic fibrin meshes in treating wounds in avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and additional single-cell omics technologies have provided scientists with unprecedented tools to explore biology at cellular resolution. However, reaching an appropriate number of good quality reads per cell and reasonable numbers of cells within each of the populations of interest are key to infer conclusions from otherwise limited analyses. For these reasons, scRNAseq studies are constantly increasing the number of cells analysed and the granularity of the resultant transcriptomics analyses. Methods: We aimed to identify previously described fibroblast subpopulations in healthy adult human skin by using the largest dataset published to date (528,253 sequenced cells) and an unsupervised population-matching algorithm. Results: Our reanalysis of this landmark resource demonstrates that a substantial proportion of cell transcriptomic signatures may be biased by cellular stress and response to hypoxic conditions. Conclusions: We postulate that the ”more is better” approach, currently prevalent in the scientific community, might undermine the extent of the analysis, possibly due to long computational processing times inherent to large datasets.

The integral study of micromammals recovered from archaeological contexts provides a number of contributions to the understanding of the dynamics of human occupation. In this paper, based on a comprehensive study of Holocene and actualistic samples from central Argentina, we discuss the taphonomic and paleoenvironmental implications in sites with hunter-gatherer occupations. The sequence studied (ca. 1500–4500 BP) indicates the presence of natural predators (i.e. nocturnal and diurnal birds of prey) as responsible for the formation of the assemblage, ruling out, so far, the participation of human groups. On the other hand, the taxonomic composition of the preterite and actualistic assemblages shows a process of advancement of shrubland and forest environments at the expense of the decrease of open environments, grassland and fresh water contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]