Search

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and the most common form of cancer in women. A large proportion of patients begin with localized disease and undergo treatment with curative intent, while another large proportion of patients debuts with disseminated metastatic disease. In the last subgroup of patients, the prognosis in recent years has changed radically, given the existence of different targeted therapies thanks to the discovery of different biomarkers. Serological, histological, and genetic biomarkers have demonstrated their usefulness in the initial diagnosis, in the follow-up to detect relapses, to guide targeted treatment, and to stratify the prognosis of the most aggressive tumors in those with breast cancer. Molecular markers are currently the basis for the diagnosis of metastatic disease, given the wide variety of chemotherapy regions and existing therapies. These markers have been a real revolution in the therapeutic arsenal for breast cancer, and their diagnostic validity allows the classification of tumors with higher rates of relapse, aggressiveness, and mortality. In this sense, the existence of therapies targeting different molecular alterations causes a series of changes in tumor biology that can be assessed throughout the course of the disease to provide information on the underlying pathophysiology of metastatic disease, which allows us to broaden our knowledge of the different mechanisms of tissue invasion. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to review the clinical, diagnostic, predictive, prognostic utility and limitations of the main biomarkers available and under development in metastatic breast cancer.

Background: The discrepancy among the in vivo results found in the literature regarding graphene’s side effects led us to conduct an in vivo study with graphene. Methods: In vivo tests involving intraperitoneal inoculation of graphene and graphene oxide nanosheets in rats were carried out to assess potential changes in the blood and organs after 15 and 30 days. Graphene and graphene oxide nanosheets at a concentration of 4 mg per kilogram were suspended in an aqueous solution of 0.9% NaCl at a 1:1 proportion (graphene or graphene oxide), i.e., 1 mg/mL. Results: Optical microscopy of liver, kidney, spleen, and lung tissues revealed no visible histological changes. However, particle traces were found in the peritoneal cavity. Thirty days after inoculation, blood samples were collected for hematological analysis. The blood analysis showed changes indicating a hepatic inflammatory process. Hematological changes after 30 days consisted of alterations to the red series, including microcytosis or higher mean hemoglobin concentrations. In addition, changes in prothrombin and thromboplastin caused longer coagulation times. Conclusion: This study contributes to further clarifying the possible toxicity of graphene and its potential biomedical applications., This research was funded by the “Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness” [MAT2015-67750-C31;32;33-R] and the “Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities” [RTI2018-101506-B-C31;32;33].

Two heat treatments were carried out at below (Ti6Al4V) and above (Ti6Al4V) the beta-phase transformation temperature (T = 980 °C), to study the effect of microstructural changes on osseointegration. The alloys were implanted in the femurs of hind legs of Wistar rats for 15, 30, and 60 days. Histology of the femur sections obtained for the first 15 days showed inflammatory tissue surrounding the implants and tissue contraction, which prevented osseointegration in early stages. After 30 days, trabecular bone, reduction of inflammatory tissue around the implants, and osseointegration were observed in Ti6Al4V as received and Ti6Al4V alloys, while osseointegration was detected for the three alloys after 60 days. These results were supported through morphometric studies based on the analysis of Bone Implant Contact (BIC), where there was a larger bone contact after 60 days for the Ti6Al4V alloy; indicating that microstructural features of the Ti6Al4V alloys influence their osseointegration, with the lamellar microstructure (Ti6Al4V), being the most responsive. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]., This work was supported by the Government of Spain, through the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness RTI2018‐101506‐B‐C31 and MAT2015-67750-C3-1.

Objective: To identify factors associated with the higher proportion of fatty tissue and overweight/obesity observed in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Patients and methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 80 JIA patients aged 4–15 years with 80 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The 27-joint Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity score (JADAS27) was calculated. Two multivariate models were constructed to identify factors associated with overweight/obesity and fat mass index (FMI). Results: No differences were found between cases and controls in body mass index (BMI) or body composition. However, compared with controls, patients with a high inflammatory activity (JADAS27 &gt, 4.2 for oligoarticular JIA or &gt, 8.5 for polyarticular disease) had higher values for BMI (p = 0.006), total fat mass (p = 0.003), FMI (p = 0.001), and fat in the legs (p = 0.001), trunk (p = 0.001), and arms (p = 0.002). The factors associated with overweight/obesity in patients were the duration of therapy with biological drugs, measured in months (OR [95% CI] = 1.12 [1.02–1.04], p = 0.037), and physical activity (OR [95% CI] = 0.214 [0.07–0.68], p = 0.010), while the factors associated with FMI were age (β [95% CI] = 0.30 [0.17–1.41], p = 0.014), JADAS27 (β [95% CI] = 0.45 [0.16–1.08], p = 0.009), and physical activity (β [95% CI] = −0.22 [−5.76 to 0.29], p = 0.031). Conclusion: Our study revealed no differences between JIA patients with well-controlled disease and low disability and the healthy population in BMI or body composition. Furthermore, the association observed between inflammatory activity and adiposity could be responsible for poorer clinical course.

Porous tantalum trabecular-structured metal (PTTM) has been applied to titanium orthopedic and dental implants. This study evaluated the healing pattern of bone growth into experimental PTTM cylinders (N = 24; 3.0 × 5.0 mm) implanted in the partially edentulous jaws of 23 healthy volunteers divided into four groups. Six PTTM cylinders per group were explanted, prepared, and analyzed histologically/metrically after 2, 3, 6, and 12 weeks of submerged healing. PTTM implant osseoincorporation resulted from the formation of an osteogenic tissue network that over the course of 12 weeks resulted in vascular bone volume levels in PTTM that are comparable to clinically observed mean trabecular volumes in edentulous posterior jaws.

Children and adolescent participation in sport has increased in recent years. Synchronized swimming requires correct muscle balance in the shoulder complex. The purpose of this study was to establish isokinetic strength profiles and peak torque ratios of shoulder internal and external rotator muscles in a female high-level synchronized swimming team. Twenty-six adolescent female high-level synchronized swimmers, aged 12-14, participated in this study. Maximal bilateral shoulder concentric external and internal rotation force was measured at 60°/s (5 repetitions) and 180°/s (15 repetitions). The isokinetic concentric strength generated by the internal rotator muscles was significantly higher (p 0.05) than by the external rotators in both limbs and at both velocities. Significant bilateral differences in the external rotation (ER):internal rotation (IR) strength ratio were noted at 60°/s. Isokinetic assessment is essential in sports medicine, since it is the only test capable of diagnosing any shoulder strength deficit.

Electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) films on a biomedical grade CoCr alloy have been generated and characterized in order to study their possible application for use on joint prostheses. The electrodeposition process was performed by cyclic voltammetry. The characterization of the ErGO films on CoCr alloys by XPS revealed sp2 bonding and the presence of C O and C O residual groups in the graphene network. Biocompatibility studies were performed with mouse macrophages J774A.1 cell cultures measured by the ratio between lactate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial activities. An enhancement in the biocompatibility of the CoCr with the ErGO films was obtained, a result that became more evident as exposure time increased. Macrophages on the CoCr with the ErGO were well-distributed and conserved the characteristic cell shape. In addition, vimentin expression was unaltered in comparison with the control, results that indicated an improvement in the CoCr biocompatibility with the ErGO on the material surface. The in vivo response of graphene and graphene oxide was assessed by intraperitoneal injection in wistar rats. Red blood cells are one of the primary interaction sites so hemocompatibility tests were carried out. Rats inoculated with graphene and graphene oxide showed red blood cells of smaller size with a high content in hemoglobin.

This study has been undertaken in order to describe the bone mass distribution of the dry human radius via dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with a Norland XR-800 densitometer machine. A sample of 39 dry radius bones was used. Two projections were made: antero-posterior and lateral, and five regions of interest were selected. The bone densities and the bone mineral contents of the various regions of the radius in the two projections were compared using Student’s t tests for paired samples, with statistically significant differences being found in all of the values, except in the proximal extremity (P Ext). The area of greatest bone mineral content (BMC) was the medial diaphysis (M Diaph), followed by the distal extremity (D Ext), with the lowest value being found in the proximal extremity (P Ext). As for bone mineral density (BMD), a great symmetry is observed if we take the mean point of the longitudinal axis as a reference, with it being distributed from highest to lowest from the central part to the extremities. A correlation study of the BMD and BMC values between the segments themselves and with the total, in both positions, provides us with a high correlation (p ≤ 0.01), with the highest correlation value being found for the proximal diaphysis (P Diaph) region, indicating the heterogeneous nature of the distribution of the radius bone mass. Bone densitometry via DXA is useful in order to establish an overview of the structural construction of the human radius.

Meckel's diverticulum it is the most common malformation of the gastrointestinal tract. Femoral hernia is the second most common inguinal hernia, and is characterized by incarceration and strangulation. We present a case of 90-year-old woman wiht strangulation of Meckel’s diverticulum in a left-sided femoral hernia. The diverticulum was resected and hernia was repared wihtout complications. A Littre’s hernia is a complication of Meckel’s diverticulum and it is a result of its protrusion through a herniary orifice. Surgical resection is recommended for this type of hernia due to possible vascular complications, intestinal obstruction and herniation. Although usually Littre’s hernia appears in the early ages of the life, we must not ignore their possible appearance in people who are aged. We present in this case a Littre’s hernia in a very old woman.

Este estudio describe la distribucion de la masa osea de la ulna humana madura. Su conocimiento de distribucion puede proporcionar informacion a cirujanos ortopedicos para el tratamiento de fracturas a la vez que se avanza en la comprension de las respuestas de los elementos de osteosintesis durante la reparacion osea. Se utilizo una muestra de 41 ulnas secas, que se estudiaron mediante absorciometria dual fotonica de rayos-X (DXA) con un densitometro Norland XR-26. Se emplearon dos proyecciones: anteroposterior y lateral. En ambas proyecciones se seleccionaron cinco regiones de interes: proximal (ROI 1), intermedio-proximal (ROI 2), intermedia (ROI 3), intermedio-distal (ROI 4) y distal (ROI 5). Los calculos estadisticos se realizaron con los programas Stat Graphics Plus (version 5.1) y SPSS (version 15.0). Se obtuvieron los valores medios y desviaciones estandar de la densidad mineral osea (DMO) y el contenido mineral oseo (CMO) en cada una de las regiones de interes y en ambas proyecciones. Se compararon los valores medios de todas las regiones usando la prueba t de Student para muestras pareadas. La mayor DMO se encontro en la region intermedio-proximal (ROI 2) y en ambas proyecciones, mientras que la region que presentaba el mayor CMO fue la region proximal (ROI 1). Los valores mas bajos, tanto de CMO como de DMO, en las dos posiciones del examen, correspondieron con la region distal (ROI 5). Al comparar cada una de las regiones con todas las restantes, encontramos que la DMO y el CMO muestran diferencias muy significativas (p0,001), lo que indica la naturaleza heterogenea de la distribucion de la masa osea en la ulna. La densitometria osea mediante DXA es util para establecer un esquema de construccion estructural de la ulna humana.

This paper shows the distribution of the body compartments, and the age and gender related changes in Spanish children. Subjects and Methods: A total of 231 healthy children from Madrid (Spain) were recruited and divided into 3 groups according to age (birth-5, 6-10, 11-15y). Body compartments (fat mass, lean mass and bone mass) measures were obtained from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Total and regional body compositions were evaluated. Results: There were gender differences for TBFM (total body fat mass) in 11 - 15 year age group and for TLBM (total lean body mass) in all age groups except for the 6 - 10 year age group. TBMC (total bone mineral content) shows significant gender differences form birth. Conclusions: Contrary to boys, girls showed from early infancy a smaller proportion of muscle mass and a higher proportion of body fat (from the age of 10), with fat deposits being mostly peripheral. Bone mass and muscle mass values were higher in boys.

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been used to study dry bones such as spine, femur, jaw... to detect the first onsets of the ossification centers; In clinical practice, DXA is widely used for diagnosis and evaluation of osteoporosis, and a new generation of DXA scanners offers software for performing vertebral morphometry analysis (Blake & Fogelman, 1997). Also, many bone analyses have been performed on experimental animals using DXA (Tsujio et al., 2009).

[Background]: In this work, the effect of the heat treatment on Ti6Al4V implants and topical administration of growth hormone to address a better osseointegration in osteoporotic patients has been analysed. [Methods]: The osseointegration process of Ti6Al4V implants modified by oxidation treatment at 700 °C for 1 h and the influence of local administration of growth hormone (GH) in osteoporotic female rabbits after 15 and 30 days of implantation have been studied. Bone response was analysed through densitometric and histomorphometric studies. Characterization of the surface was provided by scanning electron microscopy. [Results]: The oxidation treatment promotes the formation of an oxide scale grown on the Ti6Al4V implants that alters the nanoroughness of the surface. Bone mineral density (BMD) increases from 0.347 ± 0.014 (commercial) to 0.383 ± 0.012 g cm−2 (modified), and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) goes from 48.01 ± 14.78 (commercial) to 55.37 ± 15.31 (modified) after 30 days of implantation. [Conclusions]: The oxidation treatment on the Ti6Al4V dental implants enhances the early bone formation at the longest periods of implantation. No significant differences in the BMD and BIC results in healthy and osteoporotic rabbits were revealed with respect to the local administration of GH in the implantation site., The authors acknowledge the source of funding received from Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain) through the MAT2011-29152-C02-01 project.