Los diferentes tipos de láser y sus aplicaciones en podología

Los diferentes tipos de láseres, sobre todo el láser de diodo, irrumpen en la terapéutica podológica para proporcionar una alternativa más de tratamiento en muchas patologías que son el día a día de las consultas. El buen manejo y el conocimiento de sus características son requisitos imprescindibles para no tener efectos secundarios indeseados y poder llevar a cabo tratamientos poco dolorosos, minimizando el tiempo total, y muchas veces proporcionando una solución a diversas patologías.

Avandia (TM) - From molecule to market for type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease fast approaching epidemic proportions throughout the world. From insulin sensitizers to PPARg agonists, the lecture will outline the successful medicinal chem. and biol. strategy underpinning the discovery and selection of Avandia, an innovative new medicine for this disease.

In vitro testing of Advanced JAX (TM) Bone Void Filler System: species differences in the response of bone marrow stromal cells to beta tri-calcium phosphate and carboxymethylcellulose gel

The Advanced JAX (TM) Bone Void Filler System (AJBVFS) is a novel bone graft material manufactured by Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics Ltd. and comprises beta tri-calcium phosphate granules with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) gel as a handling agent. This study investigated the potential, in vitro, of the AJBVFS to function as a delivery system for cell therapy to enhance healing of bone defects. The attachment of rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (rbBMSCs), human BMSCs (hBMSCs) and human bone-derived cells (hBDCs) to JAX (TM) granules and the effect of CMC gel on cell proliferation and differentiation were investigated. There were slight species differences in the number and morphology of cells attached on the JAX (TM) granules with less rbBMSC attachment than human. All cells tolerated the presence of CMC gel and a reduction in cell number was only seen after longer exposure to higher gel concentrations. Low concentrations of CMC gel enhanced proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression and ALP activity in human cells but had no effect on rbBMSC. This study suggests that AJBVFS is an appropriate scaffold for the delivery of osteogenic cells and the addition of CMC gel as a handling agent promotes osteogenic proliferation and differentiation and is therefore likely to encourage bone healing.

Characterisation of the photocatalyst Pilkington Activ (TM): a reference film photocatalyst?

Pilkington Glass Activ(TM) represents a possible suitable successor to P25 TiO2, especially as a benchmark photocatalyst film for comparing other photocatalyst or PSH self-cleaning films. Activ(TM) is a glass product with a clear, colourless, effectively invisible, photocatalytic coating of titania that also exhibits PSH. Although not as active as a film of P25 TiO2, Activ(TM) vastly superior mechanical stability, very reproducible activity and widespread commercial availability makes it highly attractive as a reference photocatalytic film. The photocatalytic and photo-induced superhydrophilitic (PSH) properties of Activ(TM) are studied in some detail and the results reported. Thus, the kinetics of stearic acid destruction (a 104 electron process) are zero order over the stearic acid range 4-129 monolayers and exhibit formal quantum efficiencies (FQE) of 0.7 X 10(-5) and 10.2 x 10(-5) molecules per photon when irradiated with light of 365 +/- 20 and 254 nm, respectively; the latter appears also to be the quantum yield for Activ(TM) at 254 nm. The kinetics of stearic acid destruction exhibit Langmuir-Hinshelwood-like saturation type kinetics as a function of oxygen partial pressure, with no destruction occurring in the absence of oxygen and the rate of destruction appearing the same in air and oxygen atmospheres. Further kinetic work revealed a Langmuir adsorption type constant for oxygen of 0.45 +/- 0.16 kPa(-1) and an activation energy of 19 +/- 1 Kj mol(-1). A study of the PSH properties of Activ(TM) reveals a high water contact angle (67) before ultra-bandgap irradiation reduced to 0degrees after prolonged irradiation. The kinetics of PSH are similar to those reported by others for sol-gel films using a low level of UV light. The kinetics of contact angle recovery in the dark appear monophasic and different to the biphasic kinetics reported recently by others for sol-gel films [J. Phys. Chem. B 107 (2003) 1028]. Overall, Activ(TM) appears a very suitable reference material for semiconductor film photocatalysis. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.

The effects of hexetidine (Oraldene (TM)) on the adherence of Candida albicans to human buccal epithelial cells in vitro and ex vivo and on in vitro morphogenesis

Purpose. This study reports the effects of hexetidine (Oraldene(TM)) on two virulence attributes of Candida albicans, namely, in vitro and ex vivo adherence of yeast cells to buccal epithelial cells (BEG) and in vitro morphogenesis.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING THE ANTI-ADHERENCE PROPERTIES OF POLYHEXAMETHYLENEBIGUANIDE (VANTOCIL IB(TM))

The effect of polyhexamethylenebiguanide (PHMB) on adherence of Candida albicans blastospores to human buccal epithelial cells (BEG) was examined in vitro. Treatments of either blastospores or BEC with PHMB (50 and 1000 mu g ml(-1)) significantly reduced the number of adherent blastospores per BEC and increased the number of BEC devoid of blastospores.

Dietary Restriction Induced Longevity is Mediated by Nuclear Receptor NHR-62 in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in a wide variety of species, yet the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show that the C. elegans HNF4a- related nuclear hormone receptor NHR-62 is required for metabolic and physiologic responses associated with DR-induced longevity. nhr-62 mediates the longevity of eat- 2 mutants, a genetic mimetic of dietary restriction, and blunts the longevity response of DR induced by bacterial food dilution at low nutrient levels. Metabolic changes associated with DR, including decreased Oil Red O staining, increased autophagy, and changes in fatty acid composition are partly reversed by mutation of nhr-62. Expression profiles reveal that several hundred genes induced by DR depend on the activity of NHR-62, including a putative lipase required for the DR response. This study provides critical evidence that nuclear hormone receptors regulate the DR response, suggesting hormonal and metabolic control of life span.

Relative Biological Effectiveness Variation Along Monoenergetic and Modulated Bragg Peaks of a 62-MeV Therapeutic Proton Beam: A Preclinical Assessment

iological optimization of proton therapy critically depends on detailed evaluation of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) variations along the Bragg curve. The clinically accepted RBE value of 1.1 is an oversimplification, which disregards the steep rise of linear energy transfer (LET) at the distal end of the spread-out Bragg peak. We observed significant cell killing RBE variations dependent on beam modulation, intrinsic radiosensitivity, and LET in agreement with the LEM predicted values, indicating dose-averaged LET as a suitable parameter for biological effectiveness. Data have also been used to validate a RBE parameterized model.

Synergistic effects on gene delivery - co-formulation of small disulfide-linked dendritic polycations with Lipofectamine 2000 (TM)

This paper describes the application of gene delivery vectors based on connecting together two well-defined low-generation poly(L-lysine) (PLL) dendrons using a disulfide-containing linker unit. We report that the transfection ability of these vectors in their own right is relatively low, because the low-generation number limits the endosomal buffering capacity. Importantly, however, we demonstrate that when applied in combination with Lipofectamine 2000 (TM), a vector from the cationic lipid family, these small cationic additives significantly enhance the levels of gene delivery (up to four-fold). Notably, the cationic additives have no effect on the levels of transfection observed with a cationic polymer, such as DEAE dextran. We therefore argue that the synergistic effects observed with Lipofectamine 2000 (TM) arise as a result of combining the delivery advantages of two different classes of vector within a single formulation, with our dendritic additives providing a degree of pH buffering within the endosome. As such, the data we present indicate that small dendritic structures, although previously largely overlooked for gene delivery owing to their inability to transfect in their own right, may actually be useful well-defined additives to well-established vector systems in order to enhance the gene delivery payload.

Estudio para el mejoramiento de seis centrales de climatización de la sala de tejedura de 4161.62 m2, que cuenta con 76 telares para tejido plano, de la fábrica textil "La Internacional"

En el área textil, sea esta tejeduría, hilandería, tintorería, o acabados de tela intervienen una infinidad de factores externos, relacionados con el tipo de material a procesar, se necesita tener un control riguroso de los factores externos tales como humedad relativa (HR) y temperatura, por lo que en el diseño de un área específica de cualquier planta textil, en este caso tejeduría, se invierte mucho dinero para garantizar condiciones estables de climatización tanto para el proceso como para el recurso humano.