Charmonium and D mesons in hadronic matter

We discuss two aspects of charmonium in medium. First, we present results of a recent study that compares the phenomenology of charmonium spectroscopy using smooth and sudden string breaking potentials. Next, we present results of a study that explores the possibility that J/ψ might be bound in a large nucleus through the excitation of a color singlet intermediate states of D and D* mesons with density masses. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Alternativas de políticas para fortalecer el ahorro de los hogares de menores ingresos: el caso de El Salvador

Incluye Bibliografía

Material docente sobre gestión y control de proyectos: Programa de Capacitación BID

Incluye Bibliografía

Industria y territorio: un análisis para la provincia de Buenos Aires

Incluye Bibliografía

Homeobox gene expression profile indicates HOXA5 as a candidate prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

The search for molecular markers to improve diagnosis, individualize treatment and predict behavior of tumors has been the focus of several studies. This study aimed to analyze homeobox gene expression profile in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as well as to investigate whether some of these genes are relevant molecular markers of prognosis and/or tumor aggressiveness. Homeobox gene expression levels were assessed by microarrays and qRT-PCR in OSCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous matched tissues (margin), as well as in OSCC cell lines. Analysis of microarray data revealed the expression of 147 homeobox genes, including one set of six at least 2-fold up-regulated, and another set of 34 at least 2-fold down-regulated homeobox genes in OSCC. After qRT-PCR assays, the three most up-regulated homeobox genes (HOXA5, HOXD10 and HOXD11) revealed higher and statistically significant expression levels in OSCC samples when compared to margins. Patients presenting lower expression of HOXA5 had poorer prognosis compared to those with higher expression (P=0.03). Additionally, the status of HOXA5, HOXD10 and HOXD11 expression levels in OSCC cell lines also showed a significant up-regulation when compared to normal oral keratinocytes. Results confirm the presence of three significantly upregulated (>4-fold) homeobox genes (HOXA5, HOXD10 and HOXD11) in OSCC that may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of these tumors. Moreover, since lower levels of HOXA5 predict poor prognosis, this gene may be a novel candidate for development of therapeutic strategies in OSCC.

Fibronectin induces MMP2 expression in human prostate cancer cells

High-grade prostate cancers express high levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), major enzymes involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the tumor cell lines commonly employed for prostate cancer research express only small amounts of MMPs when cultivated as monolayer cultures, in common culture media. The present study was conducted to ascertain whether culture conditions that include fibronectin can alter MMP2 and MMP9 expression by the human prostatic epithelial cell lines RWPE-1, LNCaP and PC-3. These cells were individually seeded at 2×104cells/cm2, cultivated until they reached 80% confluence, and then exposed for 4h to fibronectin, after which the conditioned medium was analyzed by gelatin zymography. Untreated cells were given common medium. Only RWPE-1 cells express detectable amounts of MMP9 when cultivated in common medium, whereas the addition of fibronectin induced high expression levels of pro and active forms of MMP2 in all tested cell lines. Our findings demonstrate that normal and tumor prostate cell lines express MMP2 activity when in contact with extracellular matrix components or blood plasma proteins such as fibronectin. Future studies of transcriptomes and proteomes in prostate cancer research using these cell lines should not neglect these important conclusions. © 2012 Elsevier Inc..

Desigualdad salarial en América Latina: una década de cambios

Incluye Bibliografía

Wage inequality in Latin America: a decade of changes

Includes bibliography

Chile: evolución de las oportunidades para los niños, 1990-2006

Incluye Bibliografía

The evolution of opportunities for children in Chile, 1990-2006

Includes bibliography

Mesh cancer: long-term mesh infection leading to squamous-cell carcinoma of the abdominal wall

Purpose: It is recognized that chronic inflammation can cause cancer. Even though most of the available synthetic meshes are considered non-carcinogenic, the inflammatory response to an infected mesh plays a constant aggression to the skin. Chronic mesh infection is frequently the result of misuse of mesh, and due to the challenging nature of this condition, patients usually suffer for years until the infected mesh is removed by surgical excision. Methods: We report two cases of squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the abdominal wall, arising in patients with long-term mesh infection. Results: In both patients, the degeneration of mesh infection into SCC was presumably caused by the long-term inflammation secondary to infection. Patients presented with advanced SCC behaving just like the Marjolin's ulcers of burns. Radical surgical excision was the treatment of choice. The involvement of the bowel played an additional challenge in case 1, but it was possible to resect the tumor and the involved bowel and reconstruct the abdominal wall using polypropylene mesh as onlay reinforcement, in a single stage operation. He is now under adjuvant chemotherapy. The big gap in the midline after tumor resection in case 2 required mesh bridging to close the defect. The poor prognosis of case 2 who died months after the operation, and the involvement of the armpit, groin and mesenteric nodes in case 1 shows how aggressive this disease can be. Conclusion: Infected mesh must be treated early, by complete excision of the mesh. Long-standing mesh infection can degenerate into aggressive squamous-cell carcinoma of the skin. © 2013 Springer-Verlag France.

Informe de la Tercera Conferencia Regional sobre la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo Económico y Social de América Latina y el Caribe = Report of the Third Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

Períodos de interferência de plantas daninhas na cultura do girassol

The interference of weeds in sunflower cultivation can significantly reduce the productivity of achenes. The objective of this study was to determine the period before interference and total period of interference of the weed community on productivity and achene oil of sunflower cultivation. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in the fieldin Botucatu (SP) in the 2007/2008 agricultural year. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications. The treatments were composed of portions represent periods of control and presence of weeds. For control periods, the culture was kept free of weeds by increasing periods of 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 110 days after the emergence (DAE) of sunflower. For periods of coexistence, the culture was maintained in the presence of the weed community for the same periods. We assessed the following variables: diameter of chapters, achene yield, oil yield of sunflower, density and dry matter of weeds and phytosociological indices. The period before the interference was 35 DAE culture to the productivity of achenes, and the total period of interference lasted until 24 DAE. For oil yield, the period before the interference was 25 DAE, whereas the total period of interference lasted for 14 DAE.

Implant-abutment gap versus microbial colonization: Clinical significance based on a literature review

Microorganisms from the oral cavity may settle at the implant-abutment interface (IAI). As a result, tissue inflammation could occur around these structures. The databases MEDLINE/PubMed and PubMed Central were used to identify articles published from 1981 through 2012 related to the microbial colonization in the implant-abutment gap and its consequence in terms of crest bone loss and osseointegration. The following considerations could be put forward, with respect to the clinical importance of IAI: (a) the space present at the IAI seems to allow bacterial leakage to occur, in spite of the size of this space; (b) bacterial leakage seems to occur at the IAI, irrespective of the type of connection. More studies are necessary to clarify the relationship between leakage at IAI and abutment connection designs; (c) losses at the peri-implant bone crests cannot be related to the IAI size, since few studies have shown no relationship. Also, the microbial leakage at the IAI cannot be related to the bone crest loss, since there are no articles reporting this relationship; remains controversial the influence of the IAI position on the bone crest losses. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 101B: 1321-1328, 2013. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.