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The gene fusions BCR-ABL1, TCF3-PBX1, and ETV6-RUNX1 are recurrent in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and are found with low frequency in coexistence with CRLF2 (cytokine receptor-like factor 2) rearrangements and overexpression. There is limited information regarding the CRLF2 abnormalities and dominant-negative IKZF1 isoforms associated with surrogate markers of Jak2, ABL, and Ras signaling pathways. To assess this, we evaluated 24 Mexican children with B-ALL positive for recurrent gene fusions at diagnosis. We found CRLF2 rearrangements and/or overexpression, dominant-negative IKZF1 isoforms, and surrogate phosphorylated markers of signaling pathways coexisting with recurrent gene fusions. All the BCR-ABL1 patients expressed CRLF2 and were positive for pCrkl (ABL); most of them were also positive for pStat5 (Jak2/Stat5) and negative for pErk (Ras). TCF3-PBX1 patients with CRLF2 abnormalities were positive for pStat5, most of them were also positive for pCrkl, and two patients were also positive for pErk. One patient with ETV6-RUNX1 and intracellular CRLF2 protein expressed pCrkl. In some cases, the activated signaling pathways were reverted in vitro by specific inhibitors. We further analyzed a TCF3-PBX1 patient at relapse, identifying a clone with the recurrent gene fusion, P2RY8-CRLF2, rearrangement, and phosphorylation of the three surrogate markers that we studied. These results agree with the previous reports regarding resistance to treatment observed in patients with recurrent gene fusions and coexisting CRLF2 gene abnormalities. A marker phosphorylation signature was identified in BCR-ABL1 and TCF3-PBX1 patients. To obtain useful information for the assessment of treatment in B-ALL patients with recurrent gene fusions, we suggest that they should be evaluated at diagnosis for CRLF2 gene abnormalities and dominant-negative IKZF1 isoforms, in addition to the analyses of activation and inhibition of signaling pathways.

The P2RY8-CRLF2 and IGH-CRLF2 rearrangements induce the overexpression of cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) and have been associated with relapse and poor prognosis in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Additionally, they are frequently documented in high-risk Hispanic populations. To better understand the potential causes of the adverse prognosis of childhood B-ALL in Mexico, we analyzed these rearrangements and the CRLF2 mRNA and protein levels in 133 Mexican children with B-ALL. We collected bone marrow samples at diagnosis and evaluated the CRLF2 gene expression by qRT-PCR and the total CRLF2 protein by flow cytometry. P2RY8-CRLF2 and IGH-CRLF2 were detected by RT-PCR and FISH, respectively. The median time of follow-up to determine the prognostic significance of the CRLF2 abnormalities was three years. In 82% of the participants, the mRNA levels correlated with the cell-surface and intracellular CRLF2 protein levels. The P2RY8-CRLF2 rearrangement was present in 31.5% (42/133) of the patients, while the IGH-CRLF2 rearrangement was detected in 13.5% (9/67) of patients with high expression of CRLF2 (6.8% of the total sample). CRLF2 copy number variations (gain) were also detected in 7.5% (5/67) of patients with high protein levels. The overall survival (OS) presented significantly lower rates in patients with high white blood cell count (≥50x10

L'objectiu d'aquest projecte és el disseny d'una planta de producció d'acetaldehid a partir de l'oxidació d'etilè. Es presenta doncs, un estudi de la viabilitat de la construcció i operació de la planta complint en tot moment amb la normativa i legislació vigent.

Computational intelligence models applied to medicine have become a growing area of research around the world. This article presents the results of a documentary research that allows identifying the most important computational intelligence models of the state of the art that are applied in the pre-diagnosis of diseases, as well as a study of the algorithms that represent each of these models. Also, through the use of the WEKA platform and the KEEL and UCI repositories, the performance exhibited by these pattern classifiers when applied in the pre-diagnosis of some important chronic diseases in the context of human health is studied. In particular, algorithms representing the most appreciated approaches in the area of intelligent pattern classification are tested. In the experimental part of this article, these computational intelligence algorithms were applied in databases of breast cancer, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. The results that were derived from the experiments show the superiority of the performance of the vector support machines, the 1-NN classifier and the Lernmatrix tau[9]. The performances achieved allow confirming, with a high degree of certainty, the usefulness of computational intelligence models in the pre-diagnosis of chronic diseases.

In Mexico City, both the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and the spread of water hyacinth among water bodies have been reported to increase greatly each year. These wastes have been associated with health problems and with the contamination of water bodies, soil, and air. Previous studies have demonstrated that water hyacinth and OFMSW can be sustainably managed using anaerobic digestion (AD) and anaerobic co-digestion (ACD) processes. In the present study, the biochemical methane potential of water hyacinth and OFMSW was determined. Leachate from Mexico City’s Bordo Poniente composting plant was used as inoculum, and the effects of two substrate-to-inoculum (S:I) ratios on volatile solids (VS) were investigated at lab-scale and under thermophilic conditions with a hydraulic retention time of 50 d. Based on S:I ratio, the AD of OFMSW with an S:I of 1:1 yielded more methane (387 ± 25 NLCH4/kgVSadded) than the ACD process (337 ± 15 NLCH4/kgVSadded), but not significantly (p > 0.05). Inoculum showed great potential to digest wastes used in this research. The ACD S:I ratio of 1:1 demonstrated that the AD process is both to produce renewable energy and to resolve problems associated with water hyacinth, OFMSW, and leachate.

Additional file 1. “Cytogenetic alterations and molecular analysis detailed description”. The detailed descriptions of the abnormal karyotypes and molecular analysis in association with phenotype in 24 patients with chromosomal abnormalities.

Obesity is currently considered an inflammatory condition associated with autoimmune diseases, suggesting a common origin. Among other factors, candidate genes may explain the development of this disease. Polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and lymphoid protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPN22) genes lead to an increased risk to development of immune and inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to analyze the biochemical parameters and the effect of the TNFα −308G/A and PTPN22 +1858C/T polymorphisms in the susceptibility of adolescents to obesity. A group of 253 adolescent subjects were recruited and classified as obese, overweight or normal weight according to their nutritional status. Anthropometric measurements, clinical and biochemical data were analyzed. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples by the phenol-chloroform method, and TNFα −308G/A and PTPN22 1858C/T polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assays. Clinical, genetic and biochemical parameters were analyzed to determine the existence of a possible association with the development of obesity. Statistically significant differences in body mass index, insulin, triglyceride levels and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index were observed among the three groups analyzed (P≤0.05). The studied polymorphisms did not confer a risk for developing obesity in the analyzed population (P>0.05); however, significantly low levels of insulin and decreased rates of HOMA-IR were observed in the 1858 CT genotype carriers of the PTPN22 gene. In conclusion, no association between the TNFα −308G/A and PTPN22 +1858C/T polymorphisms and the risk to development of obesity in the adolescent population analyzed was observed. However, the 1858 CT genotype of the PTPN22 gene was associated with variations of certain biochemical parameters analyzed.

Discrepancies in the response to drugs are partially due to polymorphisms in genes involved in drug metabolism and transport. The frequency, pattern and impact of these polymorphisms vary among populations. In the present study, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics of atorvastatin (ATV) in a Mexican population were investigated. The study cohort exhibited differing ATV metabolizing phenotypes, and in subsequent allelic discrimination assays, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the angiotensinogen, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) and bradykinin B2 receptor (BDKRB2) genes were genotyped and their effects on the pharmacokinetic parameters of ATV were assessed. Additionally, association studies were performed to test for a correlation between metabolizing phenotypes and genetic variants. It was observed that carriers of the genotypes A/C and C/T in AGTR1 and BDKRB2 had higher area under the plasma concentration-time curve values from time 0 to the time of the last measurement and from time 0 extrapolated to infinity, and lower values of clearance of the fraction dose absorbed compared with homozygous carriers (P

Discrepancies in the response to drugs are partially due to polymorphisms in genes involved in drug metabolism and transport. The frequency, pattern and impact of these polymorphisms vary among populations. In the present study, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics of atorvastatin (ATV) in a Mexican population were investigated. The study cohort exhibited differing ATV metabolizing phenotypes, and in subsequent allelic discrimination assays, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the angiotensinogen, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1) and bradykinin B2 receptor (BDKRB2) genes were genotyped and their effects on the pharmacokinetic parameters of ATV were assessed. Additionally, association studies were performed to test for a correlation between metabolizing phenotypes and genetic variants. It was observed that carriers of the genotypes A/C and C/T in AGTR1 and BDKRB2 had higher area under the plasma concentration-time curve values from time 0 to the time of the last measurement and from time 0 extrapolated to infinity, and lower values of clearance of the fraction dose absorbed compared with homozygous carriers (P

In this paper the Delaware Method published in 1963 is analyzed and upgraded with using correction factors which take into account the undesirable currents of the mean flow. However, this method presents graphically these correction factors which imply an impediment to fulfill the software calculations. Thus, the equations corresponding to the correction factor equations and a Fortran 77 numerical program were established. This system is given to explore different design alternatives in order to find the optimal solution to each proposed problem. The results of this work was a simple software that can perform calculations with the introduction of parameters depending only on the geometry of the heat exchanger, i.e., geometry, temperature and fluid characteristics eliminating the human errors and increasing the calculations speed and accuracy.

The best-studied Helicobacter pylori virulence factor associated with development of peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer (GC) rather than asymptomatic nonatrophic gastritis (NAG) is the cag pathogenicity island ( cag PAI), which encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) that injects the CagA oncoprotein into host epithelial cells. Here we used real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) to measure the in vivo expression of genes on the cag PAI and of other virulence genes in patients with NAG, duodenal ulcer (DU), or GC. In vivo expression of H. pylori virulence genes was greater overall in gastric biopsy specimens of patients with GC than in those of patients with NAG or DU. However, since in vitro expression of cagA was not greater in H. pylori strains from patients with GC than in those from patients with NAG or DU, increased expression in GC in vivo is likely a result of environmental conditions in the gastric mucosa, though it may in turn cause more severe pathology. Increased expression of virulence genes in GC may represent a stress response to elevated pH or other environmental conditions in the stomach of patients with GC, which may be less hospitable to H. pylori colonization than the acidic environment in patients with NAG or DU.

B cell development starts in bone marrow with the commitment of hematopoietic progenitors to the B cell lineage. In murine models, the IL-7 and preBCR receptors, and the signaling pathways and transcription factors that they regulate, control commitment and maintenance along the B cell pathway. E2A, EBF1, PAX5, and Ikaros are among the most important transcription factors controlling early development and thereby conditioning mice homeostatic B cell lymphopoiesis. Importantly, their gain or loss of function often results in malignant development in humans, supporting conserved roles for these transcription factors. B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common cause of pediatric cancer, and it is characterized by unpaired early B cell development resulting from genetic lesions in these critical signaling pathways and transcription factors. Fine mapping of these genetic abnormalities is allowing more specific treatments, more accurately predicting risk profiles for this disease, and improving survival rates.

A relation between heat transferred and energy loss, for turbulent flow. In different tube arrangements, is made. The conditions are determined which decide the dimensions and velocities for a heat exchanger. Also, a reference to the economic dimensioning of heat exchangers is presented. In this study, the conditions which a heat exchanger must satisfy represent the best balance between the amounts of material employed. The investigation is restricted to the case of turbulent flow.

Introduction: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common subtype of leukemia diagnosed in children under 18 years. According to the statistics of the Popular Medical Insurance Program in Mexico, the ALL incidence is 79.8 cases per million per year, and it is significantly increasing. Recently, several SNPs of ARID5B gene have been associated with ALL susceptibility and are more strongly related with ALL risk in Hispanics. However, these observations are not necessarily representative of the situation in Mexico, since the proportion of Mexican patients included in these studies is unknown. It is essential for us to know if the genetic variants of ARID5B confer susceptibility to the development of the disease in our population and if these variants contribute to the higher incidence of childhood ALL in Mexico. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the SNPs rs10821936, rs10994982, rs7089424, rs2393732, rs2393782, rs2893881, and rs4948488 of ARID5B gene with the susceptibility to develop ALL in Mexican children. Methods: The study included 384 controls and 298 children with ALL recruited at Instituto Nacional de Pediatria in Mexico city and Hospital de Especialidades Pediatricas de Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Research and Ethics Committees from both participant Institutions in accordance to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Volunteers, parents, or legal tutors of patients were previously informed about the study, and before the biological samples were collected, they provided a signed, written informed consent letter to participate. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and saliva samples. Genotyping analysis was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using a pre-designed TaqMan assay for 7 SNPs (rs10821936, rs10994982, rs7089424, rs2393732, rs2393782, rs2893881, and rs4948488) of ARID5B. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were calculated to compare the differences between controls and patients (Fisher's exact test). The odds ratio (OR) was calculated to determine the association between SNPs and ALL susceptibility. Ancestry analysis was conducted for controls and patients (STRUCTURE program), and Haplotype analysis (Haploview program). Results: The estimated proportion of Native American and European ancestry was not statistically different between controls and patients; all SNPs in ARID5B were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequency of the risk alleles was higher in patients than in controls, but only 3 SNPs showed statistically significant differences (p Conslusions: The frequency of the risk alleles was higher than in Hispanic children with ALL. Each SNP of ARID5B confers an individual effect on the risk for developing the disease, and the CAG haplotype was strongly associated with ALL susceptibility. The genetic background of our population could be positively influencing the susceptibility to ALL development, specifically pre-B ALL. The SNPs rs10821936, rs10994982, rs7089424 and rs2393732 of ARID5B gene are significantly associated with an increased risk to develop childhood ALL and this could also explain in part the high incidence of childhood ALL in Mexico. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the grants from Fondos del Presupuesto Federal para la Investigación (project 085/2012), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) - Desarrollo Cientifico para Atender Problemas Nacionales (project 216163), and in part by the Intramural Program of the National Cancer Institute. Conflict-of-interest disclosure: The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Philadelphia-like (Ph-like) subtype occurs in 15-20% of children patients diagnosed with precursor B cell (PCB) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is characterized by alterations in kinases and their receptors, affecting signaling pathways such as Jak2-Stat5, class Abl and Ras. It is particularly frequent (35%) in Hispano-Latino high risk PCB-ALL patients, residing in the USA. In Mexico, based on our ethnicity and the poor response to treatment of PCB-ALL pediatric patients, the Ph-like subtype could be frequent. However, this entity is widely variable and the diagnosis is based on genomic methods. In our country the incidence of leukemia is high, 78.1/1,000,000, and 83% of these cases are ALL. Therefore, it is important to detect Ph-like patients using diagnostic methods accessible to Institutions that treat patients with leukemia in our country. Aims: To develop an algorithm adapted to our local capacity for the diagnosis of Ph-like ALL children in Mexico. To determine the frequency of Ph-like patients in two Pediatric Institutions in our country Hypothesis: Ph-like ALL frequency in Mexican children will be higher than that reported in Hispano-Latino PCB-ALL patients. Methods, study design and laboratory studies: Bone marrow samples from 119 PCB-ALL patients (18≤ years old) at diagnosis were studied. Samples were collected at the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría and the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez in Mexico City. Patients with recurrent gene fusions, ETV6-RUNX1, TCF3-PBX1,KMT2A-var and BCR-ABL1, were excluded. The Ph-like status of each patient was determined using molecular and biochemical methods. We analyzed a gene expression signature conformed by the genes: CRLF2, TSPN7, IGJ, PON2, SEMA6A and BMPR1B (q-RT-PCR), and detected the P2RY8-CRLF2 deletion (RT-PCR) in all patients. In those patients with overexpression of CRLF2, but negative to P2RY8-CRLF2, the IGH-CRLF2 rearrangement (FISH) was examined. The positive cases to P2RY8-CRLF2, without overexpression of CRLF2, were analyzed looking for minor subclones (FISH) with the deletion. IKZF1 deletions (nested RT-PCR) were analyzed in all patients. The biochemical studies included CRLF2 protein expression, phosphoflow analysis of Jak2-Stat5, class Abl and Ras targets (flow cytometry). All these assays were performed whenever the cell sample allowed it. Patients with two or more of the following characteristics were considered as Ph-like cases: with overexpression of 50% or more of the expression signature, positive to P2RY8-CRLF2 or IGH-CRLF2, alteration of one or more signaling pathways, with IKZF1 deletions. Results: In 50% (n=74) of patients CRLF2 overexpression was detected, within them 15% were positive to P2RY8-CRLF2 deletion, 17% to IGH-CRLF2 rearrangement, and 18% had an unidentified CRLF2 alteration that cause the overexpression. Within the 50% of cases without CRLF2 overexpression, 18% were positive to the P2RY8-CRLF2 rearrangement. IKZF1 deletion was evaluated in 55 patients and 72% were positive. Results obtained revealed a high frequency of CRLF2 and IKZF1. In 68 patients the gene expression profile was evaluated, 60% presented overexpression of 50% or more genes. The biochemical analysis revealed that 67% (n=42) of patients were positive to CRLF2 protein, 29% (n=21) had abnormal Jak2/Stat5 activation, 34% (n=32) presented abnormal Abl activation, and in 43% (n=7) abnormal Ras activation was detected. Not all the CRLF2 protein positive patients presented Jak2-Stat5 pathway activation (2%). Patients with more than one abnormal pathway were detected (18% with Jak2-Stat5/Abl or Abl/Ras, n=21). Based on our algorithm of analysis, 53% of the analyzed patients present genetic and biochemical characteristics of the Ph-like subtype. Conclusions: The combined methods contributed to identify Ph-like patients, the results demonstrate that the frequency of PCB-ALL children with Ph-like characteristics in Mexican patients is higher compared to other populations. This study demonstrates high frequency of CRLF2 alterations and IKZF1 deletions in PCB-ALL in Mexican population. In our experience, analysis of the pathway activation assays and the identification of CRLF2 and IKZF1 alterations are required to detect Ph-like patients. These results could be useful to stratify the childhood PCB-ALL patients in our country. Acknowledgments: CONACYT: PDCPN-2004/248591; Cátedra 2038. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Helicobacter pyloriCagA is translocated into gastric epithelial cells by a type IV secretion system and interacts with the Src homology 2 phosphatase, altering cell morphology. Multiple EPIYA motifs in CagA are associated with increased activity in cells and with gastric cancer. The aim of this work was to study the heterogeneity in activity in cells of multipleH. pylorisingle colonies isolated from a single patient and its association with polymorphism incagA. The presence ofcagA,cagE,cagT, andcag10was studied with 318H. pyloriisolates from the antra and corpora of 18 patients. AGS gastric epithelial cells were infected with 75 isolates, and interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion, cytoskeletal changes, CagA translocation, and tyrosine phosphorylation were measured. ThecagA3′-variable region was sequenced for 30 isolates to determine the number and types of EPIYA motifs. Isolates from an individual stomach were usually genetically related and had quantitatively similar phenotypic effects on cells (IL-8 induction and cytoskeletal changes). However, strains from different patients with similar CagA EPIYA motif patterns varied widely in these phenotypes. Among isolates with an EPIYA-ABC pattern, the phenotype was variable: IL-8 induction ranged from 200 to 1,200 pg/ml, and morphological changes occurred in 20 to 70% of cells. In several cases,cagAsequence diversity appeared to explain the lack of CagA activity, as isolates with an EPIYA-ACC pattern or a modified B motif had reduced cell activity.cagpathogenicity island-positiveH. pyloriisolates displayed a high level of heterogeneity in the capacity to induce IL-8 secretion and morphological changes; an absent or modified B motif was associated with low activity.

Technology is the basis of scientific progress and is an essential component for continued competitiveness in industry. The development of a new drug candidate is a long and expensive process, in which a molecule undergoes several stages of research (both pre-clinical and clinical) before being approved for commercialization. Scientific progress has revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry and reshaped the processes by which new drugs are discovered, investigated, and developed. Currently, the influence of genomic variations in drug metabolism must be better understood to predict an individual´s response to a given treatment. Employing genomics tools, an individual's genetic profile may be obtained and used as the basis for prescription of the best treatment option, thus personalizing medicine. In this review, we discuss how current mainstream genomic technologies used in clinical pharmacology research can accelerate the identification of populations that can benefit the most while reducing adverse events.

Novel biomarkers for risk refinement and stratification in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are needed to optimize treatment results. We studied the expression of CASP8AP2 and H2AFZ associated with relapse and survival in bone marrow samples from newly diagnosed children with ALL. We found: (a) an increased risk for early relapse in those patients with low expression of CASP8AP2 (odds ratio [OR] 3.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-11.02, p < 0.05) confirming its usefulness as a predictive risk marker, although H2AFZ did not present the same effect; (b) patients with low expressions of CASP8AP2 and H2AFZ had inferior survival rates (p < 0.001); (c) the predictive values regarding low expressions of H2AFZ and CASP8AP2 and high white blood cell count suggest that these features could help to identify more accurately patients at greater risk of relapse.

Acute leukemia is a broad term used to identify several malignancies of immature hemato‐ poietic cells. Although, variable incidences have been reported between countries, ranging from 46 to 57 cases by million children, it is considered the most common childhood cancer worldwide [1]. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent subtype (75%-80% of cases; with the remaining 20-25% being of myeloid origin, AML). In ALL, B cell origin is the most frequently diagnosed (B cell ALL) representing 83%, and T cell ALL comprises 15% [2]. The total of ALL cases represents 30-40% of all types of pediatric cancer[3].

Genomic variation largely explains the differences in an individual's response to drug treatments. A field of genomic medicine focuses on the identification of genetic polymorphisms and gene mutations involved in the development and progression of disease. Another part focuses on the development of genetic tests to accompany medical prescriptions, to predict how certain patients respond to therapy with a given pharmacological agent. The field of predicting responses to drugs has different strategies and methods, among which we find: the use of liver microsomes, cell models, monitoring of probe drugs, assays with recombinant proteins and recently the use of microarray platforms or DNAchips.

L’objectiu d’aquest projecte és el disseny d’una planta de producció d’acetaldehid a partir de l’oxidació d’etilè. Es presenta doncs, un estudi de la viabilitat de la construcció i operació de la planta complint en tot moment amb la normativa i legislació vigent.

Expression of the 6 and 8 dominant-negative Ikaros isoforms in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been associated with a high risk of relapse and death; due to these isoforms disrupting the differentiation and proliferation of lymphoid cells. The aim of this study was to know the frequency of Ik6 and Ik8 in 113 Mexican ALL-children treated within the National Popular Medical Insurance Program to determine whether there was an association with relapse-free survival, event-free survival and overall survival, and to assess its usefulness in the initial stratification of patients. The expression of these isoforms was analyzed using specific primer sets and nested RT-PCR. The detected transcripts were classified according to the isoforms's sizes reported. A non-expected band of 300 bp from one patient was analyzed by sequencing. Twenty-six patients expressed Ik6 and/or Ik8 and one of them expressed a variant of Ik8 denominated Ik8-deleted. Although the presence of them was not statistically associated with lower relapse free survival (p = 0.432), event free survival (p = 0.667) or overall survival (p = 0.531), inferior overall survival was observed in patients that expressed these isoforms and showed high or standard risk by age and white blood-cell count at diagnosis. Of the 26 patients Ik6+ and/or Ik8+, 14 did not present adverse events; from them 6 were exclusively Ik6+ and/or Ik8+, and 8 were positive for the other Ikaros isoforms (Ik1, Ik2, Ik5, Ik3A, Ik4, Ik4A, Ik7). In the patients studied, the expression of Ik6 and Ik8 did not constitute an independent prognostic factor for relapse or death related to disease; therefore, they could not be used in the initial risk stratification.

To study the incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection in infants from the State of Morelos, Mexico.A cohort of 110 healthy infants was studied between 1997 and 1999. Serum samples were collected from mothers and their infants at 2, 6, 18, and 24 months of life. All serum samples were tested for antibodies against Helicobacter pylori with the ELISA test. A questionnaire was used to collect socio-economic and clinical data. Associations among selected variables and Helicobacter pylori infection were determined using Fisher's exact test.Two thirds of mothers and six (5.5%) infants tested positive. Two of the six positive infants were born to positive mothers; both of them became negative before age two. The other four infants remained positive. Although not statistically significant, a vaginal birth and more than five people living in the household are possible risk factors for infant H. pylori infection.Despite the previously reported high prevalence of infection by H. pylori in Mexican children, in this population we found a low incidence of infection in infants up to two years of age. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

El empleo de estrategias enfocadas a lograr el mayor impacto y eficacia de la comuni cación debe ser u n valor f undamen tal e n cualquier organización, especialmenteaquellas que orbitan en torno a la atención en salud. El presente trabajo realiza unavaloración sobre el cambio de estrategia llevado a cabo en el año 2010 por el equipode comunicación de la Agencia de Calidad Sanitaria de Andalucía, fundación públicaandaluza encargada de la acreditación de calidad de los diferentes elementos del sistemasanitario. Tras el análisis de las notas de prensa emitidas, las noticias publicadassobre acreditación de calidad y el recuento de centros y profesionales sanitarios acreditadosse puede afirmar que ha habido un incremento significativo de noticias publicadas sobre acreditación de calidad en salud e n el con j unto de l a comun i dadautónoma de Andalucía. Existen dos posibles factores a tener en cuenta. Por un lado,el mayor número de profesionales, centros y unidades que han apostado por la acreditaciónde calidad como una máxima de su quehacer profesional, fruto tanto del impuls o que l a administración sanitaria es tá dando a los programas de acred itación,como de la propia iniciativa de los profesionales. Por otro lado, existen indicios razonablespara afirmar que, la localización de los actos y de la estrategia de comunicaciónde los mismos, enfatizando el contacto con los medios de comunicación locales, hahecho que se multiplique la publicación de las notas de prensa en estos medios.