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Red blood cells (RBCs) can act as carriers for therapeutic agents and can substantially improve the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of many drugs. Maintaining RBCs integrity and lifespan is important for the efficacy of RBCs as drug carrier. We investigated the impact of drug encapsulation by hypotonic dialysis on RBCs physiology and integrity. Several parameters were compared between processed RBCs loaded with l-asparaginase (“eryaspase”), processed RBCs without drug and non-processed RBCs. Processed RBCs were less hydrated and displayed a reduction of intracellular content. We observed a change in the metabolomic but not in the proteomic profile of processed RBCs. Encapsulation process caused moderate morphological changes and was accompanied by an increase of RBCs-derived Extracellular Vesicles release. Despite a decrease in deformability, processed RBCs were not mechanically retained in a spleen-mimicking device and had increased surface-to-volume ratio and osmotic resistance. Processed RBCs half-life was not significantly affected in a mouse model and our previous phase 1 clinical study showed that encapsulation of asparaginase in RBCs prolonged its in vivo half-life compared to free forms. Our study demonstrated that encapsulation by hypotonic dialysis may affect certain characteristics of RBCs but does not significantly affect the in vivo longevity of RBCs or their drug carrier function.

Las denominadas ciudades deportivas se configuran como una especialización inteligente que va más allá de la capacidad de la localidad para realizar grandes eventos y megaeventos deportivos. Ser una ciudad deportiva implica la unión de diferentes stakeholders del deporte a través de diversas políticas públicas encaminadas a potencializar la transversalidad del deporte como herramienta que promueve el bienestar de los ciudadanos. Para los efectos de este propósito, se ha desarrollado una investigación cualitativa basada en la teoría fundamentada, proceso de carácter inductivo donde son los datos y su profundización los que orientan el desarrollo de la perspectiva teórica. Los resultados permitieron conceptualizar la ciudad deportiva y la aproximación hacia un modelo integrador el cual está compuesto por: pilares, sistema, actores, impacto y como eje central el deporsistema donde interactúan y se interrelacionan cinco componentes bióticos/abióticos, materiales o conceptuales que cumplen un propósito y como en la Gestalt “el todo es más que la suma de las partes”. A través de este modelo de ciudad, se pretende generar un instrumento proyectivo, facilitador del aseguramiento de estrategias que guiarán a la gobernanza del deporte en el diseño de un modelo propio adaptado al entorno, oportunidades, retos, fortalezas, necesidades y prioridades de la población. Ratificando la relevancia del deporte en la planificación a largo plazo de la ciudad contemporánea. Abstract. The purpose of this article is to highlight how the so-called sports cities have managed to become an intelligent specialization that goes beyond the disposition of the city to carry out large sports events and mega-events. Being a sports city implies the union of different sports stakeholders through various strategies and public policies aimed at strengthening the mainstreaming of sport as a tool that promotes the well-being of citizens. For the purposes of this purpose, a qualitative research based on grounded theory has been developed, an inductive process where the data and its deepening are the ones that guide the development of the theoretical perspective. The results allowed the definition of a sports city and the approach towards an integrating model which is composed of: pillars, system, actors, impact and as the central axis the deporsystem where five biotic / abiotic, material or conceptual components interact and interrelate. they serve a purpose and as in Gestalt “the whole is more than the sum of the parts”. Through this city model, it is intended to generate a projective instrument, facilitating the assurance of strategies that will guide sport stakeholders, in the design of their own model adapted to their context, needs and desires of the population, in addition to the forward-looking governance planning. Ratifying the importance of sport in the future planning of the contemporary city.

Dengue fever is an increasing health problem in tropical and subtropical regions. During 2010 in Medellin, the younger population presented a particularly high dengue incidence rate. This study estimated dengue virus (DENV) transmission in schoolchildren (aged 5–19 years) in Medellin from 2010 to 2012. A longitudinal serological survey (IgG) and spatial analysis were conducted to determine the distribution of DENV seroprevalence. A total of 4,385 schoolchildren participated for at least one year. Dengue seroprevalence significantly increased during the studied period (53.8% to 64.6%; p

A dengue fever surveillance study was conducted at three medical facilities located in the low-income district of San Javier in Medellin, Colombia. During March 2008 to 2009, 781 patients with fever regardless of chief complaint were recruited for acute dengue virus infection testing. Of the 781 tested, 73 (9.3%) were positive for dengue infection. Serotypes DENV-2 (77%) and -3 (23%) were detected by PCR. One patient met the diagnostic criteria for dengue hemorrhagic fever. Only 3 out of 73 (4.1%) febrile subjects testing positive for dengue infection were diagnosed with dengue fever by the treating physician. This study confirms dengue virus as an important cause of acute febrile illness in Medellin, Colombia, but it is difficult to diagnose without dengue diagnostic testing.

To determine the incidence of dengue infection, we established active surveillance of febrile episodes in a cohort of schoolchildren from three schools in Medellin, Colombia. We followed a cohort of 2,379 schoolchildren in 2010 and followed 1,840 of these children the following year. During the follow-up time, 264 schoolchildren displayed 297 febrile episodes; of these, 23 episodes (7.7%) were caused by acute dengue infection. All four dengue serotypes were found, and all of the cases were mild. The most common symptoms in the dengue cases compared with those in other febrile illness were asthenia (96% versus 87%), anorexia (78% versus 57%), rhinorrhea (65.2% versus 58%), abdominal pain (56.5% versus 47.8%), arthralgia (43% versus 33%), and positive tourniquet test (13% versus 3%). This difference was not statistically significant. Pulse was elevated, and systolic arterial pressure was lower in dengue cases compared with other febrile illness (P