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The various surgical specialties in our center have used the simulation and experimental surgery resources available for their training tasks in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in an individualized manner. With this learning model, a great dispersion of effort and expense was observed, so it was decided to create a unified program based on the following: shared learning, synergy among specialties, moderation of the economic cost, and rational use of the facilities.To describe and assess our consensually designed training program in order to consolidate a shared learning strategy that will enable our residents to acquire and perfect surgical skills in MIS.The program consists of various increasingly complex phases implemented on a continuous basis throughout the period of specialized training in the virtual laboratory and experimental operating room. The assessment methods were based on quantifiable criteria: percentage of efficiency and completion time of the "McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills" (MISTELS) exercises at the beginning and end of the program. An economic study was also conducted.20 residents have completed the program. Mean times show a significant reduction in each of the exercises. The efficiency percentages at the end of the program were higher than at the beginning (p 0.001). The cost of the program represented a saving of 67.89%.The new MIS training program improved the quality of learning in a safe environment, establishing common criteria among the different specialties and an improved use of resources.Las diferentes especialidades quirúrgicas de nuestro centro han usado los recursos de simulación y cirugía experimental para sus tareas de formación en cirugía mínimamente invasiva (CMI) de manera individualizada. Con este modelo de aprendizaje se detectó una gran dispersión de esfuerzos y gasto, por lo que se decidió crear un programa unificado basado en: aprendizaje compartido, sinergia entre especialidades, moderación del coste económico y uso racional de las instalaciones.Describir y evaluar nuestro programa de entrenamiento diseñado por consenso de cara a la consolidación de una estrategia de aprendizaje compartido que permita a nuestros residentes adquirir y perfeccionar habilidades quirúrgicas en CMI.El programa consta de diferentes fases con complejidad creciente desarrolladas durante todo el periodo de formación especializada de forma continuada en laboratorio virtual y quirófano experimental. Los criterios de evaluación se basaron en criterios cuantificables: porcentaje de eficiencia y tiempo de realización de los ejercicios de McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills (MISTELS) al inicio y final del programa. Se realizó también el estudio económico.Han completado el programa 20 residentes. Los tiempos medios demuestran una reducción significativa en cada uno de los ejercicios. Los porcentajes de eficiencia al final fueron mayores que al inicio del programa (p 0,001). El coste del programa supuso un ahorro del 67,89%.El nuevo programa de entrenamiento en CMI mejoró la calidad de aprendizaje en un entorno seguro, estableciendo criterios comunes entre las diferentes especialidades y un mayor aprovechamiento de los recursos.

5 figures, 5 tables.-- Supplementary information available., (1) Despite the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in lung cancer, there is a lack of knowledge about predictive biomarkers. The objective of our study is to analyze different subsets of T-lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells as predictive biomarkers in a cohort of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with ICI. (2) This is an observational, prospective study with 55 NSCLC patients treated with ICI. A total of 43 T and NK cell subsets are analyzed in peripheral blood, including the main markers of exhaustion, differentiation, memory, activation, and inhibition. (3) Regarding the descriptive data, Granzyme B+CD4+ Treg lymphocytes stand out (median 17.4%), and within the NK populations, most patients presented cytotoxic NK cells (CD56+CD3−CD16+GranzymeB+; median 94.8%), and about half of them have highly differentiated adaptive-like NK cells (CD56+CD3−CD16+CD57+ (mean 59.8%). A statistically significant difference was observed between the expression of PD1 within the CD56bright NK cell subpopulation (CD56+CD3−CD16−PD-1+) (p = 0.047) and a better OS. (4) Circulating immune cell subpopulations are promising prognostic biomarkers for ICI. Pending on validation with a larger sample, here we provide an analysis of the major circulating T and NK cell subsets involved in cancer immunity, with promising results despite a small sample size., Work in the JP lab is funded by FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, Gobierno de Aragón, Group B29_20R), Grant PID2020-113963RB-I00 by MICIN/AEI, CIBER—Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—(CIBERINFEC, CB21/13/00087), Grant PTA2019-016739-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 to PD, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Aspanoa and Carrera de la mujer de Monzón. Grant PID2020-113963RB-I00 by MICIN/AEI to EMGB. Bristol Myers Squibb. Roche Farma S.A. Funders did not make any decisions about the study or the results to post.

Introducción: La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) puede predisponer a tromboembolia venosa o trombosis arterial debido a una respuesta inflamatoria aumentada, hipoxia, inmovilización y coagulación intravascular diseminada; hasta en un 20 a 50% de pacientes hospitalizados con COVID-19 tienen alteraciones hematológicas relacionadas con coagulopatía (dímero D elevado, tiempo de protrombina prolongado, trombocitopenia y/o fibrinógeno bajo). Evaluaciones post mortem evidencian depósitos trombóticos microvasculares típicos, ricos en plaquetas en vasos pequeños de pulmones y otros órganos. Objetivo: Brindar una aproximación práctica y actualizada en el manejo del paciente con riesgo elevado o que presentan eventos tromboembólicos en el marco de la actual pandemia por COVID-19. Material y métodos: Se realizó una revisión narrativa que incluyó estudios observacionales descriptivos. Se efectuó una búsqueda de la literatura de evidencia médica en diferentes buscadores como Science Direct y PubMed, usando las palabras claves “thromboprophylaxis”, “anticoagulation”, “thrombosis”, “anticoagulant”, “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “coronavirus”. Posteriormente se escribieron las recomendaciones generales referentes al tema. Conclusiones: Existen diferentes formas en las que la pandemia por COVID- 19 puede predisponer al desarrollo de enfermedades trombóticas o tromboembólicas, el efecto directo o indirecto de este virus relacionado con la tormenta de citocinas que precipita el inicio del síndrome de respuesta inflamatoria sistémica y predispone al desarrollo de eventos trombóticos; también las intervenciones disponibles pueden tener interacciones farmacológicas con antiagregantes y/o anticoagulantes.

Research on natural cooling of buildings has produced an extensive scientific bibliography since 1980s. Nevertheless, few examples of complete experimental systems are registered, and rigorous procedures for their dimensioning are currently not available. This work analyses the performance of an air-based low energy radiative cooling system in Chile. The system is composed of a series of specialized radiative air collectors, a mechanical ventilation system, and a thermal storage wall, which is part of the indoor environment. The design has been tested in an experimental prototype where external and internal environmental conditions have been monitored during a full week in midsummer conditions. The data obtained is used to validate an analytical model designed to study the behavior of each component and the system’s performance. This work studies the relationship between the radiator surface, the air volume flow rate, and the thermal storage wall volume that serves to neutralize the thermal loads, maintaining comfortable temperature conditions throughout the day. Comparison of the simulations with and without thermal conditioning has been conducted. In term of the system sizing, a thermal wall of 2.55 m3 and a total air flow rate of 48 m3/h is required to reach the optimal operating point of the first floor of the house. A sensibility analysis indicated that increasing the number of collectors slightly reduces the wall’s size. Based on these conditions, the work concludes with the proposal of a simple procedure for the sizing of passive cooling systems installed in social housing developments.

RATIONALE: Prior evidence suggests that there may be an association between asthma and food insecurity. We sought to describe the prevalence of food insecurity access, defined as having sufficient resources for appropriate foods in Lima, Peru, and evaluate its association with asthma status and control. METHODS: We analyzed data from 553 children with asthma and 268 healthy controls aged nine to 19 years living in two peri-urban communities in Lima, Peru, in 2013. We assessed food insecurity according to the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. We defined uncontrolled asthma as an asthma control test score ≤ 19. We used multivariable logistic regressions to determine the relationship between asthma outcomes and food insecurity adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, body mass index and setting. RESULTS: Average age was 14.2 (SD 2.7 years). There was a high prevalence of household food insecurity in our study: 330 participants (40.2%) were food insecure, and average food insecurity access score was 2.7 points (SD 4.2). While being food insecure was not associated with asthma status (OR=1.23, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.79; p=0.28), it was associated with higher odds of having uncontrolled asthma (OR=2.01, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.59; p=0.02). Each one-unit increase in food insecurity score (higher scores indicating more insecurity) was associated with 8% higher odds of having uncontrolled asthma (OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.14; p

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been described as a common complication of cardiac surgery in pediatric patients, whose impact on morbidity and mortality has been documented. Its incidence has been estimated to be approximately 40 % in this patient group. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of AKI in patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery and to define associated risk factors and the impact of AKI on the parameters of the postoperative course.This was a retrospective, observational study of pediatric patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery between January 2015 and December 2017 at Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires. The incidence of AKI was defined as per the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria, based on pre- and post-operative blood creatinine levels and urine output.A total of 125 patients were included. Of them, 35 % developed AKI. The analysis of risk factors showed a statistically significant difference for the administration of vancomycin and thiazide diuretics, red blood cell transfusion requirement, extracorporeal circulation pump time, clamp time, maximal intraoperative lactate level, minimum temperature, and delayed chest closure. In relation to the parameters of the post-operative course, we observed a longer hospital stay, higher inotropic requirement, more days of mechanical ventilation, bleeding, and neurological complications.In this study, the incidence of AKI was 35 %. Modifiable and non-modifiable associated risk factors were defined and a greater rate of complications was observed in patients who developed AKI.Introducción. La lesión renal aguda (LRA) ha sido descrita como una complicación frecuente de las cirugías cardíacas en pacientes pediátricos, con impacto documentado en la morbimortalidad. Se estima una incidencia de alrededor del 40 % en este grupo de pacientes. El objetivo del trabajo fue calcular la incidencia de LRA en pacientes que tuvieron cirugía cardiovascular, definir los factores de riesgo asociados y el impacto de la LRA en los parámetros de evolución posquirúrgica. Población y métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo observacional sobre pacientes pediátricos con cirugías cardiovasculares, operados entre enero de 2015 y diciembre de 2017 en el Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires. Se definió la incidencia de LRA según los criterios de Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes, considerando los valores de creatininemia y ritmo diurético pre- y posquirúrgicos. Resultados. Se incluyeron un total de 125 pacientes. Un 35 % desarrolló LRA. Al analizar los factores de riesgo, se observó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa para administración de vancomicina, diuréticos tiazídicos, requerimiento transfusional de glóbulos rojos, tiempo de bomba de circulación extracorpórea, de clampeo, lactato máximo intraquirúrgico, temperatura mínima y cierre diferido del tórax. Entre los parámetros de evolución posquirúrgica, se observó un incremento en la duración de la internación, requerimiento de inotrópicos, días de asistencia respiratoria mecánica, sangrado y complicaciones neurológicas. Conclusión. La incidencia de LRA en este estudio fue del 35 %. Se pudieron definir factores de riesgo modificables y no modificables asociados, y se detectó una mayor incidencia de complicaciones en aquellos pacientes que desarrollaron LRA.

Graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQD) were obtained from fishbone carbon nanofibers (CNF) using a modified Hummers' method followed by ultrasound assisted exfoliation. Owing to its arrangement in accessible small sp2-carbon domains, CNF is a promising precursor for high yield GOQD obtention. The suspension was subjected to further separation by degressive differential centrifugation obtaining fractions of different sizes and oxidation states. The resulting graphene oxide-based products consisted of a mixture of expanded CNF, few-layer graphene oxide sheets and GOQD, the latter accounting for a yield of 42 wt% with respect to the initial CNF weight. The photoluminescence properties were dependent on the size and the oxidation state of each fractionated graphene oxide-based suspension. GOQD showed an excitation-dependent photoluminescent emission with a maximum at 578 nm (yellow) for an excitation of 455 nm. After hydrothermal reduction, reduced GOQD (rGOQD) exhibited bright violet photoluminescence at 448 nm for 330 nm of excitation due to the removal of hydroxyl and epoxide groups from basal planes of the graphene network. Furthermore, the quantum yield of GOQD and rGOQD were measured and reached values of 5.5 and 7%, respectively.

Objetivos: Determinar la eficacia in vitro del efecto inhibidor del extracto etanólico de propóleo en comparación al gluconato de clorhexidina frente a cepas de Lactobacillus acidophilus. Material y Métodos: El tipo de investigación fue experimental, prospectivo, analítico y longitudinal, llevándose a cabo en el laboratorio de microbiología de la Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener durante el año 2016. La población estuvo conformada por cepas de Lactobacillus acidophilus de uso comercial, con una muestra de 30 cultivos en placas petri con agar base sangre, colocándose discos de papel Whatman N° 40 embebidos con extracto etanólico de propóleo al 15% y 30%, así como gluconato de clorhexidina 0,12% como control positivo y alcohol de 70° como control negativo. Se desarrolló el cultivo en condiciones de anaerobiosis a 37 °C. Resultados: Se obtuvo que la concentración al 15% y 30% del extracto etanólico de propóleo presenta un mayor efecto inhibidor promedio de 8,15 mm y 11,75 mm a las 48 horas y de 11,40 mm y 14,25 mm a las 72 horas, respectivamente; en relación al halo de inhibición promedio producido por el gluconato de clorhexidina al 0,12% a las 48 y 72 horas, que fue de 6,55 mm y 8,00 mm. Conclusiones: El extracto etanólico de propóleo al 30% es más efectivo in vitro que la clorhexidina al 0,12% para el control de Lactobacillus acidophilus. Objectives: To determine the efficacy in vitro of the antibacterial inhibitory effect of the ethanolic extracts of propolis in comparison to the chlorhexidine gluconate against strains of the Lactobacillus acidophilus. Material and methods: The type of investigation was experimental, prospective, analytical and longitudinal. It took place in the laboratory of microbiology at the private university Norbert Wiener during the year 2016. The population consisted of strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus commercial use and the sample consisted of 30 crops of this microorganism in petri plates with blood agar base and where disks embedded paper was placed with ethanol propolis extracts of 15% and 30%, chlorhexidine gluconate of 0.12% as a positive control and alcohol of 70% as a negative control. Underconditions of anaerobiosis at 30°C. Results: The obtained that the concentration at 15% and 30% ethanolicpropolis extract has a higher average effect inhibitor 8.15 mm and 11.75 mmat 48 hours and 11.40 mm and 14.25 mm at 72 hours respectively. In relation to the average inbition halo produced by the chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% at 48 and 72 hours, which was 6.55 mm and 8.00 mm. Conclusions: The ethanolic extract of propolis30% is more effective in vitro than 0.12% chlorhexidine for the control of Lactobacillus acidophilus.

The article studies the historical significance of four projects (arbitrios) written by religious scholars from the Franciscan, Dominican and Jesuit orders in Peru, between 1630 and 1659. In particular, it studies the impact of these projects in the negotiation for political representation with the Crown. The article also addresses the importance of these projects as expression of the theoretical modernity of Peru’s creole church in the era of Confessionalization.El artículo analiza el significado histórico de los arbitrios escritos por intelectuales de las órdenes franciscana, dominica y jesuita en el Perú entre 1630 y 1659. En particular, se estudia su impacto para negociar una cuota de representación política para las órdenes y las elites del virreinato peruano en este período. Adicionalmente, estos memoriales son vistos como expresión de la modernidad teórica de la iglesia criolla en la era de la confesionalización.

The interaction between intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and the integrin leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) is crucial for the regulation of several physiological and pathophysiological processes like cell-mediated elimination of tumor or virus infected cells, cancer metastasis, or inflammatory and autoimmune processes. Using purified proteins it was reported a species restriction for the interaction of ICAM-1 and LFA-1, being mouse ICAM-1 able to interact with human LFA-1 but not human ICAM-1 with mouse LFA-1. However, in vivo results employing tumor cells transfected with human ICAM-1 suggest that functionally mouse LFA-1 can recognize human ICAM-1. In order to clarify the interspecies cross-reactivity of the ICAM-1/LFA-1 interaction, we have performed functional studies analyzing the ability of human soluble ICAM-1 and human/mouse LFA-1 derived peptides to inhibit cell aggregation and adhesion as well as cell-mediated cytotoxicity in both mouse and human systems. In parallel, the affinity of the interaction between mouse LFA-1-derived peptides and human ICAM-1 was determined by calorimetry assays. According to the results obtained, it seems that human ICAM-1 is able to interact with mouse LFA-1 on intact cells, which should be taking into account when using humanized mice and xenograft models for the study of immune-related processes., This work was supported by Fondo Social Europeo (FSE; Gobierno de Aragón) and by grants2009tw0034 from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), SAF2011-25390, SAF2014-54763-C2-1-R, SAF2014-54763-C2-2-R and BFU2016-78232-P (AVC) from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (JP). JP and AVC were supported by Aragón I+D (ARAID). DSM and LC are supported by a predoctoral contract from Gobierno de Aragón and PML by a FPU predoctoral contract from Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte.

Este ensayo analiza el significado histórico y político de la historiografía religiosa producida en la ciudad de Lima entre aproximadamente 1620 y 1680. El significativo corpus de alrededor de una veintena de historias y narrativas históricas no tuvo paralelo en ninguna otra capital colonial hispanoamericana de la época y convirtió a Lima en el principal centro de la discusión histórica del siglo XVII.

Se estudiaron doce panes con salchicha obtenidos en el campus central de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, se registró su peso y se determinó su contenido de macronutrientes y minerales. También se registró la información de la etiqueta nutricional de las bebidas con que se consume el pan con salchicha, Los resultados indican que una unidad de pan con salchicha pesa 185 g, tiene 276 Kcal. 11 g de proteína, 30 g de carbohidratos, 1 1 g de grasa y 1142 mg de sodio, entre otros nutrientes. La bebida acompañante aporta entre 167 y 260 Kcal, de 42-68 g de carbohidratos y de 18 a 105 mg de sodio, lo cual representa 15% de larecomendación dietética diaria de grasa, más de 20% de lo recomendado para energía y más del 50% de lo recomendado para sodio. El alto contenido de energía, carbohidratos y sodio de este tipo de alimento es característico de la “‘comida rápida", que constituye un factor de riesgo de padecer enfermedades crónicas.

Objectives: Data about the efficacy of ertapenem for the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are limited. We compared the clinical efficacy of ertapenem and other carbapenems in monomicrobial BSI due to ESBL-E. Methods: A multinational retrospective cohort study (INCREMENT project) was performed (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01764490). Patients given monotherapy with ertapenem or other carbapenems were compared. Empirical and targeted therapies were analysed. Propensity scores were used to control for confounding; sensitivity analyses were performed in subgroups. The outcome variables were cure/improvement rate at day 14 and all-cause 30 day mortality. Results: The empirical therapy cohort (ETC) and the targeted therapy cohort (TTC) included 195 and 509 patients, respectively. Cure/improvement rateswere 90.6% with ertapenem and 75.5% with other carbapenems (P=0.06) in the ETC and 89.8% and 82.6% (P=0.02) in the TTC, respectively; 30 day mortality rates were 3.1% and 23.3% (P=0.01) in the ETC and 9.3% and 17.1% (P=0.01) in the TTC, respectively. Adjusted ORs (95% CI) for cure/improvement with empirical and targeted ertapenem were 1.87 (0.24-20.08; P=0.58) and 1.04 (0.44- 2.50; P=0.92), respectively. For the propensity-matched cohorts it was 1.18 (0.43-3.29; P=0.74). Regarding 30 day mortality, the adjusted HR (95% CI) for targeted ertapenem was 0.93 (0.43-2.03; P=0.86) and for the propensity-matched cohorts it was 1.05 (0.46-2.44; P=0.90). Sensitivity analyses were consistent except for patients with severe sepsis/septic shock, which showed a non-significant trend favouring other carbapenems. Conclusions: Ertapenem appears as effective as other carbapenems for empirical and targeted therapy of BSI due to ESBL-E, but further studies are needed for patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. © The Author 2016.

The prevalence of alcohol intake in women who become pregnant is similar to that found in the general population, especially in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Consequently, foetal exposure is high during the period of maximum vulnerability. The present study was carried out to determine the prenatal level of exposure to alcohol in Malaga, a Mediterranean region whose economy is based on the touristic sector (Costa del Sol). A cross-sectional, observational design was used to investigate the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, based on a self-reporting questionnaire. A total of 451 women in the first, second or third trimesters of pregnancy were recruited. Consumption prevalences in each trimester were 40.7%, 25.5% and 17.1%. A higher educational level was associated with greater exposure to alcohol (risk ratio, 1.87 [1.30–2.69]). These results should alert the providers of obstetric care in touristic areas to the need for the adoption of adequate preventive measures.

We report two Colombian siblings affected by overgrowth, intellectual disability and facial dysmorphism. Exome (via NGS) and Sanger sequencing revealed that biallelic sequence variants in a novel gene (HERC1) might be related to the disease pathogenesis. These results provide useful data for future genotype-phenotype correlations and for a molecular diagnosis of overgrowth.

The relationships between tree vigour and soil and landscape properties of a rainfed olive orchard located on a marly slope of southern Spain were studied. The different properties and thickness of three soil layers (viz. the secondary carbonate-free layer, the solum, and the layer penetrated by roots), and the properties of the 0–30 cm layer, were used as soil variables. Olive tree vigour and soil properties were found to be strongly correlated. Much of the variability in tree vigour was related to soil morphology. The thickness of the root zone and the average CaCO3 content in the secondary carbonate-free layer and the upper 30 cm of soil accounted for ∼58 and ∼68%, respectively, of the variance in canopy volume. Tree vigour was related to some properties of the root zone, such as clay content and cation exchange capacity, expressed on a surface basis. Topographic properties such as distance to summit, slope gradient and profile curvature were also found to be significantly correlated with tree vigour, but had less influence than intrinsic soil properties.

La primera en una larga lista de narrativas históricas religiosas del siglo XVII, la crónica de fray Alonso Ramos Gavilán, Historia del Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Copacabana, publicada en Lima en 1621, es un texto muy rico cuya filiación flamenca ha sido desatendida por el énfasis que los estudios contemporáneos han dado a la búsqueda de información etnográfica relativa al área altoperuana donde el santuario de la Virgen de Copacabana se encuentra desde 1588.

In Chile most of care for persons with dementia is delivered by family relatives and research of interventions targeting caregivers of persons with dementia is very limited. This qualitative study explored perceived benefits of an education and training program for family caregivers of older persons with dementia. Setting was the Program Kintun for persons with dementia in the city of Santiago, Chile. Intervention was founded using the theoretical frame of readiness in family caregivers of persons with dementia by Gitlin et al (2014), based on a progressive cycle in the development of skills that allow caregivers to move towards higher levels of self-efficacy.

Natural killer (NK) cells recognize and eliminate transformed or infected cells that have downregulated MHC class-I and express specific activating ligands. Recent evidence indicates that allogeneic NK cells are useful to eliminate haematological cancer cells independently of MHC-I expression. However, it is unclear if transformed cells expressing mutations that confer anti-apoptotic properties and chemoresistance will be susceptible to NK cells. Allogeneic primary human NK cells were activated using different protocols and prospectively tested for their ability to eliminate diverse mutant haematological and apoptotic-resistant cancer cell lines as well as patient-derived B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells with chemotherapy multiresistance. Here, we show that human NK cells from healthy donors activated in vitro with Epstein Barr virus positive (EBV+)-lymphoblastoid cells display an enhanced cytotoxic and proliferative potential in comparison to other protocols of activation such a K562 cells plus interleukin (IL)2. This enhancement enables them to kill more efficiently a variety of haematological cancer cell lines, including a panel of transfectants that mimic natural mutations leading to oncogenic transformation and chemoresistance (e.g., overexpression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 or downregulation of p53, Bak/Bax or caspase activity). The effect was also observed against blasts from B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients showing multi-resistance to chemotherapy. Our findings demonstrate that particular in vitro activated NK cells may overcome anti-apoptotic mechanisms and oncogenic alterations frequently occurring in transformed cells, pointing toward the use of EBV+-lymphoblastoid cells as a desirable strategy to activate NK cells in vitro for the purpose of treating haematological neoplasia with poor prognosis.

Genetic variance of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a strong determinant of this disorder. The 40 base pairs (bp) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) located in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of DAT1 gene increases the expression of the dopamine transporter. Therefore, DAT1 has been associated with susceptibility to ADHD.To determine the association between the VNTR of DAT1 and the phenotype of ADHD or its endophenotypes in a sample of children aged between 6 and 15 years from Bogotá.We selected 73 patients with ADHD and 54 controls. WISC test was applied in all subjects and executive functions were assessed. The VNTR of DAT1 was polymerase chain reaction-amplified. Data regarding population genetics and statistical analysis were obtained. Correlation and association tests between genotype and neuropsychological testing were performed.The DAT1 polymorphism was not associated with ADHD (P=.85). Nevertheless, the 10/10 genotype was found to be correlated with the processing speed index (P.05). In the hyperactivity subtype, there was a genotypic correlation with some subtests of executive function (cognitive flexibility) (P≤.01). In the combined subtype, the 10/10 genotype was associated with verbal comprehension index of WISC (P.05).A correlation was found between DAT1 VNTR and the subtest "processing speed index" of WISC and the subtest "cognitive flexibility" of executive functions. To our knowledge, this is the first report to assess DAT1 gene in a Colombian population.