BackgroundAcute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common malignant cancer in childhood. The signs and symptoms of childhood cancer are difficult to recognize, as it is not the first diagnosis to be considered for nonspecific complaints, leading to potential uncertainty in diagnosis. The aim of this study was to perform proteomic analysis of serum from pediatric patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) to identify candidate biomarker proteins, for use in early diagnosis and evaluation of treatment.MethodsSerum samples were obtained from ten patients at the time of diagnosis (B-ALL group) and after induction therapy (AIT group). Sera from healthy children were used as controls (Control group). The samples were subjected to immunodepletion, affinity chromatography with α-d-galactose-binding lectin (from Artocarpus incisa seeds) immobilized on a SepharoseTM 4B gel, concentration, and digestion for subsequent analysis with nano-UPLC tandem nano-ESI-MSE. The program ExpressionE was used to quantify differences in protein expression between groups.ResultsA total of 96 proteins were identified. Leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1), Clusterin (CLU), thrombin (F2), heparin cofactor II (SERPIND1), alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M), alpha-2-antiplasmin (SERPINF2), Alpha-1 antitrypsin (SERPINA1), Complement factor B (CFB) and Complement C3 (C3) were identified as candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis of B-ALL, as they were upregulated in the B-ALL group relative to the control and AIT groups. Expression levels of the candidate biomarkers did not differ significantly between the AIT and control groups, providing further evidence that the candidate biomarkers are present only in the disease state, as all patients achieved complete remission after treatment.ConclusionA panel of protein biomarker candidates has been developed for pre-diagnosis of B-ALL and also provided information that would indicate a favorable response to treatment after induction therapy.

ResumenLa leptospirosis es una enfermedad de gran importancia en el mundo debido a su componente zoonótico, el objetivo de esta investigación fue realizar una asociación entre la presencia de la enfermedad en animales domésticos, humanos y roedores silvestres en Latinoamérica. Se llevó a cabo una revisión bibliográfica haciendo énfasis en reportes asociados a roedores silvestres en los últimos 50 años. Como resultado se pudo establecer que los roedores silvestres seropositivos a la bacteria, en la mayoría de los casos, resultaban negativos en cultivo y los títulos eran bajos en comparación con la seroprevalencia en los animales domésticos, por lo que se deduce que son el principal factor de riesgo. Por tanto, es necesario establecer un control estricto en las explotaciones pecuarias, así como realizar estudios minuciosos, con el fin de disminuir los brotes en humanos e impedir la diseminación de la enfermedad a la fauna silvestre y la propagación de la enfermedad en humanos.Palabras clave: Leptospira, roedores, zoonosis, diagnóstico, reservorio, Latinoamérica. AbstractLeptospirosis is a disease of great importance in the world because of its zoonotic component, the purpose of this research was to establish a relation between the presence of the disease among domestic, human and wild rodents in Latin America. A review of available bibliography was conducted with an emphasis on reports associated with wild rodents in the last 50 years. As a result it was established that wild rodents that were seropositive to the bacteria, in most cases, had negative culture results and titles were low compared to the seroprevalence in pets, it therefore follows that they are 85

Cromatografia de afinidade é uma técnica usada para separar compostos, como, por exemplo, determinadas proteínas, que têm a capacidade de se ligar não covalentemente e reversivelmente a moléculas específicas conhecidas como ligantes. Esse método difere das técnicas de cromatografia clássica devido a proteína conseguir ser separada com base em uma única propriedade bioquímica. Em cromatografia de afinidade, o ligante está ligado covalentemente à matriz, que deve ser quimicamente inerte, porosa e também ter uma variedade de grupos funcionais adequados para acoplamento com ligantes diferentes.   Várias matrizes e ligantes são usados em cromatografia de afinidade, dependendo da proteína a ser purificada. Esse trabalho descreverá alguns aspectos importantes para o isolamento de lectinas através da técnica de cromatografia de afinidade utilizando-se carboidratos.

Ulex europaeus es una planta de origen mediterráneo, introducida en Colombia como cerca viva que ha adquirido gran importancia debido a su carácter invasor principalmente en las zonas de alta montaña. El conocimiento de su biología es una herramienta fundamental para la implementación de medidas de manejo que permitan su control y minimicen su impacto sobre los ecosistemas. El estudio de las moléculas y principios activos podría generar información valiosa a este respecto. La investigación reporta algunos ácidos grasos y compuestos fenólicos conseguidos de la extracción oleosa de las semillas e identificados por cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas. Dentro de los resultados destaca la presencia de ácido linoleico y también la presencia de tocoferoles que podrían ser útiles para aplicaciones alimentarias e industriales. Se concluye que la especie podría ser utilizada con fines industriales.