Patricia Landázuri

Niveles de excreción urinaria de yodo en escolares del Quindío, 2006-2007

Objetivo El estado nutricional de yodo se mide por la concentracion de yodo urinario y permite evaluar los riesgos por deficiencia o aumento.Estudiar la frecuencia del riesgo de desordenes por deficiencia o por mas de una adecuada ingesta de yodo en escolares del Quindio. Metodos La concentracion de yodo urinario se midio en una muestra casual de orina tomada en cada sujeto entre el 2006-2007. Resultados En 444 muestras analizadas, la mediana de yoduria fue de 272,4 µg/L; 11,9 % de los escolares tenian yoduria normal, 28,8 % presentaron deficit de yodo, de estos 11,5 % tenian deficit severo, 12,6 % deficit moderado y 4,7 % deficit leve. 59,3 % presentaron riesgo por ingesta excesiva de yodo. El rango de deficit de yodo en los ninos fue de 31 % y en las ninas 26,6 % sin diferencia significativa, tampoco se encontro diferencia significativa con la edad, pero si entre los estratos (p<0,000). Los municipios de las zonas rurales presentaron 100% de deficit de yodo (medianas <100 ug/L), mientras los de la zona urbana (Armenia, Tebaida y El Caimo) presentaron excesiva ingesta de yodo. Conclusiones: la poblacion estudiada mostro severas deficiencias (zonas rurales) y excesiva ingesta de yodo (poblacion urbana), sugiriendo ausencia o pobre control del programa de yodacion y una exposicion adicional a elementos causantes de desordenes de yodo. Se requiere un programa para el seguimiento de los desordenes de yodo en la poblacion escolar estudiada.

Prevalencia de hipotiroidismo y relación con niveles elevados de anticuerpos antiperoxidasa y yoduria en población de 35 y más años en Armenia. 2009-2010

Objectives Determining the prevalence of hypothyroidism and its interrelationship with peroxidase antibodies and high urinary iodine levels as a means for devising a set of recommendations for health authorities regarding the consumption of iodised salt and the early detection of thyroid disease. Methods 437 people in the municipality of Armenia (Quindio) participated in the study. ELISA tests were performed for free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroid peroxidase antibodies; a photocolorimetric analysis was carried out to determine urinary iodine levels. Results Hypothyroidism prevalence was 18.5%.xa0 Thyroid peroxidase antibodies were positive in 28.9% of the study population, with significantly higher prevalence amongst those with levels > 10 mIU/mL thyroid-stimulating hormone compared to 5.1 to 10 mIU/mL in those without it (OR 3.2) and smokers (O.R 3,4). Free thyroxine was normal in 98.2% of participantsxa0(> 5 mIU/mLxa0thyroid-stimulating hormone levels) and 92% in those in whom > 10 mIU/mL thyroid-stimulating hormone levels were found. The average iodine level was 565.1; levels above 300µg/L were obtained in 81.8% of the participants. Conclusions Increased positive thyroid peroxidase antibody prevalence with increasing thyroid-stimulating hormone values could demonstrate a high risk of developing autoimmune hypothyroidism in Armenia; despite high iodine levels, a relationship with thyroid peroxidase antibodies or thyroid-stimulating hormone levels could not be established.

Telomerase activity associated with progression of cervical lesions in a group of Colombian patients

PURPOSE To analyze the relation between the cytological findings and telomerase activity (TA). METHODS Cervical samples were evaluated and classified according to the Bethesda System. Telomerase activity was measured total product generated values (TPG) using the TRAP assay (telomeric repeat amplification protocol); data were analyzed statistically using the χ2 test, with the level of significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS The study was conducted on 102 patients. Of these, 3.9% showed normal cytological findings, 8.8% showed cervicitis; 2% showed Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS); 67.6% showed Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL); 11.8% showed High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (H-SIL) and 5.9% showed Squamous Carcinoma. Among telomerase-positive samples, the TPG values were cervicitis<normal<ASCUS<L-SIL<H-SIL<Carcinoma. CONCLUSION Results show increased telomerase activity with increasing severity of lesion, supporting the association between TA and type of lesion.

Production and characterization of a human lysosomal recombinant iduronate‐2‐sulfatase produced in Pichia pastoris

Hunter syndrome (Mucopolysaccharidosis II, MPS II) is an X‐linked lysosomal storage disease produced by the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme iduronate‐2‐sulfatase (IDS). Currently, MPS II patients are mainly treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) using recombinant enzymes produced in mammalian cells. As an alternative, several studies have shown the production of active and therapeutic forms of lysosomal proteins in microorganisms. In this paper, we report the production and characterization of a recombinant IDS produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris (prIDS). We evaluated the effect of culture conditions and gene sequence optimization on prIDS production. The results showed that the highest production of prIDS was obtained at oxygen‐limited conditions using a codon‐optimized IDS cDNA. The purified enzyme showed a final activity of 12.45 nmol mg−1 H−1 and an apparent molecular mass of about 90 kDa. The highest stability was achieved at pH 6.0, and prIDS also showed high stability in human serum. Noteworthy, the enzyme was taken up by culture cells in a dose‐dependent manner through mannose receptors, which allowed the delivery of the enzyme to the lysosome. In summary, these results show the potential of Pichia pastoris as a host to produce an IDS intended for a MPS II ERT.

Serum Concentration and Polymorphisms of Apolipoproteins A-I and B, and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction: Variations in the apoprotein apoA-I and apoB genes have been associated with their serum concentration, and thus with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This study determined the relationship between polymorphism and the serum concentration of apoA-I and apoB in a group of patients with angiographically documented CAD. Materials and methods: Polymorphic sites, XbaI (in apoB), and MspI (in apo A-I) and serum concentrations in these lipoproteins were determined in a population of 231patients classified into two groups: patients with significant CAD (coronary obstruction 50%) and patients with mild CAD (coronary obstruction <50%); the apoB/apoA-I ratio was then calculated. Results: It was found that the M2 allele in the apoA-I acts as a risk factor for coronary artery disease, odds ratio=1.78(confidence interval: 1.21 – 2.61), p =0.002. Nosignificant differences were found between the apoA-I concentration values and the corresponding MspI polymorphism genotypes in the two study groups. Meanwhile, the apoB concentration presented significant differences among the XbaI (p=0.027) polymorphism genotypes, with greater values for the heterozygous genotype in patients with CAD 50%. Likewise, a significantly abnormal difference was evident in the apoB/apoA-I ratio among the two groups, with a greater value for patients with mild CAD. Conclusion: the data showed that the M2allele may be a risk factor for CAD in this population. Additionally, it showed that there is a relationship between apoB serum concentration and XbaI polymorphism; relationship which manifests itself more strongly in patients with CAD. There was no relationship established between the MspI polymorphism of apoA-I and its serum concentration. Other studies are necessary in order to establish the anomalous behavior of the apoB/apoA-I relation in this population.

NIVELES DE LEPTINA EN LA PRIMERA Y SEGUNDA MITAD DEL EMBARAZO EN GESTANTES DE ARMENIA, COLOMBIA, 2011. ESTUDIO DE COHORTE

Introduction: Leptin has been associated with pregnancy and its complications. Levels rise and are found to be higher in obese pregnant women and macrosomic neonates.