Influence of chain length on the activity of tripeptidomimetic antagonists for CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4).

Here we report a series of close analogues of our recently published scaffold-based tripeptidomimetic CXCR4 antagonists, containing positively charged guanidino groups in R and R, and an aromatic group in R. While contraction/elongation of the guanidine carrying side chains (R and R) resulted in loss of activity, introduction of bromine in position 1 on the naphth-2-ylmethyl moiety (R) resulted in an EC of 61μM (mixture of diastereoisomers) against wild-type CXCR4; thus, the antagonistic activity of these tripeptidomimetics seems to be amenable to optimization of the aromatic moiety. Moreover, for analogues carrying a naphth-2-ylmethyl substituent, we observed that a Pictet-Spengler like cyclization side reaction depended on the nature of the R substituent.

Immunosuppression Strategies in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital.

Background: We describe an observational, retrospective study that included patients who underwent a liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in our center between 2004 and 2012.

Methods: Clinical variables were recorded for donors and recipients as diagnosis and treatment, immunosuppressive therapy, toxicity, graft dysfunction, recurrence, and exitus. Fifty-eight patients were analyzed.

Increased homocysteine levels correlate with the communication deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder.

The clinical significance of high levels of homocysteine in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unknown. An experimental study was conducted in order to evaluate the concentration of homocysteine in children with ASD and typically developing children and to analyse any relationships with the severity of core symptoms of ASD and other clinical features (drugs, co-morbidities, gender, age, diet). Core symptoms of autism were evaluated by DSM-IV criteria.

Liver transplantation using low-weight recipients from a graft split program.

We present our experience with a split liver (SL) program shared with the children's liver transplantation (LT) program from 2 different hospitals in the use of partial grafts from cadaver donors in brain death. We describe an observational, retrospective study, which included patients who underwent a SL transplantation in our center between January 2006 and December 2012. Clinical variables were recorded of both donors and recipients and their data were analyzed using SPSS 19.

Experience of the transplant unit from Virgen de las Nieves Hospital in using liver grafts from asystolic donors.

Given the shortage of donors, it has become increasingly necessary to use alternative sources to meet the growing demand for organs, and evolution in the use of asystolic donors is proving to be an important resource in helping to meet those needs. The goal of this study is to describe the initial results of our experience with Type II asystolic donation. An observational retrospective study was conducted to analyze the variables of four cases in this type of donation.