A Comparison of Molecular Techniques for Improving the Methodology in the Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics.

One of the most critical goals in healthcare is safe and effective drug therapy, which is directly related to an individual's response to treatment. Precision medicine can improve drug safety in many scenarios, including polypharmacy, and it requires the development of new genetic characterization methods. In this report, we use real-time PCR, microarray techniques, and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), which allows us to compare them and identify the potential benefits of technological improvements, leading to better quality medical care.

Ten Years of Experience Support Pharmacogenetic Testing to Guide Individualized Drug Therapy.

Precision medicine utilizing the genetic information of genes involved in the metabolism and disposition of drugs can not only improve drug efficacy but also prevent or minimize adverse events. Polypharmacy is common among multimorbid patients and is associated with increased adverse events. One of the main objectives in health care is safe and efficacious drug therapy, which is directly correlated to the individual response to treatment.

Economic Impact of the Application of a Precision Medicine Model (5SPM) on Psychotic Patients.

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that often manifests within the first three decades of life. Its prognosis is uncertain and may result in a prolonged treatment that could extend throughout the entire lifespan of the patient. Antipsychotic drugs are characterized by a high interindividual variability when considering therapeutic effect and emergence of adverse effects.

Application of a Pharmacogenetics-Based Precision Medicine Model (5SPM) to Psychotic Patients That Presented Poor Response to Neuroleptic Therapy.

Antipsychotics are the keystone of the treatment of severe and prolonged mental disorders. However, there are many risks associated with these drugs and not all patients undergo full therapeutic profit from them. The application of the 5 Step Precision Medicine model(5SPM), based on the analysis of the pharmacogenetic profile of each patient, could be a helpful tool to solve many of the problematics traditionally associated with the neuroleptic treatment.

Coral reef restoration efforts in Latin American countries and territories.

Coral reefs worldwide are degrading due to climate change, overfishing, pollution, coastal development, coral bleaching, and diseases. In areas where the natural recovery of an ecosystem is negligible or protection through management interventions insufficient, active restoration becomes critical. The Reef Futures symposium in 2018 brought together over 400 reef restoration experts, businesses, and civil organizations, and galvanized them to save coral reefs through restoration or identify alternative solutions.

Evaluation of inflammatory cytokine secretion by human alveolar macrophages.

The alveolar macrophage (AM) secretes interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), all of them inflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of many lung diseases. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the basal and stimulated secretion of these cytokines by human AMs. Human AMs were collected by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from four healthy controls and 13 patients with diffuse interstitial lung disease (five cases of sarcoidosis, three of hypersensitivity pneumonitis and five of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis).

Differential patterns of filaggrin expression in lamellar ichthyosis.

Lamellar ichthyosis (LI) is a rare genetic and congenital disturbance of keratinization that is phenotypically and genotypically heterogeneous. Filaggrin is one of the major components of the stratum corneum situated in the protein matrix and the cornified envelope. In view of the heterogeneity of LI, this study aimed at exploring filaggrin expression in the skin of patients suffering from the disease.

Effect of cyclosporin A on inflammatory cytokine production by human alveolar macrophages.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an immunomodulator drug that has been used in the treatment of several types of advanced pulmonary interstitial disease. This beneficial effect occurs mainly in circumstances in which alveolitis due to CD4 lymphocytes is absent, suggesting that CsA acts on other types of cells. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of CsA on inflammatory cytokine secretion by human alveolar macrophages (AMs).

[Nitric oxide in the lower respiratory tract].

The aim of this work is to review of the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the lower respiratory tract. This review mainly focuses on the generation of nitric oxide by alveolar macrophages. In the first part of the paper, we summarize the literature on nitric oxide synthesis by different cell types and the effects of this mediator on target cells.

The role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in interstitial pulmonary disease.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a biolipid of crucial importance in the inflammatory response. In the first part of this work we review the basic biochemical characteristics of PAF. Also, the production and degradation of PAF by inflammatory cells is detailed in depth, with a description of enzymes linked to these processes.