A brief review of the biology of megakaryocytes and platelets and their role in thrombosis associated with particulate air pollution.

Air pollution is a worldwide public health issue and it is associated with millions of premature deaths due to cancer, thrombosis, and pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Thrombosis is the excessive clotting that blocks a blood vessel, and its etiology is multifactorial. In recent years, growing evidence has linked air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM) and metals, to the development of thrombosis.

Evaluating the biological risk of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes and functionalized oxygen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes as possible toxic, carcinogenic, and embryotoxic agents.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been a focus of attention due to their possible applications in medicine, by serving as scaffolds for cell growth and proliferation and improving mesenchymal cell transplantation and engraftment. The emphasis on the benefits of CNTs has been offset by the ample debate on the safety of nanotechnologies. In this study, we determine whether functionalized multiwalled CNTs (fMWCNTs) and functionalized oxygen-doped multiwalled CNTs (fCOxs) have toxic effects on rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vitro by analyzing morphology and cell proliferation and, using in vivo models, whether they are able to transform MSCs in cancer cells or induce embryotoxicity.

Thymic cytoarchitecture changes in mice exposed to vanadium.

The thymus is a vital immune system organ wherein selection of T-lymphocytes occurs in a process regulated by dendritic and epithelial thymic cells. Previously, we have reported that in a mouse model of vanadium inhalation, a decrease in CD11c dendritic cells was observed. In the present study, we report on a thymic cortex-medulla distribution distortion in these hosts due to apparent effects of the inhaled vanadium on cytokeratin-5 (K5) epithelial cells in the same mouse model - after 1, 2, and 4 weeks of exposure - by immunohistochemistry.

Pollution by metals: Is there a relationship in glycemic control?

There are evidences of environmental pollution and health effects. Metals are pollutants implicated in systemic toxicity. One of the least studied effects, but which is currently becoming more important, is the effect of metals on glycemic control.

Unilateral injection of Aβ in the hippocampus reduces the number of dendritic spines in hyperglycemic rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative process exacerbated by several risk factors including impaired glucose metabolism in the brain that could cause molecular and neurochemical alterations in cognitive regions such as the hippocampus (Hp). Consequently, this process could cause neuronal morphological changes; however, the mechanism remains elusive. We induced chronic hyperglycemia after streptozotocin (STZ) administration.

Morphometric study of the ventricular segment of the human fetal heart between 13 and 20 weeks' gestation.

Unlabelled: Our objective was to determine the normal dimensions of the ventricular segment of the human fetal heart between 13 and 20 weeks' gestation.

Study Design: 103 hearts obtained by necropsy were dissected and measurements of different portions of ventricles were determined under stereoscopic magnification. In each ventricle were measured anteroposterior and lateral diameters, inlet and outlet length, and thickness of walls at different levels.