Accuracy of Freehand versus Navigated Thoracolumbar Pedicle Screw Placement in Patients with Metastatic Tumors of the Spine

De La Garza Ramos, Rafael,Echt, Murray,Benton, Joshua A.,Gelfand, Yaroslav,Longo, Michael,Yanamadala, Vijay,Yassari, Reza The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2020 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.63 No.6

Objective : To compare the accuracy and breach rates of freehand (FH) versus navigated (NV) pedicle screws in the thoracic and lumbar spine in patients with metastatic spinal tumors. Methods : A retrospective review of adult patients who underwent pedicle screw fixation in the thoracic or lumbar spine for metastatic spinal tumors between 2012 and 2018 was conducted. Breaches were assessed based on the Gertzbein and Robbins classification and only screws placed >4 mm outside of the pedicle wall (lateral or medial) were considered breached. Results : A total of 62 patients received 547 pedicle screws (average 8 per patient) - 34 patients received 298 pedicle screws in the FH group and 28 patients received 249 screws in the NV group. There were 40/547 breaches, corresponding to a breach and accuracy rate of 7.3% and 92.7%, respectively. The breach rate was 9.7% in the FH group and 4.4% in the NV group (chi-squared test, p=0.017); this corresponded to an accuracy rate of 90.3% and 95.6%, respectively. Only one patient from the overall cohort (in the FH group) required revision surgery due to a medial breach abutting the spinal cord (1.6% of all patients; 2.9% of FH patients); no patient suffered organ, vessel, or neurological injury from screw breaches. Conclusion : Navigated pedicle screw placement in patients with metastatic spinal tumors has a significantly higher radiographic accuracy compared to the FH technique. However, the revision surgery was low and no patient suffered from clinically-relevant breach. Navigation also offers the advantage of real-time localization of spinal tumors and aids in targeting and resection of these lesions.

Helichrysum and Grapefruit Extracts Boost Weight Loss in Overweight Rats Reducing Inflammation

Ana Laura de la Garza,Usune Etxeberria,Alexander Haslberger,Eva Aumueller,J. Alfredo Martı´nez,Fermı´n I. Milagro 한국식품영양과학회 2015 Journal of medicinal food Vol.18 No.8

Obesity is characterized by an increased production of inflammatory markers. High levels of circulating free fatty acids and chronic inflammation lead to increased oxidative stress, contributing to the development of insulin resistance (IR). Recent studies have focused on the potential use of flavonoids for obesity management due to their antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. This study was designed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of helichrysum and grapefruit extracts in overweight insulin-resistant rats. Thirty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly distributed in two groups: control group (n = 8) and high-fat sucrose (HFS) group (n = 30). After 22 days of ad libitum water and food access, the rats fed HFS diet changed to standard diet and were reassigned into three groups (n = 10 each group): nonsupplemented, helichrysum extract (2 g/kg bw), and grapefruit extract (1 g/kg bw) administered for 5 weeks. Rats supplemented with both extracts gained less body weight during the 5-week period of treatment, showed lower serum insulin levels and liver TBARS levels. Leptin/adiponectin ratio, as an indicator of IR, was lower in both extract-administered groups. These results were accompanied by a reduction in TNFα gene expression in epididymal adipose tissue and intestinal mucosa, and TLR2 expression in intestinal mucosa. Helichrysum and grapefruit extracts might be used as complement hypocaloric diets in weight loss treatment. Both extracts helped to reduce weight gain, hyperinsulinemia, and IR, improved inflammation markers, and decreased the HFS diet-induced oxidative stress in insulin-resistant rats.

Red Scrotum Syndrome Treatment with Pregabalin: A Case Series

( Jesus Alberto Cardenas-de La Garza ),( Cesar Daniel Villarreal-villarreal ),( Adrian Cuellar-barboza ),( Ramiro Eugenio Cardenas-gonzalez ),( Nereyda Gonzalez-benavides ),( Luis Gerardo Cruz-gomez ) 대한피부과학회 2019 Annals of Dermatology Vol.31 No.3

Red scrotum syndrome (RSS) (also known as male genital dysesthesia) is a rarely recognized entity characterized by scrotal erythema accompanied by a burning sensation, pain, hyperesthesia/dysesthesia, increased temperature and pruritus. Although its physiopathology is unknown, it has increasingly been associated with chronic topical steroid use in the male genital area. Treatment is challenging and no standardized treatment is currently available. Because current treatment relies on case reports and small case series, the need for more information about drug efficacy in RSS is warranted. The aim of this study is to describe the therapeutic response to pregabalin in patients from an outpatient dermatologic clinic in a tertiary-care hospital diagnosed with RSS. Five patients with a confirmed diagnosis of RSS were included. Ages ranged from 28 to 63 years. All patients had chronic steroid use in the genital area, mostly in the form of combined formulations of corticosteroids, antifungals, and antibiotics. Four patients were prescribed pregabalin monotherapy, 150 mg once daily at night. One patient was prescribed pregabalin and doxycycline. Two patients had complete remission after one month of therapy, one at two months and two at three months. None experienced recurrence at an average of 9.4 months’ follow-up. One patient experienced morning drowsiness that did not require suspending treatment. Pregabalin is a well-tolerated and effective treatment for RSS. (Ann Dermatol 31(3) 320∼324, 2019)

Maternal Sweeteners Intake During Gestation and Lactation Affects Learning and Memory in Rat Female Offspring

Bianca Romero-Delgado,Marcela Cárdenas-Tueme,José de Jesús Herrera-de la Rosa,Alberto Camacho-Morales,Heriberto Castro,Ana Laura de la Garza 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.8

Maternal high-sweetener diet, such as sucrose, has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic and cognitive-related diseases in the offspring. This study was performed to determine the effect of maternal sweetener intake during gestation and lactation on learning and memory in adult female offspring rats. Twenty-eight female pups from dams fed standard diet (Control-C, n = 10), high-sucrose diet (HS-C, n = 6), and high-honey diet (Ho-C, n = 12) were fed standard diet after weaning and body weight and food intake were recorded once a week for 19 weeks. Learning and memory tests were conducted at week 14 (Y-maze) and 18 (Barnes maze). We found that birth weight of Control-C group was greater than the Ho-C (P < .001). Blood glucose levels of the HS-C group were significantly higher than the Control-C and Ho-C groups. Control-C pups recognized the novel arm of the Y-maze compared with HS-C and Ho-C groups (P < .01). Also, offspring of the HS-C group showed deficient performance in the Barnes test when compared with the Control-C and Ho-C groups (P < .05). These results suggest that dams fed a high-sucrose diet during gestation and lactation favor high-glucose levels and deficient long-term memory performance in adult female offspring rats.

Association of Histopathological Markers with Clinico-Pathological Factors in Mexican Women with Breast Cancer

Bandala, Cindy,De la Garza-Montano, Paloma,Cortes-Algara, Alfredo,Cruz-Lopez, Jaime,Dominguez-Rubio, Rene,Gonzalez-Lopez, Nelly Judith,Cardenas-Rodriguez, Noemi,Alfaro-Rodriguez, A,Salcedo, M,Floriano Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.18

Background: Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common malignancy in Mexican women. A set of histopathological markers has been established to guide BCa diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Nevertheless, in only a few Mexican health services, such as that of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA for its acronym in Spanish), are these markers commonly employed for assessing BCa. The aim of this study was to explore the association of Ki67, TP53, HER2/neu, estrogenic receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) with BCa risk factors. Materials and Methods: Clinical histories provided background patient information. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis was conducted on 48 tissue samples from women diagnosed with BCa and treated with radical mastectomy. The Chi square test or Fisher exact test together with the Pearson and Spearman correlation were applied. Results: On average, patients were $58{\pm}10.4$ years old. It was most common to find invasive ductal carcinoma (95.8%), histological grade 3 (45.8%), with a poor Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI; 80.4%). ERs and PRs were associated with smoking and alcohol consumption, metastasis at diagnosis and Ki67 expression (p<0.05). PR+ was also related to urea and ER+ (p<0.05). Ki67 was associated with TP53 and elevated triglycerides (p<0.05), and HER2/neu with ER+, the number of pregnancies and tumor size (p<0.05). TP53 was also associated with a poor NPI (p<0.05) and CD34 with smoking (p<0.05). The triple negative status (ER-/PR-/HER2/neu-) was related to smoking, alcohol consumption, exposure to biomass, number of pregnancies, metastasis and a poor NPI (p<0.05). Moreover, the luminal B subty was associated with histological type (p=0.007), tumor size (p=0.03) and high cholesterol (p=0.02). Conclusions: Ki67, TP53, HER2/neu, ER and PR proved to be related to several clinical and pathological factors. Hence, it is crucial to determine this IHC profile in women at risk for BCa. Certain associations require further study to understand physiological/biochemical/molecular processes.

Support vector machines are superior to principal components analysis for selecting the optimal bones’ CT attenuations for opportunistic screening for osteoporosis using CT scans of the foot or ankle

Ronnie Sebro,Cynthia De la Garza-Ramos 대한골다공증학회 2022 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.8 No.3

Objectives: To use the computed tomography (CT) attenuation of the foot and ankle bones for opportunistic screening for osteoporosis. Methods: Retrospective study of 163 consecutive patients from a tertiary care academic center who underwent CT scans of the foot or ankle and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) within 1 year of each other. Volumetric segmentation of each bone of the foot and ankle was done to obtain the mean CT attenuation. Pearson's correlations were used to correlate the CT attenuations with each other and with DXA measurements. Support vector machines (SVM) with various kernels and principal components analysis (PCA) were used to predict osteoporosis and osteopenia/osteoporosis in training/validation and test datasets. Results: CT attenuation measurements at the talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid, and cuneiforms were correlated with each other and positively correlated with BMD T-scores at the L1-4 lumbar spine, hip, and femoral neck; however, there was no significant correlation with the L1-4 trabecular bone scores. A CT attenuation threshold of 143.2 Hounsfield units (HU) of the calcaneus was best for detection of osteoporosis in the training/validation dataset. SVMs with radial basis function (RBF) kernels were significantly better than the PCA model and the calcaneus for predicting osteoporosis in the test dataset. Conclusions: Opportunistic screening for osteoporosis is possible using the CT attenuation of the foot and ankle bones. SVMs with RBF using all bones is more accurate than the CT attenuation of the calcaneus.

Juice Extraction from Mango Pulp Using an Enzymatic Complex of Trichoderma sp. produced by Solid-state Fermentation

Juan Buenrostro-Figueroa,Heliodoro de la Garza-Toledo,Vrani Ibarra-Junquera,Cristóbal Noe Aguilar-González 한국식품과학회 2010 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.19 No.5

In this study, 2 Trichoderma strains (T-Ⅰ and T-ⅡI)were evaluated for the production, by submerged (SmF)and solid state fermentation (SSF) of an enzymatic complex with the capacity to degrade the cell components of mango peels, using these as support (in SSF) and source of nutrients. Highest enzymatic activity (7,552.5 units of endo-glucanase/L) was found in T-II by SSF. Efficiency of this crude enzymatic extract in the extraction of mango juice was evaluated, improving the yield up to 79%,representing an alternative to give an added value of mango peels improving the yields of production of mango juice.

Cell-Assisted Lipotransfer for the Treatment of Parry-Romberg Syndrome

Castro-Govea, Yanko,De La Garza-Pineda, Oscar,Lara-Arias, Jorge,Chacon-Martinez, Hernan,Mecott-Rivera, Gabriel,Salazar-Lozano, Abel,Valdes-Flores, Everardo Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surge 2012 Archives of Plastic Surgery Vol.39 No.6

Progressive facial hemiatrophy, also known as Parry-Romberg syndrome, is a progressive and self-limited deformation of the subcutaneous tissue volume on one side of the face that creates craniofacial asymmetry. We present the case of a patient with a five-year history of progressive right facial hemiatrophy, who underwent facial volumetric restoration using cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL), which consists of an autologous fat graft enriched with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) extracted from the same patient. ASCs have the capacity to differentiate into adipocytes. They also promote angiogenesis, release angiogenic growth factors, and some can survive as stem cells. The use of autologous fat as a filler in soft tissue atrophy has been satisfactory in patients with mild and moderate Parry-Romberg syndrome. Currently, CAL has showed promising results in the long term by decreasing the rate of fat reabsorption. The permanence and stability of the graft in all the injected areas has showed that autologous fat grafts enriched with stem cells could be a promising technique for the correction of defects caused by this syndrome.

Association of Metastasis with Clinicopathological Data in Mexican Patients with Osteosarcoma, Giant Cell Tumor of Bone and Chondrosarcoma

Estrada-Villaseor, E,Escamilla-Uribe, R,De la Garza-Montano, P,Dominguez-Rubio, R,Martinez-Lopez, V,Avila-Luna, A,Alfaro-Rodriguez, A,Ruvalcaba-Paredes, EK,Garciadiego-Cazares, D,Bandala, C Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.17

Background: Bone tumors are neoplasias with a high overall mortality; one of the main factors that reduce survival is their high capacity to develop metastases. It has been reported that finding lung metastases at diagnosis of osteosarcoma (OS), chondrosarcoma (CS) and giant cell tumor of bone (GCTb) is quite common. In this study, we inquire the relationship of metastases caused by these tumors with different clinical and pathological aspects, in order to guide medical personnel in the diagnosis and opportune treatment of metastases or micro metastases. Materials and Methods: We collected data of 384 patients with clinical, radiological and histopathological diagnosis of OS, GCTb and CS that attended the National Rehabilitation Institute (INR) during 2006 to 2014. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed for data analysis. Results: In the three tumor types, the presence of metastases at diagnosis was variable (p=0.0001). Frequency of metastases was 36.7%, 31.7% and 13.2% for OS, CS and GCTb respectively. The average age had no significant difference (p>0.05) in relation to metastases, even so, patients with OS and GCTb and metastases, were older while patients with CS and metastases were younger, in comparison to patients without metastases. Males had a higher frequency of metastases (68.2%, p = 0.09) in contrast to CS and GCTb, in which the metastases was more frequent in women with 51.9% (p = 0.44) and 57.9% (p = 0.56) respectively. Broadly, metastasis was associated with primary tumors located in the femur (44.4%), followed by the tibia (15.6%); metastases was more frequent when primary tumor of GCTb and OS were in the same bones, but were located in the hip (26.3%) for CS. Conclusions: The frequency of metastases in OS, GCTb and CS is high in our population and is determined by different clinicopathological variables related to the kind of tumor. Further studies are needed in order to evaluate metastases subsequent to diagnosis and associations with survival and clinicopathological factors, as well as to determine the sensitivity and specificity of current methods of detection.

Extraction of Pectinesterase from Jalapeno Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum) and Its Thermal Stability

Sonia Marisela Mejia-Cordova,Julio Cesar Montanez,Cristobal Noe Aguilar,Maria de la Luz Reyes-Vega,Heliodoro de la Garza,Roque Alberto Hours,Juan Carlos Contreras-Esquivel 한국식품과학회 2005 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.14 No.2