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Context: KISS1 was originally identified as a metastasis-suppressor gene able to inhibit tumor progression. KISS1 gene products, the kisspeptins, bind to a G-protein-coupled receptor (KISS1R, formerly GPR54), which is highly expressed in placenta, pituitary, and pancreas, whereas KISS1 mRNA is mainly expressed in placenta, hypothalamus, striatum, and pituitary. Objective and design: KISS1/KISS1R pituitary expression profile, coupled to their anti-tumoral capacities, led us to hypothesize that this system may be involved in the biology of pituitary tumors. To explore this notion, expression levels of KISS1R and KISS1 were evaluated in normal and adenomatous pituitaries. Additionally, functionality of this system was assessed by treating dispersed pituitary adenoma cells in primary culture with kisspeptin-10 and evaluating intracellular calcium kinetics and apoptotic rate. Results: Both KISS1 and KISS1R were expressed in normal pituitary, whereas this simultaneous expression was frequently lost in pituitary tumors, where diverse patterns of KISS1/KISS1R expression were observed that differed among distinct types of pituitary adenomas. Measurement of calcium kinetics revealed that kisspeptin-10 elicits a remarkable increase in [Ca 2C ] i in individual cells from four out of the five GH-producing adenomas studied, whereas cells derived from non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA, nZ45) did not respond. In contrast, kisspeptin-10 treatment increased the apoptotic rate in cells derived from both GH-producing and NFPA. Conclusions: These results provide primary evidence that KISS1 and KISS1R expression can be differentially lost in pituitary tumor subtypes, where this system can exert functional, proapoptotic actions, and thereby offer novel insights to investigate the biology and therapeutic options to treat these tumors.

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Selected asymptomatic HIV-infected patients can safely discontinue therapy for prolonged periods of time.

The pharmacokinetics of cefoxitin was studied in patients with renal impairment during haemofiltration and in the intervening periods after administration of 30 and 15 mg/kg of the drug, respectively. Different pharmacokinetic patterns were established during haemofiltration and in the interim period, with average elimination half-lives of 11.85 +/- 4.3 and 3.41 +/- 0.6 h, respectively. The average fraction of the cefoxitin dose eliminated in haemofiltration was 0.62 +/- 0.11, more than that established in haemodialysis. In patients with terminal renal impairment undergoing haemofiltration every 48 h, a dose of 15 or 30 mg/kg is recommended at the start and at the end of each haemofiltration session.

Leucism is a genetic condition that manifest as the total or partial lack of coloration, as result of a deficiency in the melanin deposit in the skin and fur. We present the first occurrence of leucism in Glossophaga soricina valens from Peru, a nectarivorous species of the western slope of the Andes from Peru and Ecuador, and the Marañon valley. Also, we discuss some implications of this occurrence, and update the list of bat species recorded with leucism in the America.El leucismo es una condición genética expresada externamente como la ausencia de coloración parcial o total resultante de una deficiencia en el depósito de melanina en la piel y el pelo. Presentamos el primer caso de leucismo en Glossophaga soricina valens para Perú, especie nectarívora de la vertiente occidental de los Andes de Perú y Ecuador, también presente en la cuenca del río Marañón. Se discuten algunas implicancias sobre este hallazgo y actualizamos la lista de especies de murciélagos registrados con leucismo en América. IntroducciónEl leucismo es una condición genética poco frecuente manifestado como la ausencia total o parcial de la coloración en la piel y el pelo como resultado de una deficiencia en el depósito de melaninas (Buckley 1982; van Grouw 2006). La causa del leucismo es atribuida principalmente a la expresión de genes mutantes que producen una migración fallida de los melanoblastos (células productoras de pigmentos) de la cresta neural a la capa basal de la epidermis durante el desarrollo embrionario, ocasionando que muy pocos o ningún melanoblasto llegue a ciertas zonas, generando así la ausencia de color en estas partes (Mayer 1973; Ericsson et al. 1992;Buckley 1982; van Grouw 2006 van Grouw , 2012. Las zonas afectadas por el leucismo normalmente se observan blancas o rosadas debido a que las melaninas (melanina, eumelanina y feomelanina) no pueden depositarse (Miller 2005).Esta anomalía se ha registrado en diferentes murciélagos en América, especialmente en aquellos de la familia Phyllostomidae (Uieda 2000). En Perú son pocos los reportes de murciélagos con alguna anomalía en la pigmentación, hasta ahora el leucismo se ha registrado en seis especies: Artibeus anderseni, Chiroderma trinitatum, Desmodus rotundus, Phyllostomus hastatus, Sturnira lilium y Molossus rufus (Medina y López 2010; Diaz y Linares 2012; Tello et al. 2014). En la presente nota reportamos el primer caso de leucismo en el murciélago nectarívoro Glossophaga soricina valens, distribuido en el occidente de los Andes de Perú, y actualizamos la lista de especies de murciélagos reportadas con leucismo en América.

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