ABSTRACT Introduction: Quincke´s Scholarship deals with themes related to neuroinmunology and the complement system. Objective: Describe the most recent advances of the Vll Edition of Quincke´s Scholarship. Methods: Publications pertaining to Quincke´s Scholarship were selected and revised from the work group of the Central Lab of Cerebrospinal fluid (LABCEL). Results: The principal topic was the C1q protein; initiator of the clasic complement pathway. From the analisis of the molecular concentration of this protein, its transference and the correlations between the concentration of C1q protein in cerebrospinal fluid (LCR) and the quotient of albumin (QAlb) between LCR and plasma it is hypothesized that an intratecal synthesis of the C1q in patients with a disfunction of the blood-brain barrier. The most recently discovered pathway in the activation of the complement is the lectin pathway. The diffusion of the MASP-3 protein from blood to LCR is proof that the MASP-3 is synthesized in the leptomeninges. The reibergram is useful to evaluate the inmune response in patients with: neurological manifestations caused by the dengue virus, and patients with multiple sclerosis. Conclusions: The Vll Edition of Quincke´s Scholarship dealt with C1q protein and recently discovered themes of the lectin pathway and the use of the reibergram.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The diffusion of proteins from the blood to the cerebrospinal fluid is influenced by its molecular weight and by the intrinsic properties and biological properties of the protein. Methods: Paired samples of serum and cerebrospinal fluid were taken from normal subjects to quantify albumin and proteins of the lectin pathway of the complement system. The distribution of these with regard to the value of QAlbúmin = (Albumin in serum / albumin in cerebrospinal fluid) was evaluated because this protein is used as a marker of the passage of the barrier. Results: It was observed that some of these describe a saturation pattern which resembles the curves that describe the Michaelis-Menten reaction of enzymatic activity. This led to the consideration of two constants that will help to characterize the behavior of these proteins by spreading to the cerebrospinal fluid: the maximum Q of the protein, which is the maximum proportion found empirically between the concentrations in blood and cerebrospinal fluid and the value Kcdw which is the value of the average diffusion speed of Q albumin when the semi-maximal value of the Q of the protein under study is obtained. Conclusions: Empirically obtained constants will help the characterization and differentiation of the diffusion of these new proteins as they pass from the blood to the cerebrospinal fluid.

Bacillus subtilis spores generally considered safe, have received growing attention due to their potential biotechnological applications including vaccine formulations, particularly as vaccine adjuvants. In the present review we present the status of the adjuvanticity of the spore B. subtilis for mucosal route and our experience regarding its adjuvant activity induced against two model antigens, Tetanus Toxoid (TT) and ovalbumin (Ova) for oral (o.r) and intranasal (i.n) immunization. A document review on B. subtilis, adjuvant, vaccine and mucosal route was carried out in MEDLINE by PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases. B. subtilis spores (RG 4365) were used for the exploration of the adjuvant activity. Balb/c mice were immunized by i.n and o.r route with TT or Ova combined with B. subtilis spores and specific antibody response in serum, saliva and fecal were measured by ELISA. This review showed the existence of several papers using B. subtilis spores as adjuvant by different methodologies and administration routes, being the expression of recombinant antigens and the the o.r route the most widely used. In our work we found an increase of seric response of IgG, subclass IgG1 and IgG2a and specific IgA in saliva and feces in groups immunized with spores coadministered with Ova and TT by both routes, which was significantly superior to control groups (p<0.05). These data suggest that spores are an efficient mucosal and systemic adjuvant for enhancing humoral immune responses and highlight their clinical potential for future mucosal vaccines.

Las esporas de Bacillus subtilis, generalmente reconocidas como seguras, han recibido una creciente atención en aplicaciones biotecnológicas en formulaciones vacunales, sobre todo como adyuvantes. Este trabajo presenta una revisión actualizada de la acción adyuvante de las esporas de B. subtilis y conjuntamente se expone nuestra experiencia por vía oral (o.r) e intranasal (i.n) como adyuvante frente antígenos modelos ovoalbúmina (Ova) y toxoide tetánico (TT). Se realizó una revisión documental sobre B. subtilis, adyuvante, vacuna y vía mucosal en MEDLINE a través de PubMed; también se revisaron las bases de datos SciELO y LILACS. Para la exploración de la capacidad adyuvante se trabajó con esporas de B. subtilis (cepa RG 4365). Se inmunizaron ratones Balb/c por vía mucosal con esporas coadministradas con los antígenos modelos, y se midió las respuesta de anticuerpos específicos en suero, saliva y heces por método de ELISA. La revisión realizada evidenció la existencia de varios trabajos que utilizan las esporas de B. subtilis por diferentes metodologías y vías de administración como adyuvante, siendo la expresión de antígenos recombinantes la más utilizada, así como la vía o.r entre la aplicación mucosa. En nuestro trabajo se obtuvo un aumento de la respuesta sérica de IgG, subclases IgG1 e IgG2a y de IgA específicos en saliva y heces en los grupos inmunizados con esporas coadministradas con Ova y con TT por ambas vías, significativamente superior a los grupos controles (p<0,05). Estos datos sugieren que las esporas son eficientes adyuvantes pues aumentan la respuesta inmune humoral sistémica y mucosal y resalta su potencial clínico en futuras vacunas mucosales.

INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy worldwide and is among the leading causes of maternal mortality in Cuba. It is a complex, multifactoral disease, in which interaction of genetic and environmental factors should not be overlooked if the goal is proper risk assessment to support personalized preventive genetic counseling and more effective prenatal care to prevent pregnancy complications. OBJECTIVE: Determine the contribution to pre-eclampsia of interaction between a predisposing genome and adverse environmental factors in pregnant women in a Havana maternity hospital. METHODS: This was the exploratory phase of a hospital-based case-control study, using January 2007-December 2009 patient records from the Eusebio Hernández University Hospital, a provincial maternity hospital in Havana. Eighty pregnant women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and 160 controls were studied. The main variables were age, parity, nutritional status (measured by BMI), alcohol use, tobacco use, and history of pre-eclampsia in relatives of the pregnant woman (proband) or of her partner. Pearson chi square and Fisher exact test were used to assess statistical significance of associations between variables and odds ratio as a measure of association strength. Familial aggregation was studied and a case-control design used to assess gene-environment interaction, using multiplicative and additive models. RESULTS: Among the environmental risk factors studied, alcohol showed the strongest effect on pre-eclampsia risk (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.64-9.13). Familial pre-eclampsia clustering was observed; risk was increased for both first-degree (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.62-3.73) and second-degree (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.34-2.68) relatives as well as for husband's relatives (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.40-3.86). There was evidence of interaction between alcohol consumption and family history. CONCLUSIONS: Familial aggregation of the disorder was demonstrated, the first Cuban epidemiological evidence of genetic and enviromental contributions to pre-eclampsia risk. Familial clustering among the husband's relatives demonstrates the fetal genome's importance in genesis of pre-eclampsia. The interaction of environmental risk factors with genetic ones produces increased pre-eclampsia risk, compared to expectations based on independent action of these variables.