THIS COLLECTION OF ARTICLES WAS INSPIRED BY THE LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGEN SOCIETY AND LATIN AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, AND BY THE PROGRAM FOR THE 39TH ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGEN SOCIETY MEETING IN PUERTO RICO IN 2008, WHICH INCLUDED A SYMPOSIUM FEATURING "SOUTH OF THE BORDER" SCIENTISTS. THIS COLLECTION, COMPILED BY GRACIELA SPIVAK AND OFELIA OLIVERO, BOTH ORIGINALLY FROM ARGENTINA, HIGHLIGHTS SCIENTISTS WHO WORK IN OR WERE TRAINED IN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES AND IN PUERTO RICO IN A VARIETY OF SCIENTIFIC SPECIALTIES RELATED TO DNA REPAIR AND CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY, GENOMIC ORGANIZATION AND STABILITY, GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS.

CATEURA LANDFILL LOCATED IN ASUNCIÓN-PARAGUAY IS THE SITE OF FINAL DISPOSAL OF TONS OF GARBAGE OF ALL KINDS COMING FROM URBAN, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS. DUE TO AN INADEQUATE WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, THERE IS A BIG CONCERN IN OUR COUNTRY ON HOW IT CAN AFFECT PEOPLE WORKING WITHIN THE LANDFILL AS WASTE PICKERS. WHEN A HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE AFFECTING WORKERS IN THEIR WORK PLACES IS SUPPOSED, DEFINING BIOMARKERS OF GENOTOXIC DAMAGE IS OBLIGATORY. THE PRINCIPAL AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE GENETIC DAMAGE IN OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED WOMEN IN THEIR WORK ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH TWO ESTABLISHED BIOMARKERS: THE SINGLE-CELL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS ASSAY (SCGE) ACCOMPLISHED IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD AND THE MICRONUCLEUS TEST PERFORMED IN EXFOLIATED CELLS FROM ORAL MUCOSA (BMCYT). THIS IS AN ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY INVOLVING 50 WOMEN OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED AND 34 UNEXPOSED WOMEN. A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE (P?

LOS MODELOS EXPERIMENTALES ANIMALES SON UNA HERRAMIENTA ESENCIAL EN PRUEBAS PRECLÍNICAS QUE ENSAYAN NUEVAS TERAPIAS IN VIVO. EN ESTA REVISIÓN PRESENTAMOS UN DISEÑO METODOLÓGICO EXPERIMENTAL EN RATÓN CONFIABLE PARA ESTUDIOS DE QUIMIOPREVENCIÓN Y ANTICARCINOGÉNESIS. EN PRIMER TÉRMINO NOS REFERIMOS A LA INDUCCIÓN DE LESIONES PRENEOPLÁSICAS O FOCOS DE CRIPTAS ABERRANTES (FCA) POR AZOXYMETANO (AOM) Y PROPONEMOS UN PROTOCOLO PARA LA PREVENCIÓN DE ESTA DISPLASIA COLÓNICA QUE HA SIDO ACEPTADA EN GENERAL COMO LESIÓN PRECANCEROSA EN VISTA DE SUS CARACTERÍSTICAS HISTOPATOLÓGICAS Y DE SUS ALTERACIONES GENÉTICAS, EPIGENÉTICAS, BIOQUÍMICAS E INMUNOHISTOQUÍMICAS. EN SEGUNDO TÉRMINO, PRESENTAMOS UN PROTOCOLO PARA ESTUDIOS DE PREVENCIÓN DE PROGRESIÓN DE TUMORES ESPORÁDICOS Y DE AQUELLOS CONDUCIDOS POR INFLAMACIÓN INDUCIDA POR SULFATO SÓDICO DE DEXTRAN (DSS). SE DESTACA LA IMPORTANCIA DE ESTAS METODOLOGÍAS EN ESTUDIOS DE QUIMIOPREVENCIÓN Y ANTICARCINOGÉNESIS MEDIANTE EL USO DE INFUSIONES DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES.