Advanced titanium scaffolds obtained by directional freeze-drying: on the influence of processing conditions

Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain under Grant No. MAT2010-20855Junta de Andalucía (Spain) / FEDER (EU), through the project Ref. P12-TEP-140

Sequential determination of traces of As, Sb and hg by on-line magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with Hr-Cs-Cvg-Gfaas

A green and rapid method was developed for the simultaneous separation/preconcentration and sequential monitoring pf arsenic, antimony and mercury by flow injection magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with on-line chemical vapor generation and determination by high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The system is based on chelating/cationic retention of the analytes onto a magnet based reactor designed to contain functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The MNP score allows overcoming the back-pressure problems that usually happen in SPME methods with NPs thanks to the possibility of inmobilizing the MNPs by applying an external magnetic field. Several chemical and flow variables were considered as factors in the optimization process using central composite designs. With the optimized procedure the detection limits obtained were 0.2, 0.003 and 0.4 µg/L for As, Sb and Hg respectively. For the quality control of the analytical performance and the validation of the developed method the analysis of two certified samples TM 24.3 and TMDA 54.4 Fortified Lake Waters was addressed. The results showed good agreement with the certified values.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Functional architecture of Escherichia coli: new insights provided by a natural decomposition approach

The E. coli transcriptional regulatory network is shown to have a nonpyramidal architecture of independent modules governed by transcription factors, whose responses are integrated by intermodular genes

The Absence of Caspase-8 in the Dopaminergic System Leads to Mild Autism-like Behavior

In the last decade, new non-apoptotic roles have been ascribed to apoptotic caspases. This family of proteins plays an important role in the sculpting of the brain in the early stages of development by eliminating excessive and nonfunctional synapses and extra cells. Consequently, impairments in this process can underlie many neurological and mental illnesses. This view is particularly relevant to dopamine because it plays a pleiotropic role in motor control, motivation, and reward processing. In this study, we analyze the effects of the elimination of caspase-8 (CASP8) on the development of catecholaminergic neurons using neurochemical, ultrastructural, and behavioral tests. To do this, we selectively delete the CASP8 gene in cells that express tyrosine hydroxylase with the help of recombination through the Cre-loxP system. Our results show that the number of dopaminergic neurons increases in the substantia nigra. In the striatum, the basal extracellular level of dopamine and potassium-evoked dopamine release decreased significantly in mice lacking CASP8, clearly showing the low dopamine functioning in tissues innervated by this neurotransmitter. This view is supported by electron microscopy analysis of striatal synapses. Interestingly, behavioral analysis demonstrates that mice lacking CASP8 show changes reminiscent of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our research reactivates the possible role of dopamine transmission in the pathogenesis of ASD and provides a mild model of autism.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RTI2018-098645-B-I00, PID2019-109569GB-I00, RTI2018-099778-B-I00Junta de Andalucía P18-RT-1372, US-1264806, PI-0080-2017, PI-0009-2017, PI-0134-2018, PEMP-0008-2020, P20_00958, CTS-510Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI18/01691Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz-INiBICA LI19/06IN-CO22, IN-C09European Union 95568

Protohistoric mining in the Extremadura: The case of in the Cerro de San Cristóbal de Logrosán (Cáceres)

Este artículo resume los trabajos realizados en el Cerro de San Cristóbal (Logrosán, Cáceres) entre  1998  y 2002.  Dichos  trabajos,  impulsados  por  el Dr.  Craig  Merideth  hasta  su muerte en 2005,  permitieron  reconocer  un asentamiento  minero-metalúrgico especializado  en el be- nef icio de la casiterita. Pese a estar muy alterado por las explotaciones de los años cincuenta del siglo XX, se pudieron  documentar  restos de cabañas,  trazas de labores  antiguas  y ciertos aspectos de la “cadena operativa” de la explotación y uso del estaño en este enclave. Todo ello  se enmarca  en un contexto  crono-cultural  de los  siglos  IX/VIII-VII/VI  a.C.,  durante  el cual el actual territorio extremeño se conformó como periferia tartésica. Por otra parte, se avanzan los resultados metalúrgicos preliminares de las nuevas actuaciones llevadas a cabo en 2013 en el Cerro de San Cristóbal  tras su declaración  como “geositio”  dentro del Geoparque “Villuercas-Ibores-Jara”.In this paper the archaeological work carried out in Cerro de San Cristóbal (Logrosán, Cáceres) during the period 1998 to 2002 is summarized. The work, led by Dr. Craig Merideth until his  death  in 2005, allowed  to document  what was interpreted  as a mining-metallurgical site specialized  in the  treatment  of cassiterite.  Despite  being  the prehistoric  layers  disturbed by  contemporary,  1950´s,  mining  works,  it  was  possible  to  document  traces  of  prehistoric mining,  remains  of  elliptical  huts  and  some  of  the  steps  of  the  proposed  operational  chain for the mining and processing of tin in the site. The chronological/cultural context for the archaeological register was placed between the 9th-8th/7th-6th  centuries B.C., during which the present-day Extremadura territory was conformed as a Tartesian periphery. Also, the preliminary metallurgical results of the recent (summer 2013, after its declaration as a “Geosite” within the “Villuercas-Ibores-Jara” Geopark) archaeological  excavation in Cerro de San Cristóbal are presented

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true