Molecular Imaging in TB: From the Bench to the Clinic

Despite all efforts, tuberculosis (TB) still constitutes a serious global health threat with 9.4 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths worldwide in 2009 (World Health Organisation,2010). Furthermore, an estimated one third of the worlds’ population is infected with the bacterium responsible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The main handicaps in fighting TB include a vaccine which works poorly in the most affected populations, and an arduous treatment regimen, involving a combination of several drugs taken over many months. This is further complicated by the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) M. tuberculosis strains, which require even longer treatment times with less well-tolerated drugs. Eradication of TB will require the development of new drugs and vaccines, alongside improved methods for diagnosis and monitoring treatment efficacy. With the vast burden of disease falling in resource poor settings, the challenge will also be to develop methodologies that can be deployed with minimal investment in infrastructure, maintenance and staff expertise. Recent decades have seen the emergence of the new discipline of molecular imaging. In essence, molecular imaging enables the non-invasive visualisation, characterisation, and quantification of biological processes taking place within intact living subjects, be it a mouse or man (Filippi & Rocca, 2011; Horky & Treves, 2011; Pysz et al., 2010; Sandhu et al., 2010). Imaging has long been applied to managing TB; simple chest x-rays have allowed clinicians to visualise TB in people for over a century (Singh & Nath, 1994). However, the new molecular imaging techniques are revolutionising medical research, with the potential to translate into significant changes in clinical practice. In this chapter we describe the new generation of imaging modalities and how these are being applied to eradicating TB, from the laboratory bench and in to the clinic

Identification of a tachykinin-related peptide with orexigenic properties in the German cockroach

A number of evidences suggest that tachykinin-related peptides (TRPs) of insects can stimulate food consumption after being released from the midgut to the hemolymph. The idea of the present work has been to test this hypothesis in the anautogenous cockroach Blattella germanica. First, we have identified the peptide LemTRP-1 (APSGFLGVR-NH2) from brain extracts, by means of an ELISA developed with a polyclonal antibody against this peptide. ELISA studies have also shown that, whereas brain LemTRP-1 levels were fairly constant, midgut levels increase to a maximum on day 3 after adult emergence, falling thereafter until the end of the gonadotrophic cycle. Interestingly, maximum values of food consumption are concomitant with the decrease of LemTRP-1 immunoreactivity in the midgut. Furthermore, starvation decreases LemTRP-1 immunoreactivity in midgut, whereas in the hemolymph it increases. Finally, injection of synthetic LemTRP-1 to adult females significantly stimulates food consumption. The whole observations suggest that LemTRP-1 is released from the midgut to the hemolymph when sustained food consumption is required to maintain vitellogenesis at the highest levels, and that LemTRP-1 in the hemolymph stimulates food consumption in these days. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (projects AGL2002-01169 and AGL2005-00773 (X.B.) and BFU2006-01090 (J.L.M.)) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (2005 SGR 00053) are gratefully acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

The use of Emoticons as element of Communication. (EMO-TIC)

En los últimos años, la comunicación digital o vía ordenador (CVO) ha modificado en gran medida los mecanismos comunicativos, pues la comunicación interpersonal está cada vez más mediatizada por elementos tecnológicos. Esto permite que los entornos comunicativos de las personas cada vez estén menos ligados a los entornos geográficos, y más a los entornos digitales. Es por este motivo que dicha comunicación vía ordenador necesita de elementos emocionales, que doten de significado completo las conversaciones digitales. Los emoticonos surgen por la necesidad de simplificar los mensajes para dar celeridad a las conversaciones digitales, además de dotar de significado emocional. En este trabajo, se pretende analizar, a través del uso de emoticonos, cómo las personas ante situaciones parecidas con y sin tecnología suelen utilizar los mismos emoticonos para describir situaciones y estados emocionales.In the last years, digital communication or via computer (CVO) has greatly modified the communication mechanisms, since interpersonal communication is mediated by technological elements. This allows means that our communicative environments are progressively less bound to the geographic surroundings, and more to the digital surroundings. It is for this reason that communication via computer requires emotional elements that give full meaning to digital conversations. Emoticons arise, therefore, from the need to provide simplified messages to speed up digital conversations, as well as giving emotional meaning. In this article, we analyze how people in similar situations, with and without technology, usually use the same emoticons to describe such situations and emotional states

Translation of a Leaderless Reporter Is Robust During Exponential Growth and Well Sustained During Stress Conditions in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis expresses a large number of leaderless mRNA transcripts; these lack the 5' leader region, which usually contains the Shine-Dalgarno sequence required for translation initiation in bacteria. In M. tuberculosis, transcripts encoding proteins like toxin-antitoxin systems are predominantly leaderless and the overall ratio of leaderless to Shine-Dalgarno transcripts significantly increases during growth arrest, suggesting that leaderless translation might be important during persistence in the host. However, whether these two types of transcripts are translated with differing efficiencies during optimal growth conditions and during stress conditions that induce growth arrest, is unclear. Here, we have used the desA1 (Rv0824c) and desA2 (Rv1094) gene pair as representative for Shine-Dalgarno and leaderless transcripts in M. tuberculosis respectively; and used them to construct bioluminescent reporter strains. We detect robust leaderless translation during exponential in vitro growth, and we show that leaderless translation is more stable than Shine-Dalgarno translation during adaptation to stress conditions. These changes are independent from transcription, as transcription levels did not significantly change following quantitative real-time PCR analysis. Upon entrance into nutrient starvation and after nitric oxide exposure, leaderless translation is significantly less affected by the stress than Shine-Dalgarno translation. Similarly, during the early stages of infection of macrophages, the levels of leaderless translation are transiently more stable than those of Shine-Dalgarno translation. These results suggest that leaderless translation may offer an advantage in the physiology of M. tuberculosis. Identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying this translational regulation may provide insights into persistent infection

De la formación docente en España a la práctica educativa en Senegal: un proyecto de cooperación internacional basado en el aprendizaje servicio para Infantil y Primaria

An international cooperation project for Spanish university students is presented and analyzed, in which the formative methodology of service learning (SL) is combined with a stay in an emerging country. From the degrees of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education of the CEU Cardenal Herrera University, a pedagogical intervention was planned and executed in Djikesse (Senegal), specifically in the Antoni Gaudí Nursery and the Djikesse Primary School. Nine Senegalese teachers and their 290 students participated between both educational stages. For their part, from Spain, two professors and eight students from the aforementioned university were involved. These future teachers had the opportunity to complete their training with this experience. The results show various benefits through the project, both for the visiting and for the host educational communities. Regarding the service part or impact on Senegal, highlights the promotion of active learning methodologies, making teachers aware of the importance of experimentation and observation, as well as promoting global and meaningful learning, in addition to advance in their conception of the game and its role in learning. As a weakness, the difficulties with cooperative processes, due to lack of space and resources, can be mentioned. Regarding learning, after the project self-evaluation by the university participants, it is concluded that a greater involvement of the students in the planning phase, and especially in the evaluation aspects, would have been necessary. However, this experience has managed to link theory with practice and its benefits are considerable, among others, awareness of the fundamental value of education as an instrument to combat poverty and social exclusion.Se presenta y analiza un proyecto de cooperación internacional para alumnado universitario español, en el que se combina la metodología formativa de aprendizaje servicio (ApS) con una estancia en un país emergente. Desde los grados de Educación Infantil y Educación Primaria de la Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, se planificó y ejecutó una intervención educativa en Djikesse (Senegal), concretamente en las escuelas de Educación Infantil (Guardería Antoni Gaudí) y de Educación Primaria (Escuela Primaria de Djikesse). Participaron nueve maestros senegaleses y un total de 290 estudiantes entre ambas etapas educativas; por su parte, desde España se involucraron dos profesoras y ocho estudiantes de la universidad mencionada. Estos últimos, futuros docentes, tuvieron la posibilidad de completar su formación con esta experiencia. Los resultados evidencian diversos beneficios del proyecto, tanto para la comunidad educativa visitante como para la de acogida. Respecto a la parte de servicio o repercusión en Senegal, destaca la promoción de metodologías activas de aprendizaje, haciendo consciente al profesorado de la importancia de la experimentación y la observación, así como de promover un aprendizaje globalizador y significativo, además del avance en la concepción del juego y su papel en el aprendizaje. Como debilidad, pueden mencionarse las dificultades con los procesos cooperativos, debido a la falta de espacio y de recursos. En cuanto al aprendizaje, tras la autoevaluación del proyecto por parte de los participantes universitarios se concluye que habría sido necesaria una mayor implicación del alumnado en la fase de planificación, y especialmente en lo relativo a la evaluación. Con todo, la experiencia ha conseguido vincular la teoría con la práctica y sus beneficios son considerables, entre otros, la conciencia sobre el valor fundamental de la educación como instrumento para combatir la pobreza y la exclusión social

Experience and results after the implementation of a radiology day unit in a reference hospital

Hospitals; Radiology (Interventional); Surveys and questionariesHospitals; Radiologia (intervencionista); Enquestes i preguntesHospitales; Radiología (Intervencionista); Encuestas y cuestionariosBackground Interventional radiological procedures have significantly increased in recent years. Most of them are minimally invasive and require a short hospitalization, mainly done in other non-radiological units nowadays. Limited bed availability and high occupancy rates in these units create longer waiting lists and cancellations. The aim of this retrospective study is to assess the creation and functioning of a Radiology Day Unit (RDU) and evaluating its outcomes. For this purpose, data about interventional procedures and its complications, incidents, patient safety, quality and satisfaction rates were collected from May 2018 to December 2020, and posteriorly analyzed to evaluate its implementation. Results During the assessed period, 3841 patients were admitted into the RDU, with a net increase of 13% and 26% in the second and third year, respectively. Procedures performed by the Abdominal Radiology section were the most frequent (76–85%) followed by Interventional Vascular Radiology and Thoracic Radiology. Complication rates were low (1.5%) and most of them were self-limited and managed in the own department. Waiting lists were significantly reduced, from 2 months to 1 week in case of procedures performed by the Abdominal Radiology section. Patient satisfaction was higher than 80% in all the items evaluated with a global satisfaction of 93%. Conclusion The RDU in our hospital has become a vital section for the management and post-procedure caring of patients undergoing interventional procedures in the Radiology Service with low complication rates and overall high levels of quality and patient safety, allowing the reduction of waiting lists and occupancy rates

New Bactericide Orthodonthic Archwire: NiTi with Silver Nanoparticles

A potential new bactericide treatment for NiTi orthodontic archwires based in the electrodeposition of silver nanoparticles on the surface was studied. Twenty-five archwires were treated by electrodeposition, obtaining nanoparticles of silver embedded on the archwire surface. These were evaluated in order to investigate the possible changes on the superelastic characteristics (critical temperatures and stresses), the nickel ion release, and the bacteria culture behavior. The chemical composition was analyzed by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy-microanalysis; the singular temperatures of the martensitic transformation were obtained by a flow calorimeter. Induced martensitic transformation stresses were obtained by mechanical testing apparatus. Nickel ion release was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipment using artificial saliva solution at 37 °C. Bacterial tests were studied with the most used oral bacterial strains: Streptococcus sanguinis and Lactobacillus salivarius. NiTi samples were immersed in bacterial suspensions for 2 h at 37 °C. Adhered bacteria were separated and seeded on agar plates: Tood-Hewitt (TH) and Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) for S. sanguinis and for L.salivarius, respectively. These were then incubated at 37 °C for 1 day and the colonies were analyzed. The results showed that the transformation temperatures and the critical stresses have not statistically significant differences. Likewise, nickel ion release at different immersion times in saliva at 37 °C does not present changes between the original and treated with silver nanoparticles archwires. Bacteria culture results showed that the reduction of the bacteria due to the presence to the nanoparticles of silver is higher than 90%. Consequently, the new treatment with nanoparticles of silver could be a good candidate as bactericidic orthodontic archwire.Gobierno de España y la Unión Europea RTI2018-098075-B-C22Generalitat de Catalunya 2017SGR70

Intraductal Delivery Of Adenoviruses Targets Pancreatic Tumors In Transgenic Ela-myc Mice And Orthotopic Xenografts

Gene-based anticancer therapies delivered by adenoviruses are limited by the poor viral distribution into the tumor. In the current work we have explored the feasibility of targeting pancreatic tumors through a loco-regional route. We have taken advantage of the ductal network in the pancreas to retrogradelly inject adenoviruses through the common bile duct in two different mouse models of pancreatic carcinogenesis: The transgenic Ela-myc mice that develop mixed neoplasms displaying both acinar-like and duct-like neoplastic cells affecting the whole pancreas; and mice bearing PANC-1 and BxPC-3 orthotopic xenografts that constitute a model of localized human neoplastic tumors. We studied tumor targeting and the anticancer effects of newly thymidine kinase-engineered adenoviruses both in vitro and in vivo, and conducted comparative studies between intraductal or intravenous administration. Our data indicate that the intraductal delivery of adenovirus efficiently targets pancreatic tumors in the two mouse models. The in vivo application of AduPARTK(T) plus ganciclovir (GCV) treatment induced tumor regression in Ela-myc mice. Moreover, the intraductal injection of ICOVIR15-TKT oncolytic adenoviruses significantly improved mean survival of mice bearing PANC-1 and BxPC-3 pancreatic xenografts from 30 to 52 days and from 20 to 68 days respectively (p<0.0001) when combined with GCV. Of notice, both AduPARTK(T) and ICOVIR15-TKT antitumoral responses were stronger by ductal viral application than intravenously, in line with the 38-fold increase in pancreas transduction observed upon ductal administration. In summary our data show that cytotoxic adenoviruses retrogradelly injected to the pancreas can be a feasible approach to treat localized pancreatic tumors

Is Trabecular Bone Score Valuable In Bone Microstructure Assessment After Gastric Bypass In Women With Morbid Obesity?

Introduction: The effects of bariatric surgery on skeletal health raise many concerns. Trabecular bone score (TBS) is obtained through the analysis of lumbar spine dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images and allows an indirect assessment of skeletal microarchitecture (MA). The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and alterations in bone microarchitecture assessed by TBS in morbidly obese women undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), over a three-year follow-up. Material/Methods: A prospective study of 38 morbidly obese white women, aged 46.3 +/- 8.2 years, undergoing RYGB was conducted. Biochemical analyses and DXA scans with TBS evaluation were performed before and at one year and three years after surgery. Results: Patients showed normal calcium and phosphorus plasma concentrations throughout the study. However, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D-3) decreased, and 71% of patients had a vitamin D deficiency at three years. BMD at femoral neck and lumbar spine (LSBMD) significantly decreased 13.53 +/- 5.42% and 6.03 +/- 6.79%, respectively, during the three-year follow-up; however Z-score values remained above those for women of the same age. TBS was within normal ranges at one and three years (1.431 +/- 106 and 1.413 +/- 85, respectively), and at the end of the study, 73.7% of patients had normal bone MA. TBS at three years correlated inversely with age (r = -0.41, p = 0.010), body fat (r = -0.465, p = 0.004) and greater body fat deposited in trunk (r = -0.48, p = 0.004), and positively with LSBMD (r = 0.433, p = 0.007), fat mass loss (r = 0.438, p = 0.007) and lean mass loss (r = 0.432, p = 0.008). In the regression analysis, TBS remained associated with body fat ( = -0.625, p = 0.031; R-2 = 0.47). The fracture risk, calculated by FRAX((R)) (University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK), with and without adjustment by TBS, was low. Conclusion: Women undergoing RYGB in the mid-term have a preserved bone MA, assessed by TBS