Las facies conglomeráticas del Mioceno de la Isla de Menorca

Abstract not availabl

Converging antigenic structure of a recombinant viral peptide displayed on different frameworks of carrier proteins

AbstractA peptide reproducing the G-H loop amino acid sequence of foot-and-mouth disease virus VP1 protein was fused to the solvent-exposed C-terminus of the bacteriophage P22 tailspike protein [Carbonell and Villaverde (1996) Gene, in press], a homotrimeric polypeptide with a strong β-helical structure. This fusion does not interfere with the biological activities of the phage tail. The antigenic profile of the complex antigenic site A within the G-H loop has been determined by competitive ELISA with a panel of monoclonal antibodies directed against different overlapping B-cell epitopes. The antigenic data have been compared with those obtained with a set of 12 chimeric β-galactosidases displaying the G-H loop on different exposed regions. A high coincidence has been evidenced between the antigenicity of the viral peptide fused to the phage protein and that of some peptides inserted in an exposed loop of the activating interface of β-galactosidase. This indicates that completely different structural frameworks of carrier proteins can provide similar constraints that allow the recombinant peptide to successfully mimic the antigenicity, and probably conformational features, of the natural peptide on the virion surface

Approaches to Endow Ribonucleases with Antitumor Activity: Lessons Learned from the Native Cytotoxic Ribonucleases

Typical antitumor drugs disrupt the flow of biochemical information from DNA to proteins with the aim of precluding uncontrolled cell proliferation and inducing cancer cell apoptosis. However, most of the currently used small antitumor drugs are genotoxic because they act over DNA. Pharmaceutical industry is now searching for a new line of cancer chemotherapeutics without genotoxic effects. Ribonucleases (RNases) are small basic proteins, present in all life forms, which belong to this kind of chemotherapeutics. Some of them present with remarkable selective antitumor activity linked to their ability to destroy RNA, a powerful way to control gene expression, leaving DNA unharmed. In the last two decades, the knowledge gained on the cytotoxic mechanism of these RNases has been used to engineer more powerful and selective variants to kill cancer cells. In this chapter, we describe the advances reached in endowing an RNase with antitumor abilities

Study of the nanometric grain size distribution in iron compacts obtained by mechanical milling

Postprint (published version

Assessment of respiratory flow cycle morphology in patients with chronic heart failure

Breathing pattern as periodic breathing (PB) in chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality risk. This work investigates the significance of a number of time domain parameters for characterizing respiratory flow cycle morphology in patients with CHF. Thus, our primary goal is to detect PB pattern and identify patients at higher risk. In addition, differences in respiratory flow cycle morphology between CHF patients (with and without PB) and healthy subjects are studied. Differences between these parameters are assessed by investigating the following three classification issues: CHF patients with PB versus with non-periodic breathing (nPB), CHF patients (both PB and nPB) versus healthy subjects, and nPB patients versus healthy subjects. Twenty-six CHF patients (8/18 with PB/nPB) and 35 healthy subjects are studied. The results show that the maximal expiratory flow interval is shorter and with lower dispersion in CHF patients than in healthy subjects. The flow slopes are much steeper in CHF patients, especially for PB. Both inspiration and expiration durations are reduced in CHF patients, mostly for PB. Using the classification and regression tree technique, the most discriminant parameters are selected. For signals shorter than 1 min, the time domain parameters produce better results than the spectral parameters, with accuracies for each classification of 82/78, 89/85, and 91/89 %, respectively. It is concluded that morphologic analysis in the time domain is useful, especially when short signals are analyzed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The Conners' adult ADHD rating scales-Short self-report and observer forms: Psychometric properties of the catalan version

Abstract Objective: To validate the Catalan adaptation of the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS), short version (selfreport: CAARS-S:S; observer: CAARS-O:S). Method: A community sample of 424 adults responded to the two forms. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the dimensional structure. Results: The hypothesized four-factor model (Inattention/Memory Problems, Hyperactivity/Restlessness, Impulsivity/Emotional Lability, and Problems With Self-Concept) presented an adequate fit for the self-report and observer forms. Reliability was slightly higher for the CAARS-O:S (average a = .78) than for the CAARS-S:S (average a = .75). Test retest average correlations were r = .80 (self-reports) and r = .73 (observer ratings). Informant agreement was high at test (average r = .59) and retest (average r = .61). There were significant gender and age differences. Conclusion: This adaptation of the two short forms of the CAARS-S presents adequate evidence of validity and reliability, and it can therefore be used for diagnostic purposes and cross-cultural comparisons. (J. of Att. Dis. 2014; 18(8) 671-679

Situación actual de Dictamnus hispanicus Webb (Rutaceae) en la provincia de Alicante: distribución y aspectos etnobotánicos

Spanish Burning bush (Dictamnus hispanicus), is a endemic species of the Eastern half of the Iberian peninsula, which has outstanding relevance in the province of Alicante (Valencian Community, Spain) due to its traditional use, as a component of the ?herberos? ? herbal spirit drinks?. However, there is still little information on other uses of the species in the same province. In order to increase this knowledge, semi-structured interviews (n=90) have been made, and information on its distribution range has been completed using Geographic Information Systems; the species has been rederred to 27 1×1 km UTM squares. 5 phytonyms in Valencian language (74.44% of the informants) and 6 in Castilian or Spanish (25.66%) have been collected. 9 applications uses have been identified: liqueurs (spirits), menstruation regulation, respiratory diseases relieve, intestinal inflammations, alleviation of hard digestion, aerophagia, bad breath, abortion, flavouring cabinets and prevention against the proliferation of moths

Development of a highly efficient production process for recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli NEB10β

Altres ajuts: COST Action CM 1303 - Systems BiocatalysisRecombinant protein expression in E. coli is well described, with multiple strains and process strategies available. However, strains used for cloning and molecular biology purposes are not generally considered for protein expression. Using these strains could result in a simplification of the production pathway of a newly cloned protein of interest. In this work, the E. coli strain NEB10β has been characterized for the expression of the complex fusion protein phosphite dehydrogenase-cyclohexanone monooxygenase (PTDH-CHMO), and a production process has been developed based on the PBAD expression system. A fed-batch approach using a defined medium supplemented with amino acids, with glycerol as a carbon source, allows for an efficient recombinant protein expression process, incrementing 9.2-fold the production obtained in a complex medium batch and reaching around 2 g/L of product after 6 h of induction. The process was successfully reproduced in a NEB10β strain for the production of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme

The extent of aortic lymphadenectomy in locally advanced cervical cancer impacts on survival

Cáncer de cuello de útero; Supervivencia libre de enfermedad; Metástasis linfáticaCàncer de coll de l'úter; Supervivència lliure de malaltia; Metàstasi limfàticaCervical Cancer; Disease-Free Survival; Lymphatic MetastasisObjective The prognostic impact of surgical paraaortic staging remains unclear in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The objective of our study was to evaluate the results of the surgical technique of preoperative aortic lymphadenectomy in LACC related to tumor burden and disease spread to assess its influence on survival. Methods Data of 1,072 patients with cervical cancer were taken from 11 Spanish hospitals (Spain-Gynecologic Oncology Group [GOG] working group). Complete aortic lymphadenectomy surgery (CALS) was considered when the lymph nodes (LNs) were excised up to the left renal vein. The extent of the disease was performed evaluating the LNs by calculating the geometric means and quantifying the log odds between positive LNs and negative LNs. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival distribution. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to account for the influence of multiple variables. Results A total of 394 patients were included. Pathological analysis revealed positive aortic LNs in 119 patients (30%). LODDS cut-off value of −2 was established as a prognostic indicator. CALS and LODDS <−2 were associated with better disease free survival and overall survival than suboptimal aortic lymphadenectomy surgery and LODDS ≥−2. In a multivariate model analysis, CALS is revealed as an independent prognostic factor in LACC. Conclusion When performing preoperative surgical staging in LACC, it is not advisable to take simple samples from the regional nodes. Radical dissection of the aortic and pelvic regions offers a more reliable staging of the LNs and has a favorable influence on survival