Una aproximación a la publicidad de cosméticos en las revistas femeninas editadas en España

Este trabajo analiza la publicidad gráfica de las marcas del creciente sector de la belleza y los cosméticos. Se estudian los anuncios aparecidos en su medio de preferencia: las revistas femeninas (editadas en España). A través de un análisis de contenido, mediante el registro de variables manifiestas, se ha estudiado la construcción comunicativa de estos mensajes visuales, en los que el recurso icónico primordial es la fotografía artística. El elemento central de la gráfica es una estructura que persigue representar los valores enunciados por la marca en el texto del anuncio y la composición nos guía desde la modelo, la persona que personifica dichos valores, hacia el producto.This work analyzes the graphic advertising of the brands of the growing sector of beauty and cosmetics. We study the advertising insertions appearing in their favorite medium: women's magazines (published in Spain). Through the analysis of content and recording manifest variables, we have studied the communicative construction of these visual messages, in which the iconic resource of artistic photography prevails. The main element of the graph is a structure that tries to represent the values enunciated by the brand in the advertisement claim and the composition leads us from the model, the person personifying those values, to the product.Aquest treball analitza la publicitat gràfica de les marques del creixent sector de la bellesa i els cosmètics. S'estudien els anuncis apareguts en el seu mitjà de preferència: les revistes femenines (editades a Espanya). A través d'una anàlisi de contingut, mitjançant el registre de variables manifestes, s'ha estudiat la construcció comunicativa d'aquests missatges visuals, en què el recurs icònic primordial és la fotografia artística. L'element central de la gràfica és una estructura que persegueix representar els valors enunciats per la marca al text de l'anunci i la composició ens guia des de la model, la persona que personifica aquests valors, cap al producte

Hydrolytic degradation of D-mannitol-based polyurethanes

The capacity of redox D-mannitol-based polyurethanes to modulate the glutathione response under physiological conditions, as well as their effectiveness for sustained and site-specific drug release in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), have been demonstrated in previous studies. Based on those promising results, our attention has now been drawn towards hydrolytic degradation processes at 37¿°C and different pH values, from acidic to basic conditions, as in the GIT. For that, two sets of branched and linear D-mannitol-based polyurethanes containing disulfide bonds have been synthesized, which has been possible depending on the starting D-mannitol-derived monomer. Thus 3,4-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol, having two secondary hydroxyl groups in addition to the two primary hydroxyl groups, afforded polyurethanes with a certain degree of branching. In contrast, 2,4:3,5-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol and 2,3:4,5-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol, lacking secondary hydroxyl groups, led to linear polyurethanes. Removal of the O-isopropylidene protecting groups resulted in more-hydrophilic materials. As in glutathione-mediated degradation, the branched polyurethanes presented enhanced degradation under physiological conditions, proportional to the content of D-mannitol, whereas linear polyurethanes were degraded slowly, and pH 8 and 10 were requiredPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Properties of polyplexes formed between a cationic polymer derived from l-arabinitol and nucleic acids

In this work a sugar-based cationic polymer derived from l-arabinitol, PUArab, was prepared and its interactions with the linear calf thymus DNA and with the circular plasmid pEGFP-C1 were investigated at different N/P ratios. The polyplexes were characterized by using several techniques. For both nucleic acids, a charge inversion was observed, together with a conformational change from a coiled structure to a more compacted one. However, the N/P ratio required to observe the DNA condensation depended on the nucleic acid architecture. PUArab presents low toxicity in several cell lines. The transfection efficiency, TE, of the PUArab/pEGFP-C1 polyplexes was investigated at several N/P ratios in order to study their potential as vectors in gene transfection

Sera from Patients with NMOSD Reduce the Differentiation Capacity of Precursor Cells in the Central Nervous System

Introduction: AQP4 (aquaporin-4)–immunoglobulin G (IgG)-mediated neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system, particularly the spinal cord and optic nerve; remyelination capacity in neuromyelitis optica is yet to be determined, as is the role of AQP4–IgG in cell differentiation. Material and Methods: We included three groups—a group of patients with AQP4–IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica, a healthy group, and a sham group. We analyzed differentiation capacity in cultures of neurospheres from the subventricular zone of mice by adding serum at two different times: early and advanced stages of differentiation. We also analyzed differentiation into different cell lines. Results and Conclusions: The effect of sera from patients with NMOSD on precursor cells differs according to the degree of differentiation, and probably affects oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from NG2 cells to a lesser extent than cells from the subventricular zone; however, the resulting oligodendrocytes may be compromised in terms of maturation and possibly limited in their ability to generate myelin. Furthermore, these cells decrease in number with age. It is very unlikely that the use of drugs favoring the migration and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in multiple sclerosis would be effective in the context of neuromyelitis optica, but cell therapy with oligodendrocyte progenitor cells seems to be a potential alternative

Can the Cytokine Profile According to ABO Blood Groups Be Related to Worse Outcome in COVID-19 Patients? Yes, They Can

Producción CientíficaSevere status of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely associated to cytokine release. Moreover, it has been suggested that blood group is also associated with the prevalence and severity of this disease. However, the relationship between the cytokine profile and blood group remains unclear in COVID-19 patients. In this sense, we prospectively recruited 108 COVID-19 patients between March and April 2020 and divided according to ABO blood group. For the analysis of 45 cytokines, plasma samples were collected in the time of admission to hospital ward or intensive care unit and at the sixth day after hospital admission. The results show that there was a risk of more than two times lower of mechanical ventilation or death in patients with blood group O (log rank: p = 0.042). At first time, all statistically significant cytokine levels, except from hepatocyte growth factor, were higher in O blood group patients meanwhile the second time showed a significant drop, between 20% and 40%. In contrast, A/B/AB group presented a maintenance of cytokine levels during time. Hepatocyte growth factor showed a significant association with intubation or mortality risk in non-O blood group patients (OR: 4.229, 95% CI (2.064–8.665), p < 0.001) and also was the only one bad prognosis biomarker in O blood group patients (OR: 8.852, 95% CI (1.540–50.878), p = 0.015). Therefore, higher cytokine levels in O blood group are associated with a better outcome than A/B/AB group in COVID-19 patients.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant COV20/00491)Junta de Castilla y León (grant 18IGOF

A novel biocompatible polymer derived from D-mannitol used as a vector in the field of genetic engineering of eukaryotic cells

The design and preparation of new vectors to transport genetic material and increase the transfection efficiency continue being an important research line. Here, a novel biocompatible sugar-based polymer derived from D-mannitol has been synthesized to be used as a gene material nanocarrier in human (gene transfection) and microalga cells (transformation process). Its low toxicity allows its use in processes with both medical and industrial applications. A multidisciplinary study about the formation of polymer/p-DNA polyplexes has been carried out using techniques such as gel electrophoresis, zeta potential, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The nucleic acids used were the eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-C1 and the microalgal expression plasmid Phyco69, which showed different behaviors. The importance of DNA supercoiling in both transfection and transformation processes was demonstrated. Better results were obtained in microalga cells nuclear transformation than in human cells gene transfection. This was related to the plasmid's conformational changes, in particular to their superhelical structure. It is noteworthy that the same nanocarrier has been used with eukaryotic cells from both human and microalga.This work was supported by the Consejería de Conocimiento, Innovación y Universidades de la Junta de Andalucía (FQM-206, FQM-274, FQM-135 and P20–01234); VI Plan Propio Universidad de Sevilla (PP2019/00000748), and the European Union (Feder Funds).Peer reviewe

Supplementary material. A novel biocompatible polymer derived from D-mannitol used as a vector in the field of genetic engineering of eukaryotic cells

S1. Experimental Section: S1.1. Synthesis and Characterization Data. S1.2. Fluorescence Measurements. S1.3. Zeta Potential Measurements. S1.4. Dynamic Light Scattering Measurements. S1.5. Circular Dichroism Spectra. S1.6. Agarose Gel Electrophoresis. S1.7. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). S1.8. In Vitro Assays S1.9. Transfection Assays. S1.10. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Nuclear Transformation. S2. Results and Discussion: S2.1. Characterization of Monomers and Polyurethanes. S2.2. Formation of the polyplexes PUMan/ctDNA. Figures: Fig. S1. FTIR spectra of PUMan and (MBocCis)DTDI. Fig. S2. SEC chromatogram of (MAL)DTDI. Fig. S3. SEC chromatogram of (MBocCis)DTDI. Fig. S4. SEC chromatogram of PUMan. Fig. S5. 1H NMR of (MAL)DTDI. Fig. S6. 1H NMR of (MBocCis)DTDI. Fig. S7. 1H NMR of PUMan. Fig. S8. TGA curve of PUMan. Fig. S9. Plot of EB emission intensities at different N/P values, circular dichroism spectra, zeta potential and hydrodynamic diameters of the PUMan-based polyplexes. Fig.S10. Electrophoresis of polyplexes PUMan/digested pEGFP-C1 and PUMan/digested Phyco69 at different N/P ratios. Fig.S11. Percentage of GFP positive cells after transfection with 3 μg of the plasmid pEGFP-C1 with the indicated reagents. The molar ratio PUMan:FuGENE and PUMan:DOPE was 1:1. Tables: Table S1. Thermal properties of PUMan and its precursors.Peer reviewe

Intranasal Administration of Undifferentiated Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells as a Potential Approach to Deliver Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells into Brain

Oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) migration is a mechanism involved in remyelination; these cells migrate from niches in the adult CNS. However, age and disease reduce the pool of OPCs; as a result, the remyelination capacity of the CNS decreases over time. Several experimental studies have introduced OPCs to the brain via direct injection or intrathecal administration. In this study, we used the nose-to brain pathway to deliver oligodendrocyte lineage cells (human oligodendroglioma (HOG) cells), which behave similarly to OPCs in vitro. To this end, we administered GFP-labelled HOG cells intranasally to experimental animals, which were subsequently euthanised at 30 or 60 days. Our results show that the intranasal route is a viable route to the CNS and that HOG cells administered intranasally migrate preferentially to niches of OPCs (clusters created during embryonic development and adult life). Our study provides evidence, albeit limited, that HOG cells either form clusters or adhere to clusters of OPCs in the brains of experimental animals

Methodology applied in the study of the language development in children with early detection of neonatal hearing loss.

Introducción y objetivo: Dado que el potencial discapacitante que causa la deficiencia auditiva neonatal disminuye con una detección e intervención tempranas, hemos elaborado un proyecto de investigación, con el que nos proponemos conocer el grado de desarrollo del lenguaje de los niños y niñas que procedentes del cribado auditivo universal, han sido diagnosticados/as por nosotros de hipoacusia prelingual en estos últimos 15 años y analizar las variables determinantes y las que son modificables. El objeto de esta comunicación consistirá en presentar la metodología que vamos a utilizar. Método: Partimos de los datos almacenados en nuestro Servicio de ORL, que comprende a 282 niños con hipoacusia. Hemos tenido la oportunidad de crear un grupo de investigación en el que coincidimos especialistas de la audición infantil y del lenguaje, por lo que contamos con medios suficientes para el estudio. Resultados: Describimos los elementos que configuran este proyecto, en relación al equipo de trabajo y a su desarrollo. Tras aplicar unos criterios de exclusión/inclusión, hemos seleccionado a un grupo de 45 niños entre 3 y 15 años, definiendo sus características auditivas. Mediante pruebas específicas, adaptadas a la edad, estudiaremos los diferentes aspectos del lenguaje; y a través de una entrevista estructurada realizada a los padres, intentaremos determinar las variables que influyen en el proceso re-habilitador. Finalmente, los datos serán analizados estadísticamente. Discusión: La variabilidad y la escasa prevalencia de la hipoacusia infantil, dificultan la realización de estudios con población suficiente para obtener resultados estadísticamente significativos. Sin embargo, creemos que el grupo de niños seleccionado y la metodología utilizada nos permitirán conocer mejor las variables influyentes en el desarrollo del lenguaje. Conclusiones: El programa de cribado auditivo universal ha permitido una intervención más precoz, lo que debería mejorar los niveles de lenguaje de los niños detectados/as con hipoacusia. Aunque el desarrollo normalizado de la comunicación depende de otros factores difíciles de determinar, a través del protocolo presentado pretendemos equiparar estos resultados, validando el proceso de cribado/diagnóstico e intervención de nuestro medio.Introduction and objective: Given that the disabling potential causing neonatal hearing impairment decreases with early detection and intervention, we have drawn up a research project, with which we intend to know the degree of development of the language of children and girls than from the universal hearing screening, have been diagnosed for us of prelingual hearing loss in the last 15 years and analyze the determining variables and which are modifiable. The object of this communication will be to present the methodology that we use. Method: We assume the data stored on our ENT service, including 282 children with hearing loss. We have had the opportunity to create a research group in which we agree ENT and language specialists so we have resources sufficient for the study. Results: We describe the elements that make up this project in relation to the team and to its development. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, we have selected a group of 45 children between 3 and 15 years, defining their auditory characteristics. Through specific tests, adapted to the age, we will study the different aspects of the language; and through a structured interview parents, we try to determine the variables that influence the rehabilitator process. Finally, the data will be analyzed statistically. Discussion: The variability and the low prevalence of infant hearing loss, make it difficult studies with sufficient population to obtain statistically significant results. However, we believe that the group of children and the methodology selected will allow us to learn more about the influential in the development of the language variables. Conclusions: The hearing screening program allowed us to earlier intervention, which should improve the levels of language of children detected with hearing loss. Although the standard development of communication depends on other factors difficult to determine, through the presented protocol we equate these findings, validating the process of screening/diagnosis and intervention of our environment