Biospeciation of tungsten in the serum of diabetic and healthy rats treated with the antidiabetic agent sodium tungstate

It is known that oral administration of sodium tungstate preserves the pancreatic beta cell function in diabetic rats. Healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with sodium tungstate for one, three or six weeks, after which the species of W in serum, were analysed. An increase in serum W with treatment time was observed. After six weeks, the serum W concentration in diabetic rats (70 mg L−1) was about 4.6 times higher than in healthy specimens. This different behaviour was also observed for Cu accumulation, while the Zn pattern follows the contrary. The patterns observed in the retention of Cu and Zn may be attributable to a normalization of glycaemia. The speciation analysis of W was performed using 2D separations, including an immunoaffinity packing and a SEC (Size Exclusion Chromatography) column coupled to an ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) for elemental detection. Ultrafiltration data together with SEC-ICP-MS results proved that around 80% of serum W was bound to proteins, the diabetic rats registering a higher W content than their healthy counterparts. Most of the proteinbound W was due to a complex with albumin. An unknown protein with a molecular weight higher tan 100 kDa was also found to bind a small amount of W (about 2%). MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight) analysis of the desalted and concentrated chromatographic fractions confirmed albumin as the main protein bound to tungstate in rat serum, while no binding to transferrin (Tf) was detected. The interaction between glutathione and W was also evaluated using standard solutions; however, the formation of complexes was not observed. The stability of the complexes between W and proteins when subjected to more stringent procedures, like those used in proteomic methodologies (denaturing with urea or SDS, boiling, sonication, acid media, reduction with -mercaptoethanol (BME) or DTT (dithiotreitol) and alkylation with iodoacetamide (IAA), was also evaluated. Our results indicate that the stability of the complexes between W and proteins is not too high enough to remain unaltered during protein separation by SDS–PAGE in denaturing and reducing conditions. However, the procedures for in-solution tryptic digestion and for ESI-MS analysis in MeOH/H2O/with 0.1% formic acid could be used for protein identification without large loss of binding between W and proteins

Species Identification of Food Spoilage and Pathogenic Bacteria by MALDI-TOF Mass Fingerprinting

18 pages, 1 table, 2 figuresFood quality and safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Nowadays, the topics “food quality” and “food safety” are very close and two important issues in the food sector, due to the globalization of the food supply and the increased complexity of the food chain. The consumers need to purchase safe products that do not involve any kind of risk for health. On one hand, the aim of the “food safety” is to avoid health hazards for the consumer: microbiological hazards, pesticide residues, misuse of food additives and contaminants, such as chemicals, biological toxins and adulteration. On the other hand, “food quality” includes all attributes that influence the value of a product for the consumer; this includes negative attributes such as spoilage, contamination with filth, discoloration, off-odors and positive attributes such as the origin, color, flavor, texture and processing method of the food (FAO, 2003)This work was funded by project 10PXIB261045PR from Xunta de Galicia and by project AGL2010-19646 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology. The work of K. Böhme and I.C. Fernández-No is supported by a “Maria Barbeito” and “Lucas Labrada” research contract from Xunta de GaliciaN

Estrategias bioanalíticas en estudios metalómicos de fármacos de platino

En este artículo se muestra el potencial que presentan las modernas estrategias bioanalíticas en estudios metalómicos de fármacos de platino. La combinación de técnicas de separación multidimensionales cromatográficas y/o electroforéticas con la espectrometría de masas atómica ICP-MS y molecular ESI-MS/MS se presenta como una valiosa alternativa en este tipo de estudios

Caracterización de Staphylococcus aureus aislado de productos lácteos por MALDI-TOF MS

Comunicaciones a congreso

Production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium plants

[EN] Background: Pelargonium is one of the most popular garden plants in the world. Moreover, it has a considerable economic importance in the ornamental plant market. Conventional cross-breeding strategies have generated a range of cultivars with excellent traits. However, gene transfer via Agrobacterium tumefaciens could be a helpful tool to further improve Pelargonium by enabling the introduction of new genes/traits. We report a simple and reliable protocol for the genetic transformation of Pelargonium spp. and the production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium zonale plants, using the pSAG12::ipt and PsEND1::barnase chimaeric genes respectively. Results: The pSAG12::ipt transgenic plants showed delayed leaf senescence, increased branching and reduced internodal length, as compared to control plants. Leaves and flowers of the pSAG12::ipt plants were reduced in size and displayed a more intense coloration. In the transgenic lines carrying the PsEND1::barnase construct no pollen grains were observed in the modified anther structures, which developed instead of normal anthers. The locules of sterile anthers collapsed 3¿4 days prior to floral anthesis and, in most cases, the undeveloped anther tissues underwent necrosis. Conclusion: The chimaeric construct pSAG12::ipt can be useful in Pelargonium spp. to delay the senescence process and to modify plant architecture. In addition, the use of engineered male sterile plants would be especially useful to produce environmentally friendly transgenic plants carrying new traits by preventing gene flow between the genetically modified ornamentals and related plant species. These characteristics could be of interest, from a commercial point of view, both for pelargonium producers and consumers.This work was funded by grants AGL2009-13388-C03-01 and BIO2009-08134 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). In the past five years we have received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and the article-processing charge will be pay with funds from two granted projects. The authors received salaries from two different institutions: The Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) or the High Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC). We are not currently applying for a patent related with the content of this manuscript. All the mentioned organisms/institutions do not gain or lose financially from the publication of this manuscript either now or in the future.García Sogo, B.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Roque Mesa, EM.; Antón Martínez, MT.; Atarés Huerta, A.; Borja, M.; Beltran Porter, JP.... (2012). Production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium plants. BMC Plant Biology. 12:156-171. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2229-12-1561561711

Multifaceted role of TREX2 in the skin defense against UV-induced skin carcinogenesis

TREX2 is a 3'-DNA exonuclease specifically expressed in keratinocytes. Here, we investigated the relevance and mechanisms of TREX2 in ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin carcinogenesis. TREX2 expression was up-regulated by chronic UV exposure whereas it was de-regulated or lost in human squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Moreover, we identified SNPs in the TREX2 gene that were more frequent in patients with head and neck SCCs than in healthy individuals. In mice, TREX2 deficiency led to enhanced susceptibility to UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis which was preceded by aberrant DNA damage removal and degradation as well as reduced inflammation. Specifically, TREX2 loss diminished the up-regulation of IL12 and IFNγ, key cytokines related to DNA repair and antitumor immunity. In UV-treated keratinocytes, TREX2 promoted DNA repair and passage to late apoptotic stages. Notably, TREX2 was recruited to low-density nuclear chromatin and micronuclei, where it interacted with phosphorylated H2AX histone, which is a critical player in both DNA repair and cell death. Altogether, our data provide new insights in the molecular mechanisms of TREX2 activity and establish cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous functions of TREX2 in the UVB-induced skin response

Mitos y verdades sobre la COVID-19 .Aclaraciones para la comunidad acerca de los rumores sobre el nuevo coronavirus

La constante exposición a información a la que se enfrentan las personas va creciendo cada día debido a los medios de comunicación, redes sociales y fuentes no oficiales. Con relación a la pandemia por COVID-19 (enfermedad causada por un nuevo coronavirus llamado SARS-CoV-2 o 2019-nCoV), se ha difundido información diversa indicando que el consumo de algunos medicamentos, remedios caseros o el uso de sustancias químicas pueden curar, aumentar o disminuir el contagio del virus causante de COVID-19. En este sentido, la Red de Centros de Información de Medicamentos de Latinoamérica y el Caribe (Red CIMLAC) presenta al público algunas aclaraciones acerca de los mitos y verdades sobre esta enfermedad, con lo cual se pretende educar a la comunidad y contribuir a la promoción de la salud y la prevención de laenfermedad

Impact of volatile phenols and their precursors on wine quality and control measures of Brettanomyces/Dekkera yeasts

Volatile phenols are aromatic compounds and one of the key molecules responsible for olfactory defects in wine. The yeast genus Brettanomyces is the only major microorganism that has the ability to covert hydroxycinnamic acids into important levels of these compounds, especially 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol, in red wine. When 4-ethylphenols reach concentrations greater than the sensory threshold, all wine’s organoleptic characteristics might be influenced or damaged. The aim of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of the physicochemical, biochemical, and metabolic factors that are related to the levels of p-coumaric acid and volatile phenols in wine. Then, this work summarizes the different methods used for controlling the presence of Brettanomyces in wine and the production of ethylphenols

Effectiveness of Fosfomycin for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Bacteremic Urinary Tract Infections

IMPORTANCE The consumption of broad-spectrum drugs has increased as a consequence of the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli. Finding alternatives for these infections is critical, for which some neglected drugs may be an option. OBJECTIVE To determine whether fosfomycin is noninferior to ceftriaxone or meropenem in the targeted treatment of bacteremic urinary tract infections (bUTIs) due to MDR E coli. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicenter, randomized, pragmatic, open clinical trial was conducted at 22 Spanish hospitals from June 2014 to December 2018. Eligible participants were adult patients with bacteremic urinary tract infections due to MDR E coli; 161 of 1578 screened patients were randomized and followed up for 60 days. Data were analyzed in May 2021. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized 1 to 1 to receive intravenous fosfomycin disodium at 4 g every 6 hours (70 participants) or a comparator (ceftriaxone or meropenem if resistant; 73 participants) with the option to switch to oral fosfomycin trometamol for the fosfomycin group or an active oral drug or pa renteral ertapenem for the comparator group after 4 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was clinical and microbiological cure (CMC) 5 to 7 days after finalization of treatment; a noninferiority margin of 7% was considered. RESULTS Among 143 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population (median [IQR] age, 72 [62-81] years; 73 [51.0%] women), 48 of 70 patients (68.6%) treated with fosfomycin and 57 of 73 patients (78.1%) treated with comparators reached CMC (risk difference, -9.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI, -21.5 to infinity percentage points; P = .10). While clinical or microbiological failure occurred among 10 patients (14.3%) treated with fosfomycin and 14 patients (19.7%) treated with comparators (risk difference, -5.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI. -infinity to 4.9; percentage points; P = .19), an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations occurred with fosfomycin vs comparators (6 discontinuations [8.5%] vs 0 discontinuations; P = .006). In an exploratory analysis among a subset of 38 patients who underwent rectal colonization studies, patients treated with fosfomycin acquired a new ceftriaxone-resistant or meropenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria at a decreased rate compared with patients treated with comparators (0 of 21 patients vs 4 of 17 patients [23.5%]; 1-sided P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study found that fosfomycin did not demonstrate noninferiority to comparators as targeted treatment of bUTI from MDR E coli; this was due to an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations. This finding suggests that fosfomycin may be considered for selected patients with these infections

Practicando Ingeniería Química: Prácticas colaborativas de bajo coste para grupos numerosos

Elaboración de un catálogo de prácticas de laboratorio de bajo coste para trabajar los fundamentos de ingeniería química con grupos numerosos, usando metodologías activas de aprendizaje para incrementar la motivación de los estudiantes.Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de MaterialesFac. de Ciencias QuímicasFALSEsubmitte