Tunable injectable alginate-based hydrogel for cell therapy in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Islet transplantation has the potential of reestablishing naturally-regulated insulin production in Type 1 diabetic patients. Nevertheless, this procedure is limited due to the low islet survival after transplantation and the lifelong immunosuppression to avoid rejection. Islet embedding within a biocompatible matrix provides mechanical protection and a physical barrier against the immune system thus, increasing islet survival. Alginate is the preferred biomaterial used for embedding insulin-producing cells because of its biocompatibility, low toxicity and ease of gelation. However, alginate gelation is poorly controlled, affecting its physicochemical properties as an injectable biomaterial. Including different concentrations of the phosphate salt Na2HPO4 in alginate hydrogels, we can modulate their gelation time, tuning their physicochemical properties like stiffness and porosity while maintaining an appropriate injectability. Moreover, these hydrogels showed good biocompatibility when embedding a rat insulinoma cell line, especially at low Na2HPO4 concentrations, indicating that these hydrogels have potential as injectable biomaterials for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus treatment

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus reversal via implantation of magnetically purified microencapsulated pseudoislets

[Abstract] Microencapsulation of pancreatic islets for the treatment of Type I Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) generates a high quantity of empty microcapsules, resulting in high therapeutic graft volumes that can enhance the host’s immune response. We report a 3D printed microfluidic magnetic sorting device for microcapsules purification with the objective to reduce the number of empty microcapsules prior transplantation. In this study, INS1E pseudoislets were microencapsulated within alginate (A) and alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate (APA) microcapsules and purified through the microfluidic device. APA microcapsules demonstrated higher mechanical integrity and stability than A microcapsules, showing better pseudoislets viability and biological function. Importantly, we obtained a reduction of the graft volume of 77.5% for A microcapsules and 78.6% for APA microcapsules. After subcutaneous implantation of induced diabetic Wistar rats with magnetically purified APA microencapsulated pseudoislets, blood glucose levels were restored into normoglycemia (<200 mg/dL) for almost 17 weeks. In conclusion, our described microfluidic magnetic sorting device represents a great alternative approach for the graft volume reduction of microencapsulated pseudoislets and its application in T1DM disease.Universidad del País Vasco; ESPPOC 16/65Universidad del País vasco; EHUa16/06Gobierno Vasco; IT907-16Gobierno Vasco; KK-2017/0000088Gobierno Vasco; 307616FKA4Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; RYC-2012-1079

Hematoma Asfixiante Tardío.

En la práctica anestésica diaria, con el objetivo de monitorizar la presión venosa central para control hemodinámico (precarga, introducir un swan ganz para vigilar la presión arterial pulmonar...) o infundir drogas vasopresoras, se canaliza una vía venosa central, yugular o subclavia. Aunque la tasa complicaciones es baja, esta técnica no está exenta de riesgos: hemotórax, pseudoaneurisma, fístula arterio-venosa, lesión vascular venosa, hematoma, punción arterial, entre otras. La tasa de punción arterial durante el proceso de canalización de una vía central varía del 3,7 al 8% según las distintas series y la aparición de un hematoma está entorno al 0,8%. Los hematomas asfixiantes secundarios a la punción arterial durante la canalización de una vía central son extremadamente raros, y desgraciadamente de diagnóstico tardío. Normalmente ocurren tras una punción arterial, la mayoría de las veces de la arteria carótida, seguida de la dilatación y/o canalización de la misma (rara vez se dan tras punción en arteria subclavia y/o punción única arterial sin dilatación y/o canalización) y mayoritariamente en pacientes con factores de riesgo tales como: alteraciones de la coagulación o tratamiento antiagregante y/o anticoagulante

The <em>sphragís</em> of Ovid’s <em>Metamorphoses</em> (XV 871-879). Metempsychosis, apotheosis and literary durability

Ovid’s prediction of his own immortality in the sphragís of the Metamorphoses has been understood as a last transformation comparable, for its dualism, to metempsychosis and apotheosis. Yet an inquiry on the causes of these processes permits to highlight the specificity of literary durability, which is a product of the favor of the readers and not of a natural law, like metempsychosis, or of a gift of the gods, like apotheosis

Accounting and Business Economics in Spain

Economia de la Empresa (Business Economics) emerged in Spain as a distinct academic discipline in the second half of the twentieth century. In its early years, Business Economics shared common influences with Accounting, particularly ideas and theories acquired from the translation of Italian and German works on Economia Aziendale and Betriebswirtschaftslehre. However, partly because of the institutional structure of Spanish universities, the two disciplines moved apart. During the Franco regime, Spanish accounting research was quite isolated, and with the return of democracy and the move towards greater European involvement much research was devoted to issues of financial accounting harmonization and standardization. This normative research was of little interest to Business Economics researchers, who were developing analytical approaches grounded in economic theory. More recently, academics working in the two disciplines have drawn on a wider range of theoretical approaches, from empirical studies to behavioural and organizational theory and institutional economics based on agency theory and transaction cost analysis. At present, the disciplines 'walk separately down the same road', but the new generation of researchers has the opportunity to bring Accounting and Business Economics closer together from an intellectual and scientific point of view.