Attenuating Effect of Peruvian Cocoa Populations on the Acute Asthmatic Response in Brown Norway Rats

Cocoa contains bioactive components, which vary according to genetic and environmental factors. The present study aimed to ascertain the anti-allergic properties of native Peruvian cocoa populations ("Blanco de Piura" or BPC, "Amazonas Peru" or APC, "Criollo de Montaña" or CMC, "Chuncho" or CCC, and an ordinary cocoa or OC). To do so, after an initial in vitro approach, an in vivo study focused on the induction of an anaphylactic response associated with allergic asthma in Brown Norway rats was carried out. Based on their polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and in vitro effects, the APC and CMC were selected to be included in the in vivo study. Cocoa diets were tested in a model of allergic asthma in which anaphylactic response was assessed by changes in body temperature, motor activity and body weight. The concentration of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), mast cell protease and leukotrienes was also quantified in serum and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. CMC and OC populations exhibited a protective e ect on the allergic asthma rat model as evidenced by means of a partial protection against anaphylactic response and, above all, in the synthesis of IgE and the release of mast cell protease

Development and characterization of an allergic asthma rat model for interventional studies

Allergic asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of the airways, however it still remains underdiagnosed and hence undertreated. Therefore, an allergic asthma rat model would be useful to be applied in future therapeutic strategy studies. The aim of the present study was to develop an objective model of allergic asthma in atopic rats that allows the induction and quantification of anaphylactic shock with quantitative variables. Female Brown Norway rats were intraperitoneally sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA), alum and Bordetella pertussis toxin and boosted a week later with OVA in alum. At day 28, all rats received an intranasal challenge with OVA. Anaphylactic response was accurately assessed by changes in motor activity and body temperature. Leukotriene concentration was determined in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and total and IgE anti-OVA antibodies were quantified in blood and BALF samples. The asthmatic animals' motility and body temperature were reduced after the shock for at least 20 h. The asthmatic animals developed anti-OVA IgE antibodies both in BALF and in serum. These results show an effective and relatively rapid model of allergic asthma in female Brown Norway rats that allows the quantification of the anaphylactic response

El compromís de l'estudiant davan del seu procés d'aprenentatge. 'Compromís per aprendre'

Per afavorir que els estudiants siguin responsables del seu aprenentatge i augmentar el seu grau de compromís, a l'assignatura de Fisiologia i Fisiopatologia I (Grau de Farmàcia) s'han realitzat enquestes als estudiants. El grau de compromís expressat pels estudiants s'ha relacionat amb indicadors qualitatius com ara les qualificacions obtingudes. Els resultats indiquen que la implicació dels estudiants és encara força baixa i per tant es conclou que cal estimular encara més la seva participació i el seu compromís

El compromís de l’estudiant com a estratègia per a la millora de l’aprenentatge en l’assignatura de Fisiologia i Fisiopatologia I

Per a què el procés d’aprenentatge en educació superior es doni de forma activa, cal la implicació tant de professors com d’alumnes. El professorat universitari, apart de les tasques docents tradicionals, planifica tota una sèrie d’activitats per afavorir la interpretació de la informació per part de l’alumne i la generació del coneixement. Tot i això, si es pretén que els alumnes adquireixin determinades actituds i coneixements, cal fer èmfasi sobre el què es vol que facin. Així, aquest treball té com a objectiu general afavorir, a través de la reflexió, que els estudiants a l’assignatura de Fisiologia i Fisiopatologia I (Grau de Farmàcia) es responsabilitzin del seu aprenentatge i potenciar el seu grau de compromís del que cal i s’espera que facin. Per assolir aquest objectiu, s’han realitzat enquestes (grau de compromís) als estudiants a l’inici i al final de curs. Els resultats obtinguts amb l’anàlisi del grau de compromís expressat pels estudiants, s’han relacionat amb les qualificacions obtingudes en les diferents activitats plantejades durant el curs i amb l’avaluació final. L’anàlisi final, indica que la implicació dels estudiants és encara força baixa i per tant es conclou que cal estimular encara més la seva participació i el seu compromís.Programa de Millora i Innovació Docent, UB, 2014PID-UB/011.Grup d’Innovació Docent “Ensenyar a aprendre Fisiologia (GIDCUB-11/EAF) Grup d’Innovació Docent “Alternatives metodològiques en Fisiologia i Fisiopatologia” GIDCUB-11/MFF Grup d’Innovació Docent “Unitat de Laboratoris Docents” GIDCUB-11/UL

Role of theobromine in cocoa's metabolic properties in healthy rats.

Cocoa is rich in polyphenols and methylxanthines and it has been reported that its consumption, among other properties, has beneficial effects on metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the role of theobromine in cocoa's metabolic properties in healthy rats. In addition to morphometric measurements, biochemical markers of lipids and glucose metabolism and gene expression of molecules related to immune cells in adipose and hepatic tissues were assessed after 7 or 18 days of diet. Additionally, a metabolomic analysis was carried out at day 7. This study revealed the presence of six discriminant metabolites in plasma due to the diets. Moreover, the results showed that theobromine is the main responsible factor for cocoa's effects on body weight gain as well as on lipid and glucose metabolism. The effects on body weight and lipids appeared as early as after 7 days of diet, whereas those affecting glucose metabolism required a longer intervention

Disseny i aplicació d'activitats derivades d'un cas clínic interdisciplinari a l'assignatura de "Fisiologia i fisiopatologia II" del grau de Farmàcia

Podeu consultar la Vuitena trobada de professorat de Ciències de la Salut completa a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/66524Con el fin de promover la integración de conocimientos y el aprendizaje continuado por parte del estudiante a lo largo de los estudios de Farmacia, el grupo de trabajo CCT- FARMA1 ha desarrollado un caso clínico -protagonizado por Sam (personaje ficticio)- relacionado con el “consumo de riesgo de alcohol”, para ser utilizado como herramienta de conexión entre diferentes asignaturas del Grado de Farmacia (2011PID-UB/19, 2012PID/UB/157). En este contexto y para su aplicación en la asignatura de segundo curso “Fisiología y Fisiopatología II”, se ha adaptado el caso clínico de Sam para centrarlo en una etapa avanzada de su vida, en la que se presentan complicaciones cardiovasculares y digestivas, entre otras. En relación al caso planteado, se han diseñado diversas actividades cuya finalidad ha sido la integración de contenidos de la misma asignatura..

Complex and unexpected dynamics in simple genetic regulatory networks

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

<i>Gaia</i> Data Release 1. Summary of the astrometric, photometric, and survey properties

Context. At about 1000 days after the launch of Gaia we present the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, consisting of astrometry and photometry for over 1 billion sources brighter than magnitude 20.7. Aims. A summary of Gaia DR1 is presented along with illustrations of the scientific quality of the data, followed by a discussion of the limitations due to the preliminary nature of this release. Methods. The raw data collected by Gaia during the first 14 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into an astrometric and photometric catalogue. Results. Gaia DR1 consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the HIPPARCOS and Tycho-2 catalogues – a realisation of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) – and a secondary astrometric data set containing the positions for an additional 1.1 billion sources. The second component is the photometric data set, consisting of mean G-band magnitudes for all sources. The G-band light curves and the characteristics of ∼3000 Cepheid and RR-Lyrae stars, observed at high cadence around the south ecliptic pole, form the third component. For the primary astrometric data set the typical uncertainty is about 0.3 mas for the positions and parallaxes, and about 1 mas yr−1 for the proper motions. A systematic component of ∼0.3 mas should be added to the parallax uncertainties. For the subset of ∼94 000 HIPPARCOS stars in the primary data set, the proper motions are much more precise at about 0.06 mas yr−1. For the secondary astrometric data set, the typical uncertainty of the positions is ∼10 mas. The median uncertainties on the mean G-band magnitudes range from the mmag level to ∼0.03 mag over the magnitude range 5 to 20.7. Conclusions. Gaia DR1 is an important milestone ahead of the next Gaia data release, which will feature five-parameter astrometry for all sources. Extensive validation shows that Gaia DR1 represents a major advance in the mapping of the heavens and the availability of basic stellar data that underpin observational astrophysics. Nevertheless, the very preliminary nature of this first Gaia data release does lead to a number of important limitations to the data quality which should be carefully considered before drawing conclusions from the data

How to Achieve Fast Entrainment? The Timescale to Synchronization

Entrainment, where oscillators synchronize to an external signal, is ubiquitous in nature. The transient time leading to entrainment plays a major role in many biological processes. Our goal is to unveil the specific dynamics that leads to fast entrainment. By studying a generic model, we characterize the transient time to entrainment and show how it is governed by two basic properties of an oscillator: the radial relaxation time and the phase velocity distribution around the limit cycle. Those two basic properties are inherent in every oscillator. This concept can be applied to many biological systems to predict the average transient time to entrainment or to infer properties of the underlying oscillator from the observed transients. We found that both a sinusoidal oscillator with fast radial relaxation and a spike-like oscillator with slow radial relaxation give rise to fast entrainment. As an example, we discuss the jet-lag experiments in the mammalian circadian pacemaker

Transient anhedonia phenotype and altered circadian timing of behaviour during night-time dim light exposure in Per3(-/-) mice, but not wildtype mice.

Industrialisation greatly increased human night-time exposure to artificial light, which in animal models is a known cause of depressive phenotypes. Whilst many of these phenotypes are 'direct' effects of light on affect, an 'indirect' pathway via altered sleep-wake timing has been suggested. We have previously shown that the Period3 gene, which forms part of the biological clock, is associated with altered sleep-wake patterns in response to light. Here, we show that both wild-type and Per3(-/-) mice showed elevated levels of circulating corticosterone and increased hippocampal Bdnf expression after 3 weeks of exposure to dim light at night, but only mice deficient for the PERIOD3 protein (Per3(-/-)) exhibited a transient anhedonia-like phenotype, observed as reduced sucrose preference, in weeks 2-3 of dim light at night, whereas WT mice did not. Per3(-/-) mice also exhibited a significantly smaller delay in behavioural timing than WT mice during weeks 1, 2 and 4 of dim light at night exposure. When treated with imipramine, neither Per3(-/-) nor WT mice exhibited an anhedonia-like phenotype, and neither genotypes exhibited a delay in behavioural timing in responses to dLAN. While the association between both Per3(-/-) phenotypes remains unclear, both are alleviated by imipramine treatment during dim night-time light