Delitos contra la libertad sexual

Perspectiva criminológica de análisis de los elementos, la jurisprudencia penal y la doctrina científica de diversos tipos penales regulados en el Derecho penal positivo, en este caso, de los delitos de agresión sexual, abuso sexual y acoso sexual. En la actualidad son múltiples las noticias que dan a conocer supuestos de agresiones sexuales, destacando al respecto que técnicamente existe agresión sexual (que puede manifestarse de múltiples formas) cuando se atenta, con violencia e intimidación, contra la libertad sexual de una persona

Obesity and overweight: Impact on maternal and milk microbiome and their role for infant health and nutrition

Obesity, particularly in infants, is becoming a significant public health problem that has reached “epidemic” status worldwide. Obese children have an increased risk of developing obesity-related diseases, such as metabolic syndromes and diabetes, as well as increased risk of mortality and adverse health outcomes later in life. Experimental data show that maternal obesity has negative effects on the offspring's health in the short and long term. Increasing evidence suggests a key role for microbiota in host metabolism and energy harvest, providing novel tools for obesity prevention and management. The maternal environment, including nutrition and microbes, influences the likelihood of developing childhood diseases, which may persist and be exacerbated in adulthood. Maternal obesity and weight gain also influence microbiota composition and activity during pregnancy and lactation. They affect microbial diversity in the gut and breast milk. Such microbial changes may be transferred to the offspring during delivery and also during lactation, affecting infant microbial colonisation and immune system maturation. Thus, an adequate nutritional and microbial environment during the peri-natal period may provide a window of opportunity to reduce the risk of obesity and overweight in our infants using targeted strategies aimed at modulating the microbiota during early life.This review has been written within the topic developed in the European Research Council ERC-starting grant, MAMI project under grant agreement No. 639226. M.C. Collado is involved in the “ISCH COST Action- IS1405” entitled “Building Intrapartum Research Through Health–an interdisciplinary whole system approach to nderstanding and contextualising physiological labour and birth (BIRTH)”.Peer reviewe

Aplicación de índices de tolerancia a la salinidad en plántulas de maíz

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron: estudiar la aplicación de diferentes índices de tolerancia en caracteres de plántulas de maíz y evaluar su posible utilidad en la identificación de genotipos tolerantes a la salinidad. Se probaron 68 accesiones en dos ambientes (0 y 100m MClNa). Se midieron: largo de raíz, vástago y 3ª hoja y peso seco de raíz y de parte aérea. Se incluyeron 6 índices de tolerancia: índice de susceptibilidad al estrés (SSI), índice de tolerancia al estrés (STI), tolerancia al estrés (TOL), media geométrica de la productividad (GMP), productividad media (MP) e índice de estabilidad del rendimiento (YSI). Debido a la variación espacial relacionada con la concentración de sal en ambientes salinos, sería importante identificar genotipos estables frente a una gama amplia de suelos salinos. El biplot agrupó las accesiones, caracteres medidos en ambientes con y sin estrés e índices de tolerancia a sal, y demostró que los índices GMP, MP y STI fueron los que permitieron identificar los accesiones estables que se caracterizan por tener una alta expresión de estos caracteres en ambos ambientes. La aplicación del método de Componentes Principales (CP) identificó a los caracteres peso seco aéreo y largo de raíz como los de mayor contribución y ambos estuvieron asociados con dichos indices de tolerancia a salinidad. De esta manera, en este estudio las accesiones 1, 7, 30, 33, 43 y 45 fueron los más estables para los caracteres peso seco aéreo y largo de raíz. Entre ellos las accesiones 30 y 33 fueron superiores (pertenecientes a genotipos del Grupo A) porque mostraron los escores más altos sobre el eje CP1 pero sus aportes al CP2 fueron bastantes pequeños, para la mayoría de las variables.The aims of this research were: to study the application of different tolerance Indices in traits measured in maize seedlings and to assess their possible use in the identification of genotypes tolerant to salinity. Sixty eight accessions were tested in two environments (0 and 100mM NaCl). We recorded length for radicle, shoot and third leaf and dry weight for root and shoot. Six stress tolerance indices were included: stress susceptibility (SSI), stress tolerance index (STI), stress tolerance (TOL), geometric mean productivity (GMP), mean productivity (MP) and yield stability index (YSI. Saline environments show a great spatial variation in relation to the salt concentration, for this reason it would be important to identify genotypes with stable behavior in a variety of saline soils. The biplot method allowed clustering accessions, traits measured in stress and non stress environment and salt tolerance Indexes in a same graphic, and showed that GMP, MP and STI indexes were the ones who helped identify the high yielding (group A genotype) and stable accessions, characterized by a high expression of these characters in both environments. Principal Component method showed that shoot dry weight and root length had the highest contribution and both were associated with these above indices in salinity. Therefore, in this study the accessions: 1, 7, 30, 33, 43 and 45 had stable values for the traits root length and shoot dry weight. Within this group the 30 and 33 entries were superior (bellowing to Group A genotypes) because they had the highest PC1 scores but its PC2 scores were rather small for the most of the variables.Fil: Collado, Mónica B.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Instituto Fitotécnico de "Santa Catalina"; ArgentinaFil: Aulicino, Mónica Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Instituto Fitotécnico de "Santa Catalina"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Arturi, Miguel Jacinto. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Instituto Fitotécnico de "Santa Catalina"; ArgentinaFil: Molina, María del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. Instituto Fitotécnico de "Santa Catalina"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Revealing microbial recognition by specific antibodies

Background: Recognition of microorganisms by antibodies is a vital component of the human immune response. However, there is currently very limited understanding of immune recognition of 50 % of the human microbiome which is made up of as yet un-culturable bacteria. We have combined the use of flow cytometry and pyrosequencing to describe the microbial composition of human samples, and its interaction with the immune system. Results: We show the power of the technique in human faecal, saliva, oral biofilm and breast milk samples, labeled with fluorescent anti-IgG or anti-IgA antibodies. Using Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), bacterial cells were separated depending on whether they are coated with IgA or IgG antibodies. Each bacterial population was PCR-amplified and pyrosequenced, characterizing the microorganisms which evade the immune system and those which were recognized by each immunoglobulin. Conclusions: The application of the technique to healthy and diseased individuals may unravel the contribution of the immune response to microbial infections and polymicrobial diseases

Obesidad y microbiota en el entorno materno-infantil

Podeu consultar el III Workshop anual INSA-UB complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/118993Sessió 1. Conferència convidada núm.

Relationship between Milk Microbiota, Bacterial Load, Macronutrients, and Human Cells during Lactation

Human breast milk is considered the optimal nutrition for infants, providing essential nutrients and a broad range of bioactive compounds, as well as its own microbiota. However, the interaction among those components and the biological role of milk microorganisms is still uncovered. Thus, our aim was to identify the relationships between milk microbiota composition, bacterial load, macronutrients, and human cells during lactation. Bacterial load was estimated in milk samples from a total of 21 healthy mothers through lactation time by bacteria-specific qPCR targeted to the single-copy gene fusA. Milk microbiome composition and diversity was estimated by 16S-pyrosequencing and the structure of these bacteria in the fluid was studied by flow cytometry, qPCR, and microscopy. Fat, protein, lactose, and dry extract of milk as well as the number of somatic cells were also analyzed. We observed that milk bacterial communities were generally complex, and showed individual-specific profiles. Milk microbiota was dominated by Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, and Acinetobacter. Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any of these samples from healthy mothers. There was high variability in composition and number of bacteria per milliliter among mothers and in some cases even within mothers at different time points. The median bacterial load was 106 bacterial cells/ml through time, higher than those numbers reported by 16S gene PCR and culture methods. Furthermore, milk bacteria were present in a free-living, “planktonic” state, but also in equal proportion associated to human immune cells. There was no correlation between bacterial load and the amount of immune cells in milk, strengthening the idea that milk bacteria are not sensed as an infection by the immune system.MC would like to greatefully acknowledge ERC Starting Grant 639226-MAMI. MC is involved in the “ISCH COST Action-IS1405” entitled “Building Intrapartum Research Through Health—an interdisciplinary whole system approach to understanding and contextualizing physiological labor and birth (BIRTH).”Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Imbalances in faecal and duodenal Bifidobacterium species composition in active and non-active coeliac disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gut bifidobacteria are believed to influence immune-related diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the possible relationships between the gut bifidobacteria composition and coeliac disease (CD) in children.</p> <p>A total of 48 faecal samples (30 and 18 samples from active and no active CD patients, respectively) and 33 duodenal biopsy specimens of CD patients (25 and 8 samples from active and non-active CD patients, respectively) were analysed. Samples (30 faecal samples and 8 biopsies) from a control age-matched group of children were also included for comparative purposes. Gut <it>Bifidobacterium </it>genus and species were analyzed by real-time PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Active and non-active CD patients showed lower numbers of total <it>Bifidobacterium </it>and <it>B. longum </it>species in faeces and duodenal biopsies than controls, and these differences were particularly remarkable between active CD patients and controls. <it>B. catenulatum </it>prevalence was higher in biopsies of controls than in those of active and non-active CD patients, whereas <it>B. dentium </it>prevalence was higher in faeces of non-active CD patients than in controls. Correlations between levels of <it>Bifidobacterium </it>and <it>B. longum </it>species in faecal and biopsy samples were detected in both CD patients and controls.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Reductions in total <it>Bifidobacterium </it>and <it>B. longum </it>populations were associated with both active and non-active CD when compared to controls. These bacterial groups could constitute novel targets for adjuvant dietary therapies although the confirmation of this hypothesis would require further investigations.</p

Automated identification of cell organelles by deep learning convolutional neural networks

Las proteínas en nuestro organismo son las encargadas de formar tejidos, transportar sustancias y defender al organismo contra infecciones o agentes patógenos, entre otras funciones. Conociendo la ubicación y el transporte de la proteína en el interior de la célula se puede conocer mucha información sobre su funcionalidad y los mecanismos de las enfermedades. Así, la identificación automatizada de los orgánulos celulares sirve de gran importancia para caracterizar los genes recién descubiertos o con una función desconocida. Las proteínas serían marcadas fluorescentemente para poder identificar el orgánulo donde residen y la identificación automatizada se puede realizar fácilmente con redes neuronales convolucionales mediante Inteligencia Artificial. En este trabajo, haciendo uso de un conjunto de imágenes de microscopía de fluorescencia de células HeLa, se utilizan distintos modelos basados en redes neuronales convolucionales para identificar y clasificar los distintos orgánulos celulares. Asimismo, se presenta la precisión y el error de cada modelo y se elige el modelo más acorde a solucionar este problema

Influence of Diet, Sex, and Viral Infections on the Gut Microbiota Composition of Spodoptera exigua Caterpillars

The gut microbiota plays essential roles in processes related with metabolism, physiology, and immunity in all organisms, including insects. In the present work, we performed a broad analysis of the Spodoptera exigua gut microbiota, a major agricultural pest. We analyzed the influence of multiple parameters such as diet, geographic location, sex, or viral infections on S. exigua caterpillar gut microbiota composition. Our study revealed a high variability in bacterial composition among individuals, and a major influence of environmental bacteria (including those acquired through diet) on the gut microbiota composition, supporting previous studies that claim resident microbiota are lacking in caterpillars. Previous studies with laboratory-reared insects showed that changes in caterpillar gut bacterial composition affect the insecticidal properties of entomopathogenic viruses and bacteria. Our study revealed different microbiota composition in field insects carrying a natural viral infection with Spodoptera exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) and/or Spodoptera exigua iflavirus 1 (SeIV1). Few taxa can be specifically associated with the infection, suggesting microbiota influence the infective process of these natural pathogens, and providing new strategies for insect pest management.This work has been supported by projects from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (No. AGL2014-57752-C2-2R and RTI2018-094350-B-C32) and the VIROPLANT project which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement no. 774208Peer reviewe

Representing (Post-)Human Enhancement Technologies in 21st Century US Fiction: Richard Powers’s Generosity: An Enhancement (2009), Dave Eggers’s The Circle (2013), and Don DeLillo’s Zero K (2016)

Esta tesis doctoral se centra en el análisis de las novelas Generosity: An Enhancement (2009) de Richard Powers, The Circle (2013) de Dave Eggers y Zero K (2016) de Don DeLillo. Estas tres novelas son representativas de una nueva corriente en la ficción norteamericana del siglo veintiuno que se caracteriza por ficcionalizar debates actuales en torno al transhumanismo y examinar el potencial y las limitaciones de diferentes tecnologías de mejora humana. En concreto, los diferentes capítulos de esta tesis ofrecen, desde la doble perspectiva de la filosofía transhumanista y del posthumanismo crítico, una visión general de las estrategias narrativas utilizadas por estos tres escritores para abordar tanto las posibilidades que la biotecnología, las redes sociales y los dispositivos de vigilancia y las tecnologías de criopreservación ofrecen a los seres humanos, como los desafíos que estas tecnologías nos plantean. Así pues, esta tesis doctoral demuestra que, a pesar de tratar el tema de la mejora tecnológica de la condición humana desde una variedad de perspectivas y utilizando diferentes estrategias narrativas, lo que une a estos escritores es un temor, compartido por los posthumanistas críticos, a que un uso desenfrenado e inconsciente de las nuevas tecnologías traiga consigo un nivel indeseado de desmaterialización y deshumanización. En este último sentido, las tres novelas nos advierten de que si los seres humanos llegaran a considerar la tecnología como un atajo hacia el futuro, o como una forma de cumplir nuestros deseos de mejora, podríamos terminar perdiendo el contacto con el aquí y ahora, distanciándonos de nuestros seres queridos, o evadiendo nuestros problemas y responsabilidades presentes. En lugar de recurrir a la tecnología como una forma de evadirnos de nuestros problemas, o como una forma de mejorar nuestras vidas o lograr una satisfacción instantánea y sin esfuerzo, los tres autores enfatizan la necesidad de centrarse y disfrutar del momento presente, establecer relaciones sólidas con quienes nos rodean y ser resilientes ante nuestros problemas. En conjunto, esta tesis también muestra que la ficción, con su capacidad para dar voz y contrastar diferentes discursos y perspectivas, así como para involucrar a los lectores emocional e intelectualmente, es una herramienta adecuada para provocar una reflexión en torno a algunas de las cuestiones éticas y filosóficas que rodean el ideal transhumanista de utilizar la tecnología para mejorar la condición humana. Lamentablemente, estos aspectos a menudo son pasados por alto no solo por los defensores del transhumanismo y las empresas que desarrollan y comercializan los nuevos desarrollos tecnológicos, sino también por una población acrítica que, en general, confía cada vez más en la capacidad de la tecnología para mejorar su calidad de vida.<br /