Free chlorine reactions of angiotensin II receptor antagonists: Kinetics study, transformation products elucidation and in-silico ecotoxicity assessment

This is the Author’s Accepted Manuscript of the following article: Carpinteiro, I., Castro, G., Rodríguez, I., & Cela, R. (2018). Free chlorine reactions of angiotensin II receptor antagonists: Kinetics study, transformation products elucidation and in-silico ecotoxicity assessment. Science Of The Total Environment, 647, 1000-1010. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.082Angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARA II) are widely employed in the treatment of hypertension-related diseases. Because of their partial metabolization and limited biodegradability, these drugs have become ubiquitous pollutants in the aquatic environment, including surface water. This research evaluated the reactivity of the ARA II drugs: irbesartan (IRB), losartan (LOS) telmisartan (TEL) and valsartan (VAL) with free chlorine. Responses of parent compounds and their transformation products (TPs) were followed by liquid chromatography (LC) with quadrupole (Q) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry. Degradation experiments were carried out using ultrapure and river water samples, adjusted at different pHs and, in some cases, adding a small amount (ng mL−1 level) of bromide salts. Whilst TEL and VAL remained stable in presence of relatively high concentrations of free chlorine (10 mg L−1), IRB and LOS were removed according to a pseudo-first order kinetics model. Considering an initial chlorine concentration of 10 mg L−1, their half-lives varied between 6 and 734 min, depending mostly on the water pH. IRB reacted with free chlorine through hydroxylation processes, with and without molecular cleavage and re-arrangements in the imidazolone ring. Its TPs showed a lower in-silico predicted toxicity than the parent drug. In case of LOS, two major competitive degradation routes were identified. They involved replacement of the methanol group attached to the imidazole cycle by chlorine or bromine, and the cleavage of this cycle with removal of the chlorinated carbon and the nitrogen in alpha position. The TPs generated following the first route are predicted to be more toxic than LOSThis study was supported by Xunta de Galicia (grant GRC-ED431C 2017/36), and the Spanish Government (grant CTQ2015-68660-P). I.C. acknowledges a postdoctoral fellowship to Xunta de GaliciaS

Remediation of wastewaters containing tetrahydrofuran. Study of the electrochemical mineralization on BDD electrodes

This work contributes to the development of electro-oxidation on commercial boron doped diamond (BDD) anodes as an efficient and versatile environmental technology to deal with remediation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) polluted industrial wastewaters. Working with an undivided flow-by electrochemical cell, a systematic experimental study has been carried out to analyze the influence of the following operation variables: (i) initial THF concentrations in the range 500–1100 mg/L, (ii) supporting electrolyte, Na2SO4 and NaCl and (iii) current density in the range 300–1200 A/m2. The performance of the oxidation process was assessed through the change in the concentration of THF, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) being the current density the variable that exerted the most positive kinetic influence; more precisely the reduction of COD after 60 min changed from 40% at japp = 300 A/m2 to 95.5% at japp = 1200 A/m2, whereas the reductions of TOC were typically higher than 95% for a value of the specific charge of Q = 10 A/h L. Besides, THF oxidation products have been analyzed, and the reactions’ pathway are proposed. Finally, the formation of chloride by-products, such as perchlorate was assessed observing that it was hindered at low current densities. In the view of these findings, it is concluded that THF oxidation on BDD anodes should be better performed at low current densities, i.e. 300 A/m2 for the type of wastewaters analyzed in the present work, to reach a compromise between effective degradation and the formation of undesirable chlorinated by-products.Financial support of Project ENE2010-15585 is gratefully acknowledged

A case-control study of the effects of chronic low back pain in spatiotemporal gait parameters

Chronic low back pain and biomechanical walking imbalances are closely related. It is relevant to identify if there are alterations in spatiotemporal gait patterns in subjects with CLBP (cases) versus healthy subjects (controls) to plan training interventions of motor control gait patterns, and thus allowing normal physical activity of the individual. This study is intended to identify if spatiotemporal alterations occur in the gait cycle in CLBP subjects (cases) compared with a control group (healthy patients) analyzed with an OptoGait LED sensors gait program. Method: A total of n = 147 participants: n = 75 cases (CLBP) and n = 72 healthy controls subjects were studied with OptoGait gait program. Results: Significant differences were found between the two groups and both feet in foot stride, for the differences of the total stride and contact, for gait cadence and total stride length of the gait cycle (p < 0.05). Conclusions: CLBP may alter some normal gait patterns measured by OptoGait; this finding presents imbalances in gait cycle as an underlying factor. The gait is part of daily life of any individual and it is an important physical activity in relation to the maintenance of an optimal state of health. In addition, future studies are deemed necessary

Morphosyntatic assessment in adolescents and young people with Down Syndrome

Las personas con síndrome de Down presentan una especial dificultad en el desarrollo de su lenguaje oral, especialmente en su aspecto expresivo, lo que influye en su capacidad de expresar mensajes que transmitan sus sentimientos, ideas, opiniones… Para buscar una respuesta psicoeducativa adecuada que mejore su expresión oral, se considera adecuado realizar, primero, una evaluación específica de los elementos morfosintácticos que componen dicha expresión. Esta evaluación se ha realizado en una muestra de dieciocho adolescentes de la Asociación Síndrome de Down de Extremadura con edades comprendidas entre los trece y veintiún años de edad aplicándoseles pruebas específicas morfosintácticas para valorar esas necesidades. Los resultados obtenidos muestran sus necesidades educativas específicas en el área expresiva, las cuales orientarán el desarrollo de una intervención adecuada.People with Down syndrome have particular difficulty in language development, mainly in expressive language. These difficulties influence on their ability to express feelings, ideas, opinions… Thus, it is necessary to do a specific evaluation of morphosyntactic components of the language to look for a properly psychoeducational response. were evaluated by means the above program. Standard and nonstandard specific morphosyntactic tests have been applied to evaluate their needs. Here, results of above evaluation of different morphosyntactic components are shown. These results will let us to know the specific educative needs of these people in relation to expressive area. These ones will guide the development of appropriate educational practice.Eighteen young people and teenagers with Down syndrome aged between 13 and 21peerReviewe

Comparison of the Mayo Endoscopy Score and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity and the Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity

Background and study aims: Endoscopy plays an essential role in managing patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), as it allows us to visualize and assess the severity of the disease. As such assessments are not always objective, different scores have been devised to standardize the findings. The main aim of this study was to assess the interobserver variability between the Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES), Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopy Index of Severity (UCEIS) and Ulcerative Colitis Colonoscopy Index of Severity (UCCIS) analyzing the severity of the endoscopic lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis. Patients and methods: This was a single-cohort observational study in which a colonoscopy was carried out on patients with UC, as normal clinical practice, and a video was recorded. The results from the video were classified according to the MES, UCEIS and UCCIS by three endoscopic specialists independently, and they were compared to each other. The Mayo Endoscopy Score (MES) was used to assess the clinical situation of the patient. The therapeutic impact was analyzed after colonoscopy was carried out. Results: Sixty-seven patients were included in the study. The average age was 51 (SD ± 16.7) and the average MES was 3.07 (SD± 2.54). The weighted Kappa index between endoscopists A and B for the MES was 0.8; between A and C 0.52; and between B and C 0.49. The intraclass correlation coefficient for UCEIS was 0.92 among the three endoscopists (CI 95 %: 0.83–0.96) and 0.96 for UCCIS among the three endoscopists (CI 95% 0.94–0.97). A change in treatment for 34.3% of the patients was implemented on seeing the results of the colonoscopy. Conclusions: There was an adequate, but not perfect, correlation between the different endoscopists for MES, UCEIS, UCCIS. This was higher with the last two scores. Thus, there is still some subjectivity to be minimized through special training, on assessing the seriousness of the endoscopic lesions in patients with UC

Maculadas sin remedio

Con este proyecto se pretende hacer una revisión de la herencia de Murillo en la formación del estereotipo/ identidad de la mujer. Se ha invitado a mujeres artistas a que aporten una obra relacionada con el tema y sus reflexiones. El catálogo refleja los eventos expositivos: performance de Marina Molano, acción performativa “Maculadas sin remedio” y mesa redonda bajo el título "Y Murillo ¿hasta cuándo?, Mujeres creando (sobre la situación de la mujer en el arte)". Artistas participantes: Anna Jonsson, Marina Molano, María Díaz Osta, Aline Part, Concha Jiménez, Tonia Trujillo, Eva Guil Walls, Marta Gómez Rangel, Veredas López, Carmen Portavella, Ángeles de la Torre, Lou Farratell, Inma la Inmunda y Charo Corrales. Colaboraciones de otros artistas: Laureano Gómez, Javier Fito y Pablo Coca

Transcriptional epigenetic regulation of Fkbp1/Pax9 genes is associated with impaired sensitivity to platinum treatment in ovarian cancer

Background: In an effort to contribute to overcoming the platinum resistance exhibited by most solid tumors, we performed an array of epigenetic approaches, integrating next-generation methodologies and public clinical data to identify new potential epi-biomarkers in ovarian cancer, which is considered the most devastating of gynecological malignancies. Methods: We cross-analyzed data from methylome assessments and restoration of gene expression through microarray expression in a panel of four paired cisplatin-sensitive/cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines, along with publicly available clinical data from selected individuals representing the state of chemoresistance. We validated the methylation state and expression levels of candidate genes in each cellular phenotype through Sanger sequencing and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. We tested the biological role of selected targets using an ectopic expression plasmid assay in the sensitive/resistant tumor cell lines, assessing the cell viability in the transfected groups. Epigenetic features were also assessed in 189 primary samples obtained from ovarian tumors and controls. Results: We identified PAX9 and FKBP1B as potential candidate genes, which exhibited epigenetic patterns of expression regulation in the experimental approach. Re-establishment of FKBP1B expression in the resistant OVCAR3 phenotype in which this gene is hypermethylated and inhibited allowed it to achieve a degree of platinum sensitivity similar to the sensitive phenotype. The evaluation of these genes at a translational level revealed that PAX9 hypermethylation leads to a poorer prognosis in terms of overall survival. We also set a precedent for establishing a common epigenetic signature in which the validation of a single candidate, MEST, proved the accuracy of our computational pipelines. Conclusions: Epigenetic regulation of PAX9 and FKBP1B genes shows that methylation in non-promoter areas has the potential to control gene expression and thus biological consequences, such as the loss of platinum sensitivity. At the translational level, PAX9 behaves as a predictor of chemotherapy response to platinum in patients with ovarian cancer. This study revealed the importance of the transcript-specific study of each gene under potential epigenetic regulation, which would favor the identification of new markers capable of predicting each patient’s progression and therapeutic response.The study was financially supported by FIS (ISCIII) and ERDF/FSE funds (PI15/00186, PI18/0050, and ERDF/FSE, A way to make Europe). The authors gratefully acknowledge the Colombian Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation (MINCIENCIAS), Code 568-2012, for providing J.S. with partial funding for this study

Economía y Política del Medio Ambiente y el Aprendizaje Basado en Supuestos

Este trabajo tiene la finalidad de discutir sobre la docencia de Economía del Medio Ambiente a través de la utilización del aprendizaje basado en supuestos. Para ello se toma como referencia la experiencia llevada a cabo en el caso de la asignatura de Economía y Política del Medio Ambiente impartida a alumnos del Grado en Economía. Con la finalidad de analizar el aprendizaje se hace uso de mejoras en el enfoque de contenidos, metodología y evaluación

Aprendizaje activo en la Política Económica Territorial

Este trabajo tiene la finalidad de exponer una experiencia de aprendizaje activo en el entorno universitario. Para ello se ha tomado de referencia la docencia de la asignatura de Política Económica Territorial del Grado en Economía. El diseño de la experiencia engloba aspectos relacionados con contenidos, metodología y análisis de la evaluación desde un punto de vista subjetivo por parte del alumno