Experiencias en el PARTNeR – ASAAF--UCM

Presentación de programa de formacion de ASAAF utilizando el proyecto PARTNeR

Proyectos de ASAAF-UCM observando con PARTNeR

Conjunto de actividades formativas realizadas desde la Asociación ASAAF-UCM con el radiotelescopio del Proyecto PARTNeR, entre las que se incluyen: Elaboración de un proyecto científico propio, creación de un software propio de reducción automática de datos, presentación de resultados en congresos temáticos y revistas de divulgación

The ASAAF-UCM project with PARTNeR

ASAAF-UCM (ASociación de Astrónomos AFicionados de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid), an amateur association with both, graduated and undergraduate students of Physics, is involved in PARTNeR. As a result of this work and several runs of obsevation, we present measurements related to the flux variations of SGR-A* at cm-wavelengths. The global educational research project of ASAAF-UCM also includes the development of a GPL sowtware to reduce and analyze the data

Development of lactoferrin-loaded liposomes for the management of dry eye disease and ocular inflammation

Dry eye disease (DED) is a high prevalent multifactorial disease characterized by a lack of homeostasis of the tear film which causes ocular surface inflammation, soreness, and visual disturbance. Conventional ophthalmic treatments present limitations such as low bioavailability and side effects. Lactoferrin (LF) constitutes a promising therapeutic tool, but its poor aqueous stability and high nasolacrimal duct drainage hinder its potential efficacy. In this study, we incorporate lactoferrin into hyaluronic acid coated liposomes by the lipid film method, followed by high pressure homogenization. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles were evaluated in vitro and ex vivo. Cytotoxicity and ocular tolerance were assayed both in vitro and in vivo using New Zealand rabbits, as well as dry eye and anti-inflammatory treatments. LF loaded liposomes showed an average size of 90 nm, monomodal population, positive surface charge and a high molecular weight protein encapsulation of 53%. Biopharmaceutical behaviour was enhanced by the nanocarrier, and any cytotoxic effect was studied in human corneal epithelial cells. Developed liposomes revealed the ability to reverse dry eye symptoms and possess anti-inflammatory efficacy, without inducing ocular irritation. Hence, lactoferrin loaded liposomes could offer an innovative nanotechnological tool as suitable approach in the treatment of DED.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(2017SGR1477)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Public-private partnerships and sustainable development goals: proposal for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

The importance of non-governmental organizations of achieving the sustainable development goals: The fight against racial discrimination of Roma in Europe / Cristina Hermida del Llano (pp. 15-26). -- Investiment promotion regimes for least developed countries / María Ángeles Cano Linares (pp. 27-45). -- Alliances with international organizations: How the OSCE has contributed to the SDGs / Elena C. Díaz Galán (pp. 47-58). -- Spanish commitment to official development aid with gender perspective / Diana M. Verdiales López (pp. 59-77). -- Project of entrepreneurship of the Guambiano indigenous community: Public-private alliances in the Republic of Colombia / Cristina del Pardo Higuera (pp. 79-95). -- The contribution of petroleum companies to enviromental protection in a framework of compliance with the 2030 Agenda: a necessary alliance / María Sagrario Morán Blanco (pp. 97-122). -- Public-private partnerships and access to water and sanitation in Latin America (SDG 6) / Manuel Rodríguez Barrigón (123-138). -- The renewed commercial and investment agreements: the progressive incorporation of Human Rights and sustainable development goals / Jorge Urbaneja Cillán (pp. 139-152). -- Towards using data as a development lever for cities: the case of Singapore and the smart nation initiative / Benoît Lopez (pp. 153-162). -- Which access to green technologies for developing countries? / Dayana Morales Mina (pp. 163-172). -- Strenght institutional and normative framework to implement effective capacity building actions: a critical regional analysis / Andrés Bautista-Hernáez (pp. 173-185)

Bronchopulmonary penetration of isavuconazole in lung transplant recipients

Isavuconazole's (ISA) pharmacokinetics was studied among lung transplant recipients to evaluate its bronchopulmonary penetration. This study included 13 patients and showed mean serum concentrations of 3.30 (standard deviation [SD] 0.45), 5.12 (SD 1.36), and 6.31 (SD 0.95) at 2 h, 4 h, and 24 h respectively. Mean concentrations in the epithelial lining fluid were 0.969 (SD 0.895), 2.141 (SD 1.265), and 2.812 (SD 0.693) at the same time points. ISA is a drug with a tolerable safety profile that achieves adequate concentrations in the lung.This work was partially supported and funded by Pfizer (grant 54685521). Pfizer had no role in the study’s design; the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; and the decision to submit the report for publicationS

The Differences in the Torus Geometry Between Hidden and Non-Hidden Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei

We present results from the fitting of infrared (IR) spectral energy distributions of 21 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with clumpy torus models. We compiled high spatial resolution (~0.3–0.7 arcsec) mid-IR (MIR) N-band spectroscopy, Q-band imaging, and nuclear near- and MIR photometry from the literature. Combining these nuclear near- and MIR observations, far-IR photometry, and clumpy torus models enables us to put constraints on the torus properties and geometry. We divide the sample into three types according to the broad line region (BLR) properties: type-1s, type-2s with scattered or hidden broad line region (HBLR) previously observed, and type-2s without any published HBLR signature (NHBLR). Comparing the torus model parameters gives us the first quantitative torus geometrical view for each subgroup. We find that NHBLR AGNs have smaller torus opening angles and larger covering factors than HBLR AGNs. This suggests that the chance to observe scattered (polarized) flux from the BLR in NHBLR could be reduced by the dual effects of (a) less scattering medium due to the reduced scattering volume given the small torus opening angle and (b) the increased torus obscuration between the observer and the scattering region. These effects give a reasonable explanation for the lack of observed HBLR in some type-2 AGNs

Risk of breast cancer and residential proximity to industrial installations: New findings from a multicase-control study (MCC-Spain)

Breast cancer is the most frequent tumor in women worldwide, although well-established risk factors account for 53%-55% of cases. Therefore, other risk factors, including environmental exposures, may explain the remaining variation. Our objective was to assess the relationship between risk of breast cancer and residential proximity to industries, according to categories of industrial groups and specific pollutants released, in the context of a population-based multicase-control study of incident cancer carried out in Spain (MCC-Spain). Using the current residence of cases and controls, this study was restricted to small administrative divisions, including both breast cancer cases (452) and controls (1511) in the 10 geographical areas recruiting breast cancer cases. Distances were calculated from the respective woman's residences to the 116 industries located in the study area. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) for categories of distance (between 1 km and 3 km) to industrial plants, adjusting for matching variables and other confounders. Excess risk (OR; 95%CI) of breast cancer was found near industries overall (1.30; 1.00-1.69 at 3 km), particularly organic chemical industry (2.12; 1.20-3.76 at 2.5 km), food/beverage sector (1.87; 1.26-2.78 at 3 km), ceramic (4.71; 1.62-13.66 at 1.5 km), surface treatment with organic solvents (2.00; 1.23-3.24 at 3 km), and surface treatment of plastic and metals (1.51; 1.06-2.14 at 3 km). By pollutants, the excess risk (OR; 95%CI) was detected near industries releasing pesticides (2.09; 1.14-3.82 at 2 km), and dichloromethane (2.09; 1.28-3.40 at 3 km). Our results suggest a possible increased risk of breast cancer in women living near specific industrial plants and support the need for more detailed exposure assessment of certain agents released by these plants.The authors thank all those who took part in this study providing questionnaire data. The study was partially funded by the “Acción Transversal del Cáncer", approved on the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11th October 2007, by the Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (Fundación Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) – EVP-1178/14), by the Spain's Health Research Fund (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria - FIS 12/01416), by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359 PS09/01286-León, PS09/00773-Cantabria, PS09/02078-Huelva, PS09/01903-Valencia, PS09/01662-Granada, PI11/01403, PI11/01889-FEDER, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150, PI14/01219, PI14/00613, PI15/00069, PI15/00914, PI15/01032), by the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL (The ICGC CLL-Genome Project is funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) del ISCIII (RD12/0036/0036)), by the Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), by the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0571-2009, PI-0306-2011, salud201200057018tra), by the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22A10-2), by the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP_061/10), by the Regional Government of the Basque Country, by the Recercaixa (2010ACUP 00310), by the European Commission grants FOOD-CT-2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the Catalan Government DURSI grant 2017SGR723, by the University of Oviedo, and by the Fundación Caja de Ahorros de Asturias. ISGlobal is a member of the CERCA Program, Generalitat de Catalunya.S

Staging Parkinson’s disease according to the MNCD classification correlates with caregiver burden

Malaltia de Parkinson; Cuidador; Símptomes no motorsParkinson's disease; Caregiver; Non-motor symptomsEnfermedad de Parkinson; Cuidador; Síntomas no motoresBackground and objective: Recently, we demonstrated that staging Parkinson's disease (PD) with a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on four axes (motor, non-motor, cognition, and dependency) and five stages, correlated with disease severity and patients’ quality of life. Here, we analyzed the correlation of MNCD staging with PD caregiver's status. Patients and methods: Data from the baseline visit of PD patients and their principal caregiver recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD total score (from 0 to 12) and MNCD stages (from 1 to 5) in this cross-sectional analysis. Caregivers completed the Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory (ZCBI), Caregiver Strain Index (CSI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), PQ-10, and EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Results: Two hundred and twenty-four PD patients (63 ± 9.6 years old; 61.2% males) and their caregivers (58.5 ± 12.1 years old; 67.9% females) were included. The frequency of MNCD stages was 1, 7.6%; 2, 58.9%; 3, 31.3%; and 4–5, 2.2%. A more advanced MNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the ZCBI (p < .0001) and CSI (p < .0001), and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p = .001), but no significant differences were observed in the BDI-II (p = .310) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p = .133). Moderate correlations were observed between the MNCD total score and the ZCBI (r = .496; p < .0001), CSI (r = .433; p < .0001), and BDI-II (r = .306; p < .0001) in caregivers.Conclusion: Staging PD according to the MNCD classification is correlated with caregivers’ strain and burden.Fundación Española de Ayuda a la Investigación en Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y/o de Origen Genético; Alpha Bioresearch; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: PI16/0157