Registros de Oso Andino (Tremarctos ornatus, Carnivora: Ursidae) en Zapatoca, Serranía de los Yariguíes, Santander, Colombia

The Andean Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only species of the Ursidae family that exists in South America. The species is medium in size and its weight varies between 70 and 195 kg, the male being 30 to 40% larger than the female (Castellanos 1996, Peyton 1999). In Colombia it is distributed from areas near the Caribbean such as the Serranía del Perijá to the south in the Andes (Wii Foundation 2009), the Andean forest being the most suitable habitats, between 1000 and 2700 meters above sea level and the moorland, exceeding 4000 meters above sea level ( Rodriguez 1991). Despite being a charismatic and emblematic species, there are no recent and specific records for the municipality of Zapatoca, Santander.El Oso Andino (Tremarctos ornatus) es la única especie de la familia Ursidae que existe en Suramérica. La especie es de tamaño mediano y su peso varía entre 70 y 195 kg, siendo el macho de 30 a 40% más grande que la hembra (Castellanos 1996, Peyton 1999). En Colombia se distribuye desde zonas cercanas al Caribe como la Serranía del Perijá hasta el sur en los Andes (Fundación Wii 2009), siendo los hábitats más adecuados el bosque andino, entre los 1000 y 2700 msnm y el páramo, superando los 4000 msnm (Rodríguez 1991). A pesar de ser una especie carismática y emblemática, no existen registrosrecientes y concretos para el municipio de Zapatoca, Santander

Implementació i pilotatge de l'entorn virtual d'aprenentatge Quantum LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes), com a eina per a la millora de la comunicació acadèmica en anglès a la UPC

Aquest projecte forma part d’un treball més ampli que està duent a terme un equip interuniversitari d'innovació docent, amb seu a la UPC, que treballa en el desenvolupament de Quantum LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes, un entorn virtual d'aprenentatge d'anglès acadèmic a la universitat, que contè una gran quantitat i varietat de materials interactius multimèdia pel desenvolupament de la comprensió i expressió oral i escrita en anglès. Amb aquest projecte es dóna resposta a necessitats clau de la universitat actual respecte a les competències de llengua i comunicació (diferents nivells de competència en anglès i diferents estils d’aprenentatge, millorar l’aprenentatge i pràctica de l’anglès acadèmic, per exemple). El context actual està caracteritzat per una major mobilitat acadèmica i profesional, una major presencia de l’anglès com a lingua franca, i una ja plena implantació de l’EEES (Espai Europeu d’Educació Superior) amb èmfasi en els processos d’aprenentatge, l’adquisició de competències i l’aprenentatge autònom. Tenint Institut de Ciències de l’Educació – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya 2 en compte aquest context i el grau de desenvolupament de Quantum LEAP, en aquest projecte s’ha treballat en la revisió dels materials didàctics, en la implementació de l’entorn d’aprenentatge a l’aula i com a recurs per aprenents autònoms, i s’ha dut a terme una profunda revisió tècnica i de disseny, per tal d’adaptar-lo a criteris pedagògics i d’usabilitat.Peer Reviewe

Double blind, randomized controlled trial, to evaluate the effectiveness of a controlled nitric oxide releasing patch versus meglumine antimoniate in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis [NCT00317629]

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a worldwide disease, endemic in 88 countries, that has shown an increasing incidence over the last two decades. So far, pentavalent antimony compounds have been considered the treatment of choice, with a percentage of cure of about 85%. However, the high efficacy of these drugs is counteracted by their many disadvantages and adverse events. Previous studies have shown nitric oxide to be a potential alternative treatment when administered topically with no serious adverse events. However, due to the unstable nitric oxide release, the topical donors needed to be applied frequently, making the adherence to the treatment difficult. The electrospinning technique has allowed the production of a multilayer transdermal patch that produces a continuous and stable nitric oxide release. The main objective of this study is to evaluate this novel nitric oxide topical donor for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. METHODS AND DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial, including 620 patients from endemic areas for Leishmaniasis in Colombia was designed to investigate whether this patch is as effective as meglumine antimoniate for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis but with less adverse events. Subjects with ulcers characteristic of cutaneous leishmaniasis will be medically evaluated and laboratory tests and parasitological confirmation performed. After checking the inclusion/exclusion criteria, the patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. During 20 days Group 1 will receive simultaneously meglumine antimoniate and placebo of nitric oxide patches while Group 2 will receive placebo of meglumine antimoniate and active nitric oxide patches. During the treatment visits, the medications will be daily administered and the presence of adverse events assessed. During the follow-up, the research group will visit the patients at days 21, 45, 90 and 180. The healing process of the ulcer, the health of the participants, recidivisms and/or reinfection will also be assessed. The evolution of the ulcers will be photographically registered. In case that the effectiveness of the patches is demonstrated, a novel and safe therapeutic alternative for one of the most important public health problems in many countries will be available to patients

Genome-wide association analysis of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes reveal novel loci associated with Alzheimer's disease and three causality networks : The GR@ACE project

Introduction: Large variability among Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases might impact genetic discoveries and complicate dissection of underlying biological pathways. Methods: Genome Research at Fundacio ACE (GR@ACE) is a genome-wide study of dementia and its clinical endophenotypes, defined based on AD's clinical certainty and vascular burden. We assessed the impact of known AD loci across endophenotypes to generate loci categories. We incorporated gene coexpression data and conducted pathway analysis per category. Finally, to evaluate the effect of heterogeneity in genetic studies, GR@ACE series were meta-analyzed with additional genome-wide association study data sets. Results: We classified known AD loci into three categories, which might reflect the disease clinical heterogeneity. Vascular processes were only detected as a causal mechanism in probable AD. The meta-analysis strategy revealed the ANKRD31-rs4704171 and NDUFAF6-rs10098778 and confirmed SCIMP-rs7225151 and CD33-rs3865444. Discussion: The regulation of vasculature is a prominent causal component of probable AD. GR@ACE meta-analysis revealed novel AD genetic signals, strongly driven by the presence of clinical heterogeneity in the AD series

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Hepatic levels of S-adenosylmethionine regulate the adaptive response to fasting

26 p.-6 fig.-1 tab.-1 graph. abst.There has been an intense focus to uncover the molecular mechanisms by which fasting triggers the adaptive cellular responses in the major organs of the body. Here, we show that in mice, hepatic S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)—the principal methyl donor—acts as a metabolic sensor of nutrition to fine-tune the catabolic-fasting response by modulating phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) activity, endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contacts, β-oxidation, and ATP production in the liver, together with FGF21-mediated lipolysis and thermogenesis in adipose tissues. Notably, we show that glucagon induces the expression of the hepatic SAMe-synthesizing enzyme methionine adenosyltransferase α1 (MAT1A), which translocates to mitochondria-associated membranes. This leads to the production of this metabolite at these sites, which acts as a brake to prevent excessive β-oxidation and mitochondrial ATP synthesis and thereby endoplasmic reticulum stress and liver injury. This work provides important insights into the previously undescribed function of SAMe as a new arm of the metabolic adaptation to fasting.M.V.-R. is supported by Proyecto PID2020-119486RB-100 (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), Gilead Sciences International Research Scholars Program in Liver Disease, Acción Estratégica Ciberehd Emergentes 2018 (ISCIII), Fundación BBVA, HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Doctoral Networks 2021 (101073094), and Redes de Investigación 2022 (RED2022-134485-T). M.L.M.-C. is supported by La CAIXA Foundation (LCF/PR/HP17/52190004), Proyecto PID2020-117116RB-I00 (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), Ayudas Fundación BBVA a equipos de investigación científica (Umbrella 2018), and AECC Scientific Foundation (Rare Cancers 2017). A.W. is supported by RTI2018-097503-B-I00 and PID2021-127169OB-I00, (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by “ERDF A way of making Europe,” Xunta de Galicia (Ayudas PRO-ERC), Fundación Mutua Madrileña, and European Community’s H2020 Framework Programme (ERC Consolidator grant no. 865157 and MSCA Doctoral Networks 2021 no. 101073094). C.M. is supported by CIBERNED. P.A. is supported by Ayudas para apoyar grupos de investigación del sistema Universitario Vasco (IT1476-22), PID2021-124425OB-I00 (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe,” MCI/UE/ISCiii [PMP21/00080], and UPV/EHU [COLAB20/01]). M.F. and M.G.B. are supported by PID2019-105739GB-I00 and PID2020-115472GB-I00, respectively (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). M.G.B. is supported by Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2019/013). C.A., T.L.-D., and J.B.-V. are recipients of pre-doctoral fellowships from Xunta de Galicia (ED481A-2020/046, ED481A-2018/042, and ED481A 2021/244, respectively). T.C.D. is supported by Fundación Científica AECC. A.T.-R. is a recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship from Fundación Científica AECC. S.V.A. and C.R. are recipients of Margarita Salas postdoc grants under the “Plan de Recuperación Transformación” program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities with European Union’s NextGeneration EU funds (2021/PER/00020 and MU-21-UP2021-03071902373A, respectively). T.C.D., A.S.-R., and M.T.-C. are recipients of Ayuda RYC2020-029316-I, PRE2019/088960, and BES-2016/078493, respectively, supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by El FSE invierte en tu futuro. S.L.-O. is a recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Departamento de Educación del Gobierno Vasco (PRE_2018_1_0372). P.A.-G. is recipient of a FPU pre-doctoral fellowship from the Ministry of Education (FPU19/02704). CIC bioGUNE is supported by Ayuda CEX2021-001136-S financiada por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. A.B.-C. was funded by predoctoral contract PFIS (FI19/00240) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) co-funded by Fondo Social Europeo (FSE), and A.D.-L. was funded by contract Juan Rodés (JR17/00016) from ISCIII. A.B.-C. is a Miguel Servet researcher (CPII22/00008) from ISCIII.Peer reviewe

Multiancestry analysis of the HLA locus in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases uncovers a shared adaptive immune response mediated by HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes

Across multiancestry groups, we analyzed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) associations in over 176,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus controls. We demonstrate that the two diseases share the same protective association at the HLA locus. HLA-specific fine-mapping showed that hierarchical protective effects of HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes best accounted for the association, strongest with HLA-DRB1*04:04 and HLA-DRB1*04:07, and intermediary with HLA-DRB1*04:01 and HLA-DRB1*04:03. The same signal was associated with decreased neurofibrillary tangles in postmortem brains and was associated with reduced tau levels in cerebrospinal fluid and to a lower extent with increased Aβ42. Protective HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes strongly bound the aggregation-prone tau PHF6 sequence, however only when acetylated at a lysine (K311), a common posttranslational modification central to tau aggregation. An HLA-DRB1*04-mediated adaptive immune response decreases PD and AD risks, potentially by acting against tau, offering the possibility of therapeutic avenues

Implementació i pilotatge de l'entorn virtual d'aprenentatge Quantum LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes), com a eina per a la millora de la comunicació acadèmica en anglès a la UPC

Aquest projecte forma part d’un treball més ampli que està duent a terme un equip interuniversitari d'innovació docent, amb seu a la UPC, que treballa en el desenvolupament de Quantum LEAP (Learning English for Academic Purposes, un entorn virtual d'aprenentatge d'anglès acadèmic a la universitat, que contè una gran quantitat i varietat de materials interactius multimèdia pel desenvolupament de la comprensió i expressió oral i escrita en anglès. Amb aquest projecte es dóna resposta a necessitats clau de la universitat actual respecte a les competències de llengua i comunicació (diferents nivells de competència en anglès i diferents estils d’aprenentatge, millorar l’aprenentatge i pràctica de l’anglès acadèmic, per exemple). El context actual està caracteritzat per una major mobilitat acadèmica i profesional, una major presencia de l’anglès com a lingua franca, i una ja plena implantació de l’EEES (Espai Europeu d’Educació Superior) amb èmfasi en els processos d’aprenentatge, l’adquisició de competències i l’aprenentatge autònom. Tenint Institut de Ciències de l’Educació – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya 2 en compte aquest context i el grau de desenvolupament de Quantum LEAP, en aquest projecte s’ha treballat en la revisió dels materials didàctics, en la implementació de l’entorn d’aprenentatge a l’aula i com a recurs per aprenents autònoms, i s’ha dut a terme una profunda revisió tècnica i de disseny, per tal d’adaptar-lo a criteris pedagògics i d’usabilitat.Peer Reviewe

Utility of biomarkers in traumatic brain injury: A narrative review

Introducción: Con la evolución de las técnicas diagnosticas en el trauma craneoencefálico, el estudio de la lesión neurológica ha progresado sobre los conceptos de lesión primaria y secundaria, para entrar así en la era de la proteómica y, con ella, entender los complejos eventos moleculares existentes en su proceso. Objetivos: En esta revisión narrativa se pretende presentar el estado actual de los biomarcadores que más se usan en lesión cerebral traumática, su utilidad clínica y las implicaciones en protocolos de decisión terapéutica. Materiales y métodos: Para dar respuesta al objetivo de este trabajo, se realizo una revisión de la literatura en las principales bases de datos. Resultados: Se han estudiado varios biomarcadores como factor pronostico en pacientes con trauma craneoencefálico. Conocer su sensibilidad y especificidad para la lesión neurológica, así como su evolución en el tiempo tras el traumatismo, ha sido el objetivo de diversos trabajos en los últimos años. Conclusión: El avance en el estudio de los productos de degradación de las proteínas hace necesario ampliar el espectro y el conocimiento en el campo de los nuevos métodos diagnósticos en el trauma craneoencefálico. Se requieren más estudios para definir la función de los biomarcadores y proponer protocolos que integren valores específicos.Introduction: With the evolution of diagnostic techniques in traumatic brain injury (TBI), the study of neurological injury has made progress based on the concepts of primary and secondary injury, leading to the era of proteomics to understand the complex molecular events involved in the process. Objectives: This narrative review is intended to discuss the state of the art of the most frequently used biomarkers in TBI, their clinical utility, and the implications for therapeutic decisionmaking protocols. Materials and methods: In order to fulfill the objective of this paper, a literature review was conducted of the most important databases. Results: Several biomarkers have been studied as prognostic factors in patients with TBI. Learning about their sensitivity and specificity in neurological injury, and its post-trauma evolution over time, has been the goal of various papers in the past few years. Conclusion: Breakthroughs in the study of protein degradation make it necessary to broaden the spectrumand knowledge of new diagnostic methods in TBI. Further studies are needed to define the role of biomarkers and to promote protocols integrating specific values

Synergism of in vitro plasmodicidal activity of phospholipase A2 isoforms isolated from panamanian Bothrops asper venom

Bothrops asper is one of the most important snake species in Central America, mainly because of its medical importance in countries like Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica, where this species causes a high number of snakebite accidents. Several basic phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) have been previously characterized from B. asper venom, but few studies have been carried out with its acidic isoforms. In addition, since snake venom is a rich source of bioactive substances, it is necessary to investigate the biotechnological potential of its components. In this context, this study aimed to carry out the biochemical characterization of PLA2 isoforms isolated from B. asper venom and to evaluate the antiparasitic potential of these toxins. The venom and key fractions were subjected to different chromatographic steps, obtaining nine PLA2s, four acidic ones (BaspAc-I, BaspAc-II, BaspAc-III and BaspAc-IV) and five basic ones (BaspB-I, BaspB-II, BaspB-III, BaspB-IV and BaspB-V). The isoelectric points of the acidic PLA2s were also determined, which presented values ranging between 4.5 and 5. The findings indicated the isolation of five unpublished isoforms, four Asp49-PLA, corresponding to the group of acidic isoforms, and one Lys49-PLA2-like. Acidic PLA2s catalyzed the degradation of all substrates evaluated; however, for the basic PLA2s, there was a preference for phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. The antiparasitic potential of the toxins was evaluated, and the acidic PLA2s demonstrated action against the epimastigote forms of T. cruzi and promastigote forms of L. infantum, while the basic PLA2s BaspB-II and BaspB-IV showed activity against P. falciparum. The results indicated an increase of up to 10 times in antiplasmodial activity, when the Asp49-PLA2 and Lys49-PLA2 were associated with one another, denoting synergistic action between these PLA2 isoforms. These findings correspond to the first report of synergistic antiplasmodial action for svPLA2s, demonstrating that these molecules may be important targets in the search for new antiparasitic agent