The neurobiology of psychostimulant addiction

Introducción y desarrollo. Las drogas psicoestimulantes incluyen anfetamínicos, alcaloides naturales como la cocaína y metilxantinas. Inducen una fuerte dependencia, que se manifiesta por fenómenos de base neurobiológica como la sensibilización y la tolerancia. La sensibilización se está estudiando experimentalmente e incluye dos fases: una de inducción inicial y otra de consolidación o expresión. En la fase de inducción desempeñan un papel crítico el circuito mesocorticolímbico dopaminérgico y la neurotransmisión dopaminérgica y de glutamato en el tegmento ventral. En la fase de expresión se crean hábitos adictivos de conducta por cambios permanentes en el bucle corticoestriatoamigdalino. Conclusión. Todo ello lleva a una adicción consolidada, considerada como una forma de aprendizaje anómalo, y a una pérdida de control sobre la conducta por parte del adicto.Introduction and development. Psychostimulant drugs encompass amphetamines, natural alkaloids like cocaine, and methyl-xanthynes. These drugs induce a strong dependence, manifested as sensitization and tolerance at a neurobiological level. Sensitization is currently being studied experimentally, and it is made up of two stages: initial induction and consolidated expression. During induction, the mesocorticolimbic circuit along with dopamine and glutamate changes in the ventral tegmentum play a critical role. During expression, addictive habits are consolidated through changes in the corticostriato-amygdaloid loop. Conclusion. All together leads to a consolidated addiction, considered as an anomalous learning process, along with a loss of control over drug taking.Introdução e desenvolvimento. As drogas psico-estimulantes incluem anfetamínicos, alcalóides naturais como a cocaína e metilxantinas. Induzem uma forte dependência, que se manifesta por fenómenos de base neurobiológica como a sensibilização e a tolerância. A sensibilização está a ser estudada experimentalmente e inclui duas fases: uma de indução inicial e outra de consolidação ou expressão. Na fase de indução desempenham um papel crítico o circuito mesocorticolímbico dopaminérgico e a transmissão neurológica dopaminérgica e de glutamato no tegmento ventral. Na fase de expressão são criados hábitos aditivos de conduta por alterações permanentes no anel cortico-estriato-amigdalino. Conclusão.Tudo conjugado leva a uma habituação consolidada, considerada como uma forma de aprendizagem anómala e a uma perda de controlo sobre os comportamentos de consum

Provisiones técnicas de prestaciones pendientes: el método Chain-Ladder estocástico desde un punto de vista práctico en Solvencia II

Treballs Finals del Màster de Ciències Actuarials i Financeres, Facultat d'Economia i Empresa, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2013-2014, Tutora: Eva Boj del ValLa inminente entrada en vigor del nuevo marco de solvencia para el sector asegurador denominado Solvencia II justifica, sin duda, la elaboración del presente documento. En él se hace una breve introducción sobre los modelos lineales generalizados (MLG) para acabar estudiando un caso particular: el método Chain-Ladder desde el punto de vista estocástico. Además, con el fin de crear una herramienta útil para el sector profesional, se lleva a cabo una aplicación con RExcel (basada en código de R y VBA), analizando casos prácticos, con la que se obtienen resultados de cálculos exigidos por la nueva Directiva de Solvencia II

Serum protein halogenation and nitrosylation: trait of maintained overstimulation of blood phagocytes in sporadic Parkinson’s disease

Introduction: Halogenative and nitrosative stress are two types of oxidative stress that have been proposed as pathogenic mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). They can be caused by overstimulation of phagocytes. This hypothesis discusses serum protein halogenation and nitrosylation as traits of maintained overstimulation of blood phagocytes in sporadic Parkinson’s disease. Hypothesis: I hypothesize that maintained phagocyte overstimulation leads to both halogenative and nitrosative stress in PD, which are present in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients. These types of oxidative stress could modify proteins related to the pathogenesis of PD. Evaluation of hypothesis: It has been detected that the presence of halogenative stress in the serum and, to a lesser extent, cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinsonian patients leads to excess of advanced oxidized protein products. On the other hand, nitrosative stress is also present in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with early PD, characterized by the selective increase of 3-nitrotyrosine proteins other than nitroalbumin and free 3-nitrotyrosine. Nitrosylation stress accompanies modification of the sites of nitrosylation of α-synuclein in these patients, characterized by dominant nitrosylation of tyrosine 125/136 residues. Conclusion: Since metabolism of advanced oxidized protein products and 3-nitrotyrosine proteins has been associated with phagocytic overstimulation, this pathological alteration could play a pathogenic role in sporadic PD. Our observations also lead to the hypothesis that serum level of advanced oxidized protein products is a prognostic marker for PD duration, and these oxidized proteins could participate in neuroinflammation. Besides, the evaluation of nitrosative stress through enhanced levels of 3-nitrotyrosine proteins in serum and cerebrospinal fluid without changes in nitroalbumin, together with the profile of tyrosine nitrosylation of serum α-synuclein characterized by dominant nitrosylation of Tyr125/136, could serve for the diagnosis of sporadic PD. Nitro-α-synuclein is a main component of Lewy bodies, hallmarks of the disease, and serum nitro-α-synuclein could represent a pathogenic factor in PD

Agregación de alfa-sinucleína y degeneración Parkinsoniana

La alfa-sinucleína es la proteína principal de los cuerpos de Lewy, marcador anatomopatológico de la enfermedad de Parkinson. Dicha proteína puede ver alterada su conformación y adquirir capacidad autoagregante, lo que se relaciona con el depósito de agregados proteináceos en las neuronas y podría constituir un factor fisiopatológico importante en dicha enfermedad. Los agregados poseen fibrillas de alfa-sinucleína alterada, y las moléculas se encuentran unidas entre sí por enlaces no covalentes y covalentes. La formación de enlaces no covalentes se relaciona con el aumento de la concentración de alfa-sinucleína, daño mitocondrial, desestabilización neuronal, y fosforilación en el residuo de serina 129 de la molécula. Los enlaces covalentes se relacionan con fenómenos oxidativos que actúan sobre lamolécula, principalmente peroxidación y nitrosilación de los residuos de tirosina 39, 125, 133 y 136. En mi laboratorio se ha detectado un aumento de la nitrosilación en los residuos de tirosina 125/136 en la alfa-sinucleína sérica de enfermos de Parkinson. El estudio de esta proteína puede arrojar luz sobre los procesosmoleculares que subyacen enmuchas enfermedades neurodegenerativas del tipo alfa-sinucleinopatías.Junta de Andalucía BIO 127Ministerio de Sanidad RD06/001/002, RD06/010/1007Instituto Carlos II

Single restraint stress sensitizes acute chewing movements induced by haloperidol, but not if the 5-HT agonist 8-OH-DPAT is given prior to stress

Ponencia incluida en las II Jornadas Andaluzas de Calidad de la Enseñanza Universitaria. Desarrollo de planes de calidad para la Universidad celebradas el 7 de marzo del año 2000 en SevillaThe objective of this study was two-fold: ( i) to analyze behavioral sensitization to haloperidol 2 weeks after single restraint stress, and ( ii) to establish the effects of 8-OH-DPAT treatment prior to stress on sensitized behavioral responses. Overall behavior was analyzed and not only catalepsy, but also sedation immobility, grooming, exploration and vacuous chewing movements were evaluated. Results indicated that single restraint stress induced a long-lasting sensitization of acute vacuous chewing movements induced by haloperidol (0.25, 0.5 mgrkg i.p) Interestingly, this behavioral sensitization was prevented by 8-OH-DPAT (0.35 mgrkg s.c.) prior to stress. Finally, haloperidol-induced sedation was not disrupted by either restraint stress or 8-OH-DPAT treatment.Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Educación y Cienci

Influence of Partial Soil Wetting on Water Relation Parameters of the Olive Tree

A drip versus pond irrigation experiment was carried out with 30-year-old ‘Manzanilla’ olive trees planted at 7 m 5 m in an orchard in Southwest Spain. At the end of the dry season of 1998, we chose two dry-land trees, D1 and D2, and two drip-irrigated trees, I1 and I2. During the experiments, the D1 and I1 trees were pond-irrigated, increasing the soil water content to around field capacity in the whole rootzone. The D2 and I2 trees were drip-irrigated, remaining part of the rootzone in drying soil. The results showed that the ratio between the transpiration of the pond-irrigated D1 tree and that of the drip-irrigated D2 tree (D1/D2 Ep) increased from an average of 0.88 before irrigation to 1.22 fourteen days after the first water supply. For the I trees, I1/I2 Ep varied from 0.76 to 1.02 nine days after the I1 tree was pond-irrigated for the first time. Transpiration, therefore, was restricted when using a drip irrigation system which, despite supplying enough water to cover the calculated crop demand, affected a part of the rootzone only. During the drip versus pond irrigation experiment, the recovery of leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate was greater and quicker in the pond-irrigated than in the drip-irrigated trees.– Influence de l’irrigation partielle du sol sur les paramètres des relations hydriques de l’olivier. Une comparaison de l’irrigation goutte à goutte avec l’irrigation en cuvette a été conduite sur oliviers ‘Manzanilla’ âgés de 30 ans plantés à 7 m 5 m dans un verger du sud-ouest de l’Espagne. À la fin de la saison sèche de 1998, nous avons choisi deux arbres sur sol sec, D1 et D2, et deux arbres sur sol irrigué au goutte à goutte, I1 et I2. Durant les expériences, les arbres D1 et I1 ont été irrigués en cuvette, en augmentant la teneur en eau du sol jusqu’à la capacité au champ dans toute la zone racinaire. Les arbres D2 et I2 ont été irrigués au goutte à goutte, laissant une partie de la zone racinaire dans un sol se desséchant. Les résultats ont montré que le quotient entre la transpiration de l’arbre D1 irrigué en cuvette et celle de l’arbre D2 irrigué au goutte à goutte (D1/D2 Ep) a augmenté à partir d’une moyenne de 0,88 avant irrigation jusqu’à 1,22 quatorze jours après le premier apport d’eau. Pour les arbres I, I1/I2 Ep a varié entre 0,76 et 1,02 neuf jours après que l’arbre I1 ait été irrigué en cuvette pour la première fois. Par conséquent, la transpiration était réduite quand on utilisait un système d’irrigation au goutte à goutte qui, malgré l’apport d’eau suffisant pour couvrir les besoins potentiels des cultures, a affecté seulement une partie de la zone racinaire. Durant cette comparaison de l’irrigation goutte à goutte et de l’irrigation en cuvette, la récupération de la teneur en eau des feuilles, de la conductance stomatique et du taux de photosynthèse était supérieure et plus rapide pour les arbres irrigués en cuvette que pour ceux irrigués au goutte à goutte

Crear una apicació per al joc de rol “La llave del Horizonte”

Al llarg d'aquest treball s'intenta trobar una solució a un problema que tenen un grup d'amics a l'hora de jugar a un joc de rol que ha inventat un d'ells. La qüestió ve que totes les dades i dibuixos del joc estan fets a paper i llapis. Això fa que sigui difícil d'accedit a tota la informació de forma ràpida i còmoda en qualsevol lloc. Per a solucionar això s'ha proposat crear una aplicació mòbil on guardar totes les dades. A més a més, aquesta aplicació també hauria d'ajudar amb totes les dades que es creen al llarg d'una partida. Qui té que recursos, quants diners té el grup, quines són les estadístiques de tal persona, etc. Per fer això i que tothom estigui al dia dels últims canvis és necessari connectar als jugadors perquè es puguin passar aquestes dades. Aquest problema s'ha acabat solucionant creant una xarxa wi local i privada amb un servidor que s'encarrega de gestionar la base de dades que guarda totes aquestes dades.In this project, we're going to try to come up with a solution to a problem that a group of friends has. The thing is, one of their friends invented a role-playing game, but all the information about it is written, or drawn, with a pencil and on paper. This can make the game play a bit di cult due to the di culty in nding the information easily. Or the fact that every time someone wants to play they have to grab the paper sand go wherever they want to play. It was suggested to create a mobile application where we can record the information as a solution to the problem.This app may also be useful to help recompile all the information created during a game. Information like who has which resources, how much money the group has and so on. For this to happen and to be useful, this information must be shared with the group.In order to be able to share information with the group, it was decided to do local private wireless red.Said red will have a server responsible for managing the database which has all the information about the game