Estudio de la biocompatibilidad in vitro de formulaciones acrílicas autocurables portadoras de bisfosfonatos de nueva síntesis

En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de la biocompatibilidad in vitro, empleando cultivos celulares de fibroblastos embrionarios humanos, de tres sistemas acrílicos de liberación controlada de bisfosfonatos (BFs). Estos sistemas, basados en metacrilato de metilo (MMA), metacrilato de vitamina E (MVE) y trietilenglicol dimetacrilato (TEGDMA), han sido diseñados para su aplicación en el tratamiento de enfermedades caracterizadas por una elevada resorción osteoclástica. En su preparación se ha empleado un BP comercializado (alendronato; ALN) y dos de nueva síntesis, pertenecientes a la segunda y tercera generaciones, el ácido 1-hidroxi-2-[4-aminofenil]etano-1,1-difosfónico (APBP) y el ácido 1-hidroxi-2-[3-indolil]etano-1,1-difosfónico (IBP), respectivamente. La citotoxicidad de MVE ha sido notablemente inferior a la medida para TEGDMA. La citotoxicidad de APBP e IBP se ha comparado con la de ALN, obteniéndose unos valores para la concentración IC50, de15,56, 9,86 y 6,25 mmol/l para APBP, ALN e IBP, respectivamente. Los niveles de citotoxicidad liberada han sido superiores para la formulación portadora de ALN, situándose a continuación los cementos cargados con IBP y APBP. Cuando los cultivos se han establecido sobre la superficie de las formulaciones, se han detectado unos niveles de proliferación celular y adhesión superiores para los sistemas de liberación de IBP y APBP, siendo además inferior en estos casos la mortalidad celular.This paper reports the in vitro biocompatibility study, using human embryonic fibroblast cultures, of three acrylic systems for controlled release of bisphosphonates (BFs). These systems, that are based on methyl methacrylate (MMA), vitamin E methacrylate (MVE) and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), have been designed for its application in the treatment of pathologies characterized by a high osteoclastic resorption. A commercial BP (alendronate; ALN) and two novel BPs, belonging to the second and third generations, 1-hydroxy-2-[4-aminophenyl]ethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (APBP) and 1-hydroxy-2-[3-indolyl]ethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (IBP), respectively, have been used in their preparation. The cytotoxicity of MVE has been notably lower than that measured for TEGDMA. Cytotoxicity of APBP and IBP was evaluated along with that of ALN, and the following values of the IC50, concentration were obtained for APBP, ALN and IBP respectively: 15.56, 9.86 and 6.25 mmol/l. The cytotoxicity levels obtained from the extracts of the cured systems were higher for the formulation containing ALN, followed by the cements loaded with IBP and APBP. When the cultures were seeded directly on the formulations surface, higher levels of cellular proliferation and adhesion were obtained for the systems containing IBP and APBP, the cellular mortality being also inferior in these cases

Severity and duration of allergic conjunctivitis: are they associated with severity and duration of allergic rhinitis and asthma?

Comorbiditat al·lèrgica; Conjuntivitis al·lèrgica; Malaltia respiratòria al·lèrgicaAllergic comorbidity; Allergic conjunctivitis; Allergic respiratory diseaseComorbilidad alérgica; Conjuntivitis alérgica; Enfermedad respiratoria alérgicaObjective. The association of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) with rhinitis and/or asthma is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to apply the Consensus Document for Allergic Conjunctivitis (DECA) criteria for the classification of AC to a population of patients with AC to assess the association between the severity and duration of AC and rhinitis and/or asthma. Methods. Patients with ocular symptoms of AC who participated in the 'Alergológica 2015' study were included. The demographics, classification according to the DECA criteria, etiology, and comorbidities were evaluated by age groups (less or equal than 14 and greater than 14 years). Results. A total of 2,914 patients (age range, 1-90 years) were included in the "Alergológica 2015" study. Of these, 965 patients (33.1%) were diagnosed with AC (77.5% > 14 years). AC was classified as severe, moderate, or mild in 1.8%, 46.4%, and 51.8%, respectively; and as intermittent or persistent in 51.6% and 48.4% of the patients. AC alone occurred in 4% of patients. AC was mainly associated with rhinitis (88.4%), asthma (38.2%), food allergy (8.3%) and atopic dermatitis (3.5%). In allergic respiratory disease rhinitis preceded AC and asthma developed later. The severity and duration of AC was significantly associated with severity and duration of rhinitis (p less than 0.001 for both age groups) and asthma (p less than 0.001 only in adults). Conclusions. The application of the new DECA classification for AC reveals a direct relationship between AC, rhinitis and asthma respect to severity and duration. These relationships suggest that AC should be considered an integral part of the "one airway, one disease" hypothesis

Electrophoretic mobility of supercoiled, catenated and knotted DNA molecules

We systematically varied conditions of two-dimensional (2D) agarose gel electrophoresis to optimize separation of DNA topoisomers that differ either by the extent of knotting, the extent of catenation or the extent of supercoiling. To this aim we compared electrophoretic behavior of three different families of DNA topoisomers: (i) supercoiled DNA molecules, where supercoiling covered the range extending from covalently closed relaxed up to naturally supercoiled DNA molecules; (ii) postreplicative catenanes with catenation number increasing from 1 to ∼15, where both catenated rings were nicked; (iii) knotted but nicked DNA molecules with a naturally arising spectrum of knots. For better comparison, we studied topoisomer families where each member had the same total molecular mass. For knotted and supercoiled molecules, we analyzed dimeric plasmids whereas catenanes were composed of monomeric forms of the same plasmid. We observed that catenated, knotted and supercoiled families of topoisomers showed different reactions to changes of agarose concentration and voltage during electrophoresis. These differences permitted us to optimize conditions for their separation and shed light on physical characteristics of these different types of DNA topoisomers during electrophoresi

Evaluating the functional properties of spray-dried porcine plasma in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fed low fish meal diets.

Blood by-products are an untapped source of high-quality ingredients for aquafeeds, containing a broad variety of cytokines, hormones, growth factors, proteins, bioactive peptides, and amino acids. The effects of the spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP), a type of processed animal protein on several immune parameters, were evaluated in sea bream using ex vivo and in vitro assays. In this study, fish were fed with two isoproteic, isolipidic, and isoenergetic diets: control diet (7% fish meal, FM) and SDPP diet (2% FM and 5% SDPP). At the end of the 92-days trial, those fed the SDPP diet were larger in body weight (p 0.05). The ex vivo immune stimulation of splenocytes indicated that SDPP had a beneficial effect in promoting systemic immunity, since the surface cell marker (cd4), pro- (il-1β), and anti-inflammatory (tgf-β1) cytokines, and genes involved in humoral immunity (IgM) were up-regulated. The co-culture assays of skin mucus corroborated that SDPP enhanced the antibacterial capacity of mucus against V. anguillarum. In addition, main mucus biomarkers did not show significant differences, except for cortisol levels which were lower in the SDPP diet. The present study indicated that SDPP may be considered a functional ingredient in aquafeeds formulated with low FM levels

In vivo conditional deletion of HDAC7 reveals its requirement to establish proper B lymphocyte identity and development

Class IIa histone deacetylase (HDAC) subfamily members are tissue-specific gene repressors with crucial roles in development and differentiation processes. A prominent example is HDAC7, a class IIa HDAC that shows a lymphoid-specific expression pattern within the hematopoietic system. In this study, we explored its potential role in B cell development by generating a conditional knockout mouse model. Our study demonstrates for the first time that HDAC7 deletion dramatically blocks early B cell development and gives rise to a severe lymphopenia in peripheral organs, while also leading to pro-B cell lineage promiscuity. We find that HDAC7 represses myeloid and T lymphocyte genes in B cell progenitors through interaction with myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEFC2). In B cell progenitors, HDAC7 is recruited to promoters and enhancers of target genes, and its absence leads to increased enrichment of histone active marks. Our results prove that HDAC7 is a bona fide transcriptional repressor essential for B cell development

Module 5: Addressing Climate Change - Project: Training educators for the development of educational activities on climate change

This document addresses both global and national (Bolivian) responses to climate change and how to appropriately address it; includes cases studies documented in Bolivia

Module 3: Causes of Climate Change - Project: Training educators for the development of educational activities on climate change

This document provides detailed explanations and information about the natural and human causes of climate change

Module 2: Greenhouse Gas Effect - Project: Training educators for the development of educational activities on climate change

This document provides detailed information and an explanation of the Greenhouse Gas Effect and its associated cycles

Module 6: Educational Guides for Teaching Climate Change Modules to High School Students - Project: Training educators for the development of educational activities on climate change

This document serves as an educational guide, providing suggestions and objectives for teaching Modules 1-5 on Climate Change

Letter written in the year 2070

This is a PDF version of a Powerpoint presentation to be used in the classroom. It conceptualizes the world in the future (2070), where water is scarce and how climate change has affected the quality of life for all living things. The presentation is also available as a Word document (just text)