Tratamiento de la columna vertebral en la educación secundaria obligatoria: parte I - prevención y ejercicios poco recomendables

El dolor de espalda es uno de los motivos más frecuentes por los cuales se acude a la consulta médica y es preocupante la cada vez más temprana edad en la cual se presentan estos problemas. Ello impone la necesidad de dar a conocer a los alumnos de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria unos mínimos conocimientos acerca de la anatomía de la columna vertebral y ciertos recursos ergonómicos para adoptar actitudes posturales correctas. Por otro lado, el profesor de Educación Física ha de conocer cuáles son los ejercicios, de forma general, menos recomendables en la prevención de determinados problemas de espalda

Tratamiento de la columna vertebral en la educación secundaria obligatoria: parte II - ejercicios recomendables

El dolor de espalda en personas adultas es producido, en numerosas ocasiones, por una inadecuada educación postural y una deficiente condición física. Esta situación provoca un desequilibrio muscular en aquellos grupos musculares responsables de mantener la postura. En la E.S.O, también se producen tales desequilibrios por lo que, como actitud preventiva y educadora, es recomendable tener en cuenta el tratamiento corporal que sufren los alumnos a lo largo del día y durante las clases de Educación Física. Entre los ejercicios que favorecen la reeducación postural así como su desarrollo y mantenimiento, se ha realizado una selección de los que se consideran no debería faltar en una programación de E.F para la ESO

The molecular species responsible for α1-antitrypsin deficiency are suppressed by a small molecule chaperone

The formation of ordered Z (Glu342Lys) α1-antitrypsin polymers in hepatocytes is central to liver disease in α1-antitrypsin deficiency. In vitro experiments have identified an intermediate conformational state (M*) that precedes polymer formation, but this has yet to be identified in vivo. Moreover, the mechanism of polymer formation and their fate in cells have been incompletely characterised. We have used cell models of disease in conjunction with conformation-selective monoclonal antibodies and a small molecule inhibitor of polymerisation to define the dynamics of polymer formation, accumulation and secretion. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrate that Z α1-antitrypsin accumulates as short-chain polymers that partition with soluble cellular components and are partially secreted by cells. These precede the formation of larger, insoluble polymers with a longer half-life (10.9 ± 1.7 h and 20.9 ± 7.4 h for soluble and insoluble polymers, respectively). The M* intermediate (or a by-product thereof) was identified in the cells by a conformation-specific monoclonal antibody. This was completely abrogated by treatment with the small molecule, which also blocked the formation of intracellular polymers. These data allow us to conclude that the M* conformation is central to polymerisation of Z α1-antitrypsin in vivo; preventing its accumulation represents a tractable approach for pharmacological treatment of this condition; polymers are partially secreted; and polymers exist as two distinct populations in cells whose different dynamics have likely consequences for the aetiology of the disease

The molecular species responsible for α₁‐antitrypsin deficiency are suppressed by a small molecule chaperone

The formation of ordered Z (Glu342Lys) α1‐antitrypsin polymers in hepatocytes is central to liver disease in α1‐antitrypsin deficiency. In vitro experiments have identified an intermediate conformational state (M*) that precedes polymer formation but this has yet to be identified in vivo. Moreover, the mechanism of polymer formation and their fate in cells have been incompletely characterised. We have used cell models of disease in conjunction with conformation‐selective monoclonal antibodies and a small molecule inhibitor of polymerization to define the dynamics of polymer formation, accumulation and secretion. Pulse‐chase experiments demonstrate that Z α1‐antitrypsin accumulates as short chain polymers that partition with soluble cellular components and are partially secreted by cells. These precede the formation of larger, insoluble polymers with a longer half‐life (10.9 +/‐ 1.7 h and 20.9 +/ 7.4 h for soluble and insoluble polymers respectively). The M* intermediate (or a byproduct thereof) was identified in the cells by a conformation‐specific monoclonal antibody. This was completely abrogated by treatment with the small molecule which also blocked the formation of intracellular polymers. These data allow us to conclude that: the M* conformation is central to polymerization of Z α1‐antitrypsin in vivo; preventing its accumulation represents a tractable approach for pharmacological treatment of this condition; polymers are partially secreted; and polymers exist as two distinct populations in cells whose different dynamics have likely consequences for the aetiology of the disease

The devices, experimental scaffolds, and biomaterials ontology (DEB): a tool for mapping, annotation, and analysis of biomaterials' data

The size and complexity of the biomaterials literature makes systematic data analysis an excruciating manual task. A practical solution is creating databases and information resources. Implant design and biomaterials research can greatly benefit from an open database for systematic data retrieval. Ontologies are pivotal to knowledge base creation, serving to represent and organize domain knowledge. To name but two examples, GO, the gene ontology, and CheBI, Chemical Entities of Biological Interest ontology and their associated databases are central resources to their respective research communities. The creation of the devices, experimental scaffolds, and biomaterials ontology (DEB), an open resource for organizing information about biomaterials, their design, manufacture, and biological testing, is described. It is developed using text analysis for identifying ontology terms from a biomaterials gold standard corpus, systematically curated to represent the domain's lexicon. Topics covered are validated by members of the biomaterials research community. The ontology may be used for searching terms, performing annotations for machine learning applications, standardized meta-data indexing, and other cross-disciplinary data exploitation. The input of the biomaterials community to this effort to create data-driven open-access research tools is encouraged and welcomed.Preprin

Claims to a nation, dressing the part and other boundary making strategies by skilled migrants in response to ethnic categorization

This article is about self-defined social identities, other people's perceptions of us and the potentially conflictual relationship between these two. Building on a Barthian focus on group boundaries, the article takes the interplay between external categorizations and internal group definitions as its point of departure to examine how individuals negotiate the boundaries of their social identities. Based on a case study of skilled migrants with racialized ethnicities in Finland, I look at how they express their self-defined identity as well-to-do, skilled professionals in the face of contradicting categorizations of them as unskilled , lower-class migrant subjects. I identify two types of complementary approaches employed by the skilled migrants in boundary making strategies to their identity negotiations: those de-emphasizing ethnicity (or its importance), and those emphasizing class status. These approaches are two sides of the same coin; coming from different perspectives, they both aim at a more positively viewed identity, and for individuals to be seen as well-to-do, educated, working professionals, rather than as ethnic migrant subjects. As such, the article also highlights the interconnection of class and ethnicity for the social identities of skilled migrants in Finland.This article is about self-defined social identities, other people’s perceptions of us and the potentially conflictual relationship between these two. Building on a Barthian focus on group boundaries, the article takes the interplay between external categorizations and internal group definitions as its point of departure to examine how individuals negotiate the boundaries of their social identities. Based on a case study of skilled migrants with racialized ethnicities in Finland, I look at how they express their self-defined identity as well-to-do, skilled professionals in the face of contradicting categorizations of them as un-skilled, lower-class migrant subjects. I identify two types of complementary approaches employed by the skilled migrants in boundary making strategies to their identity negotiations: those de-emphasizing ethnicity (or its importance), and those emphasizing class status. These approaches are two sides of the same coin; coming from different perspectives, they both aim at a more positively viewed identity, and for individuals to be seen as well-to-do, educated, working professionals, rather than as ethnic migrant subjects. As such, the article also highlights the interconnection of class and ethnicity for the social identities of skilled migrants in Finland.Peer reviewe

On hyperovals of polar spaces

We derive lower and upper bounds for the size of a hyperoval of a finite polar space of rank 3. We give a computer-free proof for the uniqueness, up to isomorphism, of the hyperoval of size 126 of H(5, 4) and prove that the near hexagon E-3 has up to isomorphism a unique full embedding into the dual polar space DH(5, 4)

Gene flow at the leading range edge: the long-term consequences of isolation in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L. Kuhn)

Aim Isolation is expected to lead to negative impacts on populations due to a reduction in effective population size and gene flow, exacerbating the effects of genetic drift, which might be stronger in peripheral and fragmented populations. Fagus sylvatica (European beech) in southern Sweden presents a gradient of isolation towards the leading range edge of the species. We sought to determine the impact of long‐term isolation on genetic diversity and population genetic structure within populations of this species. Location Samples were obtained from 14 sites towards the northern edge of the native range of beech in Sweden. Taxon Fagaceae. Methods Using historical sources, we obtained area‐ and distance‐based measures of isolation. We measured genetic diversity and structure by using nuclear microsatellite marker data, and performed parentage analysis to estimate external pollen‐mediated gene flow. We implemented a partial least squares regression to determine the effects of isolation on each of the genetic diversity estimators and the measures of external pollen‐mediated gene flow. Results Long‐term isolation generally had a negative impact on genetic diversity, which is exacerbated over time, further affecting progeny and suggesting that isolated populations are subject to strong genetic drift, possibly due to the combination of founder events and persistent small population sizes. Bayesian cluster analysis revealed that isolation was also acting as a barrier to gene flow in the north‐eastern distribution of beech. Main conclusions Isolation at the leading range edge of beech in Sweden has created gradients of contemporary gene flow within the species. The long‐term cumulative effects of isolation on this wind‐pollinated tree species and its negative impacts on genetic diversity and gene flow, could lead to inbreeding depression and higher extinction risk where populations remain small and isolated

Human iPSC-Derived 3D Hepatic Organoids in a Miniaturized Dynamic Culture System

The process of identifying and approving a new drug is a time-consuming and expensive procedure. One of the biggest issues to overcome is the risk of hepatotoxicity, which is one of the main reasons for drug withdrawal from the market. While animal models are the gold standard in preclinical drug testing, the translation of results into therapeutic intervention is often ambiguous due to interspecies differences in hepatic metabolism. The discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and their derivatives has opened new possibilities for drug testing. We used mesenchymal stem cells and hepatocytes both derived from hiPSCs, together with endothelial cells, to miniaturize the process of generating hepatic organoids. These organoids were then cultivated in vitro using both static and dynamic cultures. Additionally, we tested spheroids solely composed by induced hepatocytes. By miniaturizing the system, we demonstrated the possibility of maintaining the organoids, but not the spheroids, in culture for up to 1 week. This timeframe may be sufficient to carry out a hypothetical pharmacological test or screening. In conclusion, we propose that the hiPSCderived liver organoid model could complement or, in the near future, replace the pharmacological and toxicological tests conducted on animals