NuIl sex differences in General Intelligence: Evidence from the WAIS-III.

Sin resume

Prostate carcinoma and stem cells

[Abstract] Stem cells, as classically defined, are cells with a capacity to self-renew and to generate daughter cells that can differentiate down several cell lineages to form all of the cell types that are found in the mature tissue. Stem cells and tumour cells have many similar features, including infinite lifespan, self-renewal, multidrug resistance, telomerase expression and, in the instance of the prostate, androgen independence. Evidence supports a role for stem cells in the etiology of many types of cancer. The evolution of androgen-independent prostate carcinoma may reflect the emergence of stemlike prostate tumour cells. Because cancer may be a disease of stem cell lineages and Shh-Gli signalling controls the behaviour of precursors and of cells with stem cell properties in the mammalian tissues, prostate cancer might derive from inappropriate expansion of prostatic epithelial stem cell lineages caused by abnormal Shh-Gli function. This review attempts to integrate these recent results

Mudanças no perfil funcional de pacientes con patologia psiquiátrica resistente submetidos a neurocirurgia funcional estereotáxica

Con el objetivo de evaluar los resultados de la Neurocirugía Funcional Estereotáctica (NFE) sobre el perfil funcional de los pacientes diagnosticados con Patología Psiquiátrica Resistente (PPR), se realizó un diseño pre/post tratamiento. 13 pacientes fueron evaluados ( = 31 ± 8 años): siete mujeres diagnosticadas con algún Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria Resistente (TCAR); tres mujeres diagnosticadas con Trastornos Resistentes Obsesivo Compulsivo y Depresivo (TOC y DR) y tres pacientes (dos mujeres y un hombre) diagnosticados con Depresión Resistente (DR). A estos pacientes se les aplicó la Escala de funcionamiento del paciente Eje K, la cual consta de siete subescalas, y una Escala de Evaluación de la Actividad Global (EAG) antes del tratamiento y después de éste (seis meses posteriores a la NFE). Todos los grupos diagnósticos y el total de los pacientes evaluados presentaron cambios clínicos positivos; sin embargo, sólo el grupo de TCAR mostró importantes cambios clínicos de mejoría en el perfil de funcionamiento, siendo esta diferencia estadísticamente significativa (pre Md = 56; post Md = 84; z= - 2.36, p <0.05). Con la evidencia obtenida se observó que la NFE representa una opción terapéutica emergente efectiva orientada a disminuir el sufrimiento de los pacientes con PPR, así como a mejorar el nivel de funcionamiento global y por ende su calidad de vida. Todos los pacientes del estudio presentaban una condición de resistencia a tratamientos convencionales indicados, la cual había sido documentada por un equipo interdisciplinario experto.Con o objetivo de avaliar os resultados da Neurocirurgía Funcional Estereotáxica (NFE) sobre o perfil funcional dos pacientes diagnosticados com Patologia Psiquiátrica Resistente (PPR), realizou-se um desenho pré/pós tratamento. 13 pacientes foram avaliados ( = 31 ± 8 anos): sete mulheres diagnosticadas com algum Transtorno da Conduta Alimentar Resistente (TCAR); três mulheres diagnosticadas com Transtornos Resistentes Obsessivo Compulsivo e Depressivo (TOC e DR) e três pacientes (duas mulheres e um homem) diagnosticados com Depressão Resistente (DR). A estes pacientes foi aplicada a Escala de funcionamento do paciente Eixo K, a qual consta de sete sub-escalas, e uma Escala de Avaliação da Atividade Global (EAG) antes do tratamento e depois dele (seis meses posteriores à NFE). Todos os grupos diagnósticos e o total dos pacientes avaliados apresentaram mudanças clínicas positivas; porém, só o grupo de TCAR mostrou importantes mudanças clínicas de melhoria no perfil de funcionamento, sendo esta diferença estatisticamente significativa (pré Md= 56; pós Md= 84; z= - 2.36, p <0.05). Com a evidência obtida observou-se que a NFE representa uma opção terapêutica emergente efetiva orientada a diminuir o sofrimento dos pacientes com PPR, bem como a melhorar o nível de funcionamento global e portanto sua qualidade de vida. Todos os pacientes do estudo apresentavam uma condição de resistência a tratamentos convencionais indicados, a qual havia sido documentada por uma equipe interdisciplinar de especialistas.In order to evaluate the results of the Stereotactic Functional Neurosurgery (SFN) on the functional profile of patients diagnosed with Resistant Psychiatric Pathology (RPP), a pre / post treatment design was performed. Thirteen patients were assessed ( = 31 ± 8 years): seven women diagnosed with some type of Resistant Eating Disorder (RED); three women diagnosed with Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Resistant Depression (TOC and RD), and three patients (two women and one man) diagnosed with Resistant Depression (RD). The Patient's Functioning Scale, axis K, consisting of seven subscales, and the Assessment of Global Activity Scale (AGAS) were applied before and after treatment (6 months after FSN). All diagnostic groups and all the patients assessed showed positive clinical changes. However, only the RED group showed important clinical improvement in the performance profile with a statistically significant difference (pre Md = 56, Md = 84 post , z = - 2.36, p <0.05). With the evidence obtained it was noted that SFN represents an effective therapeutic option aimed at reducing the suffering of patients with RPP and improve their overall level of functioning and therefore their quality of life. All patients in the study had a condition indicating resistance to conventional treatments which had been documented by an expert multidisciplinary team

Infrared-Emitting Multimodal Nanostructures for Controlled In Vivo Magnetic Hyperthermia

Deliberate and local increase of the temperature within solid tumors represents an effective therapeutic approach. Thermal therapies embrace this concept leveraging the capability of some species to convert the absorbed energy into heat. To that end, magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) uses magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) that can effectively dissipate the energy absorbed under alternating magnetic fields. However, MNPs fail to provide real-time thermal feedback with the risk of unwanted overheating and impeding on-the-fly adjustment of the therapeutic parameters. Localization of MNPs within a tissue in an accurate, rapid, and cost-effective way represents another challenge for increasing the efficacy of MHT. In this work, MNPs are combined with state-of-the-art infrared luminescent nanothermometers (LNTh; Ag2S nanoparticles) in a nanocapsule that simultaneously overcomes these limitations. The novel optomagnetic nanocapsule acts as multimodal contrast agents for different imaging techniques (magnetic resonance, photoacoustic and near-infrared fluorescence imaging, optical and X-ray computed tomography). Most crucially, these nanocapsules provide accurate (0.2 degrees C resolution) and real-time subcutaneous thermal feedback during in vivo MHT, also enabling the attainment of thermal maps of the area of interest. These findings are a milestone on the road toward controlled magnetothermal therapies with minimal side effects.E.X. and R.M. contributed equally to this work. Work partially supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2019-106301RB-I00 and PID2019-105195RA-I00), by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MAT2017-85617-R, SEV-2016-0686), by the Comunidad de Madrid (RENIM-CM, B2017/BMD-3867, co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Fund; NANOMAGCOST-CM P2018/NMT-4321), by the European COST Actions CA17115 (MyWave) and CA17140 (Nano2Clinic), by the Spanish Scientific Network HiperNano (RED2018-102626-T) and by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project NanoTBTech (Grant Number: 801305). D.G.-C. acknowledges CAM for funding PEJ-2018-AI/IND-11245. A.B. acknowledges funding from Comunidad de Madrid through TALENTO grant ref. 2019-T1/IND-14014. E.X. is grateful for a Juan de la Cierva Formación scholarship (FJC2018-036734-I). R.M. acknowledges the support of the European Commission through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant agreement N 797945 (LANTERNS). A. E. acknowledges the support from Comunidad de Madrid (Talento project 2018-T1/IND-1005) and from AECC (Ideas Semilla 2019 project). P.R.S. is grateful for a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación scholarship (IJC2019-041915-I). Procedures involving animal experiments were approved by the regional authority for animal experimentation of the Comunidad de Madrid and were conducted in agreement with the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Ethics Committee, in compliance with the European Union directives 63/2010UE and Spanish regulation RD 53/2013

La hoja de ruta de la ingeniería de computadores al final de la ley de Moore y el escalado de Dennard

En el presente trabajo se hace una revisión sobre la situación de la ingeniería de computadores al inicio de la década de los 2020 con objeto de perfilar algunos de los cambios que deberían establecerse en la enseñanza superior de esta disciplina. Se considera la gran relevancia del control del consumo energético y de las aplicaciones relacionadas con clasificación y optimización que requieren cantidades ingentes de datos (big data) y tiempos de respuesta difícilmente alcanzables utilizando las técnicas tradicionales de la ingeniería de computadores, y dada la reducción del ritmo que marca la ley de Moore y el final del escalado de Dennard. El artículo proporciona referencias bibliográficas recientes sobre la situación de la ingeniería de computadores, e identifica los nuevos requisitos de las interfaces presentes en la jerarquía de capas propia de los sistemas de cómputo, fundamentalmente los relacionados con la seguridad, el consumo energético, y el aprovechamiento del paralelismo heterogéneo. También se reflexiona sobre los límites teóricos que se pueden establecer para la computación y las expectativas que ofrece la computación cuántica.This paper reviews the state of Computer Engineering at the beginning of the 2020s in order to outline some of the changes that should be established in higher education in this discipline. It is considered the great relevance of controlling energy consumption and applications related to classification and optimization that require huge amounts of data (big data) and response times difficult to achieve using traditional techniques of computer engineering, and given the reduction of the improvement rate set by Moore's law and the end of Dennard scaling. The article also provides recent bibliographical references on the situation of Computer Engineering, and identifies the new requirements of the interfaces present in the hierarchy of layers of computer systems, mainly those related to security, energy consumption, and the use of heterogeneous parallelism. It also reflects on the theoretical limits that can be established for computation and the expectations that quantum computation offers.Universidad de Granada: Departamento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadore

A genome-wide association study follow-up suggests a possible role for PPARG in systemic sclerosis susceptibility

Introduction: A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) comprising a French cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) reported several non-HLA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing a nominal association in the discovery phase. We aimed to identify previously overlooked susceptibility variants by using a follow-up strategy.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods: Sixty-six non-HLA SNPs showing a P value &#60;10-4 in the discovery phase of the French SSc GWAS were analyzed in the first step of this study, performing a meta-analysis that combined data from the two published SSc GWASs. A total of 2,921 SSc patients and 6,963 healthy controls were included in this first phase. Two SNPs, PPARG rs310746 and CHRNA9 rs6832151, were selected for genotyping in the replication cohort (1,068 SSc patients and 6,762 healthy controls) based on the results of the first step. Genotyping was performed by using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Results: We observed nominal associations for both PPARG rs310746 (PMH = 1.90 × 10-6, OR, 1.28) and CHRNA9 rs6832151 (PMH = 4.30 × 10-6, OR, 1.17) genetic variants with SSc in the first step of our study. In the replication phase, we observed a trend of association for PPARG rs310746 (P value = 0.066; OR, 1.17). The combined overall Mantel-Haenszel meta-analysis of all the cohorts included in the present study revealed that PPARG rs310746 remained associated with SSc with a nominal non-genome-wide significant P value (PMH = 5.00 × 10-7; OR, 1.25). No evidence of association was observed for CHRNA9 rs6832151 either in the replication phase or in the overall pooled analysis.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusion: Our results suggest a role of PPARG gene in the development of SSc

mtDNA Haplogroup A Enhances the Effect of Obesity on the Risk of Knee OA in a Mexican Population

[Abstract] To evaluate the influence of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups on the risk of knee OA in terms of their interaction with obesity, in a population from Mexico. Samples were obtained from (n = 353) knee OA patients (KL grade ≥ I) and (n = 364) healthy controls (KL grade = 0) from Mexico city and Torreon (Mexico). Both Caucasian and Amerindian mtDNA haplogroups were assigned by single base extension assay. A set of clinical and demographic variables, including obesity status, were considered to perform appropriate statistical approaches, including chi-square contingency tables, regression models and interaction analyses. To ensure the robustness of the predictive model, a statistical cross-validation strategy of B = 1000 iterations was used. All the analyses were performed using boot, GmAMisc and epiR package from R software v4.0.2 and SPSS software v24. The frequency distribution of the mtDNA haplogroups between OA patients and healthy controls for obese and non-obese groups showed the haplogroup A as significantly over-represented in knee OA patients within the obese group (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.22-4.05; p-value = 0.008). The subsequent logistic regression analysis, including as covariate the interaction between obesity and mtDNA haplogroup A, supported the significant association of this interaction (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.24-5.32; p-value = 0.011). The statistical cross-validation strategy confirmed the robustness of the regression model. The data presented here indicate a link between obesity in knee OA patients and mtDNA haplogroup A.This work is supported by Grants from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PI17/00210, PI16/02124, PI20/00614, RETIC-RIER-RD16/0012/0002 and PRB3-ISCIII-PT17/0019/0014) integrated in the National Plan for Scientific Program, Development and Technological Innovation 2013–2016 and funded by the ISCIII-General Subdirection of Assessment and Promotion of Research-European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) “A way of making Europe” and Grant IN607A2017/11 from Xunta de Galicia. The authors further acknowledge AE CICA-INIBIC (ED431E 2018/03) for financial support. IRP is supported by Contrato Miguel Servet-II Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (CPII17/00026) and AD-S is supported by Grant IN606A-2018/023 from Xunta de Galicia, Spain. The Biomedical Research Networking Center (CIBER) is an initiative from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Xunta de Galicia; IN607A2017/11Xunta de Galicia; ED431E 2018/03Xunta de Galicia; IN606A-2018/02

Mutational spectrum of GNAL, THAP1 and TOR1A genes in isolated dystonia: study in a population from Spain and systematic literature review

[Objective] We aimed to investigate the prevalence of TOR1A, GNAL and THAP1 variants as the cause of dystonia in a cohort of Spanish patients with isolated dystonia and in the literature.[Methods] A population of 2028 subjects (including 1053 patients with different subtypes of isolated dystonia and 975 healthy controls) from southern and central Spain was included. The genes TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were screened using a combination of high-resolution melting analysis and direct DNA resequencing. In addition, an extensive literature search to identify original articles (published before 10 August 2020) reporting mutations in TOR1A, THAP1 or GNAL associated to dystonia was performed.[Results] Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL were identified in 0.48%, 0.57% and 0.29% of our patients, respectively. Five patients carried the variation p.Glu303del in TOR1A. A very rare variant in GNAL (p.Ser238Asn) was found as a putative risk factor for dystonia. In the literature, variations in TOR1A, THAP1 and GNAL accounted for about 6%, 1.8% and 1.1% of published dystonia patients, respectively.[Conclusions] There is a different genetic contribution to dystonia of these three genes in our patients (about 1.3% of patients) and in the literature (about 3.6% of patients), probably due the high proportion of adult-onset cases in our cohort. As regards age at onset, site of dystonia onset, and final distribution, in our population there is a clear differentiation between DYT-TOR1A and DYT-GNAL, with DYT-THAP1 likely to be an intermediate phenotype.This work was supported by the Carlos III Health Institute-European Regional Development Fund (ISCIII-FEDER) [PI14/01823, PI16/01575, PI18/01898, PI19/01576], the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Economics, Innovation, Science and Employment [CVI-02526, CTS-7685], the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health and Welfare [PI-0741-2010, PI-0471-2013, PE-0210-2018, PI-0459-2018, PE-0186-2019], and the Alicia Koplowitz and Mutua Madrileña Foundations. Pilar Gómez-Garre was supported by the "Miguel Servet" program [MSII14/00018] (from ISCIII-FEDER) and “Nicolás Monardes” program [C-0048-2017] (from the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health). Silvia Jesús was supported by the "Juan Rodés" program [B-0007-2019] and Daniel Macías-García by the “Río Hortega” program [CM18/00142] (both from ISCIII-FEDER). María Teresa Periñán was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU16/05061]. Cristina Tejera was supported by VPPI-US from the University of Seville.Peer reviewe

Uso y difusión de la plataforma educativa SWAD / OpenSWAD en la Universidad de Granada y en el mundo

Este trabajo resume el uso y la difusión que ha tenido la plataforma de b-learning y gestión académica SWAD desde 1999 hasta 2018. SWAD ofrece herramientas de apoyo a la gestión docente y al aprendizaje, y ha sido utilizada durante 19 años por 180 000 usuarios en la Universidad de Granada (UGR). En los últimos 5 años se ofrece además de forma abierta y gratuita a través del portal OpenSWAD.org, donde ha sido utilizada por 23 000 usuarios procedentes de 1 500 instituciones educativas de todo el mundo.This work summarizes the use and dissemination of the SWAD blearning and academic management platform from 1999 to 2018. SWAD offers tools to support teaching management and learning, and has been used for 19 years by 180,000 users at the University of Granada (UGR). In the last 5 years it is also offered in an open and free way through the portal OpenSWAD.org, where it has been used by 23,000 users from 1,500 educational institutions around the world.Universidad de Granada: Departamento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadore