Functional Glyconanomaterials

Nanotechnology provides a new array of techniques and platforms to study biological processes including glycosystems [...

Incidencia de la cáscara de yuca en las propiedades físico-mecánicas del adobe artesanal, en la provincia de Atalaya, Ucayali 2022

Este proyecto de investigación que se realizó en la provincia de Atalaya que se encuentra dentro de las cuatro provincias que conforman Ucayali, está ubicado a 220 msnm, y se encuentra rodeada por los ríos Tambo. Urubamba, que a su vez forman el río Ucayali. La investigación “Incidencia de la cáscara de yuca en las propiedades físico - mecánicas del adobe artesanal, en la provincia de Atalaya, Ucayali 2022”, teniendo como objetivo, determinar la influencia de la adición de cáscara de yuca en las propiedades físicas y mecánicas del adobe artesanal. lo cual nos permitió evaluar las ventajas o desventajas en las propiedades físico – mecanices del adobe a través de ensayos en laboratorio, ya que como hipótesis de investigación es mejorar sus propiedades físicas y mecánicas en resistencia a la compresión y resistencia a flexión hasta un 10% en ambos casos de adición de cáscara de yuca, los ensayos de laboratorio se realizan en estricto cumplimiento de la normatividad nacional e internacional vigente, los especímenes o muestras son sometidos a su máximo esfuerzo. Siendo la investigación de tipo cuasiexperimental permitiéndonos evaluar las propiedades físicas y mecánicas del adobe y medir el logro de los objetivos específicos que se ha estructurado la investigación que fueron: Evaluar la influencia de la adición del 3%, 5% y 7% de cáscara de yuca en la resistencia a compresión, flexión y absorción de agua. Finalmente se analizan los resultados, luego de las discusiones, se presentan las conclusiones y recomendaciones de la investigación, adjuntándose los anexos

Curado de anchoa (engraulis encrasicholus), por sustitución parcial o total del cloruro sódico (nacl),por cloruro potásico (kcl) y/o cloruro magnésico(mgcl)

Debido a que un porcentaje significativo de la población mundial sufre problemas cardiovasculares y afecciones hepáticas por retención de líquidos, en parte causada y/o acentuada por la ingesta de sodio, se decidió realizar el presente estudio con el propósito de obtener un producto curado mas cardiosaludable, de alto consumo en España y los países mediterráneos, como son los filetes de anchoa ( Engraulis encrasicholus), mediante la técnica de sustitución total o parcial del Cloruro sódico (NaCl), por Cloruro potásico (KCl) y/o Cloruro Magnésico (MgCl El trabajo incluyó la realización de diferentes pruebas analíticas, que permitieron dar una mayor visión de las propiedades nutricionales del alimento y de sus aspectos fisicoquímicos. Asimismo se realizó una evaluación de los atributos sensoriales del producto obtenido, recurriendo a catadores no experimentados, con lo que se pretendía conocer el grado de aceptación de los productos obtenidos con bajo contenido en sodio, frente a los tradicionalmente consumidos.).Palabras Clave: Cardiosaludable; sodio; anchoas; potasio; magnesio

Pathological changes of renal biopsy in Sjögren Syndrome

We are presenting the case of a 53-year-old woman with a history of Sjögren syndrome and a secondary antiphospholipid syndrome admitted at the Nephrology department for the evaluation of renal failure. The patient was initially diagnosed with tubulointerstitial nephritis and subsequently a membranoproliferative type I glomerulonephritis, secondary to cryoglobulins during the course of the disease. Repeated renal biopsies were required to confirm the diagnosis

Methylation alterations are not a major cause of PTTG1 missregulation

Background: On its physiological cellular context, PTTG1 controls sister chromatid segregation during mitosis. Within its crosstalk to the cellular arrest machinery, relies a checkpoint of integrity for which gained the over name of securin. PTTG1 was found to promote malignant transformation in 3T3 fibroblasts, and further found to be overexpressed in different tumor types. More recently, PTTG1 has been also related to different processes such as DNA repair and found to trans-activate different cellular pathways involving c-myc, bax or p53, among others. PTTG1 over-expression has been correlated to a worse prognosis in thyroid, lung, colorectal cancer patients, and it can not be excluded that this effect may also occur in other tumor types. Despite the clinical relevance and the increasing molecular characterization of PTTG1, the reason for its up-regulation remains unclear. Method: We analysed PTTG1 differential expression in PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP tumor cell lines, cultured in the presence of the methyl-transferase inhibitor 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine. We also tested whether the CpG island mapping PTTG1 proximal promoter evidenced a differential methylation pattern in differentiated thyroid cancer biopsies concordant to their PTTG1 immunohistochemistry status. Finally, we performed whole-genome LOH studies using Affymetix 50 K microarray technology and FRET analysis to search for allelic imbalances comprising the PTTG1 locus. Conclusion: Our data suggest that neither methylation alterations nor LOH are involved in PTTG1 over-expression. These data, together with those previously reported, point towards a post-transcriptional level of missregulation associated to PTTG1 over-expression.This project was funded by The Fundación de Investigación Biomédica Mutua Madrileña Automovilista. Neocodex have been partially funded by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain (FIT-010000-2004-69, PTQ04-1-0006, PTQ2003-0549, PTQ2003-0546 and PTQ2003-0783). MAJ was also supported by SAF2005- 07713-C03-03 and CS by FIS 06/757

Reflexiones sobre el empleo de modelos numéricos “User Friendly” en la práctica profesional de la Ingeniería Marítima.

El empleo de modelos numéricos avanzados en el desarrollo cotidiano de la profesión como ingeniero marítimo es un hecho innegable e irrenunciable. Los procedimientos manuales clásicos de propagación de oleajes en fondos con batimetría recta y paralela o fondo de profundidad constante, con los que se han diseñado muchos de los puertos españoles de otras épocas, han quedado relegados al ámbito de los estudios de encaje preliminar y anteproyectos (Chamorro Sosa, et al.2016). La enorme potencia computacional que el ingeniero marítimo tiene hoy a su alcance y la eficiencia de los modelos matemáticos existentes contrasta con el insuficiente conocimiento que, por lo general, éste dispone de las bases e hipótesis básicas con las que se han desarrollado estos modelos, lo que los convierte en auténticas “cajas negras” de excelente interfaz y fácil empleo (‘user friendly’), pero que podrían generar resultados espurios alejados de la realidad que pasan fácilmente desapercibidos (Muñoz-Pérez, et al. 2010). Más allá de la hipótesis de onda de pequeña amplitud de la teoría lineal de ondas, existen otras limitaciones mucho menos conocidas. Tal es el caso del planteamiento de las condiciones de contorno (CDC) en problemas de propagación de tipo elíptico como la Mild-Slope Equation (MSE) (Berkhoff.1976). Dichas CDC dependen del ángulo con el que las ondas reflejadas por los bordes físicos del dominio de integración cerrado alcanzan dichos contornos, siendo este ángulo desconocido a priori. Los modelos existentes en el mercado ofrecen sólo soluciones aproximadas a este problema. Cuando la estimación que el modelo matemático hace del ángulo de aproximación del potencial de velocidad al contorno no es afinada, éste genera una onda reflejada espuria hacia el interior del dominio de integración que se superpone y contamina la solución numérica; el usuario debería ser consciente siempre de ello. Con frecuencia, el ingeniero dedicado al ejercicio de la profesión y usuario de este tipo de software comercial está alejado del mundo de los modelos numéricos, y viceversa. Se evidencia, por tanto, un importante escollo entre los dos mundos que resulta sorprendente. Los manuales de uso y referencia de los modelos matemáticos comerciales son excelentes textos en los que se indican explícitamente las bases teóricas e hipótesis de partida de los modelos; no esconden las limitaciones de sus modelos pero a la postre resultan muy difíciles de entender para muchos ingenieros usuarios de la herramienta informática con probada y extensa experiencia profesional pero alejados de los entresijos de los métodos numéricos en ingeniería. En el artículo se expondrán varios modelos que simulan fenómenos de propagación simples y bien conocidos: difracción en una dársena portuaria, propagación de onda sobre fondo constante, etc. El empleo de modelos tan sencillos facilita que el lector disponga de una batería de ejemplos de verificación que pongan de manifiesto los problemas y limitaciones de los modelos numéricos al emplear CDC de primer orden. Se empleará un modelo de elementos finitos de la ecuación elíptica lineal de la MSE, desarrollado por los autores, en el que de forma muy gráfica e intencionada se observan y comparan los resultados del modelo, simplemente cambiando las condiciones de contorno o la geometría del dominio de integració

Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Incidence and risk factors: A Mediterranean cohort study

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the incidence of Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) and its components, and to evaluate the acute infection phase associated risk factors.Methods: A prospective cohort study of adult patients who had recovered from COVID-19 (27th February to 29th April 2020) confirmed by PCR or subsequent seroconversion, with a systematic assessment 10-14 weeks after disease onset. PCS was defined as the persistence of at least one clinically relevant symptom, or abnormalities in spirometry or chest radiology. Outcome predictors were analyzed by multiple logistic regression (OR; 95%CI).Results: Two hundred seventy seven patients recovered from mild (34.3%) or severe (65.7%) forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection were evaluated 77 days (IQR 72-85) after disease onset. PCS was detected in 141 patients (50.9%; 95%CI 45.0-56.7%). Symptoms were mostly mild. Alterations in spirometry were noted in 25/269 (9.3%), while in radiographs in 51/277 (18.9%). No baseline clinical features behaved as independent predictors of PCS development.Conclusions: A Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome was detected in a half of COVID19 survivors. Radiological and spirometric changes were mild and observed in less than 25% of patients. No baseline clinical features behaved as independent predictors of Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome development

Three-dimensional cardiac fibre disorganization as a novel parameter for ventricular arrhythmia stratification after myocardial infarction

Aims: Myocardial infarction (MI) alters cardiac fibre organization with unknown consequences on ventricular arrhythmia. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of three-dimensional (3D) cardiac fibres and scar reconstructions to identify the main parameters associated with ventricular arrhythmia inducibility and ventricular tachycardia (VT) features after MI. Methods and results: Twelve pigs with established MI and three controls underwent invasive electrophysiological characterization of ventricular arrhythmia inducibility and VT features. Animal-specific 3D scar and myocardial fibre distribution were obtained from ex vivo high-resolution contrast-enhanced T1 mapping and DTI sequences. Diffusion tensor imaging-derived parameters significantly different between healthy and scarring myocardium, scar volumes, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were included for arrhythmia risk stratification and correlation analyses with VT features. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was the only inducible arrhythmia in 4 out of 12 infarcted pigs and all controls. Ventricular tachycardia was also inducible in the remaining eight pigs during programmed ventricular stimulation. A DTI-based 3D fibre disorganization index (FDI) showed higher disorganization within dense scar regions of VF-only inducible pigs compared with VT inducible animals (FDI: 0.36; 0.36-0.37 vs. 0.32; 0.26-0.33, respectively, P = 0.0485). Ventricular fibrillation induction required lower programmed stimulation aggressiveness in VF-only inducible pigs than VT inducible and control animals. Neither LVEF nor scar volumes differentiated between VF and VT inducible animals. Re-entrant VT circuits were localized within areas of highly disorganized fibres. Moreover, the FDI within heterogeneous scar regions was associated with the median VT cycle length per animal (R2 = 0.5320). Conclusion: The amount of scar-related cardiac fibre disorganization in DTI sequences is a promising approach for ventricular arrhythmia stratification after MI.The CNIC (Madrid, Spain) is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Pro CNIC Foundation. The CNIC and the BSC (Barcelona, Spain) are Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505 and SEV-2011-0067, respectively). This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (RD12/0042/0036, CB16/11/00458), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (SAF2016-80324-R, PI16/02110, and DTS17/00136), and by the European Commission [ERA-CVD Joint Call (JTC2016/APCIN-ISCIII-2016), grant#AC16/00021]. The study was also partially supported by the Fundacion Interhospitalaria para la Investigacion Cardiovascular (FIC, Madrid, Spain), the Spanish Society of Cardiology (Dr. Pedro Zarco award) and the Heart Rhythm section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (DFR). J.J. is supported by R01 Grant HL122352 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, USA National Institutes of Health. J.A.S. is funded by the CompBioMed project, H2020-EU.1.4.1.3 European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, grant#675451. D.G.L. has received financial support through the 'la Caixa' Fellowship Grant for Doctoral Studies, 'la Caixa' Banking Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.S

Metoprolol blunts the time-dependent progression of infarct size.

Early metoprolol administration protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, but its effect on infarct size progression (ischemic injury) is unknown. Eight groups of pigs (total n = 122) underwent coronary artery occlusion of varying duration (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, or 60 min) followed by reperfusion. In each group, pigs were randomized to i.v. metoprolol (0.75 mg/kg) or vehicle (saline) 20 min after ischemia onset. The primary outcome measure was infarct size (IS) on day7 cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) normalized to area at risk (AAR, measured by perfusion computed tomography [CT] during ischemia). Metoprolol treatment reduced overall mortality (10% vs 26%, p = 0.03) and the incidence and number of primary ventricular fibrillations during infarct induction. In controls, IS after 20-min ischemia was ≈ 5% of the area AAR. Thereafter, IS progressed exponentially, occupying almost all the AAR after 35 min of ischemia. Metoprolol injection significantly reduced the slope of IS progression (p = 0.004 for final IS). Head-to-head comparison (metoprolol treated vs vehicle treated) showed statistically significant reductions in IS at 30, 35, 40, and 50-min reperfusion. At 60-min reperfusion, IS was 100% of AAR in both groups. Despite more prolonged ischemia, metoprolol-treated pigs reperfused at 50 min had smaller infarcts than control pigs undergoing ischemia for 40 or 45 min and similar-sized infarcts to those undergoing 35-min ischemia. Day-45 LVEF was higher in metoprolol-treated vs vehicle-treated pigs (41.6% vs 36.5%, p = 0.008). In summary, metoprolol administration early during ischemia attenuates IS progression and reduces the incidence of primary ventricular fibrillation. These data identify metoprolol as an intervention ideally suited to the treatment of STEMI patients identified early in the course of infarction and requiring long transport times before primary angioplasty.This study received funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (“RETOS 2019” Grant no. PID2019-107332RB-I00), from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; PI16/02110) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “A way of making Europe” (# AC16/00021), and from the Spanish Society of Cardiology through a 2017 Translational Research grant. BI has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC-Consolidator Grant agreement no. 819775). M.L received support from a 2015 Severo Ochoa CNIC intramural grant. X.R. received support from the SEC-CNIC CARDIOJOVEN fellowship program. R.F-J is a recipient of funding from the Carlos III Institute of Health-Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria (PI19/01704) and has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 707642. EO is recipient of funds from Programa de Atracción de Talento (2017-T1/BMD-5185) of Comunidad de Madrid. The CNIC is supported by the ISCIII, the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505).S

Generation and characterization of a novel knockin minipig model of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is an extremely rare genetic disorder for which no cure exists. The disease is characterized by premature aging and inevitable death in adolescence due to cardiovascular complications. Most HGPS patients carry a heterozygous de novo LMNA c.1824C > T mutation, which provokes the expression of a dominant-negative mutant protein called progerin. Therapies proven effective in HGPS-like mouse models have yielded only modest benefit in HGPS clinical trials. To overcome the gap between HGPS mouse models and patients, we have generated by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing the first large animal model for HGPS, a knockin heterozygous LMNA c.1824C > T Yucatan minipig. Like HGPS patients, HGPS minipigs endogenously co-express progerin and normal lamin A/C, and exhibit severe growth retardation, lipodystrophy, skin and bone alterations, cardiovascular disease, and die around puberty. Remarkably, the HGPS minipigs recapitulate critical cardiovascular alterations seen in patients, such as left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, altered cardiac electrical activity, and loss of vascular smooth muscle cells. Our analysis also revealed reduced myocardial perfusion due to microvascular damage and myocardial interstitial fibrosis, previously undescribed readouts potentially useful for monitoring disease progression in patients. The HGPS minipigs provide an appropriate preclinical model in which to test human-size interventional devices and optimize candidate therapies before advancing to clinical trials, thus accelerating the development of effective applications for HGPS patients.This project was mainly supported by an Established Investigator Award from the Progeria Research Foundation (2014-52), and from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER, “A way to build Europe”) (SAF2016-79490-R, CB16/11/00405). Ana Barettino has a predoctoral contract from MCIU (BES-2017-079705). Work at Universidad de Murcia is supported by Fundación Seneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia (20040/GERM/16). The CNIC is supported by the MCIU and the Pro-CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505).S