Bomba de infusión intratecal implantable: evaluación de la calidad de vida de los pacientes con dolor crónico no oncológico en tratamiento con morfina

El dolor crónico no oncológico se considera un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial, puesto que es la causa más frecuente de sufrimiento y discapacidad. La analgesia intratecal surge como una nueva estrategia terapéutica para aquellos pacientes en quienes no han sido efectivos otros tipos de tratamientos y para aquellos que están sometidos a altas dosis de fármacos y/o sufren importantes efectos secundarios. El objetivo es evaluar la calidad de vida de los pacientes con DCNO tras la implantación de la bomba de infusión de morfina intratecal.Grado en Enfermerí

State of the art on toxicological mechanisms of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and strategies to reduce toxicological risks

Metal nanoparticles have been extensively investigated for different types of pharmaceutical applications. However, their use has raised some concerns about their toxicity involving the increase of reactive oxygen species causing cellular apoptosis. Therefore, in this review we summarize the most relevant toxicity mechanisms of gold, silver, copper and copper oxide nanoparticles as well as production methods of metal nanoparticles. Parameters involved in their toxicity such as size, surface charge and concentration are also highlighted. Moreover, a critical revision of the literature about the strategies used to reduce the toxicity of this type of nanoparticles is carried out throughout the review. Additionally, surface modifications using different coating strategies, nanoparticles targeting and morphology modifications are deeply explained.This work was funded by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTES), European Social Fund (FSE) of EU, through the project UIDB/04469/2020 (CEB strategic fund), co-funded by European Funds (PRODER/COMPETE) and FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perspectiva de género en docencia STEM

La Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, dentro del III Plan de Igualdad de Género 2016-2020, está llevando a cabo diferentes acciones para promover la transversalidad de género en la universidad. El presente artículo expone el trabajo del proyecto Género y Docencia, cuyo objetivo principal es la capacitación del personal académico para la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en la docencia. Este proyecto cuenta con la participación voluntaria de 41 docentes de 8 titulaciones STEM. Su duración, que coincide con el cuatrimestre de primavera de 2019, ha permitido llevar a cabo las estrategias propuestas a lo largo del curso. Los aspectos que se han tenido en cuenta incluyen la relevancia social y de género de las asignaturas, la metodología inclusiva, la gestión del aula y la evaluación. Se ha tenido especial cuidado en la elaboración de indicadores para poder realizar la correcta evaluación del proyecto a su término. Se ha elaborado una herramienta de autoevaluación para el equipo docente y un cuestionario para analizar la sensibilización del alumnado, así como su percepción respecto a la falta de igualdad de género en el ámbito docente.Postprint (published version

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive compounds from jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) fruit through a Box-Behnken experimental design

Jabuticaba is a very popular fruit in Brazil being a great source of compounds with considerable biological activities. Novel optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methods have been proposed for anthocyanins and total phenolic compounds from jabuticaba. A Box–Behnken experimental design (BBD) with a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of six independent variables (solvent composition, solvent-to-sample ratio, ultrasound amplitude and cycle, pH, and temperature) on the UAE. Solvent composition was found to be the most significant variable for the extraction of both anthocyanins (51%) and total phenolic compounds (72%). The other optimum conditions for anthocyanins were as follows: pH 7.00, 39.8 ºC, 20:1.5 mL:g solvent-to-sample ratio, 34% ultrasound amplitude and cycle of 0.47 seconds. The optimum conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds were: pH 7.00, 26.0 ºC, 20:1.5 (mL:g) solvent-to-sample ratio, 68.5% ultrasound amplitude and cycle of 0.5 seconds. The extraction kinetic was also evaluated. The developed methods showed a high precision, with coefficients of variation of less than 5% for both repeatability and intermediate precision (within-lab reproducibility). The applicability of the new methods was successfully evaluated on several fruits and jams from jabuticaba

Microcosm experiments to control anaerobic redox conditions when studying the fate of organic micropollutants in aquifer material

      The natural processes occurring in subsurface environments have proven to effectively remove a number of organic pollutants from water. The predominant redox conditions revealed to be one of the controlling factors. However, in the case of organic micropollutants the knowledge on this potential redox-dependent behavior is still limited. Motivated by managed aquifer recharge practices microcosm experiments involving aquifer material, settings potentially feasible in field applications, and organic micropollutants at environmental concentrations were carried out. Different anaerobic redox conditions were promoted and sustained in each set of microcosms by adding adequate quantities of electron donors and acceptors. Whereas denitrification and sulfate-reducing conditions are easily achieved and maintained, Fe- and Mn-reduction are strongly constrained by the slower dissolution of the solid phases commonly present in aquifers. The thorough description and numerical modeling of the evolution of the experiments, including major and trace solutes and dissolution/precipitation of solid phases, have been proven necessary to the understanding of the processes and closing the mass balance. As an example of micropollutant results, the ubiquitous beta-blocker atenolol is completely removed in the experiments, the removal occurring faster under more advanced redox conditions. This suggests that aquifers constitute a potentially efficient alternative water treatment for atenolol, especially if adequate redox conditions are promoted during recharge and long enough residence times are ensured. &nbsp

Spectrophotometric Measurement of Carbonate Ion in Seawater over a Decade: Dealing with Inconsistencies

The spectrophotometric methodology for carbonate ion determination in seawater was first published in 2008 and has been continuously evolving in terms of reagents and formulations. Although being fast, relatively simple, affordable, and potentially easy to implement in different platforms and facilities for discrete and autonomous observations, its use is not widespread in the ocean acidification community. This study uses a merged overdetermined CO2 system data set (carbonate ion, pH, and alkalinity) obtained from 2009 to 2020 to assess the differences among the five current approaches of the methodology through an internal consistency analysis and discussing the sources of uncertainty. Overall, the results show that none of the approaches meet the climate goal (± 1 % standard uncertainty) for ocean acidification studies for the whole carbonate ion content range in this study but usually fulfill the weather goal (± 10 % standard uncertainty). The inconsistencies observed among approaches compromise the consistency of data sets among regions and through time, highlighting the need for a validated standard operating procedure for spectrophotometric carbonate ion measurements as already available for the other measurable CO2 variables.4,84

Food Safety

24 Páginas.-- 2 FigurasEmerging and re-emerging food safety risks are driven by climate change and other factors like globalization, water scarcity, population aging, and migration, among others. These factors affect the persistence and occurrence of conventional and emerging primary risks. Successful initiatives to manage emerging risks need to identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential risks as well as to respond with sustainable strategies able to reduce the threatsPeer reviewe

GNIP1 E3 ubiquitin ligase is a novel player in regulating glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Background: Glycogenin-interacting protein 1 (GNIP1) is a tripartite motif (TRIM) protein with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity that interacts with glycogenin. These data suggest that GNIP1 could play a major role in the control of glycogen metabolism. However, direct evidence based on functional analysis remains to be obtained. Objectives: The aim of this study was 1) to define the expression pattern of glycogenin-interacting protein/ Tripartite motif containing protein 7 (GNIP/TRIM7) isoforms in humans, 2) to test their ubiquitin E3 ligase activity, and 3) to analyze the functional effects of GNIP1 on muscle glucose/glycogen metabolism both in human cultured cells and in vivo in mice. Results: We show that GNIP1 was the most abundant GNIP/TRIM7 isoform in human skeletal muscle, whereas in cardiac muscle only TRIM7 was expressed. GNIP1 and TRIM7 had autoubiquitination activity in vitro and were localized in the Golgi apparatus and cytosol respectively in LHCN-M2 myoblasts. GNIP1 overexpression increased glucose uptake in LHCN-M2 myotubes. Overexpression of GNIP1 in mouse muscle in vivo increased glycogen content, glycogen synthase (GS) activity and phospho-GSK-3α/β (Ser21/9) and phospho-Akt (Ser473) content, whereas decreased GS phosphorylation in Ser640. These modifications led to decreased blood glucose levels, lactate levels and body weight, without changing whole-body insulin or glucose tolerance in mouse. Conclusion: GNIP1 is an ubiquitin ligase with a markedly glycogenic effect in skeletal muscle

Short-term variability in the activity and composition of the diazotroph community in a coastal upwelling system

Today we know that diazotrophs are common and active in nitrogen (N) replete regions, however the factors controlling their distribution remain elusive. Previous studies in upwelling regions revealed that the composition of diazotrophs responded to changes in hydrodynamic forcing over seasonal scales. Here we used high-frequency observations collected during a 3-week cruise in the upwelling region off NW Iberia to describe changes in the activity and composition of diazotrophs over shorter temporal scales. The cruise started after a strong upwelling event followed by a few days of relaxation-downwelling, and soon after another upwelling pulse. Higher N2 fixation rates (2.2 ± 0.7 µmol m-3 d-1) were measured during relaxation-downwelling, when surface nitrate concentration was low. During the fertilization associated with the upwelling, N2 fixation dramatically decreased to 0.10 ± 0.09 µmol m-3 d-1. The comparison with nitrate consumption and diffusion confirmed the minor role of N2 fixation (<1%) as a source of new N for primary production. The unicellular cyanobacterium UCYN-A2 was the dominant diazotroph during the cruise. UCYN-A2 abundance was four times higher during relaxation-downwelling (4x104 copies L-1) compared to upwelling conditions (0.2x104 copies L-1), when the unusual Epsilonproteobacteria increased their relative abundance. These results indicate that diazotrophs can respond rapidly to changes in the environment, and point out to the availability of N as a key factor controlling the activity, composition and distribution of diazotrophs in eutrophic regions

Efficacy and tolerability of EH301 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human pilot study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, characterized by progressive loss of spinal and cortical motor neurons, leading to muscular atrophy, respiratory failure, and ultimately death. There is no known cure, and the clinical benefit of the two drugs approved to treat ALS remains unclear. Novel disease-modifying therapeutics that are able to modulate the disease course are desperately needed. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of Elysium Health's candidate drug EH301 in people with ALS (PALS).This was a single-center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. Thirty-two PALS were recruited thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for ALS Research (FUNDELA). Study participants were randomized to receive either EH301 or placebo and underwent evaluation for 4 months. Differences between EH301 and placebo-treated participants were evaluated based on standard clinical endpoints, including the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading scale.Compared to placebo, participants treated with EH301 demonstrated significant improvements in the ALSFRS-R score, pulmonary function, muscular strength, and in skeletal muscle/fat weight ratio. EH301 was shown to significantly slow the progression of ALS relative to placebo, and even showed improvements in several key outcome measures compared with baseline.This study provides evidence in support of the disease-modifying effects of EH301 for the treatment of ALS.Study Funded by the Catholic University San Vicente Mártir [grant 2017-216-001] and the University of Valencia [grant OTR2017-18255INVES] (Valencia, Spain). Elysium Health, Inc., NY (USA), provided the compounds tested in this study.Medicin