Polymeric foams as the matrix of voltammetric sensors for the detection of catechol, hydroquinone, and their mixtures

Producción CientíficaPorous electrodes based on polymethylmethacrylate and graphite foams (PMMA_G_F) have been developed and characterized. Such devices have been successfully used as voltammetric sensors to analyze catechol, hydroquinone, and their mixtures. The presence of pores induces important changes in the oxidation/reduction mechanism of catechol and hydroquinone with respect to the sensing properties observed in nonfoamed PMMA_graphite electrodes (PMMA_G). The electropolymerization processes of catechol or hydroquinone at the electrode surface observed using PMMA_G do not occur at the surface of the foamed PMM_G_F. In addition, the limits of detection observed in foamed electrodes are one order of magnitude lower than the observed in the nonfoamed electrodes. Moreover, foamed electrodes can be used to detect simultaneously both isomers and a remarkable increase in the electrocatalytic properties shown by the foamed samples, produces a decrease in the oxidation potential peak of catechol in presence of hydroquinone, from +0.7 V to +0.3 V. Peak currents increased linearly with concentration of catechol in presence of hydroquinone over the range of 0.37·10−3 M to 1.69·10−3 M with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.27 mM. These effects demonstrate the advantages obtained by increasing the active surface by means of porous structures.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project AGL2015-67482-R)Junta de Castilla y Leon - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project VA-011U16

Evaluation of styrene-divinylbenzene beads as a support to immobilize lipases

A commercial and very hydrophobic styrene-divinylbenzene matrix, MCI GEL® CHP20P, has been compared to octyl-Sepharose® beads as support to immobilize three different enzymes: lipases from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) and from Rhizomucor miehie (RML) and Lecitase ® Ultra, a commercial artificial phospholipase. The immobilization mechanism on both supports was similar: interfacial activation of the enzymes versus the hydrophobic surface of the supports. Immobilization rate and loading capacity is much higher using MCI GEL® CHP20P compared to octyl-Sepharose® (87.2 mg protein/g of support using TLL, 310 mg/g using RML and 180 mg/g using Lecitase® Ultra). The thermal stability of all new preparations is much lower than that of the standard octyl-Sepharose® immobilized preparations, while the opposite occurs when the inactivations were performed in the presence of organic co-solvents. Regarding the hydrolytic activities, the results were strongly dependent on the substrate and pH of measurement. Octyl-Sepharose ® immobilized enzymes were more active versus p-NPB than the enzymes immobilized on MCI GEL® CHP20P, while RML became 700-fold less active versus methyl phenylacetate. Thus, the immobilization of a lipase on this matrix needs to be empirically evaluated, since it may present very positive effects in some cases while in other cases it may have very negative ones. © 2014 by the authors.We gratefully recognize the support from the Spanish Government, grant CTQ2009-07568 and CTQ2013-41507-R and CNPq (Brazil). The predoctoral fellowships for García-Galán (Spanish Government) and dos Santos (CNPq, Brazil) are also recognized. The authors wish to thank Ramiro Martínez (Novozymes, Spain) for kindly supplying the enzymes used in this research. The help and comments from Ángel Berenguer (Instituto de Materiales, Universidad de Alicante) are kindly acknowledged. We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)Peer Reviewe

Parental effects and reproductive potential of fish and marine invertebrates: Cross-generational impact of environmental experiences

The reproductive success of aquatic animals depends on a complex web of relationships between the environment, the attributes of the reproductive individuals and human-induced selection. All of them are manifested directly or indirectly through parental effects, which can also compensate for certain external impacts. Parental effects refer to the influence that the phenotype and environmental conditions in which individuals develop exert on the phenotype of their offspring, and they can even have transgenerational impact. This paper describes the different types of parental effects and reviews the published literature to analyze the causes of their variation and their impact on reproductive resilience and population dynamics.Versión del edito

Enigmatic coloration pattern in greater weever Trachinus draco Linnaeus, 1758 and its biological significance

A total of 58 specimens of Trachinus draco Linnaeus, 1758 were caught in Galician waters (Northwest Spain) and the Gulf of Cádiz (South Spain) between June and November 2020. Twenty-eight of them were males, showed a distinct dark patch located above the pectoral fin and below the lateral line on both sides of the body. Bibliographic and photographic data showed the same coloration pattern over time and throughout their range of distribution. A temporary nuptial coloration in males is proposed for the first time as the cause of this coloration.En prensa0,40

Combined effects of ultrasound and immobilization protocol on butyl acetate synthesis catalyzed by CALB

It is well established that the performance of lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) as catalyst for esterification reactions may be improved by the use of ultrasound technology or by its immobilization on styrene-divinylbenzene beads (MCI-CALB). The present research evaluated the synthesis of butyl acetate using MCI-CALB under ultrasonic energy, comparing the results against those obtained using the commercial preparation, Novozym 435. The optimal conditions were determined using response surface methodology (RSM) evaluating the following parameters: reaction temperature, substrate molar ratio, amount of biocatalyst, and added water. The optimal conditions for butyl acetate synthesis catalyzed by MCI-CALB were: Temperature, 48.8 °C; substrate molar ratio, 3.46:1 alcohol: Acid; amount of biocatalyst, 7.5%; and added water 0.28%, both as substrate mass. Under these conditions, 90% of conversion was reached in 1.5 h. In terms of operational stability, MCI-CALB was reused in seven cycles while keeping 70% of its initial activity under ultrasonic energy. The support pore size and resistance are key points for the enzyme activity and stability under mechanical stirring. The use of ultrasound improved both activity and stability because of better homogeneity and reduced mechanical stress to the immobilized system.This work was supported by grants from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), and CTQ2013-41507-R from Spanish MINECO. We would like to thank Novozymes Spain for its comprehensive support of this research, in special Ramiro Martínez (Novozymes, Spain) for kindly supplying the enzymes used in the work. We also thank CNPq (Brazil) for a fellowship to A.M. Silva and FAPERGS (Brazil) for a fellowship to J.S. Alves. A Ph D. fellowship from Spanish Goberment to Miss Garcia-Galan is also acknowledged The help and suggestions from Ángel Berenguer-Murcia (Instituto de Materiales, Universidad de Alicante) are gratefully recognized. We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)Peer Reviewe

Effectiveness of sacubitril–valsartan in cancer patients with heart failure

Aims Current guidelines recommend sacubitril/valsartan for patients with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), but there is lack of evidence of its efficacy and safety in cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD). Our aim was to analyse the potential benefit of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with CTRCD. Methods and results We performed a retrospective multicentre registry (HF-COH) in six Spanish hospitals with cardiooncology clinics including all patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan. Demographic and clinical characteristics and laboratory and echocardiographic data were collected. Median follow-up was 4.6 [1; 11] months. Sixty-seven patients were included (median age was 63 ± 14 years; 64% were female, 87% had at least one cardiovascular risk factor). Median time from anti-cancer therapy to CTRD was 41 [10; 141] months. Breast cancer (45%) and lymphoma (39%) were the most frequent neoplasm, 31% had metastatic disease, and all patients were treated with combination antitumor therapy (70% with anthracyclines). Thirtynine per cent of patients had received thoracic radiotherapy. Baseline median LVEF was 33 [27; 37], and 21% had atrial fibrillation. Eighty-five per cent were on beta-blocker therapy and 76% on mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists; 90% of the patients were symptomatic NYHA functional class ≥II. Maximal sacubitril/valsartan titration dose was achieved in 8% of patients (50 mg b.i.d.: 60%; 100 mg b.i.d.: 32%). Sacubitril/valsartan was discontinued in four patients (6%). Baseline Nterminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (1552 pg/mL [692; 3624] vs. 776 [339; 1458]), functional class (2.2 ± 0.6 vs. 1.6 ± 0.6), and LVEF (33% [27; 37] vs. 42 [35; 50]) improved at the end of follow-up (all P values ≤0.01). No significant statistical differences were found in creatinine (0.9 mg/dL [0.7; 1.1] vs. 0.9 [0.7; 1.1]; P = 0.055) or potassium serum levels (4.5 mg/dL [4.1; 4.8] vs. 4.5 [4.2; 4.8]; P = 0.5). Clinical, echocardiographic, and biochemical improvements were found regardless of the achieved sacubitril–valsartan dose (low or medium/high doses). Conclusions Our experience suggests that sacubitril/valsartan is well tolerated and improves echocardiographic functional and structural parameters, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels, and symptomatic status in patients with CTRCD.This study was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain, and the EU—European Regional Development Fund, by means of a competitive call for excellence in research projects (PIE14/00066) as well as by the Spanish Cardiovascular Network (CIBERCV)

Mindfulness in Sexual Activity, Sexual Satisfaction and Erotic Fantasies in a Non-Clinical Sample

he goal of this study is to better understand the relation between the practice of Mindfulness and the sexual activity, sexual satisfaction and erotic fantasies of Spanish-speaking participants. This research focuses on the comparison between people who practice Mindfulness versus naïve people, and explores the practice of Mindfulness and its relation with the following variables about sexuality: body awareness and bodily dissociation, personal sexual satisfaction, partner and relationship-related satisfaction, desire, subjective sexual arousal, genital arousal, orgasm, pain, attitudes towards sexual fantasies and types of sexual fantasies. The sample consisted of 106 selected adults, 32 men and 74 women, who completed six measures on an online survey platform: (a) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), (b) Scale of Body Connection (SBC), (c) New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS), (d) Scale of Sexual Activity in Women (SSA-W) and Men (SSA-M), (e) Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF), (f) Wilson’s Sex Fantasy Questionnaire. In the MAAS, Body Awareness subscale (SBC), NSSS, SSA-W and SSA-M, HISF and intimate fantasies subscale (Wilson’s questionnaire), people in the Mindfulness condition showed higher scores and these differences were statistically significant. These results may have relevant implications in the sexuality of clinical and non-clinical samples

A meta-analysis and a functional study support the influence of mtDNA variant m.16519C on the risk of rapid progression of knee osteoarthritis

[Abstract] Objectives: To identify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variants associated with the risk of rapid progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to characterise their functional significance using a cellular model of transmitochondrial cybrids. Methods: Three prospective cohorts contributed participants. The osteoarthritis initiative (OAI) included 1095 subjects, the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee included 373 and 326 came from the PROspective Cohort of Osteoarthritis from A Coruña. mtDNA variants were screened in an initial subset of 450 subjects from the OAI by in-depth sequencing of mtDNA. A meta-analysis of the three cohorts was performed. A model of cybrids was constructed to study the functional consequences of harbouring the risk mtDNA variant by assessing: mtDNA copy number, mitochondrial biosynthesis, mitochondrial fission and fusion, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, autophagy and a whole transcriptome analysis by RNA-sequencing. Results: mtDNA variant m.16519C is over-represented in rapid progressors (combined OR 1.546; 95% CI 1.163 to 2.054; p=0.0027). Cybrids with this variant show increased mtDNA copy number and decreased mitochondrial biosynthesis; they produce higher amounts of mitochondrial ROS, are less resistant to oxidative stress, show a lower expression of the mitochondrial fission-related gene fission mitochondrial 1 and an impairment of autophagic flux. In addition, its presence modulates the transcriptome of cybrids, especially in terms of inflammation, where interleukin 6 emerges as one of the most differentially expressed genes. Conclusions: The presence of the mtDNA variant m.16519C increases the risk of rapid progression of knee OA. Among the most modulated biological processes associated with this variant, inflammation and negative regulation of cellular process stand out. The design of therapies based on the maintenance of mitochondrial function is recommended

StarHorse: A Bayesian tool for determining stellar masses, ages, distances, and extinctions for field stars

Understanding the formation and evolution of our Galaxy requires accurate distances, ages and chemistry for large populations of field stars. Here we present several updates to our spectro-photometric distance code, that can now also be used to estimate ages, masses, and extinctions for individual stars. Given a set of measured spectro-photometric parameters, we calculate the posterior probability distribution over a given grid of stellar evolutionary models, using flexible Galactic stellar-population priors. The code (called {\tt StarHorse}) can acommodate different observational datasets, prior options, partially missing data, and the inclusion of parallax information into the estimated probabilities. We validate the code using a variety of simulated stars as well as real stars with parameters determined from asteroseismology, eclipsing binaries, and isochrone fits to star clusters. Our main goal in this validation process is to test the applicability of the code to field stars with known {\it Gaia}-like parallaxes. The typical internal precision (obtained from realistic simulations of an APOGEE+Gaia-like sample) are $\simeq 8\%$ in distance, $\simeq 20\%$ in age,$\simeq 6\$ in mass, and $\simeq 0.04$ mag in $A_V$. The median external precision (derived from comparisons with earlier work for real stars) varies with the sample used, but lies in the range of $\simeq [0,2]\%$ for distances, $\simeq [12,31]\%$ for ages, $\simeq [4,12]\%$ for masses, and $\simeq 0.07$ mag for $A_V$. We provide StarHorse distances and extinctions for the APOGEE DR14, RAVE DR5, GES DR3 and GALAH DR1 catalogues.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepte

Solvothermal synthesis and characterization of ytterbium/iron mixed oxide nanoparticles with potential functionalities for applications as multiplatform contrast agent in medical image techniques

A solvothermal route to prepare Glutathione capped hybrid ytterbium/iron oxide nanoparticles with potential applications as multiplatform contrast agent in medical image techniques has been developed. The influence of ytterbium/iron molar ratio used as precursor, as well as the degree of the autoclave filling on the structural and morphological characteristics of the obtained nanoparticles has been extensively studied. Although all nanoparticles present similar composition, with YbFeO3 being the majority phase, size and morphology of the as synthetized nanoparticles are highly influenced by the critical temperature and by the over -saturation reached during the solvothermal process. We have demonstrated that glutathione properly functionalizes the hybrid nanoparticles, increasing their colloidal stability and decreasing their cytotoxicity. Additionally, they show good imaging in magnetic resonance and X-ray computerized tomography, thereby indicating promising potential as a dual contrast agent. This work presents, for the first time, glutathione functionalized ytterbium/iron oxide nanoparticles with potential applications in Biomedicine.12 página