4,358 research outputs found

    L'impacte del moviment "idol" en la societat japonesa

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    Els idols són persones que formen part del món de la indústria de l'entreteniment japonesa que no destaquen en cap habilitat en especial, però que han esdevingut un fenomen de masses a nivell nacional. Desenvolupen tota mena de rols dins el món de l'entreteniment però sense mai tenir talent en cap d'ells. Els idols, però, són molt més que simples productes amb la finalitat de ser consumits pel públic japonès. A través d'ells podem arribar a comprendre un seguit d'aspectes de la societat japonesa que no podem comprendre sense tenir en consideració la gran presència i impacte que ha tingut el moviment idol en el conjunt de la societat des dels seus inicis fins l'actualitat.Los idols son personas que forman parte del mundo de la industria del entretenimiento japonés que no destacan en ninguna habilidad es especial, pero que se han convertido en un fenómeno de masas a nivel nacional. Llevan a cabo todo tipo de roles dentro del mundo del entretenimiento pero sin tener nunca un talento especial en ninguno de ellos. Los idols, no obstante, son mucho más que simples productos con el fin de ser consumidos por el público japonés. A través de ellos podemos llegar a comprender un seguido de aspectos de la sociedad japonesa que no podemos comprender sin tener en cuenta el impacto y la presencia que ha tenido el movimiento idol en el conjunto de la sociedad desde sus inicios hasta la actualidad.Idols in Japan are part of the Japanese entertainment industry who do not particularly excel in any specific skill regardless of their popularity across the country. They develop several roles within the entertainment world, but they never have a specific talent in any of them. Idols, nevertheless, are much more than just products to be consumed by the Japanese audience. Through them, we can come to understand several aspects of Japan's society that we would not be able to understand without taking into consideration the notorious presence and impact the idol movement has had in society since its beginnings to the present day

    Central sleep apnoea is related to the severity and short-term prognosis of acute coronary syndrome

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    Objective To evaluate the relation of central sleep apnoea (CSA) to the severity and short-term prognosis of patients who experience acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods Observational study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Patients acutely admitted to participating hospitals because of ACS underwent respiratory polygraphy during the first 24 to 72 h. CSA was defined as an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) >15 events·h-1 (>50% of central apnoeas). ACS severity (Killip class, ejection fraction, number of diseased vessels and peak plasma troponin) was evaluated at baseline, and short-term prognosis (length of hospitalization, complications and mortality) was evaluated at discharge.This work was supported by: ResMed Ltd. (Australia); Fondo de InvestigacioÂn Sanitaria (PI10/02763 and PI10/02745), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Una manera de hacer Europa; the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR); the Catalonian Cardiology Society, Esteve-Teijin (Spain); Oxigen Salud (Spain); and ALLER. This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no [609396]. Cofunded by Ministerio de EconomõÂa y Competitividad [COFUND2014-51501]

    In vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activity of amphipterygium adstringens

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    Amphipterygium adstringens is a plant widely used in Mexican traditional medicine for its known anti-inflammatory and antiulcer properties. In this work, we evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of the methanolic extract of A. adstringens against oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Candida albicans, and Candida dubliniensis, using microdilution (MIC) and agar diffusion methods (MBC), and the antiproliferative activity evaluating total growth inhibition (TGI) by staining the protein content with sulforhodamine B (SRB), using nine human cancer cell lines. Crude extract (CE) of A. adstringens showed some degree of activity against one or more of the strains with a MIC from 0.125 mg/mL to 63 mg/mL and MBC from 1.6 to 6.3 mg/mL and cytotoxic activity, particularly against NCI-ADR/RES, (a)n ovarian cell line expressing multiple resistance drugs phenotype. The CE is a complex mixture of possible multitarget metabolites that could be responsible for both antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities, and further investigation is required to elucidate the identity of active compounds. Nevertheless the CE itself is useful in the development of new antimicrobial treatment based on natural products to prevent oral diseases and as alternative natural source for cancer treatment and prevention2015PROMEP, Mexic

    Assessing sleep health in a European population: results of the catalan health survey 2015

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    Objective To describe the overall sleep health of the Catalan population using data from the 2015 Catalan Health Survey and to compare the performance of two sleep health indicators: sleep duration and a 5-dimension sleep scale (SATED). Methods Multistage probability sampling representative of the non-institutionalized population aged 15 or more years, stratified by age, gender and municipality size, was used, excluding nightshift-workers. A total of 4385 surveys were included in the analyses. Associations between sleep health and the number of reported chronic diseases were assessed using non-parametric smoothed splines. Differences in the predictive ability of age-adjusted logistic regression models of self-rated health status were assessed. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess SATED determinants. Results Overall mean (SD) sleep duration was 7.18 (1.16) hours; and SATED score 7.91 (2.17) (range 0–10), lower (worse) scores were associated with increasing age and female sex. Alertness and efficiency were the most frequently impaired dimensions across age groups. SATED performed better than sleep duration when assessing self-rated health status (area under the curve = 0.856 vs. 0.798; p-value <0.001), and had a linear relationship with the number of reported chronic diseases, while the sleep duration relationship was u-shaped. Conclusions Sleep health in Catalonia is associated with age and gender. SATED has some advantaged compared to sleep duration assessment, as it relates linearly to health indicators, has a stronger association with self-rated health status, and provides a more comprehensive assessment of sleep health. Therefore, the inclusion of multi-dimensional sleep health assessment tools in national surveys should be considered.This work was cofunded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [COFUND2014-51501]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

    X-ray diffraction, cements and environment, three worlds in one

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    This keynote lecture will be focused on the strategies for reducing CO2 emissions in the cement production. Concretely, the production of ecocements with optimised formulations that yield reductions in CO2 emissions of up to 25%, when compared to OPC production. Phase assemblage has to be carefully optimised to be competitive and these new ecocements should develop compressive strengths of at least 50 MPa at 28 days of hydration. Optimised compositions of several ecocements will be discussed, but all of them are ye'elimite or calcium sulphoaluminate containing ones: belite-ye'elimite-ferrite (BYF), belite-alite-ye'elimite (BAY) and ye'elimite rich ones (CSA). The clinkering temperature of BYF and BAY has to be established to obtain the targeted phase assemblages. Moreover, the stabilisation of alpha-forms of belite is needed to develop high mechanical strengths at early ages. The benefits of the use of waste materials (such as fly ash or slag) as additions to ecocements are three-fold: lower CO2 emissions due to clinker replacement; valorisation of “useless” products that need a lot of landscape and the consequent efficient consumption of raw materials; and to enhance mechanical properties of the corresponding mortars. The design of appropriate CSA, BYF and BAY mortars, with the final aim of knowing and controlling the hydration mechanisms, will be presented. Particularly, the role of i) type and amount of set regulator (gypsum, anhydrite, etc.), ii) water/cement ratio (w/c); iii) superplasticiser; and iv) pozzolanic additions will be discussed. The role of these parameters in the microstructure and hydraulic behaviour has been investigated through traditional techniques as well as advanced synchrotron characterisation. The formers include laboratory/synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction combined with Rietveld methodology (to obtain phase assemblage), electron microscopy techniques for paste microstructure determination, rheological studies (to control the effect of the different additives, w/c ratio and setting time retarders) and mechanical tests (setting times, compressive strengths and dimensional stability). The latters comprise a group of techniques available at synchrotrons such as: i) high temperature x-ray diffraction for clinkering studies and ii) total scattering data to be analysed by pair distribution function, PDF.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. PhD D. Londono-Zuluaga thanks Colciencias and Enlaza Mundos program PhD grant. Spanish MINECO (BIA2014-57658-C2-2-R, which is co-funded by FEDER, BIA2014-57658-C2-1-R and I3 (IEDI-2016-0079) grants) are acknowledged

    A Survey of key methods, traits, parameters, and conditions for measuring texture in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.)

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    In the cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) industry, the textural properties and firmness of the fruit are priority traits for producing processed products, such as sweetened dried cranberry (SDC), which have gained popularity in recent years. However, there is currently no reliable methodology for screening these traits in breeding programs. In this study, we examine the key methodologies, textural traits, parameters, and conditions that are necessary to accurately and efficiently measure the texture of cranberry fruit. Double compression, single compression, puncture, shearing and Kramer shear cell methodologies were successfully implemented in cranberry, resulting in a total of 47 textural features. These features allowed the evaluation of the texture of the cranberry fruit based on key factors such as flesh, structure, and skin. This study also examined factors than can affect the performance of texture measurements, including the optimal sample size, storage time, fruit texture-size correlation, fruit temperature and orientation, optimal speed/strain combinations, and the effect of probe diameter. The results of the study suggests that certain texture traits of the compression and puncture methodologies could potentially be used to test varieties and aid in breeding program

    Heterogeneity of melanoma cell responses to sleep apnea-derived plasma exosomes and to intermittent hypoxia

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    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cutaneous melanoma incidence and adverse outcomes. Exosomes are secreted by most cells, and play a role in OSA-associated tumor progression and metastasis. We aimed to study the effects of plasma exosomes from OSA patients before and after adherent treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on melanoma cells lines, and also to identify exosomal miRNAs from melanoma cells exposed to intermittent hypoxia (IH) or normoxia. Plasma-derived exosomes were isolated from moderate-to-severe OSA patients before (V1) and after (V2) adherent CPAP treatment for one year. Exosomes were co-incubated with three3 different melanoma cell lines (CRL 1424; CRL 1619; CRL 1675) that are characterized by genotypes involving different mutations in BRAF, STK11, CDKN2A, and PTEN genes to assess the effect of exosomes on cell proliferation and migration, as well as on pAMK activity in the presence or absence of a chemical activator. Subsequently, CRL-1424 and CRL-1675 cells were exposed to intermittent hypoxia (IH) and normoxia, and exosomal miRNAs were identified followed by GO and KEG pathways and gene networks. The exosomes from these IH-exposed melanoma cells were also administered to THP1 macrophages to examine changes in M1 and M2 polarity markers. Plasma exosomes from V1 increased CRL-1424 melanoma cell proliferation and migration compared to V2, but not the other two cell lines. Exposure to CRL-1424 exosomes reduced pAMPK/tAMPK in V1 compared to V2, and treatment with AMPK activator reversed the effects. Unique exosomal miRNAs profiles were identified for CRL-1424 and CRL-1675 in IH compared to normoxia, with six miRNAs being regulated and several KEGG pathways were identified. Two M1 markers (CXCL10 and IL6) were significantly increased in monocytes when treated with exosomes from IH-exposed CRL-1424 and CRL-1625 cells. Our findings suggest that exosomes from untreated OSA patients increase CRL-1424 melanoma malignant properties, an effect that is not observed in two other melanoma cell lines. Exosomal cargo from CRL-1424 cells showed a unique miRNA signature compared to CRL-1675 cells after IH exposures, suggesting that melanoma cells are differentially susceptible to IH, even if they retain similar effects on immune cell polarity. It is postulated that mutations in STK-11 gene encoding for the serine/threonine kinase family that acts as a tumor suppressor may underlie susceptibility to IH-induced metabolic dysfunction, as illustrated by CRL-1424 cells. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

    New short cationic antibacterial peptides. Synthesis, biological activity and mechanism of action

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    We report a theoretical and experimental study on a new series of small-sized antibacterial peptides. Synthesis and bioassays for these peptides are reported here. In addition, we evaluated different physicochemical parameters that modulate antimicrobial activity (charge, secondary structure, amphipathicity, hydrophobicity and polarity). We also performed molecular dynamic simulations to assess the interaction between these peptides and their molecular target (the membrane). Biophysical characterization of the peptides was carried out with different techniques, such as circular dichroism (CD), linear dichroism (LD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), fluorescence spectroscopy and TEM studies using model systems (liposomes) for mammalian and bacterial membranes. The results of this study allow us to draw important conclusions on three different aspects. Theoretical and experimental results indicate that small-sized peptides have a particular mechanism of action that is different to that of large peptides. These results provide additional support for a previously proposed four-step mechanism of action. The possible pharmacophoric requirement for these small-sized peptides is discussed. Furthermore, our results indicate that a net +4 charge is the adequate for 9 amino acid long peptides to produce antibacterial activity. The information reported here is very important for designing new antibacterial peptides with these structural characteristics.Fil: Lima, Beatriz Viviana. Universidad Nacional de San Juan; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Ricci, Maria. Természettudományi Kutatóközpont; HungríaFil: Garro, Adriana. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Juhász, Tünde. Természettudományi Kutatóközpont; HungríaFil: Szigyártó, Imola Csilla. Természettudományi Kutatóközpont; HungríaFil: Papp, Zita I.. Szegedi Tudományegyetem; HungríaFil: Feresin, Gabriela Egly. Universidad Nacional de San Juan; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Garcia de la Torre, Jose. Universidad de Murcia; EspañaFil: Lopez Cascales, Jose Javier. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena; EspañaFil: Fülöp, Lívia. Szegedi Tudományegyetem; HungríaFil: Beke-Somfai, Tamás. Természettudományi Kutatóközpont; HungríaFil: Enriz, Ricardo Daniel. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; Argentin

    In Vitro

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    Amphipterygium adstringens is a plant widely used in Mexican traditional medicine for its known anti-inflammatory and antiulcer properties. In this work, we evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of the methanolic extract of A. adstringens against oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Candida albicans, and Candida dubliniensis, using microdilution (MIC) and agar diffusion methods (MBC), and the antiproliferative activity evaluating total growth inhibition (TGI) by staining the protein content with sulforhodamine B (SRB), using nine human cancer cell lines. Crude extract (CE) of A. adstringens showed some degree of activity against one or more of the strains with a MIC from 0.125 mg/mL to 63 mg/mL and MBC from 1.6 to 6.3 mg/mL and cytotoxic activity, particularly against NCI-ADR/RES, an ovarian cell line expressing multiple resistance drugs phenotype. The CE is a complex mixture of possible multitarget metabolites that could be responsible for both antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities, and further investigation is required to elucidate the identity of active compounds. Nevertheless the CE itself is useful in the development of new antimicrobial treatment based on natural products to prevent oral diseases and as alternative natural source for cancer treatment and prevention
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