Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Therapy for Bladder Cancer : An Update

Physicians treating patients affected by nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) have been in shock during the last six years since manufacturing restrictions on the production of the first-option medicine, Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), have resulted in worldwide shortages. This shortage of BCG has led to a rethinking of the established treatment guidelines for the rationing of the administration of BCG. Some possible schedule modifications consist of a decrease in the length of maintenance treatment, a reduction in the dose of BCG in intravesical instillations or the use of different BCG substrains. All these strategies have been considered valuable in times of BCG shortage. In addition, the lack of availability of BCG has also led to the general recognition of the need to find new treatment options for these patients so that they are not dependent on a single treatment. Few alternatives are committed to definitively replacing BCG intravesical instillations, but several options are being evaluated to improve its efficacy or to combine it with other chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic options that can also improve its effect. In this article, we review the current state of the treatment with BCG in terms of all of the aforementioned aspects

Analysis of the situation in Spain of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors and Young Ex-Custodied Immigrants. Proposal for intervention based on Online Social Work

RESUMEN: Los Menores Extranjeros No Acompañados se encuentran en situación de desamparo. Por esta razón, la Administración Española tiene la responsabilidad de asumir su tutela cuando llegan a territorio español. Bajo esta idea, miles de niños se embarcan en un proceso migratorio para llegar a España o a otros países europeos bajo el Estado del Bienestar. Tras cumplir los 18 años, los Jóvenes Inmigrantes dejan de ser tutelados y se les expulsa de los centros de protección por lo que se quedan en situación de vulnerabilidad extrema. A través de una serie de técnicas de investigación, se trata de analizar al colectivo de Menores Extranjeros No Acompañados y Jóvenes Inmigrantes Extutelados, la situación en España y la integración a la sociedad, para analizar los recursos y las limitaciones, y proponer cambios que resulten beneficiosos para los menores, el país y los ciudadanos. ABSTRACT: Unaccompanied Foreign Minors are in a situation of helplessness. For this reason, the Spanish Administration has the responsibility to assume their custody when they arrive to Spanish territory. Under this idea, thousands of children embark on a migratory process to reach Spain or other European countries under the Welfare State. After reaching the age of 18, young immigrants cease to be protected and are expelled from protection centers, leaving them in a situation of extreme vulnerability. Through a series of investigation techniques, the aim of this paper is to analyze the collective of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors and Young Ex-Custodied Immigrants, their situation in Spain and their integration into society, as well as to analyze resources and limitations, and to propose changes that result beneficial for minors, the country and its citizens

Chloroplast damage induced by the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis triggers autophagy in chlamydomonas

Fatty acids are synthesized in the stroma of plant and algal chloroplasts by the fatty acid synthase complex. Newly synthesized fatty acids are then used to generate plastidial lipids that are essential for chloroplast structure and function. Here, we show that inhibition of fatty acid synthesis in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii activates autophagy, a highly conserved catabolic process by which cells degrade intracellular material under adverse conditions to maintain cell homeostasis. Treatment of Chlamydomonas cells with cerulenin, a specific fatty acid synthase inhibitor, stimulated lipidation of the autophagosome protein ATG8 and enhanced autophagic flux. We found that inhibition of fatty acid synthesis decreased monogalactosyldiacylglycerol abundance, increased lutein content, down-regulated photosynthesis, and increased the production of reactive oxygen species. Electron microscopy revealed a high degree of thylakoid membrane stacking in cerulenin-treated cells. Moreover, global transcriptomic analysis of these cells showed an up-regulation of genes encoding chloroplast proteins involved in protein folding and oxidative stress and the induction of major catabolic processes, including autophagy and proteasome pathways. Thus, our results uncovered a link between lipid metabolism, chloroplast integrity, and autophagy through a mechanism that involves the activation of a chloroplast quality control system.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BFU2015-68216-PJunta de Andalucía CVI-7336, BIO2015-74432-JI

Polar magneto-optic Kerr and Faraday effects in finite periodic \texorpdfstring{PT\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}}{PT}-symmetric systems

We discuss the anomalous behavior of the Faraday (transmission) and polar Kerr (reflection) rotation angles of the propagating light, in finite periodic parity-time ($\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$) symmetric structures, consisting of $N$ cells. The unit cell potential is two complex $\delta$-potentials placed on both boundaries of the ordinary dielectric slab. It is shown that, for a given set of parameters describing the system, a phase transition-like anomalous behavior of Faraday and Kerr rotation angles in a parity-time symmetric systems can take place. In the anomalous phase the value of one of the Faraday and Kerr rotation angles can become negative, and both angles suffer from spectral singularities and give a strong enhancement near the singularities. We also shown that the real part of the complex angle of KR, $\theta^{R}_1$, is always equal to the $\theta^{T}_1$ of FR, no matter what phase the system is in due to the symmetry constraints. The imaginary part of KR angles $\theta^{R^{r/l}}_2$ are related to the $\theta^{T}_2$ of FR by parity-time symmetry. Calculations based on the approach of the generalized nonperturbative characteristic determinant, which is valid for a layered system with randomly distributed delta potentials, show that the Faraday and Kerr rotation spectrum in such structures has several resonant peaks. Some of them coincide with transmission peaks, providing simultaneous large Faraday and Kerr rotations enhanced by an order one or two of magnitude. We provide a recipe for funding a one-to-one relation in between KR and FR

Tunneling time and Faraday/Kerr effects in PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric systems

We review the generalization of tunneling time and anomalous behaviour of Faraday and Kerr rotation angles in parity and time ($\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$)-symmetric systems. Similarities of two phenomena are discussed, both exhibit a phase transition-like anomalous behaviour in certain range of model parameters. Anomalous behaviour of tunneling time and Faraday/Kerr angles in $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric systems is caused by the motion of poles of scattering amplitudes in energy/frequency complex plane.Comment: Match to accepted version, Invited EPL perspective review. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2208.1354

Mycobacteria-Based Vaccines as Immunotherapy for Non-urological Cancers

The arsenal against different types of cancers has increased impressively in the last decade. The detailed knowledge of the tumor microenvironment enables it to be manipulated in order to help the immune system fight against tumor cells by using specific checkpoint inhibitors, cell-based treatments, targeted antibodies, and immune stimulants. In fact, it is widely known that the first immunotherapeutic tools as immune stimulants for cancer treatment were bacteria and still are; specifically, the use of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) continues to be the treatment of choice for preventing cancer recurrence and progression in non-invasive bladder cancer. BCG and also other mycobacteria or their components are currently under study for the immunotherapeutic treatment of different malignancies. This review focuses on the preclinical and clinical assays using mycobacteria to treat non-urological cancers, providing a wide knowledge of the beneficial applications of these microorganisms to manipulate the tumor microenvironment aiming at tumor clearance

Estudio de la combustión en un motor CFR con AVL BOOST

Este trabajo es relevante en el ámbito del desarrollo de nuevos combustibles para el transporte. Se trata de estudiar los parámetros de la combustión de diferentes combustibles en condiciones variables de dosado, relación de compresión y avance al encendido en un motor de encendido provocado CFR, de relación de compresión variable para medida de Número de Octano pero adaptado para investigación. Para ello se desarrolló un modelo de simulación del motor real en el programa AVL Boost, se validó con datos experimentales y se desarrolló una metodología para la parametrización del comportamiento de los combustibles en las diferentes condiciones de trabajo

Metodología para el diseño, desarrollo e implementación de un servicio de TIC

En este trabajo se presenta la metodología propuesta para el diseño, desarrollo e implementación de servicios de TIC, aplicado para nuevos servicios o ajustes de los servicios actuales implementados en el área de Canales de Atención al Cliente de la Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones y Cesantías Protección, para el Canal de Internet. Esta metodología se implementa para optimizar el proceso y las actividades que se ejecutan durante las etapas de levantamiento, planeación, diseño, desarrollo y divulgación de estos servicios. Un buen levantamiento de requisitos es decisivo para el éxito de un servicio con calidad, evitando reprocesos o ajustes futuros.In this document, the proposed methodology for the design, development and implementation of ICT services, applied to new services or adjustments of current services implemented in the area of Customer Channel Administrator of Pension Funds and Severance Protection for the Internet Channel. This methodology is implemented to optimize each of the steps to be executed during the stages of Survey, Planning, Design, Development and Dissemination of these services, since a good survey of requirements is critical to the success of a service quality avoid future rework or adjustments

Evaluación de las expectativas laborales en el alumnado del Grado de Pedagogía

En la última década y según el CIS (2018), el principal problema que ha existido y existe en España es el paro (65.9%) siendo también éste el que más afecta a la ciudadanía (33.9%). Según el M.E.C., la transición de los estudiantes al mundo laboral constituye una gran preocupación entre la población estudiantil ya que la tasa de paro se sitúa en un 11,6%, frente al 6,3% de la media Europea. La formación universitaria difiere mucho de los requerimientos del mercado laboral actual, nuestro estudiantado se forma en las llamadas Hard Skills relegando a un segundo término las llamadas Soft Skills tan necesarias para que un profesional sepa desenvolverse tanto en el acceso al mundo laboral como ya dentro de él y tan necesarias para la empleabilidad y el emprendimiento. El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido evaluar y analizar las expectativas laborales y la empleabilidad del alumnado del grado en pedagogía. Para ello se ha utilizado una muestra de 147 estudiantes de la Universidad de Málaga (España). La metodología utilizada ha sido cuantitativa, se ha recogido la información mediante un cuestionario on line, caracterizado por preguntas tipo likert y estructurado en 3 dimensiones: futuro laboral, valoración de un empleo y aportación a la empresa, perfil del trabajo ideal. Los resultados muestran una importante preocupación del alumnado por su futuro laboral una vez finalizado sus estudios, ya que un alto porcentaje de éste, considera que les será muy complicado encontrar un empleo donde se requiera un perfil profesional asociado a su formación universitaria. Por otra parte, los datos obtenidos evidencian una puntuación muy alta, sobretodo en el aspecto económico (Item “buen sueldo”) y en ambiente positivo (ítem “trabajo gratificante”), donde se ofrece un perfil muy detallado del trabajo ideal, y donde la reconciliación de la vida laboral y personal es clave para el pleno desarrollo profesional en estudiantes del Grado de Pedagogía en la UMA.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec