Protein Interactions and Nanomaterials: A Key Role of the Protein Corona in Nanobiocompatibility

The protein corona is still somewhat of a mysterious consequence of the nanoparticles’ application in theranostics. In this review, several critical aspects related to the protein corona are described, in particular which influences more specifically its formation, how to evaluate/characterize it, and what interactions to expect when the nanoparticle and the protein corona are inside the cell. Despite these issues, which have been studied in a general way, it has been verified that there’s still much information missing when it comes to specific nanoparticles. Here, a few proteins are also highlighted as examples, which have been identified as part of the protein corona; in addition, several factors related to the formation of protein corona are discussed due to their important role in the different adsorbed proteins

Microarrays as Platform for Multiplex Assays in Biomarker and Drug Discovery

Despite the tremendous advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms and the complexity of the diseases is one of the present challenges for the scientific community; then, novel strategies are required to be designed and developed for effective strategies for early diagnosis and treatment. As many cellular alterations are observed at protein level, high-throughput assays are dramatically needed for biomarker discovery. Herein, we describe advantages and limitations of protein microarrays, as proteomics strategy useful for multiplex and high-throughput protein characterization in clinical samples. Finally, a few examples are discussed; mostly of them related to currently disease biomarkers already identified in proximal fluids by protein arrays are discussed

Effects of Resistance Training in Hypobaric vs. Normobaric Hypoxia on Circulating Ions and Hormones

Acknowledgments: The authors thank the High performance Center of Sierra Nevada, Spain, and all the participants who volunteered for this investigation. The authors also thank Dymatize Europe and Vithas Granada for respectively supplying the meal replacement and blood collection equipment in this study.Funding: This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under grant [PGC2018-097388-B-I00 -MCIN/AEI/FEDER, UE] and by the Andalusian FEDER Operational Program [A-SEJ-246-UGR18 and B-CTS-374-UGR20]. This study has been also supported by the Government of Extremadura (Spain) with funding from the European Regional Development Fund [Grant Ref: GR21189].Hypobaric hypoxia (HH) seems to lead to different responses compared to normobaric hypoxia (NH) during physical conditioning. The aim of the study was to analyze the hormonal and circulating ion responses after performing high-intensity resistance training with different inter-set rest under HH and NH condition. Sixteen male volunteers were randomly divided into two training groups. Each group completed two counterbalanced resistance training sessions (three sets × ten repetitions, remaining two repetitions in reserve), with both one- and two-minute inter-set rest, under HH and NH. Blood samples were obtained to determine hormones and circulating ions (Ca2+, Pi, and HCO3−) at baseline and after training sessions (5, 10, and 30 min). Resistance training with one-minute rest caused greater hormonal stress than with two-minute rest in cortisol and growth hormone, although the hypoxic environmental condition did not cause any significant alterations in these hormones. The short inter-set rest also caused greater alterations in HCO3− and Pi than the longer rest. Additionally, higher levels of Ca2+ and Pi, and lower levels of HCO3−, were observed after training in HH compared to NH. Metabolic and physiological responses after resistance training are mediated by inter-set rest intervals and hypoxic environmental condition. According to the alterations observed in the circulating ions, HH could cause greater muscular fatigue and metabolic stress than NH.Government of ExtremaduraMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades A-SEJ-246-UGR18, B-CTS-374-UGR20, PGC2018-097388-B-I00 -MCIN/AEI/FEDEREuropean Regional Development Fund GR2118

Quantitative approach to assist neuroblastoma assessment by measuring I-123 mIBG uptake in scintigraphic images

Whole-body 123I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) scintigraphy is used as the primary image modality in neuroblastoma detection. It is the most sensitive and specific method for staging and response evaluation. Validated semi-quantitative scoring methods with low interobserver variability and high reproducibility have shown to be indispensable for the evaluation of response to therapy. However, low resolution, noise and acquisition difficulties, specially in children, make low definition scans. These facts increase observer dependent interpretations that limit assessment and complicate to put a scoring method succesfully into practice. It is essential to have an objective and reliable measure of response to test the activity of therapies. In this paper we propose the use of a quantitative observer-independent measurement of the strength of uptake to be used as an additional tool for assisting the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN) semi-quantitative scoring method. This is the scoring method recommended by the SIOPEN Nuclear Medicine and Physics Committee, in collaborative work with the Children’s Oncology Group, as the standard one for acquiring and reporting diagnostic paediatric mIBG scans across Europe. Our proposed method is based on the ratio between the amount of specific uptake at tumours and the amount of non-specific uptake at SIOPEN anatomical sectors which has shown to be constant in all the scans of the patients.This work has been supported by "Ayudas para Actividades Preparatorias de Proyectos Coordinados entre Investigadores de la Universitat Politecnica de Valencia e Investigadores del Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe", II Call, 2013, AUTOSCOREMIBG project. The authors are very grateful to the referees for their useful comments.Martínez Díaz, R.; Balaguer Guill, J.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM.; Bello Arques, P.; Castel, V.; Rivas Sanchez, A.; Cañete Nieto, A.... (2015). Quantitative approach to assist neuroblastoma assessment by measuring I-123 mIBG uptake in scintigraphic images. Image Analysis and Stereology. 34(2):135-144. doi:10.5566/ias.1219S13514434