Enrichment of neural-related genes in human mesenchymal stem cells from neuroblastoma patients.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most common pediatric solid tumors and, like most human cancers, is char-acterized by a broad variety of genomic alterations. Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to interact with cancer cells, the relationship between MSCs and metastatic NB cancer cells in bone marrow (BM) is unknown. To obtain genetic evidence about this interaction, we isolated ΒΜ-derived MSCs from children with NB and compared their global expression patterns with MSCs obtained from normal pediatric donors, using the Agilent 44K microarrays. Significance analysis of microarray results with a false discovery rate (FDR) <5% identified 496 differentially expressed genes showing either a 2-fold upregulation or downregulation between both groups of samples. Comparison of gene ontology categories of differ-entially expressed genes revealed the upregulation of genes categorized as ‘neurological system process’, ‘cell adhesion’, ‘apoptosis’, ‘cell surface receptor linked signal transduction’, ‘intrinsic to membrane’ and ‘extracellular region’. Among the downregulated genes, several immunology-related terms were the most abundant. These findings provide preliminary genetic evidence of the interaction between MSCs and NB cancer cells in ΒΜ as well as identify relevant biological processes potentially altered in MSCs in response to NBThis study was supported by grants from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS; PI05/2217 and PI08/0029 to J.G.C.), MICINN (PLE2009-0115) and the Madrid Regional Government (S-BIO-0204-2006 and P2010/BMD-2420) in Spain. The experiments were approved by the appropriate committees.S

Informe de deuda morosa del sector crediticio no regulado en Costa Rica 2020. Una perspectiva basada en la plataforma de inteligencia comercial de Equifax.

Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Escuela de Administración de Empresas, Oficina de Planificación Institucional, 2020Costa Rica y el mundo, viven una crisis sanitaria y económica sin precedentes. Desde que inició el periodo de confinamiento por la pandemia COVID-19, el índice de actividad económica cayó en siete puntos con respecto al año anterior (DEM-BCCR, 2020), mientras que para setiembre el nivel de desempleo ascendió a un 22% (INEC, 2020a) y se estima que el Producto Interno Bruto caiga a -4.5 puntos (BCCR, 2020). Por lo tanto, en un entorno de crisis e incertidumbre, la información se torna fundamental para los tomadores de decisiones tanto en el ámbito público como privado. Es por esto que Equifax y el Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC) se han unido para crear el primer Informe de deuda morosa del sector crediticio no regulado en Costa Rica. Actualmente, el país cuenta con información accesible y actualizada del sector financiero regulado por la Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras (SUGEF), no obstante, hay un sector comercial y financiero no regulado (en adelante sector crediticio no regulado) que ofrece créditos y financiamiento, del cual no hay información disponible a nivel nacional. De esta manera surgió la necesidad de ofrecer un informe que permita entender la deuda morosa como un indicador del comportamiento de las empresas y los consumidores de dicho sector. La deuda morosa es una de las variables clave que miden la sanidad del sistema crediticio del país y afecta directamente a las familias y actores económicos. Pretendemos contribuir con la educación financiera y por tanto al endeudamiento responsable del consumidor, además de reducir la incertidumbre para el sector financiero y así mejorar las condiciones de otorgamiento de créditos. Entre los alcances del estudio, debe considerarse que los resultados se refieren al sector no regulado. La fuente de información corresponde a los datos reportados por los clientes de Equifax, la cual se depuró con el fin de que permita un comparativo entre periodos, que a pesar de contar con información robusta y altamente proporcional a la población (en cuanto a edades, sexo y provincias), no incluye el mercado total de empresas que brindan crédito en el sector no regulado..

The Museum Dialogues: the museum and society in critical communication

[EN] The presentation consists of sharing and analyzing in depth the communicative work of the Museum of Popular Culture of the School of History of the National University of Costa Rica, specifically from the virtual dialogue initiative called "#elmuseodialoga", which has potentiated the presence of the museum in academic social networks and has contributed to fostering dialogic links with academics, inside and outside the university, as well as with actors from civil society as a whole. This initiative arose in order to enhance virtual extension and dissemination actions through the use of social networks that the museum has, for example, the YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. To this end, academics who work at the museum and students from the School of History have joined forces to generate a communication alternative in line with the new challenges of virtuality. In this sense, forty editions of virtual dialogue have been promoted over the course of just over a year, with both national and international guests, the latter within the #elmuseodialogainternacional modality. The dialogue space has three transversal axes that allow covering a wide spectrum of thematic possibilities: a) Popular culture, history, art and heritage, b) dissemination of academic work and c) current national and international issues. In the first axis we address everything related to cultural heritage, material and immaterial, traditions, popular cultists, Costa Rican art, among others. From the second axis, we work on disseminating the contribution of academic research from both the UNA and other national and international universities, in order to disclose to wider audiences, the contribution of the knowledge produced by universities to society as a whole. In the case of the third axis, we reinforce the past-present relationship, generating spaces for reading the national and international reality, also opening prospective horizons.[ES] La ponencia consiste en compartir y analizar en profundidad el quehacer comunicativo del Museo de Cultura Popular de la Escuela de Historia de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, específicamente a partir de la iniciativa de diálogo virtual denominada “#elmuseodialoga”, la cual ha potencializado la presencia del museo en las redes sociales académica y ha contribuido a potenciar enlaces dialógicos con académicos, dentro y fuera de la universidad, así como con actores de la sociedad civil en su conjunto. Esta iniciativa surgió con el fin de potencializar acciones de extensión y difusión de carácter virtual por medio del uso de las redes sociales con las que cuenta el museo, por ejemplo, el canal de youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter y linkedin. Para ello, académicos que laboran en el museo y estudiantes de la Escuela de Historia, han aunado esfuerzos en pro de generar una alternativa de comunicación acorde a los nuevos desafíos de la virtualidad. En ese sentido, se ha potenciado a lo largo de poco más de un año, cuarenta ediciones de diálogo virtual, contando con invitados tanto nacionales, como internacionales, esto último dentro de la modalidad #elmuseodialogainternacional. El espacio de diálogo cuenta con tres ejes trasversales que permiten cubrir un amplio espectro de posibilidades temáticas: a) Cultura popular, historia, arte y patrimonio, b) difusión del quehacer académico y c) temas de actualidad nacional e internacional. En el primer eje abordamos todo lo relativo a patrimonio cultural, materia e inmaterial, tradiciones, cultores populares, arte costarricense, entre otros. A partir del segundo eje, trabajamos en difundir el aporte de investigaciones de académicos tanto de la UNA como de otras universidades nacionales e internacional, con el fin de divulgar a públicos más amplios la contribución del conocimiento producido por las universidades a la sociedad en su conjunto. En el caso del tercer eje, reforzamos la relación pasado-presente, generando espacios de lectura de la realidad nacional e internacional, abriendo también horizontes de prospectiva.Orozco Varela, L.; Blanco Ortiz, M.; Campos Fonseca, G.; Cubillo González, M.; Nuñez Marín, J. (2022). El Museo Dialoga: el museo y la sociedad en comunicación crítica. En CIMED22 - II Congreso internacional de museos y estrategias digitales. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIMED22.2022.1564311

¿Cuándo pasará el temblor? Crisis, violencia y paz en la América Latina contemporánea

El libro ¿Cuándo pasará el temblor?: Crisis, violencia y paz en la América Latina Contemporánea. fue editado por David Díaz A. y Christine Hatzky. Se encuentra dividido en los siguientes 10 capítulos: Capítulo 1. Paz, memoria, justicia: experiencias de transición en América Latina - David Díaz Arias y Christine Hatzky / Capítulo 2. Juventude “na margem”. O “ser jovem” em um bairro no município de Águas Lindas de Goiás - Yacine Guellati / Capítulo 3. El que tiene un martillo, todo le parece un clavo. El sentido común securitarista y la paz en Colombia - Luis Berneth Peña / Capítulo 4. Guerra privatizada, movilización social y estados en la frontera Ecuador-Colombia - José Antonio Figueroa / Capítulo 5. Neoliberalismo y crisis: la transición económica en Costa Rica, 1978-1984 - David Díaz Arias / Capítulo 6. Otra vez la crisis centroamericana - Héctor Pérez Brignoli / Capítulo 7. Violencia política, pobreza y locura en una selección de narrativa breve centroamericana y caribeña (1970-2000) - Ruth Cubillo Paniagua / Capítulo 8. Transformaciones de la praxis religiosa de actores no-católicos en relación con la violencia. Guatemala y Nicaragua, 1980 a 2015 - Heinrich Wilhelm Schäfer / Capítulo 9. Shangri La en peligro. Las elecciones costarricenses del año 2018 - Iván Molina JiménezLa violencia y el conflicto son estructuras que aparecen continuamente en la historia de América Latina y también se han convertido en motores propulsores del cambio social. Desde la coyuntura de la independencia latinoamericana se manifestó la violencia como producto tanto de la herencia y desigualdad colonial, como del enfrentamiento de nuevos proyectos políticos inspirados desde Europa y adaptados localmente. Esos conflictos irresueltos se arrastraron desde el siglo XIX hasta el XXI readaptándose como producto de nuevas conflictividades generadas por la Modernidad. No obstante, la región latinoamericana también ha generado sus propias formas para enfrentar y solucionar los conflictos y la violencia. En varias ocasiones se ha demostrado la capacidad de las sociedades latinoamericanas para resolver, de manera creativa, sus conflictos. Los movimientos de pacificación en Centroamérica y Suramérica tanto en el pasado como en la actualidad han creado formas de resolución alternativas impulsadas tanto por actores transnacionales como con propuestas autóctonas, como el proceso de paz en Centroamérica en la década de 1980. La reconciliación a través de Comisiones de la Verdad ha servido para la sanación de heridas internas y ha sido un modelo aplicado inclusive fuera de Latinoamérica. Diversas formas literarias, discursos y otros artefactos culturales han apostado por impulsar procesos de reconciliación después de la guerra y la dictadura. También permanecen conflictos difíciles de resolver como los de la repartición de la tierra y el reconocimiento de la pluralidad jurídica en la resolución de conflictos.Universidad de Costa Rica/[806-B9-909]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro de Investigaciones Históricas de América Central (CIHAC

H3K4me1 marks DNA regions hypomethylated during aging in human stem and differentiated cells

In differentiated cells, aging is associated with hypermethylation of DNA regions enriched in repressive histone post-translational modifications. However, the chromatin marks associated with changes in DNA methylation in adult stem cells during lifetime are still largely unknown. Here, DNA methylation profiling of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from individuals aged 2 to 92 yr identified 18,735 hypermethylated and 45,407 hypomethylated CpG sites associated with aging. As in differentiated cells, hypermethylated sequences were enriched in chromatin repressive marks. Most importantly, hypomethylated CpG sites were strongly enriched in the active chromatin mark H3K4me1 in stem and differentiated cells, suggesting this is a cell type-independent chromatin signature of DNA hypomethylation during aging. Analysis of scedasticity showed that interindividual variability of DNA methylation increased during aging in MSCs and differentiated cells, providing a new avenue for the identification of DNA methylation changes over time. DNA methylation profiling of genetically identical individuals showed that both the tendency of DNA methylation changes and scedasticity depended on nongenetic as well as genetic factors. Our results indicate that the dynamics of DNA methylation during aging depend on a complex mixture of factors that include the DNA sequence, cell type, and chromatin context involved and that, depending on the locus, the changes can be modulated by genetic and/or external factors

H3K4me1 marks DNA regions hypomethylated during aging in human stem and differentiated cells

In differentiated cells, aging is associated with hypermethylation of DNA regions enriched in repressive histone post-translational modifications. However, the chromatin marks associated with changes in DNA methylation in adult stem cells during lifetime are still largely unknown. Here, DNA methylation profiling of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from individuals aged 2 to 92 yr identified 18,735 hypermethylated and 45,407 hypomethylated CpG sites associated with aging. As in differentiated cells, hypermethylated sequences were enriched in chromatin repressive marks. Most importantly, hypomethylated CpG sites were strongly enriched in the active chromatin mark H3K4me1 in stem and differentiated cells, suggesting this is a cell type-independent chromatin signature of DNA hypomethylation during aging. Analysis of scedasticity showed that interindividual variability of DNA methylation increased during aging in MSCs and differentiated cells, providing a new avenue for the identification of DNA methylation changes over time. DNA methylation profiling of genetically identical individuals showed that both the tendency of DNA methylation changes and scedasticity depended on nongenetic as well as genetic factors. Our results indicate that the dynamics of DNA methylation during aging depend on a complex mixture of factors that include the DNA sequence, cell type, and chromatin context involved and that, depending on the locus, the changes can be modulated by genetic and/or external factors

H3K4me1 marks DNA regions hypomethylated during aging in human stem and differentiated cells

In differentiated cells, aging is associated with hypermethylation of DNA regions enriched in repressive histone post-translational modifications. However, the chromatin marks associated with changes in DNA methylation in adult stem cells during lifetime are still largely unknown. Here, DNA methylation profiling of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from individuals aged 2 to 92 yr identified 18,735 hypermethylated and 45,407 hypomethylated CpG sites associated with aging. As in differentiated cells, hypermethylated sequences were enriched in chromatin repressive marks. Most importantly, hypomethylated CpG sites were strongly enriched in the active chromatin mark H3K4me1 in stem and differentiated cells, suggesting this is a cell type–independent chromatin signature of DNA hypomethylation during aging. Analysis of scedasticity showed that interindividual variability of DNA methylation increased during aging in MSCs and differentiated cells, providing a new avenue for the identification of DNA methylation changes over time. DNA methylation profiling of genetically identical individuals showed that both the tendency of DNA methylation changes and scedasticity depended on nongenetic as well as genetic factors. Our results indicate that the dynamics of DNA methylation during aging depend on a complex mixture of factors that include the DNA sequence, cell type, and chromatin context involved and that, depending on the locus, the changes can be modulated by genetic and/or external factors

Brain imaging of the cortex in ADHD: a coordinated analysis of large-scale clinical and population-based samples

Objective: Neuroimaging studies show structural alterations of various brain regions in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although nonreplications are frequent. The authors sought to identify cortical characteristics related to ADHD using large-scale studies. Methods: Cortical thickness and surface area (based on the Desikan–Killiany atlas) were compared between case subjects with ADHD (N=2,246) and control subjects (N=1,934) for children, adolescents, and adults separately in ENIGMA-ADHD, a consortium of 36 centers. To assess familial effects on cortical measures, case subjects, unaffected siblings, and control subjects in the NeuroIMAGE study (N=506) were compared. Associations of the attention scale from the Child Behavior Checklist with cortical measures were determined in a pediatric population sample (Generation-R, N=2,707). Results: In the ENIGMA-ADHD sample, lower surface area values were found in children with ADHD, mainly in frontal, cingulate, and temporal regions; the largest significant effect was for total surface area (Cohen’s d=−0.21). Fusiform gyrus and temporal pole cortical thickness was also lower in children with ADHD. Neither surface area nor thickness differences were found in the adolescent or adult groups. Familial effects were seen for surface area in several regions. In an overlapping set of regions, surface area, but not thickness, was associated with attention problems in the Generation-R sample. Conclusions: Subtle differences in cortical surface area are widespread in children but not adolescents and adults with ADHD, confirming involvement of the frontal cortex and highlighting regions deserving further attention. Notably, the alterations behave like endophenotypes in families and are linked to ADHD symptoms in the population, extending evidence that ADHD behaves as a continuous trait in the population. Future longitudinal studies should clarify individual lifespan trajectories that lead to nonsignificant findings in adolescent and adult groups despite the presence of an ADHD diagnosis

Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 39 datasets

Objective Some studies have suggested alterations of structural brain asymmetry in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but findings have been contradictory and based on small samples. Here, we performed the largest ever analysis of brain left-right asymmetry in ADHD, using 39 datasets of the ENIGMA consortium. Methods We analyzed asymmetry of subcortical and cerebral cortical structures in up to 1,933 people with ADHD and 1,829 unaffected controls. Asymmetry Indexes (AIs) were calculated per participant for each bilaterally paired measure, and linear mixed effects modeling was applied separately in children, adolescents, adults, and the total sample, to test exhaustively for potential associations of ADHD with structural brain asymmetries. Results There was no evidence for altered caudate nucleus asymmetry in ADHD, in contrast to prior literature. In children, there was less rightward asymmetry of the total hemispheric surface area compared to controls (t = 2.1, p = .04). Lower rightward asymmetry of medial orbitofrontal cortex surface area in ADHD (t = 2.7, p = .01) was similar to a recent finding for autism spectrum disorder. There were also some differences in cortical thickness asymmetry across age groups. In adults with ADHD, globus pallidus asymmetry was altered compared to those without ADHD. However, all effects were small (Cohen’s d from −0.18 to 0.18) and would not survive study-wide correction for multiple testing. Conclusion Prior studies of altered structural brain asymmetry in ADHD were likely underpowered to detect the small effects reported here. Altered structural asymmetry is unlikely to provide a useful biomarker for ADHD, but may provide neurobiological insights into the trait

Subcortical brain volume, regional cortical thickness, and cortical surface area across disorders: findings from the ENIGMA ADHD, ASD, and OCD Working Groups

Objective Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders that frequently co-occur. We aimed to directly compare all three disorders. The ENIGMA consortium is ideally positioned to investigate structural brain alterations across these disorders. Methods Structural T1-weighted whole-brain MRI of controls (n=5,827) and patients with ADHD (n=2,271), ASD (n=1,777), and OCD (n=2,323) from 151 cohorts worldwide were analyzed using standardized processing protocols. We examined subcortical volume, cortical thickness and surface area differences within a mega-analytical framework, pooling measures extracted from each cohort. Analyses were performed separately for children, adolescents, and adults using linear mixed-effects models adjusting for age, sex and site (and ICV for subcortical and surface area measures). Results We found no shared alterations among all three disorders, while shared alterations between any two disorders did not survive multiple comparisons correction. Children with ADHD compared to those with OCD had smaller hippocampal volumes, possibly influenced by IQ. Children and adolescents with ADHD also had smaller ICV than controls and those with OCD or ASD. Adults with ASD showed thicker frontal cortices compared to adult controls and other clinical groups. No OCD-specific alterations across different age-groups and surface area alterations among all disorders in childhood and adulthood were observed. Conclusion Our findings suggest robust but subtle alterations across different age-groups among ADHD, ASD, and OCD. ADHD-specific ICV and hippocampal alterations in children and adolescents, and ASD-specific cortical thickness alterations in the frontal cortex in adults support previous work emphasizing neurodevelopmental alterations in these disorders