Aplicabilidad del test MABC en escolares con síndrome de down

El presente estudio analiza la aplicabilidad de tests de coordinación y habilidad motriz, diseñados para la población infantil general, en escolares de Educación Física Especial. Para el estudio se selecciona una muestra de niños y niñas con síndrome de Down, de 9 y 10 años, del colegio de educación especial ¿María Corredentora¿ de Madrid. Se utilizan las pruebas del Test MABC para el tramo de 4 a 6 años de edad (con algunas adaptaciones) y la escala de observación ECOMI tomada como criterio de validez. Resultados y conclusiones: El módulo de 4 a 6 años del test MABC es aplicable, con ligeras modificaciones, para evaluar las habilidades motrices fundamentales de niños y niñas con síndrome de Down. El conjunto de las pruebas muestra coeficientes de fiabilidad y validez adecuados. El grado de desarrollo motor de estos niños (9 y 10 años), mediante la comparación con el baremo de MABC, es inferior al promedio de la población española de escolares de 4 a 6 años

Transcriptional Regulation of Stearoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Desaturase Genes in Response to Abiotic Stresses Leads to Changes in the Unsaturated Fatty Acids Composition of Olive Mesocarp

In higher plants, the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SAD) catalyzes the first desaturation step leading to oleic acid, which can be further desaturated to linoleic and α-linolenic acids. Therefore, SAD plays an essential role in determining the overall content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). We have investigated how SAD genes expression and UFA composition are regulated in olive (Olea europaea) mesocarp tissue from Picual and Arbequina cultivars in response to different abiotic stresses. The results showed that olive SAD genes are transcriptionally regulated by temperature, darkness and wounding. The increase in SAD genes expression levels observed in Picual mesocarp exposed to low temperature brought about a modification in the UFA content of microsomal membrane lipids. In addition, darkness caused the down-regulation of SAD genes transcripts, together with a decrease in the UFA content of chloroplast lipids. The differential role of olive SAD genes in the wounding response was also demonstrated. These data point out that different environmental stresses can modify the UFA composition of olive mesocarp through the transcriptional regulation of SAD genes, affecting olive oil quality

Improvement of olive oil quality: Metabolic, biochemical and molecular analysis of squalene biosynthesis in olive

The virgin olive oil (VOO) is a natural olive juice of special importance in Mediterranean diet due to both its beneficial effects on human health [1] and its exceptional organoleptic properties. These characteristics are due to the presence of the major components, which are the triacylglycerols, and certain groups of compounds encompassed under the term of minor components. Among the minor compounds of VOO, squalene is a polyunsaturated triterpene which is an intermediate metabolite in the synthesis of steroids and terpenoids [2]. In recent years, special attention has been paid to squalene because of the benefits that its ingestion contributes to health. Squalene is considered a natural antioxidant and has been frequently used as an additive to lipid emulsions and as drug carrier in pharmaceutical and vaccine applications. In addition, clinical studies indicate that as a component of olive oil it also has a preventive effect on breast cancer, possesses tumor-protective and a cardio-protective properties [3]. The richest source of squalene is shark liver oil (60% fresh weight), but because of the care protection of marine species concerns, the production of squalene from shark liver oil has been questioned. For this reason, the extraction of squalene from plant species would be of great interest to have a sustainable source of squalene.In this study, the identification of olive genes with a high degree of similarity with the squalene synthase (SQS) genes of the model plant Arabidopsis was carried out from the olive transcriptome and also through the olive genome, both deposited in GenBank  [4, 5]. From the identified sequences, a pair of specific oligonucleotides for each sequence were designed and used to obtain  the full-length cDNA clones  encoding for olive SQS. In addition, we are analyzing the olive SQS genes expression levels in mesocarp and seed during the olive fruit development and ripening by QPCR. Finally, in order to confirm the functional identity of olive SQS cloned genes, we are going to carry out their  functional expression in the bacteria E. coli followed by the biochemical characterization of the corresponding recombinants enzymes.Therefore, the general objetive of this study is to improve the VOO nutritional and technological quality by increasing the squalene content of olive fruit. To achieve this, we focus on the isolation and characterization of the main genes involved in squalene synthesis in olive mesocarp

Multiple protective effect of peptides released from Olea Europaea and Prunus Persica seeds against oxidative damage and cancer cell proliferation

The long exposition to reactive species results in oxidative stress which has been related with the development of cancer and other serious diseases. Olea europaea and Prunus persica seeds present a high protein content and preliminary results demonstrated their high potency to obtain bioactive peptides. The protective effect against oxidative damage exerted by peptides released from Olea europaea and Prunus persica seeds has been evaluated in this work. Seed hydrolysates showed protection against oxidation through four different mechanisms: inhibition of the formation of hydroxyl radicals, scavenging of free radicals, reduction of oxidizing compounds, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Moreover, seed hydrolysates also reduced the oxidative stress induced by an oxidizing agent on human cancer cells. Despite protection evaluated by individual mechanisms seemed to be significantly affected by the seed genotype, overall protection of seed hydrolysates was not so different. Seeds hydrolysates were not cytotoxic on normal cells but they demonstrated antiproliferative effect on human cancer cells (HeLa, PC-3, and HT-29). Peptides in all seed hydrolysates were sequenced by RP-HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF. Eighteen common peptides were observed among olive seed hydrolysates while a wider variability was observed among Prunus seed hydrolysates

FurA modulates gene expression of alr3808, a DpsA homologue in Nostoc (Anabaena) sp. PCC7120

AbstractThe DNA-binding protein from stationary phase (Dps) protein family plays an important role in protecting microorganisms from oxidative and nutritional stresses. In silico analysis of the promoter region of alr3808, a dpsA homologue from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC7120 shows putative iron-boxes with high homology with those recognized by FurA (ferric uptake regulator). Evidence for the modulation of dpsA by FurA was obtained using in vitro and in vivo approaches. SELEX linked to PCR was used to identify PdpsA as a FurA target. Concurrently, EMSA assays showed high affinity of FurA for the dpsA promoter region. DpsA expression analysis in an insertional mutant of the alr1690-αfurA message (that exhibited an increased expression of FurA) showed a reduced synthesis of DpsA. These studies suggest that FurA plays a significant role in the regulation of the DpsA

Plasmon enhanced energy-transfer up-conversion in Yb3+-Er3+ co-doped LiNbO3 crystal

We have analyzed the effect of linear chains of metallic Ag nanoparticles on the optical properties of a periodically poled Yb 3+ -Er 3+ co-doped LiNbO 3 crystal. By exploiting the broad plasmonic response supported by linear chains of strongly coupled Ag nanoparticles, we demonstrate a 50% of enhancement of the up-converted Er 3+ emission under excitation in the f-f transition of Yb 3+ ions. The observed intensification is explained in terms of the broad plasmonic spectral response supported by the Ag chains, which overlaps both the Er 3+ visible emissions and the Yb 3+ absorption band, and the two-photon character of the Yb 3+ → Er 3+ energy-transfer up-conversion process. The results are of interest for applications involving luminescence up-conversion such as sensing, solar energy conversion, biological imaging or solid-state nanolasersThis work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under project MAT2013- 43301-R and Comunidad de Madrid under grant S2013/MIT-274

Sustainable extraction of proteins and bioactive substances from pomegranate peel (Punica granatum L.) using pressurized liquids and deep eutectic solvents

Pomegranate peel is a source of proteins, bioactive peptides, and phenolic compounds. The simultaneous extraction of these compounds required the use of polluting solvents and reagents that are non-suitable. This work targets the development of green methodologies based on pressurized liquids (PLE) or deep eutectic solvents (DES) for the extraction of these compounds. Extracts were digested with different proteolytic enzymes and different functionalities (antioxidant, hypocholesterolemia, and antihypertensive capacities) were evaluated. Highly antioxidant and hypocholesterolemic extracts and hydrolysates were obtained using PLE while high antihypertensive capacity was observed in the hydrolysates from proteins extracted using DES. Peptides and polyphenols were identified by HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS. Higher amounts of peptides were shown in hydrolysates from DES extracts while hydrolysates from PLE extracts presented higher amounts of phenolic compounds. Some peptides were assigned to proteins from Punica granatum. Both green methods improved the extraction of bioactive compounds from pomegranate peel compared to the non-sustainable method. Industrial relevance: The development of green methodologies which employ sustainable solvents such as pressurized liquids (PLE) and deep eutectic solvents (DES) allows extracting proteins and bioactive compounds from pomegranate peel. In addition, these solvents improve the extraction of health beneficial compounds compared to the non-sustainable and polluting solvents. Therefore, they could be used for the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods or even in medicinal, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical preparations

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress during Mammalian Follicular Atresia

Follicles are ovarian structures that contain a single germ cell. During the mammalian reproductive lifetime, ovarian follicles mature through the process of follicular development, with the aim of selecting oocytes for ovulation. As part of this process, several follicles are eliminated by means of follicular atresia, a mechanism that mainly involves apoptosis. Nevertheless, it has been shown that there are other routes of programmed cell death in the ovary including autophagy, paraptosis, and necroptosis. Surprisingly, the endoplasmic reticulum is involved in these different programmed cell death pathways. Moreover, there are several evidences for the pathways triggered by intra- and extracellular signals in endoplasmic reticulum-induced cell death. Thus, it is important to analyze the participation of endoplasmic reticulum in follicular atresia

Proposal for a Didactic Unit for Physical Education: "knowing sports for people with visual disabilities"

En la actualidad, aplicar una Educación Física Inclusiva en su máxima amplitud reside en que esta permite a los alumnos cooperar y mostrar respecto hacia las diferencias. Por ello, el trabajo tiene como objetivo desarrollar una propuesta de Unidad Didáctica para Educación Física relacionada con los Deportes Adaptados para personas con discapacidad visual o ciegas. Además, se describe el origen de estos deportes y algunas propuestas para poder llevarlos a cabo en el aula. Igualmente, se presentan los diferentes apartados que forman una Unidad Didáctica, incluyendo tanto las adaptaciones curriculares cómo las orientaciones básicas para poder llevarla a cabo en las clases. La asignatura de Educación Física es un pilar fundamental a la hora de promocionar la inclusión en el contexto educativo. Por tanto, es recomendable realizar diferentes propuestas para otros niveles educativos con la finalidad de favorecer las actitudes positivas del alumnado hacia las desigualdadesCurrently, applying Inclusive Physical Education to its fullest extent resides in the fact that it allows students to cooperate and show respect towards differences. For this reason, the work aims to develop a proposal for a Didactic Unit for Physical Education related to Adapted Sports for people with visual disabilities or blind people. Also, it describes the origin of these sports and some proposals to be able to carry them out in the classroom. In the development of this work, the different sections that make up a Didactic Unit are presented, including both the curricular adaptations and the basic orientations to be able to carry it out in the classes. The Physical Education subject is a fundamental pillar when promoting inclusion in the educational context. Therefore, it is advisable to make different proposals for other educational levels to promote positive attitudes of students towards inequalitie

Unihoc as an alternative sport in education field

Este trabajo aborda la inclusión de deportes alternativos en las clases de Educación Física. Mediante el uso de los juegos alternativos en las sesiones de Educación Física, se pueden desarrollar diferentes objetivos del currículo, así como fomentar valores esenciales, aumentar la participación de los alumnos y alumnas durante las clases y a su vez, la motivación y atracción por las clases de Educación Física. Además, para desarrollar los deportes alternativos en el aula, es importante la implementación de la metodología comprensiva, partiendo de los aspectos más globales del deporte y poco a poco centrando la atención en aspectos más técnicos. Por ello, en este documento se recogen los aspectos básicos de juego del UniHoc con el objetivo de facilitar a los docentes de Educación Física el desarrollo de este deporte en las sesiones de Educación Física. Algunos de los beneficios de los deportes alternativos es su gran aceptación por parte de todo el alumnado debido a que sus reglas son simples y permiten mucha versatilidad pudiendo ser adaptadas a diferentes necesidades. Por último, los deportes alternativos ayudan a proponer nuevas situaciones educativas y recreativasThis work addresses the issue of alternative sports in Physical Education classes. By using alternative games in the classroom, different curriculum objectives can be developed, as well as fostering essential values in students, increasing student participation in classes, and in turn, motivating and attracting physical education classes. To develop alternative sports in the classroom, it is important to implement the comprehensive methodology, starting from the more global aspects of the sport and gradually focusing attention on more technical aspects. Therefore, this article includes the basics of Unihoc's game with the aim of making it easier for physical education teachers to develop alternative sports in the classroom. Some of the benefits of alternative sports is their great acceptance by all students because their rules are basic and allow a lot of versatility and can be adapted to different needs. Finally, alternative sports help propose new educational and recreational situation