Desarrollo de estrategias para el lanzamiento de la nueva marca de Kombucha, en Guadalajara

En este proyecto se trabajó en la validación de naming e imagen de la nueva marca de Kombucha, desarrollando estrategias para el lanzamiento de la misma durante el periodo de Mayo a Julio de 2022. Para lograr lo antes mencionado se consideraron los siguientes objetivos específicos: Validar la misión, visión y valores de la empresa, elaborar un diagnóstico del producto (4 P´s), identificar el mercado meta (Buyer Persona),identificar el panorama competitivo (Benchmarking), analizar el sector y capacidades de la empresa (FODA), validar identidad de marca, crear estrategias de comercialización y desarrollar estrategias de comunicación digital. Se llevó a cabo un focus group para obtener la información necesaria y poder concluir cada uno de los objetivos antes mencionados, de igual manera se consideraron fuentes primarias y secundarias para el logro del mismo, obteniendo resultados satisfactorios en tiempo y forma.ITESO, A.C

Morphological, Electrical, and Chemical Characteristics of Poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) Coated PVDF Ultrafiltration Membranes after Plasma Treatment

A commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membrane (HFM-183 de Koch Membrane Systems) made of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), was recovered with a negatively-charged polyelectrolyte (poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)) (PSS), and the effects on its electric, chemical, and morphological properties were analyzed. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), liquid-liquid displacement porometry, Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the modifications induced by the deposition of PSS on the PVDF positively-charged membrane and after its treatment by a radio frequency Ar-plasma. These techniques confirmed a real deposition and posterior compaction of PSS with increasing roughness and decreasing pore sizes. The evolution of the electric resistances of the membranes confirmed crosslinking and compaction with shielding of the sulfonated groups from PSS. In this way, a membrane with a negatively-charged active layer and a pore size which was 60% lower than the original membrane was obtained. The composition of the additive used by manufacturers to modify PVDF to make it positively charged was obtained by different procedures, all of which depended upon the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, leading to fairly consistent results. This polymer, carrying positive charges, contains quaternary nitrogen, as confirmed by XPS. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy confirmed that PVDF changes from mostly the β to the α phase, which is more stable as a substrate for the deposited PSS. The aim of the tested modifications was to increase the retention of divalent anions without reducing permeability.Fil: Sandoval Olvera, Ivette G.. Universidad de Guanajuato; MéxicoFil: González Muñoz, Pilar. Universidad de Guanajuato; MéxicoFil: Diaz, Dario Ramón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich"; ArgentinaFil: Maroto Valiente, Ángel. Universidad de Guanajuato; MéxicoFil: Ochoa, Nelio Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich". Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto de Física Aplicada "Dr. Jorge Andrés Zgrablich"; ArgentinaFil: Carmona, Francisco J.. Universidad de Extremadura; EspañaFil: Palacio, Laura. Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Calvo, José I.. Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Hernández, Antonio. Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Ciencias; EspañaFil: Ávila Rodríguez, Mario. Universidad de Guanajuato; MéxicoFil: Prádanos, Pedro. Universidad de Valladolid. Facultad de Ciencias; Españ

Cannabinoid receptor CB2 ablation protects against TAU induced neurodegeneration.

Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the alteration/aggregation of TAU protein, for which there is still no effective treatment. Therefore, new pharmacological targets are being sought, such as elements of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). We analysed the occurrence of changes in the ECS in tauopathies and their implication in the pathogenesis. By integrating gene expression analysis, immunofluorescence, genetic and adeno-associated virus expressing TAU mouse models, we found a TAU-dependent increase in CB2 receptor expression in hippocampal neurons, that occurs as an early event in the pathology and was maintained until late stages. These changes were accompanied by alterations in the endocannabinoid metabolism. Remarkably, CB2 ablation in mice protects from neurodegeneration induced by hTAU P301L overexpression, corroborated at the level of cognitive behaviour, synaptic plasticity, and aggregates of insoluble TAU. At the level of neuroinflammation, the absence of CB2 did not produce significant changes in concordance with a possible neuronal location rather than its classic glial expression in these models. These findings were corroborated in post-mortem samples of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common tauopathy. Our results show that neurons with accumulated TAU induce the expression of the CB2 receptor, which enhances neurodegeneration. These results are important for our understanding of disease mechanisms, providing a novel therapeutic strategy to be investigated in tauopathiespost-print8580 K

First record of entomopathogenic nematodes from Yucatán State, México and their infectivity capacity against Aedes aegypti

Background Biological control using entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) has demonstrated good potential to contribute to the integral control of mosquito larvae, which as adults are vectors of diseases such as Dengue fever, Zika and Chikungunya. However, until now there are no records of the presence of EPN or their killing capacity in Yucatán state, southern México. The objectives of the current study were: (1) to report the entomopathogenic nematodes present in Yucatán soils and (2) to determine the killing capacity of the most frequent and abundant EPN against Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae and the microbial community developed by Ae. Aegypti exposed to this EPN. Methods The nematodes were collected by the insect trap technique using the great wax moth Galleria mellonella. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S gene of ribosomal DNA and phylogenetic analyses were performed to identify the EPN. For the bioassay, four concentrations of the most frequent and abundant EPN were tested: 1,260:1 infective juveniles (IJs) per mosquito larvae, 2,520 IJs:1, 3,780 IJs:1 and 5,040 IJs:1. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to identify bacterial amplicon sequences in the mosquito larvae infected with EPN. Results Six isolates of Heterorhabditis were recovered from 144 soil samples. Heterorhabditis indica (four isolates) was the most frequent and abundant EPN, followed by Heterorhabditis n. sp. (two isolates). Both nematodes are reported for the first time for Yucatán state, Mexico. The concentration of 2,520 IJs:1 produced 80% of mosquito larvae mortality in 48 h. Representative members of Photorhabdus genus were numerically dominant (74%) in mosquito larvae infected by H. indica. It is most likely that these bacteria produce secondary toxic metabolites that enhance the mortality of these mosquito larvae

Differential leukocyte expression of IFITM1 and IFITM3 in patients with severe pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and COVID-19

Interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins mediate protection against enveloped viruses by blocking membrane fusion at endosomes. IFITM1 and IFITM3 are crucial for protection against influenza, and various single nucleotide polymorphisms altering their function have been linked to disease susceptibility. However, bulk IFITM1 and IFITM3 mRNA expression dynamics and their correlation with clinical outcomes have not been extensively addressed in patients with respiratory infections. In this study, we evaluated the expression of IFITM1 and IFITM3 in peripheral leukocytes from healthy controls and individuals with severe pandemic influenza A(H1N1) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Comparisons between participants grouped according to their clinical characteristics, underlying disease, and outcomes showed that the downregulation of IFITM1 was a distinctive characteristic of severe pandemic influenza A(H1N1) that correlated with outcomes, including mortality. Conversely, increased IFITM3 expression was a common feature of severe pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and COVID-19. Using a high-dose murine model of infection, we confirmed not only the downregulation of IFITM1 but also of IFITM3 in the lungs of mice with severe influenza, as opposed to humans. Analyses in the comparative cohort also indicate the possible participation of IFITM3 in COVID-19. Our results add to the evidence supporting a protective function of IFITM proteins against viral respiratory infections in humans.Introduction Methods - Human samples - IFITM expression in humans - Influenza infection in mice - IFITM expression in mice - Cytokine levels in mouse lungs - Study approval - Statistical analysis Results - Participant characteristics - IFITM1 and IFITM3 in patients with severe pandemic influenza A(H1N1) - High-dose influenza A (H1N1) virus infection downregulates IFITM expression in mice - IFITM1 and IFITM3 in severe COVID-19 Discussio

Low-Dose Amphotericin B and Murine Dialyzable Spleen Extracts Protect against SystemicCandidaInfection in Mice

Candida albicans causes opportunistic systemic infections with high mortality (30%–50%). Despite significant nephrotoxicity, amphotericin (AmB) is still used for the treatment of this serious fungal infection. Therefore, alternative treatments are urgently needed. Dialyzable leukocyte extracts have been used successfully to treat patients with mucocutaneous candidiasis, but their effectiveness in systemic candidiasis has not been evaluated. In this study, low-dose AmB (0.1 mg/kg) plus 10 pg of murine dialyzable spleen extracts (mDSE) were tested in a systemic candidiasis mouse model. Survival, tissue fungal burden, kidney damage, kidney cytokines, and serum levels of IL-6 and hepcidin were evaluated. Our results showed that the combined treatment of low-dose AmB plus mDSE improved survival and reduced kidney fungal burden and histopathology; these effects correlated with increased kidney concentration of IFN-γ and TGF-β1, decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10, as well as high levels of systemic IL-6 and hepcidin. Low-dose AmB and mDSE synergized to clear the infectious agent and reduced tissue damage, confirming the efficacy of a low dose of AmB, which might decrease the risk of drug toxicity. Further studies are necessary to explore these findings and its implications in future therapeutic approaches

The Southwestern Europe Meteor Network: notable meteors spotted between December 2022 and January 2023

We present in this report the analysis of some of the notable meteors registered in the framework of the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network between December 2022 and January 2023. These were recorded from Spain. Their peak brightness ranges from mag. –7 to mag. –10. The emission spectrum of one of them is also presented. Bright meteors included here were produced by different sources: the sporadic background, major meteoroid streams, and poorly-known streams.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project PID2019-105797GB-I00). State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the “Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa” award to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (SEV-2017-0709). Spanish grant AYA - RTI2018 – 098657 – J - I00 “LEO – SBNAF” (MCIU / AEI / FEDER, UE)