Choosing the right cell line for rectal cancer research

Up to date no effective method exists that predicts response to preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Nevertheless, identification of patients who have a higher likelihood of responding to preoperative CRT could be crucial in decreasing treatment morbidity and avoiding expensive and time-consuming treatments. Using the Gng4, c-Myc, Pola1, and Rrm1 signature, we were able to establish a model to predict response to CRT in rectal cancer with a sensitivity of 60% and 100% specificity. The aim of this study was to characterize c-Myc status in DNA, RNA and protein levels in 3 tumoral cell lines (SW480, SW620 and SW837) to establish the best cell line model and, subsequently, carry out genome silencing of c-Myc by means of RNA interference (iRNA). To study the expression levels of c-Myc, we used Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplifications and sequencing; quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR); and western blot analysis in each cell line. SW480 and SW620 showed a variation A > G in exon 2, which caused a substitution of aspargine to serine, and SW837 revealed a G > A transition in the same, which caused a mutation at codon 92. The three cell lines expressed c-Myc mRNA. SW837 showed a decrease of c-Myc expression levels compared with SW480, and SW620. At protein level, SW620 showed the highest expression of c-Myc. According to the results obtained, we can perform c-Myc gene silencing experiments to analyze the role of this biomarker in response to treatment

El debate académico de competición como instrumento para el aprendizaje de cuestiones de derecho, ciencia política y criminología

Memoria ID-0032. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2016-2017

Los juicios simulados (Moot Court) como herramienta pedagógica en derecho y ciencias políticas

Memoria ID-0054. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2017-2018

Rotura y atrapamiento intracoronario de una guía de angioplastia con el extractor de trombos X-Sizer en una angioplastia de rescate

El extractor de trombos X-Sizer supone un importante avance en el tratamiento de las lesiones coronarias con un elevado contenido trombótico y, especialmente, en el contexto de la angioplastia coronaria transluminal percutánea (ACTP) primaria y de rescate. Aunque es bastante seguro, se han comunicado algunas complicaciones asociadas a su uso; sin embargo, hasta donde conocemos, no se ha descrito ningún caso de rotura de la guía intracoronaria durante su utilización. Describimos un caso de esta rara complicación y analizamos sus causas, prevención y alternativas de tratamient

Muscle activation and distribution during four test/functional tasks: A comparison between dry-land and aquatic environments for healthy older and young adults

Background: The use of rehabilitation protocols carried out in water has been progressively increasing due to the favorable physical properties of the water. Electromyography allows one to register muscle activity even under water. Aim: To compare muscle activity between two groups (healthy young adults (HYA) and healthy older adults (HOA)) in two different environments (dry land and aquatic) using surface electromyography during the execution of four different test/functional movements. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study. HYA and HOA carried out four functional tasks (Step Up and Down, Sit To Stand test, Gait Initiation and Turns During Gait) in two different environments (dry land and aquatic). Absolute and relative muscle activation was compared between each group and between each environment. In addition, the stability of the measured was calculated through a test-retest (ICC 2:1). Results: Within the same environment there were significant differences between young and older adults in three of the four functional tasks. In contrast, in the gait initiation, hardly any significant differences were found between the two groups analysed, except for the soleus and the anterior tibial. Measurement stability ranged from good to excellent. Conclusions: Level of the musculature involvement presents an entirely different distribution when the test/functional task is performed on dry land or in water. There are differences both in the relative activation of the musculature and in the distribution of the partition of the muscles comparing older and young adults within the same environment.</p

Low-frequency ultrasound as a tool for quality control of soft-bodied raw ewe's milk cheeses

The relationship between the quality attributes and the ultrasound parameters of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) soft-bodied cheeses from “Torta del Casar” and “Queso de la Serena” was studied. Cheese samples were taken from six different dairy industries (three for each PDO) in two different seasons. Ultrasound parameters related to velocity, attenuation and frequency were calculated and correlated with the physico-chemical, microbiological, rheological and sensorial properties of the cheeses. Several ultrasonic parameters showed a high correlation with changes in the physico-chemical, textural and sensorial properties of this product, which were partially associated with microbial activity. Among these, stand out the negative correlation of the sensorial descriptor “firmness” with bulk modulus (κ). The predictive models achieved by the multivariate linear regression method (MLR) showed the highest correlation coefficients for firmness by texture compression analysis (TCA) and the sensory descriptor “intensity”, including as the explanatory variables for both models, fast Fourier transform (FFT) frequencies and attenuation parameters. This work highlights the on-line capability of ultrasound for non-destructive quality assessment of this traditional and heterogeneous soft cheese based on the predictive potential of several secondary ultrasonic parameters.This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain (ref. CIT-060000-2008-0008); Junta Extremadura Government, Spain (ref. GR18165; IB16038; GR18089); University of Extremadura, Spain (223/18). A.V. Merch´an and A.I. Galv´an are funded by pre-doctoral grants from the Junta Extremadura Government (PD16026) and Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTA2017-00032-CO2-01), respectively.peerReviewe