Toxic Effects of the Cylindrospermopsin and Chlorpyrifos Combination on the Differentiated SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line

Due to climate change and anthropogenic activities, the levels of pollution of aquatic and terrestrial environments have increased in the last decades. In this sense, the rise of cyanobacterial blooms, which release secondary metabolites with toxic properties, and the global use of pesticides for agricultural purposes have a negative impact on ecosystems. Thus, it would be interesting to study the concomitance of both types of toxicants in the same sample, since it is possible that they appear together. The aim of the present work was to state the effects of the interaction between the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin and the pesticide chlorpyrifos in differentiated SH-SY5Y neuronal cells to assess how they could affect the nervous system. To this end, cytotoxicity, morphological, and acetylcholinesterase activity studies were performed during 24 and 48 h. The results revealed a concentration-dependent decrease in viability and interaction between both toxicants, together with clear signs of apoptosis and necrosis induction. In this sense, different stages on the differentiation process would lead to differences in the toxicity exerted by the compounds both isolated as in combination, which it is not observed in non-differentiated cells. Additionally, the acetylcholinesterase activity appeared not to be affected, which is a clear difference compared to non-differentiated cells. These results show the importance of studying not only the toxicants themselves, but also in combination, to assess their possible effects in a more realistic scenario.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID 2019-104890RB-I0

Valoración del nivel de actividad física y aptitud física en una muestra de universitarios: Comparativa tras la pandemia de covid-19

The transition from secondary education to university education has become a critical moment for the lifestyle of young people, especially for the practice of physical activity. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to assess the levels of physical activity in university students, by correlating the results of the IPAQ-SF and the different physical fitness variables (Eurofit). The sample consisted of 194 students of the Primary Education Degree, with a mean age of 21.37 ± 2.66 years. The main results obtained reflect the direct relationship between the practice of physical activity in general, and vigorous physical activity in particular, and optimal physical fitness of university students, linked above all to the strength component. As for the comparison between pre-pandemic (18/19) and post-pandemic (21/22) university students, the increase in physical activity after the pandemic did not show substantial differences in the physical fitness components. In conclusion, these results should lead us to reflect on the influence of an active lifestyle on physical fitness, which has an impact on overall health status and quality of life.El tránsito de la educación secundaria a la enseñanza universitaria se ha convertido en un momento crítico para el estilo de vida de los jóvenes, especialmente para la práctica de actividad física. Por ello, el principal objetivo del presente estudio fue valorar los niveles de actividad física en universitarios, mediante la correlación entre los resultados del IPAQ-SF y las distintas variables de condición física (Eurofit). La muestra estuvo conformada por 194 estudiantes del Grado de Educación Primaria, con una edad media de 21,37 ± 2,66 años. Los principales resultados obtenidos reflejan la relación directa entre la práctica de actividad física en general, y la actividad física vigorosa en particular y una óptima aptitud física de los estudiantes universitarios, vinculada sobre todo con el componente fuerza. En cuanto a la comparación entre los universitarios del curso prepandémico (18/19) y el curso pospandémico (21/22), el aumento de la actividad física tras la pandemia no reportó diferencias sustanciales en los componentes de la condición física. A modo de conclusión, estos resultados deben conducirnos a una reflexión sobre la influencia de un estilo de vida activo en la aptitud física, la cual tiene repercusión en el estado de salud general y la calidad de vida

From monomeric to multimeric His-tag proteins conjugation to magnetic nanoparticles through NTA-Me2+: shape and size effects

Resumen del póster presentado a la 4th Spanish Conference on Biomedical Applications of Nanomaterials, celebrda online del 2 al 4 de junio de 2021.Peer reviewe

Relationship between IGF-1 and body weight in inflammatory bowel diseases: Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn''s disease (CD), are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, what leads to diarrhea, malnutrition, and weight loss. Depression of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 axis (GH-IGF-1 axis) could be responsible of these symptoms. We demonstrate that long-term treatment (54 weeks) of adult CD patients with adalimumab (ADA) results in a decrease in serum IGF-1 without changes in serum IGF-1 binding protein (IGF1BP4). These results prompted us to conduct a preclinical study to test the efficiency of IGF-1 in the medication for experimental colitis. IGF-1 treatment of rats with DSS-induced colitis has a beneficial effect on the following circulating biochemical parameters: glucose, albumin, and total protein levels. In this experimental group we also observed healthy maintenance of colon size, body weight, and lean mass in comparison with the DSS-only group. Histological analysis revealed restoration of the mucosal barrier with the IGF-1 treatment, which was characterized by healthy quantities of mucin production, structural maintenance of adherers junctions (AJs), recuperation of E-cadherin and ß-catenin levels and decrease in infiltrating immune cells and in metalloproteinase-2 levels. The experimentally induced colitis caused activation of apoptosis markers, including cleaved caspase 3, caspase 8, and PARP and decreases cell-cycle checkpoint activators including phosphorylated Rb, cyclin E, and E2F1. The IGF-1 treatment inhibited cyclin E depletion and partially protects PARP levels. The beneficial effects of IGF-1 in experimental colitis could be explained by a re-sensitization of the IGF-1/IRS-1/AKT cascade to exogenous IGF-1. Given these results, we postulate that IGF-1 treatment of IBD patients could prove to be successful in reducing disease pathology. © 2021 The Author

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Synthesis of a cadherin-magnetic nanoparticle bioconjugate as a novel magneto-mechanical cell actuator

Trabajo presentado a la Conference on Advanced Materials and Devices for Nanomed (AMA4MED), celebrada en Valencia (España) del 3 al 4 de mayo de 2022.This work was supported by the SIROCCO project which has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 853468).Peer reviewe

Oriented immobilization of cadherin fragments on magnetic nanoparticles surface as novel magnetic switches

Trabajo presentado a la 4th Spanish Conference on Biomedical Applications of Nanomaterials (SBAN), celebrada online del 2 al 4 de junio de 2021.SIROCCO: 853468Peer reviewe

Oriented immobilization of cadherin fragments on magnetic nanoparticles as novel magneto-mechanical cell actuators

Resumen del póster presentado a la 13th International Conference on the Scientific and Clinical Applications of Magnetic Carriers, celebrada en London (UK) del 14 al 17 de junio de 2022.SIROCCOhas received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the EuropeanUnion’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 853468)Peer reviewe

A simple and versatile strategy for oriented immobilization of his-tagged proteins on magnetic nanoparticles

Oriented and covalent immobilization of proteins on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is particularly challenging as it requires both the functionality of the protein and the colloidal stability of the MNPs to be preserved. Here, we describe a simple, straightforward, and efficient strategy for MNP functionalization with proteins using metal affinity binding. Our method involves a single-step process where MNPs are functionalized using a preformed, ready-to-use nitrilotriacetic acid-divalent metal cation (NTA-M2+) complex and polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate the oriented immobilization of a recombinant cadherin fragment engineered with a hexahistidine tag (6His-tag) onto the MNPs. Our developed methodology is simple and direct, enabling the oriented bioconjugation of His-tagged cadherins to MNPs while preserving protein functionality and the colloidal stability of the MNPs, and could be extended to other proteins expressing a polyhistidine tag. When compared to the traditional method where NTA is first conjugated to the MNPs and afterward free metal ions are added to form the complex, this novel strategy results in a higher functionalization efficiency while avoiding MNP aggregation. Additionally, our method allows for covalent bonding of the cadherin fragments to the MNP surface while preserving functionality, making it highly versatile. Finally, our strategy not only ensures the correct orientation of the protein fragments on the MNPs but also allows for the precise control of their density. This feature enables the selective targeting of E-cadherin-expressing cells only when MNPs are decorated with a high density of cadherin fragments

Estimación de la cobertura vegetal en matorrales semiáridos mediante el uso de drones tras una quema prescrita. Validación mediante datos de campo

Este trabajo se ha desarrollado en el marco del proyecto Open2preserve (SOE2/P5/E0804) financiado por el Programa Interreg Sudoe. Asimismo ha recibido financiación del MICINN a través del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional [SUMHAL, LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-13, POPE 2014-2020]