Psicoterapia grupal de orientación cognitiva conductual y su efectividad sobre las variables de estabilidad emocional y autoestima en un grupo de pacientes drogodependientes.

El objetivo del presente estudio es comprobar la efectividad de una intervención grupal breve de orientación cognitiva conductual sobre variables de personalidad como la autoestima y la estabilidad emocional en pacientes con diagnóstico de dependencia a sustancias según criterios del DSM-1V TR. La muestra está compuesta por 8 sujetos, del sexo masculino, adictos a sustancias psicoactivas internos en un centro de rehabilitación. Se recogieron las historias clínicas con datos relacionados con la conducta adictiva y se aplico el instrumento psicológico (PPG-IPG). Se llevó a cabo un diseño pre-experimental de pre-prueba y post-prueba con un solo grupo y estudio de casos. Los resultados reflejan la existencia de un ajuste emocional deficiente y baja autoestima en los pacientes al inicio del tratamiento. Tras las doce sesiones de tratamiento se observa una mejoría estadísticamente significativa en los índice de autoestima, mas no en la estabilidad emocional. Esto indica que la psicoterapia grupal breve de orientación cognitiva conductual es efectiva para mejorar la autoestima pero no para el logro de una estabilidad emocional en pacientes drogodependientes

Drosophila CG3303 is an essential endoribonuclease linked to TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration

Endoribonucleases participate in almost every step of eukaryotic RNA metabolism, acting either as degradative or biosynthetic enzymes. We previously identified the founding member of the Eukaryotic EndoU ribonuclease family, whose components display unique biochemical features and are flexibly involved in important biological processes, such as ribosome biogenesis, tumorigenesis and viral replication. Here we report the discovery of the CG3303 gene product, which we named DendoU, as a novel family member in Drosophila. Functional characterisation revealed that DendoU is essential for Drosophila viability and nervous system activity. Pan-neuronal silencing of dendoU resulted in fly immature phenotypes, highly reduced lifespan and dramatic motor performance defects. Neuron-subtype selective silencing showed that DendoU is particularly important in cholinergic circuits. At the molecular level, we unveiled that DendoU is a positive regulator of the neurodegeneration-associated protein dTDP-43, whose downregulation recapitulates the ensemble of dendoU-dependent phenotypes. This interdisciplinary work, which comprehends in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies, unveils a relevant role for DendoU in Drosophila nervous system physio-pathology and highlights that DendoU-mediated neurotoxicity is, at least in part, contributed by dTDP-43 loss-of-function

Percepción de los/as adolescentes de15-19 años en relación a las repercusiones de los embarazos a temprana edad, en los/as alumnos/as de quinto año que asisten al Instituto Inmaculada Concepción de María del departamento de Managua. Segundo semestre 2009.

La adolescencia es una etapa de la vida que transcurre entre los 10 y los 19 años, periodo en que empiezan a desarrollarse todas las funciones sexuales favorecidas por la producción de hormonas que permiten la maduración de los órganos sexuales tanto femenino como masculino incluyendo las células sexuales femeninas u ovulo y masculina o espermatozoide. Durante esta etapa por lógica, el organismo humano tiene requerimientos especiales que van desde los que le permitan un adecuado crecimiento como alimentación, descanso y ejercicio físico; requerimientos materiales, como el vestido o los zapatos, que por el crecimiento deben cambiarse frecuentemente; emocionales que surgen ante la atracción sexual y las nuevas ensaciones y los sociales que permiten consolidar sentimientos, relaciones y amistades.Este trabajo recoge las opiniones de un grupo de adolescentes de 15 a 19 años, provenientes de diversos barrios de Managua que asisten al Instituto Inmaculada Concepción de María. Se trabajo una investigación de carácter cualitativa, basada en los estudios, teorías y opinión de 16 adolescentes que corresponden a las edades de 15 a 19 años de edad del 5to año, segundo semestre 2009, con el objetivo de reconocer la percepción de los y las adolescentes frente a los embarazos a temprana edad, con el fin de cerrar un ciclo de conocimientos personales que nos lleven al compromiso de brindar una mejor atención integral a los y las adolescentes teniendo como base fundamental las expectativas de ellas y ellos. Se utilizo como instrumento la entrevista informal en la cual concluimos que los y las adolescentes poseen un conocimiento empobrecido a partir de las limitadas fuentes de información que poseen debido a que muchos al abordar sus familiares y amigos e inclusive documentos leídos, no son de procedencia educativas por lo que siempre quedan limitados, ansiosos y confundidos. Encontramos además que la atracción que manifiestan los y las adolescentes por el otro sexo, los conduce a tomar decisiones que por falta de experiencia e información, no siempre son responsable. La recomendación planteada es para la escuela de enfermería para implementar dentro del trabajo comunitario las visitas a los colegios con fines educativas a fin de brindar al adolescente conocimiento sobre su salud sexual y reproductiva temas poco abordados por los docentes e instituciones y que aunque los padres aparentemente favorecen el espacio, esta siendo mínimo e insatisfactorio

Cyclic Peptoids as Mycotoxin Mimics: An Exploration of Their Structural and Biological Properties

Cyclic peptoids have recently emerged as important examples of peptidomimetics for their interesting complexing properties and innate ability to permeate biological barriers. In the present contribution, experimental and theoretical data evidence the intricate conformational and stereochemical properties of five novel hexameric peptoids decorated with N-isopropyl, N-isobutyl, and N-benzyl substituents. Complexation studies by NMR, in the presence of sodium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (NaTFPB), theoretical calculations, and single-crystal X-ray analyses indicate that the conformationally stable host/guest metal adducts display architectural ordering comparable to that of the enniatins and beauvericin mycotoxins. Similarly to the natural depsipeptides, the synthetic oligolactam analogues show a correlation between ion transport abilities in artificial liposomes and cytotoxic activity on human cancer cell lines. The reported results demonstrate that the versatile cyclic peptoid scaffold, for its remarkable conformational and complexing properties, can morphologically mimic related natural products and elicit powerful biological activities

Myopalladin promotes muscle growth through modulation of the serum response factor pathway

Myopalladin (MYPN) is a striated muscle-specific, immunoglobulin-containing protein located in the Z-line and I-band of the sarcomere as well as the nucleus. Heterozygous MYPN gene mutations are associated with hypertrophic, dilated, and restrictive cardiomyopathy, and homozygous loss-of-function truncating mutations have recently been identified in patients with cap myopathy, nemaline myopathy, and congenital myopathy with hanging big toe

Predictors of outcome in a Spanish cohort of patients with Fabry disease on enzyme replacement therapy

Fabry disease may be treated by enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), but the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the response to therapy remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyse the incidence and predictors of clinical events in patients on ERT. Study design: Multicentre retrospective observational analysis of patients diagnosed and treated with ERT for Fabry disease. The primary outcome was the first renal, neurological or cardiological events or death during a follow-up of 60 months (24-120). Results: In 69 patients (42 males, 27 females, mean age 44.6±13.7 years), at the end of follow-up, eGFR and the left ventricular septum thickness remained stable and the urinary albumin: creatinine ratio tended to decrease, but this decrease only approached significance in patients on agalsidase-beta (242-128mg/g (p=0.05). At the end of follow-up, 21 (30%) patients had suffered an incident clinical event: 6 renal, 2 neurological and 13 cardiological (including 3 deaths). Events were more frequent in patients with baseline eGFR≤60ml/min/1.73m2 (log Rank 12.423, p=0.001), and this remained significant even after excluding incident renal events (log Rank 4.086, p=0.043) and in males and in females. Lower baseline eGFR was associated with a 3- to 7-fold increase the risk of clinical events in different Cox models. Conclusions: GFR at the initiation of ERT is the main predictor of clinical events, both in males and in females, suggesting that start of ERT prior to the development of CKD is associated with better outcomes

Spatial patterns in plant and macrofaunal assemblages in Mediterranean temporary ponds: response to connectivity and pond size gradient

We studied the relation between three different biotic groups (animal active dispersers, animal passive dispersers and plants) and spatial patterns and environmental conditions in two networks of Mediterranean temporary ponds. Plant and macrofaunal assemblages in Mediterranean temporary ponds seem to have different spatio-temporal patterns, being plants more dependent on spatial factors and macrofauna on temporal changes

Open Science for a shared and collaborative knowledge

The conventional model of “Scholarly communication”, based on the publication in "tall access" journals and by preference in high-Impact Factor journals, has distorted over time, if not betrayed, its original vocation, that is to "communicate" science. The year 1665 is often cited, being the year of birth of the Journal des Sçavans in France and of Philosophical Transactions in England, published by Henry Oldenburg to present advances in scientific research to members of the Royal Society. It is the founding date of the first scientific journals and marks the starting point of the privileged circuit for sharing scientific knowledge and encouraging the so-called "Great Conversation" of science. This debate among scientists should be the true essence and the raison d’être of Scholarly Communication. Since then, unfortunately, academic publishing has turned into a real business, "the most profitable obsolete technology in history", dominated by the "Big Five", a cartel of the five publishing groups (Reed Elsevier, Wiley- Blackwell, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Sage) which rank in the highest positions in the international scientific publishing market, both in terms of profit margins (38% of Reed Elsevier's net profit), and the number of articles published every year, with a price spiral in subscription costs that peaked at 402% for the period 1986-2011. Economic barriers are only one of the obstacles that restrict access to research findings. Paradoxically, although huge economic investments are made by the institutions to enable the academic community to do research, much of the scientific literature is actually inaccessible. Jon Tennant remarks: "we spend 1/3 of the total global research budget (£59/175bn) in publishing and communicating results that 99% of people cannot access"

Polymorphisms of an Innate Immune Gene, Toll-Like Receptor 4, and Aggressive Prostate Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is one of the best known TLR members expressed on the surface of several leukocytes and tissue cells and has a key function in detecting pathogen and danger-associated molecular patterns. The role of TLR4 in the pathophysiology of several age-related diseases is also well recognized, such as prostate cancer (PCa). TLR4 polymorphisms have been related to PCa risk, but the relationship between TLR4 genotypes and aggressive PCa risk has not been evaluated by any systematic reviews. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of candidate-gene and genome-wide association studies analyzing this relationship and included only white population. Considering appropriate criteria, only nine studies were analyzed in the meta-analysis, including 3,937 aggressive PCa and 7,382 controls. Results: Using random effects model, no significant association was found in the ten TLR4 SNPs reported by at least four included studies under any inheritance model (rs2737191, rs1927914, rs10759932, rs1927911, rs11536879, rs2149356, rs4986790, rs11536889, rs7873784, and rs1554973). Pooled estimates from another ten TLR4 SNPs reported by three studies also showed no significant association (rs10759930, rs10116253, rs11536869, rs5030717, rs4986791, rs11536897, rs1927906, rs913930, rs1927905, and rs7045953). Meta-regression revealed that study type was not a significant source of between-study heterogeneity. Conclusions: TLR4 polymorphisms were not significantly associated with the risk of aggressive PCa