Analysis of the September ε-Perseid outburst in 2013

We analyze the outburst experienced by the September ε-Perseid meteor shower on 9 September 2013. As a result of our monitoring the atmospheric trajectory of 60 multistation events observed over Spain was obtained and accurate orbital data were derived from them. On the basis of these orbits, we have tried to determine the likely parent body of this meteoroid stream by employing orbital dissimilarity criteria. In addition, the emission spectra produced by two events belonging to this meteor shower were also recorded. The analysis of these spectra has provided information about the chemical nature of their progenitor meteoroids. We also present an estimation of the tensile strength for these particles

Further Advances in Atrial Fibrillation Research: A Metabolomic Perspective

Atrial fibrillation involves an important type of heart arrhythmia caused by a lack of control in the electrical signals that arrive in the heart, produce an irregular auricular contraction, and induce blood clotting, which finally can lead to stroke. Atrial fibrillation presents some specific characteristics, but it has been treated and prevented using conventional methods similar to those applied to other cardiovascular diseases. However, due to the influence of this pathology on the mortality caused by cerebrovascular accidents, further studies on the molecular mechanism of atrial fibrillation are required. Our aim here is provide a compressive review of the use of metabolomics on this condition, from the study of the metabolic profile of plasma to the development of animal models. In summary, most of the reported studies highlighted alterations in the energetic pathways related to the development of the condition

The Puerto Lapice eucrite fall phenomenon

The fall of the Pu erto Lápice eucrite occurred in the afternoon of May 10, 2007, 17h57m20±2s UTC. This impressive daylight bolide was witnessed by thousands of people from Spain, and is being carefully studied in the framework of the Spanish Meteor and Fireball Network (SPMN) in a similar way that we previously did after the fall of the Villalbeto de la Peña L6 or dinary chondrite [1,2]. Unfortunately, there is no video records to our knowledge of the Puerto Lápice even t, but some eyewitnesses were able to take pictures of the persistent train from at least two different locations. Nocturn astrometric calibrations from both places have been obtained, and these data together with in situ trajectory measurements with theodolite of casual eyewitnesses have allowed to estimate the atmo spheric trajectory and the radiant with reasonable accu racy. A preliminary trajectory reconstruction by the SPMN obtained only two weeks after the event helped to recover the first meteorite specimens. The meteorite was presented on June 11, 2007 during the International Conference Meteoroids 2007 in Barcelona. In addition to the fall phenomena, the interest of this bolide lies in the eucrite nature of the recovered meteorite, that has been recently reported in the Meteoritical Bulletin [3]. Of the 200 eucrites known until 2000, only 25 correspond to observed falls, but the fall circumstances are poorly known except in few remarkable cases like e.g. Pasamonte

Metabolites involved in cellular communication among human cumulus-oocyte-complex and sperm during in vitro fertilization

Background: Fertilization is a key physiological process for the preservation of the species. Consequently, different mechanisms affecting the sperm and the oocyte have been developed to ensure a successful fertilization. Thus, sperm acrosome reaction is necessary for the egg coat penetration and sperm-oolema fusion. Several molecules are able to induce the sperm acrosome reaction; however, this process should be produced coordinately in time and in the space to allow the success of fertilization between gametes. The goal of this study was to analyze the metabolites secreted by cumulus-oocyte-complex (COC) to find out new components that could contribute to the induction of the human sperm acrosome reaction and other physiological processes at the time of gamete interaction and fertilization. Methods: For the metabolomic analysis, eighteen aliquots of medium were used in each group, containing: a) only COC before insemination and after 3 h of incubation; b) COC and capacitated spermatozoa after insemination and incubated for 16–20 hours; c) only capacitated sperm after 16–20 h in culture and d) only fertilization medium as control. Six patients undergoing assisted reproduction whose male partners provided normozoospermic samples were included in the study. Seventy-two COC were inseminated. Results: The metabolites identified were monoacylglycerol (MAG), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and phytosphingosine (PHS). Analysis by PCR and in silico of the gene expression strongly suggests that the cumulus cells contribute to the formation of the PHS and LPC. Conclusions: LPC and PHS are secreted by cumulus cells during in vitro fertilization and they could be involved in the induction of human acrosome reaction (AR). The identification of new molecules with a paracrine effect on oocytes, cumulus cells and spermatozoa will provide a better understanding of gamete interaction.This study was supported by grant GV/2009/097 from Department of Education, Generalitat Valenciana, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain (Vigrob-137), the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2012-40180-C03-02 and Fundación Seneca (04542/GERM/06)

Structure and Dynamics of Large-Scale Cognitive Networks in Huntington's Disease

Altres ajuts: La Marató de TV3 (20142910).Background: Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by clinical alterations in the motor, behavioral, and cognitive domains. However, the structure and disruptions to large-scale brain cognitive networks have not yet been established. Objective: We aimed to profile changes in large-scale cognitive networks in premanifest and symptomatic patients with Huntington's disease. Methods: We prospectively recruited premanifest and symptomatic Huntington's disease mutation carriers as well as healthy controls. Clinical and sociodemographic data were obtained from all participants, and resting-state functional connectivity data, using both time-averaged and dynamic functional connectivity, was acquired from whole-brain and cognitively oriented brain parcellations. Results: A total of 64 gene mutation carriers and 23 healthy controls were included; 21 patients with Huntington's disease were classified as premanifest and 43 as symptomatic Huntington's disease. Compared with healthy controls, patients with Huntington's disease showed decreased network connectivity within the posterior hubs of the default-mode network and the medial prefrontal cortex, changes that correlated with cognitive (t = 2.25, P = 0.01) and disease burden scores (t = −2.42, P = 0.009). The salience network showed decreased functional connectivity between insular and supramarginal cortices and also correlated with cognitive (t = 2.11, P = 0.02) and disease burden scores (t = −2.35, P = 0.01). Dynamic analyses showed that network variability was decreased for default-central executive networks, a feature already present in premanifest mutation carriers (dynamic factor 8, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Huntington's disease shows an early and widespread disruption of large-scale cognitive networks. Importantly, these changes are related to cognitive and disease burden scores, and novel dynamic functional analyses uncovered subtler network changes even in the premanifest stages

The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test in Parkinson's Disease Mild Cognitive Impairment : Discriminative Accuracy and Neural Correlates

Altres ajuts: This work was partially supported by grants from La Marató TV3 (20142910, 2014/U/477); FIS (PI14/02058, PI15/00962); CIBERNED.Introduction: Memory alterations are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients but the mechanisms involved in these deficits remain poorly understood. The study aims to explore the profile of episodic memory deficits in non-demented early PD patients. Methods: We obtained neurological, cognitive and behavioral data from 114 PD patients and 41 healthy controls (HC). PD participants were grouped as normal cognition (PD-NC) and mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) according to the Level II criteria of the Movement Disorders Society Task Force (MDS-TF). We evaluate the performance amongst groups on an episodic memory task using the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT). Additionally, gray matter volume (GMV) voxel based morphometry, and mean diffusivity (MD) analyses were conducted in a subset of patients to explore the structural brain correlates of FCSRT performance. Results: Performance on all subscores of the FCSRT was significantly worse in PD-MCI than in PD-NC and HC. Delayed total recall (DTR) subscore was the best at differentiating PD-NC from PD-MCI. Using crosstabulation, DTR allowed identification of PD-MCI patients with an accuracy of 80%. Delayed free and cued recall was associated with decreased GMV and increased MD in multiple fronto-temporal and parietal areas. Conclusion: Encoding and retrieval deficits are a main characteristic of PD-MCI and are associated with structural damage in temporal, parietal and prefrontal areas

Clinical presentation of acute coronary syndrome in patients previously treated with nitrates

Aims: Several reports have suggested that nitrates limit acute ischaemic damage by a mechanism similar to preconditioning. This study aims to evaluate the effect of chronic oral nitrates on the clinical presentation and short-term outcomes of patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients with ACS admitted to 62 acute care units from 2010 to 2011. A propensity score-matched samples analysis was performed.Results: We analysed 3171 consecutive patients, of whom 298 (9.4%) were chronically treated with nitrates. Patients previously treated with nitrates had higher comorbidity and disease severity at admission, lower prevalence of ACS with ST elevation, lower troponin elevation, higher prevalence of initial Killip class 2-4 and higher hospital mortality. The propensity score-matched analysis confirmed that previous use of nitrates is independently associated with a lower prevalence of ST-elevation ACS [odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.78; P = 0.0014] and a lower troponin elevation (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.92) but not with Killip class on admission (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.83-1.67, P = 0.3697) or mortality (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.37-1.38, P = 0.3196).Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis that nitrates have a protective effect on acute ischaemic injury

Efecto del diluyente sobre calidad espermática del semen ovino refrigerado

Keeping the semen refrigerated allows it to be used for a longer time after obtaining the ejaculate. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of the type of sperm on sperm quality (motility, viability and acrosomal integrity) of refrigerated ovine semen. Four English Suffolk sheep with an average age of two years, weight and similar body condition were used. Semen was extracted once a week with an artificial vagina. After obtaining the ejaculates, the sperm quality was evaluated, the extenders were added and it was refrigerated at a temperature of 4°C. Motility, viability and acrosomal damage were assessed at 0, 2, 4 and 24 hours. It was found that the pH did not change during the 24 hours in the three diluents. Motility and viability were better in the triladyl base diluent for the duration of the experiment. However, the acrosomal integrity was better in the first two diluents. In conclusion, it can be said that the triladyl-based extender can present an alternative for refrigerated storage of ovine semen.La conservación del semen en refrigeración, permite utilizarlo por más tiempo después de la obtención del eyaculado. El objetivo de este trabajo fue valorar el efecto del tipo de sobre la calidad espermática (motilidad, viabilidad e integridad acrosomal) del semen ovino refrigerado. Se utilizaron cuatro borregos de raza Suffolk Inglés con una edad promedio de dos años, peso y condición corporal similar, se les extrajo semen una vez por semana con vagina artificial. Tras la obtención de los eyaculados, se evaluó la calidad espermática, se adicionaron los diluyentes y se refrigeró a una temperatura de 4° C. Se valoró motilidad, viabilidad y daño acrosomal a las  0, 2, 4 y 24 horas. Se encontró que el pH, no varío durantes las 24 horas en los tres diluyentes. La motilidad y viabilidad fueron mejores en el diluyente base triladyl durante la duración del experimento. Sin embargo, la integridad acrosomal fue mejor en los dos primeros diluyentes. En conclusión, se puede decir que el diluyente a base de triladyl, puede presentar una alternativa para la conservación del semen ovino en refrigeración