Fine Control of In Vivo Magnetic Hyperthermia Using Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Different Coatings and Degree of Aggregation

Cancer; Magnetic hyperthermia; NanoparticlesCáncer; Hipertermia magnética; NanopartículasCàncer; Hipertèrmia magnètica; NanopartículesThe clinical implementation of magnetic hyperthermia has experienced little progress since the first clinical trial was completed in 2005. Some of the hurdles to overcome are the reliable production of magnetic nanoparticles with controlled properties and the control of the temperature at the target tissue in vivo. Here, forty samples of iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles were prepared by similar methods and thoroughly characterized in terms of size, aggregation degree, and heating response. Selected samples were intratumorally administered in animals with subcutaneous xenografts of human pancreatic cancer. In vivo experiments showed that it is possible to control the rise in temperature by modulating the field intensity during in vivo magnetic hyperthermia protocols. The procedure does not require sophisticated materials and it can be easily implemented by researchers or practitioners working in magnetic hyperthermia therapies.This research was funded by European Commission H2020 programme (NoCanTher project, grant agreement no. 685795), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2019-106301RB-I00), Comunidad de Madrid (Consejería de Educación e Investigación, NANOMAGCOST-CM, ref. P2018/NMT-4321), COST actions MyWave (CA17115) and Nano2Clinic (CA17140). MICINN “Redes de Investigación” (RED2018-102626-T). IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the ‘Severo Ochoa’ Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, CEX2020-001039-S)

Microalgal and Cyanobacterial Biomasses Modified the Activity of Extracellular Products from Bacillus pumilus: An In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment

This study investigates the postbiotic potential of extracellular products (ECPs) from Bacillus pumilus strains cultivated on microalgae-supplemented media. We assessed enzymatic and antimicrobial activities to select ECPs that enhance the digestive processes in gilthead seabream. Additionally, we explored the in vitro enzymatic capacity of the chosen postbiotics to hydrolyze macromolecules in microalgae. Finally, a feeding trial was conducted to determine the in vivo effects of the ECPs on Sparus aurata. In vitro enzymatic assays demonstrated diverse hydrolytic capacities among ECPs. All conditions exhibited antimicrobial activity against Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, with variation in inhibitory effects against Vibrio harveyi and Tenacibaculum maritimum. Furthermore, in vitro assays revealed differences in protein hydrolysis and soluble protein concentration, influencing amino acid and reducing sugar release from microalgal biomass. These analyses facilitated a selection to test ECPs in vivo. Lastly, the in vivo experiment revealed no differences in the growth performance, nutrient utilization, and general metabolism of S. aurata fed the experimental diets. Dietary inclusion of postbiotics increased the activity of key digestive enzymes in fish compared to the control group, and particularly, values increased significantly when the fish were fed with the ECP-nanoparticulate-supplemented diet. In conclusion, the inclusion of microalgae in the culture media significantly influences the activity of extracellular products from B. pumilus strains, as evidenced in both in vitro and in vivo assays.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. This work was funded by the Plan Andaluz de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (PAIDI) from the Junta de Andalucía (Spain) (#P20_00085). This work has also been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Sciences, Innovation, and Universities (#PID2020-113637RB-C22). This research was co-founded by the projects HYDROALGAE4BREAM (PID2021-12228OBC21) from the Ministry of Sciences, Innovation, and Universities (Spain) and by the European Union under the 2014–2020 ERDF Operational Programme and AquaTech4Feed project (grant # PCI2020-112204 by AEI within the ERA-NET BioBlue COFUND). The authors thank grants UNAM15-CE-3510, EQC2018-004984-P, and EQC2019-006380-P to Service of Experimental Diets. This work was co-funded by the European Union under the 2014–2020 ERDF Operational Programme and by the Regional Government of Andalusia (Project reference: FEDER-UCA18-107182). P. Simó-Mirabet is supported by a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Juan de la Cierva-Formación, Reference FJCI-2021–047759-I) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is Land 2021, 10, 144 3 of 53 more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today’s problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country’s natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study of the potential association of adipose tissue GLP-1 receptor with obesity and insulin resistance

8 páginas, 5 figuras.-- et al.The increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) activity has emerged as a useful therapeutic tool for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The actions of GLP-1 on β-cells and the nervous and digestive systems are well known. The action of this peptide in adipose tissue (AT), however, is still poorly defined. Furthermore, no relationship has been established between GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in AT and obesity and insulin resistance (IR). We provide evidence for the presence of this receptor in AT and show that its mRNA and protein expressions are increased in visceral adipose depots from morbidly obese patients with a high degree of IR. Experiments with the 3T3-L1 cell line showed the lipolytic and lipogenic dose-dependent effect of GLP-1. Moreover, GLP-1 stimulated lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in a receptor-dependent manner involving downstream adenylate cyclase/cAMP signaling. Our data also demonstrate that the expression of the GLP-1R in AT correlated positively with the homeostasis model assessment index in obese IR subjects. Furthermore, prospective studies carried out with patients that underwent biliopancreatic diversion surgery showed that subjects with high levels of GLP-1R expression in AT, which indicates a deficit of GLP-1 in this tissue, were those whose insulin sensitivity improved after surgery, suggesting the potential relationship between AT GLP-1R and insulin sensitivity amelioration in obese subjects. Altogether these results indicate that the GLP-1/GLP-1R system in AT represents another potential candidate for improving insulin sensitivity in obese patients.This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from Merck & Co., Inc., and also in part by Grants SAS PI-0251 and 0255/2007 from the Andalusian Health Service; the Spanish Ministry of Health Grants PS09/00997 and PI070953; the Consejería de Innovación Grants CTS04369 and CTS-03039; and MICINN/FEDER (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, subprograma proyectos de infraestricutura cientifico-tecnológico cofinanciadas con el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) Grants BFU2007-60180 and SAF-2009-10461). R.E.B., E.G.-F., and D.M.S. are recipients of a “Miguel Servet” (FIS-2007) postdoctoral Grant CP07/00288, CP04/00133, CP04/00039, PS09/01060, and CP08/00058 from the Spanish Ministry of Health. M.M.-G. is supported by the Research Stabilization Program of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III Grant CES 10/004. X.E. is supported by a fellowship from the JdlC Program and Grant JDCI20071020. This work was also supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III Grants CD07/00208 and CD10/00285, Formación y Perfeccionamiento del Personal Investigador, Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, Spain (to Y.J.-G. and G.P.).Peer reviewe

Potencial productivo de seis variedades de almendro en condiciones de riego deficitario

El cultivo del almendro tiene un peso importante en la agricultura española con unas 600.000 hectáreas, la mayoría de ellas en secano. Recientemente, la aparición de nuevas variedades y su implantación en regadío, ha permitido un gran salto hacia su reconversión. En el presente artículo se muestran los primeros resultados obtenidos en un ensayo iniciado en enero de 2000 y realizado en Les Borges Blanques (Lleida) con el objetivo de evaluar el potencial productivo de diferentes variedades de almendro en condiciones de riego deficitario (2.500 m3/ha y año). En los primeros años, las seis variedades evaluadas (Ferragnes, Guara, Lauranne, Glorieta, Francolí y Masbovera) han tenido muy buen omportamiento productivo, presentando en el 2006 (7º año) producciones cercanas e incluso superiores a 1.500 kg de grano/ha. Francolí, Lauranne y Glorieta han sido las variedades que han presentado mayor producción acumulada en los 7 primeros años (producciones superiores a 16.000 kg de almendra en cáscara por hectárea). Así mismo, en el artículo se analizan otros aspectos destacados: época de floración, época de recolección, vigor y la facilidad de formación del árbol entre otros

Fine Control of In Vivo Magnetic Hyperthermia Using Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Different Coatings and Degree of Aggregation

The clinical implementation of magnetic hyperthermia has experienced little progress since the first clinical trial was completed in 2005. Some of the hurdles to overcome are the reliable production of magnetic nanoparticles with controlled properties and the control of the temperature at the target tissue in vivo. Here, forty samples of iron oxide superparamagnetic nanoparticles were prepared by similar methods and thoroughly characterized in terms of size, aggregation degree, and heating response. Selected samples were intratumorally administered in animals with subcutaneous xenografts of human pancreatic cancer. In vivo experiments showed that it is possible to control the rise in temperature by modulating the field intensity during in vivo magnetic hyperthermia protocols. The procedure does not require sophisticated materials and it can be easily implemented by researchers or practitioners working in magnetic hyperthermia therapies

SCoCAN: a real time communication protocol for distributed embedded systems. Application to robot control

[ES] En este trabajo se describe el diseño y la implementación de una arquitectura distribuida para el control de robots móviles. En el desarrollo de esta arquitectura se han implementado tanto los nodos empotrados encargados del control del sistema, así como el protocolo de comunicaciones SCoCAN (Shared Channel on CAN). Este protocolo permite comunicaciones de tiempo real entre diferentes nodos distribuidos (sensores, actuadores y controladores). SCoCAN esta basado en un esquema de comunicaciones híbrido (Time Triggered-Event Triggered) que garantiza un jitter mínimo en el lazo sensor-control-actuador. Los nodos distribuidos utilizan RT-Linux como plataforma de gestión, control y planificación del sistema de tiempo real.[EN] This paper describes the design and implementation of distributed architecture intended for use in distributed control systems, as is the case of mobile robots. In this architecture the distributed embedded nodes has been implemented, as well as a communication protocol called SCoCAN (Shared Channel on CAN). This protocol enables real time communication between different intelligent nodes (sensors, actuators and controllers). SCoCAN is based on a hybrid communication scheme (Time Triggered-Eevent Triggered), that guarantees a minimum jitter in sensor-control-actuator loops. The distributed nodes have RT-Linux as operating system for the management, control and scheduling under real-time constraints.Este trabajo cuenta con la financiación del proyecto CICYT DPI2002-04434-C04-03.Coronel, JO.; Blanes Noguera, JF.; Pérez Blasco, P.; Albero, M.; Benet Gilabert, G.; Simó Ten, JE. (2010). SCoCAN: Un Protocolo de Comunicaciones de Tiempo Real Para Sistemas Empotrados Distribuidos. Aplicación al Control de Robots. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 3(2):71-78. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/146381OJS71783