Década de la Energía Sostenible para Todos

Naciones Unidas, tras la proclamación de 2012 como "Año Internacional de la Energía Sostenible para todos", refuerza ahora su ambicioso pero fundamentado proyecto de revolución energética, instituyendo una Década (2014-2024) destinada a la puesta en marcha de las medidas necesarias para que la totalidad de los seres humanos pueda disponer de recursos energéticos renovables y no contaminantes. Se pretende así contribuir a erradicar la pobreza y a atajar el destructivo desarreglo climático que ya estamos empezando a sufrir

A mid term comparison of open wedge high tibial osteotomy vs unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The choice of surgical treatments for unicompartmental osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is still somewhat controversial. Midterm results from cases treated using unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) or open wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) were evaluated retrospectively.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-seven knees of 24 patients with varus deformities underwent OWHTO and 30 knees of 18 patients underwent UKA surgeries for the treatment of medial compartmental osteoarthritis (OA). The KSS score, FTA, range of motion and complications were evaluated before and after surgery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The preoperative mean KSS scores were 49 points in the OWHTO group and 62 in the UKA group which improved postoperatively to 89 (excellent; 19 knees, good; 8 knees), and 88 (excellent; 25, good; 4, fair; 1), respectively. There was no significant difference between the OWHTO and UKA scores. Seventeen patients in the OWHTO group could sit comfortably in the formal Japanese style after surgery. The preoperative mean FTA values for the OWHTO and UKA groups were 182 degrees and 184, and at follow-up measured 169 and 170, respectively. In the UKA group, the femoral component and the polyethylene insertion in one patient was exchanged at 5 years post-surgery and revision TKAs were performed in 2 cases. In the OWHTO group, one tibial plateau fracture and one subcutaneous tissue infection were noted.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Treatment options should be carefully considered for each OA patient in accordance with their activity levels, grade of advanced OA, age, and range of motion of the knee. OWHTO shows an improved indication for active patients with a good range of motion of the knee.</p

Sex-inducing effects toward planarians widely present among parasitic flatworms

Summary Various parasitic flatworms infect vertebrates for sexual reproduction, often causing devastating diseases in their hosts. Consequently, flatworms are of great socioeconomic and biomedical importance. Although the cessation of parasitic flatworm sexual reproduction is a major target of anti-parasitic drug design, little is known regarding bioactive compounds controlling flatworm sexual maturation. Using the planarian Dugesia ryukyuensis, we observed that sex-inducing substances found in planarians are also widespread in parasitic flatworms, such as monogeneans and flukes (but not in tapeworms). Reverse-phase HPLC analysis revealed the sex-inducing substance(s) eluting around the tryptophan retention time in the fluke Calicophoron calicophorum, consistent with previous studies on the planarian Bipalium nobile, suggesting that the substance(s) is likely conserved among flatworms. Moreover, six of the 18 ovary-inducing substances identified via transcriptome and metabolome analyses are involved in purine metabolism. Our findings provide a basis for understanding and modifying the life cycles of various parasitic flatworms.journal articl

Biology and genome of a newly discovered sibling species of Caenorhabditis elegans

A ‘sibling’ species of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has long been sought for use in comparative analyses that would enable deep evolutionary interpretations of biological phenomena. Here, we describe the first sibling species of C. elegans, C. inopinata n. sp., isolated from fig syconia in Okinawa, Japan. We investigate the morphology, developmental processes and behaviour of C. inopinata, which differ significantly from those of C. elegans. The 123-Mb C. inopinata genome was sequenced and assembled into six nuclear chromosomes, allowing delineation of Caenorhabditis genome evolution and revealing unique characteristics, such as highly expanded transposable elements that might have contributed to the genome evolution of C. inopinata. In addition, C. inopinata exhibits massive gene losses in chemoreceptor gene families, which could be correlated with its limited habitat area. We have developed genetic and molecular techniques for C. inopinata; thus C. inopinata provides an exciting new platform for comparative evolutionary studies

Non-aqueous bonding of leuprorelin to Ochratoxin A for solid-phase extraction

The anticancer leuprorelin was found to have excellent affinity to ochratoxin A (OTA), with an equilibrium constant of 2.2 × 10^8 M^-1 at 273 K (dissociation constant Kd = 4.5 nM) when functionalized into a mesoporous polymer for binding to OTA. Binding between the surface-bound leuprorelin and mycotoxin was corroborated using DFT-based analysis, and it was extended to extraction of OTA from heavily fatty matrices of coffee, achieving 95% recovery with improved cyclability as compared with immunoaffinity