Estudio de la interacción de factores ambientales y genéticos durante el desarrollo embrionario de ratón

Programa de Doctorado en Biotecnología y Tecnología QuímicaDuring embryogenesis the developing embryo is not isolated from its environment, this being a fundamental part of organism¿s life cycle and plays an important role in determining the phenotype. The embryogenesis is tightly regulated by different signalling pathways too. Any variation of the environmental or genetic factors can alter the development and leads to embryonic malformations, which can be enhanced if combined. In this work we have focused on maternal diabetes as an environmental risk factor. Congenital malformations in diabetic pregnancy are still a major health concern despite the improvements in glycaemic control strategies. Embryopathies produced as a consequence of maternal diabetes have been studied intensely in both experimental and clinical scenarios. Despite the numerous studies made in diabetic mice, is necessary to stablish the best strain as well as the most appropriate diabetes induction protocol. In our study we tested different protocols in females from different strains, and we stablished the most effective protocol for each one. As it is well known, abnormalities in maternal folate and diabetes during pregnancy have both been shown to induce neural tube defects (NTDs) in humans and animal models. However, the possible interaction between these two factors in the development of NTDs remains unclear. Folr1 is a membrane receptor that mediates the high affinity internalization and delivery of folate to the cytoplasm of the cell. Functional defect in this gene produce severe abnormalities in embryos, including cranial NTDs. It has been demonstrated that Folr1 embryonic mRNA was decreased under maternal diabetes. The metiltetrahidrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme involved in folate metabolism that converts 5.10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Mutation in the 677C¿T in the Mthfr gene is the most common genetic cause of hyperhomocysteinemia and is associated with NTDs and pregnancy complications. We analysed the combination of maternal diabetes and mutations of Folr1 and of Mthfr using mouse embryo culture and mouse models, and we observed that hyperglycaemia in combination with the alteration of folic acid metabolism seems to increase the incidence of congenital malformations in the embryos with majority of them being NTDs. Moreover, hyperglycaemia has been also shown to downregulate the expression of elements in the non-canonical Wnt-PCP pathway, such as the Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (Daam1) and Vangl2. Daam1 is a formin that is essential for actin polymerization and for cytoskeletal reorganization, and it is expressed strongly in certain organs during mouse development, including the eye, neural tube and heart. Daam1gt/gt and Daam1gt/+ embryos develop ocular defects (anophthalmia or micropthalmia) that are similar to those detected as a result of hyperglycaemia. Indeed, studying the effects of maternal diabetes on the Wnt-PCP pathway demonstrated that there was strong association with the Daam1 genotype, whereby the embryopathies observed in Daam1gt/+ mutant embryos of diabetic dams was more severe. There was evidence that embryonic exposure to glucose in vitro diminishes the expression of genes in the Wnt-PCP pathway, leading to altered cytoskeletal organization, cell shape and cell polarity in the optic vesicle. Hence, the Wnt-PCP pathway appears to influence cell morphology and cell polarity, events that drive the cellular movements required for optic vesicle formation and that, in turn, are required to maintain the fate determination. We also observed a number of Daam1+/gt from diabetic mothers that presented NTDs. These finding shows, although without a statistical significance, a possible interaction between the diabetes and the Wnt-PCP signalling pathway in the development of NTDs. However, to confirm this hypothesis it would be necessary to make more studies.Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Fisiología, Anatomía y Biología CelularPostprin

Laminin and integrin expression in the ventral ectodermal ridge of the mouse embryo: Implications for regulation of BMP signalling

PMCID: PMC3629792.[Background]: The ventral ectodermal ridge (VER) is an important signalling centre in the mouse tail-bud following completion of gastrulation. BMP regulation is essential for VER function, but how these signals are transmitted between adjacent tissues is unclear. [Results]: We investigated the idea that extracellular matrix components might be involved, using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation to detect all known α, β, and γ laminin chains and their mRNAs in the early tail bud. We identified an apparently novel laminin variant, comprising α5, β3 and γ2 chains, as a major component of the VER basement membrane at E9.5. Strikingly, only the mRNAs for these chains were co-expressed in VER cells, suggesting that lamin532 may be the sole basement membrane laminin at this stage. Since α6 integrin was also expressed in VER cells, this raises the possibility of cell-matrix interactions regulating BMP signalling at this site of caudal morphogenesis. [Conclusions]: Laminin532 could interact with α6-containing integrin to direct differentiation of the specialised VER cells from surface ectoderm.This work was supported by de Instituto de Salud Carlos III project CP08/00111 and PS09/00050 (to P.Y.-G.), la Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia project PI-0438-2010 (to P.Y.-G.), and the Wellcome Trust (to A.J.C.).Peer reviewe

Energy Efficiency of Personal Computers: A Comparative Analysis

The demand for electricity related to Information and Communications Technologies is constantly growing and significantly contributes to the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this harmful growth, it is necessary to address this problem from different perspectives. Among these is changing the computing scale, such as migrating, if possible, algorithms and processes to the most energy efficient resources. In this context, this paper explores the possibility of running scientific and engineering programs on personal computers and compares the obtained power efficiency on these systems with that of mainframe computers and even supercomputers. Anecdotally, this paper also shows how the power efficiency obtained for the same workloads on personal computers is similar to that obtained on supercomputers included in the Green500 ranking.Spanish GovernmentEuropean Commission PGC2018-098813-B-C31 MICI

The effect of maternal diabetes on the Wnt-PCP pathway during embryogenesis as reflected in the developing mouse eye

Embryopathies that develop as a consequence of maternal diabetes have been studied intensely in both experimental and clinical scenarios. Accordingly, hyperglycaemia has been shown to downregulate the expression of elements in the non-canonical Wnt-PCP pathway, such as the Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (Daam1) and Vangl2. Daam1 is a formin that is essential for actin polymerization and for cytoskeletal reorganization, and it is expressed strongly in certain organs during mouse development, including the eye, neural tube and heart. Daam1gt/gt and Daam1gt/+ embryos develop ocular defects (anophthalmia or microphthalmia) that are similar to those detected as a result of hyperglycaemia. Indeed, studying the effects of maternal diabetes on the Wnt-PCP pathway demonstrated that there was strong association with the Daam1 genotype, whereby the embryopathy observed in Daam1gt/+ mutant embryos of diabetic dams was more severe. There was evidence that embryonic exposure to glucose in vitro diminishes the expression of genes in the Wnt-PCP pathway, leading to altered cytoskeletal organization, cell shape and cell polarity in the optic vesicle. Hence, the Wnt-PCP pathway appears to influence cell morphology and cell polarity, events that drive the cellular movements required for optic vesicle formation and that, in turn, are required to maintain the fate determination. Here, we demonstrate that the Wnt-PCP pathway is involved in the early stages of mouse eye development and that it is altered by diabetes, provoking the ocular phenotype observed in the affected embryos

Micobacterias no-tuberculosa en pacientes registrados en un programa de control de tuberculosis en el suroccidente de Colombia

Introduction: Pulmonary disease produced by nontuberculous mycobacteria and pulmonary tuberculosis can share clinical signs and symptoms. It is important to discern one from the other in order to provide the proper treatment and programmatic management. Objective: To describe the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from patients registered in the tuberculosis control program in Cali. Methods: We conducted a descriptive study to know what extent of the pulmonary tuberculosis load in Cali-Colombia corresponds to nontuberculous mycobacteria, in a four-year period, 2014-2017. Demographic (sex, age, health insurance), clinical (diagnosis dates, laboratory data, comorbidities) and programmatic data (tuberculosis treatment initiation and duration) was collected for statistical analysis. Results: Of 3,651 patients registered in the local tuberculosis program with an initial diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, 2,904 had sputum culture and among them 1.5% (43/2904) had nontuberculous mycobacteria isolation rather than Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Most of the nontuberculous mycobacteria isolates were not identified at the species level; M. fortuitum and M. abscessus were the most common species identified. 86% of patients initiated unnecessary tuberculosis treatment. Conclusion: Nontuberculous mycobacteria isolation from pulmonary samples could be frequent in patients registered in the tuberculosis program in Cali, Colombia. The lack of clinical suspicion, the limited laboratory infrastructure, and the absence of a reporting system could be contributing factors to underestimate the importance of nontuberculous mycobacteria in this setting. We recommend that nontuberculous mycobacteria identification should be considered for public health intervention.Introducción: La enfermedad pulmonar producida por micobacterias no-tuberculosas y la tuberculosis pulmonar pueden compartir signos y síntomas. Es importante discernir entre estas dos enfermedades para poder proveer un tratamiento y manejo adecuado para cada una. Objetivo: Describir la frecuencia de micobacterias no-tuberculosas aisladas de pacientes registrados en el programa de control en la ciudad de Cali. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo para conocer la carga de micobacterias no-tuberculosos con respecto a la tuberculosis pulmonar en Cali, Colombia, en un periodo de cuatro años (2004-2017). Datos demográficos (sexo, edad, aseguramiento en salud), clínicos (diagnóstico, de laboratorio y comorbilidades) y datos del programa (iniciación y duración del tratamiento) fueron recolectaron para los análisis. Resultados: del registro de 3,651 pacientes en el programa de tuberculosis con un diagnostico inicial de tuberculosis pulmonar, a 2,904 se les realizó cultivo de esputo y entre estos, 1.5% (43/2,904) se les aisló micobacteria no-tuberculosa en lugar de Mycobacterium tuberculosis. La mayoría de las micobacterias no-tuberculosas no se identificaron asta el nivel de especie. M. fortuitum y M. abscessus fueron las mas frecuentemente identificadas. El 86% de estos pacientes iniciaron un tratamiento innecesario contra la tuberculosis. Conclusiones: Fueron identificadas Micobacterias no-tuberculosas aisladas de esputo en pacientes del programa de control. La falta de sospecha clínica, la infraestructura limitada de los laboratorios y la ausencia de un sistema de información podría contribuir a subestimar la importancia de micobacterias no tuberculosas. Nosotros recomendamos que la identificación de estas bacterias debe considerarse en una intervención de salud pública

Factores que influyen en el aumento del embarazo adolescente en usuarias inscritas en el Programa de Atencion Materna en las Unidades Comunitarias de Salud Familiar Concepcion Batres, Ozatlán y Las Marias, Chinameca año 2019.

RESUMEN: El embarazo adolescente en la población salvadoreña ha experimentado un aumento en el número de casos en los últimos años, siendo los principales detonantes que inducen una mayor tendencia de estos embarazos los factores sociales, culturales y conductuales, y que se van transmitiendo a través de varias generaciones; esto aunado a que aún existen muchos desafíos en los sistemas de salud primarios orientados a la prevención directa de embarazos adolescentes. El Objetivo de esta investigación es determinar los factores que influyen en el aumento del embarazo adolescente en pacientes inscritas en el programa de atención materno. Metodología: La investigación incluye a pacientes adolescentes embarazadas inscritas en el programa de atención materno de las UCSF Las Marías, Ozatlán y Concepción Batres. Es un estudio de tipo descriptivo con un enfoque cuali-cuantitativo, en el que existe asociación entre los fenómenos estudiados, lo cual permite realizar un análisis de los fenómenos que favorecen el embarazo adolescente. En dicho estudio se utiliza la técnica de encuesta para recolectar datos, tras ser aprobada por las pacientes mediante consentimiento informado. Resultados: Permitió identificar y documentar los principales factores que influyen en el aumento del embarazo adolescente en la población de estudio, y así tomar acciones preventivas más eficaces en el primer nivel de salud y disminuir la incidencia de este tipo de embarazo y los riesgos que esto implica. Impacto esperado: El presente estudio pretende ser además un insumo valioso a considerar en la elaboración concreta de más estrategias a implementar por parte del personal de salud, que necesitan realizar una mayor participación y fomentar más prácticas saludables en la salud sexual y reproductiva de la población de los adolescentes, además de garantizar el acceso a los servicios de salud a esta población, para reducir las tendencias de los embarazos en este grupo etario. abstract: teenage pregnancy in the salvadoran population has experienced an increase in the number of cases in recent years, the main triggers that induce a greater tendency of these pregnancies are social, cultural and behavioral factors, and that are transmitted through various generations; this coupled with the fact that there are still many challenges in primary health systems aimed at the direct prevention of adolescent pregnancies. the objective of this research is to determine the factors that influence the increase in adolescent pregnancy in patients enrolled in the maternal care program. methodology: the research includes pregnant adolescent patients enrolled in the maternal care program at ucsf las marías, ozatlán and concepción batres. it is a descriptive study with a qualitative-quantitative approach, in which there is an association between the studied phenomena, which allows an analysis of the phenomena that favor adolescent pregnancy. in this study, the survey technique is used to collect data, after being approved by the patients through informed consent. results: it allowed to identify and document the main factors that influence the increase in adolescent pregnancy in the study population, and thus take more effective preventive actions at the first level of health and reduce the incidence of this type of pregnancy and the risks that this it implies. expected impact: the present study also intends to be a valuable input to consider in the concrete elaboration of more strategies to be implemented by health personnel, who need to carry out greater participation and promote more healthy practices in the sexual and reproductive health of the population. of adolescents, in addition to guaranteeing access to health services for this population, to reduce trends in pregnancies in this age grou

Valoración crítica del programa de la asignatura anatomía III aplicada al Policlínico Universitario A critical valuation of the Anatomy III subject program applied to the university clinic

La universidad, como institución social es la encargada de formar los recursos humanos para el desarrollo de la sociedad, refleja sus valores y responde a sus intereses, acorde con el momento histórico y el contexto socio cultural. Se realizó una revisión del programa de la asignatura Anatomía III, con el objetivo de valorar su diseño en cuanto a contenidos y habilidades, así como su pertinencia y calidad. Se analizaron sus objetivos generales, educativos e instructivos, contenidos y distribución de fondo de tiempo, sistema de evaluación, métodos, medios de enseñanza y literatura recomendada. Determinamos que el programa tiene bien diseñados sus objetivos generales instructivos y educativos, pero presenta factores que generan dificultades en el desarrollo del programa como el distanciamiento del perfil del egresado, falta de comprensión por falta del resto del cuerpo académico, y que abordan al sujeto de forma fragmentada. Recomendamos que la propuesta sea valorada en el colectivo de la disciplina, enfatizando la vinculación básico clínica, incorporando las estancias en cada territorio al hacer el examen práctico descentralizado y considerar la esencialidad de los contenidos para la reestructuración del programa. Palabras clave: Evaluación Educacional, Anatomía, Universidades, Estudiantesde Medicina, Escuelas Médicas, Materiales De Enseñanza, Programas. ABSTRACT The University as a social institution is dedicated to create the human resources in order to develop society, reflecting its values and answering for its interests according to the historical moment and the social -cultural context A review of the program of Anatomy III was made with the purpose of validating its design according to the contents and skills as well as its quality. The general educative and instructed objects were analyzed as well as the contents and distribution of the time planned for preparation of the teaching activities, system of evaluation, methods, teaching aids and literature recommended. It is pointed out that the program has instructive educative general objectives well designed, but presents some factors causing difficulties in the development of the program, as the distance from the profile of the graduate, lacking of comprehensiveness by the members of the academic staff and fragmentary way of approaching the individual. It is recommended that the proposal be assessed by the staff,emphasizing the clinical-basic link and adding rotations in every territory, making a decentralized practical examination and considering the essence of contents for the re-structuring of the program. Key words: Educational Evaluation , Anatomy. Universities, Medical Students, Medical Schools, Teaching Aids. Programs

Evaluación del efecto de tres tipos de poda sobre el crecimiento vegetativo y la producción frutal en tres variedades comerciales y cuatro genotipos productivos de maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz

39 p.El maqui, Aristotelia chilensis, es una especie cuyo fruto se ha ganado importancia económica por su alto contenido de antioxidante. En la actualidad, este fruto se está domesticando, por lo que se realizan distintos ensayos sobre manejos agronómicos, siendo la poda uno de los manejos más importantes en la producción vegetal y frutal. Con el propósito de determinar el efecto de diferentes tipos de poda sobre el crecimiento vegetativo y la producción frutal en genotipos seleccionados de maqui, se establecieron tres ensayos con el fin de evaluar el crecimiento vegetativo y la producción frutal: 1. Evaluación poda de formación en siete genotipos seleccionados de maqui; 2. Evaluación poda de rebaje en siete genotipos seleccionados de maqui; 3. Evaluación poda de rejuvenecimiento en la variedad Luna Nueva. En el primer ensayo se encontró que la altura de planta y el porcentaje de plantas con frutos eran genotipo dependiente. En el ensayo dos hubo diferencias entre los tratamientos sobre el diámetro de fruto, es decir, plantas rebajadas un cuarto tuvieron un diámetro mayor que plantas no podadas (6 y 5 mm respectivamente), y Luna Nueva aumentó su rendimiento cuando fueron rebajadas a un cuarto. En el ensayo tres se encontró que independiente de la altura de corte, Luna Nueva produce abundantes yemas, lo cual es indicio de impulso de vitalidad. Palabras claves: Maqui, poda, crecimiento vegetativo, producción frutal, brotes, yema

Eficiencia energética de computadores personales: un análisis comparativo

The demand for electricity related to Information and Communication Technologies is constantly growing and contributing significantly to the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this harmful growth, it is necessary to approach the problem from different perspectives. One of them is to implement changes of scale, such as migrating, if possible, algorithms and processes to more energy efficient resources. In this context, this article explores the possibility of running scientific and engineering programs on personal computers and compares the energy efficiency obtained on these devices with that of more powerful computers and even supercomputers. As an anecdote, it shows how the energy efficiency obtained for the same workloads in personal computers is similar to that of some supercomputers included in the Green500 ranking.La demanda de electricidad relacionada con las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación está en constante crecimiento y contribuyendo significativamente al aumento de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero. Para reducir este crecimiento nocivo, es necesario abordar el problema desde diferentes perspectivas. Una de ellas es implementar cambios de escala, como migrar, si es posible, algoritmos y procesos a recursos energéticamente más eficientes. En este contexto, este artículo explora la posibilidad de ejecutar programas científicos y de ingeniería en computadores personales y compara la eficiencia energética obtenida en estos dispositivos con la de computadores más potentes e incluso supercomputadores. Como anécdota, se muestra cómo la eficiencia energética obtenida para las mismas cargas de trabajo en computadores personales es similar a la de algunos supercomputadores incluidos en el ranking Green500.Investigación financiada parcialmente por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU) junto con el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), proyecto PGC2018-098813-B-C31

Manejo poscosecha y comercialización del espárrago (Asparagus Officinalis L.)

En el libro se describen factores que intervienen en la poscosecha del espárrago, sistemas técnicos más apropiados para conservar la calidad del espárrago, prácticas de acondicionamiento, almacenamiento, transporte y sistemas de aseguramiento de la calidad que disminuyan los daños y pérdidas por daños en el producto.The book describes factors that intervene in the postharvest of the asparagus, more appropriate technical systems to preserve the quality of the asparagus, conditioning practices, storage, transportation and quality assurance systems that decrease damages and losses due to product damageFactores precosecha que inciden en la calidad y poscosecha del espárrago -- Cosecha del espárrago -- Acondicionamiento para el mercado -- Almacenamiento y transporte del espárrago -- Procesamiento del espárrago -- Manejo del espárrago en puntos de ventanaDocumento producto del Programa Nacional de Capacitación en Poscosecha de Frutas y Hortalizas convenio SENA - Reino unido348 página