Ahora / Ara

La cinquena edició del microrelatari per l’eradicació de la violència contra les dones de l’Institut Universitari d’Estudis Feministes i de Gènere «Purificación Escribano» de la Universitat Jaume I vol ser una declaració d’esperança. Aquest és el moment en el qual les dones (i els homes) hem de fer un pas endavant i eliminar la violència sistèmica contra les dones. Ara és el moment de denunciar el masclisme i els micromasclismes començant a construir una societat més igualitària. Cadascun dels relats del llibre és una denúncia i una declaració que ens encamina cap a un món millor

Salinity and Temperature Variations near the Freshwater-Saltwater Interface in Coastal Aquifers Induced by Ocean Tides and Changes in Recharge

The temperature distribution of shallow sectors of coastal aquifers are highly influenced by the atmospheric temperature and recharge. However, geothermal heat or vertical fluxes due to the presence of the saline wedge have more influence at deeper locations. In this study, using numerical models that account for variable density, periodic oscillations of temperature have been detected, and their origin has been attributed to the influence exerted by recharge and tides. The combined analysis of field data and numerical models showed that the alternation of dry and wet periods modifies heat distribution in deep zones (>100 m) of the aquifer. Oscillations with diurnal and semidiurnal frequencies have been detected for groundwater temperature, but they show differences in terms of amplitudes and delay with electrical conductivity (EC). The main driver of the temperature oscillations is the forward and backward displacement of the freshwater–saltwater interface, and the associated thermal plume generated by the upward flow from the aquifer basement. These oscillations are amplified at the interfaces between layers with different hydraulic conductivity, where thermal contours are affected by refraction

ACE-Vitamin Index and Risk of Glaucoma: The SUN Project

Background: Previous studies regarding antioxidant consumption and glaucoma have shown contradictory results. The aim of this study was to analyze the combined effect of the consumption of three vitamins (A, C and E) on the incidence of glaucoma in the SUN Project. Methods: For this study, 18,669 participants were included. The mean follow-up was 11.5 years. An index including vitamins A, C and E (ACE-Vitamin Index) was calculated. Vitamin intake was extracted from participants’ dietary data and vitamin supplements, if taken. Information on glaucoma incidence was collected by previously validated self-reported questionnaires. The association between glaucoma and vitamin intake was assessed by repeated-measures Cox regression using multi-adjusted hazard ratios. Results: A total of 251 (1.3%) cases of glaucoma were detected. Participants with a higher ACE-Vitamin Index presented a reduced risk of glaucoma compared to participants with lower consumption (adjusted HR = 0.73; 95% CI, (0.55–0.98)). When each vitamin was analyzed individually, none of them had a significant protective effect. The protective effect of the ACE-Vitamin Index was higher in men and older participants (≥55 year). Conclusions: The consumption of vitamins A, C and E considered separately do not seem to exert a protective effect against glaucoma, but when these vitamins are considered together, they are associated with a lower risk of glaucoma

Plasmodium vivax spleen-dependent genes encode antigens associated with cytoadhesion and clinical protection

International audiencePlasmodium vivax, the most widely distributed human malaria parasite, causes severe clinical syndromes despite low peripheral blood parasitemia. This conundrum is further complicated as cytoadherence in the microvasculature is still a matter of investigations. Previous reports in Plasmodium knowlesi, another parasite species shown to infect humans, demonstrated that variant genes involved in cytoadherence were dependent on the spleen for their expression. Hence, using a global transcriptional analysis of parasites obtained from spleen-intact and splenectomized monkeys, we identified 67 P. vivax genes whose expression was spleen dependent. To determine their role in cytoadherence, two Plasmodium falciparum transgenic lines expressing two variant proteins pertaining to VIR and Pv-FAM-D multigene families were used. Cytoadherence assays demonstrated specific binding to human spleen but not lung fibroblasts of the transgenic line expressing the VIR14 protein. To gain more insights, we expressed five P. vivax spleen-dependent genes as recombinant proteins, including members of three different multigene families (VIR, Pv-FAM-A, Pv-FAM-D), one membrane transporter (SECY), and one hypothetical protein (HYP1), and determined their immunogenicity and association with clinical protection in a prospective study of 383 children in Papua New Guinea. Results demonstrated that spleen-dependent antigens are immunogenic in natural infections and that antibodies to HYP1 are associated with clinical protection. These results suggest that the spleen plays a major role in expression of parasite proteins involved in cytoadherence and can reveal antigens associated with clinical protection, thus prompting a paradigm shift in P. vivax biology toward deeper studies of the spleen during infections

Geohistoria: Recursos educativos para una enseñanza interdisciplinar

Memoria del PIMCD Nº 66 (2014): "Geohistoria: Recursos educativos para una enseñanza interdisciplinar". El Proyecto ha puesto a punto el Canal de Video “Geología e Historia” (Open Access), en el que se han reunido todos los vídeos realizados a lo largo de los cinco últimos años por el Grupo de Trabajo, constituido por los arriba firmantes. Estos recursos están orientados a una Enseñanza transversal a la Geología, Mineralogía, Gemología, Química, Historia, Arte y Arqueología y en su realización han participado profesores e investigadores de esas disciplinas. En este repositorio se ha depositado la Memoria, los vídeos realizados durante este PIMCD 2014 y durante los dos PIMCD, que disfrutó el Equipo Interdisciplinar en los años 2009 y 2013. Así mismo, se recogen dos mini-vídeos, que han sido premiados en dos Concursos de Divulgación Científica de la UCM

Plasmodium vivax spleen-dependent genes encode antigens associated with cytoadhesion and clinical protection.

The most widely distributed human malaria parasite, causes severe clinical syndromes despite low peripheral blood parasitemia. This conundrum is further complicated as cytoadherence in the microvasculature is still a matter of investigations. Previous reports in " - ", another parasite species shown to infect humans, demonstrated that variant genes involved in cytoadherence were dependent on the spleen for their expression. Hence, using a global transcriptional analysis of parasites obtained from spleen-intact and splenectomized monkeys, we identified 67 " - " genes whose expression was spleen dependent. To determine their role in cytoadherence, two " - " transgenic lines expressing two variant proteins pertaining to VIR and Pv-FAM-D multigene families were used. Cytoadherence assays demonstrated specific binding to human spleen but not lung fibroblasts of the transgenic line expressing the VIR14 protein. To gain more insights, we expressed five " - " spleen-dependent genes as recombinant proteins, including members of three different multigene families (VIR, Pv-FAM-A, Pv-FAM-D), one membrane transporter (SECY), and one hypothetical protein (HYP1), and determined their immunogenicity and association with clinical protection in a prospective study of 383 children in Papua New Guinea. Results demonstrated that spleen-dependent antigens are immunogenic in natural infections and that antibodies to HYP1 are associated with clinical protection. These results suggest that the spleen plays a major role in expression of parasite proteins involved in cytoadherence and can reveal antigens associated with clinical protection, thus prompting a paradigm shift in " - " biology toward deeper studies of the spleen during infection

Arrhythmia and impaired myocardial function in heritable thoracic aortic disease : an international retrospective cohort study

Background: Heritable thoracic aortic diseases (HTAD), typically entailing aortic complications, can be caused by pathogenic variants or likely pathogenic variants (PV/LPVs) in several genes, including fibrillin1 (FBN1), Actin Alpha2 (ACTA2) and genes encoding components of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling pathway. In addition to aortic complications, non-aortic cardiac disease such as impaired myocardial function and/or arrhythmia have been increasingly reported, mainly in Marfan syndrome with underlying FBN1 PV/LPVs and are acknowledged as additional causes of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of these manifestations in the various HTAD entities is largely unknown. Methods: This international multicentre retrospective study collected data on patients with HTAD presenting non-aortic cardiac disease. A total of 9 centers from 7 different countries participated. Patients 12 years or older carrying a PV/LPV in one of the following genes: FBN1, TGFBR1, TGFBR2, TGFB2, TGFB3, SMAD3 and ACTA2 were screened. Non-aortic cardiac disease included impaired myocardial function and/or arrhythmia. Impaired myocardial function was defined as (a)symptomatic reduced ejection fraction (EF<50%). Arrhythmias included atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and (aborted) sudden cardiac death (presumed arrhythmogenic) (SCD). Results: Medical records of 3219 patients with HTAD were screened (2761, 385 and 73 carrying a PV/LPV in FBN1, in a TGF-beta signaling gene and in ACTA2 respectively). Non-aortic cardiac disease was reported 142 times in 101 patients (3.1%) (age 37 [range 12-77] years, 39% female): 88 patients carrying an FBN1 PV/LPV and 13 carrying a PV/LPV in one of the TGF-beta signaling genes. Neither impaired myocardial function nor arrhythmia was reported in screened patients carrying a PV/LPV in ACTA2. Among the 142 reported non-aortic cardiac diseases, 68 (48%) were impaired myocardial function, 47 (33%) were AF/AFL and 27 (19%) were VT/VF/SCD. Among the patients with non-aortic cardiac disease, prior cardiac surgery was noted in 80% and severe valvular disease (valvular surgery or severe valvular regurgitation) in 58%, while 18% of the patients developed non-aortic cardiac disease in the absence of any of the latter. Conclusions: In patients with HTAD, arrhythmia and impaired myocardial function was reported in patients with PV/LPVs in FBN1 and in the TGF-beta signaling genes and not in patients harboring PV/LPVs in ACTA2. Though infrequent, non-aortic cardiac disease should be acknowledged as potentially severe, also occurring in young patients with no underlying significant valvular or aortic disease

Evaluación del Practicum en industria del Master Universitario de Investigación, Desarrollo y Control de Medicamentos

Podeu consultar la Setena trobada de professorat de Ciències de la Salut completa a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/43352El principal objetivo de este estudio, que forma parte del proyecto REDICE2010, fue evaluar el practicum de industria del Máster Universitario de Investigación, Desarro-llo y Control de Medicamentos, que se imparte en la Facultad de Farmacia de la UB y su repercusión en las asignaturas relacionadas. Dado que este período de prácticas, que se realiza en una industria del sector far-macéutico o afín, debe proporcionar al alumnado competencias y habilidades que les capacitan para la actividad profesional, se ha recabado la opinión tanto de los estudiantes (actuales y egresados del máster) como de los tutores de la industria y de la universidad y de expertos en el sector industrial y académico que aportan su visión sobre la formación idónea de los alumnos para afrontar con éxito los retos profesionales, a fin de detectar debilidades formativas en el máster y establecer mecanismos de mejora