Sex Hormones: Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Addiction

The brain is a complex organ in charge of regulating the homeostasis of our body and behaviors such as motivation, reward, memory, and movement control, between others. These behaviors are regulated by dopaminergic neurons, which can be modulated by several stimuli throughout the life of an individual. For example, early exposure to sex hormones or endocrine disruptors during critical period of neuronal development affects dopaminergic pathways permanently, producing some disorders such as drug addiction. On the other hand, current knowledge regarding neurodegeneration in Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases pointed out the neuroprotection that estradiol can exert, but contradictory information can also be found in the literature. To know the underlying mechanisms that are related to the above mentioned diseases will help to improve health policies and treatments development

Evaluation of the anti-angiogenic potential of hydroxytyrosol derivatives

Angiogenesis, a process which allows the formation of new vessels from pre-existing ones, is an essential phenomenon for tumor survival since it allows cancer cells to obtain nutrients and oxygen. This explains the increasing interest showed by many groups of research and pharmaceutical companies to find compounds with potential to disrupt at least one of the steps within the angiogenic process. Hydroxytyrosol (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol) has been identified as the most important health-related phenolic compound of virgin olive oil because of its pleiotropic effects on multiple targets. In 2012, our group identified hydroxytyrosol as an anti-angiogenic compound able to inhibit several key steps in the angiogenic process. In the present study, the potential effects of six hydroxytyrosol derivatives are tested and compared with those exhibited by hydroxytyrosol by making use of several in vitro and in vivo assays. Results indicate that these are candidate new anti-angiogenic compounds with potential utility in anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic therapies.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech [Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain)]. This communication has the support of a travel grant

Study of H2/N2Mixture Plasma Treatment on the AISI 1045

In the present work, we analyzed the effect of the plasma treatment of 80% H2/20% N2 mixture plasma over the AISI 1045 steel. To produce the plasma, an AC discharge of 0.1 A at 350 V was produced at a total pressure of 3.0 Torr. The mixture plasma was analyzed using optical emission spectroscopy (OES), in the wavelength range of 200 to 1100 nm. The principal species observed in the plasma were NH, N2, N2+, H2, and Hα. The electron temperature and ion density have been measured using a double Langmuir probe. The samples of steel were treated by plasma at different discharge times, between 3 and 12 h, at the same pressure and AC parameters (0.1 A and 350 V). The treated samples were characterized using X-ray analysis, finding the phases gamma and epsilon of iron nitride. The thickness of the nitrided layers was measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). From the images obtained, it is possible to appreciate the interphase between the nitrided layer and the steel matrix. The relationship between the morphology of the surface of nitrided steel and the wetting was analyzed by measuring the contact angle between the surface and a drop of 5 μL of distilled water. The contact angle of the drop increased with the increase of plasma treatment time. The control sample without treatment presented a smaller angle, and after the treatment the surfaces of the steel became hydrophobic. This may be related to the morphology change of the steel surface produced by plasma treatment

The dynamics of the hydrogen exchange reaction at 2.20 eV collision energy: Comparison of experimental and theoretical differential cross sections

The H+D2(v = 0, j = 0)→HD(v′, j′)+D isotopic variant of the hydrogen atom exchange reaction has been studied in a crossed molecular beam experiment at a collision energy of 2.20 eV. Kinetic energy spectra of the nascent D atoms were obtained by using the Rydberg atom time-of-flight technique. The extensive set of spectra collected has permitted the derivation of rovibrationally state-resolved differential cross sections in the center-of-mass frame for most of the internal states of the HD product molecules, allowing a direct comparison with theoretical predictions. Accurate 3D quantum mechanical calculations have been carried out on the refined version of the latest Boothroyd-Keogh-Martin-Peterson potential energy surface, yielding an excellent agreement with the experimentally determined differential cross sections. The comparison of the results from quasi-classical trajectory calculations on the same potential surface reveals some discrepancies with the measured data, but shows a good global accordance. The theoretical calculations demonstrate that, at this energy, reactive encounters are predominantly noncollinear and that collinear collisions lead mostly to nonreactive recrossing. The experimental results are satisfactorily accounted for by theoretical calculations without consideration of Geometric Phase effects. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.Financial support through the program ‘‘Acciones para la Incorporación de Doctores y Tecnólogos’’ of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain. We also gratefully acknowledge the computer resources ~Cray T-90! provided by the Leibniz Rechenzentrum in Munich ~Germany. Funded by the German Science Foundation ~Grant No. SCH 435/3! and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauchdienst‘‘Acciones Integradas’’. The Spanish part was financed by the DGICYT ~PB95-0918-C03! and by the ‘‘Acciones Integradas’’ Program of the Ministry of Educationand Culture.Peer Reviewe

Mexican Trypanosoma cruzi T. cruzi I Strains with Different Degrees of Virulence Induce Diverse Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in a Murine Experimental Infection Model

It is has been shown that the majority of T. cruzi strains isolated from Mexico belong to the T. cruzi I (TCI). The immune response produced in response to Mexican T. cruzi I strains has not been well characterized. In this study, two Mexican T. cruzi I strains were used to infect Balb/c mice. The Queretaro (TBAR/MX/0000/Queretaro)(Qro) strain resulted in 100% mortality. In contrast, no mortality was observed in mice infected with the Ninoa (MHOM/MX/1994/Ninoa) strain. Both strains produced extended lymphocyte infiltrates in cardiac tissue. Ninoa infection induced a diverse humoral response with a higher variety of immunoglobulin isotypes than were found in Qro-infected mice. Also, a stronger inflammatory TH1 response, represented by IL-12p40, IFNγ, RANTES, MIG, MIP-1β, and MCP-1 production was observed in Qro-infected mice when compared with Ninoa-infected mice. We propose that an exacerbated TH1 immune response is a likely cause of pathological damage observed in cardiac tissue and the primary cause of death in Qro-infected mice

Disección transcripcional del Locus GH del genoma humano

El locus de la hormona del crecimiento humano (hGH) presenta variaciones en los niveles de expre- sión en algunos de sus componentes hasta en tres órdenes de magnitud. Este estudio comparó deleciones (140 a 3,100 pb) y la fuerza de transcrip- ción de todos los promotores del locus con un gen reportero (hGH-N) mediante expresión transitoria. Los promotores largos tuvieron mayor expresión, paradójicamente hGH-V fue uno de los más acti- vos. Se detectaron tres elementos promotores ne- gativos y se evaluó la activación transcripcional di- ferencial para los diferentes promotores, mediante su respuesta a la acción de hormonas y cotransfec- ción de vectores expresores de factores transcripcionales

Impact of exchange rate derivatives on stocks in emerging markets

This paper investigates the effect of derivatives on the relationship between the foreign exchange rate and the stock market. A theoretical model is used to extend the understanding of that relationship. Also, the model is tested with an empirical analysis using the GMM strategy for the Mexican and Brazilian stock markets for the period 2007 to 2019. Findings reveal that in addition to the spot exchange rate, exchange rate futures explain the currency exposure, wherein the derivative effect is the most prominent. The result implies that both risk sources should be considered in the implementation of risk management or macroeconomic policy. The theoretical results are extended by applying them to international portfolio management, proposing a strategy to mitigate foreign exchange exposure with derivatives. This study contributes to the literature by explaining why the minimum variance hedge ratio plays an essential role in the foreign exchange rate and stock market nexus

Methodology for Olive Pruning Windrow Assessment Using 3D Time-of-Flight Camera

The management of olive pruning residue has shifted from burning to shredding, laying residues on soil, or harvesting residues for use as a derivative. The objective of this research is to develop, test, and validate a methodology to measure the dimensions, outline, and bulk volume of pruning residue windrows in olive orchards using both a manual and a 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera. Trees were pruned using trunk shaker targeted pruning, from which two different branch sizes were selected to build two separate windrow treatments with the same pruning residue dose. Four windrows were built for each treatment, and four sampling points were selected along each windrow to take measurements using both manual and 3D ToF measurements. Windrow section outline could be defined using a polynomial or a triangular function, although manual measurement required processing with a polynomial function, especially for high windrow volumes. Different branch sizes provided to be significant differences for polynomial function coefficients, while no significant differences were found for windrow width. Bigger branches provided less bulk volume, which implied that these branches formed less porous windrows that smaller ones. Finally, manual and 3D ToF camera measurements were validated, giving an adequate performance for olive pruning residue windrow in-field assessment

Automated detection of parenchymal changes of ischemic stroke in non-contrast computer tomography: a fuzzy approach

The detection of ischemic changes is a primary task in the interpretation of brain Computer Tomography (CT) of patients suffering from neurological disorders. Although CT can easily show these lesions, their interpretation may be difficult when the lesion is not easily recognizable. The gold standard for the detection of acute stroke is highly variable and depends on the experience of physicians. This research proposes a new method of automatic detection of parenchymal changes of ischemic stroke in Non-Contrast CT. The method identifies non-pathological cases (94 cases, 40 training, 54 test) based on the analysis of cerebral symmetry. Parenchymal changes in cases with abnormalities (20 cases) are detected by means of a contralateral analysis of brain regions. In order to facilitate the evaluation of abnormal regions, non-pathological tissues in Hounsfield Units were characterized using fuzzy logic techniques. Cases of non-pathological and stroke patients were used to discard/confirm abnormality with a sensitivity (TPR) of 91% and specificity (SPC) of 100%. Abnormal regions were evaluated and the presence of parenchymal changes was detected with a TPR of 96% and SPC of 100%. The presence of parenchymal changes of ischemic stroke was detected by the identification of tissues using fuzzy logic techniques. Because of abnormal regions are identified, the expert can prioritize the examination to a previously delimited region, decreasing the diagnostic time. The identification of tissues allows a better visualization of the region to be evaluated, helping to discard or confirm a stroke.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft