Osteoarthritis associated with estrogen deficiency

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects all articular tissues and finally leads to joint failure. Although articular tissues have long been considered unresponsive to estrogens or their deficiency, there is now increasing evidence that estrogens influence the activity of joint tissues through complex molecular pathways that act at multiple levels. Indeed, we are only just beginning to understand the effects of estrogen deficiency on articular tissues during OA development and progression, as well as on the association between OA and osteoporosis. Estrogen replacement therapy and current selective estrogen receptor modulators have mixed effectiveness in preserving and/or restoring joint tissue in OA. Thus, a better understanding of how estrogen acts on joints and other tissues in OA will aid the development of specific and safe estrogen ligands as novel therapeutic agents targeting the OA joint as a whole organ

Estudio sobre la violencia de género en adolescentes mediante las redes sociales: Educación en igualdad a través de Trabajo Social

El interés de esta investigación surge de la necesidad de prevenir la violencia de género mediante la coeducación, la educación en igualdad de derechos y la sensibilización acerca de esta problemática en la etapa de la adolescencia. La investigación se va a desarrollar en Barbastro (Huesca) mediante la participación de diferentes profesionales e institutos para, inicialmente, estudiar si son conocedores acerca de la violencia de género, qué creencias tienen sobre el amor romántico y su manera de relacionarse a través de las redes sociales. Se han recopilado 213 cuestionarios de estudiantes de entre 15 y 17 años procedentes del I.E.S. Martínez Vargas y del I.E.S. Hermanos Argensola, y de los centros privados-concertados San José de Calasanz y San Vicente de Paúl. Se debe promover la figura del trabajador social en los centros educativos para prevenir, concienciar y erradicar este tipo de conductas, incrementando su labor y participación en los mismos

El liderazgo empresarial en las mujeres de Aragón

El interés de esta investigación surge a partir de cuestiones acerca de qué factores están influyendo en que siga habiendo una baja presencia de mujeres en cargos de alta responsabilidad en las empresas.Se trata de una desigualdad laboral que hoy en día sigue estando patente y en la que se pasarán a profundizar temáticas como la influencia de los estereotipos y prejuicios, la conciliación de la vida personal y laboral, los posibles obstáculos y la promoción del liderazgo femenino. Para obtener una visión global, se han realizado entrevistas a hombres y mujeres en puestos de responsabilidad distribuidos en diferentes municipios de Aragón. Es importante destacar la intervención social desde las empresas y la educación para comenzar a hablar de igualdad.<br /

Disorganization of chondrocyte columns in the growth plate does not aggravate experimental osteoarthritis in mice

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial joint disease mainly affecting articular cartilage (AC) with a relevant biomechanical component. During endochondral ossification growth plate (GP) chondrocytes arrange in columns. GPs do not ossify in skeletally mature rodents. In neonatal mice, an altered joint loading induces GP chondrocyte disorganization. We aimed to study whether experimental OA involves GP disorganization in adult mice and to assess if it may have additional detrimental effects on AC damage. Knee OA was induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) in wild-type (WT) adult mice, and in Tamoxifen-inducible Ellis-van-Creveld syndrome protein (Evc) knockouts (Evc ), used as a model of GP disorganization due to Hedgehog signalling disruption. Chondrocyte column arrangement was assessed in the tibial GP and expressed as Column Index (CI). Both DMM-operated WT mice and non-operated-Evc showed a decreased CI, indicating GP chondrocyte column disarrangement, although in the latter, it was not associated to AC damage. The most severe GP chondrocyte disorganization occurred in DMM-Evc mice, in comparison to the other groups. However, this altered GP structure in DMM-Evc mice did not exacerbate AC damage. Further studies are needed to confirm the lack of interference of GP alterations on the analysis of AC employing OA mice. cKO cKO cKO cKOThis work was financially supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [PI15/00340, PI16/00065, PI18/00261] to RL and GH-B, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) by grants SAF-2013–43365-R and SAF2016-75434-R to VL R-P. AL and PG were funded by Fundación Conchita Rábago

The adipokine lipocalin-2 in the context of the osteoarthritic osteochondral junction

Corrigendum: The adipokine lipocalin-2 in the context of the osteoarthritic osteochondral junction. Scientific Reports, 6, 30666. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30666Obesity and osteoarthritis (OA) form a vicious circle in which obesity contributes to cartilage destruction in OA, and OA-associated sedentary behaviour promotes weight gain. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a novel adipokine with catabolic activities in OA joints, contributes to the obesity and OA pathologies and is associated with other OA risk factors. LCN2 is highly induced in osteoblasts in the absence of mechanical loading, but its role in osteoblast metabolism is unclear. Therefore, because osteochondral junctions play a major role in OA development, we investigated the expression and role of LCN2 in osteoblasts and chondrocytes in the OA osteochondral junction environment. Our results showed that LCN2 expression in human osteoblasts and chondrocytes decreased throughout osteoblast differentiation and was induced by catabolic and inflammatory factors; however, TGF-beta 1 and IGF-1 reversed this induction. LCN2 reduced osteoblast viability in the presence of iron and enhanced the activity of MMP-9 released by osteoblasts. Moreover, pre-stimulated human osteoblasts induced LCN2 expression in human chondrocytes, but the inverse was not observed. Thus, LCN2 is an important catabolic adipokine in osteoblast and chondrocyte metabolism that is regulated by differentiation, inflammation and catabolic and anabolic stimuli, and LCN2 expression in chondrocytes is regulated in a paracrine manner after osteoblast stimulation.The authors acknowledge Mr. Oliver Shaw for performing the English revision and the support of Dr. Esbrit's. The authors' research is supported by research grants from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI12/00144, PI13/00570, CP15/00007, PI14/00016 and PIE13/00024). R.G. is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through a Miguel Servet programme. A.V. is the recipient of a fellowship from the Fundación Conchita Rábago. A.G.M. was funded by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain). R.L. and O.G. were funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. O.G. is a member of the RETICS Programme, RD12/0009/0008 Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). The research is supported by research grant from FEDE

Hypercholesterolemia boosts joint destruction in chronic arthritis. An experimental model aggravated by foam macrophage infiltration

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether hypercholesterolemia increases articular damage in a rabbit model of chronic arthritis. Methods: Hypercholesterolemia was induced in 18 rabbits by administrating a high-fat diet (HFD). Fifteen rabbits were fed normal chow as controls. Chronic antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) was induced in half of the HFD and control rabbits, previously immunized, by intra-articular injections of ovalbumin. After sacrifice, lipid and systemic inflammation markers were analyzed in blood serum. Synovium was analyzed by Krenn score, multinucleated cell counting, immunohistochemistry of RAM11 and CD31, and TNF-a and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) gene expression. Active bone resorption was assessed by protein expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and quantification of cathepsin K, contact surface and the invasive area of pannus into bone. Results: Rabbits receiving the HFD showed higher total serum cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides and CRP levels than rabbits fed a normal diet. Synovitis score was increased in HFD, and particularly in AIA and AIA + HFD groups. AIA + HFD synovium was characterized by a massive infiltration of RAM11+ cells, higher presence of multinucleated foam cells and bigger vascularization than AIA. Cathepsin K+ osteoclasts and the contact surface of bone resorbing pannus were also increased in rabbits with AIA + HFD compared with AIA alone. Synovial TNF-a and MCP-1 gene expression was increased in AIA and HFD rabbits compared with healthy animals. RANKL protein expression in AIA and AIA + HFD groups was higher compared with either HFD or normal groups. Conclusions: This experimental model demonstrates that hypercholesterolemia increments joint tissue damage in chronic arthritis, with foam macrophages being key players in this process.This work was supported by research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PS09/01625, GH-B and PS09/00034, RL). IP-P is the recipient of a fellowship from Fundacion Conchita Rábago. MJM-C and RG are both recipients of a Sara Borrell contract from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. RL was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through a research staff stabilization progra

Adenosine deaminase as a biomarker of tenofovir mediated inflammation in naïve HIV patients

Plasma levels of adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme that deaminates adenosine to inosine, are increased during inflammation. An increase in ADA activity occurs with lower human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load and higher CD4+ T cell counts. We aimed to investigate the role of plasma ADA as a biomarker of inflammation in treatment-naïve HIV patients who received tenofovir or another nucleoside analog for comparison. Ninety-two treatment-naïve patients were included in the study and grouped by treatment, i.e., tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) or Triumeq. ADA activity was measured in plasma and cytokines were analyzed by MILLIPLEX® MAP-Luminex® Technology. Plasma concentration of monocytes and neutrophils was measured at 0, 3, and 12 months post-treatment. Treatment-naïve HIV patients had increased ADA concentrations (over 15 U/L) that decreased after treatment with TAF and Triumeq, though this did not occur in TDF-treated patients. However, all groups exhibited a pro-inflammatory systemic profile at 12 months of treatment. Plasma GM-CSF levels decreased after 12 months of treatment in the TDF group, with a concomitant decrease in blood monocyte count, and a negative correlation with ADA values was found. In conclusion, ADA levels may be modulated by antiretroviral therapy in HIV patients, possibly affecting inflammatory status.This work was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the “Miguel Servet” program (CP15/00053), co-funded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and research grants from the Spanish Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/00991 and PI19/00744

Use of coal mining waste as pozzolanic material in new blended cement matrixes

Research and eco-innovation geared to obtain alternative sources of raw materials from waste constitute pathways for enhancing the competitiveness of resource-intensive industries. Cement and concrete manufacture calls for new sources of new, highly pozzolanic products to improve the mechanical properties and durability of the resulting matrices, while at the same time reducing production costs and environmental impact. Spanish coal mining wastes generated in the extraction and washing steps from a mine in the Castilla-León region were investigated. Mineralogically, these wastes are composed by kaolinite (20-30%), illite (45-70%) and quartz (5-15). This composition is very interesting in order to activate, by controlled thermal activation, the present kaolinite that generates metakaolin, a highly pozzolanic product. Morphological, textural and microstructural changes affect the activity and reactivity of activated wastes. These first studies open up a new research line, practically unknown to the international research community, and stand out the important economic and environmental benefits associated with the recycling of these wastes as supplementary cementing materials for future commercial blended cements.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version