Calcinación de huesos: análisis de cambios de color con fines forenses

Introducción: Los cambios morfológicos que experimentan los huesos sometidos a elevadas temperaturas presentan un reto para los laboratorios forenses y antropológicos. El cambio producido en ellos puede verse influenciado por la temperatura y tiempo de exposición al calor. Objetivo: correlacionar cambios del color en el hueso con la temperatura de incineración. Material y métodos. Un total de 32 huesos largos de 5 centímetros de longitud fueron calcinados en un horno de mufla. Ocho de ellos fueron sometidos a 200 °C: 4 durante 30 minutos y otros 4 durante 60 minutos. Otros 8 se expusieron a 400 °C: 4 durante 30 minutos y los otros 4 durante 60 minutos. Ocho más se sometieron a 600 °C: 4 durante 30 minutos y 4 durante 60 minutos. Los 8 restantes se sometieron a 800 °C e igualmente divididos en un grupo de 4 sometido durante un tiempo de 30 minutos y otros 4 durante 60 minutos Además, 4 se utilizaron como control. Con ayuda de lupas y fotografías se realizó un examen visual donde se describió el color de la cortical y medula del hueso. También, se midió el cambio de color con un espectrofotómetro portátil. Finalmente se realizó estudio de correlación entre los cambios de color y la exposición a la temperatura y tiempos. Resultados. Los huesos sometidos a 200 ºC mostraron un color marrón mientras que a 400 el color fue negro en el 100% de casos. A 600 y 800 ºC viraban a gris y blanco con tonos azulados. Los resultados mostraron alteraciones del color significativas en los valores de Blanqueamiento (WI) y Crominancia (y). Además, se observa correlación significativa entre el color y la temperatura tanto en los huesos sometidos durante 30 como a 60 minutos en los mismos parámetros anteriores. . Conclusión. De acuerdo con estos resultados, el análisis colorimétrico de los huesos incinerados puede ayudar a estimar la temperatura de exposición siendo la temperatura el factor más influyente.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Calcinación de dientes y huesos: estudio morfológico con fines forenses

INTRODUCCIÓN: Los cambios físicos y morfológicos (macro y microscópicos) que experimentan los dientes y huesos sometidos a altas temperaturas han sido motivo de nuestros estudios en los últimos años. El cambio producido en ellos pueden verse influenciados por una serie de factores externos como la temperatura y el tiempo en el que han permanecido expuestos. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio es conocer los cambios morfológicos que se originan en la calcinación de dientes y huesos a diferentes temperaturas. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Diez muestras mineralizadas (4 dientes y 6 huesos largos) divididas en dos grupos se someten a 200 y 400 ºC durante 30 minutos en un horno de mufla (Nabertherm LT 40/12, Nabertherm GmbH, Germany). Posteriormente, se observaron mediante un Microscopio Multizoom Nikon modelo AZ 100 con objetivo 2 y zoom 1 asociado a un a un ordenador (PC) donde está instalado el programa Nis-Elements diseñado para la captación, almacenaje y tratamiento de fotografías. RESULTADOS: Las fisuras longitudinales se inician en el 100% de los dientes sometidos a 200 ºC durante 30 minutos tanto a nivel coronal como radicular. A esta misma temperatura y tiempo no se observa fisuras en los huesos largos. A 400 ºC se originan fracturas “en casquete” del esmalte en el molar y fractura radicular y coronal en el premolar. Además, se inician las fisuras a nivel medular de los huesos. CONCLUSIONES: Según este estudio, ante la misma temperatura y tiempo de calcinación los dientes se fisuran y fracturan antes que los huesos largos.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Sudden cessation of fluoxetine before alcohol drinking reinstatement alters microglial morphology and TLR4/inflammatory neuroadaptation in the rat brain

Preclinical studies on the efects of abrupt cessation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a medication often prescribed in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients with depression, results in alcohol consumption escalation after resuming drinking. However, a potential neuroinfammatory component on this escalation remains unexplored despite the immunomodulatory role of serotonin. Here, we utilized a rat model of 14-daily administration of the SSRI fuoxetine (10 mg/kg/day) along alcohol self-administration deprivation to study the efects of fuoxetine cessation on neuroinfammation after resuming alcohol drinking. Microglial morphology and infammatory gene expression were analyzed in prelimbic cortex, striatum, basolateral amygdala and dorsal hippocampus. Results indicated that alcohol drinking reinstatement increased microglial IBA1 immunoreactivity and altered morphometric features of activated microglia (fractal dimension, lacunarity, density, roughness, and cell area, perimeter and circularity). Despite alcohol reinstatement, fuoxetine cessation modifed microglial morphology in a brain region-specifc manner, resulting in hyper-ramifed (spatial complexity of branching), reactive (lower heterogeneity and circularity)-like microglia. We also found that microglial cell area correlated with changes in mRNA expression of chemokines (Cx3cl1/fractalkine, Cxcl12/SDF1α, Ccl2/MCP1), cytokines (IL1β, IL6, IL10) and the innate immune toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in dorsal hippocampus. Specifcally, TLR4 correlated with microglial spatial complexity assessed by fractal dimension in striatum, suggesting a role in process branching. (...)Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBUA. RETICS Red de Trastornos Adictivos, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and European Regional Development Funds-European Union (ERDF-EU) (Grant No. RD16/0017/0001); ISCIII, ERDF-EU (Grant No. PI17/02026, Grant No. PI19/01577); Ministerio de Sanidad, Delegación de Gobierno para el Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (Grant No. PND 2020/048, Grant No. PND 2019/040, Grant No. PND 2018/044, Grant No. PND 2018/033); and Consejería de Salud y Familia, Junta de Andalucía (Neuro-RECA, Grant No. RIC-0111–2019). JS (Grant No. CPII17/00024), FJP (Grant No. CPII19/00022) and AS (Grant No. CPII19/00031) hold “Miguel Servet II” research contracts from the National System of Health, ISCIII, ERDF-EU. FJP also holds a “Nicolas Monardes” contract from Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Consejería de Salud y Familia, Junta de Andalucía (Grant No. C1-0049–2019). PR (Grant No. CP19/00068) hold “Miguel Servet I” research contracts from the National System of Health, ISCIII, ERDF-EU. The funding sources had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication

Utilidad del espectrofotómetro en la estimación de la temperatura en huesos calcinados

El cambio morfológico y de color producido en los huesos quemados puede verse influenciado por la temperatura y tiempo de exposición. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue medir los cambios los cambios de color con el espectrofotómetro y correlacionar los mismos con la temperatura y tiempo a las que habían sido expuestos. Metodología: Un total de 32 fragmentos de 5 cm de huesos largos humanos, fueron sometidos a 200, 400, 600 y 800 ºC en un horno de mufla. Para cada rango de temperatura, se establecieron 2 grupos de 4 fragmentos; unos se exponían durante 30 minutos y otros 60 minutos. Además, otros 4 fragmentos se utilizaron como control. Se realizó un examen visual tanto de la cortical como de la médula ósea con lupas y fotografías; describiendo cambios estructurales. Posteriormente, se midió el color con un espectrofotómetro. Resultados: Los huesos sometidos a 200 °C presentaban un color marrón. A 400 presentaban color negro y gris en el 100% de los casos. Los huesos sometidos a 600 y 800 °C viraban de gris y blanco a un tono azulado. No se encontraron diferencias visuales entre los diferentes tiempos (30 y 60 minutos). El espectrofotómetro mostró determinaciones significativas de cambios de color en los valores de Blanqueamiento (WI) y Tonalidad/Crominancia (Z e y). Además, se observa correlación significativa entre el color y la temperatura tanto en los huesos sometidos durante 30 como a 60 minutos en los mismos valores de espectrofotómetro mencionados. Conclusión: De acuerdo con estos resultados, Blanqueamiento es el parámetro que mejor predice la temperatura a la que han sido expuestos los huesos. Por todo ello, el análisis colorimétrico de los huesos incinerados puede ayudar a estimar la temperatura, siendo ésta más influyente que el tiempo de exposición.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Accuracy in Copy Number Calling by qPCR and PRT: A Matter of DNA

The possible implication of copy number variation (CNV) in the genetic susceptibility to human disease needs to be assessed using robust methods that can be applied at a population scale. In this report, we analyze the performance of the two major techniques, quantitative PCR (qPCR) and paralog ratio test (PRT), and investigate the influence of input DNA amount and template integrity on the reliability of both methods. Analysis of three genes (PRELID1, SYNPO and DEFB4) in a large sample set showed that both methods are prone to false copy number assignments if sufficient attention is not paid to DNA concentration and quality. Accurate normalization of samples is essential for reproducible qPCR because it avoids the effect of differential amplification efficiencies between target and control assays, whereas PRT is generally more sensitive to template degradation due to the fact that longer amplicons are usually needed to optimize sensitivity and specificity of paralog sequence PCR. The use of normalized, high quality genomic DNA yields comparable results with both methods

Chitosan: poly (vinyl) alcohol composite alkaline membrane incorporating organic ionomers and layered silicate materials into a PEM electrochemical reactor

Mixed matrix membranes (MMM) are prepared from equivalent blends of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) polymers doped with organic ionomers 4VP and AS4, or inorganic layered titanosilicate AM-4 and stannosilicate UZAR-S3, by solution casting to improve the mechanical and thermal properties, hydroxide conductivity and alcohol barrier effect to reduce the crossover. The structural properties, thermal stability, hydrolytic stability, transport and ionic properties of the prepared composite membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), water uptake, water content, alcohol permeability, thickness, ion exchange capacity (IEC) and OH- conductivity measurements. The addition of both organic and inorganic fillers in a CS:PVA blend polymer enhances the thermal and ionic properties. All the membranes are homogenous, as revealed by the SEM and XRD studies, except when UZAR-S3 stannosilicate is used as filler, which leads to a dual layer structure, a top layer of UZAR-S3 lamellar particles bound together by the polymer matrix and a bottom layer composed mostly of polymer blend. The loss of crystallinity was especially remarkable in 4VP/CS:PVA membrane. Thus, the 4VP/CS:PVA membrane exhibits the best ionic conductivity, whereas the UZAR-S3/CS:PVA membrane the best reduced alcohol crossover. Finally, the performance of the CS:PVA-based membranes were tested in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrochemical Reactor (PEMER) for the feasibility use of alkaline anionic exchange membranes in electrosynthesis under alkaline conditions, showing the 4VP/CS:PVA and UZAR-S3/CS:PVA membranes the best performances in PEMER.We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) for CTQ2012-31229 project at the University of Cantabria, and MINECO-FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (2014- 2020) through the CTQ2013-48280-C3-3-R project at the University of Alicante. C. C. C. also thanks the MINECO for the “Ramón y Cajal” program at the University of Cantabria (RYC2011-08550), and L. G. C. for her PhD fellowship BES-2011-045147 and the EEBB- 14-09094 mobility grant for the research stay at the University of Cantabria, respectively. Dr. César Rubio, Prof. Carlos Téllez and Prof. Joaquín Coronas from the University of Zaragoza are also warmly thanked for the UZAR-S3 sample

The clinical use of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) enumeration for staging of metastatic breast cancer (MBC): International expert consensus paper

BACKGROUND: The heterogeneity of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) necessitates novel biomarkers allowing stratification of patients for treatment selection and drug development. We propose to use the prognostic utility of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for stratification of patients with stage IV disease. METHODS: In a retrospective, pooled analysis of individual patient data from 18 cohorts, including 2436 MBC patients, a CTC threshold of 5 cells per 7.5\u2009ml was used for stratification based on molecular subtypes, disease location, and prior treatments. Patients with 65 5 CTCs were classified as Stage IVaggressive, those with < 5 CTCs as Stage IVindolent. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and the log rank test. RESULTS: For all patients, Stage IVindolent patients had longer median overall survival than those with Stage IVaggressive (36.3 months vs. 16.0 months, P\u2009<\u20090.0001) and similarly for de novo MBC patients (41.4 months Stage IVindolent vs. 18.7 months Stage IVaggressive, p\u2009<\u20090.0001). Moreover, patients with Stage IVindolent disease had significantly longer overall survival across all disease subtypes compared to the aggressive cohort: hormone receptor-positive (44 months vs. 17.3 months, P\u2009<\u20090.0001), HER2-positive (36.7 months vs. 20.4 months, P\u2009<\u20090.0001), and triple negative (23.8 months vs. 9.0 months, P\u2009<\u20090.0001). Similar results were obtained regardless of prior treatment or disease location. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the identification of two subgroups of MBC, Stage IVindolent and Stage IVaggressive, independent of clinical and molecular variables. Thus, CTC count should be considered an important tool for staging of advanced disease and for disease stratification in prospective clinical trials

Articles Clinical validity of circulating tumour cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a pooled analysis of individual patient data

Summary Background We aimed to assess the clinical validity of circulating tumour cell (CTC) quantifi cation for prognostication of patients with metastatic breast cancer by undertaking a pooled analysis of individual patient data

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe