Valorization of Prickly Pear [<em>Opuntia ficus-indica</em> (L.) Mill]: Nutritional Composition, Functional Properties and Economic Aspects

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill, usually named prickly pear or nopal cactus, is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world. It is a tropical or subtropical plant, native to tropical and subtropical America, which can grow in arid and semiarid climates. Prickly pear is mainly known by its fruits, popularly named “tunas” or “figs,” but their cladodes are also consumed, principally in Mexico, which is the country with the largest cultivated area and the largest producer. There is ample evidence of the health benefits of prickly pear: it shows high antioxidant activity, it is a source of nutrients and vitamins and it presents medicinal uses, among others. Furthermore, prickly pear presents other uses, including cosmetics, biofuel production, animal nutrition and soil phytoremediation

Preventive treatments for breast cancer: recent developments

Breast cancer is a burden for western societies, and an increasing one in emerging economies, because of its high incidence and enormous psychological, social, sanitary and economic costs. However, breast cancer is a preventable disease in a significant proportion. Recent developments in the armamentarium of effective drugs for breast cancer prevention (namely exemestane and anastrozole), the new recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to use preventative drugs in women at high risk as well as updated Guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the American Society of Clinical Oncology should give renewed momentum to the pharmacological prevention of breast cancer. In this article we review recent major developments in the field and examine their ongoing repercussion for breast cancer prevention. As a practical example, the potential impact of preventive measures in Spain is evaluated and a course of practical actions is delineated

Detection system of magnetic nanoparticles in biological tissues by Magnetoencephalography

Magnetic nanoparticles are useful for a wide range of applications from data storage to medical imaging. Their unique features (controllable size in the nanoscale range, possibility to be coated with biological molecules, response to the application of a magnetic field...) make the development of a variety of medical applications possible, both for diagnosis and therapy [1-3]. On the other hand, Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive functional imaging technique that enables the description of the temporal and spatial patterns of brain activity in resting conditions or related to different basic cognitive processes, by detecting the weak magnetic fields generated by currents in the neurons [4,5]. The detection of the weak magnetic fields depends on gradiometer detection coils coupled to a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). However, MEG systems are not currently being used for the detection of MNPs in biological tissues. A system to newly detect Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs) in the brain and in biological tissues will be described. The method uses a commercial Magnetoencephalograph (MEG) and opens new possibilities to extend the use of MEG systems to new applications for both diagnosis and therapy of medical diseases, different from its common use in neurological diagnosis. To test the validity of the system, in this work, we will show its ability to detect MNPs in biological tissues and their possible use in diagnosis of cerebral brain microinjurie

Interaction between acrylic substrates and RAD16-I peptide in its self-assembling

[EN] Self-assembling peptides (SAP) are widely used as scaffolds themselves, and recently as fillers of microporous scaffolds, where the former provides a cell-friendly nanoenvironment and the latter improves its mechanical properties. The characterization of the interaction between these short peptides and the scaffold material is crucial to assess the potential of such a combined system. In this work, the interaction between poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) and 90/10 ethyl acrylate-acrylic acid copolymer P(EAcoAAc) with the SAP RAD16-I has been followed using a bidimensional simplified model. By means of the techniques of choice (congo red staining, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements) the interaction and self-assembly of the peptide has proven to be very sensitive to the wettability and electro-negativity of the polymeric substrate.The authors acknowledge funding through the European Commission FP7 project RECATABI (NMP3-SL-2009-229239), and from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion through projects MAT2011-28791-C03-02 and -03. This work was also supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion through M. Arnal-Pastor FPU 2009-1870 grant. The authors acknowledge the assistance and advice of Electron Microscopy Service of the UPV.Arnal Pastor, MP.; González-Mora, D.; García-Torres, F.; Monleón Pradas, M.; Vallés Lluch, A. (2016). Interaction between acrylic substrates and RAD16-I peptide in its self-assembling. Journal of Polymer Research. 23(9):173-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-016-1069-3S173184239Davis ME, Motion JP, Narmoneva DA, Takahashi T, Hakuno D, Kamm RD, Zhang S, Lee RT (2005) Injectable self-assembling peptide nanofibers create intramyocardial microenvironments for endothelial cells. Circulation 111(4):442–450Zhang S, Lockshin C, Cook R, Rich A (1994) Unusually stable beta-sheet formation in an ionic self-complementary oligopeptide. Biopolymers 34:663–672Zhang S, Altman M (1999) Peptide self-assembly in functional polymer science and engineering. Reac Func Polym 41:91–102Zhang S, Gelain F, Zhao X (2005) Designer self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffolds for 3D tissue cell cultures. Semin Cancer Biol 15(5):413–420Zhang S, Zhao X, Spirio L, PuraMatrix (2005) Self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffolds. In: Ma PX, Elisseeff J (eds) Scaffolding in tissue Engineering. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 217–238Sieminski AL, Semino CE, Gong H, Kamm RD (2008) Primary sequence of ionic self-assembling peptide gels affects endothelial cell adhesion and capillary morphogenesis. J Biomed Mater Res A 87(2):494–504Quintana L, Fernández Muiños T, Genove E, Del Mar Olmos M, Borrós S, Semino CE (2009) Early tissue patterning recreated by mouse embryonic fibroblasts in a three-dimensional environment. Tissue Eng Part A 15(1):45–54Garreta E, Genové E, Borrós S, Semino CE (2006) Osteogenic differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts in a three-dimensional self-assembling peptide scaffold. Tissue Eng 12(8):2215–2227Semino CE, Merok JR, Crane GG, Panagiotakos G, Zhang S (2003) Functional differentiation of hepatocyte-like spheroid structures from putative liver progenitor cells in three-dimensional peptide scaffolds. Differentiation 71:262–270Thonhoff JR, Lou DI, Jordan PM, Zhao X, Compatibility WP (2008) Of human fetal neural stem cells with hydrogel biomaterials in vitro. Brain Res 1187:42–51Tokunaga M, Liu ML, Nagai T, Iwanaga K, Matsuura K, Takahashi T, Kanda M, Kondo N, Wang P, Naito AT, Komuro I (2010) Implantation of cardiac progenitor cells using self-assembling peptide improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction. J Mol Cell Cardiol 49(6):972–983Takei J (2006) 3-Dimensional cell culture scaffold for everyone: drug screening. Tissue engineering and cancer biology. AATEX 11(3):170–176McGrath AM, Novikova LN, Novikov LN, Wiberg MBD (2010) ™ PuraMatrix™ peptide hydrogel seeded with Schwann cells for peripheral nerve regeneration. Brain Res Bull 83(5):207–213Wang W, Itoh S, Matsuda A, Aizawa T, Demura M, Ichinose S, Shinomiya K, Tanaka J (2008) Enhanced nerve regeneration through a bilayered chitosan tube: The effect ofintroduction of glycine spacer into the CYIGSR sequence. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 85:919–928Sargeant TD, Guler MO, Oppenheimer SM, Mata A, Satcher RL, Dunand DC, Stupp SI (2008) Hybrid bone implants: self-assembly of peptide amphiphile nanofibers within porous titanium. Biomaterials 29(2):161–171Vallés-Lluch A, Arnal-Pastor M, Martínez-Ramos C, Vilariño-Feltrer G, Vikingsson L, Castells-Sala C, Semino CE, Monleón Pradas M (2013) Combining self-assembling peptide gels with three-dimensional elastomer scaffolds. Acta Biomater 9(12):9451–9460Valles-Lluch A, Arnal-Pastor M, Martinez-Ramos C, Vilarino-Feltrer G, Vikingsson L, Monleon Pradas M (2013) Grid polymeric scaffolds with polypeptide gel filling as patches for infarcted tissue regeneration. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2013:6961–6964Soler-Botija C, Bagó JR, Llucià-Valldeperas A, Vallés-Lluch A, Castells-Sala C, Martínez-Ramos C, Fernández-Muiños T, Chachques JC, Monleón Pradas M, Semino CE, Bayes-Genis A (2014) Engineered 3D bioimplants using elastomeric scaffold, self-assembling peptide hydrogel, and adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells for cardiac regeneration. Am J Transl Res 6(3):291–301Martínez-Ramos M, Arnal-Pastor M, Vallés-Lluch A, Monleón Pradas M (2015) Peptide gel in a scaffold as a composite matrix for endothelial cells. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 103 A:3293–3302Rico P, Rodríguez Hernández JC, Moratal D, Altankov G, Monleón Pradas M, Salmerón-Sánchez M (2009) Substrate-induced assembly of fibronectin into networks: influence of surface chemistry and effect on osteoblast adhesion. Tissue Eng Part A 15(11):3271–3281Gugutkov D, Altankov G, Rodríguez Hernández JC, Monleón Pradas M, Salmerón Sánchez M (2010) Fibronectin activity on substrates with controlled -OH density. J Biomed Mater Res A 92(1):322–331Rodríguez Hernández JC, Salmerón Sánchez M, Soria JM, Gómez Ribelles JL, Monleón Pradas M (2007) Substrate chemistry-dependent conformations of single laminin molecules on polymer surfaces are revealed by the phase signal of atomic force microscopy. Biophys J 93(1):202–207Cantini M, Rico P, Moratal D, Salmerón-Sánchez M (2012) Controlled wettability, same chemistry: biological activity of plasma-polymerized coatings. Soft Matter 8:5575–5584Anselme K, Ponche A, Bigerelle M (2010) Relative influence of surface topography and surface chemistry on cell response to bone implant materials. Part 2: biological aspects. Proc Inst Mech Eng H J Eng Med 224:1487–1507Hartgerink JD, Beniash E, Stupp SI (2002) Peptide-amphiphile nanofibers: a versatile scaffold for the preparation of self-assembling materials. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 99(8):5133–5138Busscher HJ, Vanpelt AWJ, Deboer P, Dejong HP, Arends J (1984) The effect of surface roughening of polymers on measured contact angles of liquids. Colloids Surf 9:319–331Birdi, KS. (1997) Surface tension of polymers. In: Yildrim Erbil H, ed. Handbook of surface and colloid chemistry CRC Press, Boca Raton, p. 292.Collier JH (2003) MessersmithPB.Enzymatic modification of self-assembled peptide structures with tissue transglutaminase. Bioconjug Chem 14(4):748–755Kakiuchi Y, Hirohashi N, Murakami-Murofushi K (2013) The macroscopic structure of RADA16 peptide hydrogel stimulates monocyte/macrophage differentiation in HL60 cells via cholesterol synthesis. 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Consensus document on allergic conjunctivitis (DECA)

Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is an inflammatory disease of the conjunctiva caused mainly by an IgE-mediated mechanism. It is the most common type of ocular allergy. Despite being the most benign form of conjunctivitis, AC has a considerable effect on patient quality of life, reduces work productivity, and increases health care costs. No consensus has been reached on its classification, diagnosis, or treatment. Consequently, the literature provides little information on its natural history, epidemiological data are scarce, and it is often difficult to ascertain its true morbidity. The main objective of the Consensus Document on Allergic Conjunctivitis (Documento dE Consenso sobre Conjuntivitis Alérgica [DECA]), which was drafted by an expert panel from the Spanish Society of Allergology and Spanish Society of Ophthalmology, was to reach agreement on basic criteria that could prove useful for both specialists and primary care physicians and facilitate the diagnosis, classification, and treatment of AC. This document is the first of its kind to describe and analyze aspects of AC that could make it possible to control symptoms

Preventive treatments for breast cancer: recent developments

Breast cancer is a burden for western societies, and an increasing one in emerging economies, because of its high incidence and enormous psychological, social, sanitary and economic costs. However, breast cancer is a preventable disease in a significant proportion. Recent developments in the armamentarium of effective drugs for breast cancer prevention (namely exemestane and anastrozole), the new recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to use preventative drugs in women at high risk as well as updated Guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the American Society of Clinical Oncology should give renewed momentum to the pharmacological prevention of breast cancer. In this article we review recent major developments in the field and examine their ongoing repercussion for breast cancer prevention. As a practical example, the potential impact of preventive measures in Spain is evaluated and a course of practical actions is delineated

Predicting response and survival in chemotherapy-treated triple-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUND: In this study, we evaluated the ability of gene expression profiles to predict chemotherapy response and survival in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS: Gene expression and clinical-pathological data were evaluated in five independent cohorts, including three randomised clinical trials for a total of 1055 patients with TNBC, basal-like disease (BLBC) or both. Previously defined intrinsic molecular subtype and a proliferation signature were determined and tested. Each signature was tested using multivariable logistic regression models (for pCR (pathological complete response)) and Cox models (for survival). Within TNBC, interactions between each signature and the basal-like subtype (vs other subtypes) for predicting either pCR or survival were investigated. RESULTS: Within TNBC, all intrinsic subtypes were identified but BLBC predominated (55-81%). Significant associations between genomic signatures and response and survival after chemotherapy were only identified within BLBC and not within TNBC as a whole. In particular, high expression of a previously identified proliferation signature, or low expression of the luminal A signature, was found independently associated with pCR and improved survival following chemotherapy across different cohorts. Significant interaction tests were only obtained between each signature and the BLBC subtype for prediction of chemotherapy response or survival. CONCLUSIONS: The proliferation signature predicts response and improved survival after chemotherapy, but only within BLBC. This highlights the clinical implications of TNBC heterogeneity, and suggests that future clinical trials focused on this phenotypic subtype should consider stratifying patients as having BLBC or not

Combining self-assembling peptide gels with three-dimensional elastomer scaffolds

[EN] Some of the problems raised by the combination of porous scaffolds and self-assembling peptide (SAP) gels as constructs for tissue engineering applications are addressed for the first time. Scaffolds of poly(- ethyl acrylate) and the SAP gel RAD16-I were employed. The in situ gelation of the SAP gel inside the pores of the scaffolds was studied. The scaffold-cum-gel constructs were characterized morphologically, physicochemically and mechanically. The possibility of incorporating an active molecule (bovine serum albumin, taken here as a model molecule for others) in the gel within the scaffold’s pores was assessed, and the kinetics of its release in phosphate-buffered saline was followed. Cell seeding and colonization of these constructs were preliminarily studied with L929 fibroblasts and subsequently checked with sheep adipose-tissue-derived stem cells intended for further preclinical studies. Static (conventional) and dynamically assisted seedings were compared for bare scaffolds and the scaffold-cum-gel constructs. The SAP gel inside the pores of the scaffold significantly improved the uniformity and density of cell colonization of the three-dimensional (3-D) structure. These constructs could be of use in different advanced tissue engineering applications, where, apart from a cell-friendly extracellular matrix -like aqueous environment, a larger-scale 3-D structure able to keep the cells in a specific place, give mechanical support and/or conduct spatially the tissue growth could be required.The authors acknowledge funding through the European Commission FP7 project RECATABI (NMP3-SL-2009-229239), and from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion through projects MAT2011-28791-C03-02 and -03. Dr. J.C. Chachques (Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Paris) is thanked for providing the ASCs employed in this study. MMP acknowledges support of CIBER-BBN initiative, financed by Institut de Salud Carlos III (Spain) with the assistance of the European Regional Development Fund.Vallés Lluch, A.; Arnal Pastor, MP.; Martínez Ramos, C.; Vilariño Feltrer, G.; Vikingsson, L.; Castells Sala, C.; Semino, CE.... (2013). Combining self-assembling peptide gels with three-dimensional elastomer scaffolds. Acta Biomaterialia. 9(12):9451-9460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2013.07.038S9451946091

MnemoCity Task: Assessment of Childrens Spatial Memory Using Stereoscopy and Virtual Environments

[EN] This paper presents the MnemoCity task, which is a 3D application that introduces the user into a totally 3D virtual environment to evaluate spatial short-term memory. A study has been carried out to validate the MnemoCity task for the assessment of spatial short-term memory in children, by comparing the children s performance in the developed task with current approaches. A total of 160 children participated in the study. The task incorporates two types of interaction: one based on standard interaction and another one based on natural interaction involving physical movement by the user. There were no statistically significant differences in the results of the task using the two types of interaction. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were not found in relation to gender. The correlations between scores were obtained using the MnemoCity task and a traditional procedure for assessing spatial short-term memory. Those results revealed that the type of interaction used did not affect the performance of children in the MnemoCity task.This work was funded mainly by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the CHILDMNEMOS project (TIN2012-37381-C02-01) and confinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Other financial support was received from the Gobierno de Aragon (Departamento de Industria e Innovacion), and Fondo Social Europeo for Aragon.Rodríguez-Andrés, D.; Juan, M.; Mendez Lopez, M.; Pérez Hernández, E.; Lluch Crespo, J. (2016). MnemoCity Task: Assessment of Childrens Spatial Memory Using Stereoscopy and Virtual Environments. PLoS ONE. 11(8):1-28. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161858S12811