Traducción y estudio del poema “The Flaming Heart upon the Book and Picture of the Seraphicall saint Teresa”. Imaginería mística y barroca en Richard Crashaw”

Abordamos la traducción y estudio de uno de los poemas que Richard Crashaw dedicó a la Santa de Ávila: “The Flaming heart upon the Book and Picture of the Seraphicall saint Teresa”. Escribió su autor durante la Contra-Reforma que siguió al Concilio de Trento y que produjo en la Iglesia grandes frutos espirituales y poéticos con figuras de la talla de Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), en Holanda y de Richard Crashaw, en Inglaterra –ambos conversos al catolicismo, desde el calvinismo y el anglicanismo, respectivamente–. Las principales fuentes de estudio han sido las biografías de David Lloyd (1668: 618) y de Anthony Wood (1691) y las ediciones de su obra, realizadas por Alexander Balloch Grosart (1872) y por Leonard Cyril Martin (1927)

Peripheral Inflammation Enhances Microglia Response and Nigral Dopaminergic Cell Death in an in vivo MPTP Model of Parkinson’s Disease

The impact of systemic inflammation in nigral dopaminergic cell loss remains unclear. Here, we have investigated the role of peripheral inflammation induced by systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration in the MPTP-based model of Parkinson’s disease. Brain inflammation, microglia and astroglia activation, disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and integrity of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system were evaluated in response to i.p. injection of LPS, MPTP or the combination of both. Our results showed that combinative treatment exacerbates microglia activation and enhances (i) the appearance of galectin-3-positive microglia, recently identified as microglial disease-associated phenotypic marker, (ii) the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, (iii) the occurrence of A1 neurotoxic astrocytes, (iv) the breakdown of the BBB, and (v) the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Microglia activation was triggered earlier than other degenerative events, suggesting that over-activation of microglia (including different polarization states) may induce dopaminergic neuron loss by itself, initiating the endless cycle of inflammation/degeneration. Our study revitalizes the importance of peripheral inflammation as a potential risk factor for Parkinson’s disease and raises the possibility of using new anti-inflammatory therapies to improve the course of neurodegenerative diseases, including those directly aimed at modulating the deleterious activity of disease-associated microglia.España MINECO y FEDER SAF2015-64171-

Del aula a la calle (y de vuelta al aula): el aprendizaje experiencial de la acción colectiva a través de la organización de iniciativas orientadas al cambio social

Este proyecto fomenta el aprendizaje de la acción colectiva y los movimientos sociales a partir de la organización de iniciativas orientadas al cambio social, combinando en su desarrollo el plano colectivo (acciones en grupo) con el individual (reflexión personal sobre las acciones)

Contribución de la Proteómica al estudio de la determinación sexual en plantas inferiores

Comunicaciones a congreso

Empresaris immigrants en temps de crisi econòmica

El grup d'investigació egolab-GRAFO, del Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural, ha conclòs el projecte ITINERE (Perfils d'empresariat ètnic a Espanya CSO2009-07057). Aquesta recerca pretén realitzar un estudi a partir de diferents perfils d'empresariat immigrant o ètnic a Catalunya, així com una anàlisi de les seves xarxes personals de suport als emprenedors, tant locals com transnacionals.El grupo de investigación egolab-GRAFO, del Departamento de Antropología Social y Cultural, ha concluido el proyecto ITINERE (Perfiles de empresariado étnico en España CSO2009-07057). Esta investigación pretende realizar un estudio a partir de diferentes perfiles de empresariado inmigrante o étnico en Cataluña, así como un análisis de sus redes personales de apoyo a los emprendedores, tanto locales como transnacionales

Simbiosis entre los sistemas extensivos y el medio (I)

El impacto ambiental de la producción ganadera es una cuestión candente a escala global en la actualidad. Parte de las investigaciones recientes al respecto se han centrado en las consecuencias que las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) ligadas a las prácticas ganaderas pueden tener sobre el cambio climátic

Reformulating Pro-Oxidant Microglia in Neurodegeneration

In neurodegenerative diseases, microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are central events. Recent genome-wide transcriptomic analyses of microglial cells under different disease conditions have uncovered a new subpopulation named disease-associated microglia (DAM). These studies have challenged the classical view of the microglia polarization state's proinflammatory M1 (classical activation) and immunosuppressive M2 (alternative activation). Molecular signatures of DAM and proinflammatory microglia (highly pro-oxidant) have shown clear differences, yet a partial overlapping gene profile is evident between both phenotypes. The switch activation of homeostatic microglia into reactive microglia relies on the selective activation of key surface receptors involved in the maintenance of brain homeostasis (a.k.a. pattern recognition receptors, PRRs). Two relevant PRRs are toll-like receptors (TLRs) and triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), whose selective activation is believed to generate either a proinflammatory or a DAM phenotype, respectively. However, the recent identification of endogenous disease-related ligands, which bind to and activate both TLRs and TREM2, anticipates the existence of rather complex microglia responses. Examples of potential endogenous dual ligands include amyloid β, galectin-3, and apolipoprotein E. These pleiotropic ligands induce a microglia polarization that is more complicated than initially expected, suggesting the possibility that different microglia subtypes may coexist. This review highlights the main microglia polarization states under disease conditions and their leading role orchestrating oxidative stress

Bovine Tuberculosis in a Free Ranging Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Doñana National Park (Spain)

During 1997 and 1998, a survey of Iberian carnivores was conducted to study the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis in the Doñana National Park and surrounding areas in southwestern Spain. Post-mortem examinations were done on seven red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), two Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), one weasel (Mustela nivalis), two genets (Genetta genetta), one Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), one Eurasian badger (Meles meles), and two polecats (Mustela putorius). Lesions suggestive of bovine tuberculosis were not detected but, in culture, Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from the retropharyngeal lymph nodes of one adult male red fox. This is the first report of M. bovis infection in red fox in Spain.Peer reviewe

Dissolving hydroxyolite: a DNA molecule into its hydroxyapatite mold

In spite of the clinical importance of hydroxyapatite (HAp), the mechanism that controls its dissolution in acidic environments remains unclear. Knowledge of such a process is highly desirable to provide better understanding of different pathologies, as for example osteoporosis, and of the HAp potential as vehicle for gene delivery to replace damaged DNA. In this work, the mechanism of dissolution in acid conditions of HAp nanoparticles encapsulating double-stranded DNA has been investigated at the atomistic level using computer simulations. For this purpose, four consecutive (multi-step) molecular dynamics simulations, involving different temperatures and proton transfer processes, have been carried out. Results are consistent with a polynuclear decalcification mechanism in which proton transfer processes, from the surface to the internal regions of the particle, play a crucial role. In addition, the DNA remains protected by the mineral mold and transferred proton from both temperature and chemicals. These results, which indicate that biomineralization imparts very effective protection to DNA, also have important implications in other biomedical fields, as for example in the design of artificial bones or in the fight against osteoporosis by promoting the fixation of Ca2+ ions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version