Precipitation of soluble uric acid is necessary for in vitro activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in primary human monocytes

Objective. To investigate the effects of soluble uric acid (UA) on expression and activation of the NOD-like receptor (NLR) pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in human monocytes to elucidate the role of hyperuricemia in the pathogenesis of gout. Methods. Primary human monocytes and the THP-1 human monocyte cell line were used to determine the effects of short- and long-term exposure to UA on activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and subsequent interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and cell-based assays. Expression of key NLRP3 components in monocytes from patients with a history of gout were analysed by quantitative PCR. Results. Precipitation of UA was required for the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and subsequent release of IL-1β in human monocytes. Neither monosodium urate (MSU) crystals nor soluble UA had any effect on activation of the transcription factor, NF-κB. Prolonged exposure of monocytes to soluble UA did not alter these responses. However, both MSU crystals and soluble UA did result in a 2-fold increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Gout patients (n=15) had significantly elevated serum UA concentrations compared to healthy individuals (n=16), yet secretion of IL-1β and expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components in monocytes isolated from these patients were not different from healthy controls. Conclusion. Despite recent reports indicating that soluble UA can prime and activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), precipitation of soluble UA into MSU crystals is essential for in vitro NLRP3 signalling in primary human monocytes

Crecimiento económico y desarrollo humano de los pobladores del recinto puerto el Morro desde la perspectiva humanista existencial de Carl Rogers: un mejor futuro para todos

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la relación existente entre el crecimiento económico y el desarrollo humano de los habitantes del recinto Puerto El Morro, provincia del Guayas. Para realizar este estudio se aplicó una metodología basada en una investigación cuali - cuantitativa, que se apoyó en las teorías del Desarrollo Humano concretamente desde la perspectiva humanista existencial El Desarrollo Humano privilegia lo particular cuando aborda al ser humano, a partir de las experiencias concretas de la persona, para comprender su desarrollo como individuos sociales que interactúan en una comunidad determinada. Las técnicas de investigación utilizadas fueron la encuesta y la entrevista, la primera se aplicó a una muestra de doscientas personas, quienes habitan en el recinto Puerto El Morro, y se entrevistaron a 14 líderes comunitarios pertenecientes a varias asociaciones que realizan emprendimientos turísticos en este sector; los resultados señalan de manera relevante que es las familias experimentan serias limitaciones económicas motivado por el escaso acceso al trabajo, a la educación y a la salud, lo que representa una seria desventaja para el desarrollo humano de los habitantes del recinto, esta situación es agravada por la escasa atención de las autoridades en cuanto a la construcción de infraestructura apropiada y vías de acceso, por lo que se requiere de una planificación e intervención eficiente a nivel público y de la iniciativa personal de los habitantes de este sector para promover condiciones de mayor equidad y bienestar personal y familia

Deformation of the continental shelf of Ecuador during the Quaternary and consequences on coastal evolution

International audienc

Turbidites and megaturbidites of Ecuadorian subduction trench: paleoseismologic indicators?

International audienc

From long‐ to short‐term inter‐plate coupling at the subducted Carnegie Ridge crest, offshore Central Ecuador

We investigate the relationship between the long-term (Quaternary) interplate coupling and the short-term geodetically derived interseismic coupling at the Central Ecuador subduction zone. At this nonaccretionary margin, the Cabo Pasado shelf promontory and coastal area are associated with two inter-plate geodetically locked patches. The deepest patch ruptured co-seismically during the Mw7.8-2016 Pedernales earthquake, while the shallowest underwent dominantly after-slip. Marine geophysical and chronostratigraphic data allow reconstructing the Quaternary tectonic evolution of the shelf promontory and substantiating variation of the long-term inter-plate coupling that led to the geodetically locked patches. Prior to ∼1.8 Ma, the outer-wedge inter-plate coupling was strong enough to activate trench-subparallel strike-slip faults. Then, between ∼1.8-0.79 Ma, shortening and uplift affected the shelf promontory, implying a locally increased inter-plate coupling. After a short, post-0.79 Ma period of subsidence, shortening and uplift resumed denoting a high inter-plate coupling that endured up to the present. The synchronicity of the structural evolution of the shelf promontory with the subduction chronology of two reliefs of the Carnegie Ridge crest suggests that the locked patches are caused by a geometrical resistance to subduction that propagates landward causing permanent deformation. In 2016, the deepest subducted relief localized stress accumulation and high seismic slip, while the shallowest relief, which is associated with a weakened outer-wedge, prevented updip rupture propagation. Thus, at nonaccretionary margins, active outer-wedge strike-slip faults might be considered a proxi of near-trench coupling, and subducted relief a cause of plate coupling but an obstacle to the tsunami genesis when the relief is shallow. Key Points A trench-parallel strike-slip fault and its earthquake-controlled fault scarps substantiate a pre-1.8 Ma, outer-wedge inter-plate coupling From 1.8 Ma, a robust shelf uplift caused by subducted reliefs highlights a long-term coupling that led to geodetically locked patches The shallowest subducted relief likely impeded the generation of a major tsunami during the Mw7.8, 2016 event Plain Language Summary The 2016-Ecuador earthquake ruptured a subduction fault segment previously locked for decades beneath the coastline. The rupture was arrested updip by another locked fault segment called locked patch, which instead slipped slowly. To understand the cause of the locked patches, their rupture behaviors, and whether the decadal fault locking and long-term subduction processes are related, we reconstructed the Quaternary tectonic evolution of the margin offshore Central Ecuador using geophysical data. We consider that tectonic deformation reflects the long-term inter-plate coupling, which is the ability of the fault to transfer long-term stress and strain to the margin. Prior to ∼1.8 Ma, a trench-subparallel fault accommodating lateral displacement indicates a shallow plate coupling, which increased locally between ∼1.8-0.79 Ma as shown by margin shortening. After a brief subsidence, shortening resumed, denoting a strong coupling that persisted until today in the form of the locked patches. Although many physical factors have been proposed to control plate coupling, here we find that the locked patches are caused by the subduction of two reliefs of a submarine ridge. Remarkably, in 2016, the deepest relief released high elastic strain, while the shallower relief, thrust under a weakened outer-margin, damped updip rupture propagation, impeding a significant tsunami

Tsunami mapping in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador, due to local seismicity

International audienceThe North-Andean subduction zone generates recurrent tsunamigenic earthquakes. The seismicity is usually considered to be segmented because of different specific morphological features of the Nazca Plate driving the subduction motion. Most of the recent powerful earthquakes in the margin were located in its northern part. To the south, the region of the Gulf of Guayaquil, only (undocumented) three events in 1901, 1933 and 1953 were possibly powerful and tsunamigenic. Here we are interested in the tsunami signature due to local seismicity. Two realistic earthquake scenarios (Mw = 7 and Mw = 7.5) taking into account the hypothesized segmentation of the area are proposed. Their return period is supposed to be intra-centenary. Then, a larger magnitude unsegmented Mw = 8 scenario is computed (half-millennium return period). The interior of the Gulf of Guayaquil as well as the Santa Elena Peninsula are sheltered areas including numerous coastal infrastructures and the city of Guayaquil. It is predicted that potential flooding would occur at high tide only for both segmented and unsegmented scenarios in (1) south of Playas with however only a few centimeters of wave height and (2) Chanduy (a few meters). Both are important zones of coastal farms