Partial Calcium Depletion During Membrane Filtration Affects Gelation of Reconstituted Milk Protein Concentrates

Milk protein concentrate powders (MPC) with improved rehydration properties are often manufactured using processing steps, such as acidification and high-pressure processing, and with addition of other ingredients, such as sodium chloride, during their production. These steps are known to increase the amount of serum caseins or modify the mineral equilibrium, hence improving solubility of the retentates. The processing functionality of the micelles may be affected. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of partial acidification by adding glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) to skim milk during membrane filtration on the structural changes of the casein micelles by observing their chymosin-induced coagulation behavior, as such coagulation is affected by both the supramolecular structure of the caseins and calcium equilibrium. Milk protein concentrates were prepared by preacidification with GDL to pH 6 using ultrafiltration (UF) and diafiltration (DF) followed by spray-drying. Reconstituted UF and DF samples (3.2% protein) treated with GDL showed significantly increased amounts of soluble calcium and nonsedimentable caseins compared with their respective controls, as measured by ion chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE electrophoresis, respectively. The primary phase of chymosin-induced gelation was not significantly different between treatments as measured by the amount of caseino-macropeptide released. The rheological properties of the reconstituted MPC powders were determined immediately after addition of chymosin, both before and after dialysis against skim milk, to ensure similar serum composition for all samples. Reconstituted samples before dialysis showed no gelation (defined as tan δ = 1), and after re-equilibration only control UF and DF samples showed gelation. The gelation properties of reconstituted MPC powders were negatively affected by the presence of soluble casein, and positively affected by the amount of both soluble and insoluble calcium present after reconstitution. This work, testing the chymosin-induced gelation behavior of various reconstituted MPC samples, clearly demonstrated that a decrease in pH to 6.0 during membrane filtration affects the integrity of the casein micelles supramolecular structure with important consequences to their processing functionality

Recent advances of synthesis of Boron derivatives and their applications in bioimaging

The increasing interest in the luminescent boron materials is due to their potential application in diverse areas such as solar cells, optoelectronic devices, and biological imaging materials. Continuous search for the compounds with better properties, luminescent organoboron materials have been gaining more importance, especially in the development of new technologies and novel techniques for bioimaging, which is a powerful tool to analyze the cellular organelles with important value into the cell biology and medical research. Synthesis, properties, and applications of luminescent boron compounds and their application in bioimaging are reviewed.

Obatoclax and Paclitaxel Synergistically Induce Apoptosis and Overcome Paclitaxel Resistance in Urothelial Cancer Cells

Paclitaxel is a treatment option for advanced or metastatic bladder cancer after the failure of first-line cisplatin and gemcitabine, although resistance limits its clinical benefits. Mcl-1 is an anti-apoptotic protein that promotes resistance to paclitaxel in different tumors. Obatoclax, a BH3 mimetic of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, antagonizes Mcl-1 and hence may reverse paclitaxel resistance in Mcl-1-overexpressing tumors. In this study, paclitaxel-sensitive 5637 and -resistant HT1197 bladder cancer cells were treated with paclitaxel, obatoclax, or combinations of both. Apoptosis, cell cycle, and autophagy were measured by Western blot, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. Moreover, Mcl-1 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in bladder carcinoma tissues. Our results confirmed that paclitaxel alone induced Mcl-1 downregulation and apoptosis in 5637, but not in HT1197 cells; however, combinations of obatoclax and paclitaxel sensitized HT1197 cells to the treatment. In obatoclax-treated 5637 and obatoclax + paclitaxel-treated HT1197 cells, the blockade of the autophagic flux correlated with apoptosis and was associated with caspase-dependent cleavage of beclin-1. Obatoclax alone delayed the cell cycle in 5637, but not in HT1197 cells, whereas combinations of both retarded the cell cycle and reduced mitotic slippage. In conclusion, obatoclax sensitizes HT1197 cells to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis through the blockade of the autophagic flux and effects on the cell cycle. Furthermore, Mcl-1 is overexpressed in many invasive bladder carcinomas, and it is related to tumor progression, so Mcl-1 expression may be of predictive value in bladder cancer.España, Sistema Público Andaluz Biobanco y ISCIII-Red de Biobancos PT17/0015/004

4-[(E)-(4-Fluoro­benzyl­idene)amino]­benzoic acid

In the title compound, C14H10FNO2, the benzene rings make a dihedral angle of 57.50 (13)°, and the molecule has an E configuration about the C=N bond. In the crystal, molecules are linked via pairs of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers

Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Contributes to Paclitaxel Resistance in Bladder Cancer Cells with Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an important role in tumor progression and chemother apy resistance and seems to be essential for the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSC) in several tumor types. However, the interplay of these factors has not been fully addressed in bladder cancer. Here, our goal was to analyze the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in paclitaxel resistance and to study the therapeutic efficacy of its inhibition in bladder cancer cells, as well as to determine its influence in the maintenance of the CSC-like phenotype in bladder cancer. Our results show that paclitaxel-resistant HT1197 cells have hyperactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and increased CSC-like properties compared with paclitaxel-sensitive 5637 cells. Paclitaxel sensitivity diminishes in 5637 cells after β-catenin overexpression or when they are grown as tumorspheres, enriched for the CSC-like phenotype. Additionally, downregulation of β-catenin or inhibition with XAV939 sensitizes HT1197 cells to paclitaxel. Moreover, a subset of muscle-invasive bladder carcinomas shows aberrant expression of β-catenin that associates with positive expression of the CSC marker ALDH1A1. In conclusion, we demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin signaling contributes to paclitaxel resistance in bladder cancer cells with CSC-like properties.Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS-PI17/1240Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS-PI20/1641Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness SAF2017-87358-C2-1-R and -2-RMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2020-118774RB-C21 and -C22Consejería de Salud y Familias PI-0213-2020Consejería de Salud y Familias OH-0017-201

La educación de la mirada: Percepción, pensamiento complejo y competencias visuales

Los autores proponen un modelo pedagógico para los estudiantes de diseño arquitectónico de primer año que parte de la interacción de la triada de la problematización de la percepción visual, el pensamiento complejo de Edgar Morin y el desarrollo de las competencias visuales. A partir de estos preceptos se diseñan actividades pedagógicas que estimulan experiencias significativas en el alumnado para el desarrollo de una mirada educada, profunda y analítica. La herramienta utilizada para lograr este fin es la fotografía, la cual además de ayudar al estudiante a experimentar la fenomenología del lugar, le permite entender la relación entre las partes y el todo y la interconexión que existe entre los sistemas que conforman la vida urbana. De esta manera, se sensibiliza y educa sobre la importancia del contexto en la arquitectura y su responsabilidad ética y social.Based on the interaction between visual perception as a problem, Edgar Morin´s complex thought and the development of visual skills, the authors propose a pedagogical model for students of first year architectural design studios. In search of meaningful experiences, educational activities are designed to produce an educated and analytical gaze. The tool used to achieve this goal is photography, which, besides helping the student to experience the phenomenology of place, allows them to understand the relationship between the parts and the whole, and to establish an interconnection between systems that shape urban life. This strategy also creates awareness about the importance of context, ethics and social responsibility in architecture

Minimal spontaneously broken hidden sector and its impact on Higgs boson physics at the Large Hadron Collider

We have studied a hidden sector of the SM with spontaneous symmetry breaking that opens many different scenarios for Higgs physics. We have shown that this hidden sector can affect the SM Higgs detection. In some speci c regimes it is still possible to detect the Higgs; in other scenarios the hidden sector would completely eclipse it

Entorno extensible para la monitorización y detección de síntomas de depresión

La depresión es una enfermedad silenciosa que está aumentando de forma alarmante debido al ritmo de vida de la sociedad. Los propios síntomas de la depresión hacen que los pacientes se enfrenten a barreras psicológicas que dificultan la búsqueda de tratamiento. Actualmente, los dispositivos móviles están siendo usados para monitorizar el comportamiento de las personas y, así, identificar si presentan distintas enfermedades. En este artículo se presenta un conjunto de aplicaciones que detectan síntomas de depresión de forma pasiva para el usuario, reduciendo los posibles obstáculos para la identificación de esta enfermedad. Estas aplicaciones han sido desarrolladas para que los datos monitorizados puedan ser reutilizados por otros sistemas, sin que ello conlleve un incremento en el consumo de recursos.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Body weight distortions in an auditory-driven body illusion in subclinical and clinical eating disorders.

Previous studies suggest a stronger influence of visual signals on body image in individuals with eating disorders (EDs) than healthy controls; however, the influence of other exteroceptive sensory signals remains unclear. Here we used an illusion relying on auditory (exteroceptive) signals to manipulate body size/weight perceptions and investigated whether the mechanisms integrating sensory signals into body image are altered in subclinical and clinical EDs. Participants' footstep sounds were altered to seem produced by lighter or heavier bodies. Across two experiments, we tested healthy women assigned to three groups based on self-reported Symptomatology of EDs (SED), and women with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), and used self-report, body-visualization, and behavioural (gait) measures. As with visual bodily illusions, we predicted stronger influence of auditory signals, leading to an enhanced body-weight illusion, in people with High-SED and AN. Unexpectedly, High-SED and AN participants displayed a gait typical of heavier bodies and a widest/heaviest visualized body in the 'light' footsteps condition. In contrast, Low-SED participants showed these patterns in the 'heavy' footsteps condition. Self-reports did not show group differences. The results of this pilot study suggest disturbances in the sensory integration mechanisms, rather than purely visually-driven body distortions, in subclinical/clinical EDs, opening opportunities for the development of novel diagnostic/therapeutic tools