A 3D Cell-Free Bone Model Shows Collagen Mineralization is Driven and Controlled by the Matrix

This project was supported by an European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator grant (H2020-ERC-2017-ADV-788982-COLMIN) to N.S. A.A. was in part supported by a VENI grant from the Netherlands Scientific Organization NWO (VI.Veni.192.094).Osteons, the main organizational components of human compact bone, are cylindrical structures composed of layers of mineralized collagen fibrils, called lamellae. These lamellae have different orientations, different degrees of organization, and different degrees of mineralization where the intrafibrillar and extrafibrillar minerals are intergrown into one continuous network of oriented crystals. While cellular activity is clearly the source of the organic matrix, recent in vitro studies call into question whether the cells are also involved in matrix mineralization and suggest that this process could be simply driven by the interactions of the mineral with extracellular matrix. Through the remineralization of demineralized bone matrix, the complete multiscale reconstruction of the 3D structure and composition of the osteon without cellular involvement are demonstrated. Then, this cell-free in vitro system is explored as a realistic, functional model for the in situ investigation of matrix-controlled mineralization processes. Combined Raman and electron microscopy indicate that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) play a more prominent role than generally assumed in the matrix-mineral interactions. The experiments also show that the organization of the collagen is in part a result of its interaction with the developing mineral.European Research Council (ERC) VI.Veni.192.094Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) H2020-ERC-2017-ADV-788982-COLMI

Origin of the biphase nature and surface roughness of biogenic calcite secreted by the giant barnacle Austromegabalanus psittacus

The calcite grains forming the wall plates of the giant barnacle Austramegabalanus psittacus have a distinctive surface roughness made of variously sized crystalline nanoprotrusions covered by extremely thin amorphous pellicles. This biphase (crystalline-amorphous) structure also penetrates through the crystal’s interiors, forming a web-like structure. Nanoprotrusions very frequently elongate following directions related to the crystallographic structure of calcite, in particular, the directions, which are the strongest periodic bond chains (PBCs) in calcite. We propose that the formation of elongated nanoprotrusions happens during the crystallization of calcite from a precursor amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). This is because biomolecules integrated within the ACC are expelled from such PBCs due to the force of crystallization, with the consequent formation of uninterrupted crystalline nanorods. Expelled biomolecules accumulate in adjacent regions, thereby stabilizing small pellicle-like volumes of ACC. With growth, such pellicles become occluded within the crystal. In summary, the surface roughness of the biomineral surface reflects the complex shape of the crystallization front, and the biphase structure provides evidence for crystallization from an amorphous precursor. The surface roughness is generally explained as resulting from the attachment of ACC particles to the crystal surface, which later crystallised in concordance with the crystal lattice. If this was the case, the nanoprotrusions do not reflect the size and shape of any precursor particle. Accordingly, the particle attachment model for biomineral formation should seek new evidence.Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government CGL2017-85118-P CGL2015-64683-PUnidad Cientifica de Excelencia of the University of Granada UCE-PP2016-05Junta de Andalucía RNM363ANID-Chile FONDECYT 1140938 PCI ANID REDES 170106 PIA ANID ANILLOS ACT17203

Discursos del alumnado de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad de Sevilla vinculados con el género

La formación en género en el ámbito de los estudios universitarios ha demostrado ser no sólo necesaria si no un indicativo de calidad. Esta investigación se centra en el análisis del aprendizaje y la enseñanza en materia de género en la Facultad de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Podología y sus centros adscritos de la Universidad de Sevilla. Se ha realizado un estudio con metodología cualitativa basado en la Teoría Fundamentada, en el que se han examinado los discursos del alumnado vinculados con el género. Los alumnos y alumnas que habían cursado la asignatura “Género y Salud” en Enfermería, entendían el género como un constructo cultural; el alumnado de Fisioterapia y Podología confundían sexo y género. En cuanto a su primer contacto con el género manifiestan que ha sido en la Universidad. La formación en género es una categoría transversal que produce un cuestionamiento personal, una deconstrucción social con una fundamentación teórica.Gender training in the field of university studies has proved to be not only necessary but also an indication of quality. This research focuses on the analysis of learning and teaching on gender in the Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry and its affiliated centers of the University of Seville. A study with qualitative methodology based on Grounded Theory has been carried out, in which discourses of students linked to gender have been examined. The students who had studied the subject "Gender and Health" in Nursing, understood gender as a cultural construct; Physiotherapy and Podology students confused sex and gender. Regarding his first contact with the genre, they state that he has been at the University. Gender training is a transversal category that produces a personal questioning, a social deconstruction with a theoretical foundation

Spherulitic Crystal Growth Drives Mineral Deposition Patterns in Collagen-Based Materials

The formation of the hard tissues that provide support and mobility to organisms is achieved through the interplay of inorganic crystals and an organic framework composed of collagen and a small percentage of non-collagenous proteins. Despite their clinical relevance, the mechanisms governing mineralization of the extracellular matrix are still poorly understood. By using 3D electron tomography and high-resolution electron microscopy imaging and spectroscopy, it has been demonstrated that mineralization proceeds through a spherulitic-like crystal growth process. First, aggregates of disordered crystals form in the interfibrillar spaces, which lead to the mineralization of adjacent fibrils. Mineral propagates steadily through the inter- and intrafibrillar spaces of the collagen structure forming layered spherulites that grow to confluence. The structure of the collagen fibrils serves as a protein scaffold to guide the formation of a myriad of platelet-shaped crystallites that make up each of these spherulites. At their periphery, nanosized unmineralized areas remain, leading to the formation of the characteristic lacy pattern observed in the transversal cross-section of mature calcified tissues. This study provides fundamental insights into the bone formation process and represents a potential strategy for complex materials designProjekt DEA

Resultados de la vigilancia epidemiológica de la enfermedad invasora por Haemophilus influenzae en España en el periodo 2014-2016

[ES] El objetivo de este estudio fue describir las características epidemiológicas de los casos notificados por enfermedad invasora por Haemophilus influenzae en España en el periodo 2014-2016. Se analizaron los datos notificados por la Red Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (RENAVE). La tasa media de notificación anual para el periodo de estudio fue de 0,44 casos/100.000 habitantes. El número de casos notificados y la tasa de notificación tuvieron una tendencia anual creciente debido a la mejora y paulatina incorporación a la notificación de las Comunidades Autónomas. En el 85% de los casos se desconoce el serotipo que causó la enfermedad. En España no existe evidencia sobre un reemplazamiento de H. influenzae serotipo b por otros serotipos capsulados. Los grupos de edad más afectados son el grupo de 60 y más años y el grupo de menores de un año de edad. En los casos vacunados no se identificó Hib como cepa causante de enfermedad. [EN] The study describes the epidemiology of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease between 2014 and 2016 in Spain. We analyzed data on invasive H. influenzae disease reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE). Mean rate of invasive H. influenzae disease for the analyzed period was 0.44 cases/100,000 population. There was an increase both in the total number and in the annual rate of invasive H. influenzae notified cases. This is secondary to the progressive improvement in reporting to the national surve illance system (RENAVE). The serotype is unknown in 85% of the total number of reported cases. In Spain, there is no evidence of replacement of Hib for other encapsulated serotypes. The most affected age groups were people aged 60 years and older and children under one year. Hib did not cause any case of invasive disease in vaccinated patients

Great Spotted Cuckoo Fledglings Often Receive Feedings from Other Magpie Adults than Their Foster Parents: Which Magpies Accept to Feed Foreign Cuckoo Fledglings?

Natural selection penalizes individuals that provide costly parental care to non-relatives. However, feedings to brood-parasitic fledglings by individuals other than their foster parents, although anecdotic, have been commonly observed, also in the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) – magpie (Pica pica) system, but this behaviour has never been studied in depth. In a first experiment, we here show that great spotted cuckoo fledglings that were translocated to a distant territory managed to survive. This implies that obtaining food from foreign magpies is a frequent and efficient strategy used by great spotted cuckoo fledglings. A second experiment, in which we presented a stuffed-cuckoo fledgling in magpie territories, showed that adult magpies caring for magpie fledglings responded aggressively in most of the trials and never tried to feed the stuffed cuckoo, whereas magpies that were caring for cuckoo fledglings reacted rarely with aggressive behavior and were sometimes disposed to feed the stuffed cuckoo. In a third experiment we observed feedings to post-fledgling cuckoos by marked adult magpies belonging to four different possibilities with respect to breeding status (i.e. composition of the brood: only cuckoos, only magpies, mixed, or failed breeding attempt). All non-parental feeding events to cuckoos were provided by magpies that were caring only for cuckoo fledglings. These results strongly support the conclusion that cuckoo fledglings that abandon their foster parents get fed by other adult magpies that are currently caring for other cuckoo fledglings. These findings are crucial to understand the co-evolutionary arms race between brood parasites and their hosts because they show that the presence of the host's own nestlings for comparison is likely a key clue to favour the evolution of fledgling discrimination and provide new insights on several relevant points such as learning mechanisms and multiparasitism.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad/FEDER (research project CGL2011-25634/BOS)

Unraveling the Formation of Gelatin Nanospheres by Means of Desolvation

Gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) have been widely studied for a plethora of biomedical applications, but their formation mechanism remains poorly understood, which precludes precise control over their physicochemical properties. This leads to timeconsuming parameter adjustments without a fundamental grasp of the underlying mechanism. Here, we analyze and visualize in a timeresolved manner the mechanism by which GNPs are formed during desolvation of gelatin as a function of gelatin molecular weight and type of desolvating agent. Through various analytical and imaging techniques, we unveil a multistage process that is initiated by the formation of primary particles that are ∼18 nm in diameter (wet state). These primary particles subsequently assemble into colloidally stable GNPs with a raspberry-like structure and a hydrodynamic diameter of ∼300 nm. Our results create a basic understanding of the formation mechanism of gelatin nanoparticles, which opens new opportunities for precisely tuning their physicochemical and biofunctional properties.Radboud University Medical Cente

Anemia por deficiencia de hierro en lactantes, causas y consecuencias

Iron deficiency anemia is a pathology considered worldwide as a nutritional problem affecting infants and school-age children, having adverse consequences for health and its prevalence is high worldwide. The objective of this review was to show iron deficiency anemia in infants, causes and consequences. The methodology used in the study was of design is documentary and the type of study descriptive, exploratory of explanatory level. The bibliographic sources used were based on the review of articles in scientific journals of English and Spanish language with 5 years of previous as PubMed, Scielo, Latindex, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Redalyd, Medigraphy, Dilanet, using as search strategies keywords and Boolean operators. Evidencing a high prevalence rate of iron deficiency anemia in infants, in addition the causes for which this pathology occurs are: iron malabsorption, low birth weight and prematurity detailing sequelae in psychomotor development, cognitive function and growth. Concluding that good nutritional practices are essential, especially in pregnant and pregnant women, even more so in the development and growth of infants in order to avoid future complications.La anemia por deficiencia de hierro es una patología considerada mundialmente como un problema nutricional afectando a lactantes y a niños de edad escolar, teniendo consecuencias adversas para la salud y su prevalencia es alta a nivel mundial. El objetivo de la presente revisión fue evidenciar la anemia por deficiencia de hierro en lactantes, causas y consecuencias. La metodología empleada en el estudio fue de diseño es documental y el tipo de estudio descriptivo, exploratorio de nivel explicativo. Las fuentes bibliográficas empleadas fueron en base a la revisión de artículos en revistas científicas de idioma inglés y español con 5 años de anterioridad como PubMed, Scielo, Latindex, Elsevier, Google Académico, Redalyd, Medigraphy, Dilanet, empleando como estrategias de búsqueda palabras claves y operadores booleanos. Evidenciando una tasa alta de prevalencia de anemia por deficiencia de hierro en lactante, además las causas por cual se presenta esta patología son: malabsorción de hierro, bajo peso al nacer y prematuridad detallando secuelas en el desarrollo psicomotor, función cognitiva y crecimiento. Concluyendo que son fundamental las buenas prácticas alimenticias en especial en las mujeres gestantes y embarazadas, más aún en desarrollo y crecimiento de lactantes para así evitar complicaciones a futuro

El modelo Z2-Score de Altman como base para la discriminación del fracaso de los franquiciadores

En esta investigación se propone un método que permite a los potenciales franquiciados conocer si la probabilidad de fracaso del franquiciador es elevada o reducida. El objetivo principal de este estudio es obtener segmentos/clusters mediante la técnica de regresión de clases latentes, donde se analiza la relación entre las variables típicas de la franquicia y la solvencia de la empresa franquiciadora medida a través de la Z2-Score de Altman. Con el fin de identificar con claridad los segmentos y analizar las características que los definen, hemos utilizado como covariables: el sector, la facturación media y el personal de la empresa. Se han identificado ocho segmentos, de los cuales nos encontramos con cinco segmentos en los que las enseñas que lo componen son solventes, dos que están en zona gris y uno que es insolvente.This paper proposes a method that allows potential franchisees to know if the probability of failure of the franchisor is high or low. The main objective of this study is to obtain segments/clusters using the technique of latent class regression. Therefore, we analyze the relationship between the typical variables of the franchise and the solvency of the franchisor, measured by means of the Altman´s Z2-Score. In order to clearly identify segments and to analyze the characteristics that define them, we have used as covariates: the sector, the average turnover and the business employees. Eight segments have been identified: five of them show signs that make them solvent, two of them are in the grey area and one segment is insolvent

Transformation of ACC into aragonite and the origin of the nanogranular structure of nacre

Currently a basic tenet in biomineralization is that biominerals grow by accretion of amorphous particles, which are later transformed into the corresponding mineral phase. The globular nanostructure of most biominerals is taken as evidence of this. Nevertheless, little is known as to how the amorphousto-crystalline transformation takes place. To gain insight into this process, we have made a highresolution study (by means of transmission electron microscopy and other associated techniques) of immature tablets of nacre of the gastropod Phorcus turbinatus, where the proportion of amorphous calcium carbonate is high. Tablets displayed a characteristic nanoglobular structure, with the nanoglobules consisting of an aragonite core surrounded by amorphous calcium carbonate together with organic macromolecules. The changes in composition from the amorphous to the crystalline phase indicate that there was a higher content of organic molecules within the former phase. Within single tablets, the crystalline cores were largely co-oriented. According to their outlines, the internal transformation front of the tablets took on a complex digitiform shape, with the individual fingers constituting the crystalline cores of nanogranules. We propose that the final nanogranular structure observed is produced during the transformation of ACC into aragonite