A Rat Treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Lives to 44 Months of Age

AbstractThere is a growing interest in the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for implementing regenerative medicine. We assessed the effect of intravenous administration of human bone marrow-derived MSC on the life span of a single Sprague-Dawley female rat. The treatment was started when the rat was 6 months old and the cells were administered every 2 weeks afterward. The treatment did not induce any obvious changes in body growth or behavior and the rat showed the typical age changes for this strain, except that, unlike intact counterparts, the animal did not develop mammary tumors or pituitary gland hyperplasia. The more remarkable effect of the treatment was on life span, which was 44 months compared with an average of 36 months for intact laboratory rats. We conclude that despite the low N value, it is likely that the MSC treatment was responsible for the exceptionally long survival of the rat. The potential rewards of confirming the present findings warrant further studies involving higher N values.Fil: Mansilla, Eduardo. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Centro Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Roque, Gustavo. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Centro Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Sosa, Yolanda Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; ArgentinaFil: Tarditti, Adrian. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Centro Único Coordinador de Ablación e Implante Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Goya, Rodolfo Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; Argentin

Claves de internacionalización de las universidades españolas. Las universidades públicas madrileñas en el Horizonte 2020

El presente trabajo de investigación contiene un estudio de la internacionalización de las universidades españolas, en el que se trata de realizar una aportación novedosa al respecto, centrada en la colaboración internacional en investigación. Se realiza un análisis clúster que permite clasificar a las universidades españolas en función de su grado de internacionalización. Posteriormente, se desarrolla como estudio de caso el correspondiente a las universidades públicas madrileñas en materia de internacionalización, mediante el análisis de la colaboración internacional en el programa de investigación e innovación europeo Horizonte 2020. Finalmente, se explora la relación entre el grado de internacionalización y el grado de dispersión geográfica, lo que permite observar la existencia de un patrón de diversidad de las universidades públicas madrileñas en el H2020, siendo dominante la relación negativa entre el grado de colaboración internacional y la capacidad de captación de recursos por parte de las universidades en el programa. Los resultados alcanzados permiten servir de soporte para el desarrollo de una nueva estrategia de internacionalización que contenga instrumentos para potenciar la colaboración internacional como una ventaja competitiva

Representaciones semióticas en el aprendizaje del teorema de pitágoras

Este estudio se suscribe en el campo de la didáctica de la matemática, considerando que dentro de los programas de investigación que se proponen desde esta disciplina, se estudian aspectos relacionados con teorías del aprendizaje y enseñanza de las matemáticas, donde se han consolidado diversos enfoques de investigación, entre ellos el semiótico. (Font, 2002). La investigación buscó comprender las actividades cognitivas (de tratamiento y conversión) que realizaron un grupo de estudiantes en el aprendizaje del concepto Teorema de Pitágoras. El presente trabajo incorpora la teoría desarrollada por Raymond Duval (2004) sobre tratamiento y conversión de registros de representación semiótica, dado que como lo plantea el autor, el aprendizaje de las matemáticas sólo se da en contextos de representación. Dada la pluralidad de los sistemas semióticos, se permite que tal diversidad de representaciones de un mismo objeto, aumente las capacidades cognitivas de los estudiantes 8 (Benveniste, 1974; Bresson, 1987 citado en Duval, 2004). Esta variedad cumple una función decisiva en la conceptualización. Esta investigación permitió verificar que aunque existen múltiples representaciones semióticas alrededor del objeto matemático Teorema de Pitágoras, no todas se constituyen como válidas para generar procesos de congruencia con otros tipos de representación semiótica, debido a que la simple conversión de registros de representación sin que existan condiciones de congruencia entre ellos, no garantiza n la comprensión del objeto matemático.This study is subscribed to in the field of mathematics didactics, considering that within the research programs that are proposed from this discipline, aspects related to theories of learning and teaching of mathematics are studied, where various approaches to mathematics have been consolidated. research, including the semiotic. (Font, 2002). The research sought to understand the cognitive activities (of treatment and conversion) that a group of students carried out in learning the concept of the Pythagorean Theorem. The present work incorporates the theory developed by Raymond Duval (2004) on the treatment and conversion of semiotic representation registers, since, as the author proposes, the learning of mathematics only occurs in representation contexts. Given the plurality of semiotic systems, such diversity of representations of the same object is allowed to increase the cognitive abilities of students 8 (Benveniste, 1974; Bresson, 1987 cited in Duval, 2004). This variety plays a decisive role in conceptualization. This research allowed to verify that although there are multiple semiotic representations around the mathematical object Pythagoras' Theorem, not all of them are considered valid to generate congruence processes with other types of semiotic representation, due to the fact that the simple conversion of representation records without the existence of conditions congruence between them does not guarantee the understanding of the mathematical object

The internationalization of Spanish universities: Collaboration patterns, results and challenges

Este artículo analiza la internacionalización de las universidades españolas, a través de su participación en programas de investigación internacionales y, en particular, de la colaboración internacional en proyectos financiados por el programa europeo Horizonte 2020 (H2020). El estudio de los casos de las universidades españolas más internacionalizadas en el programa H2020 que aquí se plantea, explora la existencia de diversos patrones de colaboración internacional, y analiza en qué medida estos se corresponden con un grado de dispersión geográfica diferenciadoThis article analyses the internalization of Spanish universities, through its participation in international research programs, and in particular, through the international cooperation in projects financed by the European program Horizon 2020. The study of the most internationalized Spanish universities in the H2020 program explores the existence of several patterns of international cooperation, and it also analyses to what extent these patterns correspond to a certain degree of differentiated geographical dispersio

Smart destinations: A holistic view from researchers and managers to tourists and locals

This paper analyses and expands the concept of smart destination and its characteristics using stakeholder theory and the multiple perspectives of the various agents involved: managers, researchers, tourists, and locals. In adopting a holistic focus to conceptualise smart destinations, its review and analysis fill a current vacuum in the academic literature. The study also provides in-depth analysis of both tourists’ and locals’ perceptions. Two consecutive studies using computer-aided text analysis and grounded theory were performed. Firstly, we obtained a common image of a smart destination that combines the following elements: space, quality of life, agents, infrastructure, and technology. Secondly, the text analysis identified two distinctive characteristics: technology and sustainability. Thirdly, we identified differences in tourists’ and locals’ perceptions of smart destinations. These findings represent an important conceptual advance and have implications for management of smart destinationsTED2021–129513B-C2

A Rat Treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Lives to 44 Months of Age

There is a growing interest in the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for implementing regenerative medicine. We assessed the effect of intravenous administration of human bone marrow-derived MSC on the life span of a single Sprague-Dawley female rat. The treatment was started when the rat was 6 months old and the cells were administered every 2 weeks afterward. The treatment did not induce any obvious changes in body growth or behavior and the rat showed the typical age changes for this strain, except that, unlike intact counterparts, the animal did not develop mammary tumors or pituitary gland hyperplasia. The more remarkable effect of the treatment was on life span, which was 44 months compared with an average of 36 months for intact laboratory rats. We conclude that despite the low N value, it is likely that the MSC treatment was responsible for the exceptionally long survival of the rat. The potential rewards of confirming the present findings warrant further studies involving higher N values.Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plat

Eggshell Membrane as a Biomaterial for Bone Regeneration

The physicochemical features of the avian eggshell membrane play an essential role in the process of calcium carbonate deposition during shell mineralization, giving rise to a porous mineralized tissue with remarkable mechanical properties and biological functions. The membrane could be useful by itself or as a bi-dimensional scaffold to build future bone-regenerative materials. This review focuses on the biological, physical, and mechanical properties of the eggshell membrane that could be useful for that purpose. Due to its low cost and wide availability as a waste byproduct of the egg processing industry, repurposing the eggshell membrane for bone bio-material manufacturing fulfills the principles of a circular economy. In addition, eggshell membrane particles have has the potential to be used as bio-ink for 3D printing of tailored implantable scaffolds. Herein, a literature review was conducted to ascertain the degree to which the properties of the eggshell membrane satisfy the requirements for the development of bone scaffolds. In principle, it is biocompatible and non-cytotoxic, and induces proliferation and differentiation of different cell types. Moreover, when implanted in animal models, it elicits a mild inflammatory response and displays characteristics of stability and biodegradability. Furthermore, the eggshell membrane possesses a mechanical viscoelastic behavior comparable to other collagen-based systems. Overall, the biological, physical, and mechanical features of the eggshell membrane, which can be further tuned and improved, make this natural polymer suitable as a basic component for developing new bone graft materialsinisterio de Ciencia de Innovación (MCINN) (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain) project PGC2018-102047-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER/UE)Fundación Mutua Madrileña, Grant/Award Number: FMM-AP17196-2019the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, ERDF funds (DTS21/00098)the Consejería de Economía y Universidad, Junta de Andalucía (PYC20 RE 015 UGR; P20_00208 of 2020)European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)– Next Generation/EU program and grant AYUD/2022/33525 (FICYT)Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC, Discovery program: RGPIN-2022-04803)PID2022-142886NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe,” by the “European Union.”The Ministerio de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación (Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Colombia) provided support for A.T-M´s participatio

¿Qué pasa si me pica una araña radioactiva? Actividad sobre transformaciones con los verbos de cambio

The objective of this practical exercise is to provide an amusing way to learn how to use verbs of change. First, students must describe in detail an image of a character (provided on cards with pictures of people or monsters on them). They then receive another card which describes a situation that causes their character to transform. Now the students must give another description of their character, paying particular attention to the transformations it has undergone

Born too early and too small: higher order cognitive function and brain at risk at ages 8–16

Prematurity presents a risk for higher order cognitive functions. Some of these deficits manifest later in development, when these functions are expected to mature. However, the causes and consequences of prematurity are still unclear. We conducted a longitudinal study to first identify clinical predictors of ultrasound brain abnormalities in 196 children born very preterm (VP; gestational age 32 weeks) and with very low birth weight (VLBW; birth weight 1500 g). At ages 8–16, the subset of VP-VLBW children without neurological findings (124) were invited for a neuropsychological assessment and an MRI scan (41 accepted). Of these, 29 met a rigorous criterion for MRI quality and an age, and gender-matched control group (n = 14) was included in this study. The key findings in the VP-VLBW neonates were: (a) 37% of the VP-VLBW neonates had ultrasound brain abnormalities; (b) gestational age and birth weight collectively with hospital course (i.e., days in hospital, neonatal intensive care, mechanical ventilation and with oxygen therapy, surgeries, and retinopathy of prematurity) predicted ultrasound brain abnormalities. At ages 8–16, VP-VLBW children showed: a) lower intelligent quotient (IQ) and executive function; b) decreased gray and white matter (WM) integrity; (c) IQ correlated negatively with cortical thickness in higher order processing cortical areas. In conclusion, our data indicate that facets of executive function and IQ are the most affected in VP-VLBW children likely due to altered higher order cortical areas and underlying WMThis study was supported by the Spanish Government Institute Carlos III (FIS Pl11/02860), Spanish Ministry of Health to MM-L, and the University of Castilla-La Mancha mobility Grant VA1381500149

Familial imbalance in 16p13.11 leads to a dosage compensation rearrangement in an unaffected carrier

Background: We and others have previously reported that familial cytogenetic studies in apparently de novo genomic imbalances may reveal complex or uncommon inheritance mechanisms. Methods: A familial, combined genomic and cytogenetic approach was systematically applied to the parents of all patients with unbalanced genome copy number changes. Results: Discordant array-CGH and FISH results in the mother of a child with a prenatally detected 16p13.11 interstitial microduplication disclosed a balanced uncommon rearrangement in this chromosomal region. Further dosage and haplotype familial studies revealed that both the maternal grandfather and uncle had also the same 16p duplication as the proband. Genomic compensation observed in the mother probably occurred as a consequence of interchromosomal postzygotic nonallelic homologous recombination. Conclusions: We emphasize that such a dualistic strategy is essential for the full characterization of genomic rearrangements as well as for appropriate genetic counselingFISH and aCGH materials were supported by grant 08/PI1207 from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS) and research project ENDOSCREEN (S2011/BMD-2396) from Comunidad de Madri