Frequency of Sexual Dysfunction in Patients Treated with Desvenlafaxine: A Prospective Naturalistic Study

[EN] Despite being clinically underestimated, sexual dysfunction (SD) is one of the most frequent and lasting adverse effects associated with antidepressants. Desvenlafaxine is an antidepressant (AD) with noradrenergic and serotonergic action that can cause a lower SD than other serotonergic ADs although there are still few studies on this subject. Objective: To check the frequency of SD in two groups of depressive patients: one group was desvenlafaxine-naïve; the other was made up of patients switched to desvenlafaxine from another AD due to iatrogenic sexual dysfunction. A naturalistic, multicenter, and prospective study of patients receiving desvenlafaxine (50–100 mg/day) was carried out on 72 patients who met the inclusion criteria (>18 years old and sexually active), who had received desvenlafaxine for the first time (n = 27) or had switched to desvenlafaxine due to SD with another AD (n = 45)

Nueva estación fenológica asociada al Observatorio Meteorológico de Guadalajara

Ponencia presentada en: XXXIII Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XIV Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en Oviedo, del 7 al 9 de abril de 2014

Eel sperm cryopreservation: an overview

[EN] The eels are teleost fishes from the order Anguilliformes that includes several species with high commercial value. Due to the high interest for aquaculture production of some eel species and for the need to restore eel species that are endangered, several research groups have directed their research toward developing protocols to cryopreserve the spermatozoa of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla). In this review, we provide an overview on the different protocols that have been developed so far. The first developed protocols used DMSO as cryoprotectant in both species with good success, obtaining sperm motilities of over 45% in Japanese eel and over 35% in European eel. Moreover, sperm cryopreserved using DMSO was successfully used in fertilization trials, although with low fertilization rates. However, recent studies show that DMSO produce epigenetic changes in eel sperm and therefore, the last developed protocols used methanol as cryoprotectant instead. Cryopreservation protocols using methanol as cryoprotectant, showed improved motility values in both Japanese and European eel. In addition, the latest protocols have been adapted to cryopreserve larger volumes of sperm of up to 5¿mL, which is useful for larger scale fertilization trials. The present study introduces the state of the art and future perspectives of the eel sperm cryopreservation to be applied in aquaculture and biological conservation programs.Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement N 642893 (IMPRESS), including the JGHJ and CR pre-doctoral contracts. MM has a postdoc grant from the UPV (PAID -10-18). VG has a postdoc grant from the MICIU (Juan de la CiervaIncorporacion; IJCI-2017-34200). This research was supported by the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program (1783-3/2018/FEKUTSRAT) awarded by the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary within the framework of water related researches of Szent Istvan University as well as the EFOP-3.6.3-VEKOP-16-2017-00008 project co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.Herranz-Jusdado, JG.; Gallego Albiach, V.; Morini, M.; Rozenfeld, C.; Pérez Igualada, LM.; Müller, T.; Horváth, Á.... (2019). Eel sperm cryopreservation: an overview. Theriogenology. 133:210-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.03.033S21021513

Tribological behaviour of novel chemically modified biopolymer-thickened lubricating greases investigated in a steel–steel rotating ball-on-three plates tribology cell

In this work, model renewable and biodegradable lubricating greases based on castor oil and chemically modified biopolymers (methylcellulose, chitin and cellulosic pulp) were tribologically characterized in a steel–steel ball-on-plates tribological cell coupled to a controlled-stress rheometer, and the results were compared to those provided by conventional lithium and calcium soap-based greases. Viscous flow, sliding velocity sweep and transient friction tests were carried out and resulting wear scars in the steel plates were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Different frictional responses were found depending on the thickener, especially at high temperature. Excepting for most severe conditions, wear is negligible when using chemically modified chitin and methylcellulose-based greases as lubricants.This work is part of two research projects (CTQ2014-56038-C3-1R and TEP-1499) sponsored by MINECO-FEDER and Junta de Andalucia programmes, respectively. One of the authors (Rocio Gallego) has received a Ph.D. Research Grant (BES-2011-045029) from DIGICyT (MINECO). The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support. Maria Teresa Cidade acknowledges the support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through Project PEst-C/CTM/LA0025/2013 and The Portuguese Society of Rheology (SPR) for her stay in University of Huelva

Adaptación de la observación fenológica de AEMET a las recomendaciones de la acción Cost725 y la OMM

Ponencia presentada en: XXXIV Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XVII Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en Teruel, del 29 de febrero al 2 de marzo de 2016

Comparison of European eel sperm cryopreservation protocols with standardization as a target

[EN] The critical situation of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has urged the development of sperm cryopreservation protocols for reproduction in captivity and cryobanking. In the last years, two research groups have developed their own protocols in Spain and Hungary with positive results, but difficult to compare. Here, a series of experiments were conducted to test the quality of thawed sperm after using both protocols, determining which of them produce the best results and aiming for standardization. The quality of thawed sperm was assessed by studying the motility and kinetic values of thawed sperm from both cryopreservation protocols using a computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA-Mot) system. In addition, a viability analysis was performed using flow cytometry to test if the cryoprotectants or the freezing-thawing process led to a reduction in spermatozoa survival. Furthermore, since during cryopreservation the sperm was treated with methylated cryoprotectants (DMSO or methanol) that may induce epigenetic changes in the sperm DNA (cytosine methylation) and could affect the offspring, we conducted a luminometric methylation assay (LUMA) to study the DNA methylation levels induced by both protocols. In this work, all the above-mentioned parameters were analyzed in fresh and frozen-thawed sperm samples. Our results showed that thawed sperm samples from both protocols presented lower sperm motility and velocity, and lower percentage of live cells than those shown in fresh sperm samples. Furthermore, sperm samples from the methanol based protocol showed significantly higher motility, velocity and percentage of live spermatozoa than the same sperm samples treated with the DMSO based protocol. In addition, the DMSO based protocol induced a hypomethylation of sperm DNA compared to fresh samples whereas the methanol based protocol did not alter sperm DNA methylation level. Our results indicate that the methanol based protocol is a more suitable protocol that preserves better the motility and genetic qualities of the European eel sperm.Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement N 642893 (IMPRESS), including the JGHJ and CR predoctoral contracts, the French CRB Anim project "Investissements d'avenir", ANR-11-INBS-0003, as well as the Hungarian EFOP 3.6.3.-VEKOP 16.-2017-00008 project, and by the Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program (1783-3/2018/FEKUTSRAT) awarded by the Ministry of Human Capacities within the framework of water related researches of Szent Istvan University. MM, EK, TK and AH were granted with Short Term Scientific Missions by the COST Office (COST Action FA1205: AQUAGAMETE).Herranz-Jusdado, JG.; Gallego Albiach, V.; Morini, M.; Rozenfeld, C.; Pérez Igualada, LM.; Kása, E.; Kollár, T.... (2019). Comparison of European eel sperm cryopreservation protocols with standardization as a target. Aquaculture. 498:539-544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.09.00653954449

Preterm delivery and immigration

Prematurity is the main cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. There are many and varied risk factors described: some related to the mother, such as age, parity, socioeconomic situation, lifestyles or obstetric history; others related to pregnancy, such as prenatal care received or gestational complications. Many of them can be found among immigrant women residing in Spain, but the literature is limited. A cross-sectional study is proposed with the objective of identifying the prematurity rate and related factors in a population of immigrant and native women. To do this, the records of 1,874 immigrant women who gave birth at the Hospital of El Ejido (Almería) between January 1997 and June 2003 are exploited, and compared with an equal group of native women, whose birth was immediately afterwards. It was observed that, although the percentage of premature newborns in immigrant women was somewhat higher than in Spanish women (7.31% vs. 6.72%), this difference was not significant. On the other hand, among immigrant women with premature children, a greater history of sexually transmitted infections, hypertensive disease, and inadequate prenatal care was observed (p<0.05).La prematuridad es la principal causa de morbimortalidad perinatal. Son muchos y variados los factores de riesgo descritos: unos relacionados con la madre, como la edad, paridad, situación socioeconómica, estilos de vida o antecedentes obstétricos; otros relacionados con el embarazo, como la atención prenatal recibida o las complicaciones gestacionales. Muchos de ellos pueden encontrarse entre las mujeres inmigrantes que residen en España, pero la literatura es limitada. Se plantea un estudio transversal con el objetivo de identificar la tasa de prematuridad y los factores relacionados en una población de mujeres inmigrantes y autóctonas. Para ello, se explotan los registros de 1.874 mujeres inmigrantes que dieron a luz en el Hospital de El Ejido (Almería) entre Enero de 1997 a Junio de 2003, y se compara con un grupo igual de mujeres autóctonas, cuyo parto fue inmediatamente posterior. Se observó que, aunque el porcentaje de recién nacidos prematuros en mujeres inmigrantes fue algo superior a las españolas (7,31% vs. 6,72%), esta diferencia no fue significativa. Por otro lado, entre las mujeres inmigrantes con hijos prematuros, se observó más antecedentes de infecciones de transmisión sexual, enfermedad hipertensiva, y control prenatal inadecuado (p<0,05)

Modified magnetic anisotropy at LaCoO_(3)/La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_(3) interfaces

Controlling magnetic anisotropy is an important objective towards engineering novel magnetic device concepts in oxide electronics. In thin film manganites, magnetic anisotropy is weak and it is primarily determined by the substrate, through induced structural distortions resulting from epitaxial mismatch strain. On the other hand, in cobaltites, with a stronger spin orbit interaction, magnetic anisotropy is typically much stronger. In this paper, we show that interfacing La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) with an ultrathin LaCoO3 (LCO) layer drastically modifies the magnetic anisotropy of the manganite, making it independent of the substrate and closer to the magnetic isotropy characterizing its rhombohedral structure. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements evidence a tendency of manganite magnetic moments to point out-of-plane suggesting non collinear magnetic interactions at the interface. These results may be of interest for the design of oxide interfaces with tailored magnetic structures for new oxide devices

Use of tocilizumab in kidney transplant recipients with COVID-1

Acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with coronavirus infection is related to a cytokine storm with large interleukin-6 (IL-6) release. The IL-6-receptor blocker tocilizumab may control the aberrant host immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) . In this pandemic, kidney transplant (KT) recipients are a high-risk population for severe infection and showed poor outcomes. We present a multicenter cohort study of 80 KT patients with severe COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab during hospital admission. High mortality rate was identified (32.5%), related with older age (hazard ratio [HR] 3.12 for those older than 60 years, P = .039). IL-6 and other inflammatory markers, including lactic acid dehydrogenase, ferritin, and D-dimer increased early after tocilizumab administration and their values were higher in nonsurvivors. Instead, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels decreased after tocilizumab, and this decrease positively correlated with survival (mean 12.3 mg/L in survivors vs. 33 mg/L in nonsurvivors). Each mg/L of CRP soon after tocilizumab increased the risk of death by 1% (HR 1.01 [confidence interval 1.004-1.024], P = .003). Although patients who died presented with worse respiratory situation at admission, this was not significantly different at tocilizumab administration and did not have an impact on outcome in the multivariate analysis. Tocilizumab may be effective in controlling cytokine storm in COVID-19 but randomized trials are needed

Factors influencing gastrointestinal tract and microbiota immune interaction in preterm infants

The role of microbial colonization is indispensable for keeping a balanced immune response in life. However, the events that regulate the establishment of the microbiota, their timing, and the way in which they interact with the host are not yet fully understood. Factors such as gestational age, mode of delivery, environment, hygienic measures, and diet influence the establishment of microbiota in the perinatal period. Environmental microbes constitute the most important group of exogenous stimuli in this critical time frame. However, the settlement of a stable gut microbiota in preterm infants is delayed compared to term infants. Preterm infants have an immature gastrointestinal tract and immune system which predisposes to infectious morbidity. Neonatal microbial dynamics and alterations in early gut microbiota may precede and/or predispose to diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), late-onset sepsis or others. During this critical period, nutrition is the principal contributor for immunological and metabolic development, and microbiological programming. Breast milk is a known source of molecules that act synergistically to protect the gut barrier and enhance the maturation of the gut-related immune response. Host-microbe interactions in preterm infants and the protective role of diet focused on breast milk impact are beginning to be unveiled.M.C. acknowledges a “Rio Hortega” Research Fellowship Grant (CM13/0017) and M.V. acknowledges grants PI11/0313 and RD12/0026/0012 (Red SAMID) from the Instituto Carlos III (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity). M.C.C. and G.P-M. were supported by the grant AGL2013-47420-R from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.Peer reviewe