Comentarios sobre supuestos registros recientes de la comadreja colombiana (Mustela felipei: Carnivora) en Colombia

The Colombian Weasel (Mustela felipei) is perhaps the rarest carnivore species in South America (Schreiber et al. 1989), due to the small number of known and validated records (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012, Ramírez-Chaves & Patterson 2014) . The species can be included in category C of rarity, according to Arita et al. (1990), because it has restricted distribution and low population densities. Although it has been mentioned that there are at least 10 registration locations (Emmons & Helgen 2008, Burneo et al. 2009), it has also been shown that many of them lack support (Ramírez Chaves & Mantilla-Meluk 2009, Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012), due to these circumstances a call for prudence has been made when it comes to presenting records on the species (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012).La Comadreja Colombiana (Mustela felipei) es quizás la especie de carnívoro más rara de Sudamérica (Schreiber et al. 1989), debido al escaso número de registros conocidos y validados (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012, Ramírez-Chaves & Patterson 2014). La especie puede incluirse en la categoría C de rareza, de acuerdo a Arita et al. (1990), debido a que presenta distribución restringida y bajas densidades poblacionales. Aunque se ha mencionado que existen al menos 10 localidades de registros (Emmons & Helgen 2008, Burneo et al. 2009), también se ha demostrado que muchas de ellas carecen de soporte (RamírezChaves & Mantilla-Meluk 2009, Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012), debido a estas circunstancias se ha hecho un llamado a la prudencia cuando se trata de presentar registros sobre la especie (Ramírez-Chaves et al. 2012)

Peroxidase expression in a cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae) resistant hexaploid wheat line.

The incompatible interaction between plant and pathogen is often determined by the hypersensitive reaction (HR). This response is associated with accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in adverse growth conditions for pathogens. Two major mechanisms involving either NADPH oxidases or peroxidases have been proposed for generation of ROS. Peroxidases (PER, EC 1.11.1.7), present in all land plants, are members of a large multigenic family with high number of isoforms involved in a broad range of physiological processes. PER genes, which are expressed in nematode feeding sites, have been identified in several plant species (Zacheo et al. 1997). A strong correlation between HR and PER activities at four and seven days post nematode infection, was detected in roots of wheat lines carrying Cre2, Cre5 (from Ae. ventricosa) or Cre7 (from Ae. triuncialis) Heterodera avenae resistance genes (Andrés et al. 2001; Montes et al. 2003, 2004). We have studied changes in root of peroxidase mRNAs levels after infection by H. avenae of a wheat/Ae. ven¬tricosa introgression line (H-93-8) carrying Cre2 (Delibes et al. 1993). We also report and classify the predicted protein sequences derived from complete peroxidase transcripts

Electro-responsive films containing voltage responsive gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles grafted onto PEDOT-based conducting polymer

[EN] The characteristics and electromechanical properties of conductive polymers together to their biocompatibility have boosted their application as a suitable tool in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, conducting polymers as drug release materials are far from being ideal. A possibility to overcome this drawback is to combine conducting polymers with on-command delivery particles with inherent high-loading capacity. In this scenario, we report here the preparation of conduction polymers containing gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with a cargo that is delivered on command by electro-chemical stimuli increasing the potential use of conducting polymers as controlled delivery systems. MSNs are loaded with Rhodamine B (Rh B), anchored to the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly[(4-styrenesulfonic acid)-co-(maleic acid)], functionalized with a bipyridinium derivative and pores are capped with heparin (P3) by electrostatic interactions. P3 releases the entrapped cargo after the application of ¿640 mV voltage versus the saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Pore opening in the nanoparticles and dye delivery is ascribed to both (i) the reduction of the grafted bipyridinium derivative and (ii) the polarization of the conducting polymer electrode to negative potentials that induce detachment of positively charged heparin from the surface of the nanoparticles. Biocompatibility and cargo release studies were carried out in HeLa cells cultures.Alba Garcia-Fernandez, Beatriz Lozano-Torres contributed equally to this work. A. Garcia-Fernandez and B. Lozano-Torres are grateful to the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" of the Spanish Government for her PhD fellowships. J. F. Blandez thanks the "Universitat Politecnica de Valencia" for his postdoctoral fellowship (PAID-10-17). The authors thank to the Spanish Government (Projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018-101599-B-C22 (MCUI/AEI/FEDER, EU)) and the Generalitat Valencia (Project PROMETEO2018-024) for support.García-Fernández, A.; Lozano-Torres, B.; Blandez, JF.; Monreal-Trigo, J.; Soto Camino, J.; Collazos-Castro, JE.; Alcañiz Fillol, M.... (2020). Electro-responsive films containing voltage responsive gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles grafted onto PEDOT-based conducting polymer. Journal of Controlled Release. 323:421-430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.04.048S421430323Aznar, E., Oroval, M., Pascual, L., Murguía, J. R., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2016). Gated Materials for On-Command Release of Guest Molecules. Chemical Reviews, 116(2), 561-718. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00456Mura, S., Nicolas, J., & Couvreur, P. (2013). Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery. Nature Materials, 12(11), 991-1003. doi:10.1038/nmat3776Llopis-Lorente, A., Lozano-Torres, B., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2017). Mesoporous silica materials for controlled delivery based on enzymes. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 5(17), 3069-3083. doi:10.1039/c7tb00348jTarn, D., Ashley, C. E., Xue, M., Carnes, E. C., Zink, J. I., & Brinker, C. J. (2013). Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Nanocarriers: Biofunctionality and Biocompatibility. Accounts of Chemical Research, 46(3), 792-801. doi:10.1021/ar3000986Mauriello Jimenez, C., Aggad, D., Croissant, J. G., Tresfield, K., Laurencin, D., Berthomieu, D., … Durand, J.-O. (2018). Porous Porphyrin-Based Organosilica Nanoparticles for NIR Two-Photon Photodynamic Therapy and Gene Delivery in Zebrafish. Advanced Functional Materials, 28(21), 1800235. doi:10.1002/adfm.201800235Alberti, S., Soler-Illia, G. J. A. A., & Azzaroni, O. (2015). Gated supramolecular chemistry in hybrid mesoporous silica nanoarchitectures: controlled delivery and molecular transport in response to chemical, physical and biological stimuli. Chemical Communications, 51(28), 6050-6075. doi:10.1039/c4cc10414eLlopis-Lorente, A., de Luis, B., García-Fernández, A., Jimenez-Falcao, S., Orzáez, M., Sancenón, F., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2018). Hybrid Mesoporous Nanocarriers Act by Processing Logic Tasks: Toward the Design of Nanobots Capable of Reading Information from the Environment. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 10(31), 26494-26500. doi:10.1021/acsami.8b05920Yang, P., Gai, S., & Lin, J. (2012). Functionalized mesoporous silica materials for controlled drug delivery. Chemical Society Reviews, 41(9), 3679. doi:10.1039/c2cs15308dSong, N., & Yang, Y.-W. (2015). Molecular and supramolecular switches on mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Chemical Society Reviews, 44(11), 3474-3504. doi:10.1039/c5cs00243eOroval, M., Díez, P., Aznar, E., Coll, C., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2016). Self-Regulated Glucose-Sensitive Neoglycoenzyme-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery. Chemistry - A European Journal, 23(6), 1353-1360. doi:10.1002/chem.201604104De la Torre, C., Domínguez-Berrocal, L., Murguía, J. R., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., Bravo, J., & Sancenón, F. (2018). ϵ -Polylysine-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Carrier of the C 9h Peptide to Induce Apoptosis in Cancer Cells. Chemistry - A European Journal, 24(8), 1890-1897. doi:10.1002/chem.201704161Llopis-Lorente, A., Díez, P., Sánchez, A., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., Martínez-Ruiz, P., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2017). Interactive models of communication at the nanoscale using nanoparticles that talk to one another. Nature Communications, 8(1). doi:10.1038/ncomms15511Pascual, L., Baroja, I., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Murguía, J. R., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2015). Oligonucleotide-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles as DNA-responsive dye delivery systems for genomic DNA detection. Chemical Communications, 51(8), 1414-1416. doi:10.1039/c4cc08306gArgyo, C., Weiss, V., Bräuchle, C., & Bein, T. (2013). Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Universal Platform for Drug Delivery. Chemistry of Materials, 26(1), 435-451. doi:10.1021/cm402592tLi, Z., Barnes, J. C., Bosoy, A., Stoddart, J. F., & Zink, J. I. (2012). Mesoporous silica nanoparticles in biomedical applications. Chemical Society Reviews, 41(7), 2590. doi:10.1039/c1cs15246gKumar, P., Tambe, P., Paknikar, K. M., & Gajbhiye, V. (2018). Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as cutting-edge theranostics: Advancement from merely a carrier to tailor-made smart delivery platform. Journal of Controlled Release, 287, 35-57. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.08.024Lai, C.-Y., Trewyn, B. G., Jeftinija, D. M., Jeftinija, K., Xu, S., Jeftinija, S., & Lin, V. S.-Y. (2003). A Mesoporous Silica Nanosphere-Based Carrier System with Chemically Removable CdS Nanoparticle Caps for Stimuli-Responsive Controlled Release of Neurotransmitters and Drug Molecules. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125(15), 4451-4459. doi:10.1021/ja028650lLiu, R., Zhao, X., Wu, T., & Feng, P. (2008). Tunable Redox-Responsive Hybrid Nanogated Ensembles. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(44), 14418-14419. doi:10.1021/ja8060886Qu, H., Yang, L., Yu, J., Dong, T., Rong, M., Zhang, J., … Liu, H. (2017). A redox responsive controlled release system using mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with Au nanoparticles. RSC Advances, 7(57), 35704-35710. doi:10.1039/c7ra04444eGiménez, C., de la Torre, C., Gorbe, M., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Murguía, J. R., … Amorós, P. (2015). Gated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Controlled Delivery of Drugs in Cancer Cells. Langmuir, 31(12), 3753-3762. doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b00139Luo, Z., Hu, Y., Cai, K., Ding, X., Zhang, Q., Li, M., … Zhao, Y. (2014). Intracellular redox-activated anticancer drug delivery by functionalized hollow mesoporous silica nanoreservoirs with tumor specificity. Biomaterials, 35(27), 7951-7962. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.05.058Du, X., Xiong, L., Dai, S., Kleitz, F., & Qiao, S. Z. (2014). Intracellular Microenvironment-Responsive Dendrimer-Like Mesoporous Nanohybrids for Traceable, Effective, and Safe Gene Delivery. Advanced Functional Materials, 24(48), 7627-7637. doi:10.1002/adfm.201402408Raza, A., Hayat, U., Rasheed, T., Bilal, M., & Iqbal, H. M. N. (2018). Redox-responsive nano-carriers as tumor-targeted drug delivery systems. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 157, 705-715. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.034Xiao, Y., Wang, T., Cao, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, Y., & Huo, Q. (2015). Enzyme and voltage stimuli-responsive controlled release system based on β-cyclodextrin-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Dalton Transactions, 44(9), 4355-4361. doi:10.1039/c4dt03758hWang, T., Sun, G., Wang, M., Zhou, B., & Fu, J. (2015). Voltage/pH-Driven Mechanized Silica Nanoparticles for the Multimodal Controlled Release of Drugs. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7(38), 21295-21304. doi:10.1021/acsami.5b05619Jiao, X., Sun, R., Cheng, Y., Li, F., Du, X., Wen, Y., … Zhang, X. (2017). A Voltage-Responsive Free-Blockage Controlled-Release System Based on Hydrophobicity Switching. ChemPhysChem, 18(10), 1317-1323. doi:10.1002/cphc.201700117Khashab, N. M., Trabolsi, A., Lau, Y. A., Ambrogio, M. W., Friedman, D. C., Khatib, H. A., … Stoddart, J. F. (2009). Redox- and pH-Controlled Mechanized Nanoparticles. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2009(11), 1669-1673. doi:10.1002/ejoc.200801300Guimard, N. K., Gomez, N., & Schmidt, C. E. (2007). Conducting polymers in biomedical engineering. Progress in Polymer Science, 32(8-9), 876-921. doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2007.05.012Wang, X., Zhi, L., & Müllen, K. (2007). Transparent, Conductive Graphene Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Nano Letters, 8(1), 323-327. doi:10.1021/nl072838rLeigh, S. J., Bradley, R. J., Purssell, C. P., Billson, D. R., & Hutchins, D. A. (2012). A Simple, Low-Cost Conductive Composite Material for 3D Printing of Electronic Sensors. PLoS ONE, 7(11), e49365. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049365Zhang, D., Ryu, K., Liu, X., Polikarpov, E., Ly, J., Tompson, M. E., & Zhou, C. (2006). Transparent, Conductive, and Flexible Carbon Nanotube Films and Their Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. Nano Letters, 6(9), 1880-1886. doi:10.1021/nl0608543Kenry, & Liu, B. (2018). Recent Advances in Biodegradable Conducting Polymers and Their Biomedical Applications. Biomacromolecules, 19(6), 1783-1803. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00275Palza, H., Zapata, P., & Angulo-Pineda, C. (2019). Electroactive Smart Polymers for Biomedical Applications. Materials, 12(2), 277. doi:10.3390/ma12020277Naseri, M., Fotouhi, L., & Ehsani, A. (2018). Recent Progress in the Development of Conducting Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Biosensors Applications: A Mini-Review. The Chemical Record, 18(6), 599-618. doi:10.1002/tcr.201700101Inal, S., Rivnay, J., Suiu, A.-O., Malliaras, G. G., & McCulloch, I. (2018). Conjugated Polymers in Bioelectronics. Accounts of Chemical Research, 51(6), 1368-1376. doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00624Aqrawe, Z., Montgomery, J., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2017). Conducting Polymers as Electrode Coatings for Neuronal Multi-electrode Arrays. Trends in Biotechnology, 35(2), 93-95. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.007Vara, H., & Collazos-Castro, J. E. (2015). Biofunctionalized Conducting Polymer/Carbon Microfiber Electrodes for Ultrasensitive Neural Recordings. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7(48), 27016-27026. doi:10.1021/acsami.5b09594Green, R., & Abidian, M. R. (2015). Conducting Polymers for Neural Prosthetic and Neural Interface Applications. Advanced Materials, 27(46), 7620-7637. doi:10.1002/adma.201501810Svirskis, D., Travas-Sejdic, J., Rodgers, A., & Garg, S. (2010). Electrochemically controlled drug delivery based on intrinsically conducting polymers. Journal of Controlled Release, 146(1), 6-15. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2010.03.023Uppalapati, D., Boyd, B. J., Garg, S., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2016). Conducting polymers with defined micro- or nanostructures for drug delivery. Biomaterials, 111, 149-162. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.09.021Alves-Sampaio, A., García-Rama, C., & Collazos-Castro, J. E. (2016). Biofunctionalized PEDOT-coated microfibers for the treatment of spinal cord injury. Biomaterials, 89, 98-113. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.02.037Guo, B., & Ma, P. X. (2018). Conducting Polymers for Tissue Engineering. Biomacromolecules, 19(6), 1764-1782. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00276Wadhwa, R., Lagenaur, C. F., & Cui, X. T. (2006). Electrochemically controlled release of dexamethasone from conducting polymer polypyrrole coated electrode. Journal of Controlled Release, 110(3), 531-541. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2005.10.027Shamaeli, E., & Alizadeh, N. (2014). Nanostructured biocompatible thermal/electrical stimuli-responsive biopolymer-doped polypyrrole for controlled release of chlorpromazine: Kinetics studies. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 472(1-2), 327-338. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.06.036Esrafilzadeh, D., Razal, J. M., Moulton, S. E., Stewart, E. M., & Wallace, G. G. (2013). Multifunctional conducting fibres with electrically controlled release of ciprofloxacin. Journal of Controlled Release, 169(3), 313-320. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.01.022Richardson, R. T., Wise, A. K., Thompson, B. C., Flynn, B. O., Atkinson, P. J., Fretwell, N. J., … Clark, G. M. (2009). Polypyrrole-coated electrodes for the delivery of charge and neurotrophins to cochlear neurons. Biomaterials, 30(13), 2614-2624. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.01.015Boehler, C., Kleber, C., Martini, N., Xie, Y., Dryg, I., Stieglitz, T., … Asplund, M. (2017). Actively controlled release of Dexamethasone from neural microelectrodes in a chronic in vivo study. Biomaterials, 129, 176-187. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.03.019Collazos-Castro, J. E., Polo, J. L., Hernández-Labrado, G. R., Padial-Cañete, V., & García-Rama, C. (2010). Bioelectrochemical control of neural cell development on conducting polymers. Biomaterials, 31(35), 9244-9255. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.08.057Cho, Y., Shi, R., Ivanisevic, A., & Ben Borgens, R. (2009). A mesoporous silica nanosphere-based drug delivery system using an electrically conducting polymer. Nanotechnology, 20(27), 275102. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/20/27/275102García-Fernández, A., García-Laínez, G., Ferrándiz, M. L., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Alcaraz, M. J., … Orzáez, M. (2017). Targeting inflammasome by the inhibition of caspase-1 activity using capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Journal of Controlled Release, 248, 60-70. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.01.002Lozano-Torres, B., Pascual, L., Bernardos, A., Marcos, M. D., Jeppesen, J. O., Salinas, Y., … Sancenón, F. (2017). Pseudorotaxane capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) detection in water. Chemical Communications, 53(25), 3559-3562. doi:10.1039/c7cc00186jCollazos-Castro, J. E., Hernández-Labrado, G. R., Polo, J. L., & García-Rama, C. (2013). N-Cadherin- and L1-functionalised conducting polymers for synergistic stimulation and guidance of neural cell growth. Biomaterials, 34(14), 3603-3617. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.01.097Garcia-Breijo, E., Peris, R. M., Pinatti, C. O., Fillol, M. A., Civera, J. I., & Prats, R. B. (2013). Low-Cost Electronic Tongue System and Its Application to Explosive Detection. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 62(2), 424-431. doi:10.1109/tim.2012.2215156Orgill, J. J., Chen, C., Schirmer, C. R., Anderson, J. L., & Lewis, R. S. (2015). Prediction of methyl viologen redox states for biological applications. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 94, 15-21. doi:10.1016/j.bej.2014.11.005Zhang, L. (2010). Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) Biosynthesis and GAG-Binding Proteins. Glycosaminoglycans in Development, Health and Disease, 1-17. doi:10.1016/s1877-1173(10)93001-9Collazos-Castro, J. E., García-Rama, C., & Alves-Sampaio, A. (2016). Glial progenitor cell migration promotes CNS axon growth on functionalized electroconducting microfibers. Acta Biomaterialia, 35, 42-56. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2016.02.023Ito, M., & Kuwana, T. (1971). Spectroelectrochemical study of indirect reduction of triphosphopyridine nucleotide. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry, 32(3), 415-425. doi:10.1016/s0022-0728(71)80144-4Nezakati, T., Seifalian, A., Tan, A., & Seifalian, A. M. (2018). Conductive Polymers: Opportunities and Challenges in Biomedical Applications. Chemical Reviews, 118(14), 6766-6843. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00275Vitale, F., Summerson, S. R., Aazhang, B., Kemere, C., & Pasquali, M. (2015). Neural Stimulation and Recording with Bidirectional, Soft Carbon Nanotube Fiber Microelectrodes. ACS Nano, 9(4), 4465-4474. doi:10.1021/acsnano.5b0106

Towards an eco-friendly coffee rust control : compilation of natural alternatives from a nutritional and antifungal perspective

Hemileia vastatrix (HV) is the pathogen responsible for the coffee leaf rust (CLR) disease that has spread globally. CLR causes losses of up to a billion dollars annually and affects all types of crops regardless of their production regime (organic or inorganic). Additionally, smallholders produce approximately 80% of coffee in developing countries. The condition causes losses of up to a billion dollars annually. It affects all types of crops regardless of their production regime (organic or inorganic). Approximately 80% of coffee is produced by smallholders in developing countries. Until the 90s, shaded-production systems and native varieties were encouraged; however, the rapid spread of CLR has forced farmers to migrate towards inorganic schemes, mainly due to a lack of knowledge about natural alternatives to pesticides that can be implemented to control HV. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to compile the currently existing options, emphasizing two key factors that guarantee efficient rust control: selective fungicidal activity against HV and the nutrition of coffee crops. Thus, by comprehending how these natural compounds (such as plant, bacteria, fungi, animals, or algae metabolites) impact coffee rust proliferation. Furthermore, since a various range of biochar effects contributes to the control of foliar fungal pathogens through modification of root exudates, soil properties, and nutrient availability, which influence the growth of antagonist microorganisms, we present a review of the pathogen-suppressive effects of biochar, and new control strategies suitable for organic schemes can be developed.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Correlation of the Homeostasis Model Assessment Index and Adiponectin, Leptin and Insulin Levels to Body Mass Index-Associated Gene Polymorphisms in Adolescents

Objectives: This study aimed to describe correlations between glucose, insulin and adipokine levels and the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index with regards to the presence/absence of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs9939609 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-y rs1801282 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as indicators of body mass index in adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2016 in Toluca, Mexico. A total of 71 students between 14–18 years old were included. Various anthropometric and laboratory measurements were collected, including lipid profile, glucose, insulin and adipokine levels and HOMA index. The degree of association between variables was evaluated with regards to the presence/absence of the SNPs. Results: Leptin levels were significantly higher among female students (P = 0.001), although adiponectin levels did not differ significantly (P = 0.060). There were significant positive correlations between insulin levels and HOMA index with FTO (r = 0.391; P = 0.007 and r = 0.413; P = 0.005, respectively) and PPARγ (r = 0.529; P = 0.007 and r = 0.537; P = 0.007, respectively) SNPs. Leptin showed a significant positive correlation in the presence of PPARγ (r = 0.483; P = 0.007) or in the absence of both SNPs (r = 0.627; P = 0.039). However, adiponectin was significantly negatively correlated in the presence of FTO, either alone (r = −0.333; P = 0.024) or in combination with PPARγ (r = −0.616; P = 0.043). Conclusion: The presence of FTO and/or PPARγ SNPs might be related to a genetic predisposition to metabolic syndrome. Keywords: Obesity; Body Mass Index; Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms; Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Protein, Human; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma; Adipokines

SrMnO3 thermochromic behavior governed by size-dependent structural distortions

The influence of particle size in both the structure and thermochromic behavior of 4H-SrMnO related perovskite is described. Microsized SrMnO suffers a structural transition from hexagonal (P6/mmc) to orthorhombic (C222) symmetry at temperature close to 340 K. The orthorhombic distortion is due to the tilting of the corner-sharing MnO units building the 4H structural type. When temperature decreases, the distortion becomes sharper reaching its maximal degree at ∼125 K. These structural changes promote the modification of the electronic structure of orthorhombic SrMnO phase originating the observed color change. nano-SrMnO adopts the ideal 4H hexagonal structure at room temperature, the orthorhombic distortion being only detected at temperature below 170 K. A decrease in the orthorhombic distortion degree, compared to that observed in the microsample, may be the reason why a color change is not observed at low temperature (77 K)

Un sistema de portafolis digital per la millora de competències transversals

S’ha implementat un sistema de portafolis digital en assignatures metodològiques del grau de Pedagogia de la Universitat de Barcelona, amb el doble objectiu de: analitzar el grau en que el seu ús ajuda a desenvolupar competències transversals en l’alumnat; i conèixer com el sistema de portafolis afecta a la organització de la docència. Han participat 340 estudiants i 8 docents. Els resultats mostren nivells d’assoliment de les competències baixos i graus de satisfacció amb el portafolis moderats per part de l’alumnat. Pel professorat el portafolis te potencial pedagògic, però cal formació, motivació per l’alumnat en el seu ús e implementació del portafolis durant períodes de temps llargs.Projectes de Millora i Inovació Docente de la UB 201

Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi and organ alterations in Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) from western Mexico – short communication

Small populations of Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in western Mexico are endangered by hunting and natural predators as well as by different kinds of diseases. After two serological analyses using Serodia® latex particle agglutination and indirect haemagglutination (IHA) tests, 35 (53.03%) of 66 collected opossums in two small towns in western Mexico were positive for the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi. Twenty-eight of the 35 seropositive opossums had pathological lesions: 11 had changes in only one organ, 13 in two organs, and four had pathological changes in three organs. Splenomegaly was the most common finding in the examined opossums, followed by hepatomegaly. These potentially fatal pathological changes could contribute to the scarcity of the opossum population, even leading to the extinction of this species in western Mexico