2,048 research outputs found
Estudio científico del Mihrab de la antigua mezquita de Almería
En este trabajo se realiza un estudio de los distintos materiales empleados en
la construcción, tanto originales como añadidos, las distintas intervenciones rea
lizadas en el Mihrab de la antigua Mezquita de Almería. El estudio de las mues
tras ha permitido determinar la naturaleza de cada una de ellas, así como la exis
tencia de gran cantidad de sales (clomros y sulfatos en su mayoría). Asimismo,
se ha obtenido información sobre su micromorfología. porosidad, mayor o me
nor grado de cristalinidad y estado de alteración. Finalmente se ha comprobado
la aplicación, en época reciente, de consolidantes que han sido responsables del
desprendimiento superficial
Sistemas transportadores de fármacos basados en el polímero poly(e- caprolactona) para el tratamiento del cáncer
Chemotherapy agents have little or no specificity over cancer cells, resulting in low therapeutic concentrations at the tumor site (a consequence of a broad systemic distribution),
and severe side effects. With the aim of avoiding cancer therapy failure, several approaches
such as design of new anticancer drugs, chemical engineering of conventional drugs and
development of drug delivery systems have been proposed. The objective is to enhance drug
localization at the tumor region (by controlling its biodistribution profile) and, therefore, to
increase the anti-tumor efficacy (even in multi-drug resistant tumors), while reducing
systemic side effects. One of the most promising approaches to the problem is the
development of drug nanocarriers based on the polymer poly(e-caprolactone). In this review
we will focus our attention on these polymeric colloids, particularly on the most significant
characteristics and formulation procedures, and on their use as nanoplatforms for the delivery
of chemotherapy agents to the tumor site. Furthermore, the most recent in vitro and in vivo investigations on the subject are extensively reviewed
Evaluation of Risk and Preventive Factors for Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Newborns. A Systematic Review of the Literature.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious condition related to prematurity and the initiation of enteral feeding. In this article, we review the evidence published in recent years on necrotizing enterocolitis risk factors (prematurity, feeding with low-weight formula, existence of intestinal dysbiosis) and protective factors (human milk or donated milk supply, supplementation of human milk with oligosaccharides, probiotics administration, and the determination of disease predictive biomarkers). A systematic review was conducted of preventive, risk and predictive factors for necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates prior to 37 weeks’ gestational age, based on a literature search for clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews published betweenJanuary2018andOctober2021.Forthispurpose,thePubMed,MEDLINE,and Cochrane Library databases were consulted. The literature search obtained 113 articles, of which 19 were selected for further analysis after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The conclusions drawn from this analysis were that adequate knowledge of risk factors that can be prevented or modified (such as alteration of the intestinal microbiota, oxidative stress, metabolic dysfunction at birth, or alteration of the immunity modulation) can reduce the incidence of NEC in premature infants. These factors include the supplementation of enteral nutrition with human milk oligosaccharides (with prebiotic and immunomodulatory effects), the combined administration of probiotics (especially the Lactobacillus spp and Bifidobacterium spp combination, which inhibits bacterial adhesion effects, improves the intestinal mucosa barrier function, strengthens the innate and adaptive immune system and increases the secretion of bioactive metabolites), the supplementation of human milk with lactoferrin and the use of donated milk fortified in accordance with the characteristics of the premature newborn. The determination of factors that can predict the existence of NEC, such as fecal calprotectin, increased TLR4 activity, and IL6 receptor, can lead to an early diagnosis of NEC. Although further studies should be conducted to determine the values of predictive biomarkers of NEC, and/or the recommended doses and strains of probiotics, lactoferrin or oligosaccharides, the knowledge acquired in recent years is encouraging
Review of the “state of the art” and possibilities of the most significant approaches to the specific delivery of chemotherapy agents to tumor cells
Los principales problemas de la quimioterapia proceden esencialmente de la relativa falta de
especificidad derivada de la extensa biodistribución de los agentes antitumorales y de los efectos
secundarios generados por la acción inespecífica de éstos en tejidos y órganos sanos. La necesidad de
encontrar tratamientos eficaces contra el cáncer ha hecho que se incrementen las líneas de
investigación en esta materia. Una de las aproximaciones más prometedoras en este sentido es el
desarrollo de sistemas coloidales biodegradables para el transporte de fármacos antitumorales.
Gracias a éstos, se logra acumular específicamente la cantidad de fármaco administrada en el lugar de
acción, logrando así un aumento significativo de la eficacia clínica, junto con una minimización de
las reacciones adversas asociadas. En este trabajo, pretendemos analizar el estado actual en el diseño
de coloides como transportadores de fármacos antitumorales, junto con la aplicación de las novedosas estrategias de transporte pasivo y activo de fármacos.The main problems related to chemotherapy mainly come from a relative lack of selectivity, that is
associated to the extensive biodistribution of antitumor molecules, and to the severe side effects
generated by the unspecific drug action on healthy tissues and organs. The need of finding out
efficient treatments against cancer has led to an enhancement in the number of research lines in the
field. In this way, one of the most promising approaches is the development of biodegradable colloids
for the delivery of antitumor drugs. Thanks to them, it is possible to specifically concentrate the drug
into the site of action. Therefore, a significant improvement of the chemotherapy effect is obtained
along with a minimization of the related adverse side effects. In this review, we analyze the current
“state of the art” in the development of colloidal systems for the efficient delivery of anticancer
drugs. The possibilities of novel drug delivery strategies based on passive and active targeting mechanisms are also discussed
Biomarkers in ocular chronic graft versus host disease: tear cytokine- and chemokine-based predictive model.
Producción CientíficaPurpose: To develop a tear molecule level-based predictive model based on a panel of tear cytokines and their correlation with clinical features in ocular chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD).
Methods: Twenty-two ocular cGVHD patients and 21 healthy subjects were evaluated in a controlled environmental research laboratory (CERLab). Clinical parameters were recorded, and tears were collected. Levels of 15 molecules (epidermal growth factor [EGF], IL receptor antagonist [IL-1Ra], IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8/CXCL8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17A, interferon inducible protein [IP]-10/CXCL10, IFN-γ, VEGF, TNF-α, eotaxin 1, and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted [RANTES]) were measured by multiplex-bead assay and correlated with clinical parameters. Logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model. Leave-one-out cross-validation was applied. Classification capacity was evaluated in a cohort of individuals with dry eye (DE) of other etiologies different from GVHD.
Results: Epidermal growth factor and IP-10/CXCL10 levels were significantly decreased in ocular cGVHD, positively correlating with tear production and stability and negatively correlating with symptoms, hyperemia, and vital staining. Interleukin-1Ra, IL-8/CXCL8, and IL-10 were significantly increased in ocular cGVHD, and the first two correlated positively with symptoms, hyperemia, and ocular surface integrity while negatively correlating with tear production and stability. Predictive models were generated, and the best panel was based on IL-8/CXCL8 and IP-10/CXCL10 tear levels along with age and sex, with an area under the receiving operating curve of 0.9004, sensitivity of 86.36%, and specificity of 95.24%.
Conclusions: A predictive model based on tear levels of IL-8/CXCL8 and IP-10/CXCL10 resulted in optimal sensitivity and specificity. These results add further knowledge to the search for potential biomarkers in this devastating ocular inflammatory disease.Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Madrid, Spain, SAF-2010 15631 (AES)
Proposal of an ISO/IEEE11073 platform for healthcare telemonitoring: plug-and-play solution with new use cases
Proceeding of: 29th Annual International Conference of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, (EMBS 2007), Lyon, France, 23-26th august 2007.Remote patient monitoring in e-Health is everyday closer to be a mature technology / service. However, there is still a lack of development in areas such as standardization of the sensor’s communication interface, integration into Electronic Healthcare Record systems or incorporation in ambient-intelligent scenarios. This work identifies a set of use cases involved in the personal monitoring scenario and highlights the related features and functionalities, as well as the integration and implementation difficulties found when these are to be implemented in a system based on the ISO/IEEE11073 (X73) standard. It is part of a cooperative research effort devoted to the development of an end-to-end standards-based telemonitoring solution. Standardization committees are working towards adapting the X73 standard to this emerging personal health devices market and use case identification is essential to direct these revisions.This research work has been partially supported by projects TSI2005-07068-C02-01 and TSI2004-04940-C02-01 from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spanish Government), and a personal grant to both M.Galarraga and M. Martinez-Espronceda from Navarre Regional Governmen
Long-Term Changes, Inter-Annual, and Monthly Variability of Sea Level at the Coasts of the Spanish Mediterranean and the Gulf of Cádiz
En prensa1,42
Hepatic and serum branched-chain fatty acid profile in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A case–control study
Objective
Alterations in the hepatic lipidome are a crucial factor involved in the pathophysiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum and hepatic profile of branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) in patients with different stages of NAFLD.
Methods
This was a case–control study performed in 27 patients without NAFLD, 49 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver, and 17 patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, defined by liver biopsies. Serum and hepatic levels of BCFAs were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The hepatic expression of genes involved in the endogenous synthesis of BCFAs was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).
Results
A significant increase in hepatic BCFAs was found in subjects with NAFLD compared with those without NAFLD; no differences were observed in serum BCFAs between study groups. Trimethyl BCFAs, iso-BCFAs, and anteiso-BCFAs were increased in subjects with NAFLD (either nonalcoholic fatty liver or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) compared with those without NAFLD. Correlation analysis showed a relationship between hepatic BCFAs and the histopathological diagnosis of NAFLD, as well as other histological and biochemical parameters related to this disease. Gene expression analysis in liver showed that the mRNA levels of BCAT1, BCAT2, and BCKDHA were upregulated in patients with NAFLD.
Conclusions
These results suggest that the increased production of liver BCFAs might be related to NAFLD development and progression.This work was funded by the Institute of Health “Carlos III” (ISCIII) and cofunded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER (grant number PI20/00505). J.C.F-G was supported by an intensification research program (INT21/00078, ISCIII, Spain; cofunded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER), M.A.M-S was supported by a PFIS predoctoral fellowship from the ISCIII (FI21/00003, ISCIII, Spain; cofunded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER), and B.R-M was supported by the “Miguel Servet Type I” program (CP19/00098, ISCIII, Spain; cofunded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional-FEDER). The funding organizations played no role in the design of the study, review and interpretation of the data, or final approval of the manuscript. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU
Pine Pitch Canker and Insects: Relationships and Implications for Disease Spread in Europe
Producción CientíficaThe fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum (Nirenberg and O’ Donnell) is the causal agent
of pine pitch canker (PPC) disease, which seriously affects conifer species in forests and nurseries
worldwide. In Europe, PPC is only established in the Iberian Peninsula; however, it is presumed that its
range could expand through the continent in the near future. Infection caused by this fungus requires
open wounds on the tree, including physical damage caused by insects. Therefore, a relationship
probably occurs between PPC and a wide variety of insects. The aim of this review is to outline the
taxonomic and ecological diversity of insect species with high potential association with F. circinatum
in Europe and elsewhere. The insects were classified as vectors, carriers and wounding agents
according to the association level with the PPC disease. In addition, we discuss the insect-mediated
spreading of PPC disease in relation to the different phases of forest stand development, from seeds
and seedlings in nurseries to mature stands. Lastly, to improve our predictive capacities and to
design appropriate intervention measures and strategies for controlling disease dissemination by
insects, variables such as geographic location, time of the year and host species should be considered,European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action FP1406 PINESTRENGTH)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project AGL2015-69370-R)Centro de Estudios do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM) (project UID/AMB/50017/2019)Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (projects PTDC/AGR-FOR/2768/2014 , POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016785 , SFRH/BPD/122928/2016)Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant 17-04-01486)Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University (project 2019-0420
Study of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and anhydro-sugars in ambient air near two Spanish oil refineries: Covid-19 effects
We report the results from a 12 month-long study of the organic compounds associated to PM2.5 samples collected around two petroleum refineries (4 samples/month/site) in two complex industrial zones reporting atmospheric pollution issues in the past (Estuary of Huelva and Bay of Algeciras, Spain). Sampling campaign was done from March 2020 when a Covid-19 lockdown was established at Spain to March 2021. Concentrations of fine particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and anhydrosugars were separately measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ion chromatography-amperometric detection (IC-PAD). The annual average abundances of PM2.5-bound benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are 0.024 and 0.013 ng˖m−3 at La Rábida and Puente Mayorga monitoring stations, while both sites have annual average concentrations of levoglucosan in PM2.5 of 14.98 and 9.78 ng˖m−3, respectively. Seasonal variations are observed for concentrations of ƩPAHs and total anhydrosugars in both sampling sites. For PAHs, the highest concentrations averaging c. a. 0.400 (La Rábida) and 0.350 ng m−3 (Puente Mayorga) are reported in cold months during December 2020-Febraury 2021 (post-lockdown period), compared to the lowest levels averaging 0.111 and 0.211 ng˖m−3, respectively, in temperate months from mid-March 2020 to early June 2020 (0.284 and 0.321 ng m−3 on average annually), coinciding with the confinement and relaxation periods in Spain. Similarly, total anhydrosugars show the highest values of 81.80 ng˖m−3 (La Rábida) and 53.52 ng˖m−3 (Puente Mayorga) in winter and lowest values of 2.71 ng˖m−3 and 3.30 ng˖m−3 into the lockdown period (22.51 and 14.09 ng˖m−3 on average annually). Except phenanthrene, PAHs are present in PM2.5 principally as result of motor vehicle exhausts. Levoglucosan, a tracer for biomass burning, peaked in December 2020 and January 2021, during the high residential wood-burning season. In addition, multivariate analysis was used to assess the origin of organic components of PM2.5 samples. The two principal components are characterized by the grouping of heavy PAHs associated to vehicular traffic, and anhydrosugars indicating biomass burning emissions, respectively.We are grateful to the project of the Ministry of Science, Innovation
and Universities of Spain (Project RTI 2018-095937-B-I00), the cofinanced
project by the Andalusian Government and the EU (PY18-
2332), and the Environmental Agency of Andalusia for financial and
technical support. Carlos Boente obtained a post-doctoral contract
within the program PAIDI 2020 (Ref 707 DOC 01097), co-financed by
the Junta de Andalucía (Spain) and the EU. Funding for open access
charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA
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