Role of tetraspanin CD9 in murine experimental colitis

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Bioquímica. Fecha de lectura: 16-07-201

Institutional transformation to reduce the gender gap in STEM

Despite the considerable efforts made in recent decades in order to reduce the gender gap as regards the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), great inequalities stills persist. In different situations, socioeconomic, cultural and other barriers continue to prevent the students complete or fully benefit from the quality education they have chosen (UNESCO, 2017). The new UNESCO publication entitled Cracking the code: girls' and women's education in STEM, presented at the International Symposium and Policy Forum UNESCO, on this subject, specifically what factors hinder or facilitate the participation of girls and women in education linked to STEM (Education 2030 Unesco, 2017).Despite the considerable efforts made in recent decades in order to reduce the gender gap as regards the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), great inequalities stills persist. In different situations, socioeconomic, cultural and other barriers continue to prevent the students complete or fully benefit from the quality education they have chosen (UNESCO, 2017). The new UNESCO publication entitled Cracking the code: girls' and women's education in STEM, presented at the International Symposium and Policy Forum UNESCO, on this subject, specifically what factors hinder or facilitate the participation of girls and women in education linked to STEM (Education 2030 Unesco, 2017).The fields STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which encompass the fields of study of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, information and communication technologies and engineering, industrial production and construction, are considered especially important when promoting innovation and economic growth

Cardiovascular fitness in youth: association with obesity and metabolic abnormalities.

Therapies currently implemented for obesity are focused on nutritional aspects and on physical activity. In order to make physical activity a positive therapy instead of triggering disabilities it is relevant to accurately assess cardiovascular fitness. Objective: To assess the cardiovascular fitness by measuring the peak oxygen consumption and to asses their relationship with classical cardiometabolic parameters. Methods: A modified Balke protocol was applied to one hundred and twenty-six Caucasians (60% males),ranging between 9 and 16 years old, who underwent an assessment of obesity. The non-obese group consisted of healthy age and sex matched subjects who were invited to participate from the general population. Results: Significant differences in consumption of oxygen peak between non-obese and obese individuals were observed. In contrast, no significant differences existed between the categories of obesity. Furthermore in obese subjects consumption of oxygen peak was inversely correlated with parameters of cardiometabolic risk,particularly insulin and HOMA index. In addition, two predictive equations of consumption of oxygen peak, with an R2 of 0.74 and 0.84, respectively, have been developed. Conclusion: The consumption of oxygen peak is a relevant clinical parameter that should be included in the routine clinical assessment of obese subjects. Therefore, it is crucial to make exercise tests more affordable which can be achieved by employing predictive equations Las terapias que se implantan actualmente para la obesidad se centran en los aspectos nutricionales y sobre la actividad física. Con el fin de hacer que la actividad física sea una terapia positiva en vez de un desencadenador de discapacidades, es relevante evaluar de forma precisa el entrenamiento cardiovascular. Objetivo: evaluar el entrenamiento cardiovascular midiendo el consumo máximo de oxígeno y evaluar su relación con los parámetros cardiometabólicos clásicos. Métodos: se aplicó el protocolo modificado de Balke a 126 individuos caucásicos (60 % de varones), con edades entre 9 y 16 años, que se sometieron a una evaluación de obesidad. El grupo de no obesos consistía de individuos sanos, de la población general, emparejados por edad y sexo y a los que se les invitó a participar. Resultados: se observaron diferencias significativas en el consumo máximo de oxígeno entre los indiviudos obesos y no obesos. Por contra, no existían diferencias significativas entre las categorías de obesidad. Además, en los sujetos obesos, el consumo máximo de oxígeno se correlacionó de forma inversa con los parámetros de riesgo cardiometabólico, particularmente con la insulina y el índice HOMA. Además, se han desarrollado dos ecuaciones predictivas del consumo máximo de oxígeno con una R2 de 0,74 y de 0,84, respectivamente. Conclusión: el consumo máximo de oxígeno es un parámetro clínico relevante que debería incluirse en la evaluación clínica rutinaria de los sujetos obesos. Por lo tanto, es crucial hacer que las pruebas de esfuerzo sean más asequibles, que puedan alcanzarse empleando las ecuaciones predictivas

Mouse and human tau expression in different brain areas

Background: An increase in tau protein is believed to be necessary for tau aggregation. However, whether this is due to increased expression of the endogenous tau promoter or protein accumulation due to proteostasis failure remains uncertain. Objective: To analyze the expression of GFP protein under endogenous tau promoter across different ages and within different brain areas. Methods: We have measured direct expression of Mapt gene promotor by western blot and immunofluorescence, by means of a commercial tau knock-out mice generated by integrating GFP-encoding cDNA into exon 1 of the Mapt gene. Besides, we have analyzed the MAPT gene expression in human samples. Results: Mapt expression is similar in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum in mice and in human samples although some differences exist between dentate gyrus and CA1 hippocampal areas in mice. Besides, we have analyzed the murine Mapt gene expression during aging (at 2, 6, 12, and 18 moths) and no differences in endogenous tau promoter expression were observed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that Mapt promoter activity is similar in the brain areas studied and, therefore, tau accumulation due to aging is likely due to proteostasis failure rather than occurring at the transcriptional levelWork in the laboratory of JA is funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PGC-2018-09177-B-100). Work in the laboratory of FH is funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España, PID2020-113204GB-I00) and was co-financed from the Comunidad de Madrid through Structural Funds of the European Union [S2017/BMD-3700 (NEUROMETAB-CM)

Cardiovascular fitness in youth: association with obesity and metabolic abnormalities

[ES] Las terapias que se implantan actualmente para la obesidad se centran en los aspectos nutricionales y sobre la actividad física. Con el fin de hacer que la actividad física sea una terapia positiva en vez de un desencadenador de discapacidades, es relevante evaluar de forma precisa el entrenamiento cardiovascular. Objetivo: evaluar el entrenamiento cardiovascular midiendo el consumo máximo de oxígeno y evaluar su relación con los parámetros cardiometabólicos clásicos. Métodos: se aplicó el protocolo modificado de Balke a 126 individuos caucásicos (60 % de varones), con edades entre 9 y 16 años, que se sometieron a una evaluación de obesidad. El grupo de no obesos consistía de individuos sanos, de la población general, emparejados por edad y sexo y a los que se les invitó a participar. Resultados: se observaron diferencias significativas en el consumo máximo de oxígeno entre los indiviudos obesos y no obesos. Por contra, no existían diferencias significativas entre las categorías de obesidad. Además, en los sujetos obesos, el consumo máximo de oxígeno se correlacionó de forma inversa con los parámetros de riesgo cardiometabólico, particularmente con la insulina y el índice HOMA. Además, se han desarrollado dos ecuaciones predictivas del consumo máximo de oxígeno con una R2 de 0,74 y de 0,84, respectivamente. Conclusión: el consumo máximo de oxígeno es un pará- metro clínico relevante que debería incluirse en la evaluación clínica rutinaria de los sujetos obesos. Por lo tanto, es crucial hacer que las pruebas de esfuerzo sean más asequibles, que puedan alcanzarse empleando las ecuaciones predictivas.[EN] Therapies currently implemented for obesity are focused on nutritional aspects and on physical activity. In order to make physical activity a positive therapy instead of triggering disabilities it is relevant to accurately assess cardiovascular fitness. Objective: To assess the cardiovascular fitness by measuring the peak oxygen consumption and to asses their relationship with classical cardiometabolic parameters. Methods: A modified Balke protocol was applied to one hundred and twenty-six Caucasians (60% males), ranging between 9 and 16 years old, who underwent an assessment of obesity. The non-obese group consisted of healthy age and sex matched subjects who were invited to participate from the general population. Results: Significant differences in consumption of oxygen peak between non-obese and obese individuals were observed. In contrast, no significant differences existed between the categories of obesity. Furthermore in obese subjects consumption of oxygen peak was inversely correlated with parameters of cardiometabolic risk, particularly insulin and HOMA index. In addition, two predictive equations of consumption of oxygen peak, with an R-2 of 0.74 and 0.84, respectively, have been developed. Conclusion: The consumption of oxygen peak is a relevant clinical parameter that should be included in the routine clinical assessment of obese subjects. Therefore, it is crucial to make exercise tests more affordable which can be achieved by employing predictive equations.Guixeres Provinciale, J.; Redón Lurbe, P.; Saiz Rodríguez, FJ.; Alvarez, J.; Torró, MI.; Cantero, L.; Lurbe Ferrer, E. (2014). Cardiovascular fitness in youth: association with obesity and metabolic abnormalities. Nutrición Hospitalaria. 29(6):1290-1297. doi:10.3305/nh.2014.29.6.7383S1290129729

Dose dependent gene expression is dynamically modulated by the history, physiology and age of yeast cells

[EN] Cells respond to external stimuli with transient gene expression changes in order to adapt to environmental alterations. However, the dose response profile of gene induction upon a given stress depends on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here we show that the accurate quantification of dose dependent gene expression by live cell luciferase reporters reveals fundamental insights into stress signaling. We make the following discoveries applying this non-invasive reporter technology. (1) Signal transduction sensitivities can be compared and we apply this here to salt, oxidative and xenobiotic stress responsive transcription factors. (2) Stress signaling depends on where and how the damage is generated within the cell. Specifically we show that two ROS-generating agents, menadione and hydrogen peroxide, differ in their dependence on mitochondrial respiration. (3) Stress signaling is conditioned by the cells history. We demonstrate here that positive memory or an acquired resistance towards oxidative stress is induced dependent on the nature of the previous stress experience. (4) The metabolic state of the cell impinges on the sensitivity of stress signaling. This is shown here for the shift towards higher stress doses of the response profile for yeast cells moved from complex to synthetic medium. (5) The age of the cell conditions its transcriptional response capacity, which is demonstrated by the changes of the dose response to oxidative stress during both replicative and chronological aging. We conclude that capturing dose dependent gene expression in real time will be of invaluable help to understand stress signaling and its dynamic modulation.The authors thank Daniel E. Gottschling (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, US) for the kind gift of MEP yeast strain UCC4925. This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (grant number BFU2016-75792-R).Pascual-Ahuir Giner, MD.; González-Cantó, E.; Juyoux, P.; Pable, J.; Poveda-Huertes, D.; Saiz-Balbastre Sandra; Squeo, S.... (2019). Dose dependent gene expression is dynamically modulated by the history, physiology and age of yeast cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms. 1862(4):457-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagrm.2019.02.009S4574711862

Predictors of vision impairment in Multiple Sclerosis.

Visual impairment significantly alters the quality of life of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study was to identify predictors (independent variables) of visual outcomes, and to define their relationship with neurological disability and retinal atrophy when assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 119 consecutive patients with MS, assessing vision using high contrast visual acuity (LogMar), 2.5% and 1.25% low contrast visual acuity (Sloan charts), and color vision (Hardy-Rand-Rittler plates). Quality of vision is a patient reported outcome based on an individual's unique perception of his or her vision and was assessed with the Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) with the 10 neuro-ophthalmologic items. MS disability was assessed using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), the MS functional composite (MSFC) and the brief repetitive battery-neuropsychology (BRB-N). Retinal atrophy was assessed using spectral domain OCT, measuring the thickness of the peripapillar retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and the volume of the ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (GCIPL). The vision of patients with MS was impaired, particularly in eyes with prior optic neuritis. Retinal atrophy (pRNFL and GCIPL) was closely associated with impaired low contrast vision and color vision, whereas the volume of the GCIPL showed a trend (p = 0.092) to be associated with quality of vision. Multiple regression analysis revealed that EDSS was an explanatory variable for high contrast vision after stepwise analysis, GCIPL volume for low contrast vision, and GCIPL volume and EDSS for color vision. The explanatory variables for quality of vision were high contrast vision and color vision. In summary, quality of vision in MS depends on the impairment of high contrast visual acuity and color vision due to the disease

Pregnancy Outcomes and SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group Study

Pregnant women who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. With this study, we aimed to better understand the relationship between maternal infection and perinatal outcomes, especially preterm births, and the underlying medical and interventionist factors. This was a prospective observational study carried out in 78 centers (Spanish Obstetric Emergency Group) with a cohort of 1347 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive pregnant women registered consecutively between 26 February and 5 November 2020, and a concurrent sample of PCR-negative mothers. The patients' information was collected from their medical records, and the association of SARS-CoV-2 and perinatal outcomes was evaluated by univariable and multivariate analyses. The data from 1347 SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnancies were compared with those from 1607 SARS-CoV-2-negative pregnancies. Differences were observed between both groups in premature rupture of membranes (15.5% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001); venous thrombotic events (1.5% vs. 0.2%, p < 0.001); and severe pre-eclampsia incidence (40.6 vs. 15.6%, p = 0.001), which could have been overestimated in the infected cohort due to the shared analytical signs between this hypertensive disorder and COVID-19. In addition, more preterm deliveries were observed in infected patients (11.1% vs. 5.8%, p < 0.001) mainly due to an increase in iatrogenic preterm births. The prematurity in SARS-CoV-2-affected pregnancies results from a predisposition to end the pregnancy because of maternal disease (pneumonia and pre-eclampsia, with or without COVID-19 symptoms)

Caracterización de los hallazgos histopatológicos de tumores hipofisiarios y de la región selar en dos centros en Bucaramanga, Santander, entre 1992 y 2018

Introducción: La hipófisis y la región selar pueden afectarse por una amplia variedad de lesiones de diferente etiopatogenia. En Colombia existen pocos datos que muestren la distribución y las características histopatológicas de dichas lesiones. Objetivo: Describir las características histopatológicas de las lesiones hipofisarias y de la región selar en dos instituciones de la región de Santander, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo. Se revisaron patologías de pacientes de toda edad con diagnóstico de patología selar, supraselar o paraselar, llevados a cirugía realizada en dos centros de referencia de la región. Resultados: Se revisaron 111 estudios patológicos, la lesión más frecuente fue el adenoma hipofisario (66,6%), seguido del craneofaringioma (19,8%) y del meningioma (2,5%). En población pediátrica, el craneofaringioma fue la lesión predominante (75%). Dentro de los adenomas predominaron los de células nulas y gonadotropos, la mayoría mostraron una expresión baja de Ki-67. La descripción heterogénea de los hallazgos de la citoqueratina CAM 5.2 y microscopia electrónica impidió su clasificación según dichos hallazgos. La variante más frecuente del craneofaringioma, tanto en adultos como en niños, fue la adamantinomatosa. Conclusión: La distribución de la patología hipofisaria y selar en esta serie es similar a lo reportado en la literatura, llamando la atención un predominio del craneofaringioma como la segunda lesión más frecuente después de los adenomas hipofisarios. Se requiere una mayor uniformidad y difusión en los criterios histopatológicos de la clasificación de los adenomas para una interpretación clínica más apropiada y un uso óptimo de los recursos