Colonic adenocarcinoma an underlying malignancy of dermatomyositis: case report

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a heterogeneous group of chronic, autoimmune connective tissue disorders that affect muscles primarily. A few cases have reported the correlation between IIM and paraneoplastic manifestations, primarily dermatomyositis (DM). We described the case of a 47-year-old woman with dermatomyositis and the finding of a colonic adenocarcinoma, who presented alternating diarrhoea and hematochezia. The immunoassay for myositis-specific antibodies showed anti-Mi-2a, anti-MDA5, and anti-Ro52 antibodies, while the colonoscopy showed a one-centimetre mass in the sigmoid. Literature reviews have contemplated an underlying malignancy in patients with dermatomyositis, particularly in those with anti-Mi-2 antibodies and atypical features or unexplained symptoms. A correlation between DM and colonic adenocarcinoma has-been documented in a few reports, particularly in patients with unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms or weight loss. The mechanisms of the association of dermatomyositis and malignancies, especially colonic malignancies, are still unknown and need more research for better strategies

BAFF system expression in double negative 2, activated naïve and activated memory B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus

IntroductionB cell activating factor (BAFF) has an important role in normal B cell development. The aberrant expression of BAFF is related with the autoimmune diseases development like Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) for promoting self-reactive B cells survival. BAFF functions are exerted through its receptors BAFF-R (BR3), transmembrane activator calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) that are reported to have differential expression on B cells in SLE. Recently, atypical B cells that express CD11c have been associated with SLE because they are prone to develop into antibody-secreting cells, however the relationship with BAFF remains unclear. This study aims to analyze the BAFF system expression on CXCR5- CD11c+ atypical B cell subsets double negative 2 (DN2), activated naïve (aNAV), switched memory (SWM) and unswitched memory (USM) B cells.MethodsForty-five SLE patients and 15 healthy subjects (HS) were included. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the expression of the receptors in the B cell subpopulations. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to quantify the soluble levels of BAFF (sBAFF) and IL-21.ResultsWe found increased frequency of CXCR5- CD11c+ atypical B cell subpopulations DN2, aNAV, SWM and USM B cells in SLE patients compared to HS. SLE patients had increased expression of membrane BAFF (mBAFF) and BCMA receptor in classic B cell subsets (DN, NAV, SWM and USM). Also, the CXCR5+ CD11c- DN1, resting naïve (rNAV), SWM and USM B cell subsets showed higher mBAFF expression in SLE. CXCR5- CD11c+ atypical B cell subpopulations DN2, SWM and USM B cells showed strong correlations with the expression of BAFF receptors. The atypical B cells DN2 in SLE showed significant decreased expression of TACI, which correlated with higher IL-21 levels. Also, lower expression of TACI in atypical B cell DN2 was associated with high disease activity.DiscussionThese results suggest a participation of the BAFF system in CXCR5- CD11c+ atypical B cell subsets in SLE patients. Decreased TACI expression on atypical B cells DN2 correlated with high disease activity in SLE patients supporting the immunoregulatory role of TACI in autoimmunity

Síntesis de películas de ZnO:Ag obtenidas mediante sol-gel cristalizadas con infrarrojo

Se realizó la síntesis de películas de óxido de zinc dopado con plata mediante el método sol-gel y la técnica de inmersión (dip-coating). Este trabajo demuestra que la aplicación de radiación infrarroja puede sustituir a un tratamiento térmico en horno convencional, en el proceso de cristalización de películas delgadas de ZnO dopadas con Ag a diferentes tiempos y concentraciones del elemento dopante. Se optimizó la síntesis hasta un pH de 10.5 adicionando hidróxido de amonio (NH₄OH), para evitar la precipitación de la plata. Se utilizó espectroscopia infrarroja (FT-IR) para determinar los enlaces presentes en la película y difracción de rayos X (DRX) para definir la estructura cristalina de la misma, obteniéndose el enlace Zn-O y ZnO en la fase hexagonal respectivamente. Se logró establecer que en todos los tiempos de prueba y de concentraciones del dopante, los tamaños de cristalito fueron menores a 25πm, con lo que estas películas podrán emplearse como recubrimientos antibacteriales.The synthesis of silver doped zinc oxide was obtained bay sol- gel method and dip- coating technique. This work demonstrate that it is possible to change a heat treatment in a conventional furnace with the application of infrared radiation, in the crystallization process of Ag doped ZnO thin films with several exposition times and dopant element concentrations. The synthesis was optimized with the addition of ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) to modify the pH to 10.5, in order to prevent the silver precipitation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT_IR) was used in order to determinate the bonds present in the film and X ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the crystalline structure of it, it was obtained the Zn-O bond and the hexagonal phase of ZnO, respectively. The crystallite sizes were less than 25 πm for every test time and all dopant concentrations and for this reason the films can be used as antibacterial coatings

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

75 años como referente de la investigación agraria y medioambiental española en condiciones de clima mediterráneo [Sitio Web]

1 .pdf con imagen de acceso al “website”, su url y los créditos relacionados con su creación y diseño.-- Créditos: Organización, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei (EEAD-CSIC); Dirección, Jesús Val Falcón; Coordinación, Ana Álvarez-Fernandez, Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes, Ernesto Igartua; Contenido, Anunciación Abadía, Javier Abadía, Carlos Albiñana, Miguel Alfonso, Arancha Arbeloa, Raúl Arbués, Isabel Armillas, Manuel Becana, Santiago Beguería, Carmen Castañeda, Ana Castillo, José Cavero, Bruno Contreras, Azahara Díaz, Edgar García, Elena García, Juan Manuel Gascuñana, Leticia Gaspar, Yolanda Gogorcena, Juan Herrero, Victoria Lafuente, María Victoria López, Juan Antonio Marín, José Martínez, José Carlos Martínez-Giménez, Ana Pilar Mata, Manuel Matamoros, Pierre Mignard, María Ángeles Moreno, Paula Murillo, Ana Navas, Antonio Pérez, Rafael Picorel, María Pilar Vallés, Irene Villar, Inmaculada Yruela, Nery Zapata, Isabel Zarazaga; Diseño y programación: DigitalWorks (Juanjo Ascaso y Asun Dieste); Vídeo, Delegación del CSIC en Aragón (Sara Gutiérrez y Yolanda Hernáiz); Fotografía, Archivo EEAD-CSIC, Anunciación Abadía, Jorge Álvaro-Fuentes, Arancha Arbeloa, Juanjo Ascaso, Santiago Beguería, Elena García, Ernesto Igartua, Ignasi Iglesias, José Manuel Lasa, José Carlos Martínez-Giménez, Pierre Mignard, María Ángeles Moreno, Rubén Sancho, Kosana Suvocarev, María Pilar Vallés, Nery Zapata."Sitio web" de nueva creación y conmemorativo del 75 Aniversario de la EEAD-CSIC que contiene: 1) Foto esférica de su personal en activo; 2) Recopilación de sus hitos históricos más destacados, en orden cronológico; 3) Un vídeo con participación de su personal y muestra de algunas de sus instalaciones; 4) Un mapa con la distribución geográfica de los egresado del Instituto; 5) Algunas fotos, destacando las tomadas a su personal en las celebraciones del 25 y 50 Aniversarios de la EEAD-CSIC.Presentado durante la "Jornada. 75 Aniversario EEAD-CSIC (Zaragoza, Patio de la Infanta. 30 octubre 2019)".Financiación: CSIC, Vicepresidencia Adjunta de Organización y Cultura Científica.N

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Expansive clays and hydroclimatic controls as conditioning factors of mass movements in SE Spain

1 página. Resumen de la comunicación presentada en European Geosciences Union (Niza, Francia, 25-30 abril 2004)In the Iberian Peninsula, Alpine belts concentrate the main areas with high susceptibility to slope instabilities. Steepening of slopes by recent tectonic activity has classically been suggested as the cause of mass movements in these areas. However, in the Betic Cordillera the most important landslides, in terms of volume of mobilised material and economic losses, have been produced in areas of low-moderate slope.Peer reviewe

In vitro and in vivo trypanocidal evaluation of nickel complexes with an azapurine derivative against Trypanosoma cruzi.

Seven ternary nickel(II) complexes (three previously described and four firstly described here) with an azapurine derivative (the anionic form of 4,6-dimethyl-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-5,7-dione) have been synthesized and spectroscopically characterized, and the crystal structures of three of them have been solved by X-ray diffraction. Studies in vitro and in vivo on the antiproliferative activity of these complexes against Trypanosoma cruzi (epimastigote, amastigote, and trypomastigote forms) have been carried out, displaying in some cases significantly higher antitrypanosomatid activity and lower toxicity than the reference drug for Chagas' disease, benznidazole (N-benzyl-2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)acetamide). Ultrastructural analysis and metabolism excretion studies were also executed in order to propose a possible mechanism of action for the assayed drugs