Enhancing Osteoconduction of PLLA-Based Nanocomposite Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration Using Different Biomimetic Signals to MSCs

In bone engineering, the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells rely on signaling from chemico-physical structure of the substrate, therefore prompting the design of mimetic “extracellular matrix”-like scaffolds. In this study, three-dimensional porous poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)-based scaffolds have been mixed with different components, including single walled carbon nanotubes (CNT), micro-hydroxyapatite particles (HA), and BMP2, and treated with plasma (PT), to obtain four different nanocomposites: PLLA + CNT, PLLA + CNTHA, PLLA + CNT + HA + BMP2 and PLLA + CNT + HA + PT. Adult bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were derived from the femur of orthopaedic patients, seeded on the scaffolds and cultured under osteogenic induction up to differentiation and mineralization. The release of specific metabolites and temporal gene expression profiles of marrow-derived osteoprogenitors were analyzed at definite time points, relevant to in vitro culture as well as in vivo differentiation. As a result, the role of the different biomimetic components added to the PLLA matrix was deciphered, with BMP2-added scaffolds showing the highest biomimetic activity on cells differentiating to mature osteoblasts. The modification of a polymeric scaffold with reinforcing components which also work as biomimetic cues for cells can effectively direct osteoprogenitor cells differentiation, so as to shorten the time required for mineralization

Propuesta internacional para la creación de una asignatura obligatoria de mediación y resolución colaborativa de conflictos para el grado de Trabajo Social y otros grados afines

El presente proyecto tiene como principal objetivo la elaboración una propuesta para la creación de una asignatura de mediación y resolución colaborativa de conflictos que pueda ser aplicada en diversos países, áreas de conocimiento y titulaciones, pero de forma específica en el grado en Trabajo Social de la UCM

The role of the community pharmacist in minor ailments: Focus on uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women

Community pharmacists can play an important role in selfcare by facilitating consumers and patients with effective advice, thereby supporting them with safe and effective treatment of minor ailments, including recurring acute cystitis. Because of that they can decrease general practice workload. Healthcare providers, healthcare organisations and government organisations should raise awareness among consumers and patients about safe and effective use of nonprescription medicines. Community pharmacists should also raise public awareness about their potential in providing patients with self-care advice including preventive actions. They should inform patients and consumers about the background of safety related questions in the pharmacy and the reasons for recording nonprescription medicines in the patients file. This could improve the perception of the added value of self-care advice in pharmacy. To be able to do this, community pharmacists should strive for optimal conditions in pharmacy for self-care advice, such as knowledge and skills development and assessment of self-care advice for themselves and their team. Community pharmacists could improve collaboration with general practitioners in self-care by learning about and understanding each other’s work and by awareness of differences. General practitioners and community pharmacists could reflect on their perspectives on self-care. They could also discuss pharmacists’ support for treatment of minor ailments such as recurring acute cystitis and agree on procedures and routines that clarify tasks and responsibilities

The role of the community pharmacist in minor ailments: Focus on uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women

Community pharmacists can play an important role in selfcare by facilitating consumers and patients with effective advice, thereby supporting them with safe and effective treatment of minor ailments, including recurring acute cystitis. Because of that they can decrease general practice workload. Healthcare providers, healthcare organisations and government organisations should raise awareness among consumers and patients about safe and effective use of nonprescription medicines. Community pharmacists should also raise public awareness about their potential in providing patients with self-care advice including preventive actions. They should inform patients and consumers about the background of safety related questions in the pharmacy and the reasons for recording nonprescription medicines in the patients file. This could improve the perception of the added value of self-care advice in pharmacy. To be able to do this, community pharmacists should strive for optimal conditions in pharmacy for self-care advice, such as knowledge and skills development and assessment of self-care advice for themselves and their team. Community pharmacists could improve collaboration with general practitioners in self-care by learning about and understanding each other’s work and by awareness of differences. General practitioners and community pharmacists could reflect on their perspectives on self-care. They could also discuss pharmacists’ support for treatment of minor ailments such as recurring acute cystitis and agree on procedures and routines that clarify tasks and responsibilities

Effect-Directed Analysis of Ah Receptor-Mediated Potencies in Microplastics Deployed in a Remote Tropical Marine Environment

To facilitate the study of potential harmful compounds sorbed to microplastics, an effect-directed analysis using the DR CALUX (R) assay as screening tool for Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-active compounds in extracts of marine deployed microplastics and chemical analysis of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) was conducted. Pellets of three plastic polymers [low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS)] were deployed at Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, for up to 8 months. Detected AhR-mediated potencies (bio-TEQs) of extracted plastic pellets ranged from 15 to 100 pg/g. Contributions of target HOCs to the overall bioactivities were negligible. To identify the major contributors, remaining plastic pellets were used for fractionation with a gas chromatography (GC) fractionation platform featuring parallel mass spectrometric (MS) detection. The bioassay analysis showed two bioactive fractions of each polymer with bio-TEQs ranging from 5.7 to 14 pg/g. High resolution MS was used in order to identify bioactive compounds in the fractions. No AhR agonists could be identified in fractions of HDPE or LDPE. Via a multivariate statistical approach the polystyrene (PS) trimer 1e-Phenyl-4e-(1- phenylethyl)-tetralin was identified in fractions of HIPS and in fractions of the blank polymer of HIPS

Thelytoky in hymenoptera with Venturia canescens and Leptopilina clavipes as case studies

The insect order of Hymenoptera comprises around 200.000 described species of ants, bees, wasps and sawflies, many of which serve important ecological and economic functions. All Hymenoptera have a haplodiploid mode of reproduction. Males always develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid. Females are always diploid and can develop from both fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Within haplodiploidy, arrhenotoky is the most common mode of reproduction: unfertilized eggs develop into males that are haploid and 100% related to their mother, whereas fertilized eggs yield diploid females with a haploid complement of both parents. Thelytoky is a less common mode of reproduction. Thelytokous females develop parthenogenetically from unfertilized eggs after restoration of diploidy and are 100% related to their mother. Two distinctive classes of thelytoky can be distinguished based upon the causal mechanism: thelytoky can be induced by nuclear genes or be based on cytoplasmic genes including microorganisms. Most thelytokous hymenopterans reproduce by some form of automixis: both terminal fusion and central fusion have been found, while most cases of microbe-induced thelytoky are a form of gamete duplication. These different mechanisms can have a number of important implications for the genetic make-up of individuals and the amount and structure of genetic variation in populations. We discuss these implications and their evolutionary consequences, with a special focus on the ichneumonid parasitoid wasp Venturia canescens, in which thelytoky has a genetic basis, and the figitid parasitoid wasp Leptopilina clavipes, which has Wolbachia-induced thelytoky

Variable repeats in the eukaryotic polyubiquitin gene ubi4 modulate proteostasis and stress survival

Ubiquitin conjugation signals for selective protein degradation by the proteasome. In eukaryotes, ubiquitin is encoded both as a monomeric ubiquitin unit fused to a ribosomal gene and as multiple ubiquitin units in tandem. The polyubiquitin gene is a unique, highly conserved open reading frame composed solely of tandem repeats, yet it is still unclear why cells utilize this unusual gene structure. Using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae UBI4 gene, we show that this multi-unit structure allows cells to rapidly produce large amounts of ubiquitin needed to respond to sudden stress. The number of ubiquitin units encoded by UBI4 influences cellular survival and the rate of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)-mediated proteolysis following heat stress. Interestingly, the optimal number of repeats varies under different types of stress indicating that natural variation in repeat numbers may optimize the chance for survival. Our results demonstrate how a variable polycistronic transcript provides an evolutionary alternative for gene copy number variation.Eukaryotic cells rely on the ubiquitin-proteasome system for selective degradation of proteins, a process vital to organismal fitness. Here the authors show that the number of repeats in the polyubiquitin gene is evolutionarily unstable within and between yeast species, and that this variability may tune the cell's capacity to respond to sudden environmental perturbations.status: publishe