Neuropathic pain associated with mucocele in the maxillary sinus

Mucocele in the paranasal sinuses consists of a clinically unpainful, pseudocystic lesion that may be confused with cysts with mucosal accumulation due to an obstruction of a seromucinous gland or with other lesions displaying expansive masses in the maxillary sinuses. Histologically, mucocele consists of an accumulation of seromucosal secretion lined by epithelium. It is an infrequent pathology, whose treatment has evolved favourably to a considerable extent over the past decades. Here we report a case of mucocele located in a paranasal sinus associated with a syndrome of odontalgic neuritic pain. After the collection of complementary radiological evidence, antrostomic surgical treatment was implemented on the lateral-external wall of the maxillary sinus with a view to fully removing the cystic capsule, after which a histopathological study of the sample was performed. The lesion and the neuropathic pain disappeared following removal of the cystic mass, and after 21 months of follow-up the patient has remained free of relapse. Conclusions: lateral antrostomy for the removal of mucocele in the maxillary sinus can alleviate the neuropathic pain possibly associated with the pathology

Desarrollo de un algoritmo de solución directa para el cálculo de distribuciones óptimas de cultivos bajo riego deficitario controlado

La adecuada gestión de un recurso natural cada vez más escaso, como es el agua, implica maximizar la eficiencia en su uso. Desde el punto de vista de una explotación agraria, es de la máxima importancia encontrar la distribución óptima de cultivos que maximice el margen bruto obtenido con el agua de riego disponible. Actualmente, los métodos de optimización disponibles para resolver este problema no lineal, recurren a métodos de optimización heurísticos de propósito general mucho más lentos y menos eficientes de lo que sería un algoritmo de optimización de solución directa, donde se conocen los mecanismos involucrados y las sinergias existentes entre los cultivos para la obtención de la solución óptima del problema. El objetivo del presente trabajo es desarrollar un algoritmo de solución directa capaz de determinar la distribución óptima de cultivos que sea compatible con el modelo MOPECO (Modelo de Optimización Económica del agua de riego). La solución óptima se consigue con sólo uno o dos cultivos, pero esta solución no es la más adecuada desde el punto de vista agronómico (p.e. rotación de cultivos, PAC, etc.), por lo que ha sido necesario adaptar el algoritmo desarrollado para manejar este tipo de situaciones. Para una hipotética explotación de 100 ha, considerando 10 cultivos diferentes y 11 escenarios de volumen de agua total disponible, se han comparado los resultados del algoritmo desarrollado con las soluciones ofrecidas por el software de optimización LINGO y los algoritmos genéticos. El algoritmo desarrollado consigue márgenes brutos un 0,5% inferiores a los de LINGO, y un 1,1% mayores que los algoritmos genéticos, reduciendo el tiempo de cálculo entre 50-100 y 2000 veces, respectivamente

Making city in the "Non-City": the integration of irregular settlements in Andalusia. A case study

The problems associated with numerous irregular buildings existing in Andalucia today, demands a new approach. In order to deepen the definition of strategies of urbano-territorial integration of these settlements, we present a case study in which, at the end of its implementation in agent-based simulation models, we summarize the ODD Protocol which will form the basis of the simulation, indicating the determining factors to consider for an effective and participatory planning, that minimize the progressive estrangement between the normative framework and the reality that is tried to order.

Osteocondritis disecante de primera cuña en la infancia: presentación de 1 caso

Se presenta un caso de osteocondritis disecante de la primera cuña en la infancia, patología no descrita hasta el momento en la literatura mundial. Se trata de una niña de 11 años que se estudió por dolor de 1 año de evolución y tras llegar al diagnóstico se trató mediante artrodesis de la primera articulación escafocuneana, encontrándose la paciente asintomática tras 10 meses de seguimiento.We report a case of osteochondritis dissecans of the first cuneiform bone in a child. We have not found a similar case in world literature. She is an 11 years old girl with 1 year of pain in her foot. After the diagnosis was made, the treatment was an arthrodesis of the first naviculo-cuneiform joint. The patient is now asympthomatic after 10 months of follow-u

Fracturas de estrés en la infancia

Aportamos 13 casos de fracturas de estrés diagnosticadas en nuestro centro en los últimos 5 años ocurridas en niños entre 4 y 15 años de edad. Encontramos una mayor incidencia en el sexo masculino (9 de los 13 casos), así como un claro predominio de la localización en el tercio proximal de la diáfisis tibial (7 casos), hallazgos que concuerdan con los referidos en la literatura. Uno de los aspectos más interesantes de este tipo de fracturas es su similitud tanto clínica como radiológica con procesos de origen infeccioso y neoplásico, por lo que la realización de un correcto diagnóstico diferencial, apoyado en las radiografías simples, tomografías, gammagrafía, TAC y, más recientemente, RMN, resulta crucial.We present 13 cases of stress fractures in children, collected in our center during the last 5 years. The age of patients ranged from 4 to 15 years old. In agreement with literature, we found a greater incidence on males (9 of 13 cases), and a predominant location on the proximal shaft of the tibia (7 cases). One of the most interesting aspects of this type of fractures is their clinical and radiological similarity with infections and tumors. Therefore, it is essential to achieve a right diagnosis based on standard radiographs, tomography, radionuclide bone scan, CT-scan and, most recently, MRI

Mineral composition of bee pollen and its relationship with botanical origin and harvesting period

Producción CientíficaIn the present study, the mineral composition of seventy-one bee pollen samples from four different apiaries was determined by means of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The results showed that there were no significant differences in relation to the overall mineral content per sample in terms of the apiary of origin or the harvesting period; the most common elements were phosphorus and potassium with concentrations ranging from 2.3 to 5.1 g/kg (dry weight). Moreover, the mineral content of the samples analyzed was similar to or higher than the recommended as well-balanced food for bees. Regarding the nutritional value for humans, bee pollen samples could be considered as a food rich in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. Finally, a canonical discriminant analysis was performed, and it was found that the apiary of origin could be distinguished by using the first three canonical functions; furthermore, over 90% of the samples could be correctly assigned to their corresponding apiary. The results were even better as regards the harvesting period, as only the first two canonical functions were sufficient to make a distinction between the different harvesting periods, resulting in a perfect match (100% of success rate).Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (RTI2018-096268-B-100)Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (RTA 2015-00013-C03-01 and 03)FEDER and FSE (project AGRISOST-CM S2018/BAA-4330

ICT education policies in Spain after School Program 2.0: Emerging Trends

En este artículo se analiza la situación actual de las políticas educativas destinadas a laincorporación de las TIC a las escuelas en una muestra de ocho comunidades autónomasde España (Andalucía, Canarias, Cataluña, Extremadura, Madrid, País Valenciano, PaísVasco y Principado de Asturias) después del proceso impulsado por el Programa Escuela2.0. Este programa estuvo vigente durante el periodo 2009­2012 y respondió al modelo 1:1,de un ordenador por estudiante. Este análisis se guió por las siguientes cuestiones: ¿Quéefectos permanecen de las experiencias de políticas educativas del modelo 1:1?; ¿Quénuevos proyectos o programas están vigentes en los sistemas educativos de lascomunidades autónomas? ¿Qué nuevas tendencias con relación a las TIC estánemergiendo en la agenda educativa de las políticas autonómicas? Se concluye que lasnuevas políticas TIC, entre otras acciones, apuntan a centrar su atención en laincorporación de las PDI a todas las aulas, a la dotación de tabletas a los estudiantes envez de miniportátiles, a políticas de sustitución de los libros de texto de papel porplataformas de contenidos digitales y a la creación de portales de recursos en la nube. Seconstata también la ausencia de un programa o política educativa TIC coordinada a nivelde todo el estado como fue la experiencia del Programa Escuela 2.0.In this article the current situation of educational policies for the incorporation of ICT inschools in a sample of eight regions of Spain (Andalusia, Canary Islands, Catalonia,Extremadura, Madrid, Valencia, the Basque Country and the Principality of analyzesAsturias) after the process driven by the Escuela 2.0 program. This program was in effectduring the period 2009­2012 and responded to the 1:1 model of a computer per student.This analysis was guided by the following questions: What effects remain from theexperiences of educational policies of the 1:1 model?; What new projects or programs arein place in the educational systems of the regions? What new trends in relation to ICT areemerging in the educational agenda of regional policies? We conclude that the new ICTpolicy, among other things, aim to focus on the integration of IDPs to all classrooms toequipping students tablets instead of netbooks, a substitution policies textbooks paper fordigital content platforms, to create portals of cloud resources. The absence of aneducational program or policy level ICT coordinated statewide as was the experience ofSchool Program 2.0 has been observed

Identity and functional characterisation of the transporter supporting the Na+-dependent high-affinity NO3− uptake in Zostera marina L.

Zostera marina is a seagrass, a group of angiosperms that evolved from land to live submerged in seawater, an environment of high salinity, alkaline pH and usually very low NO3−. In 2000, we reported the first physiological evidence for the Na+-dependent high-affinity NO3− uptake in this plant. Now, to determine the molecular identity of this process, we searched for NO3− transporters common to other vascular plants encoded in Z. marina's genome. We cloned two candidates, ZosmaNPF6.3 and ZosmaNRT2 with its partner protein ZosmaNAR2. ZosmaNAR2 expression levels increase up to 4.5-fold in Z. marina leaves under NO3−-deficiency, while ZosmaNRT2 and ZosmaNPF6.3 expressions were low and unaffected by NO3−. NO3− transport capacity, kinetic properties and H+ or Na+-dependence were examined by heterologous expression in the Hansenula polymorpha high-affinity NO3− transporter gene disrupted strain (∆ynt1). ZosmaNPF6.3 functions as a H+-dependent NO3− transporter, without functionality at alkaline pH and apparent dual kinetics (KM = 11.1 µM at NO3− concentrations below 50 µM). ZosmaNRT2 transports NO3− in a H+-independent but Na+-dependent manner (KM = 1 mM Na+), with low NO3− affinity (KM = 30 µM). When ZosmaNRT2 and ZosmaNAR2 are co-expressed, a Na+-dependent high-affinity NO3− transport occurs (KM = 5.7 µM NO3−), mimicking the in vivo value. These results are discussed in the physiological context, providing evidence that ZosmaNRT2 is a Na+-dependent high-affinity NO3− transporter, the first of its kind to be functionally characterised in a vascular plant, that requires ZosmaNAR2 to achieve the necessary high-affinity for nitrate uptake from seawater.Research Funds of Malaga University, Grant/Award Number: 0837002020 B4‐2021‐08; Andalusia Regional Government, Grant/Award Number: GLOCOMA‐FEDER‐UCA 18‐107243; Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA

Impaired autophagic flux is associated with increased endoplasmic reticulum stress during the development of NAFLD

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.-- et al.The pathogenic mechanisms underlying the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy in human and mouse hepatocytes during NAFLD. ER stress and autophagy markers were analyzed in livers from patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic steatosis (NAS) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) compared with livers from subjects with histologically normal liver, in livers from mice fed with chow diet (CHD) compared with mice fed with high fat diet (HFD) or methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet and in primary and Huh7 human hepatocytes loaded with palmitic acid (PA). In NASH patients, significant increases in hepatic messenger RNA levels of markers of ER stress (activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)) and autophagy (BCN1) were found compared with NAS patients. Likewise, protein levels of GRP78, CHOP and p62/SQSTM1 (p62) autophagic substrate were significantly elevated in NASH compared with NAS patients. In livers from mice fed with HFD or MCD, ER stress-mediated signaling was parallel to the blockade of the autophagic flux assessed by increases in p62, microtubule-associated protein 2 light chain 3 (LC3-II)/LC3-I ratio and accumulation of autophagosomes compared with CHD fed mice. In Huh7 hepatic cells, treatment with PA for 8 h triggered activation of both unfolding protein response and the autophagic flux. Conversely, prolonged treatment with PA (24 h) induced ER stress and cell death together with a blockade of the autophagic flux. Under these conditions, cotreatment with rapamycin or CHOP silencing ameliorated these effects and decreased apoptosis. Our results demonstrated that the autophagic flux is impaired in the liver from both NAFLD patients and murine models of NAFLD, as well as in lipid-overloaded human hepatocytes, and it could be due to elevated ER stress leading to apoptosis. Consequently, therapies aimed to restore the autophagic flux might attenuate or prevent the progression of NAFLD.We acknowledge the following grant support: SAF2012-33283 (MINECO, Spain), Comunidad de Madrid S2010/BMD-2423, EFSD and Amylin Paul Langerhans Grant and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain) to AMV.; SAF2010-16037, SAF2013-43713-R (MINECO) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD, ISCIII) to PMS. RD12/0042/0019 (ISCIII) and S2010/BMD-2478 (Comunidad de Madrid) to LB, PI 13/01299 and Fundación Mutua Madrileña 2012 to C G-M and AIRC IG-2012 to GMF.Peer Reviewe

Chasing cardiac physiology and pathology down the CaMKII cascade

Calcium dynamics is central in cardiac physiology, as the key event leading to the excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) and relaxation processes. The primary function of Ca2+ in the heart is the control of mechanical activity developed by the myofibril contractile apparatus. This key role of Ca2+ signaling explains the subtle and critical control of important events of ECC and relaxation, such as Ca2+ influx and SR Ca2+ release and uptake. The multifunctional Ca21-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a signaling molecule that regulates a diverse array of proteins involved not only in ECC and relaxation but also in cell death, transcriptional activation of hypertrophy, inflammation, and arrhythmias. CaMKII activity is triggered by an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels. This activity can be sustained, creating molecular memory after the decline in Ca2+ concentration, by autophosphorylation of the enzyme, as well as by oxidation, glycosylation, and nitrosylation at different sites of the regulatory domain of the kinase. CaMKII activity is enhanced in several cardiac diseases, altering the signaling pathways by which CaMKII regulates the different fundamental proteins involved in functional and transcriptional cardiac processes. Dysregulation of these pathways constitutes a central mechanism of various cardiac disease phenomena, like apoptosis and necrosis during ischemia/reperfusion injury, digitalis exposure, post-acidosis and heart failure arrhythmias, or cardiac hypertrophy. Here we summarize significant aspects of the molecular physiology of CaMKII and provide a conceptual framework for understanding the role of the CaMKII cascade on Ca2+ regulation and dysregulation in cardiac health and disease.Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculare