Miositis osificante progresiva: ultraestructura, bioquímica e histoquímica de músculo macroscópicamente sano

Se estudió un caso de miositis osificante progresiva en una niña de 13 años, a la cual se le tomó una muestra de músculo gastronecmio lateral, aparentemente no afectado, en el curso de una intervención quirúrgica ortopédica. La muestra se procesó mediante métodos histológicos, histoquímicos, bioquímicos, inmunocitoquímicos y ultraestructurales. Se encontró un predominio de fibras musculares tipo I (83%) con alta capacidad oxidativa y baja capacidad glicolítica. Las fibras del tipo II eran pequeñas (área promedio 2.084 Um2 ) y mostraron otros signos de atrofia al examen ultraestructural. La densidad capilar fue relativamente alta, (573) siendo normal el índice capilar/fibra (1,76). Sin embargo, algunos capilares se mostraron engrosados y con la luz ocluida, con la tinción de amilasa-PAS, lo cual fue corroborado con la microscopía electrónica, donde se vio la membrana basal engrosada, e inclusive algunos capilares totalmente degenerados. No se encontró reacción de inmunofluorescencia con las globulinas anti-IgG ni anti-IgM en los cortes de músculo. El espacio intersticial se encontró agrandado. Se concluye que no hay evidencias de la participación de un mecanismo autoinmune en la miositis osificante progresiva, que existe un daño capilar y alteración de las fibras musculares, aún en el músculo que no manifiesta a simple vista proceso de osificación.During an orthopedic operation a sample of the apparently normal lateral gastronecmius muscle was taken from a 13 year old female patient affected by myositis ossificans progressiva. The muscle sample was analyzed by light, electron and fluorescence microscopy, and some enzymes were assayed. Muscle fibers were classified by the adenosintriphosphatase reaction. The percentage of type I fiber was high (83%). Atrophy was found in type II fibers as shown by small mean area (2.084 Um2 ) and some ultrastructural features as infoldings of the sarcolemma. Capillary density was high (573 capillaries/mm2 ), and capillaries per fiber index was normal (1.76), as were oxidative enzymes. However many capillaries were occluded, with thick basal membrane and abnormal endothelial cells and pericytes. No immunofluorescence was found with anti IgG or anti IgM in the muscle fibers. Intersticial spaces in the cross section of the muscle were enlarged. In conclusion, no evidence of autoimmune involvement was found in myositis ossificans progressiva, but alteracions of capillaries and muscle fibers were found in a muscle apparently not affected yet by the ossification process

La erosión en campos cultivados en Galicia (NW España)

[Resumen] En la presente comunicación se realiza un seguimiento de la erosión en parcelas cultivadas en Galicia. Para ello, en la estación experimental El Pedroso se construyeron dos parcelas, de diferente pendiente, y se sometieron a un proceso de laboreo según las formas tradicionales de cultivar. En la presente comunicación se exponen los resultados del seguimiento de la experimentación desde abril a diciembre de 1995, en donde se observa que la pendiente desempeña una función distinta de la que en un principio podría pensarse, dado que la escorrentía y carga varían de forma inversa a la pendiente.[Abstract] A very closed study of erosion is made in this paper about plough plots in Galicia. For this, in the experimental station El Pedroso were built two plots, with different slope, and were ploughed in a traditional way. In this paper we resume the results of the experiment from april to december 1995, where it is seen that slope has a different function that was thought at the beginning of the experiment, because discharge and load don't vary directly with slope

La primera entrada en el laberinto en cruz elevado como predictor del nivel de ansiedad

RESUMEN Introducción: Generalmente el análisis del comportamiento exploratorio de ratas en laberinto en cruz elevado es realizado a la población general sin llevarse a cabo ningún tipo de discriminación entre individuos en función de sus decisiones exploratorias. Considerando la toma de decisiones para entrar a una zona del laberinto como un conflicto entre motivación de explorar y aversión,  el presente trabajo pretende evaluar la primera entrada a los brazos del laberinto como indicador del estado inicial de los niveles de motivación y aversión del entorno y en consecuencia, como indicador temprano de la evolución del comportamiento exploratorio.Materiales y métodos: Se evaluó el desempeño de ratas Wistar machos en laberinto en cruz elevado sometidas a una primera exposición, separándolas en dos grupos, de acuerdo a si su primera entrada fue en los brazos abiertos o en los brazos cerrados.Resultados: Aquellas ratas que primero entraron en los brazos abiertos obtuvieron valores significativamente mayores para el número de entradas y tiempo de permanencia en estos brazos en comparación con aquellas que entraron primero a los brazos cerrados; mientras que no se evidenció diferencias en el número de entradas en los brazos cerrados.Conclusión: La primera decisión del animal resulta predictiva del comportamiento durante los 5 minutos de exploración y permite discriminar las ratas entre dos niveles de ansiedad, sugiriéndose como variable discriminatoria el porcentaje de entradas a los brazos abiertos con punto de corte en 30,77%. Salud UIS 2010; 42:   Palabras clave: Aversión, comportamiento exploratorio, motivación, toma de decisión, ratas Wistar   ABSTRACT Introduction: Usually, the analysis of the rat exploratory behavior in elevated plus maze is carried out to the general population, without any discrimination between individuals as a function of their exploratory decisions. Considering the decision making to enter into a maze zone as a conflict between motivation to explore and aversion, the current work pretends to assess the first entry into the maze arms as indicator of the initial state of the motivation and aversion levels of the environment and therefore, as early indicator of the evolution of the exploratory behavior.Materials and methods: It was evaluated  the performance of male Wistar rats in elevated plus maze subjected to a first exposure, divided into two groups, according to whether its first entry was made into the open or closed arms.Results: Those rats that entered first into the open arms obtained higher significant values in the number of entries and time spent in these arms with respect to those rats that entered first into the closed arms; but it was not obtained differences in the number of entries into the closed arms.Conclusion: The first animal choice predicts the behavior during the 5 minutes of exploration and allows to discriminate the rats between two anxiety levels, being suggested the percentage of entries in open arms as discriminatory variable with cut-off value in 30.77%. Salud UIS 2010; 42:   Keywords: Aversion, decision making, exploratory behavior, motivation, Wistar rat

La primera entrada en el laberinto en cruz elevado como predictor del nivel de ansiedad

RESUMEN Introducción: Generalmente el análisis del comportamiento exploratorio de ratas en laberinto en cruz elevado es realizado a la población general sin llevarse a cabo ningún tipo de discriminación entre individuos en función de sus decisiones exploratorias. Considerando la toma de decisiones para entrar a una zona del laberinto como un conflicto entre motivación de explorar y aversión,  el presente trabajo pretende evaluar la primera entrada a los brazos del laberinto como indicador del estado inicial de los niveles de motivación y aversión del entorno y en consecuencia, como indicador temprano de la evolución del comportamiento exploratorio.Materiales y métodos: Se evaluó el desempeño de ratas Wistar machos en laberinto en cruz elevado sometidas a una primera exposición, separándolas en dos grupos, de acuerdo a si su primera entrada fue en los brazos abiertos o en los brazos cerrados.Resultados: Aquellas ratas que primero entraron en los brazos abiertos obtuvieron valores significativamente mayores para el número de entradas y tiempo de permanencia en estos brazos en comparación con aquellas que entraron primero a los brazos cerrados; mientras que no se evidenció diferencias en el número de entradas en los brazos cerrados.Conclusión: La primera decisión del animal resulta predictiva del comportamiento durante los 5 minutos de exploración y permite discriminar las ratas entre dos niveles de ansiedad, sugiriéndose como variable discriminatoria el porcentaje de entradas a los brazos abiertos con punto de corte en 30,77%. Salud UIS 2010; 42:   Palabras clave: Aversión, comportamiento exploratorio, motivación, toma de decisión, ratas Wistar   ABSTRACT Introduction: Usually, the analysis of the rat exploratory behavior in elevated plus maze is carried out to the general population, without any discrimination between individuals as a function of their exploratory decisions. Considering the decision making to enter into a maze zone as a conflict between motivation to explore and aversion, the current work pretends to assess the first entry into the maze arms as indicator of the initial state of the motivation and aversion levels of the environment and therefore, as early indicator of the evolution of the exploratory behavior.Materials and methods: It was evaluated  the performance of male Wistar rats in elevated plus maze subjected to a first exposure, divided into two groups, according to whether its first entry was made into the open or closed arms.Results: Those rats that entered first into the open arms obtained higher significant values in the number of entries and time spent in these arms with respect to those rats that entered first into the closed arms; but it was not obtained differences in the number of entries into the closed arms.Conclusion: The first animal choice predicts the behavior during the 5 minutes of exploration and allows to discriminate the rats between two anxiety levels, being suggested the percentage of entries in open arms as discriminatory variable with cut-off value in 30.77%. Salud UIS 2010; 42:   Keywords: Aversion, decision making, exploratory behavior, motivation, Wistar rat

Photoluminescence Imaging and LBIC Characterization of Defects in mc-Si Solar Cells

Today's photovoltaic market is dominated by multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) based solar cells with around 70% of worldwide production. In order to improve the quality of the Si material, a proper characterization of the electrical activity in mc-Si solar cells is essential. A full-wafer characterization technique such as photoluminescence imaging (PLi) provides a fast inspection of the wafer defects, though at the expense of the spatial resolution. On the other hand, a study of the defects at a microscopic scale can be achieved through the light-beam induced current technique. The combination of these macroscopic and microscopic resolution techniques allows a detailed study of the electrical activity of defects in mc-Si solar cells. In this work, upgraded metallurgical-grade Si solar cells are studied using these two techniques

In vivo potential of recombinant granulysin against human melanoma

9-kDa granulysin is a protein expressed into the granules of human cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells. It has been shown to exert cytolysis on microbes and tumors. We showed previously that 9-kDa granulysin exerted cell death by apoptosis in vitro on hematological tumor cell lines and also on cells from B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) patients. In addition, we have shown the anti-tumor efficiency of granulysin as a single agent in two in vivo models of human tumor development in athymic mice, the MDA-MB-231 mammary adenocarcinoma and the NCI-H929 multiple myeloma, without signs of overt secondary effects by itself. In this work, we have tested recombinant 9-kDa granulysin in an in vivo and especially aggressive model of melanoma development, xenografted UACC62 cells in athymic mice. Recombinant granulysin was administered once UACC62-derived tumors were detectable and it substantially retarded the in vivo development of this aggressive tumor. We could also detect apoptosis induction and increased NK cell infiltration inside granulysin-treated tumor tissues. These observations are especially interesting given the possibility of treating melanoma by intra-tumor injection

The Neandertal nature of the Atapuerca Sima de los Huesos mandibles

The recovery of additional mandibular fossils from the Atapuerca Sima de los Huesos (SH) site provides new insights into the evolutionary significance of this sample. In particular, morphological descriptions of the new adult specimens are provided, along with standardized metric data and phylogenetically relevant morphological features for the expanded adult sample. The new and more complete specimens extend the known range of variation in the Atapuerca (SH) mandibles in some metric and morphological details. In other aspects, the addition of new specimens has made it possible to confirm previous observations based on more limited evidence. Pairwise comparisons of individual metric variables revealed the only significant difference between the Atapuerca (SH) hominins and Neandertals was a more vertical symphysis in the latter. Similarly, principal components analysis of size-adjusted variables showed a strong similarity between the Atapuerca (SH) hominins and Neandertals. Morphologically, the Atapuerca (SH) mandibles show nearly the full complement of Neandertal-derived features. Nevertheless, the Neandertals differ from the Atapuerca (SH) mandibles in showing a high frequency of the H/O mandibular foramen, a truncated, thinned and inverted gonial margin, a high placement of the mylohyoid line at the level of the M3, a more vertical symphysis and somewhat more pronounced expression of the chin structures. Size-related morphological variation in the SH hominins includes larger retromolar spaces, more posterior placement of the lateral corpus structures, and stronger markings associated with the muscles of mastication in larger specimens. However, phylogenetically relevant features in the SH sample are fairly stable and do not vary with the overall size of the mandible. Direct comparison of the enlarged mandibular sample from Atapuerca (SH) with the Mauer mandible, the type specimen of H. heidelbergensis, reveals important differences from the SH hominins, and there is no morphological counterpart of Mauer within the SH sample, suggesting the SH fossils should not be assigned to this taxon. The Atapuerca (SH) mandibles show a greater number of derived Neandertal features, particularly those related to midfacial prognathism and in the configuration of the superior ramus, than other European middle Pleistocene specimens. This suggests that more than one evolutionary lineage co-existed in the middle Pleistocene, and, broadly speaking, it appears possible to separate the European middle Pleistocene mandibular remains into two distinct groupings. One group shows a suite of derived Neandertal features and includes specimens from the sites of Atapuerca (SH), Payre, l'Aubesier and Ehringsdorf. The other group includes specimens that generally lack derived Neandertal features and includes the mandibles from the sites of Mauer, Mala Balanica, Montmaurin and (probably) Visogliano. The two published Arago mandibles differ strongly from one another, with Arago 2 probably belonging to this former group, and Neandertal affinities being more difficult to identify in Arago 13. Outside of the SH sample, derived Neandertal features in the mandible only become more common during the second half of the middle Pleistocene. Acceptance of a cladogenetic pattern of evolution during the European middle Pleistocene has the potential to reconcile the predictions of the accretion model and the two phases model for the appearance of Neandertal morphology. The precise taxonomic classification of the SH hominins must contemplate features from the dentition, cranium, mandible and postcranial skeleton, all of which are preserved at the SH site. Nevertheless, the origin of the Neandertal clade may be tied to a speciation event reflected in the appearance of a suite of derived Neandertal features in the face, dentition and mandible, all of which are present in the Atapuerca (SH) hominins. This same suite of features also provides a useful anatomical basis to include other European middle Pleistocene mandibles and crania within the Neandertal clade.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEBinghamton UniversityMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación y UniversidadesJunta de Castilla y Leónpu

Analyzing the Role of Fe0 and Fe3+ in the Formation of Expanded Clay Aggregates

The effect of the addition of Fe0 and Fe3+ on the formation of expanded clay aggregates was studied using iron-free kaolin as an aluminosilicates source. Likewise, the incorporation of cork powder as a source of organic carbon and Na2CO3 as a flux in the mixtures was investigated in order to assess its effect in combination with the iron phases. An experimental protocol, statistically supported by a mixture experiments/design of experiments approach, was applied to model and optimize the bloating index, density, absorption capacity, and mechanical strength. The process of expansion and pore generation and the associated decrease in density required the addition of iron, such that the optimum mixtures of these properties presented between 25 and 40 wt.% of Fe0 or Fe3+, as well as the incorporation of 3.5–5 wt.% of organic carbon. The addition of Fe3+ produced a greater volumetric expansion (max. 53%) than Fe0 (max. 8%), suggesting that the formation of the FeO leading to this phenomenon would require reducing and oxidizing conditions in the former and the latter, respectively. The experimental and model-estimated results are in good agreement, especially in the aggregates containing Fe0. This reinforces the application of statistical methods for future investigations.Many thanks for Mark Tyrer (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-895X, accessed on 20 June 2023) that help us to improve the english for our research work. This research was conducted as a part of the ECO-MET-AL Project, PID2019-109520RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, “Can industrial and mining metalliferous wastes produce green lightweight aggregates? Applying the Circular Economy” funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and ERDF funds, framed in the “Ayudas a “Proyectos I+D+i” en el marco de los Programas Estatales de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico del Sistema de I+D+i y de I+D+i orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, Convocatoria 2019”. We also wish to thank the SCAI of the University of Jaén, the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of Málaga for their services