Retropharyngeal abscess described as a complication of infectious mononucleosis

Se describe un caso de absceso retrofaríngeo como complicación de mononucleosis infecciosa. Paciente adolescente que acudió al servicio de urgencias de nuestro hospital con una masa de crecimiento progresivo retrofaríngeo y cervical que comprometió la vía aérea y requirió intervención quirúrgica bajo anestesia general para su correcto drenaje y control. El diagnostico de mononucleosis infecciosa fue clínico y serológico. La tomografía computerizada (TC) cervical permitió objetivar el compromiso de la vía aérea así como la extensión del procesoWe describe a case of retropharyngeal abscess as a complication of infectious mononucleosis. Adolescent patient attended at the emergency department with a progressively growing retropharyngeal and cervical mass that airway obstruction and required surgery under general anesthesia for drainage and control. The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis was clinical and serological. Computed tomography (CT) allowed us to evaluate the airway and the extent of the proces

Incremento de la productividad en la línea de producción de colchones, mediante el uso de herramientas de lean manufacturing, en la empresa dinor e.i.r.l. Chepén – 2015.

La presente Tesis muestra el estudio y el planteamiento de una propuesta de mejora para el incremento de la productividad en la línea de producción de colchones, mediante el uso de herramientas de Lean Manufacturing, en la empresa DINOR E.I.R.L en el distrito de Chepén, departamento de La libertad, la cual se enfoca en la eliminación de desperdicios, mejora de la distribución de las áreas que genera excesivos tiempos de desplazamientos, mejora del uso de sus recursos, entre otros. Se realizó un análisis de los productos que ofrece la empresa, colchones en sus diferentes modelos, entre los cuales encontramos colchones de Espuma, en sus tipos: Simples de 1.5 plz. y 2 plz., Acolchados de 1.5 plz. y 2 plz., Súper Dinor de 1.5 plz. y 2 plz., y de Resorte, Algodón y Espuma, en sus tipos; Ortopédico, Súper Ortopédico y Doble Pestaña Pilo. Sus cantidades de producción en promedio son de 172 y 202 unidades/mes respectivamente. El objetivo de esta tesis fue elaborar una propuesta para incrementar la productividad en la Línea de Producción de Colchones, mediante el uso de Herramientas de Lean Manufacturing, pero de las cuales solo elegimos las siguientes herramientas; metodología de 5 S´s, nivelación de producción, distribución de planta, y VSM, que permiten un incremento de la productividad global del 5% de colchones de Espuma y 1.3% de colchones de Resorte, Espuma y Algodón, obteniendo un incremento de la producción de 104 y 40 unidades /mes respectivamente, logrando satisfacer la demanda del mercado. Por último se calculó el análisis de costo /beneficio y se obtuvo S/. 2.44 soles de retorno por cada sol invertido.Tesi

Long-Circulating Hyaluronan-Based Nanohydrogels as Carriers of Hydrophobic Drugs

[EN] Nanohydrogels based on natural polymers, such as polysaccharides, are gaining interest as vehicles for therapeutic agents, as they can modify the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the carried drugs. In this work, hyaluronan-riboflavin nanohydrogels were tested in vivo in healthy rats highlighting their lack of toxicity, even at high doses, and their different biodistribution with respect to that of native hyaluronan. They were also exploited as carriers of a hydrophobic model drug, the anti-inflammatory piroxicam, that was physically embedded within the nanohydrogels by an autoclave treatment. The nanoformulation was tested by intravenous administration showing an improvement of the pharmacokinetic parameters of the molecule. The obtained results indicate that hyaluronan-based self-assembled nanohydrogels are suitable systems for low-soluble drug administration, by increasing the dose as well as the circulation time of poorly available therapeutic agents.Financial support from University Sapienza Progetti di Ricerca: grant RP116154C2EF9AC8 and grant RM11715C1743EE89 are acknowledged. Isabel Gonzalez-Alvarez, Marta Gonzalez-Alvarez and Marival Bermejo acknowledge partial financial support to project SAF2016-78756 from MINECO (Spanish Ministry of economy, industry and competitivity). Mayte Martinez-Martínez received a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (FPU13-01105).Di Meo, C.; Martínez Martínez, M.; Coviello, T.; Bermejo, M.; Merino Sanjuán, V.; Gonzalez-Alvarez, I.; Gonzalez-Alvarez, M.... (2018). Long-Circulating Hyaluronan-Based Nanohydrogels as Carriers of Hydrophobic Drugs. Pharmaceutics. 10(4):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics10040213S115104Allison, D. D., & Grande-Allen, K. J. (2006). Review. Hyaluronan: A Powerful Tissue Engineering Tool. Tissue Engineering, 12(8), 2131-2140. doi:10.1089/ten.2006.12.2131Prestwich, G. D. (2008). Engineering a clinically-useful matrix for cell therapy. Organogenesis, 4(1), 42-47. doi:10.4161/org.6152Ossipov, D. A. (2010). Nanostructured hyaluronic acid-based materials for active delivery to cancer. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 7(6), 681-703. doi:10.1517/17425241003730399Rao, N. V., Yoon, H. Y., Han, H. S., Ko, H., Son, S., Lee, M., … Park, J. H. (2015). Recent developments in hyaluronic acid-based nanomedicine for targeted cancer treatment. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 13(2), 239-252. doi:10.1517/17425247.2016.1112374Dosio, F., Arpicco, S., Stella, B., & Fattal, E. (2016). Hyaluronic acid for anticancer drug and nucleic acid delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 97, 204-236. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2015.11.011Montanari, E., D’Arrigo, G., Di Meo, C., Virga, A., Coviello, T., Passariello, C., & Matricardi, P. (2014). Chasing bacteria within the cells using levofloxacin-loaded hyaluronic acid nanohydrogels. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 87(3), 518-523. doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2014.03.003Svanovsky, E., Velebny, V., Laznickova, A., & Laznicek, M. (2008). The effect of molecular weight on the biodistribution of hyaluronic acid radiolabeled with111In after intravenous administration to rats. European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 33(3), 149-157. doi:10.1007/bf03191112Harris, E. N., Kyosseva, S. V., Weigel, J. A., & Weigel, P. H. (2006). Expression, Processing, and Glycosaminoglycan Binding Activity of the Recombinant Human 315-kDa Hyaluronic Acid Receptor for Endocytosis (HARE). Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282(5), 2785-2797. doi:10.1074/jbc.m607787200Choi, K. Y., Min, K. H., Na, J. H., Choi, K., Kim, K., Park, J. H., … Jeong, S. Y. (2009). Self-assembled hyaluronic acid nanoparticles as a potential drug carrier for cancer therapy: synthesis, characterization, and in vivo biodistribution. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 19(24), 4102. doi:10.1039/b900456dPedrosa, S. S., Pereira, P., Correia, A., & Gama, F. M. (2017). Targetability of hyaluronic acid nanogel to cancer cells : In vitro and in vivo studies. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 104, 102-113. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2017.03.045Yang, C., Li, C., Zhang, P., Wu, W., & Jiang, X. (2017). Redox Responsive Hyaluronic Acid Nanogels for Treating RHAMM (CD168) Over-expressive Cancer, both Primary and Metastatic Tumors. Theranostics, 7(6), 1719-1734. doi:10.7150/thno.18340Rosso, F., Quagliariello, V., Tortora, C., Di Lazzaro, A., Barbarisi, A., & Iaffaioli, R. V. (2013). Cross-linked hyaluronic acid sub-micron particles: in vitro and in vivo biodistribution study in cancer xenograft model. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 24(6), 1473-1481. doi:10.1007/s10856-013-4895-4Nakai, T., Hirakura, T., Sakurai, Y., Shimoboji, T., Ishigai, M., & Akiyoshi, K. (2012). Injectable Hydrogel for Sustained Protein Release by Salt-Induced Association of Hyaluronic Acid Nanogel. Macromolecular Bioscience, 12(4), 475-483. doi:10.1002/mabi.201100352Montanari, E., Capece, S., Di Meo, C., Meringolo, M., Coviello, T., Agostinelli, E., & Matricardi, P. (2013). Hyaluronic Acid Nanohydrogels as a Useful Tool for BSAO Immobilization in the Treatment of Melanoma Cancer Cells. Macromolecular Bioscience, 13(9), 1185-1194. doi:10.1002/mabi.201300114Montanari, E., Di Meo, C., Sennato, S., Francioso, A., Marinelli, A. L., Ranzo, F., … Matricardi, P. (2017). Hyaluronan-cholesterol nanohydrogels: Characterisation and effectiveness in carrying alginate lyase. New Biotechnology, 37, 80-89. doi:10.1016/j.nbt.2016.08.004Montanari, E., De Rugeriis, M. C., Di Meo, C., Censi, R., Coviello, T., Alhaique, F., & Matricardi, P. (2015). One-step formation and sterilization of gellan and hyaluronan nanohydrogels using autoclave. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 26(1). doi:10.1007/s10856-014-5362-6Di Meo, C., Montanari, E., Manzi, L., Villani, C., Coviello, T., & Matricardi, P. (2015). Highly versatile nanohydrogel platform based on riboflavin-polysaccharide derivatives useful in the development of intrinsically fluorescent and cytocompatible drug carriers. Carbohydrate Polymers, 115, 502-509. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.08.107Manzi, G., Zoratto, N., Matano, S., Sabia, R., Villani, C., Coviello, T., … Di Meo, C. (2017). «Click» hyaluronan based nanohydrogels as multifunctionalizable carriers for hydrophobic drugs. Carbohydrate Polymers, 174, 706-715. doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.07.003Lozoya-Agullo, I., Araújo, F., González-Álvarez, I., Merino-Sanjuán, M., González-Álvarez, M., Bermejo, M., & Sarmento, B. (2018). PLGA nanoparticles are effective to control the colonic release and absorption on ibuprofen. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 115, 119-125. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2017.12.009Samiei, N., Mangas-Sanjuan, V., González-Álvarez, I., Foroutan, M., Shafaati, A., Zarghi, A., & Bermejo, M. (2013). Ion-pair strategy for enabling amifostine oral absorption: Rat in situ and in vivo experiments. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 49(4), 499-504. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2013.04.025Wei, X., Senanayake, T. H., Bohling, A., & Vinogradov, S. V. (2014). Targeted Nanogel Conjugate for Improved Stability and Cellular Permeability of Curcumin: Synthesis, Pharmacokinetics, and Tumor Growth Inhibition. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 11(9), 3112-3122. doi:10.1021/mp500290

McCLEC, a robust and stable enzymatic based microreactor platform

A microfluidic chip for cross-linked enzyme crystals (McCLEC) is presented and demonstrated to be a stable, reusable and robust biocatalyst-based device with very promising biotechnological applications. The cost-effective microfluidic platform allows in situ crystallization, cross-linking and enzymatic reaction assays on a single device. A large number of enzymatic reuses of the McCLEC platform were achieved and a comparative analysis is shown illustrating the efficiency of the process and its storage stability for more than one year.This work has been partly funded by the MICINN (Spain) projects BIO2010-16800 (JAG) and BIO2012-34937 (SMR), the European Commission (Contract No. 317916) under the LiPhos project (AL and IRR), “Factoría Española de Cristalización” Consolider-Ingenio 2010 (JAG and MCM) and EDRF Funds (JAG and AL). MCM thanks the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, Spain) for a JAE predoc fellowship

Ionic Hydrogel Based on Chitosan Cross-Linked with 6-Phosphogluconic Trisodium Salt as a Drug Delivery System

[EN] In this work, 6-phosphogluconic trisodium salt (6-PG(-)Na(+)) is introduced as a new aqueous and nontoxic cross-linking agent to obtain ionic hydrogels. Here, it is shown the formation of hydrogels based on chitosan cross-linked with 6-PG(-)Na(+). This formulation is obtained by ionic interaction of cationic groups of polymer with anionic groups of the cross linker. These hydrogels are nontoxic, do not cause dermal irritation, are easy to extend, and have an adequate adhesion force to be applied as polymeric film over the skin. This AWN formulation exhibits a first order release kinetic and can be applied as drug vehicle for topical administration or as wound dressing for wound healing. The primary goal of this communication is to report the identification and utility of 6-phosphogluconic trisodium salt (6-PG(-)Na(+)) as a nontoxic cross-linker applicable for cationic polymers.The authors acknowledge partial financial support to project SAF2016-78756 from MINECO (Spanish Ministry of economy, industry and competitiveness). Maria Teresa Martinez Martinez received a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (FPU13-01105). The product was patented in Spain in 2016 by authors of this paper. Patent application 201631463.Martínez Martínez, M.; Rodríguez Berna, G.; Gonzalez-Alvarez, I.; Hernández, MJ.; Corma Canós, A.; Bermejo, M.; Merino Sanjuán, V.... (2018). Ionic Hydrogel Based on Chitosan Cross-Linked with 6-Phosphogluconic Trisodium Salt as a Drug Delivery System. Biomacromolecules. 19(4):1294-1304. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00108S1294130419

Medios neoliberales progresistas y feminismo mediático. El conflicto de intereses entre VOX y el movimiento feminista en Vice News (España) y Playground Magazine

Desde la perspectiva de la Economía Política de la Comunicación (EPC), los medios comunicación, lejos de funcionar como un servicio público, se hallan consolidados como negocios (Labio, 2005, p.4). Las lógicas neoliberales que los gobiernan entran en contacto con los Nuevos Movimientos sociales (NMS) y se sirven de ellos, originando productos como el feminismo mediático. La trayectoria de esta dinámica se topa con el ascenso de VOX en las últimas elecciones andaluzas, lo que convierte éste en un momento de interés para analizar cómo los medios están abordando la simultaneidad de los acontecimientos. El presente trabajo pretende comprobar si los contenidos de la edición española de Vice News y Playground Magazine protagonizados por VOX incorporan menciones al feminismo, y si éstas tienen un tono polémico o crítico. Esto permite reflexionar sobre el uso del feminismo mediático como una herramienta ideológica, descontextualizada de las dimensiones de clase, que responde a una agenda sociopolítica neoliberal. Las hipótesis consideran que las publicaciones escogidas hacen coincidir ambas cuestiones en sus contenidos, y que su posicionamiento formal (progresista) entra en contradicción con su tratamiento informativo, por un lado, y con su estructura mediática, por otro (neoliberal)

Anything for a Cheerio: Brown Capuchins (\u3cem\u3eSapajus [Cebus] apella\u3c/em\u3e) Consistently Coordinate in an Assurance Game for Unequal Payoffs

Unequal outcomes disrupt cooperation in some situations, but this has not been tested in the context of coordination in economic games. To explore this, we tested brown capuchins (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) on a manual version of the Stag Hunt (or Assurance) Game, in which individuals sequentially chose between two options, Stag or Hare, and were rewarded according to their choices and that of their partner. Typically, coordination on Stag results in an equal highest payout, whereas coordinating on Hare results in a guaranteed equal but lower payoff and uncoordinated play results in the lowest payoff when playing Stag. We varied this structure such that one capuchin received double the rewards for the coordinated Stag outcome; thus, it was still both animals\u27 best option, but no longer equally rewarding. Despite the inequality, capuchins coordinated on Stag in 78% of trials, and neither payoff structure nor their partner\u27s choice impacted their decision. Additionally, there was no relationship between self-scratching, a measure of stress in capuchins, and choices. After completing the study, we discovered our reward, cheerios, was sufficiently valuable that in another study, capuchins never refused it, so post hoc we repeated the study using a lower value reward, banana flavored pellets. Capuchins completed only 26% of the pellet trials (compared to 98% with cheerios), constraining our ability to interpret the results, but nonetheless the monkeys showed a decrease in preference for Stag, particularly when they received fewer rewards for the coordinated Stag outcome. These results reinforce capuchins\u27 ability to find coordinated outcomes in the Stag Hunt game, but more work is needed to determine whether the monkeys did not mind the inequality or were unwilling to sacrifice a highly preferred food to rectify it. In either case, researchers should carefully consider the impact of their chosen rewards on subjects\u27 choices

Essential role of UCP1 modulating the central effects of thyroid hormones on energy balance

Objective Classically, metabolic effects of thyroid hormones (THs) have been considered to be peripherally mediated, i.e. different tissues in the body respond directly to thyroid hormones with an increased metabolism. An alternative view is that the metabolic effects are centrally regulated. We have examined here the degree to which prolonged, centrally infused triiodothyronine (T3) could in itself induce total body metabolic effects and the degree to which brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis was essential for such effects, by examining uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) KO mice. Methods Wildtype and UPC1 KO mice were centrally-treated with T3 by using minipumps. Metabolic measurements were analyzed by indirect calorimetry and expression analysis by RT-PCR or western blot. BAT morphology and histology were studied by immunohistochemistry. Results We found that central T3-treatment led to reduced levels of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and elevated body temperature (0.7 °C). UCP1 was essential for the T3-induced increased rate of energy expenditure, which was only observable at thermoneutrality and notably only during the active phase, for the increased body weight loss, for the increased hypothalamic levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and for the increased food intake induced by central T3-treatment. Prolonged central T3-treatment also led to recruitment of BAT and britening/beiging (“browning”) of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT). Conclusions We conclude that UCP1 is essential for mediation of the central effects of thyroid hormones on energy balance, and we suggest that similar UCP1-dependent effects may underlie central energy balance effects of other agentsThis study was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council and Knut and Alice Wallenbergs Foundation, as well as by funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 281854 – the ObERStress European Research Council project (281854) (ML) Xunta de Galicia (ML: 2015-CP079, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (ML: PI12/01814), MINECO co-funded by the FEDER Program of EU; CD: BFU2014-55871-P), CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (an initiative of ISCIII). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscriptS

The Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in an Exposed Human Population Is Biased by the Immunoassay Used: Implications in Serosurveillance

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was examined over 7 months in a population of essential service workers exposed during the first epidemic wave in Madrid (Spain). Results obtained with different serological assays were compared. Firstly, serum samples obtained in April 2020 were analyzed using eleven SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection methods, including seven ELISAs, two CLIAs and two LFAs. While all of the ELISA tests and the Roche eCLIA method showed good performance, it was poorer for the Abbott CLIA and LFA tests. Sera from 115 workers with serologically positive results in April were collected 2 and 7 months after the first sampling and were analyzed using five of the tests previously assessed. The results showed that while some ELISA tests consistently detected the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies even 7 months after first detection, other methods, such as the Abbott CLIA test, showed an important reduction in sensitivity for these mature antibodies. The sensitivity increased after establishing new cut-off values, calculated taking into account both recent and old infections, suggesting that an adjustment of assay parameters may improve the detection of individuals exposed to the infection.This research was funded by the Madrid City Council (Specific epidemiological and health studies of COVID-19 to know the prevalence of the disease in essential operational sectors).S

Der p 1 based immunotoxin as potential tool for the treatment of dust mite respiratory allergy

Immunotoxins appear as promising therapeutic molecules, alternative to allergen-specifcimmunotherapy. In this work, we achieved the development of a protein chimera able to promote specifc cell death on efector cells involved in the allergic reaction. Der p 1 allergen was chosen as cell-targeting domain and the powerful ribotoxin α-sarcin as the toxic moiety. The resultant construction, named proDerp1αS, was produced and purifed from the yeast Pichia pastoris. Der p 1-protease activity and α-sarcin ribonucleolytic action were efectively conserved in proDerp1αS. Immunotoxin impact was assayed by using efector cells sensitized with house dust mite-allergic sera. Cell degranulation and death, triggered by proDerp1αS, was exclusively observed on Der p 1 sera sensitized-humRBL-2H3 cells, but not when treated with non-allergic sera. Most notably, equivalent IgE-binding and degranulation were observed with both proDerp1αS construct and native Der p 1 when using purifed basophils from sensitized patients. However, proDerp1αS did not cause any cytotoxic efect on these cells, apparently due to its lack of internalization after their surface IgEbinding, showing the complex in vivo panorama governing allergic reactions. In conclusion, herein we present proDerp1αS as a proof of concept for a potential and alternative new designs of therapeutic tools for allergies. Development of new, and more specifc, second-generation of immunotoxins following proDerp1αS, is further discussed