Microbiología y cultura científica para discapacitados intelectuales

Trabajo presntado al XXIII Congreso Nacional de Microbiología celbrado en Salamanca del 11 al 14 de julio de 2011 y que recibe el Premio del Grupo Especializado de Docencia y Difusión de la Microbiología de la Sociedad Española de Microbiología (SEM) al mejor poster presentado.Los firmantes del presente trabajo financian su investigación científica con los proyectos ALIBIRD-CM-P2009/AGR-1469 (Comunidad de Madrid) AGL2009-07894 y CSD2007-00063FUN-C-FOOD (CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010) del MINCINN.Peer Reviewe

Modulation of the lipolysis and subsequent antibacterial activity of the fat from black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) by the combined selection of slaughtering, drying and defatting methods of the larvae

The aim of this study was to evaluate the modulating effect of the processing of Hermetia illucens larvae on the antibacterial activity of the fat related to lipolysis to free fatty acids (FFAs), mainly as lauric acid. Blanching and freezing were compared for slaughtering, oven or freeze-drying for drying, and mechanical pressing or supercritical fluid for defatting. Freezing plus freeze-drying produced the highest FFAs content (21%), mainly as lauric acid (11%). In agreement, freezing plus freeze-drying was also the most effective method to obtain fats with higher antibacterial activity, regardless of the defatting method. The antibacterial activity was significantly more relevant for gram-positive bacteria, having a strain-dependent character. The most effective fat was bactericidal for Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus subtilis and reduced Staphylococcus aureus growth. Therefore, it is possible to selectively modulate the antibacterial activity of the H. illucens fat due to lipolysis by the processing methods of larvae. Industrial relevance: This study provides guidance to choose the best mode of processing of H. illucens larvae to selectively modulate the potential use of the lipid coproduct of this edible insect, either from the point of view of food use, which requires methods of processing to yield a high quality (low acidity), or from the point of view of antimicrobial applications, using methods of processing that selectively produce an antibacterial fat (high acidity). Furthermore, the best antibacterial activity demonstrated for fats of H. illucens of poor acid quality is an innovative approach for revalorization of such fats that would fail to meet the quality standard required for food applicationsAGL2017-89566-

Biomimetic hierarchical micro/nano texturing of TiAlV alloys by femtosecond laser processing for the control of cell adhesion and migration

The control of the interaction between materials and biological tissues is a key factor to optimize the overall performance of implants and prostheses integrated into the body. With this objective in mind, biomimetic hierarchical one- and two-dimensional surface patterns textured at the micro and nano scales were fabricated on titanium alloys using femtosecond laser processing. The experimental results show that laser irradiation promotes surface oxidation together with a polarization-dependent nano-ripple formation. Human mesenchymal stem cells were subsequently cultured on different surface patterns aiming at determining their response to the underlying micro and nano structures. The ripple topography was demonstrated to induce a nonfouling behavior, which could be exploited in the fabrication of biomimetic hierarchical surface patterns to develop cell-trapping modulesThe authors are grateful for funding provided by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain), under project reference numbers MAT2014-54826-C2-1-R and MAT2014-54826-C2-2-R and NanoNeuroDev (Grant No. 2017/EEUU/11) from Santander-Universida

Antioxidant, anti-Inflammatory, and antibacterial properties of an Achillea millefolium L. extract and Its fractions obtained by supercritical anti-solvent fractionation against Helicobacter pylori

The main objective of this work is to evaluate the potential utility of an Achillea millefolium extract (yarrow extract, YE) in the control of H. pylori infection. The supercritical anti-solvent fractionation (SAF) process of YE allowed the obtaining of two different fractions: yarrow’s precipitated fraction (YPF), enriched in most polar phenolic compounds (luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid), and yarrow’s separator fraction (YSF), enriched in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, mainly containing camphor, artemisia ketone, and borneol. YE was effective in reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human gastric AGS cells by 16% to 29%, depending on the H. pylori strain. YPF had the highest inhibitory activity (38–40%) for ROS production. YE modulated the inflammatory response in AGS gastric cells, decreasing IL-8 production by 53% to 64%. This IL-8 inhibition also showed a strain-dependent character. YPF and YSF exhibited similar behavior, reducing IL-8 production, suggesting that both phenolic compounds and essential oils could contribute to IL-8 inhibition. YSF showed the highest antibacterial activity against H. pylori (6.3–7.1 log CFU reduction, depending on the strain) and lower MIC (0.08 mg/mL). Results obtained have shown that YE and SAF fractions (YPF and YSF) were effective as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agents regardless of the H. pylori strain characteristic

Historia y enseñanza de las ciencias : nuevas perspectivas y oportunidades para la colaboración

Tanto desde la didáctica de las ciencias como desde los estudios históricos y sociales sobre ciencia se ha apuntado la necesidad de establecer marcos de diálogo y colaboración entre investigadores en didáctica, historiadores de la ciencia y el profesorado de ciencias. Al mismo tiempo, desde la historia de la ciencia han sido varios los trabajos de investigación realizados en torno a la ciencia en las aulas. Entre ellos encontramos el estudio de las biografías del profesorado de ciencias y de los instrumentos científicos empleados en contextos educativos. Las posibilidades didácticas de estos trabajos son hoy un área aún por explorar. El presente trabajo recoge algunas de las nuevas perspectivas en historia de la ciencia en torno a la historia de la enseñanza de las ciencias, con el fin de mostrar sus posibles potencialidades para la formación del profesorado y la práctica docente

Causes of Mortality and Disease in Rabbits and Hares: A Retrospective Study

P. 1-17In this study we determined the causes of mortality and disease in a total of 325 lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) in northern Spain between 2000 and 2018. Risk factors such as the species, age, sex,time of year and origin were also considered. Clinical signs, gross and histopathological findings and ancillary test results were the basis for the final diagnoses that were reviewed to classify and identify the di erent disorders. A total of 26 di erent conditions were identified. A single cause of death or illness was detected in 267 animals. They were grouped into parasitic conditions (n= 65; 24.34%) represented by encephalitozoonosis, hepatic coccidiosis, hepatoperitoneal cysticercosis, intestinal coccidiosis, parasitic gastritis and cutaneous ectoparasitosis; bacterial diseases (n = 56; 20.97%) including pseudotuberculosis, blue breast, skin abscesses, tularemia, pneumonic pasteurellosis and staphylococcal infections; nutritional and metabolic diseases (n = 48; 17.97%) with epizootic rabbit enteropathy, hepatic steatosis and pregnancy toxemia as prominent diseases; viral infections (n=31; 11.61%) comprising rabbit hemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis and miscellaneous causes (n= 31; 11.61%) where rabbit enteritis complex, renal conditions (nephrosis), heat stroke, and arterial bone metaplasia were included; neoplasms (n = 12; 4.49%) represented by uterine adenocarcinoma, mammary adenocarcinoma, cutaneous fibroma, intestinal lymphoma and hepatic cholangiocarcinoma; toxicoses (n = 11; 4.11%); trauma-related injuries (n = 9; 3.37%) and finally congenital diseases (n = 4; 1.49%). In 58 animals of the study, some of these conditions were presented jointly. We discuss the detection frequency, possible causes or associated factors of the di erent pathologies as well as the importance of the diferent variables considered.S

Engineering of silicon surfaces at the micro- and nanoscales for cell adhesion and migration control

The engineering of surface patterns is a powerful tool for analyzing cellular communication factors involved in the processes of adhesion, migration, and expansion, which can have a notable impact on therapeutic applications including tissue engineering. In this regard, the main objective of this research was to fabricate patterned and textured surfaces at micron- and nanoscale levels, respectively, with very different chemical and topographic characteristics to control cell–substrate interactions. For this task, one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) patterns combining silicon and nanostructured porous silicon were engineered by ion beam irradiation and subsequent electrochemical etch. The experimental results show that under the influence of chemical and morphological stimuli, human mesenchymal stem cells polarize and move directionally toward or away from the particular stimulus. Furthermore, a computational model was developed aiming at understanding cell behavior by reproducing the surface distribution and migration of human mesenchymal stem cells observed experimentally

Lesiones en el aparato genital femenino en pequeños rumiantes: revisión de casos de diagnóstico

Entre 2006 y 2015, en el Servicio de Diagnóstico Anatomopatológico de la Facultad de Veterinaria de la Universidad de León se estudió un total de 1516 ovejas y cabras mayores de un año de edad, que fueron remitidas por diferentes causas. El objetivo de este trabajo es dar a conocer cuáles son las principales lesiones macroscópicas encontradas en el aparato genital femenino en los animales necropsiados, que en un buen número de los casos no fueron el motivo principal que ocasionaba la remisión para su estudio

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