Development of hybrid materials for arsenic removal in aqueous media

Programa de doutoramento en Química Ambiental y Fundamental. 5031P01[Resumen] La contaminación de ecosistemas acuosos presenta un gran riesgo tanto para los organismos que habitan en ellos como para los seres humanos. La búsqueda de tecnologías limpias, eficaces y económicas para la descontaminación de aguas constituye uno de los mayores retos de la sociedad actual. En las últimas décadas se han desarrollado numerosos estudios en los que se utilizan materiales naturales o residuos de actividades agrícolas e industriales para la eliminación de contaminantes en agua. En este trabajo se ha llevado a cabo la síntesis de materiales híbridos a partir de materiales naturales o de bajo coste. Los híbridos sintetizados se han utilizado como adsorbentes para la eliminación de arsénico en aguas. La síntesis y caracterización de la estructura de dichos materiales híbridos constituye una parte fundamental de esta tesis. Por otra parte, se han estudiado los distintos parámetros físico-químicos que afectan al proceso de adsorción de arsénico con cada uno de los materiales sintetizados. Además, se han realizado estudios de adsorción en columna para comprobar la viabilidad del proceso a escala industrial. Finalmente, se han realizado estudios de eliminación de cadmio y 2,4,6- trinitrotolueno para probar la efectividad de los materiales híbridos en la eliminación de otro tipo de contaminantes.[Resumo] A contaminación dos ecosistemas acuosos presenta un alto risco tanto para os organismos que habitan neles como para os seres humanos. A busca de tecnoloxías limpas, eficaces e económicas para a descontaminación de augas constitúe un dos maiores retos da sociedade actual. Nas últimas décadas realizáronse numerosos estudos nos que se utilizan materiais naturais ou residuos de actividades agrícolas e industriais para a eliminación de contaminantes en auga, normalmente mediante procesos de adsorción. Neste traballo levóuse a cabo a síntese de materiais híbridos a partir de distintos materiais naturais ou de baixo custo. Os materiais sintetizados utilizáronse como adsorbentes para a eliminación de arsénico en augas. O estudo das condición de síntese e da caracterización da estrutura dos novos materiais híbridos constitúe unha parte fundamental deste traballo de tese. Por outra parte, realizáronse estudos dos diferentes parámetros físico-químicos que afectan ó proceso de adsorción de arsénico con cada un dos materiais sintetizados. Ademais, leváronse a cabo estudos de adsorción en columna para comprobar a viabilidade do proceso de adsorción a escala industrial. Finalmente, realizáronse tamén estudos de eliminación de cadmio e 2,4,6-trinitrotolueno para probar a efectividade dalgúns dos materiais híbridos na eliminación doutro tipo de contaminantes.[Abstract] Aquatic environmental pollution constitutes a great risk for living organisms and humans. The search of efficient, economic and environmentally friendly techniques is one of the major challenges for the XXI century. A large number of studies of water pollutants removal using natural materials or agricultural and industrial residues were developed in the last decades. The majority of these studies are focused in sorption processes. In this work the synthesis of new hybrid materials was carried out using natural and low cost materials. The synthesized hybrid materials were used as adsorbents for arsenic removal in water. The study of the synthesis conditions and the structure characterization of the new materials constitute an important part of this dissertation. On the other hand, several studies were developed to evaluate the effect of the physico-chemical parameters in arsenic sorption process. In addition, column sorption studies were carried out in order to assess the viability of the process for industrial applications. Finally, cadmium and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene removal studies were performed in order to probe the efficiency of some of the hybrid materials for the removal of other pollutants

¿Son el bajo nivel de condición física y la obesidad dos características del adolescente con síndrome de Down?

Introduction: “Obesity” is considered a feature of youth with DS but whether “low physical fitness” is also a feature is unknown. Objective: The aim of this case-control study was to compare the levels of fatness and fitness in adolescents with and without DS. Methods: Participants included 17 (5 girls) adolescents with DS aged 12-18 years and a control group of 94 (45 girls) adolescents without DS aged 12-16 years. The ALPHA health-related fitness test battery for children and adolescents was selected to assess fatness and fitness in both groups. Results: There were no differences in levels of fatness between groups (all P > 0.27). Adolescents with DS had lower levels of fitness in all the tests than adolescents without DS (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Adolescents with DS have similar levels of fatness and lower levels of fitness than their peers without DSIntroducción: La obesidad es considerada una característica de los jóvenes con SD, sin embargo se desconoce si la “baja condición física” también lo es. Objetivo: Comparar los niveles de obesidad y condición física en adolescentes con y sin SD. Métodos: Participaron 17 adolescentes (5 niñas) con SD de 12 a 18 años y un grupo control de 94 (45 niñas) adolescentes sin SD de 12-16 años de edad. La batería de condición física ALPHA relacionada con la salud para niños y adolescentes fue seleccionada para evaluar la obesidad y la condición física en ambos grupos. Resultados: No se encontraron diferencias en los niveles de obesidad entre grupos (P > 0,27). Los adolescentes con SD tuvieron niveles más bajos de condición física en todos los test en comparación con los adolescentes sin SD (P < 0,001). Conclusión: Los adolescentes con SD tienen niveles similares de obesidad y menores de condición física que sus compañeros sin SD.The UP&DOWN study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP 2010-21662-C04). JRR was supported by a contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC-2010-05957

Particular association of clinical and genetic features with autoimmunity to citrullinated α-enolase in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To confirm that the presence of anti-citrullinated alpha-enolase peptide 1 (anti-CEP-1) antibodies identifies a subgroup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: DNA and serum samples were obtained from 451 patients with RA and 279 healthy control subjects, all of whom were of Spanish ancestry. Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) and CEP-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HLA-DRB1 and the R620W single-nucleotide polymorphism of PTPN22 were genotyped. RESULTS: Anti-CEP-1 and anti-CCP antibodies were observed in 26.8% and 71.2% of the patients with RA, respectively. Most of the patients (86.6%) with anti-CEP-1 antibodies also had anti-CCP antibodies. Erosive arthritis, rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, and the presence of the HLA shared epitope (especially the DRB1*04 alleles) were disproportionately associated with the group of patients with both antibodies. In addition, evidence of a significant interaction between the shared epitope and the risk allele of PTPN22 was observed only in these patients. In contrast, the association with these clinical and genetic features was weaker in patients with anti-CCP antibodies but lacking anti-CEP-1 antibodies. These results were obtained in patients in whom the prevalence of RA risk factors differed from that in other previously studied patients. CONCLUSION: We observed that autoimmunity against citrullinated alpha-enolase may identify a subset of patients with a higher frequency of joint erosions and RF positivity. In addition, we confirmed the disproportionately large effect of the susceptibility alleles of HLA-DRB1 and their interaction with PTPN22 in this subset of patients. These results extend, confirm, and generalize the evidence supporting the specificity of the anti-CEP-1 antibody-positive subgroup of patients with RA among anti-CCP antibody-positive patients with RA

Exploring the biological role of postzygotic and germinal de novo mutations in ASD

De novo mutations (DNMs), including germinal and postzygotic mutations (PZMs), are a strong source of causality for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the biological processes involved behind them remain unexplored. Our aim was to detect DNMs (germinal and PZMs) in a Spanish ASD cohort (360 trios) and to explore their role across different biological hierarchies (gene, biological pathway, cell and brain areas) using bioinformatic approaches. For the majority of the analysis, a combined ASD cohort (N = 2171 trios) was created using previously published data by the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC). New plausible candidate genes for ASD such as FMR1 and NFIA were found. In addition, genes harboring PZMs were significantly enriched for miR-137 targets in comparison with germinal DNMs that were enriched in GO terms related to synaptic transmission. The expression pattern of genes with PZMs was restricted to early mid-fetal cortex. In contrast, the analysis of genes with germinal DNMs revealed a spatio-temporal window from early to mid-fetal development stages, with expression in the amygdala, cerebellum, cortex and striatum. These results provide evidence of the pathogenic role of PZMs and suggest the existence of distinct mechanisms between PZMs and germinal DNMs that are influencing ASD riskAA-G was supported by Fundación María José Jove. CR-F was supported by a contract from the FEDER. Instituto de Salud Carlos III/PI1900809/Cofinanciado FEDER supported this studyS

Associations of physical activity type, volume, intensity, and changes over time with all-cause mortality in older adults: The Seniors-ENRICA cohorts

Objective: To assess the association of physical activity (PA) type, volume, intensity, and changes over time with all-cause mortality in older adults. Methods: We used data from 3518 and 3273 older adults recruited in the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and 2 cohorts. PA was assessed with the EPIC questionnaire. Participants reported how many hours they spent a week in walking, cycling, gardening, do-it-yourself (DIY), sports, and housework. Then, time at each intensity (moderate PA [MPA], vigorous PA [VPA], moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA] and total PA) was calculated. Changes in PA were calculated from the date of the baseline interview to Wave 1. All-cause mortality was ascertained up January 31, 2022. Analyses were performed with Cox regression models, adjusting for the main confounders. Results: Walking, gardening, sports, and housework was associated with lower mortality (ranged 20%–46%). Also, MPA, VPA, MVPA was associated with lower risk of mortality (ranged 28%–53%). Analyses of PA change showed that, compared no PA participation (at baseline nor Wave 1), maintain walking, sports, and housework (ranged 28%–53%) and maintaining MPA, VPA, and MVPA (ranged 32%–36%) levels was linked to decreased mortality risk. Those who increased, maintained, or even decreased total PA had lower mortality (57%, 52%, and 36%, respectively) than those with consistently very low PA. Conclusions: The lower mortality was observed in those with a high baseline level of total PA. Maintaining PA levels such as walking, gardening, and housework, or at all analyzed intensities, was related to lower mortalit

Ventanas a la diversidad: guía de actuación y buenas prácticas en materia de diversidad de la UDC

[Resumen] En este libro se ofrece una compilación de los recursos ofrecidos por la Unidad de Atención a la Diversidad de la Universidade da Coruña a toda la comunidad universitaria, con el respaldo de la Vicerrectoría del Campus de Ferrol y Responsabilidad Social. Incluye una revisión de las diferentes estrategias y tendencias para fomentar la participación de las personas con diversidad en la vida universitaria

IEOOS: the Spanish Institute of Oceanography Observing System

En prens

Replication of recently identified systemic lupus erythematosus genetic associations: a case–control study

Introduction We aimed to replicate association of newly identified systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) loci. Methods We selected the most associated SNP in 10 SLE loci. These 10 SNPs were analysed in 1,579 patients with SLE and 1,726 controls of European origin by single-base extension. Comparison of allele frequencies between cases and controls was done with the Mantel–Haenszel approach to account for heterogeneity between sample collections. Results A previously controversial association with a SNP in the TYK2 gene was replicated (odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, P = 2.5 × 10-5), as well as association with the X chromosome MECP2 gene (OR = 1.26, P = 0.00085 in women), which had only been reported in a single study, and association with four other loci, 1q25.1 (OR = 0.81, P = 0.0001), PXK (OR = 1.19, P = 0.0038), BANK1 (OR = 0.83, P = 0.006) and KIAA1542 (OR = 0.84, P = 0.001), which have been identified in a genome-wide association study, but not found in any other study. All these replications showed the same disease-associated allele as originally reported. No association was found with the LY9 SNP, which had been reported in a single study. Conclusions Our results confirm nine SLE loci. For six of them, TYK2, MECP2, 1q25.1, PXK, BANK1 and KIAA1542, this replication is important. The other three loci, ITGAM, STAT4 and C8orf13-BLK, were already clearly confirmed. Our results also suggest that MECP2 association has no influence in the sex bias of SLE, contrary to what has been proposed. In addition, none of the other associations seems important in this respectThe present work was supported by Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain), grants 04/1651 and 06/0620 that are partially financed by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional program of the European Union, by grants from the Xunta de Galicia, and by BMBF KN Rheuma grant C2.12 (to TW)S

Eficàcia i seguretat d’un tractament oral a base de mucopolisacàrids, col·lagen tipus I i vitamina C en pacients amb tendinopaties

Introducció i objectius La tendinopatia és una lesió freqüent durant la pràctica esportiva que es manifesta amb una alteració estructural del tendó. L’objectiu d’aquest estudi fou avaluar l’eficàcia i la seguretat d’un complement alimentari a base de mucopolisacàrids, col·lagen tipus i i vitamina C (Tendoactive®) sobre l’evolució clínica i estructural de les tendinopaties del tendó d’Aquil·les, del rotular i de l’epicòndil lateral del colze. Material i mètodes Es realitzà un estudi multicèntric prospectiu, de tipus exploratori en fase iv, obert i no comparatiu. S’inclogueren un total de 98 pacients amb tendinopaties (32 d’Aquil·les, 32 de rotular i 34 de l’epicòndil lateral) que reberen una dosi diària de 435 mg de mucopolisacàrids, 75 mg de col·lagen tipus i i 60 mg de vitamina C (equivalent a 3 càpsules al dia de Tendoactive®) durant 90 dies consecutius. Mensualment s’avaluà el dolor en repòs i en activitat mitjançant una escala visual analògica (EVA), la funció articular mitjançant els qüestionaris VISA-A, VISA-P i PRTEE, i el tendó afectat es caracteritzà ecogràficament. Resultats En els 3 tipus de tendinopatia es registrà una reducció significativa del dolor, tant en repòs com en activitat, des de la primera visita de control (dia 30) fins al final de l’estudi (dia 90). Així mateix, el dia 90 es detectà una millora del 38% en VISA-A, del 46% en VISA-P i del 77% en PRTEE (p < 0,001). Simultàniament es registrà una reducció del 12% en el gruix del tendó d’Aquil·les, del 10% en el rotular i del 20% en el tendó de l’epicòndil lateral (p < 0,05). Conclusions Els resultats de l’estudi indiquen que l’administració de Tendoactive® és segura i eficaç per millorar els símptomes clínics i l’evolució estructural de les tendinopaties del tendó d’Aquil·les, del tendó rotular i del tendó de l’epicòndil lateral