Facile synthesis of water-soluble carbon nano-onions under alkaline conditions

Carbonization of tomatoes at 240 °C using 30% (w/v) NaOH as catalyst produced carbon onions (C-onions), while solely carbon dots (C-dots) were obtained at the same temperature in the absence of the catalyst. Other natural materials, such as carrots and tree leaves (acer saccharum), under the same temperature and alkaline conditions did not produce carbon onions. XRD, FTIR, HRTEM, UV–vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence analyses were performed to characterize the as-synthesized carbon nanomaterials. Preliminary tests demonstrate a capability of the versatile materials for chemical sensing of metal ions. The high content of lycopene in tomatoes may explain the formation of C-onions in alkaline media and a possible formation mechanism for such structures was outlined

Acute effect of citrate bath on postdialysis alkalaemia

AbstractIntroductionThe correction of metabolic acidosis caused by renal failure is achieved by adding bicarbonate during dialysis. In order to avoid the precipitation of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate that takes place in the dialysis fluid (DF) when adding bicarbonate, it is necessary to add an acid, usually acetate, which is not free of side effects. Thus, citrate appears as an advantageous alternative to acetate, despite the fact that its acute effects are not accurately known.ObjectiveTo assess the acute effect of a dialysis fluid containing citrate instead of acetate on acid-base balance and calcium-phosphorus metabolism parameters.Material and methodsA prospective crossover study was conducted with twenty-four patients (15 male subjects and 9 female subjects). All patients underwent dialysis with AK-200-Ultra-S monitor with SoftPac® dialysis fluid, made with 3 mmol/L of acetate and SelectBag Citrate®, with 1 mmol/L of citrate and free of acetate. The following were measured before and after dialysis: venous blood gas monitoring, calcium (Ca), ionic calcium (Cai), phosphorus (P) and parathyroid hormone (PTH).ResultsDifferences (p<0.05) were found when using the citrate bath (C) compared to acetate (A) in the postdialysis values of: pH, C: 7.43 (0.04) vs. A: 7.47 (0.05); bicarbonate, C: 24.7 (2.7) vs. A: 27.3 (2.1) mmol/L; base excess (BEecf), C: 0.4 (3.1) vs. A: 3.7 (2.4) mmol/L; corrected calcium (Cac), C: 9.8 (0.8) vs. A: 10.1 (0.7) mg/dL; and Cai, C: 1.16 (0.05) vs. A: 1.27 (0.06) mmol/L. No differences were found in either of the parameters measured before dialysis.ConclusionDialysis with citrate provides better control of postdialysis acid-base balance, decreases/avoids postdialysis alkalaemia, and lowers the increase in Cac and Cai. This finding is of special interest in patients with predisposing factors for arrhythmia and patients with respiratory failure, carbon dioxide retention, calcifications and advanced liver disease

Orthodontically guided bone transport in the treatment of alveolar cleft: a case report

Introduction: Conventional treatments are sometimes not possible in certain alveolar cleft cases due to the severity of the gap which separates the fragments. Various management strategies have been proposed, including sequential surgical interventions or delaying treatment until adulthood to then carry out maxillary osteotomies. A further alternative approach has also been proposed, involving the application of bone transport techniques to mobilise the osseous fragments and thereby reduce the gap between lateral fragments and the premaxilla. Case Report: We introduce the case of a 10-year-old patient who presented with a bilateral alveolar cleft and a severe gap. Stable occlusion between the premaxilla and the mandible was achieved following orthodontic treatment, making it inadvisable to perform a retrusive osteotomy of the premaxilla in order to close the alveolar clefts. Faced with this situation, it was decided we would employ a bone transport technique under orthodontic guidance using a dental splint. This would enable an osseous disc to be displaced towards the medial area and reduce the interfragmentary distance. During a second surgical intervention, closure of the soft tissues was performed and the gap was filled in using autogenous bone. Conclusions: The use of bone transport techniques in selected cases allows closure of the osseous defect, whilst also preserving soft tissues and reducing the amount of bone autograft required. In our case, we were able to respect the position of the premaxilla and, at the same time, generate new tissues at both an alveolar bone and soft tissue level with results which have remained stable over the course of time

Pràctiques per a l'autoregulació de la tasca docent dels i les mestres. Material de suport

Revisors i revisores: Georgeta Ion, Carme Armengol Asparó, Aleix Barrera-Coromines, Òscar Flores Alarcia i José Luís Muñoz MorenoAquesta guia és resultat del treball en col·laboració de tots els membres implicats en el Projecte ARMIF 'Estratègies d'autoavaluació per a l'autoregulació d'aprenentatges i el desenvolupament professional docent' (Ref.: 2017ARMIF00006)Aquest document té com a finalitat oferir orientacions als i les mestres d'educació infantil i primària (i també al professorat de secundària) sobre com poden autoregular la pràctica professional. S'emfatitza en com els processos reflexius i les pràctiques d'avaluació i autoavaluació contribueixen a generar informació que permet analitzar i incorporar canvis en l'exercici professional. Específicament, els objectius que pretén són: clarificar què s'entén per autoregulació de l'exercici professional ; proporcionar una base de referència sobre com els processos d'avaluació contribueixen a l'autoregulació de la pràctica professional ; oferir exemples de pràctiques que afavoreixen l'autoregulació de la tasca docent ; facilitar pautes per a l'establiment d'una cultura d'autoregulació del desenvolupament professional en els centres educatius

Hacer aprendiendo, aprender haciendo: comunidades de aprendizaje-servicio en torno a los malestares de género en la Universidad

Resultados del proyecto "Hacer aprendiendo, aprender haciendo: comunidades de aprendizaje-servicio en torno a los malestares de género en la Universidad" en el que a través de las metodologías que aparecen en el título se generó un co-laboratorio/Asamblea de Facultad de diagnóstico, apoyo y acompañamiento en los malestares de género y acosos en el ámbito universitario. El resultado final fue la promoción de un espacio horizontal en el que las ecologías de saberes de sus integrantes (docentes, estudiantes y PAS) se puso al servicio de la propia comunidad para articular formas de denuncia y acompañamiento

The clinical heterogeneity of coenzyme Q10 deficiency results from genotypic differences in the Coq9 gene

Primary coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency is due to mutations in genes involved in CoQ biosynthesis. The disease has been associated with five major phenotypes, but a genotype–phenotype correlation is unclear. Here, we compare two mouse models with a genetic modification in Coq9 gene (Coq9Q95X and Coq9R239X), and their responses to 2,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,4‐diHB). Coq9R239X mice manifest severe widespread CoQ deficiency associated with fatal encephalomyopathy and respond to 2,4‐diHB increasing CoQ levels. In contrast, Coq9Q95X mice exhibit mild CoQ deficiency manifesting with reduction in CI+III activity and mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle, and late‐onset mild mitochondrial myopathy, which does not respond to 2,4‐diHB. We show that these differences are due to the levels of COQ biosynthetic proteins, suggesting that the presence of a truncated version of COQ9 protein in Coq9R239X mice destabilizes the CoQ multiprotein complex. Our study points out the importance of the multiprotein complex for CoQ biosynthesis in mammals, which may provide new insights to understand the genotype–phenotype heterogeneity associated with human CoQ deficiency and may have a potential impact on the treatment of this mitochondrial disorder.This work was supported by grants from the Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant Programme (COQMITMEL-266691 to LCL) within the Seventh European Community Framework Programme, from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (SAF2009-08315 and SAF2013-47761-R to LCL), from the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía (P10-CTS-6133 to LCL), and from the ‘CEIBioTic’ (20F12/1 to LCL). MLS is a predoctral fellow from the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía. LCL is supported by the ‘Ramón y Cajal’ National Programme, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (RYC-2011-07643). MAT is supported by a predoctoral grant from the University of Granada. EJC is supported by the Research Program of the University of Granada. CMQ is supported by NICHD Grants 5K23 HDO65871-05 and P01 HD080642-01, and by a MDA grant. The proteomic analysis was performed in the CSIC/UAB Proteomics Facility of IIBB-CSIC that belongs to ProteoRed, PRB2-ISCIII, supported by Grant PT13/0001

Guia de pràctiques d'avaluació per a l'autoregulació dels aprenentatges de l'estudiantat universitari

Aquesta guia és resultat del treball en col·laboració de tots els membres implicats en el Projecte ARMIF 'Estratègies d'autoavaluació per a l'autoregulació d'aprenentatges i el desenvolupament professional docent' (Ref.: 2017ARMIF00006

Vascular wall injury and inflammation are key pathogenic mechanisms responsible for early testicular degeneration during acute besnoitiosis in bulls

[EN] BACKGROUND: Bovine besnoitiosis, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Besnoitia besnoiti, is a chronic and debilitating cattle disease that notably impairs fertility. Acutely infected bulls may develop respiratory signs and orchitis, and sterility has been reported in chronic infections. However, the pathogenesis of acute disease and its impact on reproductive function remain unknown. METHODS: Herein, we studied the microscopic lesions as well as parasite presence and load in the testis (pampiniform plexus, testicular parenchyma and scrotal skin) of seven bulls with an acute B. besnoiti infection. Acute infection was confirmed by serological techniques (IgM seropositive results and IgG seronegative results) and subsequent parasite detection by PCR and histological techniques. RESULTS: The most parasitized tissue was the scrotal skin. Moreover, the presence of tachyzoites, as shown by immunohistochemistry, was associated with vasculitis, and three bulls had already developed juvenile tissue cysts. In all animals, severe endothelial injury was evidenced by marked congestion, thrombosis, necrotizing vasculitis and angiogenesis, among others, in the pampiniform plexus, testicular parenchyma and scrotal skin. Vascular lesions coexisted with lesions characteristic of a chronic infection in the majority of bulls: hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and a marked diffuse fibroplasia in the dermis of the scrotum. An intense inflammatory infiltrate was also observed in the testicular parenchyma accompanied by different degrees of germline atrophy in the seminiferous tubules with the disappearance of various strata of germ cells in four bulls. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that severe acute besnoitiosis leads to early sterility that might be permanent, which is supported by the severe lesions observed. Consequently, we hypothesized that testicular degeneration might be a consequence of (i) thermoregulation failure induced by vascular lesions in pampiniform plexus and scrotal skin lesions; (ii) severe vascular wall injury induced by the inflammatory response in the testis; and (iii) blood-testis barrier damage and alteration of spermatogenesis by immunoresponseSIThis study was fnanced by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitive‑ ness (AGL-2016-75202-R) and by the Community of Madrid (PLATESA P2018/ BAA-4370). DG-B is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science through a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowship (FJCI-2016-27875). CD-D was fnancially supported through a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Com‑ petitiveness (BES-2014-069839) and AJ-M through a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (FPU, Grant Number FPU13/05481