Identification of a broad lipid repertoire associated to the endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR)

Evidence is mounting that the nature of the lipid bound to the endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) has an impact on its biological roles, as observed in anticoagulation and more recently, in autoimmune disease. Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine species dominate the EPCR lipid cargo, yet, the extent of diversity in the EPCR-associated lipid repertoire is still unknown and remains to be uncovered. We undertook mass spectrometry analyses to decipher the EPCR lipidome, and identified species not yet described as EPCR ligands, such as phosphatidylinositols and phosphatidylserines. Remarkably, we found further, more structurally divergent lipids classes, represented by ceramides and sphingomyelins, both in less abundant quantities. In support of our mass spectrometry results and previous studies, high-resolution crystal structures of EPCR in three different space groups point to a prevalent diacyl phospholipid moiety in EPCR¿s pocket but a mobile and ambiguous lipid polar head group. In sum, these studies indicate that EPCR can associate with varied lipid classes, which might impact its properties in anticoagulation and the onset of autoimmune disease.Ramón y Cajal, Grant RYC‐2017‐21683, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain (JLS). Generación de Conocimiento, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain, Grant PGC2018-094894-B-I00 (JLS and EEA). Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (MICINN) and The European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) funding Grant RTI2018-095166-B-I00 (Antonia García y Francisco Javier Rupérez). Predoctoral Fellowship, Ministry of Universities, Government of Spain, Grant FPU19/06206 (MMG). Alejandro Urdiciain is a recipient of a Margarita Salas contract funded by UPNA and the Ministry of Universities of Spain within the Plan of Recovery, Transformation and Resilience and the European Recovery Instrument Next Generation EU

Riqueza y distribución de corales pétreos en la costa noroccidental del Golfo de Venezuela / Richness and distribution of stony corals in the north-western coast of the Gulf of Venezuela

[Spanish] Los ecosistemas arrecifales son considerados por diversos autores como refugio para una gran diversidad de especies marinas. En Venezuela han sido muchos los trabajos que describen taxonómica y ecológicamente a este ecosistema, pero existe una notable ausencia de información registrada para el Golfo de Venezuela. Se recabó información, a través de observación directa (buceo apnea), registros fílmicos y fotográficos, que corroboran la presencia de bancos arrecifales (ubicación geográfica, batimétrica y otras características físicas – salinidad, temperatura y turbidez)en la zona noroccidental del Golfo de Venezuela. Se registraron 15 especies de corales duros: 12 escleractinios y tres especies mileporinas. Su riqueza es sustancialmente menor, comparada con la reportada para otras comunidades coralinas del Caribe Sur, lo que podría estar relacionado a la influencia de la descarga de agua dulce y de la marcada sedimentación en diferentes zonas; ambos elementos podrían estar afectando la supervivencia de las comunidades coralin as en la zona de estudio. Con los registros se incrementa la diversidad de especies y de hábitats para el Golfo de Venezuela. [English] Coral reef ecosystems are considered by several authors as key areas which hold a vast diversity of marine species. Comprehensive studies have been developed in Venezuela describing these ecosystems both taxonomically and ecologically. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of information from the Gulf of Venezuela. Systematic information was gathered through direct observations (apnea diving), submarine transects, underwater photography and videos, which confirmed the presence of coral patches, as well as their geographical, bathymetrical and environmental characteristics – salinity, temperature and turbidity in the Gulf of Venezuela. Fifteen species of stony coral were identified; 12 scleractinian and three milleporina. The effect of freshwater and significant sedimentation may be the reasons of a low richness in comparison with other areas in the southern Caribbean. These records increase the species and habitats diversity for the Gulf of Venezuela

Construcción y desarrollo de competencias de traductor a través de actividades de ApS en el Grado en Traducción e Interpretación: nuevas vías para la investigación en metodologías docentes para la enseñanza de lenguas y TAV

Memoria ID-128. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2019-2020.[ES]La realización de este proyecto busca promover el desarrollo holístico de las competencias de traductor del estudiante del Grado en Traducción e Interpretación, mediante las posibilidades que ofrece la integración de actividades de traducción audiovisual, concretamente el subtitulado, el aprendizaje servicio, y la enseñanza basada en proyectos o tarea

Incidence and Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer After Heart Transplantation: Data From the Spanish Post-Heart Transplant Tumor Registry

In this observational and multicenter study, that included all patients who underwent a heart transplantation (HT) in Spain from 1984 to 2018, we analyzed the incidence, management, and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) after HT. Of 6,244 patients with a HT and a median follow-up of 8.8 years since the procedure, 116 CRC cases (11.5% of noncutaneous solid cancers other than lymphoma registered) were diagnosed, mainly adenocarcinomas, after a mean of 9.3 years post-HT. The incidence of CRC increased with age at HT from 56.6 per 100,000 person-years among under 45 year olds to 436.4 per 100,000 person-years among over 64 year olds. The incidence rates for age-at-diagnosis groups were significantly greater than those estimated for the general Spanish population. Curative surgery, performed for 62 of 74 operable tumors, increased the probability of patient survival since a diagnosis of CRC, from 31.6% to 75.7% at 2 years, and from 15.8% to 48.6% at 5 years, compared to patients with inoperable tumors. Our results suggest that the incidence of CRC among HT patients is greater than in the general population, increasing with age at HT

Puesta en marcha de un programa de prácticas de traducción en departamentos e institutos universitarios de la Universidad de Salamanca

Memoria ID-0113. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2017-2018

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Politico-Epistemic Tensions Regarding Personal Assistance and Care for People with Disabilities: An Integrative Literature Review

Background: Since the 1960s, the Independent Life Movement has demanded personal assistance as a right for people with disabilities to access autonomy. In turn, feminist movements have shown a special concern for the care and profile of the providers. Both postures have created tensions around the provision of personal assistance and care for people with disabilities. Aim: To know and analyze the scientific evidence regarding approaches to personal assistance and care for people with disabilities. Methods: An Integrative Literature Review using five databases: Dialnet, Scielo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Boolean combinations were: “Personal assistance AND disability”; “Personal assistance AND care AND disability”; “Care AND disability” in English, and “Asistencia personal AND discapacidad”; “Asistencia personal AND cuidados AND discapacidad”; “Cuidados AND discapacidad” in Spanish. A total of 31 scientific articles were obtained. A content analysis was then, with five analysis dimensions emerging. Results: The articles approached the positive aspects of personal assistance. Others established the need for more resources in order to not be an exclusive reality for developed countries. Profiles were made of racialized, young, migrant women as the identity behind (informal) care. From the perspective of a feminist disability care ethic, new forms of providing care are proposed, by changing the focus from individual and family responsibility, towards a social and collective focus. Conclusion: The evidence analyzed considers various dimensions of the epistemo-political tension between personal assistance and care. The meeting point between both perspectives is interdependence and autonomy; on the one side, for people with disabilities, and on the other, for the women profiled as the main caregivers