DESARROLLO DE ADITIVOS ANTIMICROBIANOS BASADOS EN NANOPARTÍCULAS METÁLICAS OBTENIDAS POR SÍNTESIS VERDE PARA SU APLICACIÓN EN RECUBRIMIENTOS

En las últimas décadas se ha incrementado el interés en el estudio del biodeterioro de materiales estructurales y sus consecuencias, no solo económicas sino sobre el ambiente, la salud humana. Para proteger estos materiales se han desarrollado formulaciones que contienen uno o más agentes antimicrobianos o biocidas que además no causen perjuicios a la salud humana. El objetivo de la presente investigación es desarrollar nuevos aditivos antimicrobianos de base nanotecnológica obtenidos por síntesis verde, aplicables en la formulación de recubrimientos protectores de materiales estructurales. Para ello se seleccionaron las plantas Schinus molle, Equisetum giganteum, Cecropia adenopus e Ilex paraguariensis; teniendo en cuenta su disponibilidad en la región y el haber sido asociadas con propiedades antimicrobianas. Se obtuvieron, mediante infusión, extractos vegetales acuosos y se sintetizaron nanopartículas poniendo en contacto el extracto con soluciones 10-1, 10-2 y 10-3 M de AgNO3 a 60oC durante 30 minutos. La estabilidad se siguió mediante espectrofotometría UV-visible durante 9 meses. Mediante el II Gatan Digital Micrography acoplado a un Microscopio electrónico de transmisión, mayormente se observaron nanopartículas esféricas alrededor de los 20 nm. Mediante FTIR y de difracción de Rayos X se observó que los productos de síntesis purificados contenían plata y restos de compuestos vegetales. Para comprobar la actividad antimicrobiana se seleccionaron las bacterias Escherichia coli ATCC 11229 y Staphilococcus aureus ATCC 6538 y los hongos Chaetomium globosum KU936228 y Alternaria alternata KU 936229 que habían sido aislados de paredes con signos de biodeterioro. Se determinó la concentración inhibitoria mínima en todos los casos y las nanopartículas de plata sintetizadas a partir de E. gigantum fueron seleccionadas para ser agregadas en los recubrimientos en la siguiente etapa. Luego, se formuló una pintura acrílica de base acuosa donde el agua de la formulación fue sustituida por las suspensiones acuosas de las nanopartículas correspondientes. La pintura base fue caracterizada y se determinó que cumplían con los estándares. Se siguió un procedimiento similar al de la norma ASTM D5590 para la evaluación de la resistencia de las pinturas al desarrollo de biopelículas.  Hasta el momento se ha establecido que la actividad in vitro de las nanopartículas se mantiene al ser agregada a las pinturas. Estos resultados se constataron mediante observaciones de las películas por SEM. Las nanopartículas sintetizadas presentaron actividad antimicrobiana in vitro frente a las cepas fúngicas y bacterianas probadas. Al incorporarlas en la pintura formulada, le confieren actividad antimicrobiana sin afectar sus propiedades fundamentales, exceptuando el brillo y el color. Se logró la inhibición total del establecimiento de biopelículas tanto fúngicas como bacterianas con una concentración de plata en las pinturas de 25 mg por cada 100 gramos de pintura.         &nbsp

PINTURAS DE BASE ACUOSA ADITIVADAS CON NANOPARTÍCULAS DE PLATA PARA PREVENIR LA FORMACIÓN DE BIOPELÍCULAS

Las biopelículas son ecosistemas microbianos, conformado por una o varias especies de microorganismos generalmente asociados a una superficie viva o inerte. Esta forma de crecimiento aumenta la tolerancia de los microorganismos frente a los principios activos presentes en los agentes de limpieza, desinfección e incluso antibióticos, por lo que son difíciles de remover una vez establecidas. Es común la aparición de biopelículas sobre paredes de interiores ya que estas se encuentran bajo el influjo de elevadas concentraciones de inóculo microbiano y condiciones de humedad relativa y temperatura estables. La aparición de películas microbianas, en estos casos, no solo se asocia con el biodeterioro del material sino también con problemas de salud ya que pueden componerse por microorganismos potencialmente patógenos de humanos y animales. La obtención de nuevos aditivos antimicrobianos aplicables a la formulación recubrimientos se encuentra entre las opciones para evitar de la formación de biopelículas. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo demostrar la  capacidad de una pintura acrílica de base acuosa aditivada con nanopartículas de plata, obtenidas mediante síntesis verde, para evitar la formación de biopelículas. Primeramente, se obtuvieron nanopartículas esféricas mediante síntesis verde, empleando extracto acuoso de Equisetum giganteum como agente reductor y estabilizante. Posteriormente se formuló una pintura de base acuosa a la cual se le agregaron diferentes concentraciones de las nanopartículas (10, 15, 25 mg de Ag/100g de pintura). Se pintaron portaobjetos de vidrio y se dejaron curar durante 2 semanas. Posteriormente se evaluó el crecimiento sobre los vidrios de las cepas  Alternaria altarnata (KU936229), Chaetomiun globosum (KU936228) y Aspergilus versicolor (KU936230) siguiendo la norma ASTM D5590. Se realizaron observaciones mediante  microscopio estereoscópico y electrónico de barrido (MEB).También se evaluó el establecimiento de biopelículas bacterianas sobre la pintura con un experimento de crecimiento in vitro donde se indujo la formación de la biopelícula utilizando la cepa Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538). Se estudió el grado de desarrollo mediante tinción y MEB. Posteriormente se compararon los resultados teniendo en cuenta el grado de desarrollo de las biopelículas y el porcentaje de superficie cubierta. Se constató inhibición en la formación de biopelículas sobre las pinturas aditivadas con diferentes concentraciones de nanopartículas. La pintura aditivada con 25mg de Ag/100g inhibió el establecimiento de biopelículas puras de las cepas fúngicas en un 100% y detuvo la formación de la película bacteriana en su primera fase

Cluster para aprendizaje y práctica de bigdata y servicios de learning analytics

Big Data es la nueva generación de almacenamiento, análisis de datos y de negocios. En el fenómeno del Big Data se considera, como fuentes de generación de datos a personas, smartphones, equipos que generan data de proyectos y experimentos, y, principalmente, a Internet. La tecnología Big Data permite recolectar, almacenar y preparar grandes volúmenes de datos, para analizar o visualizar la relación entre ellos, inclusive a partir de datos que se generan en tiempo real y provienen de redes sociales, sensores, dispositivos de diversa índole o fuentes de audio y video. En esta temática, el presente proyecto pretende, en una primera etapa, investigar tecnologías y arquitecturas para implementar un clúster en una plataforma web, donde estudiantes de la Facultad de Ingeniería de la UNJu, puedan aprender y practicar Big Data; en una segunda etapa se comenzará con una investigación en Analítica de Datos para evolucionar a Learning Analytics, utilizando algoritmos para medición, recopilación, análisis e informe de datos, sobre estudiantes universitarios y sus contextos, a fin de comprender y optimizar el aprendizaje y entornos en que se produce.Eje: Base de Datos y Minería de Datos.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Microglia/Astrocytes–Glioblastoma Crosstalk: Crucial Molecular Mechanisms and Microenvironmental Factors

In recent years, the functions of glial cells, namely, astrocytes and microglia, have gained prominence in several diseases of the central nervous system, especially in glioblastoma (GB), the most malignant primary brain tumor that leads to poor clinical outcomes. Studies showed that microglial cells or astrocytes play a critical role in promoting GB growth. Based on the recent findings, the complex network of the interaction between microglial/astrocytes cells and GB may constitute a potential therapeutic target to overcome tumor malignancy. In the present review, we summarize the most important mechanisms and functions of the molecular factors involved in the microglia or astrocytes–GB interactions, which is particularly the alterations that occur in the cell’s extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. We overview the cytokines, chemokines, neurotrophic, morphogenic, metabolic factors, and non-coding RNAs actions crucial to these interactions. We have also discussed the most recent studies regarding the mechanisms of transportation and communication between microglial/astrocytes – GB cells, namely through the ABC transporters or by extracellular vesicles. Lastly, we highlight the therapeutic challenges and improvements regarding the crosstalk between these glial cells and GB

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Genetic Testing to Inform Epilepsy Treatment Management From an International Study of Clinical Practice

IMPORTANCE: It is currently unknown how often and in which ways a genetic diagnosis given to a patient with epilepsy is associated with clinical management and outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how genetic diagnoses in patients with epilepsy are associated with clinical management and outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients referred for multigene panel testing between March 18, 2016, and August 3, 2020, with outcomes reported between May and November 2020. The study setting included a commercial genetic testing laboratory and multicenter clinical practices. Patients with epilepsy, regardless of sociodemographic features, who received a pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant were included in the study. Case report forms were completed by all health care professionals. EXPOSURES: Genetic test results. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical management changes after a genetic diagnosis (ie, 1 P/LP variant in autosomal dominant and X-linked diseases; 2 P/LP variants in autosomal recessive diseases) and subsequent patient outcomes as reported by health care professionals on case report forms. RESULTS: Among 418 patients, median (IQR) age at the time of testing was 4 (1-10) years, with an age range of 0 to 52 years, and 53.8% (n = 225) were female individuals. The mean (SD) time from a genetic test order to case report form completion was 595 (368) days (range, 27-1673 days). A genetic diagnosis was associated with changes in clinical management for 208 patients (49.8%) and usually (81.7% of the time) within 3 months of receiving the result. The most common clinical management changes were the addition of a new medication (78 [21.7%]), the initiation of medication (51 [14.2%]), the referral of a patient to a specialist (48 [13.4%]), vigilance for subclinical or extraneurological disease features (46 [12.8%]), and the cessation of a medication (42 [11.7%]). Among 167 patients with follow-up clinical information available (mean [SD] time, 584 [365] days), 125 (74.9%) reported positive outcomes, 108 (64.7%) reported reduction or elimination of seizures, 37 (22.2%) had decreases in the severity of other clinical signs, and 11 (6.6%) had reduced medication adverse effects. A few patients reported worsening of outcomes, including a decline in their condition (20 [12.0%]), increased seizure frequency (6 [3.6%]), and adverse medication effects (3 [1.8%]). No clinical management changes were reported for 178 patients (42.6%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this cross-sectional study suggest that genetic testing of individuals with epilepsy may be materially associated with clinical decision-making and improved patient outcomes