La cooperació internacional com a eina per al desenvolupament: memòries de Moçambic

La primera part del treball està creada amb la finalitat de fer una investigació generalitzada de lo que denominem Organitzacions No Governamentals per al Desenvolupament. Allí parlo del motiu del seu origen, la seva evolució històrica a través dels seus 35 anys de trajectòria a Catalunya i a la resta de l’Estat espanyol, les seves característiques, les seves finalitats, el seu funcionament i estructuració, la seva amplia heterogeneïtat i, per suposat, la seva base social i de participació ciutadana, que es una de les seves fortaleses i característiques principals. A més a més, he creat dos apartats addicionals. El primer, dedicat a la Educació per el Desenvolupament, per tal de reflexionar sobre els motius pels quals aquesta matèria encara consta força desconeguda en l’àmbit educatiu i universitari, i com es podria arribar a solucionar aquesta problemàtica. El segon, ens serveix per contextualitzar-nos els problemes economicosocials que han afavorit la actual situació de subdesenvolupament en la major part del continent Africà, i com la cooperació catalana contribueix a remeiar aquesta situació. La segona part del treball consisteix en una documentació exhaustiva del projecte del qual vaig ser partícip l’estiu del 2018, amb l’objectiu d’extreure’n una reflexió crítica i aprofundir en els principis que aquesta experiència em va inculcar. Apropant, a la vegada, el lector a la meva experiència i motius personals, els quals podrien portar a algú a aventurar-se i a introduir-se en aquest món

Reanimación urbana (RCPU) : masterplan para devolver Barcelona a sus habitantes y renaturalizarla, extendiendo el verde del Parque Natural de la Sierra de Collserola a su interior

Proposem un nou eix verd al Districte de Nou Barris, amb l'objectiu de connectar els habitants i la ciutat a l'espai verd annex més proper, és a dir, el Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola. Mitjançant la creació d'eixos verds perpendiculars a les vies rodades més transitades de la ciutat, desfem la barrera física i visual que aquestes suposen, guanyem espai per al vianant i la bici, i tornem el color verd a la ciutat. Un dels principals objectius de la nostra proposta és repensar el límit entre el Parc Natural i la ciutat, connectant la muntanya amb la ciutat, i la ciutat amb la muntanya. L'objectiu últim és generar espais públics més naturals, generant microclimes i espais dedicats a la recuperació de les espècies amb espècies autòctones pròpies de Collserola. L'eix verd proposat comprèn des del Passeig Valldaura, passant per la Plaça de la República i el Parc Central de Nou Barris, fins a arribar a la plaça de Karl Marx. Al costat d'aquesta plaça ens trobem, alhora, amb el Camí Antic de Sant Llàtzer i la carretera Alta de les Roquetes, creant una xarxa biòtica a escala ciutat. Aquesta, cerca connectar els diferents espais verds de la zona i fer una ciutat més vivible per a les persones, on puguin habitar el carrer i fer-hi vida. Per poder generar aquest eix fem una sèrie d'actuacions, amb un enfocament especial a la Plaça Karl Marx, punt clau per assolir aquest objectiu. És a dir, el projecte consta de sis actuacions secundàries, i una de principal, la plaça de Karl Marx.Proponemos un nuevo eje verde en el Distrito de Nou Barris, con el objetivo de conectar los habitantes y la ciudad al espacio verde anexo más próximo, es decir, el Parque Natural de la Sierra de Collserola. Mediante la creación de ejes verdes perpendiculares a las vías rodadas más transitadas de la ciudad, deshacemos la barrera física y visual que estas suponen, ganamos espacio para el peatón y la bici, y devolvemos el verde a la ciudad. Uno de los principales objetivos de nuestra propuesta es repensar el límite entre el Parque Natural y la ciudad, conectando la montaña con la ciudad, y la ciudad con la montaña. El objetivo último es generar espacios públicos más naturales, generando microclimas y espacios dedicados a la recuperación de las especies con especies autóctonas propias de Collserola. El eje verde propuesto comprende desde el Paseo Valldaura, pasando por la Plaza de la República y el Parque Central de Nou Barris, hasta llegar a la plaza de Karl Marx. Junto a esta plaza nos encontramos, a la vez, con el Camino Antiguo de Sant Llàtzer y la carretera Alta de les Roquetes, creando una red biótica a escala ciudad. Este, busca conectar los diferentes espacios verdes de la zona y hacer una ciudad más vivible para las personas, donde puedan habitar la calle y hacer vida en ella. Para poder generar este eje hacemos una serie de actuaciones, con especial enfoque en la Plaza Karl Marx, punto clave para lograr este objetivo. Es decir, el proyecto consta de seis actuaciones secundarias, y una principal, la plaza de Karl Marx.We propose a new green axis in the District of Nou Barris, with the aim of connecting the inhabitants and the city to the nearest annexed green space, that is, the Natural Park of the Sierra de Collserola. By creating green axes perpendicular to the roads busiest in the city, we undo the physical and visual barrier that these suppose, we win space for pedestrians and bicycles, and we return green areas to the city. One of the main objectives of our proposal is to rethink the boundary between the Natural Park of Collserola and the city, connecting the mountain with the city, and the city with the mountain. The The ultimate objective is to generate more natural public spaces, generating microclimates and spaces dedicated to the recovery of species with native species typical of Collserola. The proposed green axis runs from Paseo Valldaura, passing through Plaza de la Republic and the Central Park of Nou Barris, until you reach the Karl Marx square. next to this square we find, at the same time, the Old Path of Sant Llàtzer and the Carretera Alta de les Roquetes, creating a city-scale biotic network. This seeks to connect the different spaces green areas of the area and make a more livable city for people, where they can inhabit the street and make life in it. In order to generate this axis, we carry out a series of actions, with a special focus on Karl Marx Square, a key point to achieve this objective. In other words, the project consists of six secondary actions, and one main one, the square of Karl Marx

Efficacy Studies of a Trivalent Vaccine Containing PCV-2a, PCV-2b Genotypes and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae When Administered at 3 Days of Age and 3 Weeks Later against Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV-2) Infection

Four studies under preclinical and clinical conditions were performed to evaluate the efficacy of a new trivalent vaccine against Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) infection. The product contained inactivated PCV-1/PCV-2a (cPCV-2a) and PCV-1/PCV-2b (cPCV-2b) chimeras, plus M. hyopneumoniae inactivated cell-free antigens, which was administered to piglets in a two-dose regime at 3 days of age and 3 weeks later. The overall results of preclinical and clinical studies show a significant reduction in PCV-2 viraemia and faecal excretion, and lower histopathological lymphoid lesions and PCV-2 immunohistochemistry scores in vaccinated pigs when compared to non-vaccinated ones. Furthermore, in field trial A, a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of PCV-2-subclinical infection, an increase in body weight from 16 weeks of age to slaughterhouse and an average daily weight gain over the whole period (from 3 days of age to slaughterhouse) was detected in the vaccinated group when compared to the non-vaccinated one. Circulation of PCV-2a in field trial A, and PCV-2b plus PCV-2d in field trial B was confirmed by virus sequencing. In conclusion, a double immunization with a cPCV-2a/cPCV-2b/ M. hyopneumoniae vaccine was efficacious against PCV-2 infection by reducing the number of histopathological lymphoid lesions and PCV-2 detection in tissues, serum, and faeces, as well as reducing losses in productive parameters

Susceptibility of Domestic Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) to Experimental Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.351/Beta Variant

A wide range of animal species are susceptible to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Natural and/or experimental infections have been reported in pet, zoo, farmed and wild animals. Interestingly, some SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as B.1.1.7/Alpha, B.1.351/Beta, and B.1.1.529/Omicron, were demonstrated to infect some animal species not susceptible to classical viral variants. The present study aimed to elucidate if goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) are susceptible to the B.1.351/Beta variant. First, an in silico approach was used to predict the affinity between the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351/Beta variant and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 from goats. Moreover, we performed an experimental inoculation with this variant in domestic goat and showed evidence of infection. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in nasal swabs and tissues by RT-qPCR and/or immunohistochemistry, and seroneutralisation was confirmed via ELISA and live virus neutralisation assays. However, the viral amount and tissue distribution suggest a low susceptibility of goats to the B.1.351/Beta variant. Therefore, although monitoring livestock is advisable, it is unlikely that goats play a role as SARS-CoV-2 reservoir species, and they are not useful surrogates to study SARS-CoV-2 infection in farmed animals

Large Genomic Imbalances in Brugada Syndrome

Purpose Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a form of cardiac arrhythmia which may lead to sudden cardiac death. The recommended genetic testing (direct sequencing of SCN5A) uncovers disease-causing SNVs and/or indels in ~20% of cases. Limited information exists about the frequency of copy number variants (CNVs) in SCN5A in BrS patients, and the role of CNVs in BrS-minor genes is a completely unexplored field. Methods 220 BrS patients with negative genetic results were studied to detect CNVs in SCN5A. 63 cases were also screened for CNVs in BrS-minor genes. Studies were performed by Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Results The detection rate for CNVs in SCN5A was 0.45% (1/220). The detected imbalance consisted of a duplication from exon 15 to exon 28, and could potentially explain the BrS phenotype. No CNVs were found in BrS-minor genes. Conclusion CNVs in current BrS-related genes are uncommon among BrS patients. However, as these rearrangements may underlie a portion of cases and they undergo unnoticed by traditional sequencing, an appealing alternative to conventional studies in these patients could be targeted NGS, including in a single experiment the study of SNVs, indels and CNVs in all the known BrS-related genes

Índex de Qualitat de la Prescripció Farmacèutica (IQF). Versió 2015

Índex de Qualitat de la Prescripció Farmacèutica; IQSÍndice de Calidad de la Prescripción Farmacéutica; IQSPrescription Quality Index; PQIL'índex de Qualitat de la Prescripció Farmacèutica (IQF) 2015 està constituït per una bateria de 12 indicadors amb objectius específics de millora, distribuïts en tres dimensions (nous medicaments, hiperprescripció i selecció de medicaments) i ponderats d’acord amb la seva contribució a la millora global de la qualitat de la prescripció. El seu disseny s’ha realitzat mitjançant el consens d’un grup d’experts d’acord amb l’evidència científica disponible i serà sotmès a revisió anual, per tal de reflectir l’estat del coneixement científic en cada moment.El Índice de Calidad de la Prescripción Farmacéutica (IQF) 2016 esta constituido por una batería de 12 indicadores con el objetivo específico de mejora, distribuidos en tres dimensiones (nuevos medicamentos, hiper prescripción y selección de medicamentos) y ponderados de acuerdo con su contribución a la mejora global de la calidad de la prescripción. Su diseño se ha realizado mediante el consenso de un grupo de expertos de acuerdo con la evidencia científica disponible y será sometido a revisión anual, con la finalidad de reflejar el estado de conocimiento científico en cada momento

Novel Spike-stabilized trimers with improved production protect K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant

Most COVID-19 vaccines are based on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein (S) or their subunits. However, S shows some structural instability that limits its immunogenicity and production, hampering the development of recombinant S-based vaccines. The introduction of the K986P and V987P (S-2P) mutations increases the production and immunogenicity of the recombinant S trimer, suggesting that these two parameters are related. Nevertheless, S-2P still shows some molecular instability and it is produced with low yield. Here we described a novel set of mutations identified by molecular modeling and located in the S2 region of the S-2P that increase its production up to five-fold. Besides their immunogenicity, the efficacy of two representative S-2P-based mutants, S-29 and S-21, protecting from a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant challenge was assayed in K18-hACE2 mice (an animal model of severe SARS-CoV-2 disease) and golden Syrian hamsters (GSH) (a moderate disease model). S-21 induced higher level of WH1 and Delta variants neutralizing antibodies than S-2P in K18-hACE2 mice three days after challenge. Viral load in nasal turbinate and oropharyngeal samples were reduced in S-21 and S-29 vaccinated mice. Despite that, only the S-29 protein protected 100% of K18-hACE2 mice from severe disease. When GSH were analyzed, all immunized animals were protected from disease development irrespectively of the immunogen they received. Therefore, the higher yield of S-29, as well as its improved immunogenicity and efficacy protecting from the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant, pinpoint the S-29 mutant as an alternative to the S-2P protein for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development

Large Genomic Imbalances in Brugada Syndrome

Purpose Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a form of cardiac arrhythmia which may lead to sudden cardiac death. The recommended genetic testing (direct sequencing of SCN5A) uncovers disease-causing SNVs and/or indels in ~20% of cases. Limited information exists about the frequency of copy number variants (CNVs) in SCN5A in BrS patients, and the role of CNVs in BrS-minor genes is a completely unexplored field. Methods 220 BrS patients with negative genetic results were studied to detect CNVs in SCN5A. 63 cases were also screened for CNVs in BrS-minor genes. Studies were performed by Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Results The detection rate for CNVs in SCN5A was 0.45% (1/220). The detected imbalance consisted of a duplication from exon 15 to exon 28, and could potentially explain the BrS phenotype. No CNVs were found in BrS-minor genes. Conclusion CNVs in current BrS-related genes are uncommon among BrS patients. However, as these rearrangements may underlie a portion of cases and they undergo unnoticed by traditional sequencing, an appealing alternative to conventional studies in these patients could be targeted NGS, including in a single experiment the study of SNVs, indels and CNVs in all the known BrS-related genes

Immunization with V987H-stabilized Spike glycoprotein protects K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters upon SARS-CoV-2 infection

Safe and effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are crucial to fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Most vaccines are based on a mutated version of the Spike glycoprotein [K986P/V987P (S-2P)] with improved stability, yield and immunogenicity. However, S-2P is still produced at low levels. Here, we describe the V987H mutation that increases by two-fold the production of the recombinant Spike and the exposure of the receptor binding domain (RBD). S-V987H immunogenicity is similar to S-2P in mice and golden Syrian hamsters (GSH), and superior to a monomeric RBD. S-V987H immunization confer full protection against severe disease in K18-hACE2 mice and GSH upon SARS-CoV-2 challenge (D614G or B.1.351 variants). Furthermore, S-V987H immunized K18-hACE2 mice show a faster tissue viral clearance than RBD- or S-2P-vaccinated animals challenged with D614G, B.1.351 or Omicron BQ1.1 variants. Thus, S-V987H protein might be considered for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines development. In this study, the authors report a mutation that increases the production of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike and exposure of the RBD. In animal models, a Spike-based vaccine containing the mutation induces strong immunogenicity, provides protection from disease and results in faster tissue viral clearance

Fibrinogen nitrotyrosination after ischemic stroke impairs thrombolysis and promotes neuronal death

Ischemic stroke is an acute vascular event that compromises neuronal viability, and identification of the pathophysiological mechanisms is critical for its correct management. Ischemia produces increased nitric oxide synthesis to recover blood flow but also induces a free radical burst. Nitric oxide and superoxide anion react to generate peroxynitrite that nitrates tyrosines. We found that fibrinogen nitrotyrosination was detected in plasma after the initiation of ischemic stroke in human patients. Electron microscopy and protein intrinsic fluorescence showed that in vitro nitrotyrosination of fibrinogen affected its structure. Thromboelastography showed that initially fibrinogen nitrotyrosination retarded clot formation but later made the clot more resistant to fibrinolysis. This result was independent of any effect on thrombin production. Immunofluorescence analysis of affected human brain areas also showed that both fibrinogen and nitrotyrosinated fibrinogen spread into the brain parenchyma after ischemic stroke. Therefore, we assayed the toxicity of fibrinogen and nitrotyrosinated fibrinogen in a human neuroblastoma cell line. For that purpose we measured the activity of caspase-3, a key enzyme in the apoptotic pathway, and cell survival. We found that nitrotyrosinated fibrinogen induced higher activation of caspase 3. Accordingly, cell survival assays showed a more neurotoxic effect of nitrotyrosinated fibrinogen at all concentrations tested. In summary, nitrotyrosinated fibrinogen would be of pathophysiological interest in ischemic stroke due to both its impact on hemostasis - it impairs thrombolysis, the main target in stroke treatments - and its neurotoxicity that would contribute to the death of the brain tissue surrounding the infarcted area.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (SAF2012-38140; SAF 2009-10365); Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PI13/00408, FIS PI13/00864, CP04-00112, PS09/00664 and Red HERACLESRD12/0042/0014, RD12/0042/0016 and RD12/0042/0020); FEDER Funds; Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR09-1369); and Fundació la Marató de TV3 (100310). Dr. A.M. Galán belongs to the Miguel Servet stabilization program of the Spanish Government's ISCIII research institute and “Direcció d'Estratègia i Coordinació del Departament de Salut” of the Generalitat de Catalunya