Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC) for the treatment of secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis: A triple blinded, placebo controlled, randomized phase I/II safety and feasibility study

Background Currently available treatments for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis(SPMS) have limited efficacy and/or safety concerns. Adipose-mesenchymal derived stem cells(AdMSCs) represent a promising option and can be readily obtained using minimally invasive procedures. Go to: Patients and methods In this triple-blind, placebo-controlled study, cell samples were obtained from consenting patients by lipectomy and subsequently expanded. Patients were randomized to a single infusion of placebo, low-dose(1x106cells/kg) or high-dose(4x106cells/kg) autologous AdMSC product and followed for 12 months. Safety was monitored recording adverse events, laboratory parameters, vital signs and spirometry. Expanded disability status score (EDSS), magnetic-resonance-imaging, and other measures of possible treatment effects were also recorded. Go to: Results Thirty-four patients underwent lipectomy for AdMSCs collection, were randomized and thirty were infused (11 placebo, 10 low-dose and 9 high-dose); 4 randomized patients were not infused because of karyotype abnormalities in the cell product. Only one serious adverse event was observed in the treatment arms (urinary infection, considered not related to study treatment). No other safety parameters showed changes. Measures of treatment effect showed an inconclusive trend of efficacy. Conclusion Infusion of autologous AdMSCs is safe and feasible in patients with SPMS. Larger studies and probably treatment at earlier phases would be needed to investigate the potential therapeutic benefit of this technique

Respuestas funcionales de las coníferas al frío y a la sequía: una aproximación multiescalar

El objetivo general de la presente tesis es estudiar las respuestas fisiológicas y de crecimiento a las bajas temperaturas y sequía de especies nativas de pinos de la Península Ibérica. El Capítulo 1 es una introducción general, en la cual se explica el marco conceptual de la tesis. En el Capítulo 2 analizamos si la distribución latitudinal y altitudinal de seis especies de pinos en Europa está relacionada con diferencias interespecíficas en la tolerancia a las heladas, su estado hídrico, así como determinar los mecanismos que subyacen dicha tolerancia. Las especies que experimentan inviernos fríos en su área de distribución tuvieron las mayores tasas de supervivencia, menor daño en acículas y una menor concentración de azúcares solubles. Por el contrario, las especies que habitan lugares templados tuvieron la respuesta contraria. Este estudio demuestra que las temperaturas de congelación son un importante condicionante ambiental para la distribución de los pinos en la Península Ibérica y Europa. En el Capítulo 3 evaluamos si existe una relación negativa entre la densidad mínima de la madera y la precipitación de la estación de crecimiento temprana (primavera). Usando dendrocronología estudiamos los datos de crecimiento y densidad de nueve rodales forestales de tres especies de la familia Pinaceae ampliamente distribuidas en tres regiones euroasiáticas frescas y secas. Las condiciones secas durante la estación de crecimiento temprana se asociaron con una baja producción de madera temprana y una alta densidad mínima. Las condiciones secas pronosticadas en la estación de crecimiento de traducirán en un aumento de densidad mínima y se reflejarían en la reducción de la conductividad hidráulica, el crecimiento radial y la formación de la madera. En el Capítulo 4 analizamos las tendencias de crecimiento de Pinus sylvestris a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal (1350-1895 m s.n.m.) y temporal (1930-2010) en el Sistema Central. Mientras que el crecimiento de los árboles se ha acelerado en el extremo inferior (1350-1623 m s.n.m.), se ha desacelerado a elevaciones más altas (1624-1895 m s.n.m.). Estos resultados resaltan la importancia de las condiciones ambientales locales en las respuestas de crecimiento de la especie. En el Capítulo 5 investigamos las variaciones espaciales y temporales de las relaciones alométricas de la parte área de los árboles de Pinus sylvestris en el mismo bosque del Capítulo 4. Los árboles adultos se han vuelto más esbeltos a lo largo del tiempo en las zonas más bajas y menos esbeltos en las zonas más elevadas. Los árboles jóvenes han seguido el patrón contrario. Este estudio indica que el cambio en las condiciones ambientales tanto en altitud como en los últimos 70 años modulan la forma de los árboles. El Capítulo 6 se presenta una discusión general y el Capítulo 7 las conclusiones más importantes de todos los capítulos presentados

Nanotoxicity produced by implants made of chromium-cobalt alloys

RESUMEN : En los últimos años se ha vivido un auge en el uso de los nanomateriales en la industria y los productos de consumo, sus ventajas han permitido que se hagan un hueco en ámbitos médicos y sean comúnmente empleados en prótesis de cadera MoM en forma de aleaciones Cr-Co. Sin embargo, el aumento en la tasa de recambio de este tipo de prótesis secundariamente a fallos ha abierto un debate en torno a su posible capacidad nanotóxica derivada de la liberación de estas nanopartículas metálicas en la zona de implantación. Diversos estudios han evaluado el potencial nanotóxico, principalmente en el cobalto, demostrándose la inducción de genotoxicidad e incluso capacidad carcinogénica. En consecuencia, sus posibles efectos adversos a nivel local y distribución a nivel sistémico suponen un problema social que requiere una mayor investigación. Esta revisión se centra en el conocimiento actual sobre el potencial de genotoxicidad y carcinogenicidad de las nanopartículas de cobalto, en estudios de mamíferos in vitro e in vivo y su aplicación clínica en los pacientes portadores de prótesis de cadera MoM, así como la necesidad de establecer un sistema sencillo de medición de estas nanopartículas en los pacientes para mejorar el seguimiento, es decir, realizar controles rutinarios para regular las concentraciones de estos metales y predecir las apariciones de efectos clínicos.ABSTRACT : In recent years there has been a huge impact by the use of nanomaterials in the industry and consumer products, their advantages have allowed them to make a dent in medical fields and are commonly used in MoM hip prostheses in the form of Cr-Co alloys. However, the increase in the rate of replacement of this type of prosthesis secondarily to failures has opened a debate around its possible nanotoxic capacity derived from the release of wear debris metallic nanoparticles in the implantation zone. Several studies have evaluated the nanotoxic potential, mainly in cobalt, demonstrating the induction of genotoxicity and even carcinogenic capacity. Consequently, local adverse effects and posible systemic distribution represent a social problem that requires further investigation. This review focuses on current knowledge about the potential genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of cobalt nanoparticles, in vitro and in vivo, and their clinical application in patients with MoM hip prostheses, as well as the need to establish a simple system for measuring these nanoparticles in patients to improve monitoring, that is, to perform routine controls to regulate the concentrations of these metals and predict the occurrence of clinical effects.Grado en Medicin

Editorial: How do we see? Morphology and physiology of retinal neurons

Editorial on the Research Topic How do we see? Morphology and physiology of retinal neurons

Structural and energy determinants in protein-RNA docking

Deciphering the structural and energetic determinants of protein-RNA interactions harbors the potential to understand key cell processes at molecular level, such as gene expression and regulation. With this purpose, computational methods like docking aim to complement current biophysical and structural biology efforts. However, the few reported docking algorithms for protein-RNA interactions show limited predictive success rates, mainly due to incomplete sampling of the conformational space of both the protein and the RNA molecules, as well as to the difficulties of the scoring function in identifying the correct docking models. Here, we have tested the predictive value of a variety of knowledge-based and energetic scoring functions on a recently published protein-RNA docking benchmark and developed a scoring function able to efficiently discriminate docking decoys. We first performed docking calculations with the bound conformation, which allowed us to analyze the problem in optimal conditions. We found that geometry-based terms and electrostatics were the most important scoring terms, while binding propensities and desolvation were much less relevant for the scoring of protein-RNA models. This is in contrast with what we observed for protein-protein docking. The results also showed an interesting dependence of the predictive rates on the flexibility of the protein molecule, which arises from the observed higher positive charge of flexible interfaces and provides hints for future development of more efficient protein-RNA docking methods.This work is supported by grant BIO2013-48213-R from Plan Nacional I+D+i (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness). LP-C was recipient of an FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

European university funding and financial autonomy. A study on the degree of diversification of university budget and the share of competitive funding

The main objective of this report is to investigate the structure of the budget in a sample of research-active European universities and to analyse to what extent the level of financial autonomy effects the diversification of their budget and the amount of competitive funding they receive. The study covers 200 research-active universities from 33 European Research Area (ERA) countries (27 Member States and Croatia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey) within the framework of the 'European Observatory of Research-Active Universities and National Public Research Funding Agencies' (UniObs). The criteria followed to select the list of universities in the sample are based on research performance and country representativeness. The main findings of the study are as follows: ¿Looking at the general budget, 70 % of the total university income comes from government allocations. Sources from private companies represent about 6 %, around 3 % comes from non-profit sectors and approximately 2 % is from abroad. The remaining 19 % belongs to a residual category 'Other'. ¿Considering only public funding coming from government (national and regional) we observe that, on average, about 20 % is assigned on a competitive basis, with UK institutions and, in general, technological universities having the highest shares of competitive funds. ¿We observe large within-country variability in the shares of government competitive funds, which could be attributed to the strategic behaviour of single institutions in acquiring funds or to their ability to compete successfully against other institutions. Examples of these are the University of Cambridge in the UK, the University of Karlsruhe in Germany, the University of Florence in Italy, and the universities of Leiden and Wageningen in the Netherlands. ¿Most institutions with highly diversified budgets are located in the UK. ¿University research budgets vary considerably between institutions. Research funds coming from regional authorities are considered important for institutions operating in countries with a more decentralised government structure such as Belgium, Germany or Spain. ¿Institutions that declare to be completely autonomous are the ones that have the most diversified budget. ¿The share of competitive-based government funds increases with increasing levels of institutional financial autonomy. ¿National or institutional settings which do not allow universities to act in a fully financially autonomous way appear to be less likely to produce a real change.JRC.DDG.J.3-Knowledge for Growt

Production of a polyclonal antiobody against Leishmania Infantum

PòsterJun

Natural radiactivity from building materials in Spain

The industrial construction sector is very important in Spain. Building materials used in this industry are sources of radiation from natural radionuclides they contain. The European Commission published some recommendations to facilitate the trade of these materials in the E.U. The studies about this subject have increased notably during last years. This, probably, can be associated with the increase interest from natural radiation radiological risk on indoor exposure.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. CSN-201

Art as an attractive methodology of resilience and self-esteem

The objective of this research is to know the relationship between the level of self-esteem and resilience that people with intellectual disabilities have and the methodology of work including art. In this study, a mixed methodology has been used, the resilience indicator chosen in this research was the level of self-esteem. For the collection of data, a Likert scale and a semi-structured interview were used. The results show that there are significant differences between the self-esteem of people with intellectual disabilities that are influenced by methodologies that include art, concerning to other methodologies