Visible and near-infrared observations of asteroid 2012 DA14 during its closest approach of February 15, 2013

Near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 made its closest approach on February 15, 2013, when it passed at a distance of 27,700 km from the Earth's surface. It was the first time an asteroid of moderate size was predicted to approach that close to the Earth, becoming bright enough to permit a detailed study from ground-based telescopes. Asteroid 2012 DA14 was poorly characterized before its closest approach. We acquired data using several telescopes on four Spanish observatories: the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the 3.6m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG), both in the El Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM, La Palma); the 2.2m CAHA telescope, in the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria); the f/3 0.77m telescope in the La Hita Observatory (Toledo); and the f/8 1.5m telescope in the Sierra Nevada Observatory (OSN, Granada). We obtained visible and near-infrared color photometry, visible spectra and time-series photometry. Visible spectra together with color photometry of 2012 DA14 show that it can be classified as an L-type asteroid, a rare spectral type with a composition similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. The time-series photometry provides a rotational period of 8.95 +- 0.08 hours after the closest approach, and there are indications that the object suffered a spin-up during this event. The large amplitude of the light curve suggests that the object is very elongated and irregular, with an equivalent diameter of around 18m. We obtain an absolute magnitude of H_R = 24.5 +- 0.2, corresponding to H_V = 25.0 +- 0.2. The GTC photometry also gives H_V = 25.29 +- 0.14. Both values agree with the value listed at the Minor Planet Center shortly after discovery. From the absolute photometry, together with some constraints on size and shape, we compute a geometric albedo of p_V = 0.44 +- 0.20, which is slightly above the range of albedos known for L-type asteroids (0.082 - 0.405).Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted in A&A (June 17 2013

Estabilidad de patatas chips fritas en aceites vegetales de distinto grado de insaturación. Efecto del palmitato de ascorbilo durante el almacenamiento

Four vegetable oils with different polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio (P/S): 5.2 for sunflower oil, 3.,4 for canola rapeseed oil, 0.4 for a blend of palm oleic and canola rapeseed oil (80:20), and 0.3 for palm olein were assayed for stability of crisps fried in these oils during storage at 60º C. The action of ascorbyl palmitate with special attention to its synergistic effect on the natural antioxidants was also tested. by addition to the fried potatoes. The evolution of the oxidative stability was measured through peroxide value, quantitation of tocopherols and tocotrienols, and induction time (IT) by means of Rancimat. Oil degradation during frying was very low as both polar compound percentages and natural antioxidant had similar levels to those present in refined oils. Evolution of analytical parameters during storage results indicated that oil unsaturation degree or P/S had a much more importance on stability of the product than had the content and type of natural antioxidants and the addition of AP. Nevertheless, addition of AP to the fried potatoes had a significant effect resulting in higher retention of natural antioxidants, higher IT and lower PV at any storage timeSe estudia la evolución de la oxidación a 60º C en patatas fritas con cuatro aceites vegetales de distinta relación ácidos grasos poliinsaturados/saturados (P/S): 5,4 para el aceite de girasol, 3,4 para el aceite de canola, 0,4 para una mezcla de oleína de palma (80 %) y aceite de canola (20 %) y 0,3 para la oleína de palma. Se estudia igualmente la influencia de la adición de palmitato de ascorbilo (AP) durante la conservación del producto frito con especial atención a su efecto sinergista sobre los antioxidantes naturales. La evolución de la oxidación en lotes de patatas, con y sin adición de AP, se determinó mediante las siguientes determinaciones analíticas: índice de peróxidos (PV), cuantificación de tocoferoles y tocotrienoles, y periodos de inducción (IT) en Rancimat. La degradación de los aceites durante el proceso de fritura fue muy baja puesto que los niveles de compuestos polares y de antioxidantes naturales fueron similares a los encontrados en aceites refinados. La evolución de los índices analíticos durante el almacenamiento mostraron la importancia primordial del grado de insaturación del aceite por encima de la cantidad y tipo de antioxidantes y de la adición de AP. Sin embargo, la adición de AP a las patatas fritas tuvo un claro efecto sinergista traducido en menores PV y mayores cantidades de antioxidantes naturales e IT para cualquier tiempo de almacenamiento

Laboratorio Remoto: Rejillas Periódicas Submicrométricas

We present the design of a remotely operated laboratory compatible with the requirements for setting a node at FaCENA within the R-LAB collaboration network coordinated by CONFEDI. We considered the antecedents on national and international experiences on running remote laboratories, definition of goals and pedagogical scope. We propose a prototype giving specifications on devices, measurement instruments and construction, operated through a modular versatile interface connected via web pages.Presentamos un diseño de laboratorio remoto compatible con los requerimientos para establecer un nodo FaCENA en la red R-LAB administrada por el CONFEDI. Consideramos los antecedentes sobre puesta en servicios de laboratorios remotos a nivel nacional e internacional; definiciones de metas y alcances pedagógicos; formulaciones del problema del diseño y la realización de una propuesta preliminar. Proponemos un prototipo con definiciones sobre dispositivos, instrumentos de medición, diseño y fabricación, mediante una interfaz del tipo modular muy versátil para conectividad vía páginas web

Historical Reconstruction of Subordination in a Local Context: Agroecosystems with Sugarcane in Veracruz, Mexico

Objective: Rebuild the historical transformation of agroecosystems based on sugarcane in the sub-humid tropic, as a consequence of the change in public policies of the Mexican State in the last three decades. Design/methodology/approach: The transformation of sugar cane agroecosystems was studied in the continuum of reality, as changes in their resource management and management practices. Thus, methodologies used included life stories, field diary, and documentary review. The information collected was transcribed and classified in a database, using keywords for their previous identification by categories. The statements were identified and ordered based on their content, interpretation, and underlying concepts. Results: During the last century, public policies directed towards the sugar sector encouraged the existence of sugarcane agroecosystems as a monoculture. This implied changes in the management of time, work organization, orientation of the production, dependence on credits driven by the mills, and a process encouraged by the individualization of production, eroding the collective and solidarity work that lay behind other crops. Study limitations/implications: It is important to compare these findings with other investigations done in sugar cane producing municipalities. Findings / conclusion: Neoliberal public policies aiming the sugar sector deepened the producers' financial dependence on mills; as a consequence, they lost their autonomy in the management and use of their agroecosystems.Objective: Rebuild the historical transformation of agroecosystems based on sugarcane in the sub-humid tropic, as a consequence of the change in public policies of the Mexican State in the last three decades. Design/methodology/approach: The transformation of sugar cane agroecosystems was studied in the continuum of reality, as changes in their resource management and management practices. Thus, methodologies used included life stories, field diary, and documentary review. The information collected was transcribed and classified in a database, using keywords for their previous identification by categories. The statements were identified and ordered based on their content, interpretation, and underlying concepts. Results: During the last century, public policies directed towards the sugar sector encouraged the existence of sugarcane agroecosystems as a monoculture. This implied changes in the management of time, work organization, orientation of the production, dependence on credits driven by the mills, and a process encouraged by the individualization of production, eroding the collective and solidarity work that lay behind other crops. Study limitations/implications: It is important to compare these findings with other investigations done in sugar cane producing municipalities. Findings / conclusion: Neoliberal public policies aiming the sugar sector deepened the producers' financial dependence on mills; as a consequence, they lost their autonomy in the management and use of their agroecosystems

Origin of congenital coronary arterio-ventricular fistulae from anomalous epicardial and myocardial development.

Coronary Artery Fistulae (CAFs) are cardiac congenital anomalies consisting of an abnormal communication of a coronary artery with either a cardiac chamber or another cardiac vessel. In humans, these congenital anomalies can lead to complications such as myocardial hypertrophy, endocarditis, heart dilatation, and failure. Unfortunately, despite their clinical relevance, the aetiology of CAFs remains unknown. In this work, we have used two different species (mouse and avian embryos) to experimentally model CAFs morphogenesis. Both conditional Itga4 (alpha 4 integrin) epicardial deletion in mice and cryocauterisation of chick embryonic hearts disrupted epicardial development and ventricular wall growth, two essential events in coronary embryogenesis. Our results suggest that myocardial discontinuities in the embryonic ventricular wall promote the early contact of the endocardium with epicardial-derived coronary progenitors at the cardiac surface, leading to ventricular endocardial extrusion, precocious differentiation of coronary smooth muscle cells, and the formation of pouch-like aberrant coronary-like structures in direct connection with the ventricular lumen. The structure of these CAF-like anomalies was compared with histopathological data from a human CAF. Our results provide relevant information for the early diagnosis of these congenital anomalies and the molecular mechanisms that regulate their embryogenesis.The authors thank Dr. A. Rojas (CABIMER, Sevilla, Spain) and Prof. Thalia Papayannopoulou (University of Washington, WA, USA) for sharing with us the G2- Gata4-Cre and Itga4-floxed mouse lines, respectively. We also thank Vanessa Benhamo (Institut Imagine) for her expert support with HREM. Finally, we thank all members of “DeCA” laboratory (University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain), and the “Heart Morphogenesis” laboratory (Institut Imagine and Institut Pasteur, Paris, France) for their help and fruitful discussions on this paper. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, R+D+i National Programme [grants RTI2018-095410-RBI00 and PID2021-122626-OB-I00], Spanish Ministry of Science-ISCIII [grant number RD16/0011/0030], and University of Málaga [grant number UMA18-FEDERJA-146] to [JMPP]; Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía [grant number PIER-0084- 2019] to [JAGD]; University of Málaga [grant number I Plan Propio-UMA-A.4] to [ARV]; Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MCIU) (CIBER CV) [grant numbers PID2019-104776RB-I00 and CB16/11/00399] to [JLDLP].S

Oxidative Stress and Parkinson’s Disease: Effects on Environmental Toxicology

Epidemiological studies have found an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with environmental factors such as exposure to substances derived from industrial processes, use of agrochemicals, or living in a rural environment. The hypothesis that certain environmental toxins could be the source of the EP is supported by the discovery that chemicals such as herbicides paraquat, diquat, and the fungicide maneb are selectively toxic in nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Also, one of the insecticides produced by plants, such as rotenone, and by-product of the synthesis of synthetic heroin MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) can be reproduced in animal models where neurochemicals, histopathological, and clinical characteristic of PD can be found. Interestingly, there are similarities in the chemical structure of paraquat and MPTP. Recent evidence exhibited that inflammation and oxidative stress play an essential role in the development of PD. So, in our laboratory we found that in an animal model melatonin decreases the products of lipid oxidation, nitric oxide metabolites, and the activity of cyclooxygenase 2, which are induced by an intraperitoneal injection of MPTP. This suggests that the neuroprotective effects of melatonin are partially attributed to its antioxidant scavenging and anti-inflammatory action

MicroRNA expression profiling and DNA methylation signature for deregulated microRNA in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

MicroRNAs usually regulate gene expression negatively, and aberrant expression has been involved in the development of several types of cancers. Microarray profiling of microRNA expression was performed to define a microRNA signature in a series of mycosis fungoides tumor stage (MFt, n=21) and CD30+ primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (CD30+ cALCL, n=11) samples in comparison with inflammatory dermatoses (ID, n=5). Supervised clustering confirmed a distinctive microRNA profile for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with respect to ID. A 40 microRNA signature was found in MFt including upregulated onco-microRNAs (miR-146a, miR-142-3p/5p, miR-21, miR-181a/b, and miR-155) and downregulated tumor-suppressor microRNAs (miR-200ab/429 cluster, miR-10b, miR-193b, miR-141/200c, and miR-23b/27b). Regarding CD30+ cALCL, 39 differentially expressed microRNAs were identified. Particularly, overexpression of miR-155, miR-21, or miR-142-3p/5p and downregulation of the miR-141/200c clusters were observed. DNA methylation in microRNA gene promoters, as expression regulatory mechanism for deregulated microRNAs, was analyzed using Infinium 450K array and approximately one-third of the differentially expressed microRNAs showed significant DNA methylation differences. Two different microRNA methylation signatures for MFt and CD30+ cALCL were found. Correlation analysis showed an inverse relationship for microRNA promoter methylation and microRNA expression. These results reveal a subgroup-specific epigenetically regulated microRNA signatures for MFt and CD30+ cALCL patients

First-line treatment in lymphomatoid papulosis: a retrospective multicentre study

Background: Data regarding response to treatment in lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) are scarce. Aim: To assess the daily clinical practice approach to LyP and the response to first-line treatments. Methods: This was a retrospective study enrolling 252 patients with LyP. Results: Topical steroids, methotrexate and phototherapy were the most common first-line treatments, prescribed for 35%, 20% and 14% of the patients, respectively. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 48% of treated patients. Eczematous lesions significantly increased relative risk (RR) of not achieving CR (RR = 1.76; 95% CI 1.16-2.11). Overall median time to CR was 10 months (95% CI 6-13 months), and 78% of complete responders showed cutaneous relapse; both results were similar for all treatment groups (P > 0.05). Overall estimated median disease-free survival (DFS) was 11 months (95% CI 9-13 months) but DFS for patients treated with phototherapy was 23 months (95% CI 10-36 months; P < 0.03). Having the Type A LyP variant (RR = 2.04; 95% CI 0.96-4.30) and receiving a first-line treatment other than phototherapy (RR = 5.33; 95% CI 0.84-33.89) were significantly associated with cutaneous early relapse. Of the 252 patients, 31 (13%) had associated mycosis fungoides unrelated to therapeutic approach, type of LyP or T-cell receptor clonality. Conclusions: Current epidemiological, clinical and pathological data support previous results. Topical steroids, phototherapy and methotrexate are the most frequently prescribed first-line treatments. Although CR and cutaneous relapse rates do not differ between them, phototherapy achieves a longer DFS. Presence of Type A LyP and use of topical steroid or methotrexate were associated with an increased risk of early relapse

Crossover and rechallenge with pembrolizumab in recurrent patients from the EORTC 1325-MG/Keynote-054 phase III trial, pembrolizumab versus placebo after complete resection of high-risk stage III melanoma

Background: In the phase III double-blind European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial, pembrolizumab improved recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival in patients with stage III cutaneous melanoma with complete resection of lymph nodes. In the pembrolizumab group, the incidence of grade I–V and of grade III–V immune-related adverse events (irAEs) was 37% and 7%, respectively. Methods: Patients were randomised to receive intravenous (i.v.) pembrolizumab 200 mg (N = 514) or placebo (N = 505) every 3 weeks, up to 1 year. On recurrence, patients could enter part 2 of the study: pembrolizumab 200 mg i.v. every 3 weeks up to 2 years, for crossover (those who received placebo) or rechallenge (those who had recurrence ≥6 months after completing 1-year adjuvant pembrolizumab therapy). For these patients, we present the safety profile and efficacy outcomes. Results: At the clinical cut-off (16-Oct-2020), in the placebo group, 298 patients had a disease recurrence, in which 155 (52%) crossed over (‘crossover’). In the pembrolizumab group, 297 patients completed the 1-year treatment period; 47 had a recurrence ≥6 months later, in which 20 (43%) entered the rechallenge part 2 (‘rechallenge’). In the crossover group, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.7–15.2) and the 3-year PFS rate was 32% (95% CI 25–40%). Among 80 patients with stage IV evaluable disease, 31 (39%) had an objective response: 14 (18%) patients with complete response (CR) and 17 (21%) patients with partial response. The 2-year PFS rate from response was 69% (95% CI 48–83%). In the rechallenge group, the median PFS was 4.1 months (95% CI 2.6–NE). Among 9 patients with stage IV evaluable disease, 1 had an objective response (CR). Among the 175 patients, 51 (29%) had a grade I–IV irAE and 11 (6%) had a grade III–IV irAE. Conclusions: Pembrolizumab treatment after crossover yielded an overall 3-year PFS rate of 32% and a 39% ORR in evaluable patients, but the efficacy (11% ORR) was lower in those rechallenged