Effects of BioDensity Training on Bone Adaptations in Young Women: A Pilot Study

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are a major public health issue in the United States, and current research suggests that moderate to high intensity resistance training is the most effective type of exercise for maintaining bone mineral density (BMD). Sclerostin is a protein secreted by osteocytes which potently inhibits bone formation by binding to the LRP4 in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. BioDensity is a novel resistance training machine that consists of four exercises performed for five seconds each, which applies mechanical loading to the bone and provides a quicker alternative to traditional resistance training. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of 12 weeks of supervised bioDensity training on BMD and sclerostin in young women. METHODS: Nine healthy, young female participants were recruited for the 1-repetition (1-REP) group, and another seven participants were recruited for the 2-repetition (2-REP) group with similar age, weight, height, and ethnicity. They underwent 12 weeks of supervised bioDensity training, once a week. Before and after the intervention, total body composition and BMD at major sites were measured by DXA and serum sclerostin levels were measured in ELISA. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the baseline between groups, and mixed measure ANOVA was used to compare the effects of training within and between groups. RESULTS: We did not find significant time, group, or time x group interaction effects in BMD or serum sclerostin levels after 12-week bioDensity training. There is a large effect size of time (η2 = .214) at lumbar spine BMD after adjusting for height, and medium effect size of time (η2 = .108) in sclerostin levels. No significant differences were found in the percent change of BMD, while the effect size between the two groups was large. CONCLUSION: Although no statistical changes of BMD and sclerostin were observed, the medium to large effect sizes in our pilot study suggest a potential training effect. The bioDensity exercise regimen is feasible and well tolerated in young women

Repositorios digitales y software open source

En la actualidad las universidades se encuentran en constante evolución, fruto de la transformación generada por la sociedad de la información y el conocimiento, donde la transversalidad son las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC), que tienen como objetivo ampliar el acceso a la información y el conocimiento a través de su herramienta digital más distinguida, Internet. Las universidades retroalimentan su conocimiento e información, mediante las producciones científicasacadémicas, y para promover el acceso a ellas, muchas universidades están inclinándose al movimiento del Acceso Abierto (AA) siguiendo la vía verde en el desarrollo de repositorios digitales (RD). Para la creación de RD es necesario analizar los software open source disponibles, dado que estos son las herramientas que facilitan la automatización de los mismos. El presente estudio se centra en el análisis de los software open source existentes en el mercado.Today universities are in constant evolution, the result of the transformation generated by the information society and knowledge, which are transversal Information Technology and Communication (ICT), which aim to widen access information and knowledge through its highest digital tools, Internet. The unviersidades feedback his knowledge and information by scientific-academic productions, and to promote access to them, many are bowing to moviemiento unviersidades Open Access (AA) following the greenway in the development of digital repositories (RD). For the creation of RD is necessary to analyze the available open source software, as these are the tools must facilitating automation thereof. This study focuses on the analysis of existing open source software in the market.Facultad de Informátic

Reduced expression of mir15a in the blood of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma is associated with tumor staging

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) mirl 5a and let7a are iMportant regulators of bcl-2, ras and c-myc proteins Considering that these miRNAs are commonly altered in many human cancers and that these proteins are reported to be altered in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we investigated them in a set of OSCC cases \u27I he miRNAs as well as the proteins were evaluated in the tumor and blood of 20 patients by real-time quantitative PCR and iMmunohistochemistry, respectively The expression of nfirl5a and bcl-2 proteins in the tumors was not associated with each other or with tumor staging On the other hand, we found reduced expression of this miRNA in the blood of patients with an advanced stage of OSCC and with lymph node metastasis The expression of let7a in the tumor and blood was not associated with tumor size lymph node metastasis, tumor staging and immunoexpression of ras and c-myc proteins In conclusion, the present study shows that reduced expression of Mir15a is associated with OSCC stagin

Repositorios digitales y software open source

En la actualidad las universidades se encuentran en constante evolución, fruto de la transformación generada por la sociedad de la información y el conocimiento, donde la transversalidad son las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC), que tienen como objetivo ampliar el acceso a la información y el conocimiento a través de su herramienta digital más distinguida, Internet. Las universidades retroalimentan su conocimiento e información, mediante las producciones científicasacadémicas, y para promover el acceso a ellas, muchas universidades están inclinándose al movimiento del Acceso Abierto (AA) siguiendo la vía verde en el desarrollo de repositorios digitales (RD). Para la creación de RD es necesario analizar los software open source disponibles, dado que estos son las herramientas que facilitan la automatización de los mismos. El presente estudio se centra en el análisis de los software open source existentes en el mercado.Today universities are in constant evolution, the result of the transformation generated by the information society and knowledge, which are transversal Information Technology and Communication (ICT), which aim to widen access information and knowledge through its highest digital tools, Internet. The unviersidades feedback his knowledge and information by scientific-academic productions, and to promote access to them, many are bowing to moviemiento unviersidades Open Access (AA) following the greenway in the development of digital repositories (RD). For the creation of RD is necessary to analyze the available open source software, as these are the tools must facilitating automation thereof. This study focuses on the analysis of existing open source software in the market.Facultad de Informátic

Tissue engineering by decellularization and 3D bioprinting

Discarded human donor organs have been shown to provide decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds suitable for organ engineering. The quest for appropriate cell sources to satisfy the need of multiple cells types in order to fully repopulate human organ-derived dECM scaffolds has opened new venues for the use of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for recellularization. In addition, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting techniques are advancing towards the fabrication of biomimetic cell-laden biomaterial constructs. Here, we review recent progress in decellularization/recellularization and 3D bioprinting technologies, aiming to fabricate autologous tissue grafts and organs with an impact in regenerative medicine

Estudio preliminar sobre la producción científica en ingeniería de software en la Argentina

Se realiza un estudio preliminar en el cual se identifican y recopilan publicaciones de los años 2009 y 2010 de las siguientes eventos: Workshop de Investigadores en Ciencias de la Computación (WICC), Congreso Argentino de Ciencias de la Computación (CACIC), Jornadas Argentinas de Informática (JAIIO) relativos a la investigación en Ingeniería de Software en Argentina y en la región. Se toma como punto de partida la conceptualizacion de Ingeniería de Software propuesta por diferentes autores.Eje: Ingeniería de SoftwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Antimicrobial activity of a bacterial nanocellulose film functionalized with Nisin Z for prospective burn wounds treatment

Burn wounds can lead to numerous severe complications including bacterial infections causing patient morbidity and mortality, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. The considerable increase of the microbial resistance against traditional antibiotics is leading towards alternative strategies to treat bacterial infections. Nisin Z is an antimicrobial peptide which exhibits a significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Its efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria is limited, nonetheless it can be improved with the addition of surfactants, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The incorporation of peptide and other biomolecules within a biopolymer matrix provides protection maintaining their antimicrobial potential. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has been widely used as wound dressings. Its impressive water retention capacity (> 99 %) and porosity are beneficial to manage wounds due to its potential to absorb exudates, providing a breathable and humid environment. In this work, the functionalization of BNC with Nisin Z (BNC-NZ) via vacuum filtration is reported. The entrapment of the peptide inside the BNC films was confirmed through morphological characterization using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry. Typical absorbance peaks of Nisin Z are easily identifiable at 1647 cm-1 (amide group) and 1520 cm-1 (bending of primary amines). Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) suggested that Nisin Z did not interfere with the BNC matrix. The antimicrobial activity of Nisin Z against five of the most common bacteria found in burn wounds was verified by Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) ranging 8.0-256.0 µg/mL. Agar Diffusion and Shake Flask methods revealed the potential of BNC-NZ for prospective applications in burn wound dressings.This work is financed by FEDER funds through COMPETE and by national funds through FCT via the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074 and UID/CTM/00264/2020. L.M. and T.D.T also acknowledge FCT for their PhD scholarships with references 2020.04919.BD and 2020.06046.BD

Ethical and legal challenges of automated driving: The prioritization of socio-political values

Much research on the ethics of automated driving (AD) focusses on moral decision-making processes in extreme traffic situations. However, more likely scenarios involving daily trade-offs among different values in the design and implementation of AD are also worth considering. Our main goal was to provide an in-depth analysis of how diverse experts and stakeholders prioritize different socio-political values. Through a series of workshops, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, we assessed today's major social, ethical, and legal concerns related to AD, as well as their relative prioritization in specific near-future realistic traffic scenarios. We summarize experts’ and lay-people's opinions on the trade-offs among six socio-political values (privacy, autonomy, safety, security, performance, and costs) and present overall recommendations for the design of future AD technologies

Public-private partnerships and sustainable development goals: proposal for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

The importance of non-governmental organizations of achieving the sustainable development goals: The fight against racial discrimination of Roma in Europe / Cristina Hermida del Llano (pp. 15-26). -- Investiment promotion regimes for least developed countries / María Ángeles Cano Linares (pp. 27-45). -- Alliances with international organizations: How the OSCE has contributed to the SDGs / Elena C. Díaz Galán (pp. 47-58). -- Spanish commitment to official development aid with gender perspective / Diana M. Verdiales López (pp. 59-77). -- Project of entrepreneurship of the Guambiano indigenous community: Public-private alliances in the Republic of Colombia / Cristina del Pardo Higuera (pp. 79-95). -- The contribution of petroleum companies to enviromental protection in a framework of compliance with the 2030 Agenda: a necessary alliance / María Sagrario Morán Blanco (pp. 97-122). -- Public-private partnerships and access to water and sanitation in Latin America (SDG 6) / Manuel Rodríguez Barrigón (123-138). -- The renewed commercial and investment agreements: the progressive incorporation of Human Rights and sustainable development goals / Jorge Urbaneja Cillán (pp. 139-152). -- Towards using data as a development lever for cities: the case of Singapore and the smart nation initiative / Benoît Lopez (pp. 153-162). -- Which access to green technologies for developing countries? / Dayana Morales Mina (pp. 163-172). -- Strenght institutional and normative framework to implement effective capacity building actions: a critical regional analysis / Andrés Bautista-Hernáez (pp. 173-185)

Fine tuning the extracellular environment accelerates the derivation of kidney organoids from human pluripotent stem cells

The generation of organoids is one of the biggest scientific advances in regenerative medicine. Here, by lengthening the time that human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) were exposed to a three-dimensional microenvironment, and by applying defined renal inductive signals, we generated kidney organoids that transcriptomically matched second-trimester human fetal kidneys. We validated these results using ex vivo and in vitro assays that model renal development. Furthermore, we developed a transplantation method that utilizes the chick chorioallantoic membrane. This approach created a soft in vivo microenvironment that promoted the growth and differentiation of implanted kidney organoids, as well as providing a vascular component. The stiffness of the in ovo chorioallantoic membrane microenvironment was recapitulated in vitro by fabricating compliant hydrogels. These biomaterials promoted the efficient generation of renal vesicles and nephron structures, demonstrating that a soft environment accelerates the differentiation of hPSC-derived kidney organoids