Evaluación de LSM4 como potencial diana terapéutica en el cáncer de próstata

El cáncer de próstata (CaP) es una de las principales neoplasias malignas que afecta a la salud de millones de hombres, siendo el segundo tipo de cáncer más diagnosticado en todo el mundo. El CaP presenta un mal pronóstico y suele llevar al fracaso terapéutico en etapas avanzadas. En un estudio previo del laboratorio, a través de la identificación de vulnerabilidades genéticas específicas en CaP avanzado, se identificó LSM4 como potencial diana terapéutica para el desarrollo de nuevos tratamientos. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido la evaluación de LSM4 como potencial diana terapéutica en el CaP avanzado. La evaluación de LSM4 se realizó en base a información recopilada acerca de sus funciones biológicas y su relevancia en el cáncer. A continuación, se evaluó su expresión en pacientes con CaP respecto a individuos sanos y en estadios agresivos y metastásicos a comparación de no-agresivos y primarios, también se evaluaron los niveles relativos de LSM4 en distintos modelos celulares de próstata. Finalmente, se probaron distintos vectores de ARNsh para la generación de modelos de silenciamiento de LSM4 en la línea celular 22rv1. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron la implicación de LSM4 en cáncer y su posible participación en el desarrollo del CaP. Además, se observó que LSM4 estaba sobreexpresado en pacientes con CaP con respecto a individuos sanos y en distintas líneas celulares de CaP el gen tuvo una mayor expresión que en la línea sana. Finalmente, se obtuvo un modelo de silenciamiento de LSM4 eficiente mediante el vector sh-8, para posteriormente evaluar su efecto en la proliferación celular. Se concluyó que LSM4 tiene potencial como diana terapéutica para el desarrollo de fármacos en el CaP avanzado. Además, podría estar relacionado con la proliferación tumoral, lo cual se debe seguir estudiando en futuras investigaciones.Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the main malignant neoplasms affecting the health of millions of men, being the second most diagnosed cancer worldwide. PCa has a poor prognosis and often leads to therapeutic failure in advanced stages. In a previous study of the laboratory, through the identification of specific genetic vulnerabilities in advanced PCa, LSM4 was identified as a potential drug target for the development of new treatments. The aim of this work has been the evaluation of LSM4 as a potential drug target in advanced PCa. The evaluation of LSM4 was performed based on information gathered about its biological functions and relevance in cancer. Then, its expression was evaluated in PCa patients with respect to healthy individuals and in aggressive and metastatic stages compared to non-aggressive and primary ones, and the relative levels of LSM4 in different prostate cell models were also evaluated. Finally, different shRNA vectors were tested for the generation of LSM4 silencing models in the 22rv1 cell line. The results obtained showed the involvement of LSM4 in cancer and its possible participation in the development of PCa. Furthermore, it was observed that LSM4 was over-expressed in PCa patients with respect to healthy individuals, and in different PCa cell lines the gene had a higher expression than in the healthy line. Finally, an efficient LSM4 silencing model was obtained using the sh-8 vector, to subsequently evaluate its effect on cell proliferation. It was concluded that LSM4 has potential as a drug target for drug development in advanced PCa. In addition, it could be related to tumor proliferation, which should be further studied in future research.Biotecnologí

Perfil característico de la rentabilidad de las empresas del sector de publicidad y estudios de mercado en Aragón.

El trabajo consiste en un análisis económico-financiero del sector de publicidad y estudios de mercado en Aragón. El estudio ha consistido principalmente en un análisis del perfil económico de las empresas de este sector (análisis de balance, cuenta de perdidas y ganancias y mediante ratios); además de un análisis multivariante para estudiar cuales son los factores explicativos a nivel de rentabilidad, que diferencian a las empresas más rentables de las menos rentables en el sector de publicidad y estudios de mercado de Aragón. <br /

Estudio sobre el comportamiento de compra de un Sobrarbense en los establecimientos de alimentación ubicados en la Comarca de Sobrarbe

El trabajo de fin de grado es una investigación de mercado. El objetivo de estudio es un análisis acerca del comportamiento de compra de las personas que residen en la Comarca de Sobrarbe en los establecimientos comerciales de alimentación localizados en esta zona, pudiendo averiguar si el cliente se ha quedado satisfecho o insatisfecho. También investigaremos sobre los hábitos de consumo hacia los productos locales de la Comarca de Sobrarbe, es decir aquellos productos que se han elaborado en el Sobrarbe. Para llevar a cabo este trabajo de investigación he empleado dos técnicas: entrevista personal a los establecimientos de alimentación y un cuestionario. La entrevista personal fue realizada a 6 establecimientos de alimentación de la zona, la realicé a través de vía telefónica, el cuestionario compuesto fue enviado a través de la aplicación WhatsApp a los grupos de asociaciones de amas de casa. Los resultados obtenidos se utilizarán para impulsar el comercio local de la Comarca de Sobrarbe<br /

Trends and time variability in the northern continental shelf of the western Mediterranean

18 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, supporting information https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002799Different works appearing during the last decade show that the western Mediterranean has suffered a temperature and salinity increase during the 20th century. Most of these works analyze long-term trends in Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) and Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW); those dealing with changes in shallow and coastal waters are very scarce. It is still an open question whether these changes are due to meteorological factors occurring in the western Mediterranean or if they are caused by the salinity increase of the water masses contributing to deep water formation. In this work we analyze the data obtained in the last decade of the 20th century (and longer time series in some cases) within the frame of six projects aimed at the systematic collection of hydrographic data at fixed stations in the northern sector of the western Mediterranean (mainly in coastal areas). We detect strong warming trends in those stations located in the continental shelf (and probably with no influence of the LIW). This result could indicate that changes observed in the WMDW cannot be explained only on the basis of changes imported from the eastern basin. Another striking result is that these trends are an order of magnitude higher than those reported for the rest of the century, indicating that the 1990s have been an exceptionally warm decade. On the other hand, time series affected by the LIW show a salinity increase, and in some cases this is not accompanied by the corresponding temperature increment, indicating that the LIW salinity increase could also be a factor to be taken into account. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.Projects Ecomálaga, Ecobaleares, Ecomurcia, and CIRBAL are supported by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía. L’Estartit station is supported by the Institut de Ciencies del Mar (ICM, CSIC). [...] The May 1998 MATER-I cruise wascarried out in the frame of the project MTPII-MATER: MAS3-CT96-0051, supported by the European UnionPeer Reviewe

Experiencia en el proyecto de profesores noveles

Este trabajo recoge la experiencia de tres profesores noveles y una profesora mentora, tras su participación en el proyecto “Formación del Profesorado Novel” organizado por el Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación (ICE) de la Universidad de Sevilla durante el curso académico 2011-2012. Las conclusiones de la experiencia recogen la opinión personal de los autores abarcando mejoras tanto en aspectos personales como organizativos relativos a la labor docente

Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in rats and sand flies in the urban sewers of Barcelona, Spain

Background: Classically, dogs have been considered to be the only reservoir of leishmaniasis in urban areas. However, in a previous study, we found a 33.3% prevalence of Leishmania infantum in the spleens of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) sampled in the underground sewer system of the city of Barcelona (Spain). The aim of the present study was to verify, using molecular methods, the potential reservoir role of these rats in the same sewer system. Methods: A sensitive real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were carried out to identify and quantify the presence of L. infantum DNA in sand fly individuals captured in the same underground sewer system of Barcelona as in our previous study and in the spleens and ears of rats captured in the same sewer system. Results: Leishmania infantum DNA was found in 14 of the 27 (51.9%) sand flies identified as Phlebotomus perniciosus, and 10 of the 24 (41.7%) rats studied were infected. Leishmania infantum was found in the spleens (70%) and in the ears (40%) of the infected rats. Quantitative results revealed the presence of high loads of L. infantum in the rats studied (> 3 × 10 parasites/g ear tissue) and among the sand flies (> 34 × 10 parasites in 1 individual). Conclusions: The molecular methods used in this study demonstrated a high prevalence of L. infantum in the underground sewer populations of both R. norvegicus and P. perniciosus. These results suggest that sewer rats, in addition to dogs, are likely to act as reservoirs of leishmaniasis in cities, where sewer systems seem to offer the ideal scenario for the transmission of leishmaniasis. Therefore, to achieve the WHO 2030 target on the elimination of leishmaniasis as a public health problem successfully, an efficient control strategy against leishmaniasis in rats and sand flies should be implemented, particularly in the sewer systems of urban areas of endemic countries. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

The role of native lichens in the biomonitoring of gaseous mercury at contaminated sites

Contamination by atmospheric mercury has been assessed in two different areas from Spain (Las Cuevas, Ciudad Real and Flix, Tarragona) using lichens as biomonitors. The relationship established between mercury contents in the soils and the gaseous mercury (GM) was also observed. It was found that the GM is highest in the vicinity of the source and it is dispersed depending on of the distance to the source and the wind directions. The mercury concentration in the gas phase in Flix was higher than that found in Las Cuevas and also higher than the value that the US EPA recommended. The mercury bioaccumulation in the native lichens from genders Ramalina and Xanthoria were used as biomonitors for absorbing mercury in Las Cuevas and Flix, respectively. The mercury uptake by Ramalina was higher than the amount accumulated by Xanthoria, a difference that was mainly due to the lichen characteristics. The content of mercury in lichens in relation to the mercury in gas was fitted by a Freundlich type equation, indicating that the equilibrium between both phases was established. Besides, transplanted Ramalina lichen in Las Cuevas allowed to obtain the kinetic of mercury uptake. A kinetic model of first order based on the equilibrium was proposed and the mass transfer constants for each sampling station were estimated. As it was expected, these values increased with the predominant wind flow direction.Se ha evaluado la contaminación por mercurio atmosférico en dos zonas diferentes de España (Las Cuevas, Ciudad Real y Flix, Tarragona) utilizando líquenes como biomonitores. También se observó la relación establecida entre los contenidos de mercurio en los suelos y el mercurio gaseoso (MG). Se comprobó que el MG es más alto en las proximidades de la fuente y se dispersa en función de la distancia a la misma y de las direcciones del viento. La concentración de mercurio en fase gaseosa en Flix fue mayor que la encontrada en Las Cuevas y también mayor que el valor que recomienda la EPA estadounidense. La bioacumulación de mercurio en los líquenes nativos de los géneros Ramalina y Xanthoria se utilizaron como biomonitores de absorción de mercurio en Las Cuevas y Flix, respectivamente. La absorción de mercurio por parte de Ramalina fue mayor que la cantidad acumulada por Xanthoria, diferencia que se debió principalmente a las características del liquen. El contenido de mercurio en los líquenes en relación con el mercurio en el gas se ajustó mediante una ecuación de tipo Freundlich, indicando que se estableció el equilibrio entre ambas fases. Además, el liquen Ramalina trasplantado en Las Cuevas permitió obtener la cinética de captación de mercurio. Se propuso un modelo cinético de primer orden basado en el equilibrio y se estimaron las constantes de transferencia de masa para cada estación de muestreo. Como era de esperar, estos valores aumentaron con la dirección del flujo de viento predominante

One Health Approach to Zoonotic Parasites: Molecular Detection of Intestinal Protozoans in an Urban Population of Norway Rats, Rattus norvegicus, in Barcelona, Spain

Rattus norvegicus, the brown or Norway rat, is the most abundant mammal after humans in urban areas, where they live in close proximity to people. Among rodent-borne diseases, the reservoir role of Norway rats of zoonotic parasites in cities has practically been ignored. Considering the parasitic diseases in the One Health approach, we intended to identify and quantify the zoonotic intestinal protozoans (ZIP) in an urban population of R. norvegicus in the city of Barcelona, Spain. We studied the presence of ZIP in 100 rats trapped in parks (n = 15) as well as in the city's sewage system (n = 85) in the winter of 2016/17. The protozoans were molecularly identified by means of a multiplex PCR (AllplexTM Gastrointestinal Panel-Parasite Assay). We also investigated the presence of co-infections among the species found. Four ZIP were identified, presenting significant prevalences in sewers, specifically Blastocystis (83.5%), Giardia duodenalis (37.7%), Cryptosporidium spp. (34.1%), and Dientamoeba fragilis (14.1%). Several co-infections among the detected ZIP were also detected. The reservoir role of ZIP that Norway rats play in cities as well as the role rats may play as sentinels of zoonotic parasites affecting humans in urban areas are strongly backed up by our findings. The increasing worldwide urbanization, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic are factors that are producing an increase in human-rat interactions. Our results should be considered a warning to the authorities to intensify rat control and surveillance in public health interventions

Diseño y análisis no lineal de un oscilador generador de solitones con balance armónico

Soliton oscillators enable the generation of short-time pulses, applicable in sampling of fast signals or as probe signals in radar systems. The soliton oscillator is made up of a feedback loop containing an amplifier stage and a nonlinear transmission line. In this paper, an efficient technique for the harmonic balance design of these oscillators is presented. The bifurcation behavior of this kind of oscillators is analyzed in depth, with a detailed study of their oscillation modes. The sources of non ideality of the soliton-train waveform have also been investigated. The techniques have been applied to a first prototype at 1 GHz with very good agreement with the measured results