La perspectiva neurocognitiva en psicopedagogía. Evaluación, diagnóstico y tratamiento de los trastornos del neurodesarrollo

Las ciencias del desarrollo cognitivo y las neurociencias han realizado numerosos aportes a la psicología del desarrollo en los últimos años. En el campo de la psicopedagogía, compete estudiar a la persona en situación de aprendizaje y la naturaleza del mismo, evaluar sus capacidades y habilidades cognitivas, como identificar la presencia de trastornos y rehabilitar para el desarrollo óptimo de sus potencialidades. En el presente informe se realiza una sistematización de la práctica pre-profesional referida al trabajo psicopedagógico en la evaluación, diagnóstico y tratamiento de niños y adolescentes con dificultades relacionadas al desarrollo neurológico. Se observa el trabajo del Licenciado en Psicopedagogía en el Instituto C.E.T.E.S., los fundamentos científicos de su quehacer y se realiza un análisis teórico a partir de una revisión bibliográfica acerca de la psicopedagogía con orientación neurocognitiva.Fil: Rodríguez de la Torre, Paz María. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Educación; Argentin

Picasso en "Pel & Ploma"

Entre las publicaciones catalanas de finales del s. XIX y principios del XX, la revista "Pel & Ploma" fundada por uno de los grupos más dinámicos de Barcelona, tiene para nosotros un interés especial pues, habiendo nacido con la intención de dar cuenta de todo acontecimiento cultural y artístico, recoge noticias de los primeros pasos y de las etapas recorridas por pintores, escultores, arquitectos, músicos y escritores que dieron una dirección nueva al arte contemporáneo español

Human Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A Review from Basic Research to Clinical Applications

Placenta-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (PMSC) present several aspects that make them more attractive as cellular therapy than their counterparts from other tissues, such as MSC from bone marrow or adipose tissue in regenerative medicine. Placenta-derived MSC have been used to treat a variety of disorders, such as, cancer, liver and cardiac diseases, ulcers, bone repair, and neurological diseases. Placenta-derived MSC are relatively new types of MSC with specific immunomodulatory properties and whose mechanisms are still unknown. Placenta-derived MSC secrete some soluble factors that seem to be responsible for their therapeutic effects, i.e., they have paracrine effects. On the other hand, Placenta-derived MSC can also serve as cellular vehicles and/or delivery systems for medications due to their migration capacity and their tropism for injury sites. Nanotechnology is an important field, which has undergone rapid development in recent years for the treatment of injured organs. Due to the special characteristics of placenta-derived MSC, the combination of these cells with nanotechnology will be a significant and highly promising field that will provide significant contributions in the regenerative medicine field in the near future

Efecto de la realimentación en la composición corporal de mujeres con anorexia nerviosa restrictiva; antropometría frente a impedancia bioeléctrica

Objetivo: Evaluar la composición corporal en un grupo de pacientes desnutridas con anorexia nerviosa, respecto de controles sanas, antes y después del soporte nutricional, mediante antropometría y bioimpedancia. Métodos: Estudio observacional prospectivo. Se realizó una antropometría completa y un análisis de bioimpedancia a 12 mujeres con anorexia nerviosa restrictiva (24,5 años) al ingreso hospitalario y semanalmente durante la realimentación. El grupo control estuvo formado por 24 mujeres sanas (21 años). Se aplicaron los test t-Student, U-Mann-Whitney, t-Student para medidas repetidas o Wilcoxon. La concordancia entre antropometría y BIA se analizó mediante el coeficiente de correlación intraclase y Bland-Altman. Resultados: Las pacientes mejoraron significativamente todos los índices de composición corporal a lo largo de la estancia hospitalaria, aunque sus valores al alta siguieron siendo menores que los de las controles. La media de peso ganado fue 5,22 kg (DE: 1,42), de los que el 51,4% fueron masa grasa, con distribución central preferentemente. En las controles la ecuación de BIA que mejor concuerda con antropometría es la de Sun (CCI = 0,896); en las pacientes la concordancia fue más débil, al ingreso y al alta. Conclusiones: La realimentación produce una ganancia ponderal, fundamentalmente a expensas de masa grasa, con distribución central; no se consigue restablecer el estado nutricional. La concordancia entre antropometría y bioimpedancia para el estudio de la composición corporal es aceptable, especialmente en sujetos sanos. Se recomienda emplear antropometría, si no se dispone de BIA vectorial o algún método gold estandard para el análisis de la composición corporal, en casos de alteraciones importantes en la composición corporal y/o el balance hídrico

Endostatin genetically engineered placental mesenchymal stromal cells carrying mesoporous silica nanoparticles for combined chemo- and antiangiogenic therapy

Combination therapies constitute a powerful tool for cancer treatment. By combining drugs with different mechanisms of action, the limitations of each individual agent can be overcome, while increasing therapeutic benefit. Here, we propose employing tumor-migrating decidua-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as therapeutic agents combining antiangiogenic therapy and chemotherapy. First, a plasmid encoding the antiangiogenic protein endostatin was transfected into these cells by nucleofection, confirming its expression by ELISA and its biological effect in an ex ovo chick embryo model. Second, doxorubicin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles were introduced into the cells, which would act as vehicles for the drug being released. The effect of the drug was evaluated in a coculture in vitro model with mammary cancer cells. Third, the combination of endostatin transfection and doxorubicin-nanoparticle loading was carried out with the decidua mesenchymal stromal cells. This final cell platform was shown to retain its tumor-migration capacity in vitro, and the combined in vitro therapeutic efficacy was confirmed through a 3D spheroid coculture model using both cancer and endothelial cells. The results presented here show great potential for the development of combination therapies based on genetically-engineered cells that can simultaneously act as cellular vehicles for drug-loaded nanoparticles

Cambios en la composición corporal en función del grado de demencia en un grupo de ancianos institucionalizados

Producción CientíficaValorar el estado nutricional de un grupo de ancianos institucionalizados con demencia, analizando los cambios en la composición corporal en función de su estadío evolutivo. Método: Se ha realizado un estudio transversal en el que se valoró el estado nutricional y la composición corporal (antropometría, MNA, y bioimpedancia) en 63 ancianos institucionalizados con diagnóstico de demencia en estadíos evolutivos 5, 6 y 7 de las escalas GDS (Global Deterioration Scale) y FAST (Functional Assessment Stating). Se calcularon los índices de masa grasa (IMG) y de masa libre de grasa (IMLG). Los resultados se analizaron mediante el ANOVA de un factor y ANOVA factorial o Kruskal-Wallis, y contrastes a posteriori de Scheffé. La significación se alcanzó con p < 0,05. Resultados: La media de edad fue 80,6 (IC 95%: 78,3-83,0; Rango: 51-95) años. Según el MNA, el 38,1% de la muestra presentaba malnutrición, el 60,3% riesgo de malnutrición, y el 1,6% normalidad nutricional. La media del índice de masa corporal fue 23,06 (22,01-24,10) kg/m2, sin diferencias significativas en función del estadío evolutivo, salvo en los paliativos (media: 19,85; IC 95%: 78,3-83,0 kg/m2). Los pacientes en estadíos GDS/FAST 5, 6 y 7 no paliativos presentan una Z-Score del IMG próxima a 0 DS, y una Z-Score del IMLG de aproximadamente -1 DS, resultados compatibles con una situación de sarcopenia. En los paliativos (GDS/FAST >= 7c) ambos índices son significativamente inferiore

Decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells as carriers of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. In vitro and in vivo evaluation on mammary tumors

The potential use of human Decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DMSCs) as a platform to carry mesoporous silica nanoparticles in cancer therapy has been investigated. Two types of nanoparticles were evaluated. The nanoparticles showed negligible toxicity to the cells, a fast uptake and a long retention inside them. Nanoparticle location in the cell was studied by colocalization with the lysosomes. Moreover, the in vitro and in vivo migration of DMSCs towards tumors was not modified by the evaluated nanoparticles. Finally, DMSCs transporting doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles were capable of inducing cancer cell death in vitro

The cyanobacterial ribosomal-associated protein LrtA from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is an oligomeric protein in solution with chameleonic sequence properties

The LrtA protein of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 intervenes in cyanobacterial post-stress survival and in stabilizing 70S ribosomal particles. It belongs to the hibernating promoting factor (HPF) family of proteins, involved in protein synthesis. In this work, we studied the conformational preferences and stability of isolated LrtA in solution. At physiological conditions, as shown by hydrodynamic techniques, LrtA was involved in a self-association equilibrium. As indicated by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence, the protein acquired a folded, native-like conformation between pH 6.0 and 9.0. However, that conformation was not very stable, as suggested by thermal and chemical denaturations followed by CD and fluorescence. Theoretical studies of its highly-charged sequence suggest that LrtA had a Janus sequence, with a context-dependent fold. Our modelling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that the protein adopted the same fold observed in other members of the HPF family ( - - - - - ) at its N-terminal region (residues 1–100), whereas the C terminus (residues 100–197) appeared disordered and collapsed, supporting the overall percentage of overall secondary structure obtained by CD deconvolution. Then, LrtA has a chameleonic sequence and it is the first member of the HPF family involved in a self-association equilibrium, when isolated in solution.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTQ2015-64445-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad BIO2016-78020-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad FIS2014-52212-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad BIO2016-75634-PFundación Séneca 19353/PI/1

Cell therapy for factor V deficiency: an approach based on human decidua mesenchymal stem cells

Deficiency of factor V is a congenital autosomal recessive coagulopathy associated with mutations in the F5 gene that results in mild-to-severe bleeding episodes. Factor V is a component of the prothrombinase complex responsible for accelerating conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. At the present time there are no therapeutic factor V concentrates available. This study was designed to lay the preliminary foundations for future cell-based therapy for patients with severe factor V deficiency. The study showed that hepatospheres, which produce coagulation factors VIII, IX, and V, synthetize and store intracellular glycogen and express albumin levels up to 8 times higher than those of undifferentiated cells. Factor IX and factor V gene expression increased significantly in hepatospheres as compared to undifferentiated cells, whereas factor VIII gene expression remained constant. The factor V protein was detected in the hepatospheres´ secretome. Considering the enormous potential of mesenchymal stem cells as therapeutic agents, this study proposes a highly reproducible method to induce differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human placenta to factor V-producing hepatospheres. This strategy constitutes a preliminary step towards a curative treatment of factor V deficiency through advanced therapies such as cell therapy

Vectorization of ultrasound-responsive nanoparticles in placental mesenchymal stem cells for cancer therapy

A new platform constituted by engineered responsive nanoparticles transported by human mesenchymal stem cells is here presented as a proof of concept. Ultrasound-responsive mesoporous silica nanoparticles are coated with polyethylenimine to favor their effective uptake by decidua-derived mesenchymal stem cells. The responsive-release ability of the designed nanoparticles is confirmed, both in vial and in vivo. In addition, this capability is maintained inside the cells used as carriers. The migration capacity of the nanoparticle-cell platform towards mammary tumors is assessed in vitro. The efficacy of this platform for anticancer therapy is shown against mammary tumor cells by inducing the release of doxorubicin only when the cell vehicles are exposed to ultrasound