El concepte d'aristocràcia espiritual en el llibre primer del Kuzari

L'autora pertany al Grup d'investigació "Fèlix" de la UNED, dirigit per la Dra. Júlia Butinyà. També, al consell de redacció de la revista "Lluc" i és secretària de redacció de "Segell. Revista d'història i cultura jueves". Medalla Ramon Llull de la Comunitat de les Illes Balears (2007) (Correu electrònic: [email protected]).L'objectiu del present treball és mostrar, a través del Llibre Primer del Kuzari, de Iehudà Haleví, traduït per primera vegada al català pel rabí Jordi Gendra, una de les primeres formulacions sobre l'origen aristocràtic del poble jueu, defensat per un dels poetes més importants del judaisme de la Diàspora. A través d'una selecció d'origen diví, Israel es constitueix en l'autèntica aristocràcia del món, ja que per la seva condició de poble profètic se situa molt per damunt de la resta dels pobles, i tan sols superats en l'escala de la Creació pels àngels.The objective of the following work is showing, through the First Book of Kuzari, by Iehuda Halevi, firstly translated into Catalonian by Rabbi Jordi Gendra, one of the first formulations of the aristocratic origin of the Jewish population, defended by one of the most important poets of Judaism during the Jewish Diaspora. The book explains that through a divine selection, Israel is constituted as the authentic aristocracy of the world, due to its condition of a prophetic population it is situated over the rest of populations and in the Creational scale it's only superadded by angels

Notion of spiritual aristocracy in the first book of Kuzari

L’objectiu del present treball és mostrar, a través del Llibre Primer del Kuzari, de Iehudà Haleví, traduït per primera vegada al català pel rabí Jordi Gendra, una de les primeres formulacions sobre l’origen aristocràtic del poble jueu, defensat per un dels poetes més importants del judaisme de la Diàspora. A través d’una selecció d’origen diví, Israel es constitueix en l’autèntica aristocràcia del món, ja que per la seva condició de poble profètic se situa molt per damunt de la resta dels pobles, i tan sols superats en l’escala de la Creació pels àngels.The objective of the following work is showing, through the First Book of Kuzari, by Iehuda Halevi, firstly translated into Catalonian by Rabbi Jordi Gendra, one of the first formulations of the aristocratic origin of the Jewish population, defended by one of the most important poets of Judaism during the Jewish Diaspora. The book explains that through a divine selection, Israel is constituted as the authentic aristocracy of the world, due to its condition of a prophetic population it is situated over the rest of populations and in the Creational scale it’s only superadded by angels

La educación para la salud como elemento clave en el desarrollo humano

Comunicació presentada al Congreso Internacional de Pedagogía Social: Pedagogía Social y Desarrollo Humano (30º: 8-10 novembre 2017 : Sevilla)Esta comunicación presenta los resultados de un estudio que tiene como objetivo profundizar en el papel de los institutos de secundaria como espacios de promoción de la salud juvenil. El estudio parte del modelo sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud ampliamente utilizado por la OMS (Organización Mundial de la Salud) denominado Modelo Socioeconómico de Salud fundamentado en la aportación de Whitehead y Dahlgren (2006). Según este modelo son básicamente los factores sociales y económicos (condiciones de vida y de trabajo) que viven las personas lo que condiciona su estado de salud. La promoción de la salud en estos centros educativos debería incidir de algún modo en estas condiciones de vida y de trabajo. La investigación se promueve des del Grup de Recerca en Polítiques, Programes i Serveis Educatius i Socioculturals (GRES) de l’Institut de Recerca Educativa de la Universitat de Girona, y está conformada por un equipo de investigadores de dicha universidad y por 8 técnicos de juventud y de salud de diferentes municipios e instituciones catalana

Latency reversal agents affect differently the latent reservoir present in distinct CD4+ T subpopulations

CD4+ T cell; HIV-1; Latent reservoirCélula T CD4 +; VIH-1; Reservorio latenteCèl·lula T CD4 +; VIH-1; Reservori latentLatency reversal agents (LRAs) have proven to induce HIV-1 transcription in vivo but are ineffective at decreasing the size of the latent reservoir in antiretroviral treated patients. The capacity of the LRAs to perturb the viral reservoir present in distinct subpopulations of cells is currently unknown. Here, using a new RNA FISH/flow ex vivo viral reactivation assay, we performed a comprehensive assessment of the viral reactivation capacity of different families of LRAs, and their combinations, in different CD4+ T cell subsets. We observed that a median of 16.28% of the whole HIV-reservoir induced HIV-1 transcripts after viral reactivation, but only 10.10% of these HIV-1 RNA+ cells produced the viral protein p24. Moreover, none of the LRAs were powerful enough to reactivate HIV-1 transcription in all CD4+ T cell subpopulations. For instance, the combination of Romidepsin and Ingenol was identified as the best combination of drugs at increasing the proportion of HIV-1 RNA+ cells, in most, but not all, CD4+ T cell subsets. Importantly, memory stem cells were identified as highly resistant to HIV-1 reactivation, and only the combination of Panobinostat and Bryostatin-1 significantly increased the number of cells transcribing HIV within this subset. Overall, our results validate the use of the RNA FISH/flow technique to assess the potency of LRAs among different CD4+ T cell subsets, manifest the intrinsic differences between cells that encompass the latent HIV reservoir, and highlight the difficulty to significantly impact the latent infection with the currently available drugs. Thus, our results have important implications for the rational design of therapies aimed at reversing HIV latency from diverse cellular reservoirs.This study was supported by the American National Institutes of Health (grant R21AI118411 to MJB), the Spanish Secretariat of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds (grant SAF2015-67334-R [MINECO/FEDER]), a unrestricted research grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U (PfC-2015 AI424-564) to MJB, the Spanish "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III"(ISCIII, PI17/01470) to M.G, a research grant from Gilead Sciences (GLD17-00204) to M. B, GeSIDA and the Spanish AIDS network "Red Tematica Cooperativa de Investigacion en SIDA" (RD16/0025/0007) to ER. The Miguel Servet program funded by the Spanish Health Institute Carlos III (CP17/00179) to MJB. The "Pla estrategic de recerca i innovacioen salut" (PERIS), from the Catalan Government to MG

Latency reversal agents affect differently the latent reservoir present in distinct CD4+ t subpopulations

Latency reversal agents (LRAs) have proven to induce HIV-1 transcription in vivo but are ineffective at decreasing the size of the latent reservoir in antiretroviral treated patients. The capacity of the LRAs to perturb the viral reservoir present in distinct subpopulations of cells is currently unknown. Here, using a new RNA FISH/flow ex vivo viral reactivation assay, we performed a comprehensive assessment of the viral reactivation capacity of different families of LRAs, and their combinations, in different CD4 T cell subsets. We observed that a median of 16.28% of the whole HIV-reservoir induced HIV-1 transcripts after viral reactivation, but only 10.10% of these HIV-1 RNA cells produced the viral protein p24. Moreover, none of the LRAs were powerful enough to reactivate HIV-1 transcription in all CD4 T cell subpopulations. For instance, the combination of Romidepsin and Ingenol was identified as the best combination of drugs at increasing the proportion of HIV-1 RNA cells, in most, but not all, CD4 T cell subsets. Importantly, memory stem cells were identified as highly resistant to HIV-1 reactivation, and only the combination of Panobinostat and Bryostatin-1 significantly increased the number of cells transcribing HIV within this subset. Overall, our results validate the use of the RNA FISH/flow technique to assess the potency of LRAs among different CD4 T cell subsets, manifest the intrinsic differences between cells that encompass the latent HIV reservoir, and highlight the difficulty to significantly impact the latent infection with the currently available drugs. Thus, our results have important implications for the rational design of therapies aimed at reversing HIV latency from diverse cellular reservoirs

Expression of CD20 after viral reactivation renders HIV-reservoir cells susceptible to Rituximab

Rituximab; Viral reactivation; CD20Rituximab; Reactivació viral; CD20Rituximab; Reactivación viral; CD20The identification of exclusive markers to target HIV-reservoir cells will represent a significant advance in the search for therapies to cure HIV. Here, we identify the B lymphocyte antigen CD20 as a marker for HIV-infected cells in vitro and in vivo. The CD20 molecule is dimly expressed in a subpopulation of CD4-positive (CD4+) T lymphocytes from blood, with high levels of cell activation and heterogeneous memory phenotypes. In lymph node samples from infected patients, CD20 is present in productively HIV-infected cells, and ex vivo viral infection selectively upregulates the expression of CD20 during early infection. In samples from patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) this subpopulation is significantly enriched in HIV transcripts, and the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody Rituximab induces cell killing, which reduces the pool of HIV-expressing cells when combined with latency reversal agents. We provide a tool for targeting this active HIV-reservoir after viral reactivation in patients while on ART.This study was supported by the American National Institutes of Health (grant R21AI118411 to M.B.), the Spanish Secretariat of Science and Innovation and FEDER funds (grant SAF2015-67334-R [MINECO/FEDER]), the Spanish "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III" (ISCIII, PI17/01470), GeSIDA and the Spanish AIDS network Red Tematica Cooperativa de Investigacion en SIDA (RD16/0025/0007). M.B. is supported by the Miguel Servet program funded by the Spanish Health Institute Carlos III (CP17/00179). M.G. is supported by the "Pla estrategic de recerca i innovacio en salut" (PERIS), from the Catalan Government

Diabetic retinopathy as an independent predictor of subclinical cardiovascular disease: baseline results of the PRECISED study

Type 2 diabetes; Diabetic retinopathy; Subclinical cardiovascular diseaseDiabetis tipus 2; Retinopatia diabètica; Malalties cardiovasculars subclíniquesDiabetes tipo 2; Retinopatía diabética; Enfermedades cardiovasculares subclínicasObjective Detection of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) has significant impact on the management of type 2 diabetes. We examined whether the assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is useful for identifying patients at a higher risk of having silent CVD. Research design and methods Prospective case–control study comprising 200 type 2 diabetic subjects without history of clinical CVD and 60 age-matched non-diabetic subjects. The presence of subclinical CVD was examined using two parameters: (1) calcium coronary score (CACs); (2) composite of CACs >400 UA, carotid plaque ≥3 mm, carotid intima–media thickness ratio >1, or the presence of ECG changes suggestive of previous asymptomatic myocardial infarction. In addition, coronary angio-CT was performed. DR was assessed by slit-lamp biomicroscopy and retinography. Results Type 2 diabetic subjects presented higher CACs than non-diabetic control subjects (p400 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) 0.76). In addition, an inverse relationship was observed between the degree of DR and CACs <10 AU. The variables independently associated with the composite measurement of subclinical CVD were age, diabetes duration, the glomerular filtration rate, microalbuminuria, and the presence of DR (AUROC 0.71). In addition, a relationship (p<0.01) was observed between the presence and degree of DR and coronary stenosis. Conclusions The presence and degree of DR is independently associated with subclinical CVD in type 2 diabetic patients. Our results lead us to propose a rationalized screening for coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes based on prioritizing patients with DR, particularly those with moderate–severe degree.This work was supported by an Integrative Excellence Project by the Spanish Institute of Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, grant PIE 2013/27, CIBER CV, CIBERDEM, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER). The Neurovascular Research Laboratory is part of the Spanish Stroke Research Network INVICTUS+ (RD16/0019/0021)

Re-analysis of public genetic data reveals a rare X-chromosomal variant associated with type 2 diabetes.

The reanalysis of existing GWAS data represents a powerful and cost-effective opportunity to gain insights into the genetics of complex diseases. By reanalyzing publicly available type 2 diabetes (T2D) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data for 70,127 subjects, we identify seven novel associated regions, five driven by common variants (LYPLAL1, NEUROG3, CAMKK2, ABO, and GIP genes), one by a low-frequency (EHMT2), and one driven by a rare variant in chromosome Xq23, rs146662057, associated with a twofold increased risk for T2D in males. rs146662057 is located within an active enhancer associated with the expression of Angiotensin II Receptor type 2 gene (AGTR2), a modulator of insulin sensitivity, and exhibits allelic specific activity in muscle cells. Beyond providing insights into the genetics and pathophysiology of T2D, these results also underscore the value of reanalyzing publicly available data using novel genetic resources and analytical approaches