Thoracic outlet syndrome. Clinical case

Introducción: el caso que se presenta a continuación es el de una mujer de 26 años que acude a consulta refiriendo algias en la región cervicotorácica que se irradia hacia el 4º y 5º dedo de la mano derecha junto con parestesias, desde hace aproximadamente un mes. La paciente tomaba AINES y relajantes musculares. Objetivos: Comprobar si los diferentes test de provocación que se utilizan en el SST, junto a una buena exploración pueden guiarnos para saber donde se ve comprometido el paquete vasculonervioso y comprobar la efectividad en un caso clínico de las diferentes técnicas de terapia manual para el SST. Material y métodos: para el caso clínico se realizó una búsqueda documental en diferentes bases de datos. Posteriormente se realizó una anamnesis y una exploración global y luego analítica acorde a la sospecha de un SST. Tras esta se realizó un protocolo de tratamiento acordes a los objetivos marcados resultantes de la exploración. Resultados: la paciente asistió a cuatro sesiones con recuperación total y habiéndose encontrado mejoría en la segunda sesión y casi desaparición del problema con la tercera. Discusión: el diagnóstico diferencial no es sencillo y en muchas ocasiones hay que descartar patologías que nos pueden inducir en un error de diagnóstico de un posible SST. Además esta patología constituye una de las más frecuentemente producidas en el ámbito laboral, prevaleciendo mucho más en mujeres que en hombres, siendo el porcentaje de tres a uno. Conclusión: una buena anamnesis del paciente junto con una buena exploración mediante test generales y específicos de la patología que se sospecha nos puede guiar a un diagnostico fisioterápico suficiente para poder abarcar una posible solución al problema. Una vez localizados el o los focos donde se ve comprometido el paquete vasculonerviosos, podemos diseñar un plan terapéutico a través de la terapia manual cuya efectividad puede llevarnos a la solución del problema.Terapia y Rehabilitació

Estudio del estado ecológico de los ríos de la cuenca hidrográfica del Júcar (España) mediante el índice BMWP'

El diseño de la Red Biológica, basado en el uso de indicadores hidromorfológicos, físico-químicos y biológicos, permitió realizar un diagnóstico de calidad en 221 puntos de muestreo en 104 ríos de la red hidrográfica del Júcar (Júcar, Turia, Mijares, Vinalopó, Palancia, Serpis y cuencas menores) durante el año 2000 y establecer su estado ecológico. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos con el índice BMWP'. Los ríos con un estado ecológico muy bueno se hallan situados en los tramos altos, tanto de los ríos principales como de los afluentes de primer y segundo orden. La mayoría de los puntos de referencia (12.7%) se encuentran en altitudes superiores a los 800 m. Los ríos situados en altitudes medias (800-200 m) se hallan muy regulados y presentan, en general, un estado entre bueno y aceptable, existiendo pocos puntos de referencia (6.8%). Por último, los ríos situados en tierras bajas (< 200 m) se encuentran, la gran mayoría, en un estado deficiente o malo, siendo muy difícil hallar ríos en buen estado y casi imposible establecer puntos de referencia con un muy buen estado ecológico (0.5%). Las medidas correctoras propuestas para los ríos de la red hidrográfica del Júcar se centran en la mejora de las características hidromorfológicas y físico-químicas, y por tanto de las comunidades biológicas, con el propósito final de conseguir el mejor estado ecológico y químico posible para las aguas superficiales tal y como exige la DMA (Directiva Marco del Agua).The design of the Biological Network, based on the use of hydromorphological, physical, chemical, and biological indicators, allowed a diagnosis of the quality in 221 sampling points in 104 rivers of Júcar's Basin (Jucar, Turia, Mijares, Vinalopo, Palancia, Serpis and small basins) to be carried out during the year 2000 and to establish its ecological status. In this work the results obtained with the BMWP' index are presented. The rivers with a high ecological status are located in the high altitudes, so much of the main rivers as of the tributaries of first and second order. Most of the reference points (12.7%) are located at altitudes higher than 800 m. The rivers located at middle-altitudes (800-200 m) are very regulated and they present, in general, an ecological status between good and acceptable, with few reference points (6.8%). Last, the rivers located in lowlands (< 200 m) are, mostly, in a poor or bad ecological state, making it very difficult to find rivers in good ecological status and almost impossible to establish reference points with a high ecological status (0.5%). The correcting measures proposed for the rivers of the Júcar's Basin are centered in the improvement of the hydromorphological, physical, and chemical characteristics, and therefore of the biological communities, with the final purpose of achieving the highest ecological and chemical status possible for surface waters like the WFD (Water Framework Directive) demands

An Updated Focus on Quadruplex Structures as Potential Therapeutic Targets in Cancer

Non-canonical, four-stranded nucleic acids secondary structures are present within regulatory regions in the human genome and transcriptome. To date, these quadruplex structures include both DNA and RNA G-quadruplexes, formed in guanine-rich sequences, and i-Motifs, found in cytosine-rich sequences, as their counterparts. Quadruplexes have been extensively associated with cancer, playing an important role in telomere maintenance and control of genetic expression of several oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Therefore, quadruplex structures are considered attractive molecular targets for cancer therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action. In this review, we provide a general overview about recent research on the implications of quadruplex structures in cancer, firstly gathering together DNA G-quadruplexes, RNA G-quadruplexes as well as DNA i-Motifs.3TR, IMI2 H2020-JTI538 IMI2-2018Instituto de Salud Carlos III AC18/00008Government of Spain FPU16/0582

ICAM-1 nanoclusters regulate hepatic epithelial cell polarity by leukocyte adhesion-independent control of apical actomyosin

Epithelial intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 is apically polarized, interacts with, and guides leukocytes across epithelial barriers. Polarized hepatic epithelia organize their apical membrane domain into bile canaliculi and ducts, which are not accessible to circulating immune cells but that nevertheless confine most of ICAM-1. Here, by analyzing ICAM-1_KO human hepatic cells, liver organoids from ICAM-1_KO mice and rescue-of-function experiments, we show that ICAM-1 regulates epithelial apicobasal polarity in a leukocyte adhesion-independent manner. ICAM-1 signals to an actomyosin network at the base of canalicular microvilli, thereby controlling the dynamics and size of bile canalicular-like structures. We identified the scaffolding protein EBP50/NHERF1/ SLC9A3R1, which connects membrane proteins with the underlying actin cytoskeleton, in the proximity interactome of ICAM-1. EBP50 and ICAM-1 form nano-scale domains that overlap in microvilli, from which ICAM-1 regulates EBP50 nano-organization. Indeed, EBP50 expression is required for ICAM-1-mediated control of BC morphogenesis and actomyosin. Our findings indicate that ICAM-1 regulates the dynamics of epithelial apical membrane domains beyond its role as a heterotypic cell– cell adhesion molecule and reveal potential therapeutic strategies for preserving epithelial architecture during inflammatory stress

Genomic transformation and social organization during the Copper Age-Bronze Age transition in southern Iberia

The emerging Bronze Age (BA) of southeastern Iberia saw marked social changes. Late Copper Age (CA) settlements were abandoned in favor of hilltop sites, and collective graves were largely replaced by single or double burials with often distinctive grave goods indirectly reflecting a hierarchical social organization, as exemplified by the BA El Argar group. We explored this transition from a genomic viewpoint by tripling the amount of data available for this period. Concomitant with the rise of El Argar starting ~2200 cal BCE, we observe a complete turnover of Y-chromosome lineages along with the arrival of steppe-related ancestry. This pattern is consistent with a founder effect in male lineages, supported by our finding that males shared more relatives at sites than females. However, simple two-source models do not find support in some El Argar groups, suggesting additional genetic contributions from the Mediterranean that could predate the BA

Bearded Reedlings Adjust Their Pair-Bond Behaviour in Relation to the Sex and Attractiveness of Unpaired Conspecifics

An individual's investment in mating or keeping a pair bond intact may be influenced not only by the attractiveness of its current mate, but also by that of other potential mates. In this study, we investigated the effect of relative attractiveness on pair-bond behaviour in bearded reedlings, Panurus biarmicus. We showed that mate attractiveness, in terms of beard length in males and tail length in females, influenced courtship behaviour when the pair was kept isolated. In the presence of a conspecific, contact initiations within a pair increased. This increment was mainly related to the sex of the unpaired conspecific, however, and less to differences in attractiveness between the current partner and the unpaired conspecific. Female contact initiations towards potential extra mates were independent of male attractiveness, whereas male contact behaviour was significantly influenced by female attractiveness. However, females displayed more contact initiations to their current mate when they were less attractive than the unpaired females. Males decreased their overtures towards other females with increasing attractiveness of their current mates. Overall, our results suggested that, when there was a risk of losing their mate, bearded reedlings adjust their pair-bond investment mainly in response to the presence or absence of a competitor, and fine-tune investment to a lesser extent in response to the attractiveness of that potential competitor

Obstructive sleep apnea severity is associated with left ventricular mass independent of other cardiovascular risk factors in morbid obesity

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and left ventricular mass (LVM) in morbid obesity and the influence of gender, menopausal status, anthropometry, body composition, hypertension, and other cardiovascular risk factors in this relationship. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS: Polysomnographic and echocardiographic studies were performed in a cohort of 242 patients (86 men, 100 premenopausal (PreM) and 56 postmenopausal (PostM) women), with grade II obesity and above (BMI: 43.7 ± 0.4 kg/m(2)) to investigate OSA and LVM respectively. Anthropometry, body composition, glucose tolerance, and blood pressure were also recorded. RESULTS: OSA to different degrees was diagnosed in 76.2% of the patients (n: 166), its prevalence being 90.9% (n: 70) for men, and 76% (n: 38) and 63.8% (n: 58) for PostM and PreM women, respectively (p < 0.01). LVM excess was greatest for PostM women (90.2%), followed by men (81.9%) and PreM females (69.6%) (p < 0.01). LVM values increased in accordance to OSA severity (absence, 193.7 ± 6.9 g; mild, 192.6 ± 7.8 g; moderate, 240.5 ± 12.5 g; severe, 273.6 ± 14.6 g; p < 0.01). LVM magnitude correlated with the menopausal state, age, central adiposity, hypertension (HT), type 2 diabetes (DM), desaturation index (DI), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r = 0.41; p < 0.01). The relationship between LVM and AHI persisted in the multivariate analysis (β = 0.25; p < 0.05) after adjusting for age, gender, menopausal state, BMI, waist circumference, neck circumference, DI, fasting plasma glucose, DM, and HT. But if tobacco habits are included, the statistical difference disappears (β = 0.22; p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Morbid obesity is frequently associated with abnormal LVM, particularly in patients with OSA; this association is independent of HT, BMI, body composition, and other clinical factors, supporting a direct role of OSA on LVM in morbid obesity. This suggests that OSA and LVM might be taken as predictors of the cardiovascular risk in these patients. KEYWORDS: Sleep apnea; apnea-hypopnea index; left ventricular mass; morbid obesit

ICAM-1 nanoclusters regulate hepatic epithelial cell polarity by leukocyte adhesion-independent control of apical actomyosin

Epithelial intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 is apically polarized, interacts with, and guides leukocytes across epithelial barriers. Polarized hepatic epithelia organize their apical membrane domain into bile canaliculi and ducts, which are not accessible to circulating immune cells but that nevertheless confine most of ICAM-1. Here, by analyzing ICAM-1_KO human hepatic cells, liver organoids from ICAM-1_KO mice and rescue-of-function experiments, we show that ICAM-1 regulates epithelial apicobasal polarity in a leukocyte adhesion-independent manner. ICAM-1 signals to an actomyosin network at the base of canalicular microvilli, thereby controlling the dynamics and size of bile canalicular-like structures. We identified the scaffolding protein EBP50/NHERF1/SLC9A3R1, which connects membrane proteins with the underlying actin cytoskeleton, in the proximity interactome of ICAM-1. EBP50 and ICAM-1 form nano-scale domains that overlap in microvilli, from which ICAM-1 regulates EBP50 nano-organization. Indeed, EBP50 expression is required for ICAM-1-mediated control of BC morphogenesis and actomyosin. Our findings indicate that ICAM-1 regulates the dynamics of epithelial apical membrane domains beyond its role as a heterotypic cell–cell adhesion molecule and reveal potential therapeutic strategies for preserving epithelial architecture during inflammatory stress

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigens against mutations

Modern health care needs preventive vaccines and therapeutic treatments with stability against pathogen mutations to cope with current and future viral infections. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our analytic and predictive tool identified a set of eight short SARS-CoV-2 S-spike protein epitopes that had the potential to persistently avoid mutation. Here a combination of genetic, Systems Biology and protein structure analyses confirm the stability of our identified epitopes against viral mutations. Remarkably, this research spans the whole period of the pandemic, during which 93.9% of the eight peptides remained invariable in the globally predominant 43 circulating variants, including Omicron. Likewise, the selected epitopes are conserved in 97% of all 1,514 known SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Finally, experimental analyses performed with these short peptides showed their specific immunoreactivity. This work opens a new perspective on the design of next-generation vaccines and antibody therapies that will remain reliable against future pathogen mutations.Dr. Lozano-Perez acknowledges the European Commission ERDF/FEDER Operational Program 'Murcia' CCI No. 2007ES161PO001 (Project No. 14-20/20). Miodrag Grbic acknowledges support from the NSERC Discovery grant (Canada). This work also has received funding from the Department of Education of the Basque Government via the Consolidated Research Group MATH MODE (IT1456-22). Besides, Ildefonso Martinez De la Fuente and Iker Malaina were supported by the UPV/EHU and Basque Center of Applied Mathematics, grant US21/27N