Estudio comparativo de la eficacia de dos terapéuticos en el tratamiento de urolitiasis por estruvita en cánidos / Estudo comparativo da eficácia de duas terapêuticas no tratamento da urolitíase por estruvita em canídeos

El objetivo de este trabajo fue realizar un estudio comparativo de la eficacia de dos terapéuticos, en el tratamiento de urolitiasis por estruvita en cánidos, uno basado en el procedimiento alopático-comercial y uno alternativo con infusión de hojas de níspero (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) durante el periodo de 2020-2021. La estandarización terapéutica se encontró en concentraciones del 50% con una eficacia del 95% y sin efectos secundarios significativos en 10 pacientes de diferentes razas pequeñas, disminuyéndose el tamaño del urolito hasta en un 85% y eliminándose por micción. En la relación costo beneficio, el método alternativo es 75% más económico con respecto al producto veterinario Urinary®. Se concluye que el uso de hojas de níspero, es un tratamiento eficaz y factible en el tratamiento de urolitiasis canina por estruvita, comparativamente al tratamiento coadyuvante nutricional comercial

MFN2 mutations in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease alter mitochondria-associated ER membrane function but do not impair bioenergetics.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2A is a form of peripheral neuropathy, due almost exclusively to dominant mutations in the nuclear gene encoding the mitochondrial protein mitofusin-2 (MFN2). However, there is no understanding of the relationship of clinical phenotype to genotype. MFN2 has two functions: it promotes inter-mitochondrial fusion and mediates endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondrial tethering at mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAM). MAM regulates a number of key cellular functions, including lipid and calcium homeostasis, and mitochondrial behavior. To date, no studies have been performed to address whether mutations in MFN2 in CMT2A patient cells affect MAM function, which might provide insight into pathogenesis. Using fibroblasts from three CMT2AMFN2 patients with different mutations in MFN2, we found that some, but not all, examined aspects of ER-mitochondrial connectivity and of MAM function were indeed altered, and correlated with disease severity. Notably, however, respiratory chain function in those cells was unimpaired. Our results suggest that CMT2AMFN2 is a MAM-related disorder but is not a respiratory chain-deficiency disease. The alterations in MAM function described here could also provide insight into the pathogenesis of other forms of CMT

Impaired Mitochondrial ATP Production Downregulates Wnt Signaling via ER Stress Induction.

Wnt signaling affects fundamental development pathways and, if aberrantly activated, promotes the development of cancers. Wnt signaling is modulated by different factors, but whether the mitochondrial energetic state affects Wnt signaling is unknown. Here, we show that sublethal concentrations of different compounds that decrease mitochondrial ATP production specifically downregulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling in vitro in colon cancer cells and in vivo in zebrafish reporter lines. Accordingly, fibroblasts from a GRACILE syndrome patient and a generated zebrafish model lead to reduced Wnt signaling. We identify a mitochondria-Wnt signaling axis whereby a decrease in mitochondrial ATP reduces calcium uptake into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress and to impaired Wnt signaling. In turn, the recovery of the ATP level or the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress restores Wnt activity. These findings reveal a mechanism that links mitochondrial energetic metabolism to the control of the Wnt pathway that may be beneficial against several pathologies

Educar para los nuevos Medios. Claves para el desarrollo de la competencia mediática en el entorno digital

Educar es una de las labores más complejas, intensas y, a la vez, más maravillosas que puede acometer una persona. Ser docente es una tarea ilusionante. En un mundo en el que la información es cada vez más importante por la rapidez con que se produce y consume, la variedad de recursos con que se difunde constituye un reto en el papel de los educadores y educadoras. La educación para la comunicación, a través de los nuevos medios, requiere de habilidades y estrategias específicas e implica prácticas innovadoras. Este texto ofrece claves para desarrollar la competencia mediática necesaria para entender, usar y comunicar en el entorno digital. Desde el concepto de competencia mediática y la escuela prosumidora se muestran experiencias y planteamientos en distintos niveles educativos y contextos curriculares que ofrecen pistas para educar a la ciudadanía. Esta alfabetización aúna la perspectiva de la experiencia de docente receptor y consumidor, atendiendo a la recepción crítica de la información, la selección y administración de la misma, el reconocimiento de valores e ideologías y la gestión emocional, junto a la elaboración y creación de contenidos

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

A Rule-Based method to model myocardial fiber orientation for simulating ventricular outflow tract arrhythmias

Comunicació presentada a: FIMH 2017 9th International Conference, celebrada a Toronto, Canadà, de l'11 al 13 de juny de 2017.Myocardial fiber orientation determines the propagation of electrical waves in the heart and the contraction of cardiac tissue. One common approach for assigning fiber orientation to cardiac anatomi- cal models are Rule-Based Methods (RBM). However, RBM have been developed to assimilate data mostly from the Left Ventricle. In conse- quence, fiber information from RBM does not match with histological data in other areas of the heart, having a negative impact in cardiac simulations beyond the LV. In this work, we present a RBM where fiber orientation is separately modeled in each ventricle following observations from histology. This allows to create detailed fiber orientation in specific regions such as the right ventricle endocardium, the interventricular sep- tum and the outow tracts. Electrophysiological simulations including these anatomical structures were then performed, with patient-specific data of outow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OTVA) cases. A compar- ison between the obtained simulations and electro-anatomical data of these patients confirm the potential for in silico identification of the site of origin in OTVAs before the intervention.This work was partially funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, Innovation (grant agreement No. 642676 CardioFunX- ion

A Rule-Based method to model myocardial fiber orientation for simulating ventricular outflow tract arrhythmias

Comunicació presentada a: FIMH 2017 9th International Conference, celebrada a Toronto, Canadà, de l'11 al 13 de juny de 2017.Myocardial fiber orientation determines the propagation of electrical waves in the heart and the contraction of cardiac tissue. One common approach for assigning fiber orientation to cardiac anatomi- cal models are Rule-Based Methods (RBM). However, RBM have been developed to assimilate data mostly from the Left Ventricle. In conse- quence, fiber information from RBM does not match with histological data in other areas of the heart, having a negative impact in cardiac simulations beyond the LV. In this work, we present a RBM where fiber orientation is separately modeled in each ventricle following observations from histology. This allows to create detailed fiber orientation in specific regions such as the right ventricle endocardium, the interventricular sep- tum and the outow tracts. Electrophysiological simulations including these anatomical structures were then performed, with patient-specific data of outow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OTVA) cases. A compar- ison between the obtained simulations and electro-anatomical data of these patients confirm the potential for in silico identification of the site of origin in OTVAs before the intervention.This work was partially funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, Innovation (grant agreement No. 642676 CardioFunX- ion

MFN2 mutations in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease alter mitochondria-associated ER membrane function but do not impair bioenergetics.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2A is a form of peripheral neuropathy, due almost exclusively to dominant mutations in the nuclear gene encoding the mitochondrial protein mitofusin-2 (MFN2). However, there is no understanding of the relationship of clinical phenotype to genotype. MFN2 has two functions: it promotes inter-mitochondrial fusion and mediates endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondrial tethering at mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAM). MAM regulates a number of key cellular functions, including lipid and calcium homeostasis, and mitochondrial behavior. To date, no studies have been performed to address whether mutations in MFN2 in CMT2A patient cells affect MAM function, which might provide insight into pathogenesis. Using fibroblasts from three CMT2AMFN2 patients with different mutations in MFN2, we found that some, but not all, examined aspects of ER-mitochondrial connectivity and of MAM function were indeed altered, and correlated with disease severity. Notably, however, respiratory chain function in those cells was unimpaired. Our results suggest that CMT2AMFN2 is a MAM-related disorder but is not a respiratory chain-deficiency disease. The alterations in MAM function described here could also provide insight into the pathogenesis of other forms of CMT