La Robótica como elemento motivador para un proyecto de asignatura en Fundamentos de Computadores

En las metodologías de evaluación continuada es común introducir un proyecto que sirva de eje vertebrador de las prácticas de la asignatura. Dado que la robótica es un campo que suele motivar al alumnado, se introdujo, en Fundamentos de Computadores, una propuesta de trabajo en equipo en la que los estudiantes habían de desarrollar el controlador de un robot. En el artículo se presenta la manera en que cada tema de la asignatura se trata en el proyecto y se analizan los pros y los contras de la experiencia.Peer Reviewe

Zileuton™ loaded in polymer micelles effectively reduce breast cancer circulating tumor cells and intratumoral cancer stem cells

Tumor recurrence, metastatic spread and progressive gain of chemo-resistance of advanced cancers are sustained by the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within the tumor. Targeted therapies with the aim to eradicate these cells are thus highly regarded. However, often the use of new anti-cancer therapies is hampered by pharmacokinetic demands. Drug delivery through nanoparticles has great potential to increase efficacy and reduce toxicity and adverse effects. However, its production has to be based on intelligent design. Likewise, we developed polymeric nanoparticles loaded with Zileuton™, a potent inhibitor of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which was chosen based on high throughput screening. Its great potential for CSCs treatment was subsequently demonstrated in in vitro and in in vivo CSC fluorescent models. Encapsulated Zileuton™ reduces amount of CSCs within the tumor and effectively blocks the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood stream and metastatic spread

La robótica como elemento motivador para un proyecto de asignatura en Fundamentos de Computadores

En las metodologías de evaluación continuada es común introducir un proyecto que sirva de eje vertebrador de las prácticas de la asignatura. Dado que la robótica es un campo que suele motivar al alumnado, se introdujo, en Fundamentos de Computadores, una propuesta de trabajo en equipo en la que los estudiantes habían de desarrollar el controlador de un robot. En el artículo se presenta la manera en que cada tema de la asignatura se trata en el proyecto y se analizan los pros y los contras de la experiencia.Este trabajo se ha realizado en el marco del proyecto de mejora de la calidad docente MQD2009-0127, titulado “ABPbot: Diseño de un portfolio integrado para asignaturas HW/SW en titulaciones de informática utilizando una plataforma robótica”, dirigido por Joan Oliver Malagelada y financiado por el DURSI (Generalitat de Catalunya)

Protective role of chaperone-mediated autophagy against atherosclerosis

Significance Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, with atherosclerosis being the most common source of clinical events. Metabolic changes with aging associate with concurrent increased risk of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with the former further raising the risk of the latter. The activity of a selective type of autophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), decreases with age or upon dietary excesses. Here we study whether reduced CMA activity increases risk of atherosclerosis in mouse models. We have identified that CMA is up-regulated early in response to proatherogenic challenges and demonstrate that reduced systemic CMA aggravates vascular pathology in these conditions. We also provide proof-of-concept support that CMA up-regulation is an effective intervention to reduce atherosclerosis severity and progression

Protective role of chaperone-mediated autophagy against atherosclerosis

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) contributes to regulation of energy homeostasis by timely degradation of enzymes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. Here, we report reduced CMA activity in vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages in murine and human arteries in response to atherosclerotic challenges. We show that in vivo genetic blockage of CMA worsens atherosclerotic pathology through both systemic and cell-autonomous changes in vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages, the two main cell types involved in atherogenesis. CMA deficiency promotes dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells and a proinflammatory state in macrophages. Conversely, a genetic mouse model with up-regulated CMA shows lower vulnerability to proatherosclerotic challenges. We propose that CMA could be an attractive therapeutic target against cardiovascular diseases

A tau homeostasis signature is linked with the cellular and regional vulnerability of excitatory neurons to tau pathology.

Excitatory neurons are preferentially impaired in early Alzheimer's disease but the pathways contributing to their relative vulnerability remain largely unknown. Here we report that pathological tau accumulation takes place predominantly in excitatory neurons compared to inhibitory neurons, not only in the entorhinal cortex, a brain region affected in early Alzheimer's disease, but also in areas affected later by the disease. By analyzing RNA transcripts from single-nucleus RNA datasets, we identified a specific tau homeostasis signature of genes differentially expressed in excitatory compared to inhibitory neurons. One of the genes, BCL2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3), a facilitator of autophagy, was identified as a hub, or master regulator, gene. We verified that reducing BAG3 levels in primary neurons exacerbated pathological tau accumulation, whereas BAG3 overexpression attenuated it. These results define a tau homeostasis signature that underlies the cellular and regional vulnerability of excitatory neurons to tau pathology