INTECO Webmessenger: Study of the Usability in Instant Messaging Systems

The main aim of this project is dual. Firstly, it is to achieve a complete analysis of the necessities of disabled people on the Internet. Secondly, it is intended to develop an instant messaging system based on the Windows Live Messenger whose requirements are defined over the previous analysis. This software is called INTECO Webmessenge

Synthesis, structural characterization, and ligand replacement reactions of gem-dithiolato-bridged rhodium and iridium complexes

The reaction of gem-dithiol compounds R2C(SH)2 (R = Bn (benzyl), iPr; R2 = −(CH2)4−) with dinuclear rhodium or iridium complexes containing basic ligands such as [M(μ-OH)(cod)]2 and [M(μ-OMe)(cod)]2, or the mononuclear [M(acac)(cod)] (M = Rh, Ir, cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) in the presence of a external base, afforded the dinuclear complexes [M2(μ-S2CR2)(cod)2] (1−4). The monodeprotonation of 1,1-dimercaptocyclopentane gave the mononuclear complex [Rh(HS2Cptn)(cod)] (5) that is a precursor for the dinuclear compound [Rh2(μ-S2Cptn)(cod)2] (6). Carbonylation of the diolefin compounds gave the complexes [Rh2(μ-S2CR2)(CO)4] (7−9), which reacted with P-donor ligands to stereoselectively produce the trans isomer of the disubstituted complexes [Rh2(μ-S2CR2)(CO)2(PR′3)2] (R′ = Ph, Cy (cyclohexyl)) (10−13) and [Rh2(μ-S2CBn2)(CO)2{P(OR′)3}2] (R′ = Me, Ph) (14−15). The substitution process in [Rh2(μ-S2CBn2)(CO)4] (7) by P(OMe)3 has been studied by spectroscopic means and the full series of substituted complexes [Rh2(μ-S2CBn2)(CO)4−n{P(OR)3}n] (n = 1, 4) has been identified in solution. The cis complex [Rh2(μ-S2CBn2)(CO)2(μ-dppb)] (16) was obtained by reaction of 7 with the diphosphine dppb (1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane). The molecular structures of the diolefinic dinuclear complexes [Rh2(μ-S2CR2)(cod)2] (R = Bn (1), iPr (2); R2 = −(CH2)4− (6)) and that of the cis complex 16 have been studied by X-ray diffraction.The financial support from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC/FEDER) Project CTQ2006-03973/BQU is gratefully acknowledged. A. B. R. thanks the Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (CYTED) for a fellowship. Also, A.B. R. and A.J. P. thank to Fonacit-Venezuela (S1-2002000260) for financial support.Peer Reviewe

Plasmodium falciparum Apicomplexan-Specific Glucosamine-6-Phosphate <i>N</i>-Acetyltransferase Is Key for Amino Sugar Metabolism and Asexual Blood Stage Development.

--- - i: - N - N - O - N - Plasmodium falciparum - Cryptosporidium parvum - P. falciparum - N - N - P. falciparum - C. parvum b: - IMPORTANCE content: - UDP- - "-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), the main product of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, is an important metabolite in protozoan parasites since its sugar moiety is incorporated into glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) glycolipids and " - "- and " - "-linked glycans. Apicomplexan parasites have a hexosamine pathway comparable to other eukaryotic organisms, with the exception of the glucosamine-phosphate " - "-acetyltransferase (GNA1) enzymatic step that has an independent evolutionary origin and significant differences from nonapicomplexan GNA1s. By using conditional genetic engineering, we demonstrate the requirement of GNA1 for the generation of a pool of UDP-GlcNAc and for the development of intraerythrocytic asexual " - " parasites. Furthermore, we present the 1.95\xE2\x80\x89\xC3\x85 resolution structure of the GNA1 ortholog from " - ", an apicomplexan parasite which is a leading cause of diarrhea in developing countries, as a surrogate for " - " GNA1. The in-depth analysis of the crystal shows the presence of specific residues relevant for GNA1 enzymatic activity that are further investigated by the creation of site-specific mutants. The experiments reveal distinct features in apicomplexan GNA1 enzymes that could be exploitable for the generation of selective inhibitors against these parasites, by targeting the hexosamine pathway. This work underscores the potential of apicomplexan GNA1 as a drug target against malaria." - " Apicomplexan parasites cause a major burden on global health and economy. The absence of treatments, the emergence of resistances against available therapies, and the parasite's ability to manipulate host cells and evade immune systems highlight the urgent need to characterize new drug targets to treat infections caused by these parasites. We demonstrate that glucosamine-6-phosphate " - -acetyltransferase (GNA1), required for the biosynthesis of UDP- - "-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), is essential for " - " asexual blood stage development and that the disruption of the gene encoding this enzyme quickly causes the death of the parasite within a life cycle. The high-resolution crystal structure of the GNA1 ortholog from the apicomplexan parasite " - ", used here as a surrogate, highlights significant differences from human GNA1. These divergences can be exploited for the design of specific inhibitors against the malaria parasite.

Extended Dualization: a method for the Bosonization of Anomalous Fermion Systems in Arbitrary Dimension

The technique of extended dualization developed in this paper is used to bosonize quantized fermion systems in arbitrary dimension $D$ in the low energy regime. In its original (minimal) form, dualization is restricted to models wherein it is possible to define a dynamical quantized conserved charge. We generalize the usual dualization prescription to include systems with dynamical non--conserved quantum currents. Bosonization based on this extended dualization requires the introduction of an additional rank $0$ (scalar) field together with the usual antisymmetric tensor field of rank $(D-2)$. Our generalized dualization prescription permits one to clearly distinguish the arbitrariness in the bosonization from the arbitrariness in the quantization of the system. We study the bosonization of four--fermion interactions with large mass in arbitrary dimension. First, we observe that dualization permits one to formally bosonize these models by invoking the bosonization of the free massive Dirac fermion and adding some extra model--dependent bosonic terms. Secondly, we explore the potential of extended dualization by considering the particular case of \underbar{chiral} four--fermion interactions. Here minimal dualization is inadequate for calculating the extra bosonic terms. We demonstrate the utility of extended dualization by successfully completing the bosonization of this chiral model. Finally, we consider two examples in two dimensions which illuminate the utility of using extended dualization by showing how quantization ambiguities in a fermionic theory propagate into the bosonized version. An explicit parametrization of the quantization ambiguities of the chiral current in the Chiral Schwinger model is obtained. Similarly, for the sine--Gordon interaction in the massive Thirring model the quantizationComment: Revised version including major changes in section 3, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Revista de Vertebrados de la Estación Biológica de Doñana

Datos sobre la fauna de anfibios del Bajo GuadalquivirDiet of the Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in the Iberian PeninsulaBiología de reproducción de una pareja de Hieraetus fasciatus en España central.Sobre la migraclon de la focha común (Fulica atra) en el Mediterráneo Occidental en base a la información de la Estación Biológica de laTour du Valat (Camargue, Francia)Problemática y medidas de conservación de la Foca fraile (Monachus monachus, Hermann 1779) en el Sahara OccidentaNuevas citas de sifonápteros parásitos de mamíferos en España.Contribución al estudio de Lacerta monticola en la Sierra de Gredos (Avila. España)A melanistic Spanish smooth snake (Coranella a. austriaca)Nueva localidad para Vipera b. berus en el. Norte de EspañaSegunda cita en España de Porphyrula alleni (Thomson, 1842)Peer reviewe

Trehalose-based siamese twin amphiphiles with tunable self-assembling, DNA nanocomplexing and gene delivery properties

An original family of multivalent vectors encompassing gemini and facial amphiphilicity, namely cationic Siamese twin surfactants, has been prepared fromthe disaccharide trehalose; molecular engineering lets us modulate the self-assembling properties and the topology of the nanocomplexes with plasmid DNA for efficient gene delivery in vitro and in vivo

Assessment of patient safety culture in clinical laboratories in the Spanish National Health System

Introduction: There is increasing awareness of the importance of transforming organisational culture in order to raise safety standards. This paper describes the results obtained from an evaluation of patient safety culture in a sample of clinical laboratories in public hospitals in the Spanish National Health System. Material and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among health workers employed in the clinical laboratories of 27 public hospitals in 2012. The participants were recruited by the heads of service at each of the participating centers. Stratified analyses were performed to assess the mean score, standardized to a base of 100, of the six survey factors, together with the overall patient safety score. Results: 740 completed questionnaires were received (88% of the 840 issued). The highest standardized scores were obtained in Area 1 (individual, social and cultural) with a mean value of 77 (95%CI: 76-78), and the lowest ones, in Area 3 (equipment and resources), with a mean value of 58 (95%CI: 57-59). In all areas, a greater perception of patient safety was reported by the heads of service than by other staff. Conclusions: We present the first multicentre study to evaluate the culture of clinical safety in public hospital laboratories in Spain. The results obtained evidence a culture in which high regard is paid to safety, probably due to the pattern of continuous quality improvement. Nevertheless, much remains to be done, as reflected by the weaknesses detected, which identify areas and strategies for improvement

Las metástasis óseas del cáncer

Las metástasis óseas representan un problema clínico devastador en las neoplasias más frecuentes, especialmente en el mieloma múltiple, mama, próstata, y pulmón. Las consecuencias incluyen dolores refractarios a analgésicos convencionales, osteolisis que conlleva en ocasiones compresión medular, fracturas patológicas, y trastornos metabólicos. Recientes avances en el diagnóstico mediante técnicas de imagen, así como diversas técnicas bioquímicas, han favorecido un certero diagnóstico y seguimiento. El aumento de la supervivencia se ha mejorado mediante una aproximación multimodal en los tratamientos con la combinación de la inhibición de la osteolisis, la cirugía ortopédica profiláctica y la radioterapia. Recientes progresos en la investigación básica han determinado la huella molecular de metástasis de un tumor capaz de predecir su proclividad metastásica. La investigación básica favorecerá un conocimiento de los mecanismos básicos y llevará a elucidar dianas moleculares que favorecerán el desarrollo de fármacos capaces de prevenir, amortiguar o bloquear el proceso metastático.Bone metastases represent a devastating clinical problem in the most frequent neoplasies, especially in multiple myeloma, tumours breast, prostate and lung. The consequences include pain which is refractory to conventional analgesics, osteolysis often leading to bone-marrow compression and pathological fractures, and metabolic disorders. Recent advances in diagnosis using imaging techniques as well as different biochemical techniques have helped accurate diagnosis and follow-up. The increase in survival has improved through a multimodal approach combining, inhibition of osteolysis, with prophylactic orthopaedic surgery and radiation therapy. Recent advances in basic research have determined the molecular metastatic that can predict its proclivity to metastasize. Basic research will improve understanding of the basic mechanisms and lead to the clarification of molecular targets that will help in the development of medicines capable of preventing, decreasing or blocking the metastatic process

The H-ATOMIC Criteria for the Etiologic Classification of Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose There are no generally accepted criteria for the etiologic classification of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). For this reason, we have developed a set of etiologic criteria and have applied them to a large number of patients to determine their utility. Methods The H-ATOMIC classification includes 7 etiologic categories: Hypertension, cerebral Amyloid angiopathy, Tumour, Oral anticoagulants, vascular Malformation, Infrequent causes and Cryptogenic. For each category, the etiology is scored with three degrees of certainty: Possible(3), Probable(2) and Definite(1). Our aim was to perform a basic study consisting of neuroimaging, blood tests, and CT-angio when a numerical score (SICH) suggested an underlying structural abnormality. Combinations of >1 etiologic category for an individual patient were acceptable. The criteria were evaluated in a multicenter and prospective study of consecutive patients with spontaneous ICH. Results Our study included 439 patients (age 70.8 ± 14.5 years; 61.3% were men). A definite etiology was achieved in 176 (40.1% of the patients: Hypertension 28.2%, cerebral Amyloid angiopathy 0.2%, Tumour 0.2%, Oral anticoagulants 2.2%, vascular Malformation 4.5%, Infrequent causes 4.5%). A total of 7 patients (1.6%) were cryptogenic. In the remaining 58.3% of the patients, ICH was attributable to a single (n = 56, 12.7%) or the combination of 2 (n = 200, 45.5%) possible/probable etiologies. The most frequent combinations of etiologies involved possible hypertension with possible CAA (H3A3, n = 38) or with probable CAA (H3A2, n = 29), and probable hypertension with probable OA (H2O2, n = 27). The most frequent category with any degree of certainty was hypertension (H1+2+3 = 80.6%) followed by cerebral amyloid angiopathy (A1+2+3 = 30.9%). Conclusions According to our etiologic criteria, only about 40% patients received a definite diagnosis, while in the remaining patients ICH was attributable to a single possible/probable etiology or to more than one possible/probable etiology. The use of these criteria would likely help in the management of patients with ICH.This work was supported by Ministery of Health-Instituto de Salud Carlos III: RETICS (Redes temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa) INVICTUS RD012/0014 (JM-F, PC-R, AM-D, LP-S, RD-M), FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional)

Clinical guidelines for late-onset Pompe disease

English version available at www.neurologia.comHasta 2006, la enfermedad de Pompe o glucogenosis tipo II era una enfermedad incurable y con tratamiento meramente paliativo. El desarrollo de la terapia de sustitución con la enzima α-glucosidasa recombinante humana ha constituido el primer tratamiento específico para esta enfermedad. El objetivo de esta guía es servir de referencia en el manejo de la variedad de inicio tardío de la enfermedad de Pompe, es decir, la que aparece después del primer año de vida. En la guía, un grupo de expertos españoles hace recomendaciones específicas en cuanto a diagnóstico, seguimiento y tratamiento de esta enfermedad. En cuanto al diagnóstico, el método de la muestra en sangre seca es imprescindible como primer paso para el diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Pompe, y el diagnóstico de confirmación de la enfermedad de Pompe debe realizarse mediante un estudio de la actividad enzimática en muestra líquida en linfocitos aislados o mediante el análisis mutacional del gen de la alfa-glucosidasa. En cuanto al tratamiento de la enfermedad con terapia de sustitución enzimática, los expertos afirman que es eficaz en la mejoría o estabilización de la función motora y pulmonar, y debe iniciarse cuando aparezcan los síntomas atribuibles a la enfermedad de PompeBefore 2006, Pompe disease or glycogenosis storage disease type II was an incurable disease whose treatment was merely palliative. The development of a recombinant human alpha-glucosidase enzymatic replacement therapy has become the first specific treatment for this illness. The aim of this guide is to serve as reference for the management of the late-onset Pompe disease, the type of Pompe disease that develops after one year of age. In the guide a group of Spanish experts make specific recommendations about diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of this illness. With regard to diagnosis, the dried blood spots method is essential as the first step for the diagnosis of Pompe disease. The confirmation of the diagnosis of Pompe disease must be made by means of an study of enzymatic activity in isolated lymphocytes or a mutation analysis of the alpha-glucosidase gene. With regard to treatment with enzymatic replacement therapy, the experts say that is effective improving or stabilizating the motor function and the respiratory function and it must be introduced when the first symptoms attributable to Pompe disease appea