394 research outputs found
Consecuencias de la variación individual de las señales químicas de los machos de lagartija carpetana (Iberolacerta cyreni) para su éxito reproductor, la organización social, las preferencias de las hembras y el fenotipo de la descendencia
[ES]La lagartija carpetana, Iberolacerta cyreni, es una especie que ha sido utilizada en multitud de ocasiones como modelo para estudiar la comunicación química y su papel en la selección sexual y en la reproducción de los lagartos. Actualmente se conocen parte de los mecanismos básicos que soportan la producción de señales en los machos de I. cyreni, así como de las respuestas de las hembras. Eso hace de la lagartija carpetana una especie idónea para responder preguntas más profundas que trascienden la emisión o la recepción de señales y permiten estudiar aspectos más detallados de la ecología evolutiva de la comunicación. En esta tesis estudiamos cómo la variación en la producción de las señales por los machos de la lagartija carpetana tiene efectos en el éxito reproductivo, la organización social, las preferencias de las hembras y el fenotipo de las crías
Association Between Specific Childhood Adversities and Symptom Dimensions in People With Psychosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Despite the accepted link between childhood abuse and
positive psychotic symptoms, findings between other ad versities, such as neglect, and the remaining dimensions in
people with psychosis have been inconsistent, with evidence
not yet reviewed quantitatively. The aim of this study was
to systematically examine quantitatively the association
between broadly defined childhood adversity (CA), abuse
(sexual/physical/emotional), and neglect (physical/emo tional) subtypes, with positive, negative, depressive, manic,
and disorganized dimensions in those with psychosis.
A search was conducted across EMBASE, MEDLINE,
PsychINFO, and Cochrane Libraries using search terms
related to psychosis population, CA, and psychopatholog ical dimensions. After reviewing for relevance, data were
extracted, synthesized, and meta-analyzed. Forty-seven
papers were identified, including 7379 cases across 40
studies examining positive, 37 negative, 20 depressive, 9
disorganized, and 13 manic dimensions. After adjustment
for publication bias, general adversity was positively as sociated with all dimensions (ranging from r = 0.08 to
r = 0.24). Most forms of abuse were associated with de pressive (ranging from r = 0.16 to r = 0.32), positive (ran ging from r = 0.14 to r = 0.16), manic (r = 0.13), and
negative dimensions (ranging from r = 0.05 to r = 0.09),
while neglect was only associated with negative (r = 0.13)
and depressive dimensions (ranging from r = 0.16 to
r = 0.20). When heterogeneity was found, it tended to be
explained by one specific study. The depressive dimension
was influenced by percentage of women (ranging from
r = 0.83 to r = 1.36) and poor-quality scores (ranging
from r = −0.21 and r = −0.059). Quality was judged as
fair overall. Broadly defined adversity and forms of abuse
increase transdimensional severity. Being exposed to ne glect during childhood seems to be exclusively related to
negative and depressive dimensions suggesting specific
effects
Potentiation of amyloid beta phagocytosis and amelioration of synaptic dysfunction upon FAAH deletion in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
Background: The complex pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hampers the development of effective treatments.
Attempts to prevent neurodegeneration in AD have failed so far, highlighting the need for further clarification
of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Neuroinflammation seems to play a crucial role in disease
progression, although its specific contribution to AD pathogenesis remains elusive. We have previously shown that
the modulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) renders beneficial effects in a context of amyloidosis, which
triggers neuroinflammation. In the 5xFAD model, the genetic inactivation of the enzyme that degrades anandamide
(AEA), the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), was associated with a significant amelioration of the memory deficit.
Methods: In this work, we use electrophysiology, flow cytometry and molecular analysis to evaluate the cellular and
molecular mechanisms underlying the improvement associated to the increased endocannabinoid tone in the 5xFAD
mouse−
model.
Results: We demonstrate that the chronic enhancement of the endocannabinoid tone rescues hippocampal
synaptic plasticity in the 5xFAD mouse model. At the CA3–CA1 synapse, both basal synaptic transmission and longterm
potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission are normalized upon FAAH genetic inactivation, in a CB1 receptor
(CB1R)- and TRPV1 receptor-independent manner. Dendritic spine density in CA1 pyramidal neurons, which is notably
decreased in 6-month-old 5xFAD animals, is also restored. Importantly, we reveal that the expression of microglial
factors linked to phagocytic activity, such as TREM2 and CTSD, and other factors related to amyloid beta clearance and
involved in neuron–glia crosstalk, such as complement component C3 and complement receptor C3AR, are specifically
upregulated in 5xFAD/FAAH−/− animals.
Conclusion: In summary, our findings support the therapeutic potential of modulating, rather than suppressing,
neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. In our model, the long-term enhancement of the endocannabinoid tone
triggered augmented microglial activation and amyloid beta phagocytosis, and a consequent reversal in the neuronal
phenotype associated to the diseasepost-print4206 K
Long-Term Carbon Sequestration in Pine Forests under Different Silvicultural and Climatic Regimes in Spain
Proactive silviculture treatments (e.g., thinning) may increase C sequestration contributing to climate change mitigation, although, there are still questions about this effect in Mediterranean pine forests. The aim of this research was to quantify the storage of biomass and soil organic carbon in Pinus forests along a climatic gradient from North to South of the Iberian Peninsula. Nine experimental Pinus spp trials were selected along a latitudinal gradient from the pre-Pyrenees to southern Spain. At each location, a homogeneous area was used as the operational scale, and three thinning intensity treatments: unthinned or control (C), intermediate thinning (LT, removal of 30–40% of the initial basal area) and heavy thinning (HT, removal of 50–60%) were conducted. Growth per unit area (e.g., expressed as basal area increment-BAI), biomass, and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) were measured as well as three sets of environmental variables (climate, soil water availability and soil chemical and physical characteristics). One-way ANOVA and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used to study the effect of thinning and environmental variables on C sequestration. Biomass and growth per unit area were higher in the control than in the thinning treatments, although differences were only significant for P. halepensis. Radial growth recovered after thinning in all species, but it was faster in the HT treatments. Soil organic carbon (SOC10, 0–10 cm depth) was higher in the HT treatments for P. halepensis and P. sylvestris, but not for P. nigra. SEM showed that Pinus stands of the studied species were beneficed by HT thinning, recovering their growth quickly. The resulting model explained 72% of the variation in SOC10 content, and 89% of the variation in silvicultural condition (basal area and density) after thinning. SOC10 was better related to climate than to silvicultural treatments. On the other hand, soil chemical and physical characteristics did not show significant influence over SOC10- Soil water availability was the latent variable with the highest influence over SOC10. This work is a new contribution that shows the need for forest managers to integrate silviculture and C sequestration in Mediterranean pine plantations
Development of New Antiproliferative Compound against Human Tumor Cells from the Marine Microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana by Applied Proteomics
Proteomics is a crucial tool for unravelling the molecular dynamics of essential biological processes, becoming a pivotal technique for basic and applied research. Diverse bioinformatic tools are required to manage and explore the huge amount of information obtained from a single proteomics experiment. Thus, functional annotation and protein-protein interactions are evaluated in depth leading to the biological conclusions that best fit the proteomic response in the system under study. To gain insight into potential applications of the identified proteins, a novel approach named "Applied Proteomics" has been developed by comparing the obtained protein information with the existing patents database. The development of massive sequencing technology and mass spectrometry (MS/MS) improvements has allowed the application of proteomics nonmodel microorganisms, which have been deeply described as a novel source of metabolites. Between them, Nannochloropsis gaditana has been pointed out as an alternative source of biomolecules. Recently, our research group has reported the first complete proteome analysis of this microalga, which was analysed using the applied proteomics concept with the identification of 488 proteins with potential industrial applications. To validate our approach, we selected the UCA01 protein from the prohibitin family. The recombinant version of this protein showed antiproliferative activity against two tumor cell lines, Caco2 (colon adenocarcinoma) and HepG-2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), proving that proteome data have been transformed into relevant biotechnological information. From Nannochloropsis gaditana has been developed a new tool against cancer-the protein named UCA01. This protein has selective effects inhibiting the growth of tumor cells, but does not show any effect on control cells. This approach describes the first practical approach to transform proteome information in a potential industrial application, named "applied proteomics". It is based on a novel bioalgorithm, which is able to identify proteins with potential industrial applications. From hundreds of proteins described in the proteome of N. gaditana, the bioalgorithm identified over 400 proteins with potential uses; one of them was selected as UCA01, "in vitro" and its potential was demonstrated against cancer. This approach has great potential, but the applications are potentially numerous and undefined
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