Exposure to pesticides and cryptorchidism: geographical evidence of a possible association

Synthetic hormone-disrupting chemicals may play a role in the increased frequency of cryptorchidism observed in some studies. We used a spatial ecological design to search for variations in orchidopexy rates in the province of Granada in Spain and to search for relationships between these differences and geographical variations in exposure to pesticides. Orchidopexy rates were estimated for the period from 1980 to 1991 in all municipalities and health care districts served by the University of Granada Hospital. A random sample of males of the same age (1-16 years) admitted for any reason during the same period was used to estimate inpatient control rates. Each municipality was assigned to one of four levels of pesticide use. We used Poisson homogeneity tests to detect significant differences in rates of orchidopexy between districts and between levels of pesticide use. Poisson and logistic regression models were also used to estimate the strength of association between orchidopexy and level of pesticide use. Orchidopexy rates tended to be higher in districts near the Mediterranean coast where intensive farming is widespread. The city of Granada, where the reference hospital is located, also had higher figures both for orchidopexy and inpatient control rates. Regression models showed that the strength of association between orchidopexy and level of pesticide use tended to increase with higher levels of use, with the exception of level 0 (mainly in the city of Granada). Our results are compatible with a hypothetical association between exposure to hormone-disruptive chemicals and the induction of cryptorchidism. Several methodological limitations in the design make it necessary to evaluate the results with caution.This work was partially supported by the Health Council, Andalusian Regional Government through grant no. 94/556-140

Morfología y biometría de racimos, frutos y semillas de Attalea bassleriana en Alto Amazonas, Perú

We evaluated the morphology and biometrics of racemes, fruits, and seeds of Attalea bassleriana in the localities of Paraiso, Libertad de Cuiparillo and Santa Lucia in the Alto Amazonas Province, Peru, to understand its interpopulational variability and contribute to the taxonomic clarification of the species. Additionally, we described the environment where the palm grows. To do so, we used 70 descriptors (38 biometric and 32 morphological), which were compared with ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis, correlated through Spearman, and graphically visualized by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A data sheet for field samples was used for the description of the environment. In total, 23 biometric descriptors presented significant differences (p < 0.05). The highest correlations were fruit number/raceme weight (0.921) and fruit weight/fruit diameter (0.844). The PCA demonstrates the variability of fruits between populations and denotes Paradise as the least variable and the most differentiated. Likewise, we observed that the species is found in terrace forests, swampy forests, agricultural and livestock lands, between 145-159 m.a.s.l. The data evidence the taxonomic identification of shebon and constitute a reference for both the proper utilization of fruits and seeds and their application to genetic improvement.Se evaluó la morfología y biometría de racimos, frutos y semillas de Attalea bassleriana en las localidades de Paraíso, Libertad de Cuiparillo y Santa Lucía en Alto Amazonas, Perú, para comprender su variabilidad interpoblacional y contribuir al esclarecimiento taxonómico de la especie. Se describió el ambiente donde se desarrolla la palmera mediante 70 descriptores que fueron comparados con ANOVA y Kruskal-Wallis, correlacionados a través Spearman y visualizados gráficamente mediante el Análisis de Componentes Principales (PCA). Para la descripción del ambiente se utilizó una ficha de toma de datos para muestras de campo. En total, 23 descriptores biométricos presentaron diferencias significativas (p < 0,05). Las correlaciones más altas fueron número de frutos/peso de racimo (0,921) y peso del fruto/diámetro del fruto (0,844). El PCA demuestra la variabilidad de los frutos entre las poblaciones y denota a Paraíso como la menos variable y más diferenciada. Asimismo, se observó que la especie se encuentra en bosques de terraza, bosques pantanosos, tierras agrícolas y ganaderas, entre 145 y 159 m s. n. m. Esta información evidencia la identificación taxonómica del shebón y es un referente tanto para el aprovechamiento adecuado de frutos y semillas como para su aplicación en el mejoramiento genético

Condiciones laborales, empleabilidad sostenible y determinantes sociales de la salud. Análisis de la incidencia del estilo de vida y dos programas de actividad física y salud en el trabajo sobre la productividad y el bienestar de trabajadores en puestos de trabajo físicamente inactivos

156 p.El presente informe de investigación muestra los resultados más relevantes obtenidos tras la realización del programa de investigación llevado a cabo en el marco del proyecto titulado ?Organización e influencia de un programa de ejercicio físico supervisado sobre la salud y la productividad de profesionales sedentarios de los centros de trabajo españoles? (Ref.: DEP2016-77790-R) financiado por el Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad dentro del Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad (2013-2016). La mayor parte de los miembros del equipo de investigación que ha participado en este proyecto ha orientado su línea de investigación hacia la investigación social y organizativa en la actividad física y el deporte, especialmente en los colectivos más discriminados para dicha práctica. Durante los últimos años, la colaboración interuniversitaria en materia de investigación ha posibilitado alcanzar de los logros más importantes del grupo. En primer lugar, en el marco de la línea de investigación en Gerontología de la Actividad Física y del Deporte iniciada en 2002, primero desde el Departamento de Educación y posteriormente desde los Departamentos de psicopedagogía y educación física y desde el actual departamento de ciencias biomédicas de la Universidad de Alcalá, en colaboración estrecha con la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, se diseñó y validó la primera escala motivacional específica de actividad física y personas mayores. Pues bien, dentro de esta etapa, en 2005, con la creación del Grupo de Investigación Psicosocial y Técnicas Aplicadas en el Deporte (hoy, grupo de Investigación Psicosocial en el Deporte) de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y la estrecha colaboración investigadora que se ha mantenido con el Grupo de Investigación en Gestión y Entrenamiento Deportivo de la Universidad de Alcalá, hemos podido avanzar y alcanzar en equipo diversos logros científicos a través de numerosas publicaciones científicas indexadas. Fruto de esta colaboración, otro de los logros alcanzados se materializó en el establecimiento de una significativa relación entre la práctica de actividad física de las personas mayores y la recomendación médica de ejercicio físico, el apoyo social, el estatus socioeconómico y otras variables analizadas. Asimismo, y de manera reciente, se identificaron las principales barreras y motivaciones de actividad física de las personas adultas y mayores. Los intereses y objetivos científico-técnicos desde el medio plazo de nuestra línea de investigación en conjunto reside en el estudio de las demandas y barreras a la actividad física en los grupos sociales con mayor desigualdad en el acceso a la salud y los determinantes de la salud (individuales y sociales) proporcionados por la actividad física. Para dar continuidad a esta línea de investigación, el Grupo de Investigación Psicosocial en el Deporte de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, dentro de la línea de investigación en ?Organización de la actividad física y del deporte?, inició su investigación sobre el objeto de estudio en organización de programas de ejercicio físico en las empresas con la intención de acumular evidencia empírica a este campo de conocimiento. El proyecto que engloba esta línea de investigación, titularizado por la Universidad de Alcalá, supone dar continuidad al trabajo que se inició entonces, y del que forman parte hoy investigadores e investigadoras de tres universidades y dos grupos de investigación distintos en la identificación de los mencionados grupos sociales para establecer sus demandas, barreras y hábitos, y justificar así la posterior aplicación en políticas, acciones, programas y procesos que reduzcan específicamente la desigualdad en el acceso a la práctica de actividad física y sus beneficios individuales y sociales que le son propios (primero fueron las personas mayores, luego las mujeres adultas y, ahora, a través del proyecto que presentamos, las personas que trabajan en las empresas).Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitivida

Cellular and humoral functional responses after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination differ longitudinally between naive and subjects recovered from COVID-19

We have analyzed BNT162b2 vaccine-induced immune responses in naive subjects and individuals recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), both soon after (14 days) and later after (almost 8 months) vaccination. Plasma spike (S)-specific immunoglobulins peak after one vaccine shot in individuals recovered from COVID-19, while a second dose is needed in naive subjects, although the latter group shows reduced levels all along the analyzed period. Despite how the neutralization capacity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mirrors this behavior early after vaccination, both groups show comparable neutralizing antibodies and S-specific B cell levels late post-vaccination. When studying cellular responses, naive individuals exhibit higher SARS-CoV-2-specific cytokine production, CD4+ T cell activation, and proliferation than do individuals recovered from COVID-19, with patent inverse correlations between humoral and cellular variables early post-vaccination. However, almost 8 months post-vaccination, SARS-CoV-2-specific responses are comparable between both groups. Our data indicate that a previous history of COVID-19 differentially determines the functional T and B cell-mediated responses to BNT162b2 vaccination over time.C.d.F., J.G.-P., and J.A. are supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCII). We thank JM Ligos and Cytek Biosciences for their technical support. Research in E.L.-C.’s lab was supported by Fundación Familia Alonso, Santander Bank, Real Seguros, Fundación Mutua Madrileña, Fundación Uria, Fundación La Caixa, and Ayuntamiento de Madrid.S

Applied diagnostics in liver cancer. Efficient combinations of sorafenib with targeted inhibitors blocking AKT/mTOR

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. There is increasing interest in developing specific markers to serve as predictors of response to sorafenib and to guide targeted therapy. Using a sequencing platform designed to study somatic mutations in a selection of 112 genes (HepatoExome), we aimed to characterize lesions from HCC patients and cell lines, and to use the data to study the biological and mechanistic effects of case-specific targeted therapies used alone or in combination with sorafenib. We characterized 331 HCC cases in silico and 32 paired samples obtained prospectively from primary tumors of HCC patients. Each case was analyzed in a time compatible with the requirements of the clinic (within 15 days). In 53% of the discovery cohort cases, we detected unique mutational signatures, with up to 34% of them carrying mutated genes with the potential to guide therapy. In a panel of HCC cell lines, each characterized by a specific mutational signature, sorafenib elicited heterogeneous mechanistic and biological responses, whereas targeted therapy provoked the robust inhibition of cell proliferation and DNA synthesis along with the blockage of AKT/mTOR signaling. The combination of sorafenib with targeted therapies exhibited synergistic anti-HCC biological activity concomitantly with highly effective inhibition of MAPK and AKT/mTOR signaling. Thus, somatic mutations may lead to identify case-specific mechanisms of disease in HCC lesions arising from multiple etiologies. Moreover, targeted therapies guided by molecular characterization, used alone or in combination with sorafenib, can effectively block important HCC disease mechanisms.FUNDING: Grants from ISCIII, co-financed by the European Union (FEDER) (PI16/00156), Ramón and Cajal research program from MINECO (RYC-2013-14097) and FUNDACIÓN LUCHAMOS POR LA VIDA to JPV. Grants from ISCIII (RD06/0020/0107-RD012/0036/0060) to MAP. Grant from ISCIII (Ref. PIE15/00079) to JC & JPV. NGD is a recipient of a UC-IDIVAL pre-doctoral fellow. I.V. was also supported by the Ramón and Cajal research program

Risk Factors and Predictive Score for Bacteremic Biliary Tract Infections Due to Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium: a Multicenter Cohort Study from the PROBAC Project

Biliary-tract bloodstream infections (BT-BSI) caused by Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium are associated with inappropriate empirical treatment and worse outcomes compared to other etiologies. The objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors for enterococcal BT-BSI. Patients with BT-BSI from the PROBAC cohort, including consecutive patients with BSI in 26 Spanish hospitals between October 2016 and March 2017, were selected; episodes caused by E. faecalis or E. faecium and other causes were compared. Independent predictors for enterococci were identified by logistic regression, and a predictive score was developed. Eight hundred fifty episodes of BT-BSI were included; 73 (8.5%) were due to target Enterococcus spp. (48 [66%] were E. faecium and 25 [34%] E. faecalis). By multivariate analysis, the variables independently associated with Enterococcus spp. were (OR; 95% confidence interval): cholangiocarcinoma (4.48;1.32 to 15.25), hospital acquisition (3.58;2.11 to 6.07), use of carbapenems in the previous month (3.35;1.45 to 7.78), biliary prosthesis (2.19;1.24 to 3.90), and moderate or severe chronic kidney disease (1.55;1.07 to 2.26). The AUC of the model was 0.74 [95% CI0.67 to 0.80]. A score was developed, with 7, 6, 5, 4, and 2 points for these variables, respectively, with a negative predictive value of 95% for a score # 6. A model, including cholangiocarcinoma, biliary prosthesis, hospital acquisition, previous carbapenems, and chronic kidney disease showed moderate prediction ability for enterococcal BT-BSI. Although the score will need to be validated, this information may be useful for deciding empirical therapy in biliary tract infections when bacteremia is suspected. IMPORTANCE Biliary tract infections are frequent, and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Bacteremia is common in these infections, particularly in the elderly and patients with cancer. Inappropriate empirical treatment has been associated with increased risk of mortality in bacteremic cholangitis, and the probability of receiving inactive empirical treatment is higher in episodes caused by enterococci. This is because many of the antimicrobial agents recommended in guidelines for biliary tract infections lack activity against these organisms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the predictive factors for enterococcal BT-BSI and deriving a predictive score.8 página

Intermediate Molecular Phenotypes to Identify Genetic Markers of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Risk.

Cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines (CDA) affects cancer patients, but we cannot predict who may suffer from this complication. CDA is a complex trait with a polygenic component that is mainly unidentified. We propose that levels of intermediate molecular phenotypes (IMPs) in the myocardium associated with histopathological damage could explain CDA susceptibility, so variants of genes encoding these IMPs could identify patients susceptible to this complication. Thus, a genetically heterogeneous cohort of mice (n = 165) generated by backcrossing were treated with doxorubicin and docetaxel. We quantified heart fibrosis using an Ariol slide scanner and intramyocardial levels of IMPs using multiplex bead arrays and QPCR. We identified quantitative trait loci linked to IMPs (ipQTLs) and cdaQTLs via linkage analysis. In three cancer patient cohorts, CDA was quantified using echocardiography or Cardiac Magnetic Resonance. CDA behaves as a complex trait in the mouse cohort. IMP levels in the myocardium were associated with CDA. ipQTLs integrated into genetic models with cdaQTLs account for more CDA phenotypic variation than that explained by cda-QTLs alone. Allelic forms of genes encoding IMPs associated with CDA in mice, including AKT1, MAPK14, MAPK8, STAT3, CAS3, and TP53, are genetic determinants of CDA in patients. Two genetic risk scores for pediatric patients (n = 71) and women with breast cancer (n = 420) were generated using machine-learning Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Thus, IMPs associated with heart damage identify genetic markers of CDA risk, thereby allowing more personalized patient management.J.P.L.’s lab is sponsored by Grant PID2020-118527RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011039; Grant PDC2021-121735-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011039 and by the “European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR”, the Regional Government of Castile and León (CSI144P20). J.P.L. and P.L.S. are supported by the Carlos III Health Institute (PIE14/00066). AGN laboratory and human patients’ studies are supported by an ISCIII project grant (PI18/01242). The Human Genotyping unit is a member of CeGen, PRB3, and is supported by grant PT17/0019 of the PE I + D + i 2013–2016, funded by ISCIII and ERDF. SCLl is supported by MINECO/FEDER research grants (RTI2018-094130-B-100). CH was supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) BCRP, No. BC190820; and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), No. R01CA184476. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is a multi-program national laboratory operated by the University of California for the DOE under contract DE AC02-05CH11231. The Proteomics Unit belongs to ProteoRed, PRB3-ISCIII, supported by grant PT17/0019/0023 of the PE I + D +i, 2017–2020, funded by ISCIII and FEDER. RCC is funded by fellowships from the Spanish Regional Government of Castile and León. NGS is a recipient of an FPU fellowship (MINECO/FEDER). hiPSC-CM studies were funded in part by the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation under the project code HR18-00304 and a Severo Ochoa CNIC Intramural Project (Exp. 12-2016 IGP) to J.J.S

Experiencias de innovación educativa - Tomo 5

El laboratorio de Experiencias de Aprendizaje Inmersivo para Educación Virtual del Politécnico Grancolombiano presenta este libro que consolida once nuevos proyectos trabajados durante el año 2021. Para este año se implementan once proyectos nuevos que se presentan en este libro, de los cuales cinco son laboratorios virtuales, uno es un laboratorio de realidades hibridas que se transforma en una apuesta institucional al ser único para el área de aerolíneas, buscando fortalecer el programa virtual de Psicología se realizaron cuatro simuladores y una serie de juegos serios para la salud laboral, otro juego serio sobre la teoría de juegos y por último un simulador para la gestión de inventarios