Effect of self-administered intraperitoneal bemiparin on peritoneal transport and ultrafiltration capacity in peritoneal dialysis patients with membrane dysfunction: a randomized, multi-centre open clinical trial

Randomized controlled trial[Abstract] Background: Progressive peritoneal membrane injury and dysfunction are feared repercussions of peritoneal dialysis (PD), and may compromise the long-term feasibility of this therapy. Different strategies have been attempted to prevent or reverse this complication with limited success. Methods: We performed a randomized, open multi-centre trial, aimed at scrutinizing the efficacy of self-administered intraperitoneal (i.p.) bemiparin (BM) to modulate peritoneal membrane dysfunction. The main outcome variables were peritoneal creatinine transport and the ultrafiltration (UF) capacity, estimated during consecutive peritoneal equilibration tests. The trial included a control group who did not undergo intervention. The treatment phase lasted 16 weeks with a post-study follow-up of 8 weeks. Results: Intraperitoneal BM did not significantly improve creatinine transport or the UF capacity, when the whole group was considered. However, we observed a time-limited improvement in the UF capacity for the subgroup of patients with overt UF failure, which was not observed in the control group. Intraperitoneal injection of BM did not carry an increased risk of peritoneal infection or major haemorrhagic complications. Conclusions: Our data do not support the systematic use of BM for management of peritoneal membrane dysfunction in PD patients. Further studies on the usefulness of this approach in patients with overt UF failure are warranted. Intraperitoneal administration of BM is safe in PD patients, provided regulated procedures are respected

Involvement of the Transcriptional Coactivator ThMBF1 in the Biocontrol Activity of Trichoderma harzianum

[EN] Trichoderma harzianum is a filamentous fungus well adapted to different ecological niches. Owing to its ability to antagonize a wide range of plant pathogens, it is used as a biological control agent in agriculture. Selected strains of T. harzianum are also able to increase the tolerance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little is known about the regulatory elements of the T. harzianum transcriptional machinery and their role in the biocontrol by this species. We had previously reported the involvement of the transcription factor THCTF1 in the T. harzianum production of the secondary metabolite 6-pentyl-pyrone, an important volatile compound related to interspecies cross-talk. Here, we performed a subtractive hybridization to explore the genes regulated by THCTF1, allowing us to identify a multiprotein bridging factor 1 (mbf1) homolog. The gene from T. harzianum T34 was isolated and characterized, and the generated Thmbf1 overexpressing transformants were used to investigate the role of this gene in the biocontrol abilities of the fungus against two plant pathogens. The transformants showed a reduced antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 2 (FO) and Botrytis cinerea (BC) in confrontation assays on discontinuous medium, indicating that the Thmbf1 gene could affect T. harzianum production of volatile organic compounds (VOC) with antifungal activity. Moreover, cellophane and dialysis membrane assays indicated that Thmbf1 overexpression affected the production of low molecular weight secreted compounds with antifungal activity against FO. Intriguingly, no correlation in the expression profiles, either in rich or minimal medium, was observed between Thmbf1 and the master regulator gene cross-pathway control (cpc1). Greenhouse assays allowed us to evaluate the biocontrol potential of T. harzianum strains against BC and FO on susceptible tomato plants. The wild type strain T34 significantly reduced the necrotic leaf lesions caused by BC while plants treated with the Thmbf1-overexpressing transformants exhibited an increased susceptibility to this pathogen. The percentages of Fusarium wilt disease incidence and values of aboveground dry weight showed that T34 did not have biocontrol activity against FO, at least in the 'Moneymaker' tomato variety, and that Thmbf1 overexpression increased the incidence of this disease. Our results show that the Thmbf1 overexpression in T34 negatively affects its biocontrol mechanismsSIThis research project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project no. AGL2015-70671-C2) and the Junta de Castilla y León (Project no. SA009U16

Obtaining from grape pomace an enzymatic extract with anti-inflammatory properties

Grape pomace, a winemaking industry by-product, is a rich source of bioactive dietary compounds. Using proteases we have developed an enzymatic process for obtaining a water-soluble extract (GP-EE) that contains biomolecules such as peptides, carbohydrates, lipids and polyphenols in soluble form. Of especial interest is its high polyphenol content (12 %), of which 77 % are flavonoids and 33 % are phenolic acids. The present study evaluates in vitro the potential anti-inflammatory effect of GP-EE by monitoring the expression of inflammatory molecules on N13 microglia cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). GP-EE decreases the mRNA levels of the inflammatory molecules studied. The molecules under study were as follows: inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), the ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1(Iba-1) and the Toll like receptor-4 (TLR-4), as well as the iNOS protein level in LPS-stimulated microglia. Our findings suggest that, as a result of its ability to regulate excessive microglial activation, GP-EE possesses antiinflammatory properties. Therefore, acting as a chemopreventive agent, it may be of therapeutic interest in neurodegenerative diseases involving neuroinflammation. We can, therefore, propose GP-EE as a useful natural extract and one that would be beneficial to apply in the field of functional food

Cancer-derived exosomes loaded with ultrathin palladium nanosheets for targeted bioorthogonal catalysis

The transformational impact of bioorthogonal chemistries has inspired new strategies for the in vivo synthesis of bioactive agents through non-natural means. Among these, Pd catalysts have played a prominent role in the growing subfield of bioorthogonal catalysis by producing xenobiotics and uncaging biomolecules in living systems. However, delivering catalysts selectively to specific cell types still lags behind catalyst development. Here, we have developed a bioartificial device comprising cancer-derived exosomes that are loaded with Pd catalysts by a method that enables the controlled assembly of Pd nanosheets directly inside the vesicles. This hybrid system mediates Pd-triggered dealkylation reactions in vitro and inside cells, and displays preferential tropism for their progenitor cells. The use of Trojan exosomes to deliver abiotic catalysts into designated cancer cells creates the opportunity for a new targeted therapy modality; that is, exosome-directed catalyst prodrug therapy, whose first steps are presented herein with the cell-specific release of the anticancer drug panobinostat

Nitrogen Metabolism and Growth Enhancement in Tomato Plants Challenged with Trichoderma harzianum Expressing the Aspergillus nidulans Acetamidase amdS Gene

[EN] Trichoderma is a fungal genus that includes species that are currently being used as biological control agents and/or as biofertilizers. In addition to the direct application of Trichoderma spp. as biocontrol agents in plant protection, recent studies have focused on the beneficial responses exerted on plants, stimulating the growth, activating the defenses, and/or improving nutrient uptake. The amdS gene, encoding an acetamidase of Aspergillus, has been used as a selectable marker for the transformation of filamentous fungi, including Trichoderma spp., but the physiological effects of the introduction of this gene into the genome of these microorganisms still remains unexplored. No evidence of amdS orthologous genes has been detected within the Trichoderma spp. genomes and the amdS heterologous expression in Trichoderma harzianum T34 did not affect the growth of this fungus in media lacking acetamide. However, it did confer the ability for the fungus to use this amide as a nitrogen source. Although a similar antagonistic behavior was observed for T34 and amdS transformants in dual cultures against Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, and Fusarium oxysporum, a significantly higher antifungal activity was detected in amdS transformants against F. oxysporum, compared to that of T34, in membrane assays on media lacking acetamide. In Trichoderma-tomato interaction assays, amdS transformants were able to promote plant growth to a greater extent than the wild-type T34, although compared with this strain the transformants showed similar capability to colonize tomato roots. Gene expression patterns from aerial parts of 3-week-old tomato plants treated with T34 and the amdS transformants have also been investigated using GeneChip Tomato Genome Arrays. The downregulation of defense genes and the upregulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism genes observed in the microarrays were accompanied by (i) enhanced growth, (ii) increased carbon and nitrogen levels, and (iii) a higher sensitivity to B. cinerea infections in plants treated with amdS transformants as detected in greenhouse assays. These observations suggest that the increased plant development promoted by the amdS transformants was at expense of defensesSIResearch project funding was from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project no. AGL2015-70671-C2) and the Junta de Castilla y León (Projects no. SA230U13 and LE228U14). The grant awarded to Sara Domínguez by Junta de Castilla y León (Spain) and Wagner Bettiol was supported by a fellowship from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP (Project no. 2014/03426-1

Realidad virtual para enseñar reanimación cardiopulmonar en el Grado de Educación Primaria. Estudio comparativo

The importance of the present study comes from the methodological possibilities derived for a complex and fundamental area within health sciences, such as basic life support in general, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in particular. The objective of the present study is to analyze the effect of an serious game (SG), through the use of Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, on university students. This is a comparative study with a pre-post evaluation, with students enrolled in the Primary Education Degree, which analyzes the effect of an education game (with VR goggles) on CPR training. Among the results, we highlight that the mean quality of the chest compressions obtained previous results of 30% (SD 28), while the latter result was 47% (SD 27) [differences in means of 17% (95% CI 7-26), p<0.001]. Likewise, the training through VR decreased the performance times of each of the skills evaluated from the chain of survival, except for the start of the chest compressions. In conclusion, we underline that the SG analyzed, through VR goggles, improved the performance of the CPR maneuvers. In addition, the educational use of VR made it possible for university students enrolled in the Primary Education Degree to obtain not only better theoretical-conceptual results, but also allowed them to acquire competencies and skills related to CPR.La relevancia de la presente investigación reside en las posibilidades metodológicas que se derivan para un ámbito tan complejo y fundamental dentro de las ciencias de la salud, como es el soporte vital básico, en general, y la reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) en particular. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el efecto que un juego formativo (JF), a través de gafas de Realidad Virtual (RV), tiene en alumnos universitarios. Se trata de un estudio comparativo con evaluación pre-post, con alumnos del Grado en Educación Primaria, donde se analiza el efecto de un JF (a través de gafas de RV) en la formación en RCP. Entre los resultados destacamos que, la calidad media de las compresiones torácicas obtuvo unos resultados previos del 30 % (DE 28) y la posterior fue del 47% (DE 27) [diferencia de medias 17% (IC95% 7-26), p<0,001]. Así mismo, la formación mediante RV ha conseguido disminuir los tiempos de actuación para cada una de las habilidades evaluadas de la cadena de supervivencia, a excepción del inicio de las compresiones torácicas. Como conclusión destacamos que, el JF analizado, al que accedieron a través de gafas de RV, consiguió mejorar la realización de las maniobras de RCP. Además, el uso educativo de RV, ha conseguido que los estudiantes universitarios del Grado de Educación Primaria obtengan, no solo unos mejores resultados teórico-conceptuales, sino también, una adquisición de competencias y habilidades relacionadas con la RCP

Validation of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents in High School in a Spanish Population

Resilience is a personal competence that facilitates coping with adversity and forms part of an individual’s psychosocial adjustment. Therefore, this construct has an important role in adolescent development. Youths with high levels of resilience usually show less risk of behavioral disorders, low academic performance or interpersonal conflicts. The objective of this study was to validate the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) in a Spanish population, and test whether this questionnaire is valid for different cultures and societies. The sample comprised 317 high school students aged 13 to 18 years old with an average age of 14.93, in the province of Almería (Spain). The Resilience Scale for Adolescents was administered for this. Based on exploratory factor analysis and the various previous studies undertaken on validation of this instrument, four models were proposed, of which the original READ model showed the best fit. Validation of this scale showed good internal consistency and high reliability on five factors: Family Cohesion, Personal Competence, Social Competence, Social Resources and Orientation toward Goals. It is considered a valid instrument for evaluating the various factors of resilience and can help determine the education factors contributing to the process of positive adaptation in adolescence

Elaboración de materiales didácticos para la enseñanza/aprendizaje del proceso de identificación mediante MALDI-TOF MS y secuenciación de ácidos nucleicos de hongos filamentosos aislados a partir de queso

Memoria ID-157. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2019-2020

Total Absorption Spectroscopy Study of Rb-92 Decay: A Major Contributor to Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Shape

The antineutrino spectra measured in recent experiments at reactors are inconsistent with calculations based on the conversion of integral beta spectra recorded at the ILL reactor. Rb-92 makes the dominant contribution to the reactor antineutrino spectrum in the 5-8 MeV range but its decay properties are in question. We have studied Rb-92 decay with total absorption spectroscopy. Previously unobserved beta feeding was seen in the 4.5-5.5 region and the GS to GS feeding was found to be 87.5(25)%. The impact on the reactor antineutrino spectra calculated with the summation method is shown and discussed

Serum Collagen Type II Cleavage Epitope and Serum Hyaluronic Acid as Biomarkers for Treatment Monitoring of Dogs with Hip Osteoarthritis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of serum type II collagen cleavage epitope and serum hyaluronic acid as biomarkers for treatment monitoring in osteoarthritic dogs. For this purpose, a treatment model based on mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue combined with plasma rich in growth factors was used. This clinical study included 10 dogs with hip osteoarthritis. Both analytes were measured in serum at baseline, just before applying the treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. These results were compared with those obtained from force plate analysis using the same animals during the same study period. Levels of type II collagen cleavage epitope decreased and those of hyaluronic acid increased with clinical improvement objectively verified via force plate analysis, suggesting these two biomarkers could be effective as indicators of clinical development of joint disease in dogs. Introductio