Overweight and seminal quality: A study of 794 patients

Objectives: To evaluate sperm quality, levels of markers of epididymal and accessory gland function, and T in semen from men grouped according to their body mass index (BMI). Design: Blind prospective study. Setting: Andrology and reproduction laboratory in Cordoba, Argentina (2006-2007). Patient(s): Seven hundred ninety-four men. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): In semen samples, sperm quality (volume, density, motility, morphology, viability, hypoosmotic swell test, and nuclear maturity) and levels of neutral alpha-glucosidase, fructose, citric acid and T. Result(s): Multivariate analysis showed a negative association between BMI and motility, rapid motility and neutral alpha-glucosidase levels, and a positive association between BMI and seminal fructose levels. No associations were found among BMI and sperm concentration, the other parameters evaluated, or seminal T levels. Conclusion(s): Results found in our study support a deleterious effect of obesity on seminal quality, probably by alterations in the function of the epididymis (i.e., in epididymal maturation).Fil: Martini, Ana Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Fisiología Humana y Física Biomedica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Tissera, Andrea Daniela. No especifíca;Fil: Estofán, Daniel. Cigor;Fil: Molina, Rosa Isabel. Cigor;Fil: Mangeaud, Arnaldo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Matemáticas. Cátedra de Estadística y Biometría; ArgentinaFil: Fiol de Cuneo, Marta. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Fisiología Humana y Física Biomedica; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Ruben Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Fisiología Humana y Física Biomedica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentin

Antitumour activity of coordination polymer nanoparticles

Altres ajuts: the ICN2 is funded by the CERCA programme / Generalitat de Catalunya.Nanoscale coordination polymers (NCPs) have fascinated researchers over the last years. Their intrinsic theranostic properties of metal ions and organic ligands, the encapsulation of several drugs/biomolecules with excellent yields and the surface functionalisation, enhancing their biocompatibility and targeting, have remarkably impacted in prospective drug delivery alternatives in medicine. Moreover, the properties and characteristics of these nanoparticles (NPs) can be fine-tuned thanks to the synthetic flexibility of coordination chemistry. For all these reasons, the number of examples published has grown exponentially over the last years, embracing different disciplines such as molecular electronics, sensors or nanomedicine, among others. Specifically, significant advances in antitumoural applications are reported, one of the areas where this novel family of NPs has experienced a considerable advance. NCPs have accomplished a high sophistication degree and efficiency as theranostic nanoplatforms (i.e., drug delivery carriers and bioimaging probes) with long residence time in the bloodstream, targeting capacities and remarkable cellular internalisation. In this review, an introduction emphasizing the advantages of NPs for cancer treatment is included. Later on, the most representative examples of NCPs for antitumoural applications are described grouped into six mean representative areas: i) encapsulation approaches, ii) stimuli-responsive NCPs, iii) metal chemotherapy, iv) photodynamic therapy (PDT), v) unconventional therapeutic approaches and vi) theranostics. Particular emphasis is given to understand the encapsulation/release properties of these particles at the nanoscale and their interaction with biological environments, highlighting any limitation and challenges that these systems are facing from a clinical translation perspective and envisioning possible future trends and areas that will deserve further attention for the following years

Modelo de conciencia para la sustentabilidad

Roughly, the conscience for sustainability unveils a process of civil self-management in the face of the absence or inefficiency of state management in terms of resource supply and quality of public services. In this sense, the present work set out to establish a model for the study of the phenomenon. Documentary work was done with a sample selection of sources indexed to national repositories, considering the year of publication and the keywords. Lines related to the extension of the model, as well as to the comparison between regions are confirmed to corroborate the findings reported in the literature.Grosso modo, la conciencia para la sustentabilidad devela un proceso de autogestión civil frente a la ausencia o ineficiencia de la gestión estatal en materia de abastecimiento de recursos y calidad de los servicios públicos. En ese tenor, el presente trabajo se propuso establecer un modelo para el estudio del fenómeno. Se realizó un trabajo documental con una selección muestral de fuentes indexadas a repositorios nacionales, considerando el año de publicación y las palabras claves. Se advierten líneas concernientes a la extensión del modelo, así como a la comparación entre regiones para corroborar los hallazgos reportados en la literatura

Exploratory Category Structure of the Formation of Intellectual Capital

The objective of the present work was to specify a model for the study of governance training. The theory intellectual capital essentially means that there is an indirect relationship between vocational training and job placement. Leadership styles are mediators in this process because they transfer values and norms that guide needs and expectations, as well as skills and knowledge to carry out the tasks and achieve the achievements. A non-experimental, documentary, cross-sectional and exploratory study was carried out with a selection of sources indexed to Latin American leading repositories, considering the publication period and ISSN and DOI registration; Dialnet, Latindex, Publindex, Redalyc and Scielo repositories. Since the specified model can be contrasted, the inclusion of factors such as empowerment and entrepreneurships are recommended to establish the scope and limits of the model

Chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis reveals divergent photosystem II responses to saline, alkaline and saline–alkaline stresses in the two Lotus japonicus model ecotypes MG20 and Gifu-129

Saline and alkaline stresses affect more than 10% of the World’s arable land, limiting agricultural production. Salt-induced stress may affect the photosystem II (PSII) function, altering fluorescence emission. Therefore, changes in fluorescence are used to quantify and analyze abiotic stress responses in plants. So far, no study has focused on the response of PSII to saline, alkaline and saline–alkaline stresses in the model legume Lotus japonicus. For the saline, alkaline and saline–alkaline treatments, plants of the L. japonicus ecotypes MG20 and Gifu-129 were cultivated in sand with nutrient solution, added with NaCl and NaHCO3 in different proportions. Growth, gas exchange, and chlorophyll a fluorescence transient kinetic and OJIP parameters were measured, and chlorophyll a and b were determined. The analysis of the kinetic of chlorophyll a fluorescence showed that NaCl-derived stress sources affect the photochemical events in PSII in both ecotypes, being this effect more evident under higher pH condition, whereas alkalinity per se has a mild or no effect on these events. The saline–alkaline stress induced a more severe effect on Gifu B-129, compared with Miyakojima MG20, whereas NaCl improved primary photochemistry in MG20. Our results allow us to accept the hypothesis that both ecotypes deploy differential responses under the three stressful treatments and that the saline–alkaline stress causes higher damage levels than saline and alkaline stresses alone in relation with structures and sub-processes of the PSII.Fil: Bordenave, César Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Rocco, Ruben Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Maiale, Santiago Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Campestre, Maria Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Oscar Adolfo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Andres Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Menendez, Ana Bernardina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentin

Impacto de la obesidad en la función reproductiva masculina

Tanto la obesidad como la infertilidad masculina han aumentado durante las últimas décadas por lo que se ha explorado una posible asociación entre estas patologías. Los estudios informan que la obesidad puede afectar la fertilidad del varón por diferentes mecanismos, los que en última instancia, pueden provocar disfunción eréctil y/o deteriorar la calidad espermática. Dichos mecanismos incluyen: 1) disrupción en la fisiología del eje hipotálamo-hipófiso-testicular (HHT): disminución en la concentración sérica de testosterona, gonadotrofinas, SHBG y/o inhibina B e hyperestrogenemia; 2) incremento en la liberación de hormonas derivadas del tejido adiposo, entre ellas leptina, que podrían alterar la fisiología del eje HHT y/o afectar directamente las células de Leydig y la espermatogénesis; 3) aumento de las adipoquinas (proinflamatorias), incremento de la temperatura escrotal y acumulación de disruptores endócrinos en los adipocitos; todos ellos responsables de un aumento en el estrés oxidativo testicular y 4) la apnea del sueño, frecuente en obesos, que suprime el pico nocturno de testosterona necesario para la espermatogénesis. Finalmente, si bien está discutido, estos mecanismos podrían alterar la espermatogénesis y/o la maduración epididimaria, disminuyendo así la concentración y la motilidad espermática y aumentando la fragmentación del ADN. En resumen, si bien la obesidad puede afectar la fertilidad masculina por algunos/todos los mecanismos mencionados, lo cierto es que sólo una pequeña proporción de obesos son infértiles; probablemente aquéllos con obesidad mórbida o genéticamente predispuestos. Sin embargo, ya que la incidencia de obesidad sigue aumentando, es de esperar que el número de hombres con sub/infertilidad también lo haga.Fil: Martini, Ana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Molina, Rosa Isabel. Laboratorio de Andrología y Reproducción; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Ruben Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Fiol, Marta Haydee. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentin

Neutrophil infiltration regulates clock-gene expression to organize daily hepatic metabolism.

Liver metabolism follows diurnal fluctuations through the modulation of molecular clock genes. Disruption of this molecular clock can result in metabolic disease but its potential regulation by immune cells remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrated that in steady state, neutrophils infiltrated the mouse liver following a circadian pattern and regulated hepatocyte clock-genes by neutrophil elastase (NE) secretion. NE signals through c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibiting fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and activating Bmal1 expression in the hepatocyte. Interestingly, mice with neutropenia, defective neutrophil infiltration or lacking elastase were protected against steatosis correlating with lower JNK activation, reduced Bmal1 and increased FGF21 expression, together with decreased lipogenesis in the liver. Lastly, using a cohort of human samples we found a direct correlation between JNK activation, NE levels and Bmal1 expression in the liver. This study demonstrates that neutrophils contribute to the maintenance of daily hepatic homeostasis through the regulation of the NE/JNK/Bmal1 axis.BGT and MC were fellows of the FPI: Severo Ochoa CNIC program (SVP-2013–067639) and (BES-2017–079711) respectively. IN was funded by EFSD/Lilly grants (2017 and 2019), the CNIC IPP FP7 Marie Curie Programme (PCOFUND-2012–600396), EFSD Rising Star award (2019), JDC-2018-Incorporación (MIN/JDC1802). T-L was a Juan de la Cierva fellow (JCI2011–11623). C.F has a Sara Borrell contract (CD19/00078). RJD is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was funded by the following grants to GS: funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n˚ ERC 260464, EFSD/Lilly European Diabetes Research Programme Dr Sabio, 2017 Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators, BBVA Foundation (Investigadores-BBVA-2017) IN[17] _BBM_BAS_0066, MINECO-FEDER SAF2016-79126-R and PID2019-104399RB-I00 , EUIN201785875, Comunidad de Madrid IMMUNOTHERCAN-CM S2010/BMD-2326 and B2017/BMD-3733 and Fundación AECC AECC PROYE19047SABI and AECC: INVES20026LEIV to ML. MM was funded by ISCIII and FEDER PI16/01548 and Junta de Castilla y León GRS 1362/A/16 and INT/M/17/17 and JL-T by Junta de Castilla y León GRS 1356/A/16 and GRS 1587/A/17. The study was additionally funded by MEIC grants to ML (MINECO-FEDER-SAF2015-74112-JIN) AT-L (MINECO-FEDERSAF2014-61233-JIN), RJD: Grant DK R01 DK107220 from the National Institutes of Health. AH: (SAF2015-65607-R). The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCNU) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015–0505).S

Caracterización magnética de polvo urbano y plantas de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México

"Investigaciones recientes han demostrado que los gases automotores contienen elementos potencialmente tóxicos, los cuales se acumulan sobre las superficies del suelo urbano (asfalto, cemento, empedrado, etc.) y se mezclan con el polvo urbano (PU). En este estudio se determinan los valores de umbrales magnéticos por medio de muestras de PU depositado en calles y hojas de plantas provenientes de zonas con diferentes tipos de usos del suelo de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México. Se colectaron 89 muestras de PU y un mismo número de muestras de hojas de Ficus benjamina de zonas con diferentes tipos de uso de suelo (habitacional, equipamiento, habitacional-comercial, espacios abiertos e industria). Los parámetros magnéticos determinados fueron: susceptibilidad magnética específica másica (χlf), porcentaje de la susceptibilidad dependiente de la frecuencia (χdf%), magnetización remanente isotermal a 700 mT (MRI0.7) y adicionalmente la concentración de Pb y Zn. Las curvas de magnetización vs campo magnético presentaron una saturación de la magnetización para campos magnéticos entre 200 a 300 mT y la fracción S-200 (S-200 = MRI-0.2/MRI0.7) presentó valores entre 0.7 a 1.0; este comportamiento es característico de muestras con minerales de baja coercitividad magnética (ferrimagnéticos). Las curvas termomagnéticas (κ vs T) de PU indican que la principal fase magnética es alrededor de 580 °C, lo que sugiere la presencia de titano-magnetita pobre en Ti y magnetita. Las concentraciones de Pb y Zn presentan correlación estadísticamente aceptable con los parámetros magnéticos. Los análisis discriminantes en ambos tipos de muestras (agrupación por tipos de uso del suelo, las variables χlf, χdf%, MRI0.7 y las concentraciones de Pb y Zn) dan un resultado menor al 50% en ambos casos. Por tanto, no es posible establecer diferencias significativas entre los tipos de uso de suelo, los parámetros magnéticos medidos y la concentración de Pb y Zn. La determinación de los valores umbrales magnéticos se obtuvo del polvo urbano con las menores concentraciones de Pb y Zn. Los valores umbrales para el PU fueron: MRI0.7 = 58 mAm2 kg-1 y χlf = 4.5 mm3 kg-1, en tanto que para las plantas fueron: MRI0.7 = 1.6 mAm2 kg-1 y χlf = 0.13 mm3 kg-1. Las representaciones espaciales de los valores umbrales de MRI0.7 de PU y plantas revelaron que las zonas de la parte central y sureste de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México son potencialmente peligrosas por su alta concentración de Pb o Zn.""Recent investigations have demonstrated that motor-vehicle gas contains particles with potentially toxic elements. These contaminating particles accumulate on the soil surface or overlying material (asphalt, stone and concrete pavements) and they are usually mixed with urban dust. In this work we determine the magnetic threshold values using urban dust and leave samples collected from different type of urban land-use soil along the metropolitan area of Mexico City and identify potentially dangerous areas considering potentially toxic elements. 89 urban dust samples deposited on the streets and same number of Ficus benjamina leaves were collected from different land-use zones (residential, equipment, residentialcommercial, open space and industry). The magnetic parameters determined were: mass especific magnetic susceptibility (χ lf), percentage frequency dependent susceptibility (χ df%), isothermal remanent magnetization at 700 mT (IRM0.7). Additionally the concentrations of Pb and Zn were also obtained. Isothermal remanence acquisition curves for dust samples yielded a saturation between 200 and 300 mT and S-200 (S-200= MRI-0.2/MRI0.7) fraction values were found between 0.7 to 1.0 - characteristic of samples with low magnetic coercivity minerals (ferrimagnetics). The κ vs T curves indicate the main magnetic phase about 580 °C which attests the presence of Ti-poor titanomagnetite or almost pure magnetite. The Pb and Zn concentrations show acceptable statistically correlation with magnetic parameters. Discriminant analyzes in both types of samples gave values low than 50% in both cases. Therefore, it is not possible to attest the significant differences between measured magnetic parameters, concentration of Pb and Zn and soil type. The threshold values for urban dust were MRI0.7 = 58 mAm2 kg-1 and χlf = 4.5 mm3 kg-1 while the plant threshold values were: MRI0.7 = 1.6 mAm2 kg-1 and χlf = 0.13 mm3 kg-1. Spatial representations of these threshold values revealed that zones from central and southeast of Valle de Mexico Metropolitan Zone are the most potentially dangerous areas considering their high concentration of Pb and Zn.

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London