Influenza A(H5N1) detection in two asymptomatic poultry farm workers in Spain, September to October 2022: suspected environmental contamination

In autumn 2022, the Spanish Influenza National Reference Laboratory (NRL) confirmed the detection of influenza A(H5N1) in samples from two asymptomatic workers linked to an outbreak in a poultry farm in Spain. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken according to a national screening protocol for exposed workers. Absence of symptoms, low viral load and negative serology in both workers suggested environmental contamination. These findings motivated an update of the early detection strategy specifying timing and sampling conditions in asymptomatic exposed persons.S

Characterization of the Antitumor Potential of Extracts of Cannabis sativa Strains with High CBD Content in Human Neuroblastoma

Cannabis has been used for decades as a palliative therapy in the treatment of cancer. This is because of its beneficial effects on the pain and nausea that patients can experience as a result of chemo/radiotherapy. Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are the main compounds present in Cannabis sativa, and both exert their actions through a receptor-mediated mechanism and through a non-receptor-mediated mechanism, which modulates the formation of reactive oxygen species. These oxidative stress conditions might trigger lipidic changes, which would compromise cell membrane stability and viability. In this sense, numerous pieces of evidence describe a potential antitumor effect of cannabinoid compounds in different types of cancer, although controversial results limit their implementation. In order to further investigate the possible mechanism involved in the antitumoral effects of cannabinoids, three extracts isolated from Cannabis sativa strains with high cannabidiol content were analyzed. Cell mortality, cytochrome c oxidase activity and the lipid composition of SH-SY5Y cells were determined in the absence and presence of specific cannabinoid ligands, with and without antioxidant pre-treatment. The cell mortality induced by the extracts in this study appeared to be related to the inhibition of the cytochrome c oxidase activity and to the THC concentration. This effect on cell viability was similar to that observed with the cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2. The effect was partially blocked by the selective CB1 antagonist AM281, and the antioxidant α-tocopherol. Moreover, certain membrane lipids were affected by the extracts, which demonstrated the importance of oxidative stress in the potential antitumoral effects of cannabinoids.This work has been partially supported by a grant from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DIN2019-010902 and DIN2020-011349) and the Basque Government Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment (Bikaintek program: 005-B2/2021)

Actividad citotóxica del α-humuleno y del tras-cariofileno de Salvia officinalis en dos líneas celulares tumorales animal y humana

Background: The purpose of the present work is two-fold: the fractionation of Salvia officinalis essential oil and the cytotoxic study of this oil with its fractions “in vitro” tumor cell lines. Materials and Methods: S. officinalis essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fractionated with column chromatography; the essential oil and its fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS). The cytotoxic activity was evaluated in cellular lines of breast cancer MCF-7, colon cancer HCT-116, and murine macrophage RAW264.7 cell lines by the MTT assay. Results: the sub-subfraction F1.1.1 of S. officinalis essential oil containing α-humulene present highest activity on RAW264.7 and HCT-116 with IC50 values of 41.9 and 77.3 μg/ml, respectively. The sub-subfraction F1.2.1 of S. officinalis essential oil with trans-caryophyllene showed less activity on RAW246.7 and HCT-116 with IC50 values of 90.5 and 145.8 μg/ml. Conclusion: This paper suggests that the α-humulene and trans-caryophyllene extracted from S.officinalis essential oil inhibit tumor cell growth.Antecedentes: Este trabajo tiene dos objetivos: el fraccionamiento del aceite esencial de la especie Salvia officinalis y la determinación de la citotoxicidad del mencionado aceite esencial con sus fracciones en líneas celulares tumorales “in vitro”. Material y Métodos: El aceite esencial de Salvia officinalis fue obtenido por hidrodestilación y fraccionado mediante cromatografía en columna; el aceite esencial y sus fracciones fueron analizadas mediante cromatografía de gases (GC) acoplada a espectrometría de masas (MS). La actividad citotóxica fue evaluada en líneas celulares de cáncer de mama MCF-7; cáncer de colon HCT-116 y en macrófago murino. RAW264.7 con el ensayo MTT. Resultados: La sub-subfracción F1.1.1 del aceite esencial de Salvia officinalis que contiene alfa-humuleno presenta la actividad mas acusada frente a las líneas celulares RAW264.7 y HCT-116, con valores de IC50 de 41,9 y de 77,3 μg/ml respectivamente. La sub-subfracción F1.2.1 del aceite esencial de Salvia officinalis con trans-cariofileno, muestra menor actividad sobre células RAW246.7 y HCT-116 con valores de IC50 de 90,5 y 145,8 μg/ml respectivamente. Conclusión: Estos resultados sugieren que el alfa-humuleno y el trans-cariofileno de los extractos del aceite esencial de Salvia officinalis inhiben el crecimiento de células tumorales

Acaricidal and Repellent Effects of Essential Oils against Ticks: A Review

17 Pág. Departamento de Reproducción Animal​Tick control is a priority in order to prevent the transmission of vector-borne diseases. Industrial chemical acaricides and repellents have been the most efficient tools against hard ticks for a long time. However, the appearance of resistances has meant the declining effectiveness of the chemicals available on the market. The trend today is to develop alternative control methods using natural products to replace nonefficient pesticides and to preserve the efficient ones, hoping to delay resistance development. Traditional in vitro evaluation of acaricidal activity or resistance to synthetic pesticides have been reviewed and they mainly focus on just one species, the one host tick (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)). Recent reports have called for the standardization of natural product components, extraction techniques, and experimental design to fully discover their acaricidal potential. This study reviews the main variables used in the bibliography about the efficiency of natural products against ticks, and it proposes a unification of variables relating to ticks, practical development of bioassays, and estimation of ixodicidal activity.This study was funded by Villamagna S.A.Peer reviewe

ERK5/BMK1 is a novel target of the tumor suppressor VHL: implication in clear cell renal carcinoma

Hi ha quatre pàgines de material suplementari sense numeracióExtracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5), also known as big mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 1, is implicated in a wide range of biologic processes, which include proliferation or vascularization. Here, we show that ERK5 is degraded through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, in a process mediated by the tumor suppressor von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene, through a prolyl hydroxylation-dependent mechanism. Our conclusions derive from transient transfection assays in Cos7 cells, as well as the study of endogenous ERK5 in different experimental systems such as MCF7, HMEC, or Caki-2 cell lines. In fact, the specific knockdown of ERK5 in pVHL-negative cell lines promotes a decrease in proliferation and migration, supporting the role of this MAPK in cellular transformation. Furthermore, in a short series of fresh samples from human clear cell renal cell carcinoma, high levels of ERK5 correlate with more aggressive and metastatic stages of the disease. Therefore, our results provide new biochemical data suggesting that ERK5 is a novel target of the tumor suppressor VHL, opening a new field of research on the role of ERK5 in renal carcinomas

Formación del profesorado de Geografía y ciencias afines en docencia online y semipresencial basada en tecnologías de la información geográfica y ODS (DIDGEOTIG-II)

Este proyecto de innovación docente ha pretendido incorporar la semipresencialidad a la capacitación del profesorado/alumnado de Geografía y ciencias afines en docencia virtual basada en TIG abiertas y ODS, aportando soluciones a la brecha digital, la insostenibilidad y la educación despersonalizada. Se ha configurado una guía didáctica de actividades basadas en TIG para enseñar contenidos de educación geográfica para el desarrollo sostenible, combinando tareas virtuales con intervenciones presenciales, en favor de la salud mental de los agentes educativos y una mayor eficacia didáctica. La guía ha tenido en cuenta una encuesta de detección y valoración de problemas y soluciones en la enseñanza virtual de la Geografía, y algunas de sus actividades han sido testadas empíricamente, con una valoración docente y discente que ha validado la adecuación del enfoque semipresencial, geodigital y sostenible de la guía didáctica

Análisis del prácticum y las sesiones de tutoría en las carreras de Odontología, Informática y Educación de la Universidad de Salamanca

Memoria ID-0158. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2014-2015

Aproximación multidisciplinar a la supervisión del practicum en las carreras de educación, medicina, odontología, informática, comunicación y documentación

Memoria ID-035. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2013-2014

Planificación y diseño de recursos para poner en marcha la versión on-line del Máster oficial las TIC en Educación

Memoria ID-0180. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2014-2015