Using the host immune response to hemorrhagic fever Viruses to understand pathogenesis and improve diagnostics

Hemorrhagic fever viruses cause severe infections characterized by a hyperactive immune response that often leads to multiorgan failure and death. Current diagnostic tests are based on detecting viral proteins and nucleic acids in the blood. These are late-stage events during infection, which makes it impossible to perform a diagnosis before they are present in the collected sample. In this thesis, I explore an alternative approach using the transcriptional changes of circulating immune cells during the early stages of infection to identify unique markers of viral infection. The main advantage of this method is that it can be used to identify highly pathogenic viruses before standard detection methods become effective. I initially used RNA sequencing data to compare the host patterns of expression of macaques infected with either Lassa virus or Marburg virus, two related hemorrhagic fever viruses. I identified a set of genes that quickly become upregulated after a viral infection and remain highly expressed throughout the entire disease course, irrespective of the specific virus that caused the infection. I was also able to identify a set of biomarker genes that follow unique patterns of expression depending on the type of infection. I used an independent dataset to validate the potential of these genes to be used as biomarkers of infection. Additionally, I compared these results to the patterns of expression of macaques infected with Ebola virus, looking at multiple experimental conditions, tissues and routes of infection. Finally, I validated the host patterns of expression using two independently generated datasets corresponding to infection by different strains of arenaviruses and filoviruses. Studying the host immune response has the potential to improve the diagnosis of viral hemorrhagic fevers and other diseases. It can also accelerate our efforts to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms that lead to pathogenesis and severe disease

Ciencia y Teología en el Renacimiento paleólogo entre Oriente y Occidente: el caso de Isaac Argiro

Isaac Argiro (1310-1375 ca.) siguió la estela de su maestro, Nicéforo Gregorás, tanto en el cultivo de la ciencia profana como en la oposición a la teología de Gregorio Palamás, que Argiro combatió incluso en la persona del emperador Juan VI Cantacuceno. Además de esas inclinaciones espirituales, Isaac Argiro se interesó también por la astrología, como prueba el hecho de que copiara íntegro el Laurent. Plut. 28, 13, que fue el modelo de los manuscritos que se produjeron en el círculo de Juan Abramio, el astrólogo de Andrónico IV (Laurent. Plut. 28, 16, Marc. Gr. 324, Laurent. Plut. 28, 14 y Taurin. C. VII. 10). Esta comunicación trata de estudiar la vinculación entre el interés de Argiro por la astronomía y la astrología de la Grecia Antigua y sus posiciones filosóficas y teológicas, tal como fueron expresadas en sus opúsculos antipalamitas, así como su acercamiento a los círculos intelectuales bizantinos más proclives a un entendimiento con el Papado con vistas a la unión de las Iglesias de Roma y Constantinopla.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Sexual intercourse among adolescents in Santiago, Chile: a study of individual and parenting factors

OBJECTIVE: To examine a range of individual, parenting, and family factors associated with sexual intercourse among a community sample of youth and their families in Santiago, Chile. METHODS: Data were taken from the first wave of the Santiago Longitudinal Study conducted in January 2008–November 2009. Participants were 766 youth (mean age = 14.03 years, 51% male) from municipalities of low-to mid-socioeconomic status. Variables included emotional and behavioral subscales from the Child Behavior Checklist’s Youth Self Report, parental monitoring, family involvement, parental control and autonomy, relationship with each parent, and sexual activity. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the odds of sexual intercourse initiation. RESULTS: Seventy (9.14%) youth reported having had sex in their lifetime; the average age of first sexual intercourse among this group was 13.5 years (Standard Deviation [SD] = 1.74) for males and 14.08 (SD = 1.40) for females. Having sex was inversely associated with withdrawn-depressed symptoms (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.84, Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.72–0.97), but positively associated with somatic complaints (OR = 1.20, CI = 1.04–1.38) and rule breaking behavior (OR = 1.21, CI = 1.08–1.36), after adjusting for demographic and other individual and parenting variables. The majority (80%) of the youth who had had sex reported using protection at the time of last intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the role that mental health problems—some of them not commonly associated with onset of sexual activity—may play in a youth’s decision to have sex. The potential protective effects of several parenting and family characteristics disappeared with youth age and youth behavioral problems.R01 HD033487 - NICHD NIH HHS; R01 DA021181 - NIDA NIH HHS; DA021181 - NIDA NIH HH

Losing height: measuring the regional loss of human capital from the Republican exile to Mexico

Recent studies showed that Spanish republican exiles who travelled to Mexico to escape the effects and aftermath of the Spanish civil war were positively selected. However, the potential existence of regional differences in this positive selection needs to be addressed appropriately. Using a new dataset directly extracted from primary sources, we compare the heights of the republican exiles in Mexico with the estimations of those who stayed behind in their provinces of origin. We also study the existence of potential determinants to explain these differences. In addition to estimating how intense the loss of human capital was at the regional level, we also compare the heights of the republican exiles in Mexico with the heights of the Mexican population. Our results show significant regional differences in the positive selection of republican exiles. This was probably the consequence of the opportunities the local populations had to escape after the war started. We also show that Mexico was a place where Spanish migrants were able to obtain better occupations than their counterparts in Spain, meaning that although Mexico benefited from the arrival of a highly skilled labour force, it also provided republican exiles new opportunities

The loss of human capital after the Spanish civil war

Forced migrations are shocks that affect to the lives of millions of individuals. Among the consequences of this non-voluntary migration, the loss of a significant stock of human capital is of particular importance. The Republican exile in post-civil war Spain is an excellent case study, since the traditional representation is that Spain lost a highly qualified population. However, not that much has been said about the quantification of this loss or the measurement of the quality of the human capital that left Spain after the end of the civil war. This paper tries to fill this gap offering an estimation of the quality of the human capital that left Spain comparing it with the years that preceded and followed it and with economic migrants who were moving at the same time. Mexico was the major destination for Spanish refugees since the beginning of the Civil War and produced a unique primary source for analysing economic immigrants and refugees. We use multivariable regression models to estimate the existence of a skill premium in Republican refugees, analysing proxies of human capital like occupations, heights, and foreign languages spoken. Our results suggest that Spanish Republican refugees presented a skill premium compared to economic migrants. This result is particularly relevant because traditional economic migrants from Spain to Mexico were already considered a “privileged migration” given their high levels of human capital. The quality of the source allows us to extend the analysis to female human capital, an important contribution given the traditional invisibility of women in recorded economic history

Guía metodológica para el personal académico; El espacio europeo de educación superior (EEES)

La presente guía responde a la convocatoria de Proyectos de Innovación y Mejora de la Calidad Docente emitida por la Oficina de Convergencia Europea (OCE) del Vicerrectorado de Desarrollo y Calidad de la Docencia. Su contenido se ajusta también a las líneas de acción que han venido estableciendo el Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC) y el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (del que dependen ahora las Universidades) para avanzar en la integración del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), así como al Plan de Acción Estratégica para el curso 2006-2007 de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociología en lo que respecta a la adecuación y mejora de la metodología docente. El Objetivo de dicha metodología es el de atender las dificultades de integración del alumno, diseñando canales de ayuda que favorezcan su rendimiento. Esta guía, dirigida al personal académico, expone, por un lado, de manera sucinta, los principales elementos que dan vida al proyecto del EEES y, por otro, el momento en que se encuentra la Facultad de cara al año 2010, fecha escogida para la entrada en operación de dicho proyecto. En el desarrollo de esta guía han participado el secretario de la Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, y director del proyecto, Rafael Caballero Sánchez, la vicedecana de Ordenación Académica, Pilar González Martínez, y el investigador Óscar Diego Bautista

Preclinical discovery of duloxetine for the treatment of depression

Introduction: Affective disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), are among the most severely disabling mental disorders, and in many cases areIntroduction: Affective disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), are among the most severely disabling mental disorders, and in many cases are associated with poor treatment outcomes. From the emergence of the monoamine hypothesis of depression, the first-line treatment for MDD had mainly acted by inhibiting monoamine reuptake, and thereby increasing these levels in the synaptic cleft. However, in recent years, several newantidepressant drugs have appeared, including duloxetine, a dual serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor recommended for the treatment of MDD. Areas covered: The article reviews and discusses the biochemical and functional profile of duloxetine splitting the review into acute and long-term treatment with this dual monoamine reuptake inhibitor. In addition, the authors summarize available preclinical behavioral research data, which have demonstrated among other effects, the antidepressant-like activity of duloxetine in several animal models. The authors focus on the most recent literature on synaptic neuroplasticity modulation of this antidepressant drug. Finally, the authors briefly mention other approved indications of duloxetine. Expert opinion: Duloxetine inhibits 5-HT and NA reuptake, effectively desensitizes various autoreceptors and promotes neuroplasticity. Clinically, duloxetine is an effective antidepressant that is well tolerated and has significant efficacy in the treatment of MDD. associated with poor treatment outcomes. From the emergence of the monoamine hypothesis of depression, the first-line treatment for MDD had mainly acted by inhibiting monoamine reuptake, and thereby increasing these levels in the synaptic cleft. However, in recent years, several new antidepressant drugs have appeared, including duloxetine, a dual serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor recommended for the treatment of MDD

The INTEGRAL-OMC Scientific Archive

The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) on-board the INTEGRAL satellite has, as one of its scientific goals, the observation of a large number of variable sources previously selected. After almost 6 years of operations, OMC has monitored more than 100 000 sources of scientific interest. In this contribution we present the OMC Scientific Archive (http://sdc.laeff.inta.es/omc/) which has been developed to provide the astronomical community with a quick access to the light curves generated by this instrument.We describe the main characteristics of this archive, as well as important aspects for the users: object types, temporal sampling of light curves and photometric accuracy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics V" Proceedings of the VIII Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA) held in Santander, July 7-11, 200

Development of a constitutive model for the compaction of recovered polyethylene terephthalate packages

[EN] To date, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is the most widely used plastic in packaging and also one of the most recycled polymers worldwide. However, the high transport costs and stagnated prices of recycled PET undermine recycling process profits. Transport costs can lower through compaction, which is still not a completely wellknown process. Due to heterogeneous designs, the output density of the compaction process varies. This poses problems during equipment design, selection or operation processes as recovery costs sharply increase if the required density is not met. In this manuscript, the authors develop a constitutive model for the compaction of recovered PET packaging. This experimentally validated model, based on the elasto-plastic behaviour of PET packages, allows the output density range to be predicted according to the compression pressure during PET compaction. Unlike other generic compaction models that need more than two parameters, this model uses only one and better correlates with the experimental results. Unlike existing generic models, the model parameters have a physical meaning, which allows the influence of different factors on the compaction process to be assessed. Finally as a result of the model analysis, we provide some tips to enhance compaction equipment efficiency.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Sanchez-Caballero, S.; Sellés, M.; Peydro, MA.; H.P. Cherukuri (2021). Development of a constitutive model for the compaction of recovered polyethylene terephthalate packages. Waste Management. 133:89-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.028S899813

Frecuencia de lesiones de manchas blancas dentales y de tejidos blandos asociadas a tratamiento ortodóntico de pacientes atendidos en las clínicas odontológicas del distrito de Huánuco - 2023

Objetivo: Definir la frecuencia de lesiones de manchas blancas dentales y de tejidos blandos asociadas a tratamiento ortodóntico de pacientes atendidos en las clínicas odontológicas del distrito de Huánuco 2023. Metodología: Investigación de tipo observacional con un nivel correlacional, con un enfoque cuantitativo, de diseños prospectivo, transversal, la muestra se conforma por 102 pacientes. Resultados: Se examinó que los pacientes muestran frecuencias de manchas blancas al año del tratamiento ortodontico un 30%. Las lesiones de tejido blando presento una frecuencia durante un año de tratamiento ortodontico un 79%. Con Brackets de tipo metálico convencional presentaron lesiones de tipo ulcerativas traumáticos el 31%, y con Brackets de tipo estético lesiones de tipo ulcerativas traumáticos el 33%, las piezas dentarias que presento mayor frecuencia de manchas blancas fueron los incisivos y los molares en la zona gingival con él 44.1%. El sexo femenino fue la más frecuente con manchas blancas con 58% y, las lesiones de tejidos blandos con 62%, los pacientes de 18 a 22 años mostraron mayor frecuencia de manchas blancas con el 55%. Mientras que las edades de 23 a 27 años lesiones del tejido blando con el 84%. Conclusión: La frecuencia de las lesiones de manchas blancas dentales y tejidos blandos están asociadas al tratamiento ortodóntico de pacientes atendidos en la clínica odontológica del distrito de Huánuco 2023, datos que fueron corroborados mediante una trascendencia asintótica bilateral del valor p = 0.001, menor al valor p = 0.0