Estructuración de un bono social para una caja de compensación familiar en Colombia

En la presente investigación, se estudia la emisión de un bono social en la bolsa de valores por parte de una caja de compensación familiar (CCF) en Colombia, teniendo en cuenta que estos instrumentos de deuda no han sido utilizados por empresas del sistema subsidiado familiar. Para ello, se hizo un estudio de las emisiones de bonos sociales en Latinoamérica y otras partes del mundo, que dieran elementos para identificar sus principales características, las temáticas de los programas financiados y sus indicadores de desempeño. Se recolectó información de las diferentes tasas de financiación que existen en el mercado de valores colombiano y se comparó con la tasa promedio a la cual se han emitido los bonos sociales. Posteriormente, se analizó la estructura financiera de La Caja, tal como la capacidad de pago y los flujos de caja proyectados que soporten dicha emisión. Como resultado, y bajo los principios ICMA, se elabora un documento tipo marco de referencia para la emisión de un bono social por parte de la CCF seleccionada, de tal manera que sea una guía para futuras emisiones sociales del sistema de subsidio familiar. Vale la pena resaltar que en todo el proceso investigativo se evidenció una limitante importante, y es la poca información disponible sobre este tipo de emisiones; aún no se encuentra mucha documentación académica específica de esta clase de investigaciones para Colombia, además la información sobre las tasas de mercado de los bonos sociales tampoco está fácilmente disponible, ya que se negocian con poca recurrencia y en su mayoría no hay muchas más negociaciones después de la emisión.In this research, the issuance of a social bond in the stock market by a family compensation fund (CCF, by its acronym in Spanish) in Colombia is studied, taking into account that these debt instruments have not been used by companies of the family subsidized system. For that, a study of social bonds issued in Latin America and other parts of the world was carried out, which would provide elements to identify its main characteristics, the topics of the financed programs and their performance indicators. Information on different financing rates that exist in the Colombian stock market was collected and was compared with the average rate at which the social bonds have been issued. Subsequently, the financial structure of the compensation fund was analyzed, such as the payment capacity and the projected cash flows that support said issue. As a result, and under the ICMA principles, a reference framework document is prepared for the issuance of a social bond by the selected CCF, in such a way that it is a guide for future social issuances of the family subsidy system. It is worth to highlight that an important limitation was evidenced throughout the investigation process and is the poor information available on this type of emissions; there is still not much specific academic documentation for this kind of research in Colombia. Information on market rates for social bonds is also not readily available, since they are traded with little recurrence and for the most part there are not many more negotiations after the issuance

Estudio de la posible acción protectora de la melatonina frente al daño por frío en espermatozoides ovinos

Las dosis seminales ovinas se suelen refrigerar para su uso a corto plazo en inseminación artificial. Los espermatozoides de la especie ovina son especialmente susceptibles al frío, y su exposición a bajas temperaturas produce una serie de cambios entre los que se incluyen pérdida de motilidad, de integridad de membrana, aumento de marcadores apoptóticos y una capacitación prematura o criocapacitación. La capacitación es un proceso complejo por el cual los espermatozoides adquieren capacidad fecundante, pero si esta se produce lejos del ovocito, el espermatozoide no será capaz de cumplir su misión, por lo que una capacitación prematura consecuencia del frío resulta indeseable. La melatonina es una hormona importante en la regulación de la reproducción. El descubrimiento de la presencia de receptores para esta hormona en la superficie del espermatozoide ovino, indicaría una acción directa de la misma sobre la funcionalidad de estas células. Algunas de las rutas moleculares a través de las que actúa la melatonina en algunas células somáticas también están implicadas en la regulación de procesos fisiológicos del espermatozoide, como la capacitación. Además, también se atribuye un papel protector frente a la apoptosis en algunos tipos celulares. Por ello, en el presente trabajo se planteó la hipótesis de que la melatonina podría tener un efecto de protección frente al frío en espermatozoides, evitando los cambios relacionados con la criocapacitación y el aumento de marcadores apoptóticos. El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar el efecto de diferentes concentraciones de melatonina añadidas a los espermatozoides antes de ser sometidos a bajas temperaturas, analizando distintos parámetros relacionados con la funcionalidad espermática: motilidad, integridad de membrana, estado de capacitación (relacionado con la distribución del calcio intracelular y la fosforilación de tirosinas de proteínas de membrana) y marcadores apoptóticos. Los resultados obtenidos indican que la refrigeración directa a 5 ºC, aunque no afecta a la motilidad espermática, produce efectos subletales sobre los espermatozoides reflejándose en una disminución importante del resto de parámetros de calidad seminal. Las dosis de melatonina utilizadas (100 pM, 10 nM y 1 μM) no mejoran de manera significativa los valores de motilidad e integridad de membrana, pero sí disminuye significativamente el porcentaje de espermatozoides capacitados si se incuba la muestra con las dosis de 100 pM y 10 nM previamente a la refrigeración. La melatonina, a dosis bajas (100 pM), disminuye el porcentaje de espermatozoides con marcadores apoptóticos como la inversión de fosfatidilserina y la actividad de caspasas, si bien este descenso no es significativo. En conclusión, en este estudio se demuestra que la melatonina es capaz de evitar, al menos parcialmente, la capacitación prematura asociada a frío

Does melatonin exert its effect on ram sperm capacitation through nitric oxide synthase regulation?

Nitric oxide (NO·), synthesized from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is involved in sperm functionality. NOS isoforms have been detected in spermatozoa from different species, and an increment in NOS activity during capacitation has been reported. This work aims to determine the presence and localization of NOS isoforms in ram spermatozoa and analyse their possible changes during in vitro capacitation. Likewise, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the expression and localization of NOS and NO· levels in capacitated ram spermatozoa. Western blot analysis revealed protein bands associated with neuronal NOS (nNOS) and epithelial NOS (eNOS) but not with inducible NOS (iNOS). However, the three isoforms were detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI), and their immunotypes varied over in vitro capacitation with cAMP-elevating agents. NO· levels (evaluated by DAF-2-DA/PI staining) increased after in vitro capacitation, and the presence of L-arginine in the capacitating medium raised NO· production and enhanced the acrosome reaction. Incubation in capacitating conditions with a high-cAMP medium with melatonin modified the NOS distribution evaluated by IFI, but no differences in Western blotting were observed. Melatonin did not alter NO· levels in capacitating conditions, so we could infer that its role in ram sperm capacitation would not be mediated through NO· metabolism

Dynamic semantic ontology generation: a proposal for social robots

[Abstract] During a human-robot interaction by dialogue/voice, the robot cannot extract semantic meaning from the words used, limiting the intervention itself. Semantic knowledge could be a solution by structuring information according to its meaning and its semantic associations. Applied to social robotics, it could lead to a natural and fluid human-robot interaction. Ontologies are useful representations of semantic knowledge, as they capture the relationships between objects and entities. This paper presents new ideas for ontology generation using already generated ontologies as feedback in an iterative way to do it dynamically. This paper also collects and describes the concepts applied in the proposed methodology and discusses the challenges to be overcome.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades; RTI2018-096338-B-I0

Induction immunosuppression and outcome in kidney transplant recipients with early COVID-19 after transplantation

COVID-19 infection; Basiliximab; Renal transplantationInfección por COVID-19; Basiliximab; Trasplante renalInfecció per COVID-19; Basiliximab; Trasplantament renalCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in kidney transplant recipients has a high risk of complications and mortality, especially in older recipients diagnosed during the early period after transplantation. Management of immunosuppression has been challenging during the pandemic. We investigated the impact of induction immunosuppression, either basiliximab or thymoglobulin, on the clinical evolution of kidney transplant recipients developing COVID-19 during the early period after transplantation. We included kidney transplant recipients with ˂6 months with a functioning graft diagnosed with COVID-19 from the initial pandemic outbreak (March 2020) until 31 July 2021 from different Spanish centres participating in a nationwide registry. A total of 127 patients from 17 Spanish centres developed COVID-19 during the first 6 months after transplantation; 73 (57.5%) received basiliximab and 54 (42.5%) thymoglobulin. Demographics were not different between groups but patients receiving thymoglobulin were more sensitized [calculated panel reactive antibodies (cPRAs) 32.7 ± 40.8% versus 5.6 ± 18.5%] and were more frequently retransplants (30% versus 4%). Recipients ˃65 years of age treated with thymoglobulin showed the highest rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome [64.7% versus 37.1% for older recipients receiving thymoglobulin and basiliximab (P .05)], respectively, and the poorest survival [mortality rate 64.7% and 42.9% for older recipients treated with thymoglobulin and basiliximab, respectively (P .05), respectively]. Older recipients treated with thymoglobulin showed the poorest survival in the Cox regression model adjusted for comorbidities. Thus thymoglobulin should be used with caution in older recipients during the present pandemic era

Synthesis and screening of 6‐alkoxy purine analogs as cell type‐selective apoptotic inducers in Jurkat cells

Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Grant/Award Number: RTC-2017-6620; Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, Grant/Award Number: FPU 14/00818Purines are ubiquitous structures in cell biology involved in a multitude of cellular processes, because of which substituted purines and analogs are considered excellent scaffolds in drug design. In this study, we explored the key structural features of a purine‐based proapoptotic hit, 8‐tert‐butyl‐9‐phenyl‐6‐benzyloxy‐9Hpurine (1), by setting up a library of 6‐alkoxy purines with the aim of elucidating the structural requirements that govern its biological activity and to study the cell selectivity of this chemotype. This was done by a phenotypic screening approach based on cell cycle analysis of a panel of six human cancer cell lines, including T cell leukemia Jurkat cells. From this study, two derivatives (12 and 13) were identified as Jurkat‐selective proapoptotic compounds, displaying superior potency and cell selectivity than hit 1.Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government European Commission RTC-2017-6620Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte FPU 14/0081

Healthcare experience among patients with type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional survey using the IEXPAC tool

[Abstract] Aim: To assess the experience with health care among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and to evaluate patients' demographic variables and healthcare-related characteristics which may affect their experience. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was delivered to T2DM adults. Patient experiences were assessed with the 'Instrument for Evaluation of the Experience of Chronic Patients' (IEXPAC) questionnaire, a validated 12-item survey, which describes patient experience within the last 6 months (items 1-11) and hospitalization in the last 3 years (item 12), with possible scores ranging from 0 (worst) to 10 (best experience). Results: A total of 451 T2DM patients responded to the survey (response rate 72.3%; mean age 69.5 ± 10.1 years, 67.8% men). The mean overall IEXPAC score was 5.92 ± 1.80. Mean scores were higher for productive interactions (7.92 ± 2.15) and self-management (7.08 ± 2.27) than for new relational model (1.72 ± 2.01). Only 32.8% of patients who had been hospitalized in the past 3 years reported having received a follow-up call or visit after discharge. Multivariate analyses identified that regular follow-up by the same physician and follow-up by a nurse were associated with a better patient experience. Continuity of healthcare score was higher only in those patients requiring help from others. Conclusions: The areas of T2DM care which may need to be addressed to ensure better patient experience are use of the Internet, new technologies and social resources for patient information and interaction with healthcare professionals, closer follow-up after hospitalization, and a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach with regular follow-up by the same physician and a nurse

Pediatric Chagas disease in the non-endemic area of Madrid: A fifteen-year review (2004-2018)

Background: Chagas disease (CD) has become an emerging global health problem in association with the immigration of individuals from endemic areas (in LatinAmerica) to other countries.Spain is the country in Europe with the highest number of CD cases. Concerning pediatric CD, treatment is not only better tolerated by younger children but also has greater cure possibilities. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and epidemiological aspects of CD in a pediatric population diagnosed of 10 hospitals in the Community of Madrid during the 2004-2018 period, as well as the safety and efficacy of CD treatment on this population. Methodology/principal findings: A multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study was conducted. The studied population included all identified children under the age of 18 with a diagnosis of CD. Diagnosis was performed with a positive parasitological test (with subsequent confirmation) or confirmed persistence of positive serology beyond 9 months, for children younger than one year-old, and with two different positive serological tests, for children older than one. Fifty-one children were included (59% male; 50.9% born in Spain). All mothers were from Latin America. The median age at diagnosis was 0.7 months for those under one year of age, and 11.08 years for those older than one year-old. Only one case presented a symptomatic course (hydrops faetalis, haemodynamic instability at birth, ascites, anaemia). For 94% treatment was completed. Considering patients who received benznidazole (47), AE were recorded in 48,9%. Among the 32 patients older than one year-old treated with benznidazole, 18 (56.25%) had adverse events whereas in the 15 under one year, 5(33,3%) did. Eigtheen (78.2%) of the patients with benznidazole AE were older than one year-old(median age 11.4 years). Of the patients treated with nifurtimox (9), AE were reported in 3 cases (33,3%). Cure was confirmed in 80% of the children under one year-old vs 4.3% in those older (p<0.001). Loss to follow- up occurred in 35.3% of patients. Conclusions/significances: Screening programs of CD since birth allow early diagnosis and treatment, with a significantly higher cure rate in children treated before one year of age, with lower incidence of adverse events. The high proportion of patients lost to follow-up in this vulnerable population is of concern.S

Minimizing the entropy penalty for ligand binding: lessons from the molecular recognition of the histo blood-group antigens by human galectin-3

6 p.-5 fig.-2 tab.Ligand conformational entropy plays an important role in carbohydrate recognition events. Glycans are characterized by intrinsic flexibility around the glycosidic linkages, thus in most cases, loss of conformational entropy of the sugar upon complex formation strongly affects the entropy of the binding process. By employing a multidisciplinary approach combining structural, conformational, binding energy, and kinetic information, we investigated the role of conformational entropy in the recognition of the histo blood‐group antigens A and B by human galectin‐3, a lectin of biomedical interest. We show that these rigid natural antigens are pre‐organized ligands for hGal‐3, and that restriction of the conformational flexibility by the branched fucose (Fuc) residue modulates the thermodynamics and kinetics of the binding process. These results highlight the importance of glycan flexibility and provide inspiration for the design of high‐affinity ligands as antagonists for lectins.We thank Agencia Estatal de Investigacion and ISCIII of Spain and the European Research Council for financial support.Peer reviewe