Diamicron® en el tratamiento de la Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2

La Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2es una de las enfermedades crónicas con mayor impacto sociosanitario, no solo por su alta prevalencia, sino también por las complicaciones crónicas que produce y por su elevada tasa de mortalidad. Según la OMS, se estima que en el año 2035 el número de afectados alcanzará los 592 millones. Este enorme aumento de la prevalencia que está experimentando ha hecho que se la considere como una verdadera epidemia a nivel mundial, y especialmente en los países desarrollados. Por este motivo, la diabetes mellitus se ha convertido en un problema de salud pública a tener en cuenta, lo que justifica la necesidad de desarrollar técnicas de diagnóstico precoz y de establecer estrategias terapéuticas que contribuyan a frenar el progreso de la enfermedad, eviten la aparición de las complicaciones micro y macrovasculares y disminuyan la morbimortalidad de los pacientes diabéticos. La American Diabetes Association (ADA) y la European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) elaboraron conjuntamente una guía de recomendaciones para el tratamiento de la diabetes mellitus tipo 2. En esta guía se establece como fármaco de elección la metformina, siendo las sulfonilureas la principal alternativa en casos de intolerancia, contraindicación o mal control de la enfermedad. La gliclazida es una sulfonilurea que actúa estimulando la secreción pancreática de insulina. Su demostrada eficacia y seguridad, así como el papel que juega en la prevención de las complicaciones crónicas y en la progresión de la enfermedad, justifican la reciente decisión de la OMS de catalogar a la gliclazida como medicamento esencial en el tratamiento de la diabetes mellitus tipo 2

The Usefulness of Microalgae Compounds for Preventing Biofilm Infections

Biofilms play an important role in infectious diseases. It has been estimated that most medical infections are due to bacterial biofilms, and about 60-70% of nosocomial infections are also caused by the formation of a biofilm. Historically, microalgae are an important source of bioactive compounds, having novel structures and potential biological functions that make them attractive for different industries such as food, animal feed, aquaculture, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical. Several studies have described compounds produced by microalgae and cyanobacteria species with antimicrobial activity. However, studies on the antibiofilm activity of extracts and/or molecules produced by these microorganisms are scarce. Quorum-sensing inhibitor and anti-adherent agents have, among others, been isolated from microalgae and cyanobacteria species. The use of tools such as nanotechnology increase their power of action and can be used for preventing and treating biofilm-related infections

Investigating Piezochromic Properties of πconjugated Materials: a combined Raman and DFT Study

Π-conjugated materials have been studied for decades due to their great interest in organic electronics. Among them, piezochromic materials, which exhibit color changes resulting from external pressure or mechanical grinding, become very attractive from a scientific viewpoint owing to their potential applications as pressure-sensing and opticalrecording systems1. The main target of the present work is to develop a joint experimental and theoretical approach able to deliver crucial information for the understanding of the structural effects causing piezochromic changes. To this end, we will focus our attention on two families of -conjugated materials with potential application as sensors. The first one is a family of 9,10-Bis((E)-n(pyrid-2-yl)vinyl) anthracene, BPnVA (n=2 orto-,3 metha- and 4 para-) compounds, see Figure 1. Interestingly, these three compounds with varying position of the nitrogen on the external pyridyl group exhibit different molecular packing modes. Grinding and the application of external pressure on the powder also led to a strong change in their photoluminescence color.2 The second familiy is based on the N,N’-Bis-Boc-3,3’-di(pyren-1yl)-2,2’-biindole compound (compound 1c in Figure 1) which also shows photoluminescence under pressure application. However, the molecular packing induced by this phenomenon is still under study 3. In both cases, it will be also very interesting to determine how temperature affects the vibrational structure of these systems.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Neonatal sepsis by bacteria: a big problema for children.

Neonatal sepsis is an important but underestimated problem around the world. It is defined as disease affecting newborns ≤ 1 month of age with clinical symptoms and positive blood cultures. Infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality during the neonatal period, despite the great improvements in intensive neonatal care and the use of extended spectrum antimicrobial agents. The incidence of this disease in developed countries is 1/1,000 in normal term neonates and 4/1,000 in preterm neonates. These values increase in low-weight preterm neonates. In developing countries, this incidence increases to 2.2-8.6/1,000 live births. Neonatal sepsis can be subdivided into early-onset neonatal sepsis and late-onset neonatal sepsis

A Nickase Cas9 Gene-Drive System Promotes Super-Mendelian inheritance in Drosophila

CRISPR-based gene-drives have been proposed for managing insect populations, including disease-transmitting mosquitoes, due to their ability to bias their inheritance toward super-Mendelian rates (\u3e50%). Current technologies use a Cas9 that introduces DNA double-strand breaks into the opposing wild-type allele to replace it with a copy of the gene-drive allele via DNA homology-directed repair. However, the use of different Cas9 versions is unexplored, and alternative approaches could increase the available toolkit for gene-drive designs. Here, we report a gene-drive that relies on Cas9 nickases that generate staggered paired nicks in DNA to propagate the engineered gene-drive cassette. We show that generating 5\u27 overhangs in the system yields efficient allelic conversion. The nickase gene-drive arrangement produces large, stereotyped deletions that are advantageous to eliminate viable animals carrying small mutations when targeting essential genes. Our nickase approach should expand the repertoire for gene-drive arrangements aimed at applications in mosquitoes and beyond

A functional data based method for time series classification

We propose using the integrated periodogram to classify time series. The method assigns a new element to the group minimizing the distance from the integrated periodogram of the element to the group mean of integrated periodograms. Local computation of these periodograms allows the application of the approach to non- -stationary time series. Since the integrated periodograms are functional data, we apply depth-based techniques to make the classification robust. The method provides small error rates with both simulated and real data, and shows good computational behaviour

Una nueva especie de Aphis Linnaeus, 1758 (Hemiptera, Aphididae) recogida sobre Gymnophyton Clos (Apiaceae) en Argentina

Aphis cuyana López Ciruelos & Ortego, sp. n. (Aphididae, Aphidinae) is described from apterous and alate viviparous females collected on Gymnophyton polycephalum (Apiaceae) in localities of the Argentinean provinces of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza. A table with differences of the apterous viviparous females of the new species from the species of Aphis and its close genera Andinaphis and Protaphis known in South America is presented. http://urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4834FEF4-171C-4EBD-BF91-2137B517491ESe describe Aphis cuyana López Ciruelos & Ortego, sp. n. (Aphididae, Aphidinae) a partir de hembras vivíparas ápteras y aladas recogidas sobre Gymnophyton polycephalum (Apiaceae) en localidades de las provincias argentinas de La Rioja, San Juan y Mendoza. Se presenta una tabla con las diferencias de las hembras vivíparas ápteras de la nueva especie con las de Aphis y sus géneros vecinos Andinaphis y Protaphis, conocidas en América del Sur

Microfaunal soil food webs in Mediterranean semi-arid agroecosystems. Does organic management improve soil health?

Soil food webs, which are responsible for relevant ecological functions in agroecosystems such as nutrient cycling and pest and disease suppression, represent a crucial aspect of agricultural sustainability. We studied soil properties and microfaunal food web diversity and functioning in six paired organic and conventional fields located in Central Spain to assess the effects of organic farming on soil diversity and functioning in semi-arid conditions. We hypothesized that organic farming may enhance functioning of soil food webs. Our results showed larger differences between crop types, namely olive groves and vineyards, than between farming scheme, i.e. organic and conventional fields, and few benefits of organic farming in terms of soil fertility. Soil properties (total N, C, and P, available P and K, electrical conductivity, NH4+, NO3−, soil moisture, pH) tended to present higher values in vineyards than in olive groves and in conventional than in organic fields. Some plant-parasitic nematodes were associated to organic fields, especially in vineyards, and all soils fell within a degraded soil food web condition, with low Structure and Enrichment Index values. Nematode metabolic footprints showed relevant seasonal dynamics, with the more intensive herbivore activity in spring. We conclude that the lack of conventional pesticides and mineral fertilizers is probably not enough to improve soil conservation in semi-arid Mediterranean agroecosystems, and thus active soil conservation practices, as reduced tillage or cover cropping, are required to increase agroecosystem sustainability.Fundación Internacional para la Restauración de EcosistemasMinisterio de Economía y Competitivida

Termoterapia efectiva y más segura que la miltefosina en el tratamiento de la leishmaniasis cutánea en Colombia

En Colombia antimoniales pentavalentes y miltefosina son los medicamentos de primera elección para el tratamiento de la leishmaniosis cutánea; sin embargo, su toxicidad, duración (que lleva a problemas de adherencia), costo y la disminución de la sensibilidad de los parásitos a los mismos, hacen necesaria la búsqueda de nuevas alternativas de tratamiento para la leishmaniosis cutánea americana. A partir de resultados derivados de un ensayo clínico controlado abierto, aleatorizado, fase III, se comparó la eficacia y seguridad de la miltefosina con la de la termoterapia, para el tratamiento de la leishmaniosis cutánea en Colombia. Adultos pertenecientes al Ejército de Colombia participaron el estudio. Miltefosina, una cápsula de 50 mg tres veces día durante 28 días, vía oral (n = 145). Termoterapia (Thermomed®) aplicación de 50 °C/30" sobre la lesión y el área circundante (n = 149). Ambos grupos fueron comparables en características sociodemográficas, clínicas y parasitológicas. Eficacia de la miltefosina por protocolo 70% (85/122 pacientes) y 69% (85/145 pacientes) por intención a tratar. Termoterapia eficacia por protocolo 64% (86/134 pacientes) y 58% (86/149 pacientes) por intención a tratar. En miltefosina los eventos adversos fueron principalmente de tipo gastrointestinal y en termoterapia se encontró dolor en el sitio de la lesión luego del tratamiento. En el análisis de eficacia (intención a tratar y protocolo) no se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los tratamientos evaluados. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00471705.In Colombia, pentavalent antimonials and miltefosine are the drugs of choice for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis; however, their toxicity, treatment duration, (treatment adherence problems), cost, and decreased parasite sensitivity make the search for alternative treatments of American cutaneous leishmaniasis necessary. Based on the results found in a controlled, open, randomized, phase III clinical trial, the efficacy and safety of miltefosine was compared to that of thermotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. Adult patients from the Colombian army participated in the study; they received either 50 mg of miltefosine three times per day for 28 days by the oral route (n = 145) or a thermotherapy (Thermomed®) application of 50 °C for 30 seconds over the lesion and surrounding area (n = 149). Both groups were comparable with respect to their sociodemographic, clinical, and parasitological characteristics. The efficacy of miltefosine by protocol and by intention to treat was 70% (85/122 patients) and 69% (85/145 patients), respectively. The adverse effects were primarily gastrointestinal for miltefosine and pain at the lesion site after treatment for thermotherapy. No statistically significant difference was found in the efficacy analysis (intention to treat and protocol) between the two treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00471705

Perles minérales et circulation macro-régionale dans les Andes centre-sud. Un regard de la Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy (1er millénaire après JC)

The results of the characterization of a set of 2,200 mineral beads are presented, which constituted the funerary material identified during the archaeological rescue work carried out in the agglomeration of Tilcara (Jujuy). Two lines were explored for the study of these materials: 1) macroscopic characterization and compositional determination by XRD, and 2) morpho-technological analysis. As a result, four mineral varieties used as supports for making the beads were identified: sodalite and turquoise mostly, and chrysocolla and jasper to a lesser extent. The results were integrated in a contextual perspective, at the scale of the site, region and macro-region, in order to evaluate probable sources of supply to obtain the beads, and explore productive aspects (morphologies, dimensions, standardization). This allowed proposing, for the first centuries of the first millennium of the era, a high mobility of ornamental goods, as well as links between local populations (or part of them) with the central-eastern area of ​​Bolivia and northern Chile, within the framework of exchange circuits that they covered a wide territory. This hypothesis is based on the potential origin of the minerals and the antecedents of extra-regional networks indicated by other investigations for the local villages of the Formative Period.Se presentan los resultados de caracterización de un conjunto de 2,200 cuentas minerales que integraban los ajuares funerarios identificados durante trabajos de rescate arqueológicos realizados en el área urbana de Tilcara (Jujuy). Se exploraron dos líneas para el estudio de estos materiales: 1) caracterización macroscópica y determinación composicional por DRX, y 2) análisis morfo-tecnológico. Como resultado, se identificaron cuatro variedades minerales como soportes para la confección de las cuentas: sodalita y turquesa mayoritariamente, y crisocola y jaspe en menor proporción. Los resultados se integraron en una perspectiva contextual, a escala de sitio, región y macrorregión, con el fin de evaluar posibles fuentes de aprovisionamiento para la obtención de las cuentas y explorar aspectos productivos (morfologías, dimensiones, estandarización). Esto permitió plantear, para los primeros siglos del primer milenio de la era, una alta movilidad de bienes ornamentales, así como vínculos entre las poblaciones locales (o parte de ellas) con el área centro-oriental de Bolivia y el norte de Chile, en el marco de circuitos de intercambio que cubrían un amplio territorio. Esta hipótesis se apoya en la procedencia potencial de los minerales y en los antecedentes de redes extrarregionales señalados por otras investigaciones para las aldeas locales del Período Formativo.Les résultats de la caractérisation d’un ensemble de 2200 perles minérales sont présentés, qui constituaient le matériel funéraire identifié lors des travaux de sauvetage archéologique menés dans l’agglomération de Tilcara (Jujuy). Deux voies ont été explorées pour l’étude de ces matériaux: 1) caractérisation macroscopique et détermination compositionnelle par XRD et 2) analyse morpotechnologique. En conséquence, quatre variétés minérales utilisées comme supports pour la fabrication de perles ont été identifiées: principalement la sodalite et la turquoise, et la chrysocolle et le jaspe dans une moindre mesure. Les résultats ont été intégrés dans une perspective contextuelle, à l’échelle du site, de la région et de la macro-région, afin d’évaluer les sources d’approvisionnement probables pour obtenir les perles et d’explorer aspects productifs (morphologies, dimensions, standardisation). Cela a permis d’élever, au cours des premiers siècles du premier millénaire de l’époque, une forte mobilité des produits ornementaux, ainsi que des liens entre les populations locales (ou une partie d’entre elles) avec le centre-est de la Bolivie et le nord du Chili, dans le cadre de circuits d’échanges couvrant un vaste territoire. Cette hypothèse est basée sur l’origine probable des minéraux et les antécédents de réseaux extrarégionaux indiqués par d’autres investigations pour les établissements locaux de la Période Formative