La realidad griega en la ficción del “Tirant”

Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XV tienen lugar dos hechos que están conectados en nuestro trabajo: la caída de Constantinopla y la composición de la novela Tirant Lo Blanch. El artículo examina el plano histórico del Imperio Bizantino desde la presencia de la Compañía Catalana hasta el final del Imperio, y su uso por parte de J. Martorell al componer su gran obra.During the second half of the s. XV occur two facts that are connected to our work: the fall of Constantinople and the composition of the novel Tirant Lo Blanch. The article examines the historical background of the Byzantine Empire from the presence of the Catalan Company until the end of the Empire and the use of them made by J. Martorell to compose his masterpiece

Acerca de los orígenes de la tauromaquia cretense

Sin resume

Reminiscences and influences of Byzantium in the chivalries book Tirant Lo Blanc

El presente trabajo analiza las relaciones e influencias del mundo bizantino en la novela Tirant lo Blanc de Joanot Martorell, compuesta apenas una década después de la caída de Constantinopla pero publicada en 1490. En la novela aparecen elementos históricos de la historia de Bizancio en su relación con Occidente, desde las andanzas de Roger de Flor y la Compañía catalana en ayuda de Bizancio a principios del s. XIV, hasta las relaciones entre Occidente y los últimos emperadores Paleólogos, todo ello trasladado a la figura novelesca de Tirant.This paper studies the connections and influences of the Byzantine world in the chivalries book Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, written almost a decade after the Fall of Constantinople, but published in 1490. In the novel, historical elements of Byzantium appear to show its connections to West Europe, such as the journey of Roger de Flor and the Catalan Company to help Byzantium in the early 14th century and the diplomatic relations between The West and the last Palaeologue Emperors, among others. All of that is shown into the literary character of Tirant

Antigens and antibodies of the antiphospholipid syndrome as new allies in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 coagulopathy

High prevalence of both criteria and extra-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) has been reported in COVID-19 patients. However, the differences in aPL prevalence decreased when an age-matched control group was included. The association of aPL with thrombotic events in COVID-19 is very heterogeneous. This could be influenced by the fact that most of the studies carried out were conducted on small populations enriched with elderly patients in which aPL was measured only at a single point and they were performed with non-standardized assays. The few studies that confirmed aPL in a second measurement showed that aPL levels hardly changed, with the exception of the lupus anticoagulant that commonly reduced. COVID-19 coagulopathy is an aPL-independent phenomenon closely associated with the onset of the disease. Thrombosis occurs later in patients with aPL presence, which is likely an additional prothrombotic factor. B2-glycoprotein deficiency (mainly aPL antigen caused both by low production and consumption) is very common during the SARS-CoV2 infection and has been associated with a greater predisposition to COVID-19 complications. This could be a new prothrombotic mechanism that may be caused by the blockage of its physiological functions, the anticoagulant state being the most important

Use of plant extracts to block bacterial biofilm formation

Proceedings of the I Congress PIIISA celebrado en la Estación Experimental del Zaidín (Granada), en mayo de 2013.We live surrounded by bacteria; in fact, in only one gram of soil we can find millions of bacterial cells. Our body houses more than 1014 bacteria. Even though some of these microorganisms can cause us problems, such as caries, actually most of them help in the proper functioning of our organism. Generally, bacteria coexist setting up communities associated to solid superficies, this is to which we refer as biofilms, that serve as a survival strategy. This type of formation cause serious sanitary problems for both humans and animals. Nowadays, chemical or natural compounds able to block this formation are looked for. In this project, we have set out how to use extracts of different plants with the purpose of testing their effects against biofilms of two bacterial species: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida.This work was supported in part by grant BFU2010-17946 from the Plan Nacional de I+D+I.Peer reviewe

“Super p53” Mice Display Retinal Astroglial Changes

Tumour-suppressor genes, such as the p53 gene, produce proteins that inhibit cell division under adverse conditions, as in the case of DNA damage, radiation, hypoxia, or oxidative stress (OS). The p53 gene can arrest proliferation and trigger death by apoptosis subsequent to several factors. In astrocytes, p53 promotes cell-cycle arrest and is involved in oxidative stress-mediated astrocyte cell death. Increasingly, astrocytic p53 is proving fundamental in orchestrating neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. In terms of ocular disease, p53 may play a role in hypoxia due to ischaemia and may be involved in the retinal response to oxidative stress (OS). We studied the influence of the p53 gene in the structural and quantitative characteristics of astrocytes in the retina. Adult mice of the C57BL/6 strain (12 months old) were distributed into two groups: 1) mice with two extra copies of p53 (“super p53”; n = 6) and 2) wild-type p53 age-matched control, as the control group (WT; n = 6). Retinas from each group were immunohistochemically processed to locate the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). GFAP+ astrocytes were manually counted and the mean area occupied for one astrocyte was quantified. Retinal-astrocyte distribution followed established patterns; however, morphological changes were seen through the retinas in relation to p53 availability. The mean GFAP+ area occupied by one astrocyte in “super p53” eyes was significantly higher (p<0.05; Student’s t-test) than in the WT. In addition, astroglial density was significantly higher in the “super p53” retinas than in the WT ones, both in the whole-retina (p<0,01 Student’s t-test) and in the intermediate and peripheral concentric areas of the retina (p<0.05 Student’s t-test). This fact might improve the resistance of the retinal cells against OS and its downstream signalling pathways

Human Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Prenatal Risk Factors for Cryptorchidism and Hypospadias: A Nested Case–Control Study

BACKGROUND: Exposure to xenoestrogens during pregnancy may disturb the development and function of male sexual organs. OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to determine whether the combined effect of environmental estrogens measured as total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) is a risk factor for male urogenital malformations. METHODS: In a case-control study, nested in a mother-child cohort (n = 702) established at Granada University Hospital, we compared 50 newborns with diagnosis of cryptorchidism and/or hypospadias with 114 boys without malformations matched by gestational age, date of birth, and parity. Controls did not differ from the total cohort in confounding variables. TEXB and levels of 16 organochlorine pesticides were measured in placenta tissues. Characteristics of parents, pregnancy, and birth were gathered by questionnaire. We used conditional and unconditional regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: TEXB from organohalogenated compounds was detectable in 72% and 54% of case and control placentas, respectively. Compared with controls, cases had an OR for detectable versus non-detectable TEXB of 2.82 (95% CI, 1.10-7.24). More pesticides were detected in cases than in controls (9.34 +/- 3.19 vs. 6.97 +/- 3.93). ORs for cases with detectable levels of pesticides, after adjusting for potential confounders in the conditional regression analysis, were o,p'-DDT (OR = 2.25; 95% CI, 1.03-4.89), p,p'-DDT (OR = 2.63; 95% CI, 1.21-5.72), lindane (OR = 3.38; 95% CI, 1.36-8.38), mirex (OR = 2.85; 95% CI, 1.22-6.66), and endosulfan alpha (OR = 2.19; 95% CI, 0.99-4.82). Engagement of mothers in agriculture (OR = 3.47; 95% CI, 1.33-9.03), fathers' occupational exposure to xenoestrogens (OR = 2.98; 95% CI, 1.11-8.01), and history of previous stillbirths (OR = 4.20; 95% CI, 1.11-16.66) were also associated with risk of malformations. CONCLUSIONS: We found an increased risk for male urogenital malformations related to the combined effect of environmental estrogens in placenta

Evaluation of three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for sarcoptic mange diagnosis and assessment in the Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica

[EN] Background: Sarcoptic mange is a contagious skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, affecting different mammalian species worldwide including the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), in which mortalities over 90 % of the population have been reported. No efficient diagnostic methods are available for this disease, particularly when there are low mite numbers and mild or no clinical signs. In this study, three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) developed for dog (ELISA A), Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) (ELISA B) and Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) (ELISA C), were evaluated to detect specific antibodies (IgG) to sarcoptic mange in Iberian ibex sera. Methods: Serum samples from 131 Iberian ibexes (86 healthy and 45 scabietic) were collected from 2005 to 2012 in the Sierra Nevada Natural and National Parks (southern Spain). Based on visual inspection, ibexes were classified into one of three categories, namely healthy (without scabietic compatible lesions), mildly affected (skin lesions over less than 50 % of the body surface) and severely affected (skin lesions over more than 50 % of the body surface). The optimal cut-off point, specificity, sensitivity and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated, and the agreement between tests was determined. Moreover, differences in the optical density (OD) related to scabies severity have been evaluated for the best test. Results: ELISA C showed better performance than the two other tests, reaching higher values of sensitivity (93.0 %) and specificity (93.5 %) against the visual estimation of the percentage of affected skin, chosen as the gold standard. Significantly higher concentrations of specific antibodies were observed with this test in the mildly and severely infested ibexes than in healthy ones. Conclusions: Our results revealed that ELISA C was an optimal test to diagnose sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex. Further studies characterizing immune response during the course of the disease, including spontaneous or drug induced recovery, should follow in order to better understand sarcoptic mange in Iberian ibex populationsSIThe Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio of the Junta de Andalucía supported sample collection and conservation through the projects 676/2006/A/00, 1571/2007/M/00, 173/2009/M/00 and 861/2011/M/ 00, as did the PAIDI Research Group RNM18 from the Junta de Andalucía. The Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government funded the study through the research projects CGL2012-40043-C02-02 and CGL2016-80543-P, and a predoctoral grant (BES-2013-063931) to JE. ES was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência ea Tecnologia (Portugal), through the postdoctoral program (SFRH/BPD/96637/2013), and the University of Aveiro (Department of Biology) and FCT/MEC (CESAM RU UID/AMB/50017), co-financed by the FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. LR, DD and CC were supported by the Italian National PRIN Program “Genomics and host-pathogen interaction: a study model in the One-Health perspective

The RNA Polymerase II Factor RPAP1 Is Critical for Mediator-Driven Transcription and Cell Identity

The RNA polymerase II-associated protein 1 (RPAP1) is conserved across metazoa and required for stem cell differentiation in plants; however, very little is known about its mechanism of action or its role in mammalian cells. Here, we report that RPAP1 is essential for the expression of cell identity genes and for cell viability. Depletion of RPAP1 triggers cell de-differentiation, facilitates reprogramming toward pluripotency, and impairs differentiation. Mechanistically, we show that RPAP1 is essential for the interaction between RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) and Mediator, as well as for the recruitment of important regulators, such as the Mediator-specific RNA Pol II factor Gdown1 and the C-terminal domain (CTD) phosphatase RPAP2. In agreement, depletion of RPAP1 diminishes the loading of total and Ser5-phosphorylated RNA Pol II on many genes, with super-enhancer-driven genes among the most significantly downregulated. We conclude that Mediator/RPAP1/RNA Pol II is an ancient module, conserved from plants to mammals, critical for establishing and maintaining cell identity.We are grateful to Elisa Varela for assistance with morula and blastocyst fixa- tion. Work in the laboratory of M.S. is funded by the CNIO and the IRB and by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (SAF2013-48256-R), the European Research Co uncil (ERC-2014-AdG/66 9622), the Region al Government of Ma- drid co-funded by the Euro pean Social Fund (ReCaRe project), the Euro pean Union (RISK-IR project), the Botin Foundation and Banco Santander (Santander Universities Glo bal Division), the Ramon Areces Found ation, and the AXA Foundation. S.R. was funded by a contract from the Ramon y Cajal Program(RYC-2011-09242) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy co- funded by the ERDF (SAF2013-49147- P and SAF2016-80874-PS

Sex-biased severity of sarcoptic mange at the same biological cost in a sexually dimorphic ungulate

Background: In sexually dimorphic species, male susceptibility to parasite infection and mortality is frequentlyhigher than in females. The Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) is a sexually dimorphic mountain ungulate endemic to the Iberian Peninsula commonly affected by sarcoptic mange, a chronic catabolic skin disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei. Since 1992, sarcoptic mange affects the Iberian ibex population of the Sierra Nevada Natural Space (SNNS). This study aims at exploring whether mange severity, in terms of prevalence and its effects on body condition, is male-biased in Iberian ibex. Findings: One thousand and seventy-one adult Iberian ibexes (439 females and 632 males) were randomly shot-harvested in the SNNS from May 1995 to February 2008. Sarcoptic mange stage was classified as healthy, mildly infected or severely infected. Sex-biased prevalence of severe mange was evaluated by a Chi-square test whereas the interaction between mange severity and sex on body condition was assessed by additive models. Among scabietic individuals, the prevalence of severely affected males was 1.29 times higher than in females. On the other hand, both sexes were not able to take profit of a higher availability of seasonal food resources when sarcoptic, particularly in the severe stages. Conclusions: Sarcoptic mange severity is male-biased in Iberian ibex, though not mange effects on body condition. Behavioural, immunological and physiological characteristics of males may contribute to this partial sex-biased susceptibility to sarcoptic mange