Engineering and Directed Evolution of a Ca2+ Binding Site A-Deficient AprE Mutant Reveal an Essential Contribution of the Loop Leu75–Leu82 to Enzyme Activity

An aprE mutant from B. subtilis 168 lacking the connecting loop Leu75–Leu82 which is predicted to encode a Ca2+ binding site was constructed. Expression of the mutant gene (aprEΔLeu75–Leu82) produced B. subtilis colonies lacking protease activity. Intrinsic fluorescence analysis revealed spectral differences between wild-type AprE and AprEΔL75–L82. An AprEΔL75–L82 variant with reestablished enzyme activity was selected by directed evolution. The novel mutations Thr66Met/Gly102Asp located in positions which are predicted to be important for catalytic activity were identified in this variant. Although these mutations restored hydrolysis, they had no effect with respect to thermal inactivation of AprEΔL75–L82 T66M G102D. These results support the proposal that in addition to function as a calcium binding site, the loop that connects β-sheet e3 with α-helix c plays a structural role on enzyme activity of AprE from B. subtilis 168

Radiografía de la televisión en la zona metropolitana de Guadalajara

Con el propósito de conocer las características básicas de la oferta de televisión abierta en la zona metropolitana de Guadalajara, en el otoño de 2010, se llevó a cabo un proyecto de investigación sobre la parrilla programática semanal de ocho de los nueve canales de televisión abierta que llega a los hogares tapatíos. Los resultados de ese esfuerzo es lo que se presenta en este trabajo.ITESO, A.C

KIR+ CD8+ T Lymphocytes in Cancer Immunosurveillance and Patient Survival: Gene Expression Profiling

Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are molecules expressed by the most important cells of the immune system for cancer immune vigilance, natural killer (NK) and effector T cells. In this manuscript we study the role that cytotoxic CD8+ T cells expressing KIR receptors could play in cancer immune surveillance. With this objective, frequencies of different KIR+ CD8+ T cell subsets are correlated with the overall survival of patients with melanoma, ovarian and bladder carcinomas. In addition, the gene expression profile of KIR+ CD8+ T cell subsets related to the survival of patients is studied with the aim of discovering new therapeutic targets, so that the outcome of patients with cancer can be improved. Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are expressed by natural killer (NK) and effector T cells. Although KIR+ T cells accumulate in oncologic patients, their role in cancer immune response remains elusive. This study explored the role of KIR+CD8+ T cells in cancer immunosurveillance by analyzing their frequency at diagnosis in the blood of 249 patients (80 melanomas, 80 bladder cancers, and 89 ovarian cancers), their relationship with overall survival (OS) of patients, and their gene expression profiles. KIR2DL1+ CD8+ T cells expanded in the presence of HLA-C2-ligands in patients who survived, but it did not in patients who died. In contrast, presence of HLA-C1-ligands was associated with dose-dependent expansions of KIR2DL2/S2+ CD8+ T cells and with shorter OS. KIR interactions with their specific ligands profoundly impacted CD8+ T cell expression profiles, involving multiple signaling pathways, effector functions, the secretome, and consequently, the cellular microenvironment, which could impact their cancer immunosurveillance capacities. KIR2DL1/S1+ CD8+ T cells showed a gene expression signature related to efficient tumor immunosurveillance, whereas KIR2DL2/L3/S2+CD8+ T cells showed transcriptomic profiles related to suppressive anti-tumor responses. These results could be the basis for the discovery of new therapeutic targets so that the outcome of patients with cancer can be improved

Multi-smart and scalable bioligands-free nanomedical platform for intratumorally targeted tambjamine delivery, a difficult to administrate highly cytotoxic drug

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide due, in part, to limited success of some current therapeutic approaches. The clinical potential of many promising drugs is restricted by their systemic toxicity and lack of selectivity towards cancer cells, leading to insufficient drug concentration at the tumor site. To overcome these hurdles, we developed a novel drug delivery system based on polyurea/polyurethane nanocapsules (NCs) showing pH-synchronized amphoteric properties that facilitate their accumulation and selectivity into acidic tissues, such as tumor microenvironment. We have demonstrated that the anticancer drug used in this study, a hydrophobic anionophore named T21, increases its cytotoxic activity in acidic conditions when nanoencapsulated, which correlates with a more efficient cellular internalization. A biodistribution assay performed in mice has shown that the NCs are able to reach the tumor and the observed systemic toxicity of the free drug is significantly reduced in vivo when nanoencapsulated. Additionally, T21 antitumor activity is preserved, accompanied by tumor mass reduction compared to control mice. Altogether, this work shows these NCs as a potential drug delivery system able to reach the tumor microenvironment, reducing the undesired systemic toxic effects. Moreover, these nanosystems are prepared under scalable methodologies and straightforward process, and provide tumor selectivity through a smart mechanism independent of targeting ligands

Electro-responsive films containing voltage responsive gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles grafted onto PEDOT-based conducting polymer

[EN] The characteristics and electromechanical properties of conductive polymers together to their biocompatibility have boosted their application as a suitable tool in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, conducting polymers as drug release materials are far from being ideal. A possibility to overcome this drawback is to combine conducting polymers with on-command delivery particles with inherent high-loading capacity. In this scenario, we report here the preparation of conduction polymers containing gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with a cargo that is delivered on command by electro-chemical stimuli increasing the potential use of conducting polymers as controlled delivery systems. MSNs are loaded with Rhodamine B (Rh B), anchored to the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly[(4-styrenesulfonic acid)-co-(maleic acid)], functionalized with a bipyridinium derivative and pores are capped with heparin (P3) by electrostatic interactions. P3 releases the entrapped cargo after the application of ¿640 mV voltage versus the saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Pore opening in the nanoparticles and dye delivery is ascribed to both (i) the reduction of the grafted bipyridinium derivative and (ii) the polarization of the conducting polymer electrode to negative potentials that induce detachment of positively charged heparin from the surface of the nanoparticles. Biocompatibility and cargo release studies were carried out in HeLa cells cultures.Alba Garcia-Fernandez, Beatriz Lozano-Torres contributed equally to this work. A. Garcia-Fernandez and B. Lozano-Torres are grateful to the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" of the Spanish Government for her PhD fellowships. J. F. Blandez thanks the "Universitat Politecnica de Valencia" for his postdoctoral fellowship (PAID-10-17). The authors thank to the Spanish Government (Projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018-101599-B-C22 (MCUI/AEI/FEDER, EU)) and the Generalitat Valencia (Project PROMETEO2018-024) for support.García-Fernández, A.; Lozano-Torres, B.; Blandez, JF.; Monreal-Trigo, J.; Soto Camino, J.; Collazos-Castro, JE.; Alcañiz Fillol, M.... (2020). Electro-responsive films containing voltage responsive gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles grafted onto PEDOT-based conducting polymer. Journal of Controlled Release. 323:421-430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.04.048S421430323Aznar, E., Oroval, M., Pascual, L., Murguía, J. R., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2016). Gated Materials for On-Command Release of Guest Molecules. Chemical Reviews, 116(2), 561-718. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00456Mura, S., Nicolas, J., & Couvreur, P. (2013). Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery. Nature Materials, 12(11), 991-1003. doi:10.1038/nmat3776Llopis-Lorente, A., Lozano-Torres, B., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2017). Mesoporous silica materials for controlled delivery based on enzymes. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 5(17), 3069-3083. doi:10.1039/c7tb00348jTarn, D., Ashley, C. E., Xue, M., Carnes, E. C., Zink, J. I., & Brinker, C. J. (2013). Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle Nanocarriers: Biofunctionality and Biocompatibility. Accounts of Chemical Research, 46(3), 792-801. doi:10.1021/ar3000986Mauriello Jimenez, C., Aggad, D., Croissant, J. G., Tresfield, K., Laurencin, D., Berthomieu, D., … Durand, J.-O. (2018). Porous Porphyrin-Based Organosilica Nanoparticles for NIR Two-Photon Photodynamic Therapy and Gene Delivery in Zebrafish. Advanced Functional Materials, 28(21), 1800235. doi:10.1002/adfm.201800235Alberti, S., Soler-Illia, G. J. A. A., & Azzaroni, O. (2015). Gated supramolecular chemistry in hybrid mesoporous silica nanoarchitectures: controlled delivery and molecular transport in response to chemical, physical and biological stimuli. Chemical Communications, 51(28), 6050-6075. doi:10.1039/c4cc10414eLlopis-Lorente, A., de Luis, B., García-Fernández, A., Jimenez-Falcao, S., Orzáez, M., Sancenón, F., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2018). Hybrid Mesoporous Nanocarriers Act by Processing Logic Tasks: Toward the Design of Nanobots Capable of Reading Information from the Environment. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 10(31), 26494-26500. doi:10.1021/acsami.8b05920Yang, P., Gai, S., & Lin, J. (2012). Functionalized mesoporous silica materials for controlled drug delivery. Chemical Society Reviews, 41(9), 3679. doi:10.1039/c2cs15308dSong, N., & Yang, Y.-W. (2015). Molecular and supramolecular switches on mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Chemical Society Reviews, 44(11), 3474-3504. doi:10.1039/c5cs00243eOroval, M., Díez, P., Aznar, E., Coll, C., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2016). Self-Regulated Glucose-Sensitive Neoglycoenzyme-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Insulin Delivery. Chemistry - A European Journal, 23(6), 1353-1360. doi:10.1002/chem.201604104De la Torre, C., Domínguez-Berrocal, L., Murguía, J. R., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., Bravo, J., & Sancenón, F. (2018). ϵ -Polylysine-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Carrier of the C 9h Peptide to Induce Apoptosis in Cancer Cells. Chemistry - A European Journal, 24(8), 1890-1897. doi:10.1002/chem.201704161Llopis-Lorente, A., Díez, P., Sánchez, A., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., Martínez-Ruiz, P., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2017). Interactive models of communication at the nanoscale using nanoparticles that talk to one another. Nature Communications, 8(1). doi:10.1038/ncomms15511Pascual, L., Baroja, I., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Murguía, J. R., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2015). Oligonucleotide-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles as DNA-responsive dye delivery systems for genomic DNA detection. Chemical Communications, 51(8), 1414-1416. doi:10.1039/c4cc08306gArgyo, C., Weiss, V., Bräuchle, C., & Bein, T. (2013). Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Universal Platform for Drug Delivery. Chemistry of Materials, 26(1), 435-451. doi:10.1021/cm402592tLi, Z., Barnes, J. C., Bosoy, A., Stoddart, J. F., & Zink, J. I. (2012). Mesoporous silica nanoparticles in biomedical applications. Chemical Society Reviews, 41(7), 2590. doi:10.1039/c1cs15246gKumar, P., Tambe, P., Paknikar, K. M., & Gajbhiye, V. (2018). Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as cutting-edge theranostics: Advancement from merely a carrier to tailor-made smart delivery platform. Journal of Controlled Release, 287, 35-57. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.08.024Lai, C.-Y., Trewyn, B. G., Jeftinija, D. M., Jeftinija, K., Xu, S., Jeftinija, S., & Lin, V. S.-Y. (2003). A Mesoporous Silica Nanosphere-Based Carrier System with Chemically Removable CdS Nanoparticle Caps for Stimuli-Responsive Controlled Release of Neurotransmitters and Drug Molecules. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125(15), 4451-4459. doi:10.1021/ja028650lLiu, R., Zhao, X., Wu, T., & Feng, P. (2008). Tunable Redox-Responsive Hybrid Nanogated Ensembles. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(44), 14418-14419. doi:10.1021/ja8060886Qu, H., Yang, L., Yu, J., Dong, T., Rong, M., Zhang, J., … Liu, H. (2017). A redox responsive controlled release system using mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with Au nanoparticles. RSC Advances, 7(57), 35704-35710. doi:10.1039/c7ra04444eGiménez, C., de la Torre, C., Gorbe, M., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Murguía, J. R., … Amorós, P. (2015). Gated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Controlled Delivery of Drugs in Cancer Cells. Langmuir, 31(12), 3753-3762. doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b00139Luo, Z., Hu, Y., Cai, K., Ding, X., Zhang, Q., Li, M., … Zhao, Y. (2014). Intracellular redox-activated anticancer drug delivery by functionalized hollow mesoporous silica nanoreservoirs with tumor specificity. Biomaterials, 35(27), 7951-7962. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.05.058Du, X., Xiong, L., Dai, S., Kleitz, F., & Qiao, S. Z. (2014). Intracellular Microenvironment-Responsive Dendrimer-Like Mesoporous Nanohybrids for Traceable, Effective, and Safe Gene Delivery. Advanced Functional Materials, 24(48), 7627-7637. doi:10.1002/adfm.201402408Raza, A., Hayat, U., Rasheed, T., Bilal, M., & Iqbal, H. M. N. (2018). Redox-responsive nano-carriers as tumor-targeted drug delivery systems. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 157, 705-715. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.034Xiao, Y., Wang, T., Cao, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, Y., & Huo, Q. (2015). Enzyme and voltage stimuli-responsive controlled release system based on β-cyclodextrin-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Dalton Transactions, 44(9), 4355-4361. doi:10.1039/c4dt03758hWang, T., Sun, G., Wang, M., Zhou, B., & Fu, J. (2015). Voltage/pH-Driven Mechanized Silica Nanoparticles for the Multimodal Controlled Release of Drugs. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7(38), 21295-21304. doi:10.1021/acsami.5b05619Jiao, X., Sun, R., Cheng, Y., Li, F., Du, X., Wen, Y., … Zhang, X. (2017). A Voltage-Responsive Free-Blockage Controlled-Release System Based on Hydrophobicity Switching. ChemPhysChem, 18(10), 1317-1323. doi:10.1002/cphc.201700117Khashab, N. M., Trabolsi, A., Lau, Y. A., Ambrogio, M. W., Friedman, D. C., Khatib, H. A., … Stoddart, J. F. (2009). Redox- and pH-Controlled Mechanized Nanoparticles. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2009(11), 1669-1673. doi:10.1002/ejoc.200801300Guimard, N. K., Gomez, N., & Schmidt, C. E. (2007). Conducting polymers in biomedical engineering. Progress in Polymer Science, 32(8-9), 876-921. doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2007.05.012Wang, X., Zhi, L., & Müllen, K. (2007). Transparent, Conductive Graphene Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Nano Letters, 8(1), 323-327. doi:10.1021/nl072838rLeigh, S. J., Bradley, R. J., Purssell, C. P., Billson, D. R., & Hutchins, D. A. (2012). A Simple, Low-Cost Conductive Composite Material for 3D Printing of Electronic Sensors. PLoS ONE, 7(11), e49365. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049365Zhang, D., Ryu, K., Liu, X., Polikarpov, E., Ly, J., Tompson, M. E., & Zhou, C. (2006). Transparent, Conductive, and Flexible Carbon Nanotube Films and Their Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. Nano Letters, 6(9), 1880-1886. doi:10.1021/nl0608543Kenry, & Liu, B. (2018). Recent Advances in Biodegradable Conducting Polymers and Their Biomedical Applications. Biomacromolecules, 19(6), 1783-1803. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00275Palza, H., Zapata, P., & Angulo-Pineda, C. (2019). Electroactive Smart Polymers for Biomedical Applications. Materials, 12(2), 277. doi:10.3390/ma12020277Naseri, M., Fotouhi, L., & Ehsani, A. (2018). Recent Progress in the Development of Conducting Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Biosensors Applications: A Mini-Review. The Chemical Record, 18(6), 599-618. doi:10.1002/tcr.201700101Inal, S., Rivnay, J., Suiu, A.-O., Malliaras, G. G., & McCulloch, I. (2018). Conjugated Polymers in Bioelectronics. Accounts of Chemical Research, 51(6), 1368-1376. doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00624Aqrawe, Z., Montgomery, J., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2017). Conducting Polymers as Electrode Coatings for Neuronal Multi-electrode Arrays. 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(2016). Biofunctionalized PEDOT-coated microfibers for the treatment of spinal cord injury. Biomaterials, 89, 98-113. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.02.037Guo, B., & Ma, P. X. (2018). Conducting Polymers for Tissue Engineering. Biomacromolecules, 19(6), 1764-1782. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00276Wadhwa, R., Lagenaur, C. F., & Cui, X. T. (2006). Electrochemically controlled release of dexamethasone from conducting polymer polypyrrole coated electrode. Journal of Controlled Release, 110(3), 531-541. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2005.10.027Shamaeli, E., & Alizadeh, N. (2014). Nanostructured biocompatible thermal/electrical stimuli-responsive biopolymer-doped polypyrrole for controlled release of chlorpromazine: Kinetics studies. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 472(1-2), 327-338. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.06.036Esrafilzadeh, D., Razal, J. M., Moulton, S. E., Stewart, E. M., & Wallace, G. G. (2013). Multifunctional conducting fibres with electrically controlled release of ciprofloxacin. 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Binding Potassium to Improve Treatment With Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors: Results From Multiple One-Stage Pairwise and Network Meta-Analyses of Clinical Trials

This manuscript presents findings from the first dichotomous data pooling analysis on clinical trials (CT) regarding the effectiveness of binding potassium. The results emanated from pairwise and network meta-analyses aiming evaluation of response to commercial potassium-binding polymers, that is, to achieve and maintain normal serum potassium (n = 1,722), and the association between this response and an optimal dosing of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) needing individuals affected by heart failure (HF) or resistant hypertension, who may be consuming other hyperkalemia-inducing drugs (HKID) (e.g., b-blockers, heparin, etc.), and frequently are affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) (n = 1,044): According to the surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA), sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) (SUCRA >0.78), patiromer (SUCRA >0.58) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) (SUCRA 5.1 mEq/L), and, when normokalemia is achieved, patiromer 16.8–25.2 g/day (SUCRA = 0.94) and patiromer 8.4–16.8 g/day (SUCRA = 0.41) can allow to increase the dose of spironolactone up to 50 mg/day in subjects affected by heart failure (HF) or with resistant hypertension needing treatment with other RAASi. The potential of zirconium cyclosilicate should be explored further, as no data exists to assess properly its capacity to optimize dosing of RAASi, contrarily as it occurs with patiromer. More research is also necessary to discern between benefits of binding potassium among all type of hyperkalemic patients, for example, patients with DM who may need treatment for proteinuria, patients with early hypertension, etc.Fil: Lizaraso Soto, Frank. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Gutiérrez Abejón, Eduardo. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Bustamante Munguira, Juan. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Martín García, Débora. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Chimeno, María Montserrat. Hospital Virgen de la Concha; EspañaFil: Nava Rebollo, Álvaro. Hospital Virgen de la Concha; EspañaFil: Maurtua Briseño Meiggs, Álvaro. Woodland Medical Practicenhs; Reino UnidoFil: Fernández, Darío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentina. Universidad de Burgos. Departamento de Didácticas Específicas; EspañaFil: Bustamante Munguira, Elena. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: de Paz, Félix Jesús. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Grande Villoria, Jesús. Universidad de Valladolid; España. Universite de Lausanne; SuizaFil: Ochoa Sangrador, Carlos. Sanidad de Castilla y León; EspañaFil: Pascual, Manuel. Universite de Lausanne; SuizaFil: Álvarez, F. Javier. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Herrera Gómez, Francisco. Universite de Lausanne; Suiza. Universidad de Valladolid; Españ

Quid: observatorio de medios

El informe está dividido en cuatro apartados: “Derecho a la información y transparencia”, “La televisión mexicana”, “Empresas y prácticas periodísticas” y “Los que se fueron”. En el primero de ellos se presenta un texto que ayuda a entender cuál es el momento en el que se encuentran las propuestas legislativas para regular a los medios y las telecomunicaciones en México, y una evaluación de los primeros cinco años del Instituto de Transparencia e Información Pública de Jalisco. El segundo apartado del informe es ecléctico, pues se compone de artículos que trabajan distintas temáticas de la televisión:la estructura y oferta de la televisión en nuestro país (en particular en la ciudad de Guadalajara), la televisión por cable (enfatizando el caso de Megacable), un recuento de cómo se gestó el Canal 44 y de sus prospectivas en 2011, y los mundiales de futbol. La tercera parte del informe documenta algunas de las situaciones más importantes que se viven en el periodismo local: estos trabajos presentan sistemas en crisis (alta vulnerabilidad de los periodistas mexicanos ante un clima de violencia que lejos de disminuir va en aumento, y la participación, por acción u omisión, del Estado mexicano en la sistemática violación de los derechos de quienes dedican su vida al trabajo periodístico. Los siguientes artículos tratan sobre las transformaciones de las empresas periodísticas, particularmente las del sector de la prensa escrita: la rápida e inexorable desaparición de los suplementos culturales, y una radiografía sobre las formas de producción de algunas secciones internacionales de los periódicos tapatíos. Al final se presentan las semblanzas de José Galindo, Raúl Mora Lomelí, S.J., Tomás Eloy Martínez y Juan Pablo Rosell.ITESO, A.C

Factors associated with cognitive impairment in Latin American older adults: A cross‐sectional observational study of COVID‐19 confinement

INTRODUCTION: The effects of COVID-19 confinement have been severe, especially in older adults. Therefore, we analyzed the factors associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in Latin America (LA). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study with a total of 5245 older adults from 10 countries in LA. Measurement: We used the Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) and the Eight-item Informant Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia (AD8) scale. RESULTS: We found that age, depressive symptomatology, bone fractures, being widowed, having a family member with dementia, and unemployment were associated with an increased risk of CI. In contrast, higher education, hypertension with continuous treatment, quarantine, and keeping stimulating cognitive and physical activities were associated with a lower probability of CI. No significant association was found between suffering from diabetes or being retired and CI. DISCUSSION: It is essential to conduct follow-up studies on these factors, considering their relationship with CI and the duration of confinement

Subsurface Geophysics and Geology (GEOFSU

[EN] The geophysics line at the IGME began in 1927 as a Geophysics Sectiondedicated to subsurface exploration. During all this time, it has been developed in order to support and give expert service in all IGME’s activities both as a geological service and public research institution, as well as a research and development work itself. On the other hand, in recent years the IGME has promoted a line of research aimed at the characterization and 3D modeling of geological structures and formations, the development of dedicated software and the evolution and sophistication of computer equipment. The new scenario of incorporation of the IGME to the CSIC as a national reference center in the field of Earth Sciences has allowed the establishment of the GEOFSUB Research Group (Subsurface Geophysics and Geology). It is constituted by 21 members who had been collaborating regularly of the IGME former scientific-technic areas Geophysics and remote sensing (Área de Geofísica y Teledetección) and Subsurface geology and 3D geological modelling (Área de Geología del Subsuelo y Modelización Geológica 3D). Our main differentiating element is our extensive knowledge of geophysical and geological techniques, which allows us to characterize the subsoil in an optimal waPeer reviewe

Inhibition of Gastric Lipase as a Mechanism for Body Weight and Plasma Lipids Reduction in Zucker Rats Fed a Rosemary Extract Rich in Carnosic Acid

BACKGROUND: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extracts (REs) exhibit hepatoprotective, anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory properties and are widely used in the food industry. REs are rich in carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol which may be responsible for some of the biological activities of REs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether inhibition of lipase activity in the gut may be a mechanism by which a RE enriched in CA (40%) modulates body weight and lipids levels in a rat model of metabolic disorders and obesity. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RE was administered for 64 days to lean (fa/+) and obese (fa/fa) female Zucker rats and body weight, food intake, feces weight and blood biochemical parameters were monitored throughout the study. Lipase activity (hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbutyrate) was measured in the gastrointestinal tract at the end of the study and the contents of CA, carnosol and methyl carnosate were also determined. Sub-chronic administration of RE moderately reduced body weight gain in both lean and obese animals but did not affect food intake. Serum triglycerides, cholesterol and insulin levels were also markedly decreased in the lean animals supplemented with RE. Importantly, lipase activity was significantly inhibited in the stomach of the RE-supplemented animals where the highest content of intact CA and carnosol was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that long-term administration of RE enriched in CA moderates weight gain and improves the plasma lipids profile, primarily in the lean animals. Our data also suggest that these effects may be caused, at least in part, by a significant inhibition of gastric lipase and subsequent reduction in fat absorption