Effect of Oxysterol-Induced Apoptosis of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells on Experimental Hypercholesterolemia

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) undergo changes related to proliferation and apoptosis in the physiological remodeling of vessels and in diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Recent studies also have demonstrated the vascular cell proliferation and programmed cell death contribute to changes in vascular architecture in normal development and in disease. The present study was designed to investigate the apoptotic pathways induced by 25-hydroxycholesterol in SMCs cultures, using an in vivo/in vitro cell model in which SMCs were isolated and culture from chicken exposed to an atherogenic cholesterol-rich diet (SMC-Ch) and/or an antiatherogenic fish oil-rich diet (SMC-Ch-FO). Cells were exposed in vitro to 25-hydroxycholesterol to study levels of apoptosis and apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl- and Bax and the expression of bcl-2 and bcl- , genes. The quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and the Immunoblotting western blot analysis showed that 25-hydroxycholesterol produces apoptosis in SMCs, mediated by a high increase in Bax protein and Bax gene expression. These changes were more marked in SMC-Ch than in SMC-Ch-FO, indicating that dietary cholesterol produces changes in SMCs that make them more susceptible to 25-hydroxycholesterol-mediated apoptosis. Our results suggest that the replacement of a cholesterol-rich diet with a fish oil-rich diet produces some reversal of cholesterol-induced changes in the apoptotic pathways induced by 25-hydroxycholesterol in SMCs cultures, making SMCs more resistant to apoptosis.This work was supported partly by Junta de Andalucía (Group code CTS 168) and also by the research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, ISCIII (Grant no. PI030829)

Estrategia para el reconocimiento de la identidad cultural y el sentido de pertenencia de inmigrantes latinoamericanos

It is necessary to train school managers and teachers volunteers, who can implement pedagogical strategies, which improve the teaching-learning process, in which its main factor is the rescue of the cultural identity and the sense of belonging in Latin America. Thus, a study, which generates inputs for teacher training in cognitive and pedagogical skills for the cultural education, the consultancy on the design of teaching activities for the development of such a teaching, for the immigrant population of the State of Massachusetts - United States, is introduced

Tailoring the selectivity of Cu-based catalysts in the furfural hydrogenation reaction: Influence of the morphology of the silica support

Cu nanoparticles were incorporated on different porous silica supports (commercial silica, SBA-15 synthesized both at room temperature and under hydrothermal conditions, and mesocellular foam) by the strong electrostatic adsorption method and tested in the gas-phase furfural hydrogenation for the production of furfuryl alcohol and 2-methylfuran, being the latter a promising biofuel. The incorporated copper species provided metal particle sizes lower than 5 nm in all cases. However, different catalytic behaviors, both in terms of conversion and selectivity, were detected due to the morphology and textural properties of each support. Cu over commercial silica was more prone to suffer from deactivation, and it provided higher furfuryl alcohol yields, probably due to its higher acidity and lower metallic surface area. On the other hand, the agglomeration of Cu nanoparticles together with larger pore sizes complicated the access of furfural to the active sites using the hydrothermal SBA- 15 support, thus decreasing the activity. In contrast, the addition of fluoride in the synthesis of mesoporous silica, which shortened the length of the silica channels (mesocellular foam), facilitated the furfural access and provided both higher metallic surface area and lower acidity. This fact led to a more gradual deactivation, still attaining high values of furfural conversion and 2-methylfuran yield (95 and 76%, respectively) after 5 h at 190 ◦C. However, Cu over mesocellular foam changed its selectivity pattern along 48 h and after regeneration, increasing the furfuryl alcohol selectivity due to the decreased number of available active sites

La imagen y la Narrativa como Herramientas para el Abordaje Psicosocial en Escenarios de Violencia.

La violencia en Colombia es un flagelo el cual ha traído consecuencias económicas, sociales, políticas, emocionales y psicológicas en las personas quienes han sido víctima y testigos de episodios tan atroces que de alguna manera ha interrumpido el curso de vida de muchas comunidades y familias del país. Por lo anterior, en el presente documento se revisa de manera crítica y argumentativa algunos relatos y narrativas de violencia, a raíz de esto, la formulación de preguntas partiendo del rol de entrevistador desde el campo psicosocial, posteriormente el análisis reflexivo del caso el salado, un hecho de violencia sin precedentes, en el cual de manera minuciosa se realiza una comprensión de los hechos ocurridos y así mismo la elaboración de estrategias psicosociales con la finalidad de abordar la población bajo un enfoque diferencial que permita un acompañamiento integral y exclusivo bajo condiciones de superación y transformación, Posteriormente se presenta un informe analítico de la importancia de las experiencias de memoria desde la técnica foto voz, que permite identificar elementos fundamentales para la comprensión contextual. Por ello, es vital desde el campo de la psicología analizar desde una mirada psicosocial el impacto de la violencia y el conflicto armado individual y colectivamente.Violence in Colombia is a scourge which has brought economic, social, political, emotional and psychological consequences to people who have been victims and witnesses of such atrocious episodes that in some way it has interrupted the course of life of many communities and families in the country. Due to the above, in this document some stories and narratives of violence are critically and argumentatively reviewed, as a result of this, the formulation of questions starting from the role of interviewer from the psychosocial field, later the reflective analysis of the case of El Salado, an unprecedented act of violence, which meticulously understands the events that occurred and also develops psychosocial strategies inorder to address the population under a differential approach that allows comprehensive and exclusive monitoring under conditions of overcoming and transformation. Subsequently, an analytical report on the importance of memory experiences from the photovoice technique is presented, which allows the identification of fundamental elements for contextual understanding. For this reason, it is vital from the field of psychology to analyze the impact ofviolence and armed conflict individually and collectively from a psychosocial perspective