Acute ischemic stroke triggers a cellular senescence-associated secretory phenotype

Senescent cells are capable of expressing a myriad of inflammatory cytokines and this pro-inflammatory phenomenon is known as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The contribution of this phenomenon in brain ischemia was scarce. A mouse model of transient focal cerebral ischemia by compressing the distal middle cerebral artery (tMCAo) for 60 min was used. SASP, pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell cycle mRNAs levels were quantified at 30-min and 72 h post-surgery. Immunohistochemistry in paraffin embedded human brain slides and mouse brain tissue was performed. Our results showed an increase of both p16 and p21 mRNA restricted to the infarct area in the tMCAo brain. Moreover, there was an induction of Il6, Tnfa, Cxc11, and its receptor Cxcr2 mRNA pro-inflammatory cytokines with a high positive correlation with p16/p21 mRNA levels. The p16 was mainly shown in cytoplasm of neurons and cytoplasm/membrane of microglial cells. The p21 was observed in membrane of neurons and also it showed a mixed cytoplasmic and membranous pattern in the microglial cells. In a human stroke patient, an increase of P16 in the perimeter of the MCA infarct area was observed. These suggest a role of SASP in tMCAo mouse model and in human brain tissue. SASP potentially has a physiological role in acute ischemic stroke and neurological function loss

Dos edificios hoy desaparecidos en la población de Alberic. Levantamiento y formulación de hipótesis

La investigación que se está llevando a cabo contempla la existencia de dos edificios en la población de Alberic, hoy desaparecidos. Uno de ellos un templo parroquial, levantado a principios del S. XVI, y por tanto una muestra de los primeros templos renacentistas realizados en la Ribera Alta del Júcar Hoy solo podemos contemplar un soporte con su basa, restos de molduras y arranque de un arco de mediopunto, aparecidas al realizar unas obras. La singularidad de este templo frente a otros realizados en la misma época en las poblaciones de la misma comarca, como Carcaixent, Guadassuar, Algemesí, etc…, estriba en que se realizó sobre la antigua mezquita existente en la población, a diferencia de los enumerados, levantados sobre antiguos templos góticos. El 14 de Agosto de 1521, es consagrada como templo cristiano la mezquita de Alberic, quedando oculta bajo el nuevo templo que se levanta entre la segunda y tercera década del Siglo XVI. Esta antigua mezquita, será el segundo templo estudiado y hoy desaparecido, del que intentaremos arrojar luz, mediante la realización y estudio del levantamiento del templo actual, así como el análisis y comparación de la trama urbana resultante, durante las diferentes construcciones en la misma ubicación.Torres Caballero, A.; Juan Vidal, F. (2015). Dos edificios hoy desaparecidos en la población de Alberic. Levantamiento y formulación de hipótesis. Arché. (10):333-340. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/847713333401

ATUAÇÃO DO FARMACÊUTICO NAS ANÁLISES CLÍNICAS FRENTE À PANDEMIA DA COVID-19

A propagação recente do vírus SARS-CoV-2, trouxe ao mundo um rápido aumento de pacientes infectados, com isso a necessidade de um tratamento efetivo e profissionais capacitados para desempenharem este papel. Muitas pesquisas e estudos foram realizados para avaliar como será o tratamento desta doença, utilizando diversos medicamentos que trouxeram algum resultado positivo para o paciente. Os laboratórios de análises clínicas são responsáveis por 95% das condutas médicas e, no caso do coronavírus, o laboratório é responsável pela comprovação etiológica. As análises clínicas são compreendidas como exames que investigam o estado de saúde de um indivíduo. Com a situação de pandemia ocasionada pelo novo coronavírus (Sars-CoV-2), no Brasil, por exemplo, muitas pessoas estão sendo testadas para saber se estão com a Covid-19. Nesse sentido, a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) define que identificar o real número de infectados é uma importante medida de enfrentamento ao vírus. O método mais assertivo é o RT-PCR, que utiliza a biologia molecular. No procedimento, uma amostra de secreção nasal e da garganta do paciente é levada ao laboratório para uma busca minuciosa pelo material genético do Sars-CoV-2. Devido à alta demanda, muitas empresas farmacêuticas correm contra o tempo para desenvolver métodos que sejam eficazes na identificação do diagnóstico. Todo exame laboratorial passa por 3 fases sequenciais e interdependentes: fase pré-analítica, analítica e pós analítica. Este vírus não somente ativa as respostas imunes antivirais, mas também pode causar respostas inflamatórias descontroladas com uma acentuada liberação de citocinas pró-inflamatórias em pacientes com COVID-19 grave. Também será abordado o papel do farmacêutico frente a estes desafios, em auxiliar no desenvolvimento de novas estratégias terapêuticas contra a COVID-19, pois os farmacêuticos, também atuam na linha de frente, possuem um papel indispensável no uso racional de medicamentos, principalmente durante este período de escassez medicamentosa que a crise da COVID-19 vem causando. Conclui-se que é imprescindível os exames laboratoriais realizados na área das análises clínicas e a necessidade de orientação na utilização correta de medicamentos para pacientes com Covid-19

Concurrent Validity and Reliability of an Inertial Measurement Unit for the Assessment of Craniocervical Range of Motion in Subjects with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) for the assessment of craniocervical range of motion (ROM) in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: twenty-three subjects with CP and 23 controls, aged between 4 and 14 years, were evaluated on two occasions, separated by 3 to 5 days. An IMU and a Cervical Range of Motion device (CROM) were used to assess craniocervical ROM in the three spatial planes. Validity was assessed by comparing IMU and CROM data using the Pearson correlation coefficient, the paired t-test and Bland–Altman plots. Intra-day and inter-day relative reliability were determined using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and the Minimum Detectable Change at a 90% confidence level (MDC90) were obtained for absolute reliability. Results: High correlations were detected between methods in both groups on the sagittal and frontal planes (r > 0.9), although this was reduced in the case of the transverse plane. Bland–Altman plots indicated bias below 5º, although for the range of cervical rotation in the CP group, this was 8.2º. The distance between the limits of agreement was over 23.5º in both groups, except for the range of flexion-extension in the control group. ICCs were higher than 0.8 for both comparisons and groups, except for inter-day comparisons of rotational range in the CP group. Absolute reliability showed high variability, with most SEM below 8.5º, although with worse inter-day results, mainly in CP subjects, with the MDC90 of rotational range achieving more than 20º. Conclusions: IMU application is highly correlated with CROM for the assessment of craniocervical movement in CP and healthy subjects; however, both methods are not interchangeable. The IMU error of measurement can be considered clinically acceptable; however, caution should be taken when this is used as a reference measure for interventions

Interplay between Intestinal Bacterial Communities and Unicellular Parasites in a Morbidly Obese Population: A Neglected Trinomial

Obesity is an epidemic causing a metabolic health crisis. Herein, the interactions between the gut prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, metabolic comorbidities and diet were studied. Stool samples from 56 subjects, 47 with type III obesity and 9 with type II obesity and cardiovascular risk or metabolic disease, were assessed for the richness, diversity and ecology of the bacterial gut community through metagenomics, together with the study of the presence of common unicellular eukaryote parasites (Blastocystis sp., Dientamoeba fragilis and Giardia intestinalis) by qPCR. Clinical information regarding metabolic comorbidities and non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver disease was gathered. To assess the quality of the patients' diet, each participant filled in three dietary questionnaires. The most prevalent parasite Blastocystis sp. (46.4%), together with D. fragilis (8.9%), was found to be associated with higher mean diversity indexes regarding non-colonized subjects; the opposite of that which was observed in those with G. intestinalis (16.1%). In terms of phyla relative abundance, with Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis, very slight differences were observed; on the contrary, G. intestinalis was related to an increase in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and a decrease in Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, presenting the lowest Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. At genus level, Blastocystis sp. and/or D. fragilis was accompanied with an increase in Lactobacillus spp., and a decrease in Akkermansia spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Escherichia spp., while G. intestinalis was associated with an increase in Bacteroides spp., and a decrease in Faecalibacterium spp., Prevotella spp. and Lactobacillus spp., and the highest Bacteroides spp./Prevotella spp. ratio. Participants with non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver presented a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and those with type 2 diabetes displayed a significantly lower Faecalibacterium spp./Escherichia spp. ratio, due to an overrepresentation of the genus Escherichia spp. The presence of parasites was associated with variations in the richness, diversity and distribution of taxa in bacterial communities, confirming a gain in diversity associated with Blastocystis sp. and providing different functioning of the microbiota with a potential positive effect on comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Future basic and clinical studies should assess the beneficial or pathogenic effect of these eukaryotes on obese subjects and focus on deciphering whether they may imply a healthier metabolic profile

Ultrastrong exciton−photon coupling in broadband solar absorbers

The recent development of organic polaritonic solar cells, in which sunlight absorbers and photon modes of a resonator are hybridized as a result of their strong coupling, has revealed the potential this interaction offers to control and enhance the performance of these devices. In this approach, the photovoltaic cell is built in such a way that it also behaves as an optical cavity supporting spectrally well-defined resonances, which match the broad absorption bands of the dyes employed. Herein we focus on the experimental and theoretical analysis of the specific spectral and angular optical absorption characteristics of a broadband light harvester, namely a subphthalocyanine, when operating in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We discuss the implications of having a broad distribution of oscillator strengths and demonstrate that rational design of the layered structure is needed to optimize both the spectral and the angular response of the sunlight harvester dyeFunding for this work was provided by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU)” through AEI/FEDER(UE) projects PID2020-116593RB-I00 and PID2020-116490GBI00 as well as through projects EXPLORA FIS2017-91018-EXP, PCI2018-093145 (QuantERA program, EC), CEX2018-000805-M (María de Maeztu Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D), SEV2016-0686 (Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D), and MODEFotovoltaica (Materiales Orgánicos Disruptivos para Energía Fotovoltaica) (RED2018-102815-T). V.E. thanks La Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434) for funding of her PhD (fellowship LCF/BQ/ES15/10360025). L.C. thanks Junta de Andalucía and the European Regional Development Funds program (EU-FEDER) for financial support (DOC_00220). This work was partially funded also by the European Research Council through Grant ERC-2016-StG-71487

Light‐harvesting properties of a subphthalocyanine solar absorber coupled to an optical cavity

Herein, both from the experimental and theoretical point of view, the optical absorption properties of a subphthalocyanine (SubPc), an organic macrocycle commonly used as a sunlight harvester, coupled to metallic optical cavities are analyzed. How different electronic transitions characteristic of this compound and specifically those that give rise to excitonic (Q band) and charge transfer (CT band) transitions couple to optical cavity modes is investigated. It is observed that whereas the CT band couples weakly to the cavity, the Q band transitions show evidence of hybridization with the photon eigenstates of the resonator, a distinctive trait of the strong coupling regime. As a result of the different coupling regimes of the two electronic transitions, very different spectral and directional light-harvesting features are observed, which for the weakly coupled CT transitions are mainly determined by the highly dispersive cavity modes and for the strongly coupled Q band by the less angle-dependent exciton-polariton bands. Modeling also allows discriminating parasitic from productive absorption in each case, enabling the estimation of the expected losses in a solar cell acting as an optical resonatorFunding for this work was provided by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU)” through AEI/FEDER(UE) projects MAT2017-88584-R (MODO), RTI2018-099737-B-I00, CTQ2017-85393-P and PID2020-116490GBI00, as well as through projects EXPLORA FIS2017-91018-EXP, PCI2018-093145 (QuantERA program, EC), CEX2018-000805-M (María de Maeztu Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D), SEV2016-0686 (Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D), and MODE-Fotovoltaica (Materiales Orgánicos Disruptivos para Energía Fotovoltaica) (RED2018-102815-T). V.E. thanks La Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434) for funding of her Ph.D. (fellowship LCF/BQ/ES15/10360025). L.C. thanks Junta de Andalucia and the European Regional Development Funds program (EU-FEDER) for financial support (DOC_00220). This work was partially funded also by the European Research Council through Grant No. ERC-2016-StG-71487

Design, Validity, and Reliability of a New Test, Based on an Inertial Measurement Unit System, for Measuring Cervical Posture and Motor Control in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: The aim of this study was to design and propose a new test based on inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology, for measuring cervical posture and motor control in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods: Twenty-four individuals with CP (4–14 years) and 24 gender- and age-matched controls were evaluated with a new test based on IMU technology to identify and measure any movement in the three spatial planes while the individual is seated watching a two-minute video. An ellipse was obtained encompassing 95% of the flexion/extension and rotation movements in the sagittal and transversal planes. The protocol was repeated on two occasions separated by 3 to 5 days. Construct and concurrent validity were assessed by determining the discriminant capacity of the new test and by identifying associations between functional measures and the new test outcomes. Relative reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for test–retest data. Absolute reliability was obtained by the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the Minimum Detectable Change at a 90% confidence level (MDC90). Results: The discriminant capacity of the area and both dimensions of the new test was high (Area Under the Curve ≈ 0.8), and consistent multiple regression models were identified to explain functional measures with new test results and sociodemographic data. A consistent trend of ICCs higher than 0.8 was identified for CP individuals. Finally, the SEM can be considered low in both groups, although the high variability among individuals determined some high MDC90 values, mainly in the CP group. Conclusions: The new test, based on IMU data, is valid and reliable for evaluating posture and motor control in children with CP