Differential Behavior Between Isolated and Aggregated Rabbit Auricular Chondrocytes on Plastic Surfaces

A knowledge of the behavior of chondrocytes in culture is relevant for tissue engineering. Chondrocytes dedifferentiate to a fibroblast-like phenotype on plastic surfaces. Dedifferentiation is reversible if these cells are then cultured in suspension. In this report a description is given of how when chondrocyte aggregates formed in suspension are next seeded on plastic, most of them attach as round or polygonal cells. This morphological differentiation, with synthesis of type II collagen, is stable for long culture periods. This simple method can be of use as a model for studies of chondrocyte behavior on plastic. The results indicate that in addition to culture conditions, such as cell isolation method or cell density, chondrocyte behavior on plastic depends on the presence of aggregates

Effects of Extracellular Matrix on the Morphology and Behaviour of Rabbit Auricular Chondrocytes in Culture

Isolated chondrocytes dedifferentiate to a fibroblast-like shape on plastic substrata and proliferate extensively, but rarely form nodules. However, when dissociation is not complete and some cartilage remnants are included in the culture, proliferation decreases and cells grow in a reticular pattern with numerous nodules, which occasionally form small cartilage-like fragments. In an attempt to reproduce this stable chondrogenic state, we added a cartilage protein extract, a sugar extract, and hyaluronan to the medium of previously dedifferentiated chondrocytes. When protein extract was added, many cartilaginous nodules appeared. Hyaluronan produced changes in cell phenotype and behaviour, but not nodule formation. Protein extract has positive effects on the differentiation of previously proliferated chondrocytes and permits nodule formation and the extensive production of type-II collagen. A comparison with incompletely dissociated chondrocyte cultures suggests that the presence of some living cells anchored to their natural extracellular matrix provides some important additional factors for the phenotypical stability of chondrocytes on plastic surfaces. In order to elucidate if it is possible that the incidence of apoptosis is related to the results, we also characterized the molecular traits of apoptosis

El modelo de la Atención Centrada en la Persona: Análisis descriptivo de una muestra de personas mayores con demencia en centros residenciales

Este análisis descriptivo tiene el objetivo de evaluar la calidad asistencial de una muestra de personas con demencia institucionalizadas usando el Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) como metodología de observación sistemática y de examinar la presencia de pautas asociadas a la psicología social maligna en las residencias observadas. Participaron en el estudio 73 personas con demencia ingresadas en residencias a largo plazo. Los resultados más relevantes apuntan a la presencia de una cultura de cuidados donde predomina la psicología social maligna y el DCM como un instrumento que permite analizar el comportamiento de las personas con demencia, aportando nuevas variables como el bienestar emocional, la diversidad ocupacional y la calidad de la interacción social. Se concluye que la implementación de un modelo de atención centrado en la persona puede incidir postivamente en el bienestar de las personas con demencia

Primer reporte de una especie de cinípido dañina para Q. humboldtii en Colombia: Zapatella petiolata n. sp. Pujade-Villar & Caicedo (Hym., Cynipidae)

Es descriu una nova espècie de Zapatella Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2012 per a Colòmbia: Z. petiolata Pujade-Villar & Caicedo n. sp. (Hym., Cynipidae), capaç de causar enormes distorsions en l'aparença de Quercus humboldtii Bonpl. Es tracta de la primera espècie nociva de cinípid per a Colòmbia. Aquesta espècie ocasiona una gala plurilocular i llenyosa en els pecíols de les fulles, colonitzant les fulles de les branques joves causant la mort gradual del brot infectat. Es descriu i s'iŀlustra la nova espècie, es proporcionen les dades dels danys ocasionats i de la seva biologia, es comenta l'origen i dispersió d'aquesta nova espècie. Es cita per primera vegada per Sud-amèrica Taphrina caerulescens (fong, Ascomycota) en roures, on la nova espècie de cinípid és present. Es proporciona el barcoding d'aquesta nova espècie.A new species of Zapatella Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2012 capable of causing enormous distortions in the appearance of Q. humboldtii Bonpl. is described from Colombia: Z. petiolata Pujade-Villar & Caicedo n. sp. It is the first damaging species of cynipid for Colombia. This species causes a plurilocular and woody gall in the petioles of the leaves of the young branches causing the death of the infected shoots. The new species is described and illustrated, data of the damage and biology are provided, and the origin and dispersion of this new species is discussed. Taphrina caerulescens (fungus, Ascomycota) is mentioned for the first time from South America in oaks where the new Cynipid species is present. The barcoding of this new species is provided.Se describe una nueva especie de Zapatella Melika & Pujade-Villar, 2012 para Colombia: Z. petiolata Pujade-Villar & Caicedo n. sp. (Hym., Cynipidae), capaz de causar enormes distorsiones en el porte de Quercus humboldtii Bonpl. Se trata de la primera especie dañina de cinípido para Colombia. Esta especie ocasiona una agalla plurilocular y leñosa en los peciolos de las hojas, colonizando las hojas de las ramas jóvenes causando la muerte gradual del brote infectado. Se describe e ilustra la nueva especie, se proporcionan los datos de los daños ocasionados y de su biología, se comenta el origen y dispersión de ésta nueva especie. Se cita por primera vez para Sudamérica Taphrina caerulescens (hongo, Ascomycota) en robles, donde la nueva especie de cinípido está presente. Se proporciona el barcoding de esta especie nueva

Low dose anti-inflammatory radiotherapy for the treatment of pneumonia by covid-19 : A proposal for a multi-centric prospective trial

COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral infection with high morbidity that is draining health resources. The biggest complication is pneumonia, which has a serious inflammatory component, with no standardized treatment. Low-dose radiation therapy (LD-RT) is non-invasive and has anti-inflammatory effects that can interfere with the inflammatory cascade, thus reducing the severity of associated cytokine release and might be useful in the treatment of respiratory complications caused by COVID-19. This multicentric prospective clinical trial seeks to evaluate the efficacy of bilateral lung LD-RT therapy as a treatment for interstitial pneumonia in patients with COVID-19 for improving respiratory function. This prospective study will have 2 phases: I) an exploratory phase enrolling 10 patients, which will assess the feasibility and efficacy of low-dose lung irradiation, evaluated according to an increase in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio of at least 20% at 48-72 h with respect to the pre-irradiation value. If a minimum efficiency of 30% of the patients is not achieved, the study will not be continued. II) Non-randomized comparative phase in two groups: a control group, which will only receive pharmacological treatment, and an experimental arm with pharmacological treatment and LD-RT. It will include 96 patients, the allocation will be 1: 2, that is, 32 in the control arm and 64 in the experimental arm. The primary end-point will be the efficacy of LD-RT in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia according to an improvement in PaO2/FiO2. Secondary objectives will include the safety of bilateral lung LD-RT, an improvement in the radiology image, overall mortality rates at 15 and 30 days after irradiation and characterizing anti-inflammatory mechanisms of LD-RT by measuring the level of expression of adhesion molecules, anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress mediators. Trial registration: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT-04380818

Culture of Differentiated Adult Rabbit Auricular Chondrocytes

P. 54Chondrocytes dedifferentiate to a fibroblast-like phenotype on plastic surfaces. Dedifferentiation is reversible if these cells are then cultured embedded in gels as alginate, agarose or collagen. Chondrocytes cultured in suspension on a nonadherent surface are also known to form aggregates of differentiated cells. The knowledge of chondrocyte behavior in culture is relevant for tissue engineering purposes. In this report we describe a simple method to culture differentiated or redifferentiated rabbit auricular chondrocytes on plastic surfaces with a stable phenotype. When chondrocyte aggregates formed in suspension are next seeded on plastic surfaces, most of them attach to the plastic as round or polygonal cells, and this morphological differentiation, confirmed by the presence of type II collagen, is stable for long culture periods. We also report that the addition of aggregates to monolayer cultures of dedifferentiated chondrocytes results in their redifferentiation, as is shown by their morphological changes and the synthesis of type II collagen. Therefore, this simple method can be useful for the study of chondrocyte behavior on plastic surfaces and for redifferentiating previously proliferated chondrocytes in tissue engineering techniques. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that, in addition to culture conditions such as cell isolation method or cell-density, chondrocyte behavior on plastic depends on the presence or absence of aggregates resulting from the dissociation processS

Methodological Approaches to Radon in Water Measurements: Comparative Experiences between Romania and Spain

The EC Directive 2013/51/EURATOM of 22 October 2013 represents the first time that a radon limit for drinking water has been proposed. Transposition of this Directive into Spanish legislation was by means of the recent RD 314/2016 which sets a limit value of 500 Bq l?1 for radon (222Rn) in water for human consumption while that in Romanian legislation the Law 301/2015 provides a limit value of 100 Bq l-1 for 222Rn concentration in water for human consumption as well as a total effective dose of 0.1 mSv y-1 from all radionuclides present in water (same dose value established by Spanish law). For several years, both in Romania and in Spain, there have been campaigns to measure the concentration of 222Rn in waters of different origins in order to determine the possible exposure of the population through this irradiation path, and also to use the presence of radon dissolved in water as a source of indoor radon in thermal spa facilities, and also as a tracer of dynamic processes (C. Sainy et al., Sci. Tot. Envir. 543, 460 (2016); 1). In this article, an assessment of the results from measurement campaigns in both countries will be presented and compared. In addition, the different measurement techniques used will be described, and the description of an intercomparison exercise on radon measurement in water organized by the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory of the University of Cantabria (LaRUC) will be presented, in order to evaluate the quality of the performance of the techniques used.This work was partially supported by the project ID P_37_229, Contract No. 22/01.09.2016, with the title Smart Systems for Public Safety through Control and Mitigation of Residential Radon linked with Energy Efficiency Optimization of Buildings in Romanian Major Urban Agglomerations SMART-RAD-EN of the POC Programme

Critical Elements in Supergene Phosphates: The Example of the Weathering Profile at the Gavà Neolithic Mines, Catalonia, Spain

The essential role of Critical Elements (CE) in 21st century economy has led to an increasing demand of these metals and promotes the exploration of non-conventional deposits such as weathering profiles. The present work is focused on the study of a weathering profile located at the Archaeological Park of the Gavà Neolithic Mines, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. In the Gavà deposit, acid and oxidising meteoric fluids generated intense weathering during the early Pleistocene, affecting series of Llandoverian black shales and associated syn-sedimentary phosphates. The circulation of these acid fluids at deeper levels of the profile generated supergene vein-like mineralisations comprised of secondary phosphates (e.g., variscite, perhamite, crandallite, phosphosiderite) and sulphates (e.g., jarosite, alunite). This supergene mineralisation is significantly enriched in certain CE (e.g., Ga, Sc, REE, In, Co and Sb) that were mobilised from host rock components and later hosted in the crystal lattice of supergene minerals. Weathering processes and corresponding supergene enrichment of CE at the Gavà deposit could be used as an example to determine exploration guidelines of CE in weathering profiles and associated supergene phosphates worldwide

Facies generadoras de carbón en el Westfaliense superior de la Cuenca Carbonífera Central Asturiana

La Cuenca Carbonífera Central Asturiana constituye una cuenca de antepais individualizada en la Zona Cantábrica durante el Carbonifero Superior coincidiendo con la máxima actividad de la orogenia Hercinica. Durante el Westfaliense, se acumularon en ella importantes volúmenes de material clástico procedentes de los relieves en elevación situados al W. Los abanicos aluviales costeros constituyeron unos sistemas deposicionales muy eficientes en la dispersión de estos materiales, generaron extensas cuñas clásticas en relación con las cuales se originaron capas de carbón explotables. En este trabajo se estudian varios litosomas de edad Westfaliense Superior que representan episodios progradantes de estos sistemas sobre ambientes marinos someros v de transición. El análisis e interpretación de sus facies y geometrías permite la reconstrucción de las condiciones ambientales en que se generaron las capas de carbón asociadas a cada una de las unidades estudiadas. Estas se desarrollaron: 1) en zonas marginales a los lóbulos progradantes y zonas interlóbulos y 2) sobre los mismos una vez que éstos fueron abandonados y previamente a su enterramiento