Mice with a Heterozygous Lrp6 Deletion Have Impaired Fracture Healing

Bone fracture non-unions, the failure of a fracture to heal, occur in 10%–20% of fractures and are a costly and debilitating clinical problem. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is critical in bone development and fracture healing. Polymorphisms of linking low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6), a Wnt-binding receptor, have been associated with decreased bone mineral density and fragility fractures, although this remains controversial. Mice with a homozygous deletion of Lrp6 have severe skeletal abnormalities and are not viable, whereas mice with a heterozygous deletion have a combinatory effect with Lrp5 to decrease bone mineral density. As fracture healing closely models embryonic skeletal development, we investigated the process of fracture healing in mice heterozygous for Lrp6 (Lrp6+/−) and hypothesized that the heterozygous deletion of Lrp6 would impair fracture healing. Mid-diaphyseal femur fractures were induced in Lrp6+/− mice and wild-type controls (Lrp6+/+). Fractures were analyzed using micro-computed tomography (μCT) scans, biomechanical testing, and histological analysis. Lrp6+/− mice had significantly decreased stiffness and strength at 28 days post fracture (PF) and significantly decreased BV/TV, total density, immature bone density, and mature area within the callus on day-14 and -21 PF; they had significantly increased empty callus area at days 14 and 21 PF. Our results demonstrate that the heterozygous deletion of Lrp6 impairs fracture healing, which suggests that Lrp6 has a role in fracture healing

An Optimal Protocol to Analyze the Rat Spinal Cord Proteome

Since the function of the spinal cord depends on the proteins found there, better defing the normal Spinal Cord Proteome is an important and challenging task. Although brain and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with different central nervous system (CNS) disorders have been studied, a thorough examination of specific spinal cord proteins and the changes induced by injury or associated to conditions such as neurodegeneration, spasticity and neuropathies has yet to be performed. In the present study, we aimed to describe total protein content in the spinal cord of healthy rats, employing different proteomics tools. Accordingly, we have developed a fast, easy, and reproducible sequential protocol for protein extraction from rat spinal cords. We employed conventional two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) in different pH ranges (eg. 4–7, 3–11 NL) combined with identification by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF), as well as first dimension protein separation combined with Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to maximise the benefits of this technology. The value of these techniques is demonstrated here by the identification of several proteins known to be associated with neuroglial structures, neurotransmission, cell survival and nerve growth in the central nervous system. Furthermore this study identified many spinal proteins that have not previously been described in the literature and which may play an important role as either sensitive biomarkers of dysfunction or of recovery after Spinal Cord Injury

Steady-State 3D Trapping and Manipulation of Microbubbles Using Thermocapillary

[EN] An experimental and theoretical study on the 3D trapping and manipulation of microbubbles by means low power laser-induced temperature gradients induced in ethanol by bulk light absorption (¿ 1550 nm) is presented. Two optical fibers were used: One for bubble generation (OFG) and the other for both trapping and manipulation (OFT). Light from a Q-switched pulsed laser (¿ 532 nm and pulse width ¿p 5 ns) propagates in fiber OFG and gets absorbed at silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), previously photodeposited, at the distal end of a fiber optic core, generating the microbubbles. In the fiber OFT, light of low power CW laser was used to trap and manipulate the bubbles by thermocapillary induced by light bulk absorption in ethanol. The microbubble generated on OFG migrates toward the fiber OFT. The equilibrium between the buoyancy force FB, drag force FD and the Marangoni force (also known as thermocapillary force) FM gives rise to a 3D stably trapping and manipulation of the microbubble for the best time to our best knowledge.This work was supported by CONACyT through the grant number A1-S-28440.Muñoz-Pérez, FM.; Ortega-Mendoza, JG.; Padilla-Vivanco, A.; Toxqui-Quitl, C.; Sarabia-Alonso, J.; Ramos-García, R. (2020). Steady-State 3D Trapping and Manipulation of Microbubbles Using Thermocapillary. Frontiers in Physics. 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2020.585590

Identificacion of differentially expressed proteins in acute coronary syndromes

Comunicaciones a congreso

Caliope: an operational air quality forecasting system for the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands ? first annual evaluation and ongoing developments

International audienceThe Caliope project funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment establishes an air quality forecasting system for Spain to increase the knowledge on transport and dynamics of pollutants in Spain, to assure the accomplishment of legislation and to inform the population about the levels of pollutants, topics in which the European Commission has shown a great concern. The present contribution describes the first quantitative verification study performed so far with two chemistry transport models (CMAQ and CHIMERE) for a reference year (2004) at medium spatial resolution (around 20×20 km for the Iberian Peninsula). Both models perform similarly in the case of ground-level ozone. The mean normalised gross error MNGE remains below 15?20% during summertime, when ozone episodes occur, outlining the good skills of the system concerning the forecasting of air quality in Spain. Furthermore, the ongoing developments of the system towards high resolution modelling (4×4 km for Spain, 12×12 km for Europe, 1 h temporal resolution) and the integration with observations within the Caliope umbrella are described

Neutronic design for ESS-Bilbao neutron source

The European Spallation Source-Bilbao (ESS-Bilbao) project plans to build an accelerator facility compliant with the ESS-AB requirements which will be able to drive several experimental stations for research purposes involving intense proton beams with currents up to 75 mA, 50 MeV of final energy, 1.5 ms of pulse length and up to 50 Hz repetition rate. The accelerator will also drive a compact neutron source which will provide useful neutron beams to carry out experiments on moderator optimization, neutron optics devices and general neutron instrumentation as well as preparation work for experiments to be carried out by neutron beam users at the large facilities

Optical Aharonov-Bohm effect: an inverse hyperbolic problems approach

We describe the general setting for the optical Aharonov-Bohm effect based on the inverse problem of the identification of the coefficients of the governing hyperbolic equation by the boundary measurements. We interpret the inverse problem result as a possibility in principle to detect the optical Aharonov-Bohm effect by the boundary measurements.Comment: 34 pages. Minor changes, references adde

Conceptual design of the beryllium rotating target for the ESS-Bilbao facility

The ESS-Bilbao facility, hosted by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), envisages the operation of a high-current proton accelerator delivering beams with energies up to 50 MeV. The time-averaged proton current will be 2.25 mA, delivered by 1.5 ms proton pulses with a repetition rate of 20 Hz. This beam will feed a neutron source based upon the Be (p,n) reaction, which will enable the provision of relevant neutron experimentation capabilities. The neutron source baseline concept consists in a rotating beryllium target cooled by water. The target structure will comprise a rotatable disk made of 6061-T6 aluminium alloy holding 20 beryllium plates. Heat dissipation from the target relies upon a distribution of coolant-flow channels. The practical implementation of such a concept is here described with emphasis put on the beryllium plates thermo-mechanical optimization, the chosen coolant distribution system as well as the mechanical behavior of the assembly