Surfactant-Triggered Molecular Gate Tested on Different Mesoporous Silica Supports for Gastrointestinal Controlled Delivery

[EN] In recent decades, the versatility of mesoporous silica particles and their relevance to develop controlled release systems have been demonstrated. Within them, gated materials able to modulate payload delivery represent great advantages. However, the role played by the porous matrix in this kind of systems is scarce. In this work, different mesoporous silica materials (MCM-41, MCM-48, SBA-15 and UVM-7) are functionalized with oleic acid as a molecular gate. All systems are fully characterized and their ability to confine the entrapped cargo and release it in the presence of bile salts is validated with release assays and in vitro digestion experiments. The cargo release profile of each synthesized support is studied, paying attention to the inorganic scaffold. Obtained release profiles fit to Korsmeyer-Peppas model, which explains the differences among the studied supports. Based on the results, UVM-7 material was the most appropriate system for duodenal delivery and was tested in an in vivo model of the Wistar rat. Payload confinement and its complete release after gastric emptying is achieved, establishing the possible use of mesoporous silica particles as protection and direct release agents into the duodenum and, hence, demonstrating that these systems could serve as an alternative to the administration methods employed until now.This research was funded by the Spanish Government (projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018-101599-B-C22-AR (MCUI/FEDER, EU)) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEO/2018/024 and ACIF/2016/023 grant).Poyatos-Racionero, E.; González-Álvarez, I.; González-Álvarez, M.; Martínez-Máñez, R.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; Bernardos Bau, A.; Aznar, E. (2020). Surfactant-Triggered Molecular Gate Tested on Different Mesoporous Silica Supports for Gastrointestinal Controlled Delivery. 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TiN-Ag as an antimicrobial and wear resistant coating

Nosocomial infections are a major clinical concern, posing great risks for patients and rising costs for health services providers. This work aims at developing a hard, wear resistant coating, whose antimicrobial properties shall prevent the transmission of infections. TiN coatings deposited by Physical Vapour Deposition, PVD, with different Ag contents have been studied, especially in relation to the hardness and adhesion, their microstructure and morphology. The antimicrobial activity of the surfaces has been assessed against Staphylococcus epidermidis at different time frames, one of the most troublesome source of infections in trauma and orthopaedic surgeries. The electro-tribology properties of different silver contest have been studied. Finally, the coatings have been deposited on surgical acetabular reamers and wear resistance tests have been carried out against synthetic composite bone (simulating cortical and cancellous bone). Results have shown a good coating adhesion on stainless steel (both quantitatively in the scratch tests and qualitatively in the tests against synthetic composite bone), while the hardness decreased with higher Ag percentages. Furthermore, coatings exhibited antimicrobial activity against S.epidermidis, limited silver release, a remarkable wear resistance (vs. uncoated surgical acetabular reamers), while the electrical contact resistance provided valuable information about the evolution of friction and the status of the coating. Therefore TiN-Ag coatings present promising features for reducing the risk of infections, monitoring and extending cutting edge life and quality, and thus limiting damage to living tissues, e.g. necrosis.This work was supported by the Economic Development Agency of the Basque Government under the following grants: Elkartek program, project Frontiers-V ref. KK-2019/00077 and BACTERICOAT project N. EXPT IG-2006/0000465, IT-2007/0000623, IT-2008/0000488

Reading prosody in Spanish dyslexics

Reading becomes expressive when word and text reading are quick, accurate and automatic. Recent studies have reported that skilled readers use greater pitch changes and fewer irrelevant pauses than poor readers. Given that developmental dyslexics have difficulty acquiring and automating the alphabetic code and developing orthographic representations of words, it is possible that their use of prosody when reading differs from that of typical readers. The goal of this study was to investigate whether the reading prosody of Spanish-speaking dyslexics differs from that of typical Spanish readers. Two experiments were performed. The first experiment involved 36 children (18 with dyslexia), and the second involved 46 adults (23 with dyslexia). Participants were asked to read aloud a text which included declarative, exclamatory and interrogative sentences. Data on pausing and reading rate (number of pauses, duration of pauses and utterances), pitch changes, intensity changes and syllable lengthening were extracted from the recordings. We found that dyslexic people read more slowly than typical readers and they also made more inappropriate and longer pauses, even as adults with considerable reading experience. We also observed that dyslexics differed from skilled readers in their use of some prosodic features, particularly pitch changes at the end of sentences. This is probably because they have trouble anticipating some structural features of prose, such as sentence ends.Proyecto de Investigación del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad: PSI2012-31913 Programa Severo Ochoa (FICYT): BP14-03

Vermicompostaje del bagazo de uva: fuente de enmienda orgánica de alta calidad agrícola y de polifenoles bioactivos

El bagazo de uva es un residuo vitivinícola generado en grandes cantidades en regiones como Galicia (España). Posee unas concentraciones polifenólicas elevadas que inhiben el crecimiento de raíces y plantas y son un riesgo para su aplicación como enmienda orgánica en agricultura sin un proceso de tratamiento previo. Pero los polifenoles son también compuestos bioactivos naturales, y por su carácter antioxidante y demás propiedades asociadas son sustancias a considerar en la obtención de ingredientes para la industria cosmética, farmacéutica o alimentaria. En este experimento se realizó un proceso de vermicompostaje del bagazo de uva de la variedad Albariño y se estudiaron los principales cambios físicos, biológicos y químicos (particularmente, polifenólicos) que se producen durante su degradación. Tras 42 días de vermicompostaje, las semillas aisladas presentaban todavía unas concentraciones de polifenoles importantes y de elevado interés industrial. En cuanto al bagazo vermicompostado las concentraciones polifenólicas disminuyeron rápidamente hasta el final del proceso (día 112) y se obtuvo un vermicompost final maduro, estable y de calidad para su uso como enmienda orgánica en campos de cultivoGrape marc is a winery waste generated in large quantities in regions such as Galicia (Spain). It has high polyphenol concentrations that inhibit the growth of roots and plants and that could become a risk in using it as organic amendment in agriculture without pretreatment process. Polyphenols are natural bioactive compounds that for their antioxidant properties and other associated properties are important substances considered in obtaining ingredients for cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food industry. In this experiment we performed a vermicomposting process with grape marc from the Albariño variety. The main physical, biological and chemical changes (particularly, polyphenolics) during the degradation process have been studied. After 42 days of vermicomposting, the isolated seeds still have high concentrations of polyphenols with important industrial interest. The polyphenolic content of the vermicomposted grape marc was decreasing rapidly until the end of the process (day 112); and a mature, stable and high quality vermicompost was obtained for use as organic fertilizer on cropsS

Problem Based Learning (PBL) and E-learning in geodetic engineering, cartography and surveying education in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) frame. A case study in the University of Leon (Spain): experiences and results

The concepts and strategies defined in the Bologna Process to develop a European Higher Education Area, involve a change in the educative programs, wich have to be adapted to innovative teaching and learning processes based on achieving specific knowledge according to the professional field of work. Thus, the method has to be focused in the learning process and not in the teaching process. Probelm Based Learning emphasises learning activities which are student-centred,interdisciplinary, autehentic, collaborative and foster higher order thinkin

Accesibilidad horizontal: conocer y conservar el patrimonio, cómo conjugar un derecho con una necesidad

Históricamente, las personas han tratado de adaptar el entorno a sus necesidades. Hoy en día, el diseñar adecuadamente un entorno implica tener en cuenta a todos los usuarios. Por ello, la accesibilidad ha pasado a ser una característica básica a tener en cuenta desde el inicio de cualquier proyecto, lo que introduce la cuestión de cómo intervenir el patrimonio histórico para hacerlo accesible, es decir, cómo plantear la intervención en monumentos, jardines históricos, hallazgos arqueológicos, etc., teniendo en cuenta que todas las personas tenemos derecho a acceder al patrimonio como una parte fundamental de nuestra propia cultura. A pesar de ello, muchos de los bienes patrimoniales presentan barreras importantes de acceso. Además, la posibilidad de actuación sobre estos bienes es limitada debido a las necesidades de conservación de los mismos como parte fundamental de la cultura. Combinar los conceptos de patrimonio y accesibilidad puede parecer contradictorio, debido a que el primero busca intervenciones mínimas mientras que el segundo requiere de intervenciones que eliminen las barreras de acceso con el fin de conseguir una accesibilidad integral. El reto radica en facilitar el acceso a los contenidos de los bienes patrimoniales por toda la población. Para ello, es necesario el desarrollo de metodología específica para hacer accesible el patrimonio y que tenga en cuenta sus características especiales y sus necesidades de conservación. Actualmente, el proyecto “PATRAC Patrimonio Accesible: I+D+i para una cultura sin barreras” (proyecto liderado por GEOCISA y LABEIN en el que participa el IBV con otros 22 socios) ha desarrollado esta metodología incluyendo un análisis de la diversidad funcional de la población española, un análisis de las barreras existentes en el patrimonio español, un análisis de los productos de apoyo que pueden facilitar la accesibilidad al patrimonio y, al mismo tiempo, se está abordando el desarrollo de productos específicos que permitan el acceso a la cultura de todos. Con el objetivo de desarrollar los productos y sistemas necesarios para garantizar un acceso seguro y confortable al monumento, de forma no discriminatoria, para todos los ciudadanos, y de forma compatible con el bien cultural y reversible, tanto en las fases de conservación, como en la de “explotación” del patrimonio existente. En este contexto el IBV está desarrollando junto con AZTECA y ACCIONA soluciones específicas para la accesibilidad horizontal consistentes en estructuras ligeras con pavimentos cerámicos que permitan la inclusión de elementos que aporten información y orientación sobre el bien patrimonial y con un impacto reducido. Este sistema mejoraría la accesibilidad a la vez que permitiría distinguir la intervención con respecto del original. Para la construcción de un pavimento cerámico sobre-elevado accesible se deben considerar los aspectos que deben satisfacer los pavimentos en cuanto a su seguridad, su accesibilidad, y las cargas asociadas al uso. Además, el producto resultante habrá de tener en cuenta los requisitos emocionales y funcionales de los usuarios. Este desarrollo se espera que tenga un gran impacto debido a que de esta forma se conseguirá el acceso al patrimonio de visitantes que hasta ahora han tenido grandes dificultades, permitiendo que disfruten del derecho de acceder a los bienes patrimoniales y teniendo también en cuenta las necesidades de conservación del bien patrimonial.Historically, people have tried to adapt the environment to their needs. Today to design adequately an environment it is required to keep on mind all the potential users. Therefore, accessibility has become a basic condition to consider from the very beginning of the any architectural project. So, access to heritage is a right for all the people as a fundamental part of its own culture, which poses the issue: how to intervene in built heritage to make it accessible, which includes monuments, historic gardens and archaeological sites without excessive disturbance. There are important barriers in many heritage sites. Besides, the possibilities for intervention in the heritage are limited due to the needs of conservation as an important part of the culture. The novelty to combine the concepts of heritage and accessibility at first may seem antithetical, because the first looks to preserve existing assets while the second tends to remove whatever is possible to achieve integral accessibility. The thread connecting both ideas is the usability of the property by the entire population. To do so, it is very important to have tools and methodologies to make accessible the heritage and to take into account their special characteristics and needs. Currently, the project "PATRAC Accessible Heritage: R & D for a culture without barriers" (project led by GEOCISA LABEIN and in which the IBV with 22 other partners) has developed a methodology including an analysis of the functional diversity of Spanish population, an analysis of existing barriers in the Spanish heritage, an analysis of the product support that can facilitate access to heritage and at the same time, it is addressing the development of specific products that enable access to heritage for all the people. The goal is to develop products and systems that ensure a safe and comfortable access to the heritage for all citizens, in a reversible way which ensures the compatibility with the cultural assets, in phases of conservation and exploitation of existing buildings. In this context, an example of how to improve horizontal access is the creation of specific floors, which are being developed by AZTECA, ACCIONA and IBV. The idea is to use an in-ground-present irregularities elevated walkways composite tile digitally printed with the original pavement and the proper signals. Such a system improves the accessibility of the path and at the same time allow distinguish the intervention from the original. For the construction of a ceramic surface on high-accessible areas, requirements regarding safety, accessibility and use loads of the pavement should be took in account. Moreover, the resulting product will have to take into account emotional and functional requirements of users. The impact is very high by the novelty of the topic of the project. The devices to be generated will enable to carry out visits without any difficulty for the part of users who today have the biggest problems for access to the property because of their condition. And it will take in account the conservation needs of the heritage as well.Peer Reviewe

Intervención psicoterapéutica grupal intensiva realizada en un entorno natural para el tratamiento del burnout en un equipo de enfermería oncológica

This pilot study aims to test the influence of a group psychotherapeutic intervention on stress and burnout in an oncology nursing team. The psychological intervention consisted of implementing a package for stress inoculation, mainly using cognitive-behavioral techniques. The intervention is carried out intensively, through the coexistence of the group for three days in an accommodation located in a natural mountain environment. We used a quasi-experimental design of two groups (experimental and control) with pre and post-treatment measures. The experimental group was composed of nine members of the nursing team that received the psychological treatment and the control group was composed of eleven professionals from other teams of oncology nursing. The dependent variables considered were, on one hand anxiety and depression (evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and, on the other hand, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal fulfilment (evaluated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory). The experimental group improved significantly in anxiety (Z = -2.44, P = 0.015, d = 0.71), personal fulfilment (Z =-2.54, P= 0.011, d=-1.29) and emotional exhaustion (Z=-2.08; p=0.037; d=0.94) one month post -treatment. In the pre-treatment, The experimental group showed burnout levels higher than the control group, particularly with regard to the lack of personal personal fulfilment (U=14, P = 0.006, d = -1.61), mainly regarding the lack of personal fulfillment (U=14; p=0.006; d=-1.61). in fact the experimental group had requested psychological intervention. In fact, the experimental group had requested psychological intervention. After the therapeutic experience, the values of the dependent variables were equal in both groups. One year after the intervention, the treated group is still having a significant positive effect on the personal fulfilment (Z=-2.24; p=0.025; d=-1.15) and on the depersonalization (Z=-2.23; p=0.026; d=0.52). We conclude that an intensive program of group cognitive behavioral therapy in a natural setting outside the hospital can be an effective strategy of burnout treatment in oncology nurses.Este estudio piloto tiene como objetivo valorar la influencia que tiene la intervención psicoterapéutica grupal sobre el estrés y el burnout en un equipo de enfermería oncológica. La intervención psicológica consistió en la aplicación de un paquete para la inoculación al estrés, utilizando principalmente técnicas cognitivo-conductuales, llevándose a cabo de forma intensiva, a través de la convivencia del grupo durante tres días en un alojamiento situado en un entorno natural de montaña. Utilizamos un diseño cuasi-experimental de dos grupos (experimental y control) con medidas pre y post-tratamiento. El grupo experimental estaba compuesto por los nueve miembros del equipo de enfermería que recibió el tratamiento psicológico y el grupo control estuvo compuesto por once profesionales de otros equipos de enfermería oncológica. Las variables dependientes consideradas fueron, de un lado, ansiedad y depresión (evaluadas con la Escala Hospitalaria de Ansiedad y Depresión) y, de otro lado, cansancio emocional, despersonalización y realización personal (evaluadas con el Maslach Burnout Inventory). Los resultados muestran que transcurrido un mes de la intervención psicoterapéutica grupal, en el grupo de tratamiento se había producido una mejoría significativa de la ansiedad (Z=-2,44; p=0,015; d=0,71) y de la realización personal (Z=-2,54; p=0,011; d=-1,29), igualmente se produjo en este período un gran efecto positivo sobre el cansancio emocional (Z=-2,08; p=0,037; d=0,94). En el pre-tratamiento el grupo experimental manifestaba mayores signos de desgaste profesional que el grupo control, principalmente en lo referido a la falta de realización personal (U=14; p= 0,006; d=-1,61), de hecho había demandado la intervención psicológica. Tras la experiencia terapéutica se produjo una equiparación en los valores de las variables dependientes consideradas entre los grupos, respecto a la situación pre-tratamiento. Al año de la intervención, en el grupo tratado sigue habiendo un efecto positivo importante sobre la realización personal (Z=-2,24; p=0,025; d=-1,15) y sobre la despersonalización (Z=-2,23; p=0,026; d=0,52). Concluimos que el tratamiento cognitivo-conductual grupal, intensivo realizado en un medio natural, ajeno al hospital, puede tener notables ventajas para el tratamiento del desgaste profesional en personal de enfermería oncológica

Performance and feasibility of biotrickling filtration in the control of styrene industrial air emissions

The performance and feasibility of a pilot unit of biotrickling filter (BTF) for the treatment of industrial emissions polluted by styrene was investigated for one year at a fiber reinforced plastic industrial site. The pilot unit was packed with a structured material with a volume of 0.6 m3. Monitoring results have shown successful treatment of the industrial styrene emissions working at empty bed residence times (EBRT) between 31 and 66 s. The best performance was obtained after 300 days when a more stable biofilm had been developed, obtaining the highest elimination capacity of 18.8 g m−3 h−1 (removal efficiency of 75.6%) working at 31 s of EBRT. In addition, a photocatalytic reactor was evaluated as pretreatment of the biological process, but results have shown very low capacity for improving the BTF performance due to catalyst deactivation. The economic feasibility of the BTF was evaluated. The total direct cost, excluding capital recovery, of the biotrickling filter technology was estimated in 0.71 year−1 per Nm3 h−1 of treated air whereas 2.27 year−1 per Nm3 h−1 was obtained for the regenerative catalytic oxidizer equipped with a zeolite pre-concentrator. Results show that this technology is economically and environmentally competitive in comparison with thermal treatment

Total serum IgD from healthy and sick dogs with leishmaniosis

This study was supported by Spanish ministry grants, Ministerio de Economía y competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, EU) (AGL2012‑32498 and AGL2015‑68477).Background: Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is characterized by the development of both cellular and humoral immune responses. The dysfunction of T cell-mediated immunity leads to a lack of proliferation of T cells in response to Leishmania antigens with the consequence of parasite dissemination that seems to be related to a T cell exhaustion mediated by regulatory B cells expressing immunoglobulin D (IgD). The aim of this study was to determine and compare the total serum IgD in dogs with clinical leishmaniosis and in clinically healthy dogs. Results: A total of 147 dog sera were studied. All dogs were tested for L. infantum-specific antibodies by quantitative ELISA. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production was also determined by sandwich ELISA after blood stimulation with L. infantum soluble antigen (LSA) or concanavalin A (ConA). The quantification of total IgD was performed using a human IgD sandwich ELISA quantification set. Dogs were classified in three different groups. Group 1 included 40 clinically healthy non-infected dogs, all serologically negative to L. infantum-specific antibodies and non-producers of IFN-γ upon LSA stimulation. Group 2 included 63 clinically healthy infected dogs that were LSA IFN-γ producers (n = 61) and/or IFN-γ non-producers (n = 2) as well as negative to medium seropositive to L. infantum antigen. Finally, Group 3 included 44 dogs with clinical leishmaniosis (IFN-γ producers, n = 23; and IFN-γ non-producers, n = 21) that were negative to highly positive to L. infantum-specific antibodies. No significant differences were observed when the total IgD concentration was compared within groups. Additionally, total IgD of sick IFN-γ producers and IFN-γ non-producers was not significantly different. Finally, total IgD concentration was not statistically related to demographic parameters such as age, sex and breed. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that there were no differences between groups in total serum IgD. Total serum IgD does not appear to be a marker of disease in CanL