Filled-Gap Effects in Sentence Processing: different accounts compared

Article / Letter to edito

A HEV-restricted sulfotransferase is expressed in rheumatoid arthritis synovium and is induced by lymphotoxin-alpha/beta and TNF-alpha in cultured endothelial cells.

BackgroundThe recruitment of lymphocytes to secondary lymphoid organs relies on interactions of circulating cells with high endothelial venules (HEV). HEV are exclusive to these organs under physiological conditions, but they can develop in chronically-inflamed tissues. The interaction of L-selectin on lymphocytes with sulfated glycoprotein ligands on HEV results in lymphocyte rolling, which represents the initial step in lymphocyte homing. HEV expression of GlcNAc6ST-2 (also known as HEC-GlcNAc6ST, GST-3, LSST or CHST4), an HEV-restricted sulfotransferase, is essential for the elaboration of L-selectin functional ligands as well as a critical epitope recognized by MECA-79 mAb.ResultsWe examined the expression of GlcNAc6ST-2 in relationship to the MECA-79 epitope in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial vessels. Expression of GlcNAc6ST-2 was specific to RA synovial tissues as compared to osteoarthritis synovial tissues and localized to endothelial cells of HEV-like vessels and small flat-walled vessels. Double MECA-79 and GlcNAc6ST-2 staining showed colocalization of the MECA-79 epitope and GlcNAc6ST-2. We further found that both TNF-alpha and lymphotoxin-alphabeta induced GlcNAc6ST-2 mRNA and protein in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.ConclusionThese observations demonstrate that GlcNAc6ST-2 is induced in RA vessels and provide potential cytokine pathways for its induction. GlcNAc6ST-2 is a novel marker of activated vessels within RA ectopic lymphoid aggregates. This enzyme represents a potential therapeutic target for RA

On the origin of islands

Article / Letter to editorLeiden Univ Centre for Linguistic

The District Energy-Efficient Retrofitting of Torrelago (Laguna de Duero – Spain)

The urban growth is estimated to reach up the 66 % by 2050 and consequently the need of resources within the cities will increase significantly. This, combined with the 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO2 emissions of the building sector, makes necessary to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable cities. The CITyFiED project contributes to this transition, aiming to develop an innovative and holistic methodological approach for energy-efficient district renovation and deliver three large scale demonstration cases in the cities of Lund (Sweden), Laguna de Duero (Spain) and Soma (Turkey). CITyFiED methodology consists of several phases that ease the decision-making tasks towards the district renovation, considering the energy efficiency as the main pillar and local authorities as clients. For the case of Torrelago district (Spain) the intervention consists of a set of energy conservative measures including the facąde retrofitting of 143.025 m2 of living space in 31 twelve-storey buildings; the renovation of the district heating network with a new biomass thermal plant; the integration of renewable energy sources, including a micro-cogeneration system, and the installation of individual smart meters. After the renovation action, one-year monitoring campaign is ongoing. The CITyFiED monitoring platform will collect information from the energy systems and deliver environmental, technical, economic and social key performance indicators by March 2019. At the end of the project the achievement of the predefined goals will be verified: Up to 36 % of energy saving and 3,429 tons-CO2/yr emissions saving covering the 59,4 % of the energy consumption with renewable sources.The research and results presented in this paper evolve from activities related to the CITyFiED project, which has received funding from the European Commission under the Grant Agreement no. 609129. This article is the result of cooperative research work of many experts from various countries and we would like to gratefully acknowledge the rest of the CITyFiED partners

Reconstrucción del ligamento cruzado anterior en pacientes mayores de 40 años

Aim. Assess the results of the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in patients over 40 years after a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Material and Methods. Retrospective review of 37 patients undergoing surgery for ACL reconstruction between 2002-2013, over 40 years with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. 25 patients were available for clinical review, which consisted of physical examination, radiographic and arthrometric KT-1000 studies, functional tests and subjective assessment of the knee through surveys (International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Tegner and Lysholm-Tegner). Results. At follow-up, at least 2 of the 3 knee instability maneuvers (Pivot-shift, Lachman, Anterior drawer test) were positive in 6 of 25 patients (24%). The difference of antero-posterior laxity compared with the healthy knee using KT-1000 arthrometer to 89N was greater than 3mm in 5 patients (20%). None had a greater difference of 5mm. Only 6 patients recovered their previous level of activity, according to the Tegner test. However, the average score on the Lysholm test was 81,40 ± 19,56 points, with good or excellent results in 15 patients (60%). IKDC test results were less conspicuous, with good or excellent results in 7 patients (28%). Conclusions. The results after ACL reconstruction in patients older than 40 years old are good, with a high degree of satisfaction and are comparable to those in younger patients. Although return to previous activity level is less than in younger groups, age should not be a limiting to indicate an ACL reconstruction factor in an unstable knee

Social networks research for sustainable smart education

Social networks research has grown exponentially over the past decade. Subsequent empirical and conceptual advances have been transposed in the field of education. As the debate on delivering better education for all gains momentum, the big question is how to integrate advances in social networks research, corresponding advances in information and communication technology (ICT) and effectively employ them in the domain of education. To address this question, this paper proposes a conceptual framework (maturity model) that integrates social network research, the debate on technology-enhanced learning (TEL) and the emerging concept of smart education