Imatges i matemàtiques

Darrerament les càmeres fotogràfiques digitals s'han posat de moda, ara que els preus comencen a ser més assequibles s'estan convertint en un element de consum, el regal idoni en molts casos. Les càmeres tradicionals, les que utilitzen el típic rodet, també anomenades analògiques, estan trobant el seu lloc en els calaixos de les coses velles (excepte per als professionals del món de la fotografia). En aquesta col·laboració parlarem d'una forma molt elemental d'alguna matemàtica que hi ha dins d'una càmera digital

Taxane-induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity

Taxane-derived agents are chemotherapy drugs widely employed in cancer treatment. Among them, paclitaxel and docetaxel are most commonly administered, but newer formulations are being investigated. Taxane antineoplastic activity is mainly based on the ability of the drugs to promote microtubule assembly, leading to mitotic arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. Peripheral neurotoxicity is the major non-hematological adverse effect of taxane, often manifested as painful neuropathy experienced during treatment, and it is sometimes irreversible. Unfortunately, taxane-induced neurotoxicity is an uncertainty prior to the initiation of treatment. The present review aims to dissect current knowledge on real incidence, underlying pathophysiology, clinical features and predisposing factors related with the development of taxane-induced neuropathy

Sphingolipid metabolism products: potential new players in the pathogenesis of bortezomib-induced neuropathic pain

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is one of the major dose-limiting adverse events of widely used drugs in both the oncologic and hematologic setting (1). Among its cardinal symptoms, neuropathic pain is frequently present (2). In particular, the incidence of bortezomib-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (BIPN) and neuropathic pain ranges from 14–45% and 5–39%, respectively, in myeloma multiple patients. BIPN is more frequently developed in pretreated patients, compared to those being chemotherapy-naïve (3,4), and this difference mostly accounts for the wide variability in the observed incidence rates. Bortezomib is the first proteasome inhibitor introduced in clinical practice. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of peripheral neurotoxicity in bortezomib- treated patients are, yet, not fully elucidated (3,4)

Inconclusive evidence to support the use of minimally-invasive radiofrequency denervation against chronic low back pain

Low back pain (LBP), defined as the localized pain or discomfort between the costal margins and superior gluteal line, with or without associated lower limb pain, is one of the most commonly encountered pain syndromes in adults. It is considered chronic LBP (CLBP), when pain persists for more than three months (1). CLBP might be disabling with increased missing hours of productive work or of personal activities and it can also be associated with significant excess of healthcare costs (2). Commonly, CLBP also gives rise to the genesis or exacerbation of various psychiatric disorders, such as depression and/or anxiety (3)

Performance monitoring in lung cancer patients pre- and post-chemotherapy using fine-grained electrophysiological measures

No previous event-related potentials (ERPs) study has explored the error-related negativity (ERN) - an ERP component indexing performance monitoring - associated to cancer and chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in a lung cancer population. The aim of this study was to examine differences in performance monitoring in a small-cell lung cancer group (SCLC, C+) 1-month following chemotherapy and two control groups: a non-small cell lung cancer patient group (NSCLC, C-) prior to chemotherapy and a healthy control group (HC). Seventeen SCLC (C+) underwent a neuropsychological assessment and an ERP study using a flanker and a stop-signal paradigm. This group was compared to fifteen age-, gender-and education-matched NSCLC (C-) and eighteen HC. Between 20 and 30% of patients in both lung cancer groups (C+ and C-) met criteria for cognitive impairment. Concerning ERPs, lung cancer patients showed lower overall hit rate and a severe ERN amplitude reduction compared to HC. Lung cancer patients exhibited an abnormal pattern of performance monitoring thus suggesting that chemotherapy and especially cancer itself, may contribute to cognitive deterioration. ERN appeared as an objective laboratory tool sensitive to cognitive dysfunction in cancer population

Pointwise estimates for the Bergman kernel of the weighted Fock space

We prove upper pointwise estimates for the Bergman kernel of the weighted Fock space of entire functions in $L^2(e^{-2\phi})$ where $\phi$ is a subharmonic function with $\Delta \phi$ a doubling measure. We derive estimates for the canonical solution operator to the inhomogeneous Cauchy-Riemann equation and we characterize the compactness of this operator in terms of $\Delta \phi$

Structure, mechanical properties and nanocrystallization of (FeCoCrNi)-(B,Si) high-entropy metallic glasses

New high-entropy metallic glasses were produced by adding B and Si to the Fe25Co25Cr25Ni25 high entropy alloy. Extremely hard materials were obtained by inducing structural relaxation and nanocrystallization in the original amorphous metals. In this work we study the effects of the composition and annealing treatments on the structure and the mechanical properties. The changes in structure during heating treatments were determined by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and the mechanical behavior was studied by nanoindentation. The me- chanical properties of the as-quenched glasses were tuned through the annealing treatments, obtaining amor- phous/nanocrystalline composites appropriate for highly demanding, wear resistance applications. The relative amount of B and Si is shown to determine the main nanocrystalline phase, FCC or BCC, which has a key influence on the mechanical properties.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy is associated with neuronal senescence-like response

Altres ajuts: Departament de Salut, programa CERCA SLT008/18/00028Cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a frequent serious dose-dependent adverse event that can determine dosage limitations for cancer treatment. CIPN severity correlates with the amount of platinum detected in sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). However, the exact pathophysiology of CIPN is poorly understood, so the chance of developing neuroprotective treatment is reduced. The aim of this study was to determine the exact mechanisms involved in CIPN development. Methods: By single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq), we have studied the transcriptomic profile of DRG sensory neurons from a well-characterized neurophysiological mouse model of CIPN. Results :Gene Ontology analysis of the scRNAseq data indicated that cisplatin treatment induces the upregulation of biological pathways related to DNA damage response (DDR) in the DRG neuronal population. Moreover, DRG neurons also upregulated the Cdkn1a gene, confirmed later by the measurement of its protein product p21. While apoptosis activation pathways were not observed in DRG sensory neurons of cisplatin-treated mice, these neurons did express several senescence hallmarks, including senescence-associated β-galactosidase, phospho-H2AX, and nuclear factor kappa B (Nfkb)-p65 proteins. Conclusions:In this study, we determined that after cisplatin-induced DNA damage, p21 appears as the most relevant downstream factor of the DDR in DRG sensory neurons in vivo, which survive in a nonfunctional senescence-like state