Deregulated expression of aurora kinases is not a prognostic biomarker in papillary thyroid cancer patients.

Abstract A number of reports indicated that Aurora-A or Aurora-B overexpression represented a negative prognostic factor in several human malignancies. In thyroid cancer tissues a deregulated expression of Aurora kinases has been also demonstrated, butno information regarding its possible prognostic role in differentiated thyroid cancer is available. Here, weevaluated Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA expression and its prognostic relevance in a series of 87 papillary thyroid cancers (PTC), with a median follow-up of 63 months. The analysis of Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA levels in PTC tissues, compared to normal matched tissues, revealed that their expression was either up-or down-regulatedin the majority of cancer tissues. In particular, Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNA levels were altered, respectively, in 55 (63.2%) and 79 (90.8%) out of the 87 PTC analyzed. A significant positive correlation between Aurora-A and Aurora-B mRNAswas observed (p=0.001). The expression of both Aurora genes was not affected by the BRAF(V600E) mutation. Univariate, multivariate and Kaplan-Mayer analyses documented the lack of association between Aurora-A or Aurora-B expression and clinicopathological parameterssuch as gender, age, tumor size, histology, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and BRAF status as well asdisease recurrences or disease-free interval. Only Aurora-B mRNA was significantly higher in T(3-4) tissues, with respect to T(1-2) PTC tissues. The data reported here demonstrate that the expression of Aurora kinases is deregulated in the majority of PTC tissues, likely contributing to PTC progression. However, differently from other human solid cancers, detection of Aurora-A or Aurora-B mRNAs is not a prognostic biomarker inPTC patients

Characterization of liposomes coated with S-layer proteins from lactobacilli

The stability of liposomes coated with S-layer proteins from Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus kefir was analyzed as a previous stage to the development of a vaccine vehicle for oral administration. The interactions of the different S-layer proteins with positively charged liposomes prepared with soybean lecithin or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine were studied by means of the variation of the Z potential at different protein-lipid ratios, showing that both proteins were able to attach in a greater extent to the surface of soybean lecithin liposomes. The capacity of these particles to retain carboxyfluorescein or calcein by exposure to bile salts, pancreatic extract, pH change and after a thermal shock showed that both S-layer proteins increased the stability of the liposomes in the same magnitude. The non-glycosylated protein from L. brevis protects more efficiently the liposomes at pH 7 than those from L. kefir even without treatment with glutaraldehyde.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Effect of bile on the lipid composition and surface properties of bifidobacteria

Aim: The changes produced on the bacterial surface of Bifidobacteria cells when they are grown in bile were compared with those provoked by bile added to bacteria grown in the absence of bile. Methods and Results: The adhesive properties, the zeta potential and the lipid composition of Bifidobacterial strains, isolated from human faeces and grown in MRS medium, were determined. Bacteria grown in MRS with bile showed a loss of adherence and autoaggregation in correlation with a decrease in the surface hydrophobicity in comparison to those grown in MRS without bile, concomitant with the absence of two glycolipids, the increase of sugar content and minor changes in fatty acid composition. The surface changes caused by bile shock on bacteria grown in bile-free medium were much less pronounced and, in addition, no effect on the lipid composition was apparent. Conclusions: The comparison of the results indicates that bile action on surface properties is related to metabolic changes. Significance and Impact of the Study: Long-term exposure of bacteria to bile may cause metabolic changes affecting their adhesive properties irreversibly. This may be taken as a criterion to define the probiotic properties of different strains.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

Effect of bile on the lipid composition and surface properties of bifidobacteria

Aim: The changes produced on the bacterial surface of Bifidobacteria cells when they are grown in bile were compared with those provoked by bile added to bacteria grown in the absence of bile. Methods and Results: The adhesive properties, the zeta potential and the lipid composition of Bifidobacterial strains, isolated from human faeces and grown in MRS medium, were determined. Bacteria grown in MRS with bile showed a loss of adherence and autoaggregation in correlation with a decrease in the surface hydrophobicity in comparison to those grown in MRS without bile, concomitant with the absence of two glycolipids, the increase of sugar content and minor changes in fatty acid composition. The surface changes caused by bile shock on bacteria grown in bile-free medium were much less pronounced and, in addition, no effect on the lipid composition was apparent. Conclusions: The comparison of the results indicates that bile action on surface properties is related to metabolic changes. Significance and Impact of the Study: Long-term exposure of bacteria to bile may cause metabolic changes affecting their adhesive properties irreversibly. This may be taken as a criterion to define the probiotic properties of different strains.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento

La actuación de las autoridades españolas frente a la crisis financiera

The direct impact of the financial crisis on the Spanish banking system has been small, thanks mainly to the existing securitization model in Spain, far from the so-called originate and distribute that generated most of the financial turmoil. However, the indirect impact of the crisis has been considerable, due to the fact that Spanish banks highly depended on external financing. In the following pages, we analyze the main measures taken by the Spanish authorities to face the crisis in the banking system, with particular attention to the restructuring of savings banks.El impacto directo de la crisis financiera sobre el sistema bancario español ha sido reducido, gracias básicamente al modelo de titulización existente en España, muy alejado del denominado originar para distribuir que ha generado la mayor parte de las turbulencias financieras. El impacto indirecto de la crisis ha sido en cambio considerable dada la elevada dependencia de la financiación exterior que presentaban las entidades bancarias españolas. En las páginas que siguen a continuación se analizan las principales medidas tomadas por las autoridades españolas para hacer frente a la crisis del sistema bancario, dedicando una atención especial al proceso de reestructuración de las cajas de ahorros.ABSTRACT The direct impact of the financial crisis on the Spanish banking system has been small, thanks mainly to the existing securitization model in Spain, far from the so-called originate and distribute that generated most of the financial turmoil. However, the indirect impact of the crisis has been considerable, due to the fact that Spanish banks highly depended on external financing. In the following pages, we analyze the main measures taken by the Spanish authorities to face the crisis in the banking system, with particular attention to the restructuring of savings banks. &nbsp

Trophic relationships among cephalopod species along the water column inferred from stomach contents and stable isotope analyses

It is well known that cephalopods play a key role in the marine food webs, either as voracious predators or important prey of a large set of predators. In this study we investigated the trophic relationships among cephalopod species taken along the water column by means of stomach content and stable isotope analyses. With the main aim of determining if there are fluxes of matter between nectobenthic and pelagic domains mediated by cephalopods, we analysed different aspects such as diet composition, niche breadth, diet overlap and day-night feeding rhythms from samplings conducted in the western Mediterranean. Samples were collected on the shelf (200 m depth, bathymetric stratum 1) and slope (600-900 m, bathymetric stratum 2) during summer and autumn surveys. At the shelf bathymetric stratum, sampling was carried out at: 1) near surface (SUR1) from 0-60 m; 2) in the benthic boundary layer (BBL1), less than 50 m above the bottom; and 3) on the bottom (BOT1). At the slope bathymetric stratum, sampling was performed at: 1) near surface (SUR2) from 0-80 m; 2) in the 400-600 m deep scattering layers (DSL); and 3) on the bottom (BOT2). For comparative purposes, a few hauls were also performed near the bottom in this stratum (BBL2). In all cases, SUR, BBL and DSL samplings were performed using a mid-water trawl, while the BOT samplings were obtained using a bottom trawl. The stomachs of all cephalopod individuals caught in these samplings were analyzed, with the only exception of a few cases where random samples were taken owing to the large amount of available material. Whenever possible, a sample of three individuals per species was collected for stable isotope analyses. A total of 1286 stomachs from 26 cephalopod species belonging to 12 Families were analyzed. Although the percentage of empty stomachs was slightly higher in autumn (48%) than in summer (41%), this pattern was not general for all species. Significant diet overlap (Schoener index>0.6) was only found for a reduced number of species (Abralia veranyi vs Histioteuthis reversa vs Sepietta oweniana; and Heteroteuthis dispar vs Rondeletiola minor). Levins’ standardized niche breadth was lowest for Loligo forbesi (0.022) and highest for Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (0.720); for all other species this index ranged from 0.118 to 0.639. In most species diet composition changed with season, and, in general, prey diversity was higher in summer than in autum

Weaving Concurrency in eXecutable Domain-Specific Modeling Languages

International audienceThe emergence of modern concurrent systems (e.g., Cyber-Physical Systems or the Internet of Things) and highly-parallel platforms (e.g., many-core, GPGPU pipelines, and distributed platforms) calls for Domain-Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs) where concurrency is of paramount importance. Such DSMLs are intended to propose constructs with rich concurrency semantics, which allow system designers to precisely define and analyze system behaviors. However , specifying and implementing the execution semantics of such DSMLs can be a difficult, costly and error-prone task. Most of the time the concurrency model remains implicit and ad-hoc, embedded in the underlying execution environment. The lack of an explicit concurrency model prevents: the precise definition, the variation and the complete understanding of the semantics of the DSML, the effective usage of concurrency-aware analysis techniques, and the exploitation of the concurrency model during the system refinement (e.g., during its allocation on a specific platform). In this paper, we introduce a concurrent executable metamodeling approach, which supports a modular definition of the execution semantics , including the concurrency model, the semantic rules, and a well-defined and expressive communication protocol between them. Our approach comes with a dedicated metalanguage to specify the communication protocol, and with an execution environment to simulate executable models. We illustrate and validate our approach with an implementation of fUML, and discuss the modularity and applicability of our approach

Face-to-Face and Tele-Consults: A Study of the Effects on Diagnostic Activity and Patient Demand in Primary Healthcare

Primary healthcare services have changed from face-to-face to tele-consults during the two COVID-19 years. We examined trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic years based on groups of professionals, patient ages, and the associations with the diagnostic registry. We analyzed proportions for both periods, and ratios of the type of consults in 2017-2019 and 2020-2021 were calculated. The COVID-19 period was examined using monthly linear time trends. The results showed that consults in 2020-2021 increased by 24%. General practitioners saw significant falls in face-to-face consults compared with 2017-2019 (ratio 0.44; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.45), but the increase was not proportional across age groups; patients aged 15-44 years had 45.8% more tele-consults, and those aged >74 years had 18.2% more. Trends in linear regression models of face-to-face consults with general practitioners and monthly diagnostic activity were positive, while the tele-consult trend was inverse to the trend of the diagnostic registry and face-to-face consults. Tele-consults did not resolve the increased demand for primary healthcare services caused by COVID-19. General practitioners, nurses and primary healthcare professionals require better-adapted tele-consult tools for an effective diagnostic registry to maintain equity of access and answer older patients' needs and priorities in primary healthcare

Eccentric binary black holes: Comparing numerical relativity and small mass-ratio perturbation theory

The modelling of unequal mass binary black hole systems is of high importance to detect and estimate parameters from these systems. Numerical relativity (NR) is well suited to study systems with comparable component masses, $m_1\sim m_2$, whereas small mass ratio (SMR) perturbation theory applies to binaries where $q=m_2/m_1<< 1$. This work investigates the applicability for NR and SMR as a function of mass ratio for eccentric non-spinning binary black holes. We produce $52$ NR simulations with mass ratios between $1:10$ and $1:1$ and initial eccentricities up to $0.7$. From these we extract quantities like gravitational wave energy and angular momentum fluxes and periastron advance, and assess their accuracy. To facilitate comparison, we develop tools to map between NR and SMR inspiral evolutions of eccentric binary black holes. We derive post-Newtonian accurate relations between different definitions of eccentricity. Based on these analyses, we introduce a new definition of eccentricity based on the (2,2)-mode of the gravitational radiation, which reduces to the Newtonian definition of eccentricity in the Newtonian limit. From the comparison between NR simulations and SMR results, we quantify the unknown next-to-leading order SMR contributions to the gravitational energy and angular momentum fluxes, and periastron advance. We show that in the comparable mass regime these contributions are subdominant and higher order SMR contributions are negligible

Long Range Magnetic Order and the Darwin Lagrangian

We simulate a finite system of $N$ confined electrons with inclusion of the Darwin magnetic interaction in two- and three-dimensions. The lowest energy states are located using the steepest descent quenching adapted for velocity dependent potentials. Below a critical density the ground state is a static Wigner lattice. For supercritical density the ground state has a non-zero kinetic energy. The critical density decreases with $N$ for exponential confinement but not for harmonic confinement. The lowest energy state also depends on the confinement and dimension: an antiferromagnetic cluster forms for harmonic confinement in two dimensions.Comment: 5 figure