Organización ecológica de un gremio de saurios en las dunas de arena de Viesca, Coahuila, México

El sistema de dunas de Viesca, Coahuila, se localiza en la parte suroeste del Estado y alberga a tres especies de saurios simpátricos: Uta stejnegeri, Uma exsul (especie endémica que actualmente se encuentra en peligro de extinción) y Aspidoscelis marmorata. Se determinó la organización ecológica de este gremio de saurios con base en los recursos tiempo, microhábitat, profundidad de la arena y temperatura de la arena. Esta información contribuirá a definir las condiciones necesarias para la sobrevivencia de estas tres especies en estas dunas y dará la pauta de las propiedades del hábitat que debe tener el área que se delimite para su conservación. Los objetivos fueron determinar la amplitud de nicho temporal, de microhábitat, de profundidad de la arena y de temperatura de la arena en las tres especies de saurios de forma estacional, calcular el traslape en cada nicho y estimar si existe selección por parte de cada especie dentro de cada recurso. El trabajo de campo se llevó a cabo en primavera (mayo), verano (agosto) y otoño (noviembre) del 2002 al 2004 durante siete días en cada estación. Se establecieron dos transectos contiguos en el área de Saucillo, Coah., cada uno de 100 x 500 m. En el primero de ellos se estudió la organización temporal de los saurios (ciclos de actividad) a cada hora del día. En el segundo se obtuvieron datos de organización espacial (microhábitat y profundidad de la arena) y térmica (temperatura de la arena) una vez al día. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, este gremio de saurios utiliza de forma diferente los cuatro recursos analizados. Además, se observó una asociación estrecha entre cada especie de saurio y alguno de los recursos considerados en este estudio: U. stejnegeri con la planta perenne Suaeda nigrescens (que le proporciona beneficios para su sobrevivencia como refugio térmico y físico, alimentación y sitios potenciales de anidación), U. exsul con la profundidad de la arena suelta (al poseer adaptaciones morfológicas y etológicas especializadas para desarrollar sus actividades en este sustrato) y A. marmorata con la temperatura del sustrato y el tiempo (para llevar a cabo el forrajeo activo característico de esta especie debe alcanzar y mantener una temperatura corporal elevada que obtiene del medio). La selección diferencial de recursos basada en los requerimientos naturales propios de estas tres especies de saurios ha fomentado la disminución de su competencia interespecífica elevando la segregación ecológica en este ecosistema, lo cual ha promovido la coexistencia de los integrantes de este gremio. Las asociaciones descritas en este estudio proporcionan información importante para el desarrollo de un futuro programa de manejo y conservación de este ecosistema de dunas de arena donde se beneficie a la especie endémica y en peligro de extinción U. exsul, así como a las especies que cohabitan con ella en este lugar. Abstract The dune system of Viesca, Coahuila, is located in the southwestern part of the state and here occur three species of sympatric lizards: Uta stejnegeri, Uma exsul (endemic and in danger of extinction) and Aspidoscelis marmorata. The ecological organization of this guild was determined in this study. Resources like time, microhabitat, loose sand depth, and sand’s temperature were considered. This information will contribute to define the survivorship conditions of these three species in these dunes, and will set the standard of the habitat properties that must have the area that settles down for conservation. The objectives were to determine seasonally the temporal, microhabitat, loose sand depth and sand’s temperature niche breadths, niche overlaps and significant selection within each resource for each species. Fieldwork was carried out in spring (May), summer (August) and fall (November) from 2002 to 2004 during seven days in each season. Two contiguous transects were randomly located (each one 100 x 500 m.) near Saucillo, Coah. Lizard’s temporal organization (activity cycles) were studied hourly all day in the first transect. In the second transect, data of spatial (microhabitat and loose sand depth) and thermal (sand’s temperature) organization were obtained once a day. This lizard’s guild uses in a different form the four analyzed resources. It was observed a narrow association between each lizard’s species and one of the resources considered in this study: Uta stejnegeri with the perennial plant Suaeda nigrescens (that provide benefits for its survivorship like thermal and physical refuge, feeding, and potential nesting sites), U. exsul with the loose sand depth (having morphologic and ethological specialized adaptations to develop its activities in this substrate), and A. marmorata with the sand’s temperature and time (to carry out its characteristic foraging mode, it must reach and maintain a high body temperature which obtains from the environment). This differential resource selection, tied to each species’ niche requirements, has led to a decrease in interspecific competition which maintains coexistence of this sand lizard guild. Associations described here could help to develop a future conservation and management program for these sand dunes where the endemic lizard U. exsul and other species remain protected

An HPV 16 L1-based chimeric human papilloma virus-like particles containing a string of epitopes produced in plants is able to elicit humoral and cytotoxic T-cell activity in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Even though two prophylactic vaccines against HPV are currently licensed, infections by the virus continue to be a major health problem mainly in developing countries. The cost of the vaccines limits wide-scale application in poor countries. A promising strategy for producing affordable and efficient vaccines involves the expression of recombinant immunogens in plants. Several HPV genes have been expressed in plants, including L1, which can self-assemble into virus-like particles. A plant-based, dual prophylactic/therapeutic vaccine remains an attractive possibility.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We sought to express in tomato plants chimeric HPV 16 VLPs containing L1 fused to a string of epitopes from HPV 16 E6 and E7 proteins. The L1 employed had been modified to eliminate a strong inhibitory region at the 5' end of the molecule to increase expression levels. Several tomato lines were obtained expressing either L1 alone or L1-E6/E7 from 0.05% to 0.1% of total soluble protein. Stable integration of the transgenes was verified by Southern blot. Northern and western blot revealed successful expression of the transgenes at the mRNA and protein level. The chimeric VLPs were able to assemble adequately in tomato cells. Intraperitoneal administration in mice was able to elicit both neutralizing antibodies against the viral particle and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes activity against the epitopes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this work, we report for the first time the expression in plants of a chimeric particle containing the HPV 16 L1 sequence and a string of T-cell epitopes from HPV 16 E6 and E7 fused to the C-terminus. The particles were able to induce a significant antibody and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes response. Experiments <it>in vivo </it>are in progress to determine whether the chimeric particles are able to induce regression of disease and resolution of viral infection in mice. Chimeric particles of the type described in this work may potentially be the basis for developing prophylactic/therapeutic vaccines. The fact that they are produced in plants, may lower production costs considerably.</p

Combined Immune Defect in B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders Is Associated with Severe Infection and Cancer Progression

This research received no external funding. K.G.-H is supported by The European Social Fund (ESF) through a Río Ortega Grant for Health Research Projects by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) (CM20/00098).B cell chronic lymphoproliferative diseases (B-CLPD) are associated with secondary antibody deficiency and other innate and adaptive immune defects, whose impact on infectious risk has not been systematically addressed. We performed an immunological analysis of a cohort of 83 B-CLPD patients with recurrent and/or severe infections to ascertain the clinical relevance of the immune deficiency expression. B-cell defects were present in all patients. Patients with combined immune defect had a 3.69-fold higher risk for severe infection (p = 0.001) than those with predominantly antibody defect. Interestingly, by Kaplan–Meier analysis, combined immune defect showed an earlier progression of cancer with a hazard ratio of 3.21, than predominantly antibody defect (p = 0.005). When B-CLPD were classified in low-degree, high-degree, and plasma cell dyscrasias, risk of severe disease and cancer progression significantly diverged in combined immune defect, compared with predominantly antibody defect (p = 0.001). Remarkably, an underlying primary immunodeficiency (PID) was suspected in 12 patients (14%), due to prior history of infections, autoimmune and granulomatous conditions, atypical or variegated course and compatible biological data. This first proposed SID classification might have relevant clinical implications, in terms of predicting severe infections and cancer progression, and might be applied to different B-CLPD entities.Depto. de Inmunología, Oftalmología y ORLFac. de MedicinaTRUEpu

"Escape Seminar": Escápate del seminario

Las "escape room" son juegos de equipo para "escapar" de una sala o una sala virtual. Esta sala está llena de desafíos que se deben superar para ganar (escapar) dentro de un límite de tiempo determinado. Debido a que la enseñanza tradicional está causando problemas en torno a la motivación y el compromiso, y muchos estudiantes la perciben como ineficaz y aburrida, el uso de juegos educativos es muy prometedor porque son una herramienta de enseñanza para mejorar las habilidades no cognitivas, como la resolución de problemas y la colaboración. y comunicación. Los juegos tienen un notable poder motivador debido al uso de una serie de mecanismos que alientan a las personas a participar en ellos, a menudo sin ninguna recompensa, solo por la satisfacción de jugar y la posibilidad de ganar. En el curso 2019-2020, hemos desarrollado actividades basadas en el concepto de la "escape room" en las asignaturas: "Ciencia y Análisis de agua y bebidas" del Grado en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos, "Química Analítica I" y "Físico-Química Farmacéutica" del Grado de Farmacia y “Química” del Grado en Óptica y Optometría de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Para el desarrollo del proyecto, todas las características y el progreso de las diferentes fases del seminario de la "escape room" se informaron en el primer día de clase y a través de la plataforma del Campus Virtual. Los estudiantes se agruparon (5-7 personas / grupo) y nombraron un portavoz que fue responsable de responder los retos de la actividad. Al final de esta acción, los estudiantes respondieron voluntariamente a las encuestas Likert para evaluar sus implicaciones y su percepción sobre su aprendizaje, trabajo en equipo y si les gustó la actividad propuesta

MiR-7 controls cholesterol biosynthesis through posttranscriptional regulation of DHCR24 expression

Dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis is associated with several pathologies including cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key post-transcriptional regulators of cholesterol metabolism. We previously established the role of miR-7 in regulating insulin resistance and amyloidosis, which represents a common pathological feature between type 2 diabetes and AD. We show here an additional metabolic function of miR-7 in cholesterol biosynthesis. We found that miR-7 blocks the last steps of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in vitro by targeting relevant genes including DHCR24 and SC5D posttranscriptionally. Intracranial infusion of miR-7 on an adeno-associated viral vector reduced the expression of DHCR24 in the brain of wild-type mice, supporting in vivo miR-7 targeting. We also found that cholesterol regulates endogenous levels of miR-7 in vitro, correlating with transcriptional regulation through SREBP2 binding to its promoter region. In parallel to SREBP2 inhibition, the levels of miR-7 and hnRNPK (the host gene of miR-7) were concomitantly reduced in brain in a mouse model of Niemann Pick type C1 disease and in murine fatty liver, which are both characterized by intracellular cholesterol accumulation. Taken together, the results establish a novel regulatory feedback loop by which miR-7 modulates cholesterol homeostasis at the posttranscriptional level, an effect that could be exploited for therapeutic interventions against prevalent human diseases.This work was supported by the “Talento Program” from the Madrid Government, Spain (2017-T1/BMD-5333 and 2021-5A/BMD-20964), (RTI2018-095061-B-I00) and (PID2021-128264OB-I00) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe” by the European Union (to CMR); Consejería de Educación e Investigación from the Madrid Government, Spain: “Convocatoria de ayudas para la contratación de ayudantes de investigación” (PEJ-2018-AI/BMD-9724) (to CMR and MT-P); “Convocatoria de ayudas para la contratación de investigadores postdoctorales” (PEDJ-2018-POST/BDM-8900) (to CMR and AP-G) and “Convocatoria de ayudas para la contratación de investigadores predoctorales” (PEJD-2019-PRE/BMD-14499) (to CMR and YM-M) from the Madrid Government, Spain; (RTI2018-098113-B-I00) (to RB and DGC) and (PID2021-122766OB-I00) (to AMV) and (PID2020-112830RB-I00) (to MD-L) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe” by the European Union; (PI18/01152 and PI21/01173) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, (ISCIII) (to OP); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERdem), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (research contract of P-R) and 2021-5A/BMD-20964 (research contract of VP-M). We thank the Quantification and Molecular Characterization Unit and the Lipid and Lipoprotein Unit (IRYCIS) for support

Impact of Biological Agents on Postsurgical Complications in Inflammatory Bowel Disease : A Multicentre Study of Geteccu

Background: The impact of biologics on the risk of postoperative complications (PC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still an ongoing debate. This lack of evidence is more relevant for ustekinumab and vedolizumab. Aims: To evaluate the impact of biologics on the risk of PC. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in 37 centres. Patients treated with biologics within 12 weeks before surgery were considered "exposed". The impact of the exposure on the risk of 30-day PC and the risk of infections was assessed by logistic regression and propensity score-matched analysis. Results: A total of 1535 surgeries were performed on 1370 patients. Of them, 711 surgeries were conducted in the exposed cohort (584 anti-TNF, 58 vedolizumab and 69 ustekinumab). In the multivariate analysis, male gender (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2-2.0), urgent surgery (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2-2.2), laparotomy approach (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9) and severe anaemia (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.6) had higher risk of PC, while academic hospitals had significantly lower risk. Exposure to biologics (either anti-TNF, vedolizumab or ustekinumab) did not increase the risk of PC (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.97-1.58), although it could be a risk factor for postoperative infections (OR 1.5; 95% CI: 1.03-2.27). Conclusions: Preoperative administration of biologics does not seem to be a risk factor for overall PC, although it may be so for postoperative infections

Hydroxychloroquine is associated with a lower risk of polyautoimmunity: data from the RELESSER Registry

Objectives. This article estimates the frequency of polyautoimmunity and associated factors in a large retrospective cohort of patients with SLE. Methods. RELESSER (Spanish Society of Rheumatology Lupus Registry) is a nationwide multicentre, hospital-based registry of SLE patients. This is a cross-sectional study. The main variable was polyautoimmunity, which was defined as the co-occurrence of SLE and another autoimmune disease, such as autoimmune thyroiditis, RA, scleroderma, inflammatory myopathy and MCTD. We also recorded the presence of multiple autoimmune syndrome, secondary SS, secondary APS and a family history of autoimmune disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate possible risk factors for polyautoimmunity. Results. Of the 3679 patients who fulfilled the criteria for SLE, 502 (13.6%) had polyautoimmunity. The most frequent types were autoimmune thyroiditis (7.9%), other systemic autoimmune diseases (6.2%), secondary SS (14.1%) and secondary APS (13.7%). Multiple autoimmune syndrome accounted for 10.2% of all cases of polyautoimmunity. A family history was recorded in 11.8%. According to the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with polyautoimmunity were female sex [odds ratio (95% CI), 1.72 (1.07, 2.72)], RP [1.63 (1.29, 2.05)], interstitial lung disease [3.35 (1.84, 6.01)], Jaccoud arthropathy [1.92 (1.40, 2.63)], anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB autoantibodies [2.03 (1.55, 2.67)], anti-RNP antibodies [1.48 (1.16, 1.90)], MTX [1.67 (1.26, 2.18)] and antimalarial drugs [0.50 (0.38, 0.67)]. Conclusion. Patients with SLE frequently present polyautoimmunity. We observed clinical and analytical characteristics associated with polyautoimmunity. Our finding that antimalarial drugs protected against polyautoimmunity should be verified in future studies

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Asistencia virtual para apoyo de profesores en nuestra página web

El desarrollo de la inteligencia artificial ofrece metodologías innovadoras. El asistente virtual puede resultar de gran utilidad para un contacto y formación permanente, y es una realidad en creciente expansión en el ámbito empresarial. Este proyecto de innovación se apoya en cuestiones de desarrollo tecnológico de nuestra realidad social, cada vez más inmersa en un mundo de ciencia, tecnología e ingeniería, que se va extendiendo rápidamente al resto de disciplinas científicas. El principal objetivo del proyecto es incorporar de forma beneficiosa la tecnología y utilizarla al servicio del aprendizaje. En un entorno de aprendizaje que requiere capacidad de juicio y de pensamiento crítico para la de toma de decisiones, es importante hacer partícipes a los profesores en la búsqueda de sus necesidades no resueltas y la adopción de posibles soluciones, utilizando la tecnología más moderna. Además, también en una sociedad que avanza a una velocidad imparable en el ámbito digital, facilitar el acceso a información de forma global, beneficia no sólo a los alumnos, sino también a los profesores, y aporta valor añadido a la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Tras la experiencia del confinamiento en la etapa Covid19 y el teletrabajo la asistencia virtual es una necesidad. La originalidad del Proyecto estriba precisamente en el planteamiento de la incorporación de la asistencia virtual e inteligencia artificial para la asistencia y apoyo a los profesores. En el ámbito europeo es cada vez mayor la preocupación por el uso y aplicaciones de la tecnología. Por ello, en primer lugar, es importante detectar las necesidades reales de los profesores, las lagunas de información y las dificultades para encontrarla, habilitando encuestas y grupos de trabajo, y profundizar sobre las cuestiones de interés a juicio de todos los implicados