Fibrosis glútea: ¿esencial o secundaria?

Constatamos la rara frecuencia de esta afección presentando 5 observaciones de Fibrosis Glútea recogidas en tres casos clínicos estudiados. Dos son bilaterales y uno afecta a un solo glúteo. Habiéndose invocado, por los autores consultados, etiologías diversas, actualmente sigue siendo desconocida. Creemos de interés resaltar que los casos presentados se trataron en las etapas finales de crecimiento, mientras que los referidos en la literatura consultada todos han recibido tratamiento quirúrgico en edad temprana. El tratamiento es de resultado satisfactorio, independientemente de la edad y de la técnica quirúrgica empleada.Three patients affected with gluteal fibrosis are colected by the authors. Two cases had bilateral presentation and one patient was unilateral. According to the literature, the aetiology continue to be unknow. All patients were treated at the end of growthing period, while all cases collected in the literature were treated early. The results have been satisfactory without relation to age or the surgical procedure employed

Application of Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Aerosol Phase Extraction to the Analysis of Total and Individual Phenolic Compounds in Fried Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Seventeen extra virgin olive oil samples from Valencian Community (Spain) were submitted to a domestic-frying process (180 °C) during different degradation times (5, 10, 30, 60, 120 min). A dispersive liquid–liquid aerosol phase extraction by using a methanol/water (50:50) extracting solution was used to isolate the polyphenol fraction. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined, whereas the determination of seven individual target polyphenolic compounds (hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and vanillin) was carried out by using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Statistically significant differences in the TPC values were found for Blanqueta and Manzanilla samples from different harvesting years. The domestic-frying process impacted the TPC and the individual phenolic compounds content. Thermal treatment for 2 h gave rise to a 94% decrease in the TPC. A first-order kinetic model was suitable to accurately describe the degradation of the individual phenolic compounds.The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities for the financial support (project ref. PID2021-127566NB-I00)

Compromised Photosynthetic Electron Flow and H2O2 Generation Correlate with Genotype-Specific Stomatal Dysfunctions during Resistance against Powdery Mildew in Oats

Stomatal dysfunction known as "locking" has been linked to the elicitation of a hypersensitive response (HR) following attack of fungal pathogens in cereals. We here assess how spatial and temporal patterns of different resistance mechanisms, such as HR and penetration resistance influence stomatal and photosynthetic parameters in oat (Avena sativa) and the possible involvement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the dysfunctions observed. Four oat cultivars with differential resistance responses (i.e., penetration resistance, early and late HR) to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. avenae, Bga) were used. Results demonstrated that stomatal dysfunctions were genotype but not response-type dependent since genotypes with similar resistance responses when assessed histologically showed very different locking patterns. Maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II were compromised in most Bga-oat interactions and photoinhibition increased. However, the extent of the photosynthetic alterations was not directly related to the extent of HR. H2O2 generation is triggered during the execution of resistance responses and can influence stomatal function. Artificially increasing H2O2 by exposing plants to increased light intensity further reduced Fv/Fm ratios and augmented the patterns of stomatal dysfunctions previously observed. The latter results suggest that the observed dysfunctions and hence a cost of resistance may be linked with oxidative stress occurring during defense induced photosynthetic disruption

Disposition of d-penicillamine, a promising drug for preventing alcohol-relapse. Influence of dose, chronic alcohol consumption and age: studies in rats

Pharmacokinetic studies concerning D-penicillamine (an acetaldehyde sequestering agent) are scarce and have not evaluated the influence of chronic ethanol consumption and age on its disposition. Since recent preclinical studies propose D-penicillamine as a promising treatment for alcohol relapse, the main aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of these two factors on D-penicillamine disposition in order to guide future clinical studies on the anti-relapse efficacy of this drug in alcoholism. Additionally, the effect of the administered dose was also evaluated. To this end, three studies were carried out. Study 1 assessed the influence of dose on D-penicillamine disposition, whereas studies 2 and 3 evaluated, respectively, the influence of chronic alcohol consumption and age. Rapid intravenous administrations of 2, 10 and 30 mg/kg of D-penicillamine were performed using young or adult ethanol-naïve rats or adult ethanol-experienced (subjected to a long-term ethanol self-administration protocol) rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived from the biexponential model. Statistical analysis of CL, normalized AUC0 ∞, V1 and k10 revealed that disposition, in the range plasma concentrations assayed, is non-linear both in young ethanol-naïve and in adult ethanol-experienced rats. Notably, no significant changes in t1/2 were detected. Chronic ethanol consumption significantly reduced CL values by 35% without affecting t1/2. D-Penicillamine disposition was equivalent in young and adult animals. In conclusion, although DP pharmacokinetics is non-linear, the lack of significant alterations of the t1/2 would potentially simplify the clinical use of this drug. Chronic consumption of ethanol also alters D-penicillamine disposition but, again, does not modify t1/2. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer ReviewMedicin

Experimental study of a real-time and highly sensitive fiber-optic porous silicon temperature sensing probe

[EN] We report the development of a temperature sensing probe created as a result of the combination of an optical fiber and a porous silicon microcavity (PSMC). After determining the physical parameters of the PSMC to achieve the required porous sensing structure, it was fabricated by electrochemically etching a silicon wafer. A 1-mm(2) PSMC piece was attached to the tip of an optical fiber so that temperature variations can be monitored in real-time exactly on that point. First, the performance of the PSMC sensor probe was characterized in a stable environment as water, obtaining a sensitivity around 110 pm/degrees C and a resolution in the 10-4 degrees C range. Afterward, the temperature transmission dynamics in air environment were studied.This work was supported by the European Commission under Project H2020-644242 SAPHELY, in part by the Spanish Government under Project TEC2013-49987-EXP BIOGATE and Project TEC2015-63838-C3-1-R OPTONANOSENS, and in part by the Generalitat Valenciana under the Doctoral Scholarship under Grant GRISOLIAP/2014/109.Caroselli, R.; Martín-Sánchez, D.; Ponce-Alcántara, S.; Prats-Quílez, F.; Torrijos-Morán, L.; García-Rupérez, J. (2018). Experimental study of a real-time and highly sensitive fiber-optic porous silicon temperature sensing probe. IEEE Sensors Journal. 18:5361-5367. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2018.2824349S536153671

Deciphering Main Climate and Edaphic Components Driving Oat Adaptation to Mediterranean Environments

Oat, Avena sativa, is an important crop traditionally grown in cool-temperate regions. However, its cultivated area in the Mediterranean rim steadily increased during the last 20 years due to its good adaptation to a wide range of soils. Nevertheless, under Mediterranean cultivation conditions, oats have to face high temperatures and drought episodes that reduce its yield as compared with northern regions. Therefore, oat crop needs to be improved for adaptation to Mediterranean environments. In this work, we investigated the influence of climatic and edaphic variables on a collection of 709 Mediterranean landraces and cultivars growing under Mediterranean conditions. We performed genotype–environment interaction analysis using heritability-adjusted genotype plus genotype–environment biplot analyses to determine the best performing accessions. Further, their local adaptation to different environmental variables and the partial contribution of climate and edaphic factors to the different agronomic traits was determined through canonical correspondence, redundancy analysis, and variation partitioning. Here, we show that northern bred elite cultivars were not among the best performing accessions in Mediterranean environments, with several landraces outyielding these. While all the best performing cultivars had early flowering, this was not the case for all the best performing landraces, which showed different patterns of adaption to Mediterranean agroclimatic conditions. Thus, higher yielding landraces showed adaptation to moderate to low levels of rain during pre- and postflowering periods and moderate to high temperature and radiation during post-flowering period. This analysis also highlights landraces adapted to more extreme environmental conditions. The study allowed the selection of oat genotypes adapted to different climate and edaphic factors, reducing undesired effect of environmental variables on agronomic traits and highlights the usefulness of variation partitioning for selecting genotypes adapted to specific climate and edaphic conditionsThis work was supported by the grant PID2019-104518RBI00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. FC and LMG-S are holder of a FPI fellowship (BES-2014-071044) and (BES-2017-080152), respectively, from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. GM-B is holder of a Junta de Andalucia grant for Doctors [DOC_00394]. We thank CRF and USDA for supplying the seed

Real-Time and In-Flow Sensing Using a High Sensitivity Porous Silicon Microcavity-Based Sensor

[EN] Porous silicon seems to be an appropriate material platform for the development of high-sensitivity and low-cost optical sensors, as their porous nature increases the interaction with the target substances, and their fabrication process is very simple and inexpensive. In this paper, we present the experimental development of a porous silicon microcavity sensor and its use for real-time in-flow sensing application. A high-sensitivity configuration was designed and then fabricated, by electrochemically etching a silicon wafer. Refractive index sensing experiments were realized by flowing several dilutions with decreasing refractive indices, and measuring the spectral shift in real-time. The porous silicon microcavity sensor showed a very linear response over a wide refractive index range, with a sensitivity around 1000 nm/refractive index unit (RIU), which allowed us to directly detect refractive index variations in the 10(-7) RIU range.Funding from Spanish government through grants TEC2015-63838-C3-1-R (MINECO/FEDER, UE) and TEC2013-49987-EXP BIOGATE, from the European Commission through the project H2020-644242 SAPHELY is acknowledged. Raffaele Caroselli also acknowledges the Generalitat Valenciana for funding his grant through the Doctoral Scholarship GRISOLIAP/2014/109.Caroselli, R.; Martín-Sánchez, D.; Ponce-Alcántara, S.; Prats-Quílez, F.; Torrijos-Morán, L.; García-Rupérez, J. (2017). Real-Time and In-Flow Sensing Using a High Sensitivity Porous Silicon Microcavity-Based Sensor. Sensors. 17(12):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17122813S112171

Disposition of d-penicillamine, a promising drug for preventing alcohol-relapse. Influence of dose, chronic alcohol consumption and age: studies in rats

Pharmacokinetic studies concerning d-penicillamine (an acetaldehyde sequestering agent) are scarce and have not evaluated the influence of chronic ethanol consumption and age on its disposition. Since recent preclinical studies propose d-penicillamine as a promising treatment for alcohol relapse, the main aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of these two factors on d-penicillamine disposition in order to guide future clinical studies on the anti-relapse efficacy of this drug in alcoholism. Additionally, the effect of the administered dose was also evaluated. To this end, three studies were carried out. Study 1 assessed the influence of dose on d-penicillamine disposition, whereas studies 2 and 3 evaluated, respectively, the influence of chronic alcohol consumption and age. Rapid intravenous administrations of 2, 10 and 30 mg/kg of d-penicillamine were performed using young or adult ethanol-naïve rats or adult ethanol-experienced (subjected to a long-term ethanol self-administration protocol) rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived from the biexponential model. Statistical analysis of CL, normalized AUC0∞, V1 and k10 revealed that disposition, in the range plasma concentrations assayed, is non-linear both in young ethanol-naïve and in adult ethanol-experienced rats. Notably, no significant changes in t1/2 were detected. Chronic ethanol consumption significantly reduced CL values by 35% without affecting t1/2. d-Penicillamine disposition was equivalent in young and adult animals. In conclusion, although DP pharmacokinetics is non-linear, the lack of significant alterations of the t1/2 would potentially simplify the clinical use of this drug. Chronic consumption of ethanol also alters d-penicillamine disposition but, again, does not modify t1/2

Aerosol-Phase Extraction Method for Determination of Ca, K, Mg, and Na in Biodiesel through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry

A novel extraction method was developed, optimized, and validated for the elemental analysis of organic samples. The method, called aerosol-phase extraction (APE), is based on nebulization of the extracting aqueous solution (0.1 mol·L–1 nitric acid) on the sample. Extraction was performed at the interface of generated extractant droplets as they entered into contact with the samples. Afterward, the phases were allowed to separate and Ca, K, Na, and Mg were determined in aqueous phase by means of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Measurement of aerosol characteristics demonstrated that a water-in-oil emulsion was generated. Therefore, once the aqueous solution was dispersed into the sample, the phases spontaneously separated. Furthermore, the interfacial specific surface area exhibited values on the order of 1 m2·mL–1, hence enhancing the extraction kinetics over conventional extraction methods. Key variables affecting the extraction yield were the nebulization gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, extraction time, acid concentration, nebulizer tip to sample surface gap, and morg/maq ratio. Once the optimal conditions were selected, the method was applied and validated for the determination of Ca, K, Na, and Mg by ICP-OES in 0.5 mL biodiesel samples with an expanded uncertainty lower than 2%. With the APE method, the extraction time was around 1 min, whereas conventional methods employed to perform this kind of extraction required from 4 to 50 min. Additionally, the APE involved preconcentration of analytes, thus lowering the limit of detection (LOD) to the nanograms per milliliter level (i.e., LODs based on the 3sb criterion were 32, 20, 19, and 24 ng·mL–1 for Ca, K, Na, and Mg, respectively). Furthermore, accuracy of quantification of Ca, K, Na, and Mg concentration by APE was not significantly different as compared to that afforded by conventional liquid–liquid extraction. Finally, Ca, K, Na, and Mg contents were determined in four real samples in the 0.5–13 mg·kg–1 range. The obtained results were not statistically different from those encountered with a microwave-based digestion method

A metabolomic study in oats (Avena sativa) highlights a drought tolerance mechanism based upon salicylate signalling pathways and the modulation of carbon, antioxidant and photo-oxidative metabolism

Although a wealth of information is available on the induction of one or several drought-related responses in different species, little is known of how their timing, modulation and crucially integration influence drought tolerance. Based upon metabolomic changes in oat (Avena sativa L.), we have defined key processes involved in drought tolerance. During a time course of increasing water deficit, metabolites from leaf samples were profiled using direct infusion–electrospray mass spectroscopy (DI-ESI-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) ESI-MS/MS and analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA). The involvement of metabolite pathways was confirmed through targeted assays of key metabolites and physiological experiments. We demonstrate an early accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) influencing stomatal opening, photorespiration and antioxidant defences before any change in the relative water content. These changes are likely to maintain plant water status, with any photoinhibitory effect being counteracted by an efficient antioxidant capacity, thereby representing an integrated mechanism of drought tolerance in oats. We also discuss these changes in relation to those engaged at later points, consequence of the different water status in susceptible and resistant genotypes.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2010-15936/AGR and AGL2013-48687-R) and FPU fellowship to J.S.M. through the AGR-253 group and the European Regional and Social Development Funds.Peer Reviewe