Estudio de los sueros ricos en factores de crecimiento y de su efecto sobre células de epitelio corneal

Objetivos: Estudiar cómo afecta a la concentración de determinados factores de crecimiento presentes en los sueros la filtración (utilizado como método de esterilización) y el tratamiento por calor (utilizado para la inactivación del complemento). Además de estudiar el efecto de un bioadhesivo (ácido hialurónico, HaNa), aplicado solo o conjuntamente con el suero rico en factores de crecimiento (s-PRGF), sobre la capacidad de las células de epitelio corneal (HCE) para proliferar y migrar. Materiales y métodos: Se midió mediante kits ELISA comerciales la concentración en las diferentes condiciones de filtración y calentamiento de las siguientes biomoléculas EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor), PDGF (Platelet-derived Growth Factor) y la Fibronectina. Teniendo en cuenta el papel de la proliferación y migración celular en los procesos de cicatrización se han realizado dos ensayos diferentes in vitro: un ensayo MTT para estudiar la viabilidad y la proliferación celular y el método de la herida (Scratch wound-healing assay) para determinar la capacidad migratoria de células bajo ciertos tratamientos: BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) al 1% como control, FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum) al 10%, s-PRGF al 45%, s-PRGF al 45% con HaNa 0,1% y HaNa al 0,1% Resultados: En el caso de la filtración, se observa una mayor pérdida de factores utilizando un filtro con una membrana de PVDF (Durapore®) para todos los factores estudiados. El calentamiento produce una reducción de la concentración superior al 50% en el caso del HGF y EGF, manteniéndose constante en el caso del VEGF.La mezcla de diferentes muestras con el complemento inactivado para formar un pool no presenta cambios en la concentración al compararlo con la media de las muestras utilizadas. Por tanto, la utilización de un pool del hemoderivado no supone perdida de factores de crecimiento, haciendo de ello un procedimiento perfectamente aceptable para los ensayos celulares. El tratamiento con s-PRGF y el combinado con el bioadhesivo promueven la proliferación y migración de las células de epitelio corneal humano(HCE) in vitro de manera similar, no encontrándose diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambos. Conclusiones: La adicción del bioadhesivo no produce efecto tóxico en las células, sin embargo, no se han encontrado efectos beneficiosos en cuanto a proliferación y migración se refiere. A este respecto, creemos que hay que dar un paso más haciendo comprobaciones in vivo, ya que, a diferencia de la experimentación in vitro los componentes de los hemoderivados no están indefinidamente en contacto con las células sino por un espacio de tiempo muy reducido. Por ello, la concentración de factores de crecimiento en la aplicación in vivo es especialmente importante, y no sería conveniente reducirla mediante procedimientos físicos como la filtración o el calentamiento.

Prices and the Real Exchange Rate in Hong Kong: 1985-2006

This paper has been presented at the XIII Encuentros de Economía Aplicada, Sevilla, Spain, 2010.

Role of Monoubiquitylation on the Control of IκBα Degradation and NF-κB Activity

9 p.

Benchmarking en responsabilidad social corporativa. El caso de las empresas gallegas

[ES] En el presente trabajo se realiza una revisión del concepto de responsabilidad social. Posteriormente se analizan las posibilidades y problemas de la utilización del benchmarking en RSE haciendo un análisis de las últimas investigaciones que desarrollaron algún método de benchmarking. A partir de ese análisis se propone un indicador homogéneo que evalúa 68 aspectos relacionados con los diferentes stakeholders implicados en RSE. También se recoge información sobre la importancia otorgada por las empresas encuestadas a estos aspectos.

Uncovering Ecosystem Service Bundles through Social Preferences

11 p.

A Passage to India: from novel to film. Some problems of "translation"

Eguíluz, Federico; Merino, Raquel; Olsen, Vickie; Pajares, Eterio; Santamaría, José Miguel (eds.)

USP1 deubiquitinase: cellular functions, regulatory mechanisms and emerging potential as target in cancer therapy

12 p.

Resveratrol Metabolites Modify Adipokine Expression and Secretion in 3T3-L1 Pre-Adipocytes and Mature Adipocytes

Objective: Due to the low bioavailability of resveratrol, determining whether its metabolites exert any beneficial effect is an interesting issue. Methods: 3T3-L1 maturing pre-adipocytes were treated during differentiation with 25 mu M of resveratrol or with its metabolites and 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes were treated for 24 hours with 10 mM resveratrol or its metabolites. The gene expression of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and apelin was assessed by Real Time RT-PCR and their concentration in the incubation medium was quantified by ELISA. Results: Resveratrol reduced mRNA levels of leptin and increased those of adiponectin. It induced the same changes in leptin secretion. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide and trans-resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide increased apelin and visfatin mRNA levels. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulfate reduced leptin mRNA levels and increased those of apelin and visfatin. Conclusions: The present study shows for the first time that resveratrol metabolites have a regulatory effect on adipokine expression and secretion. Since resveratrol has been reported to reduce body-fat accumulation and to improve insulin sensitivity, and considering that these effects are mediated in part by changes in the analyzed adipokines, it may be proposed that resveratrol metabolites play a part in these beneficial effects of resveratrol.

Inoculation of Triatoma Virus (Dicistroviridae: Cripavirus) elicits a non-infective immune response in mice

Background: Dicistroviridae is a new family of small, non-enveloped, +ssRNA viruses pathogenic to both beneficial arthropods and insect pests. Little is known about the dicistrovirus replication mechanism or gene function, and any knowledge on these subjects comes mainly from comparisons with mammalian viruses from the Picornaviridae family. Due to its peculiar genome organization and characteristics of the per os viral transmission route, dicistroviruses make good candidates for use as biopesticides. Triatoma virus (TrV) is a pathogen of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), one of the main vectors of the human trypanosomiasis disease called Chagas disease. TrV was postulated as a potential control agent against Chagas' vectors. Although there is no evidence that TrV nor other dicistroviruses replicate in species outside the Insecta class, the innocuousness of these viruses in humans and animals needs to be ascertained. Methods: In this study, RT-PCR and ELISA were used to detect the infectivity of this virus in Mus musculus BALB/c mice. Results: In this study we have observed that there is no significant difference in the ratio IgG2a/IgG1 in sera from animals inoculated with TrV when compared with non-inoculated animals or mice inoculated only with non-infective TrV protein capsids. Conclusions: We conclude that, under our experimental conditions, TrV is unable to replicate inmice. This study constitutes the first test to evaluate the infectivity of a dicistrovirus in a vertebrate animal model.

Analysis of SUMOylated proteins using SUMO-traps

6 p. [+ 7 p. Supplementary Information]

Celiac disease in the Mediterranean area

Background: The World Gastroenterology Organization recommends developing national guidelines for the diagnosis of Celiac Disease (CD): hence a profile of the diagnosis of CD in each country is required. We aim to describe a cross-sectional picture of the clinical features and diagnostic facilities in 16 countries of the Mediterranean basin. Since a new ESPGHAN diagnostic protocol was recently published, our secondary aim is to estimate how many cases in the same area could be identified without a small intestinal biopsy. Methods: By a stratified cross-sectional retrospective study design, we examined clinical, histological and laboratory data from 749 consecutive unselected CD children diagnosed by national referral centers. Results: The vast majority of cases were diagnosed before the age of 10 (median: 5 years), affected by diarrhea, weight loss and food refusal, as expected. Only 59 cases (7.8%) did not suffer of major complaints. Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) assay was available, but one-third of centers reported financial constraints in the regular purchase of the assay kits. 252 cases (33.6%) showed tTG values over 10 times the local normal limit. Endomysial antibodies and HLA typing were routinely available in only half of the centers. CD was mainly diagnosed from small intestinal biopsy, available in all centers. Based on these data, only 154/749 cases (20.5%) would have qualified for a diagnosis of CD without a small intestinal biopsy, according to the new ESPGHAN protocol. Conclusions: This cross-sectional study of CD in the Mediterranean referral centers offers a puzzling picture of the capacities to deal with the emerging epidemic of CD in the area, giving a substantive support to the World Gastroenterology Organization guidelines.

Diagnosis of invasive candidiasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the N-terminal fragment of Candida albicans hyphal wall protein I

Background: The diagnosis of invasive candidiasis is difficult because there are no specific clinical manifestations of the disease and colonization and infection are difficult to distinguish. In the last decade, much effort has been made to develop reliable tests for rapid diagnosis of invasive candidiasis, but none of them have found widespread clinical use. Results: Antibodies against a recombinant N-terminal fragment of the Candida albicans germ tube-specific antigen hyphal wall protein 1 (Hwp1) generated in Escherichia coli were detected by both immunoblotting and ELISA tests in a group of 36 hematological or Intensive Care Unit patients with invasive candidiasis and in a group of 45 control patients at high risk for the mycosis who did not have clinical or microbiological data to document invasive candidiasis. Results were compared with an immunofluorescence test to detect antibodies to C. albicans germ tubes (CAGT). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a diagnostic test based on the detection of antibodies against the N-terminal fragment of Hwp1 by immunoblotting were 27.8 %, 95.6 %, 83.3 % and 62.3 %, respectively. Detection of antibodies to the N-terminal fragment of Hwp1 by ELISA increased the sensitivity (88.9 %) and the negative predictive value (90.2 %) but slightly decreased the specificity (82.6 %) and positive predictive values (80 %). The kinetics of antibody response to the N-terminal fragment of Hwp1 by ELISA was very similar to that observed by detecting antibodies to CAGT. Conclusion: An ELISA test to detect antibodies against a recombinant N-terminal fragment of the C. albicans germ tube cell wall antigen Hwp1 allows the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis with similar results to those obtained by detecting antibodies to CAGT but without the need of treating the sera to adsorb the antibodies against the cell wall surface of the blastospore.

Violencia en el deporte en edad escolar en la Comunidad Aut??noma del Pa??s Vasco

El presente trabajo informa sobre qu?? es la violencia en el deporte y analiza el proyecto que realiz?? el Comit?? Vasco Contra la Violencia en el deporte en edad escolar en la Comunidad Aut??noma del Pa??s Vasco en el que finalmente se proponen unas ??reas de mejora.

IPCC WGII Fifth Assessment Report (AR5): Expanding the solution space for adaptation

6 p.

Quinto informe de evaluación (AR5) del GT-II del IPPC: aumentando el espacio de las soluciones para la adaptación

6 p.