Calidad de vida y cáncer de próstata: un programa progresivo de fuerza-resistencia = Quality of life and prostate cancer: a progressive resistance strength program

This article presents the design and implementation of a progressive resistance strength program adapted to prostate cancer. The initial model corresponds to the guide of the American College Sports Medicine Position Stand (ACSM, 2009). This program includes the most habitual symptoms related to the illness and its treatments. The study design is quasi-experimental. The sample is 33 subjects in treatment phase. Study variables are tumour classification TNM, anthropometric measures, resistance strength, hypertension, fatigue, incontinence, pain and quality of life. After 24 weeks a significant improvement on resistance strength capacity is observed. This result is more consistent in lower extremities. Also improves hypertension, urinary incontinence, pain and quality of life. As conclusion, the improvement of the quality of life is mediated by the functional and physical capacity of the ill person

Resistance to reform: Reconsidering the role of individual-specific uncertainty

Individual-specific uncertainty may increase the chances of reform beingenacted and sustained. Reform may be more likely to be enacted because amajority of agents might end up losing little from reform and a minoritygaining a lot. Under certainty, reform would therefore be rejected, butit may be enacted with uncertainty because those who end up losing believethat they might be among the winners. Reform may be more likely to besustained because, in a realistic setting, reform will increase theincentives of agents to move into those economic activities that benefit.Agents who respond to these incentives will vote to sustain reform infuture elections, even if they would have rejected reform under certainty.These points are made using the trade-model of Fernandez and Rodrik (AER,1991).

A reusable smart interface for gas sensor resistance measurement

The advances of the semiconductor industry enable microelectromechanical systems sensors, signal conditioning logic and network access to be integrated into a smart sensor node. In this framework, a mixed-mode interface circuit for monolithically integrated gas sensor arrays was developed with high-level design techniques. This interface system includes analog electronics for inspection of up to four sensor arrays and digital logic for smart control and data communication. Although different design methodologies were used in the conception of the complete circuit, high-level synthesis tools and methodologies were crucial in speeding up the whole design cycle, enhancing reusability for future applications and producing a flexible and robust component.

Antibiotic resistance genes in the bacteriophage DNA fraction of environmental samples

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing global problem resulting from the pressure of antibiotic usage, greater mobility of the population, and industrialization. Many antibiotic resistance genes are believed to have originated in microorganisms in the environment, and to have been transferred to other bacteria through mobile genetic elements. Among others, ß-lactam antibiotics show clinical efficacy and low toxicity, and they are thus widely used as antimicrobials. Resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics is conferred by ß-lactamase genes and penicillin-binding proteins, which are chromosomal- or plasmid-encoded, although there is little information available on the contribution of other mobile genetic elements, such as phages. This study is focused on three genes that confer resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics, namely two ß-lactamase genes (blaTEM and blaCTX-M9) and one encoding a penicillin-binding protein (mecA) in bacteriophage DNA isolated from environmental water samples. The three genes were quantified in the DNA isolated from bacteriophages collected from 30 urban sewage and river water samples, using quantitative PCR amplification. All three genes were detected in the DNA of phages from all the samples tested, in some cases reaching 104 gene copies (GC) of blaTEM or 102 GC of blaCTX-M and mecA. These values are consistent with the amount of fecal pollution in the sample, except for mecA, which showed a higher number of copies in river water samples than in urban sewage. The bla genes from phage DNA were transferred by electroporation to sensitive host bacteria, which became resistant to ampicillin. blaTEM and blaCTX were detected in the DNA of the resistant clones after transfection. This study indicates that phages are reservoirs of resistance genes in the environment.

Enhanced Botrytis cinerea resistance of Arabidopsis plants grown in compost may be explained by increased expression of defense-related genes, as revealed by microarray analysis

Composts are the products obtained after the aerobic degradation of different types of organic matter waste and can be used as substrates or substrate/soil amendments for plant cultivation. There is a small but increasing number of reports that suggest that foliar diseases may be reduced when using compost, rather than standard substrates, as growing medium. The purpose of this study was to examine the gene expression alteration produced by the compost to gain knowledge of the mechanisms involved in compost-induced systemic resistance. A compost from olive marc and olive tree leaves was able to induce resistance against Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis, unlike the standard substrate, perlite. Microarray analyses revealed that 178 genes were differently expressed, with a fold change cut-off of 1, of which 155 were up-regulated and 23 were down-regulated in compost-grown, as against perlite-grown plants. A functional enrichment study of up-regulated genes revealed that 38 Gene Ontology terms were significantly enriched. Response to stress, biotic stimulus, other organism, bacterium, fungus, chemical and abiotic stimulus, SA and ABA stimulus, oxidative stress, water, temperature and cold were significantly enriched, as were immune and defense responses, systemic acquired resistance, secondary metabolic process and oxireductase activity. Interestingly, PR1 expression, which was equally enhanced by growing the plants in compost and by B. cinerea inoculation, was further boosted in compost-grown pathogen-inoculated plants. Compost triggered a plant response that shares similarities with both systemic acquired resistance and ABA-dependent/independent abiotic stress responses.

Entrenament d'un ciclista esprinter mitjançant la força explosiva: avaluació dels efectes d'un entrenament específic

La principal fita dels ciclistes ha estat sempre l’entrenament per millorar les seves condicions i prestacions fisiològiques. Al llarg dels anys, el ciclisme com pràcticament tot l’esport s’ha anat modernitzant, no només tecnològicament. Això ha provocat l’aparició d’especialistes, corredors destinats a destacar, només en unes determinades condicions, per sobre els demés. Una d’aquestes condicions més restringides son les arribades massives, terreny dels anomenats esprinters, els quals brillen per sobre els demés degut a la seva potència, velocitat punta i arrancada. L’entrenament d’aquesta tipologia d’especialitat ha deixat entreveure varies ambigüitats i algunes problemàtiques de fonament teòric. L’esprint en el ciclisme es dona després d’un gran desgast de les reserves energètiques i de fatiga muscular. Per tant, entrenar-lo amb blocs de velocitat no té lògica. Tampoc es una opció viable el recurs que molts equips utilitzen: agafar corredors joves de la pista, i que la seva genètica (fibres ràpides) i les seves característiques de pistard1 facin la resta, perquè al pas dels anys perden aquesta exclusivitat. Aquest estudi es proposa buscar una manera de treballar i potenciar l’esprint del ciclista a partir de la força explosiva, garantint preservar les condicions aeròbiques per tal de que no perjudiqui per altra banda la seva resistència. Per tal d’aconseguir-ho, s’efectuaran uns tests. Un focalitzat en mesurar les prestacions en un esprint dels subjectes. L’altra es basarà en avaluar la força explosiva d’aquets, a partir de salts verticals. Un cop obtinguts els resultats de la primera tanda, els subjectes seran sotmesos a un entrenament combinat de sobrecàrrega, per tal de observar, en la segona tanda, si els resultats son significatius. Com a conclusió, es podria destacar el fet de millora en la majoria d’aspectes en tots els tests per part de tots els subjectes, i que probablement, hi ha una correlació significativa entre la força explosiva i la capacitat per esprintar, tot i que s’haurien de corroborar els resultats amb una mostra més gran.

The redox state of cytochrome C modulates resistance to methotrexate in human MCF7 breast cancer cells

Background: Methotrexate is a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat a variety of cancers. However, the occurrence of resistance limits its effectiveness. Cytochrome c in its reduced state is less capable of triggering the apoptotic cascade. Thus, we set up to study the relationship among redox state of cytochrome c, apoptosis and the development of resistance to methotrexate in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Results: Cell incubation with cytochrome c-reducing agents, such as tetramethylphenylenediamine, ascorbate or reduced glutathione, decreased the mortality and apoptosis triggered by methotrexate. Conversely, depletion of glutathione increased the apoptotic action of methotrexate, showing an involvement of cytochrome c redox state in methotrexateinduced apoptosis. Methotrexate-resistant MCF7 cells showed increased levels of endogenous reduced glutathione and a higher capability to reduce exogenous cytochrome c. Using functional genomics we detected the overexpression of GSTM1 and GSTM4 in methotrexate-resistant MCF7 breast cancer cells, and determined that methotrexate was susceptible of glutathionylation by GSTs. The inhibition of these GSTM isoforms caused an increase in methotrexate cytotoxicity in sensitive and resistant cells. Conclusions: We conclude that overexpression of specific GSTMs, GSTM1 and GSTM4, together with increased endogenous reduced glutathione levels help to maintain a more reduced state of cytochrome c which, in turn, would decrease apoptosis, thus contributing to methotrexate resistance in human MCF7 breast cancer cells.