Polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes in a cohort of prostate cancer patients from different areas in Spain: heterogeneity between populations as a confounding factor in association studies

Background: Differences in the distribution of genotypes between individuals of the same ethnicity are an important confounder factor commonly undervalued in typical association studies conducted in radiogenomics. Objective: To evaluate the genotypic distribution of SNPs in a wide set of Spanish prostate cancer patients for determine the homogeneity of the population and to disclose potential bias. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 601 prostate cancer patients from Andalusia, Basque Country, Canary and Catalonia were genotyped for 10 SNPs located in 6 different genes associated to DNA repair: XRCC1 (rs25487, rs25489, rs1799782), ERCC2 (rs13181), ERCC1 (rs11615), LIG4 (rs1805388, rs1805386), ATM (rs17503908, rs1800057) and P53 (rs1042522). The SNP genotyping was made in a Biotrove OpenArrayH NT Cycler. Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Comparisons of genotypic and allelic frequencies among populations, as well as haplotype analyses were determined using the web-based environment SNPator. Principal component analysis was made using the SnpMatrix and XSnpMatrix classes and methods implemented as an R package. Non-supervised hierarchical cluster of SNP was made using MultiExperiment Viewer. Results and Limitations: We observed that genotype distribution of 4 out 10 SNPs was statistically different among the studied populations, showing the greatest differences between Andalusia and Catalonia. These observations were confirmed in cluster analysis, principal component analysis and in the differential distribution of haplotypes among the populations. Because tumor characteristics have not been taken into account, it is possible that some polymorphisms may influence tumor characteristics in the same way that it may pose a risk factor for other disease characteristics. Conclusion: Differences in distribution of genotypes within different populations of the same ethnicity could be an important confounding factor responsible for the lack of validation of SNPs associated with radiation-induced toxicity, especially when extensive meta-analysis with subjects from different countries are carried out.

Birth Weight, Working Memory and Epigenetic Signatures in IGF2 and Related Genes: A MZ Twin Study.

Neurodevelopmental disruptions caused by obstetric complications play a role in the etiology of several phenotypes associated with neuropsychiatric diseases and cognitive dysfunctions. Importantly, it has been noticed that epigenetic processes occurring early in life may mediate these associations. Here, DNA methylation signatures at IGF2 (insulin-like growth factor 2) and IGF2BP1-3 (IGF2-binding proteins 1-3) were examined in a sample consisting of 34 adult monozygotic (MZ) twins informative for obstetric complications and cognitive performance. Multivariate linear regression analysis of twin data was implemented to test for associations between methylation levels and both birth weight (BW) and adult working memory (WM) performance. Familial and unique environmental factors underlying these potential relationships were evaluated. A link was detected between DNA methylation levels of two CpG sites in the IGF2BP1 gene and both BW and adult WM performance. The BW-IGF2BP1 methylation association seemed due to non-shared environmental factors influencing BW, whereas the WM-IGF2BP1 methylation relationship seemed mediated by both genes and environment. Our data is in agreement with previous evidence indicating that DNA methylation status may be related to prenatal stress and later neurocognitive phenotypes. While former reports independently detected associations between DNA methylation and either BW or WM, current results suggest that these relationships are not confounded by each other.

Ampliación del Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella

Peer Reviewed

Ager Tarraconensis 5. Paisatge, poblament, cultura material i història = Landscape, Settlement, Material Culture and History Proceedings of the International Symposium

Aquesta obra recull 28 comunicacions presentades al Simposi internacional «L’ager Tarraconensis. Paisatge, poblament, cultura material i història», celebrat a Tarragona el 27 i 28 d’octubre del 2010, organitzat per l’Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica a la seu de l’Institut i a la Diputació de Tarragona. Les aportacions al simposi se centren en l'evolució del paisatge al Camp de Tarragona i en altres regions del món romà, en la varietat de les primeres estratègies de control romà del territori, en les tipologies i evolució dels establiments, en aspectes econòmics i en la dinàmica del poblament, sense faltar-hi alguna aportació de l'epigrafia. Tot plegat fa referència molt especialment al territori de Tarraco, tot i que el simposi també va comptar amb comunicacions sobre altres territoris de l'àrea catalana i saguntina i d'altres províncies romanes, com la Lusitània, les Gàl·lies i la Transpadana; les comparacions entre diferents regions han donat una riquesa notable al debat. Entre els resultats més suggerents comptem amb la constatació de la similitud en els models de romanització del territori en les diferents àrees d'àmbit català i valencià, que contrasten significativament amb els models de territoris d'Andalusia, França i Portugal.

Sevillian transport jars in early colonial America: the case of Santa María La Antigua del Darién (Colombia)

Within the scope of the TECNOLONIAL (HAR2008-02834/HIST) project, an archaeologi- cal and archaeometric research is being conduct- ed in order to clarify and systematize transport jars production in the Iberian peninsula and their distribution abroad, especially to the Americas, from the 15th to the 17th century. The production centre of Seville, in the Crown of Castile, produced large glazed and unglazed transport jars, called botijas, which were mainly devoted to the Atlantic trade network. The pres- ent study accounts for the first results obtained from an initial sample of 34 transport jars dated around the 15th-16th centuries from the produc- tion centre of Seville and the reception site of Santa María de la Antigua del Darién (gulf of Urabá, Colombia). This latter site is especially significant since it was the first Spanish founda- tion (1510) in continental America that obtained the title of town, and was the seat for the Governor of the new region called Castilla de Oro, as well as for the first diocese. All individuals were analyzed by means of x-ray fluorescence and diffraction analyses and then compared with the majolica production database from Seville. The results enabled us to define the first refer- ence groups for such modern transport jars, and to get a first insight into the jars coming to the Americas in the early 16th century whose prove- nance can be linked to Seville, but not Triana.

Extração de Al(III), Cr(III) e Fe(III) de meio etanólico usando o xerogel anilinapropilsílica

In this study, the preparation of the xerogel anilinepropylsilica is reported. The ability of the xerogel for extracting Al(III), Cr(III) and Fe(III) from ethanol was investigated at 25 ºC. The xerogel adsorption capacities were obtained from the adsorption isotherms by using the batch method. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was used to estimate the concentration of metal ions in solution. The adsorption affinity follows the series Cr(III) > Fe(III) > Al(III) and the maximum adsorption capacities of the metal ions were 0.61, 0.52 and 0.43 mmol g-1, respectively.

Achillea filipendulina Lam. nueva para Andalucía, más algunas observaciones sobre las Achillea andaluzas.

La preparación de la síntesis de Achillea L. para Flora Iberica ha llevado a examinar algunas cuestiones críticas en relación con la flora de Andalucía oriental (Blanca, 2011). Para ello, se ha revisado la información bibliográfica disponible, así como los materiales de herbario de referencia; se ha contado asimismo con la colaboración del autor de la síntesis de dicha obra. Como resultado, se plantea la adición al catálogo de la flora andaluza de una nueva especie alóctona, Achillea filipendulina Lam., así como la exclusión de A. ligustica All., a la que se habían atribuido inicialmente algunos ejemplares de A. millefolium [...].

Avantatges i inconvenients de la metodologia INE per a elaborar indicadors de la producció industrial per a les regions espanyoles

Conèixer l'evolució conjuntural del sector industrial, tant a nivell nacional com regional, és de gran importància. En aquest sentit, el retard en la publicació de les xifres de les Comptabilitats Nacionals/Regionals, fa necessària l'elaboració d'indicadors que permetin dur a terme un seguiment a curt termini de l'activitat industrial. Així, l'INE elabora un IPI mensual obtingut pel mètode directe pel conjunt de l'Estat. D'altra banda, al llarg dels darrers anys, a algunes comunitats autònomes espanyoles, s'han engegat projectes centrats en l'elaboració d'indicadors de l'activitat industrial regional, tot i que a partir de metodologies no homogènies. Per corregir aquesta situació, d'un temps ençà, a diferents fòrums s'ha proposat emprar la metodologia emprada per l'IDESCAT per elaborar l'indicador de la comunitat catalana com a alternativa per construir indicadors de l'activitat industrial regional, atès el seu bon comportament per Catalunya. Així, l'INE recentment ha publicat uns IPIs per les CA espanyoles d'acord amb dita metodologia. A aquest treball s'estudia la idoneïtat d'estendre l'esmentada metodologia a totes les regions espanyoles. Per això, es duu a terme una anàlisi comparativa centrada en (tres de) les quatre regions que disposen d'un IPI elaborat pel mètode directe: Andalusia, Astúries i el País Basc.

El reposicionamiento: análisis conceptual y causal del fenómeno desde su origen hasta el (re)planteamiento actual

El present estudi té com a finalitat estudiar què és el reposicionament i quins són els factors que l’envolten. Pretén establir quines són les principals causes que condueixen a reposicionar una marca, així com també analitzar si el reposicionament és equivalent que quan va sorgir, o si pel contrari ha evolucionat, i com ho ha fet. Amb aquest estudi intentarem esbrinar com es reposicionen les marques en l’actualitat.

Análisis de los acelerogramas de la serie de Adra (Almería): diciembre 1993 a enero 1994

Se analizan en este trabajo los datos acelerográficos asociados a los dos sismos principales de la denominada serie de Adra. Esta serie está constituida por un conjunto de terremotos de magnitud mb=5.0 que ocurrieron durante los meses de diciembre de 1993 y enero de 1994 en la provincia de Almería, representando el primer caso de registro de gran número de acelerogramas (terremotos principales y replicas) en España.

Immobilization of laccase on hybrid layered double hydroxide

Crystals of Mg/Al layered double hydroxide were synthesized by alkaline precipitation and treated in an aqueous solution of glutamic acid. The glutamate ions were not intercalated into the interlayer space, but were detected in the material by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, suggesting that only the external surfaces of crystals were modified with glutamate ions. The resulting hybrid material was tested as a support for immobilization of the enzyme laccase (Myceliophthora thermophila). The immobilized enzyme preparation was characterized by electronic paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and by assays of catalytic activity. The activity of the immobilized laccase was 97% of the activity in the free enzyme. Layered double hydroxide is a suitable support for use in remediation of soil studies.

Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and chemometric techniques for the determination of adulteration in petrodiesel/biodiesel blends

We propose an analytical method based on fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy to detect the adulteration of petrodiesel and petrodiesel/palm biodiesel blends with African crude palm oil. The infrared spectral fingerprints from the sample analysis were used to perform principal components analysis (PCA) and to construct a prediction model using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The PCA results separated the samples into three groups, allowing identification of those subjected to adulteration with palm oil. The obtained model shows a good predictive capacity for determining the concentration of palm oil in petrodiesel/biodiesel blends. Advantages of the proposed method include cost-effectiveness and speed; it is also environmentally friendly.

Association between the -174 G/C promoter polymorphism of the interleukin-6 gene and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Brazilian older women

In worldwide studies, interleukin-6 (IL-6) is implicated in age-related disturbances. The aim of the present report was to determine the possible association of IL-6 -174 C/G promoter polymorphism with the cytokine profile as well as with the presence of selected cardiovascular risk features. This was a cross-sectional study on Brazilian women aged 60 years or older. A sample of 193 subjects was investigated for impaired glucose regulation, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Genotyping was done by direct sequencing of PCR products. IL-6 and C-reactive protein were quantified by high-sensitivity assays. General linear regression models or the Student t-test were used to compare continuous variables among genotypes, followed by adjustments for confounding variables. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. The genotypes were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium proportions. In a recessive model, mean waist-to-hip ratio, serum glycated hemoglobin and serum glucose were markedly lower in C homozygotes (P = 0.001, 0.028, and 0.047, respectively). In a dominant hypothesis, G homozygotes displayed a trend towards higher levels of circulating IL-6 (P = 0.092). Non-parametric analysis revealed that impaired fasting glucose and hypertension were findings approximately 2-fold more frequent among G homozygous subjects (P = 0.042 and 0.043, respectively). Taken together, our results show that the IL-6 -174 G-allele is implicated in a greater cardiovascular risk. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of IL-6 promoter variants and age-related disturbances in the Brazilian elderly population.

Acute exercise performed close to the anaerobic threshold improves cognitive performance in elderly females

The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of acute exercise performed at different intensities in relation to the anaerobic threshold (AT) on abilities requiring control of executive functions or alertness in physically active elderly females. Forty-eight physically active elderly females (63.8 ± 4.6 years old) were assigned to one of four groups by drawing lots: control group without exercise or trial groups with exercise performed at 60, 90, or 110% of AT (watts) and submitted to 5 cognitive tests before and after exercise. Following cognitive pretesting, an incremental cycle ergometer test was conducted to determine AT using a fixed blood lactate concentration of 3.5 mmol/L as cutoff. Acute exercise executed at 90% of AT resulted in significant (P < 0.05, ANOVA) improvement in the performance of executive functions when compared to control in 3 of 5 tests (verbal fluency, Tower of Hanoi test (number of movements), and Trail Making test B). Exercising at 60% of AT did not improve results of any tests for executive functions, whereas exercise executed at 110% of AT only improved the performance in one of these tests (verbal fluency) compared to control. Women from all trial groups exhibited a remarkable reduction in the Simple Response Time (alertness) test (P = 0.001). Thus, physical exercise performed close to AT is more effective to improve cognitive processing of older women even if conducted acutely, and using a customized exercise prescription based on the anaerobic threshold should optimize the beneficial effects.

Cinética de la reacción de Menschutkin en solución homogénea concentrada

Tesis (Maestría en Ciencias con Especialidad en Físico-Químico) UANL