Paper dels exosomes en la comunicació entre cèl•lules presentadores d'antigen

Projecte de recerca elaborat a partir d’una estada al Institut Gustave-Roussy, França, entre febrer i març del 2007. L'objectiu principal del projecte consisteix en estudiar la interacció dels exosomes , obtinguts a partir d'un model in vitro com són les cél•lules dendrítiques derivades de monòcits, amb els subtipus de cel•lules dendrítiques mieloides i plasmacitoides, valorant la seva capacitat de captació i evaluant els canvis fenotípics i funcionals per part de les cèl•lules diana.

Paper 2: EUROCAT public health indicators for congenital anomalies in Europe.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to present the specific public health indicators recently developed by EUROCAT that aim to summarize important aspects of the public health impact of congenital anomalies in a few quantitative measures. METHODS: The six indicators are: (1) congenital anomaly perinatal mortality, (2) congenital anomaly prenatal diagnosis prevalence, (3) congenital anomaly termination of pregnancy, (4) Down syndrome livebirth prevalence, (5) congenital anomaly pediatric surgery, and (6) neural tube defects (NTD) total prevalence. Data presented for this report pertained to all cases (livebirths, fetal deaths, or stillbirths after 20 weeks of gestation and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly [TOPFA]) of congenital anomaly from 27 full member registries of EUROCAT that could provide data for at least 3 years during the period 2004 to 2008. Prevalence of anomalies, prenatal diagnosis, TOPFA, pediatric surgery, and perinatal mortality were calculated per 1000 births. RESULTS: The overall perinatal mortality was approximately 1.0 per 1000 births for EUROCAT registries with almost half due to fetal and the other half due to first week deaths. There were wide variations in perinatal mortality across the registries with the highest rates observed in Dublin and Malta, registries in countries where TOPFA are illegal, and in Ukraine. The overall perinatal mortality across EUROCAT registries slightly decreased between 2004 and 2008 due to a decrease in first week deaths. The prevalence of TOPFA was fairly stable at about 4 per 1000 births. There were variations in livebirth prevalence of cases typically requiring surgery across the registries; however, for most registries this prevalence was between 3 and 5 per 1000 births. Prevalence of NTD decreased by about 10% from 1.05 in 2004 to 0.94 per 1000 in 2008. CONCLUSION: It is hoped that by publishing the data on EUROCAT indicators, the public health importance of congenital anomalies can be clearly summarized to policy makers, the need for accurate data from registries emphasized, the need for primary prevention and treatment services highlighted, and the impact of current services measured.

El paper de l'esport en la integració de la població adulta immigrant d'origen internacional a Catalunya

Amb l’establiment de grups d’immigrants a Catalunya, l’abast de les polítiques socials s’ha vist ampliat per tal d’afrontar els reptes d'integració i cohesió social. Tot i que la Generalitat de Catalunya i la Diputació de Barcelona identifiquen t l’esport com a vehicle positiu per a la integració dels immigrants, el desenvolupament de polítiques en aquest àmbit encara està en una fase preliminar. La manca de recerca i l’absència d’aproximació política dificulten aquest procés. Comprendre la realitat de la participació esportiva entre la població adulta immigrant pot servir per millorar els processos de formulació i implementació de polítiques per part de les administracions públiques catalanes. S’ha realitzat una aproximació exploratòria a aquesta necessitat. La recollida de dades s’ha fet mitjançant observació i entrevistes semi-estructurades sobre experiències esportives organitzades o semi-organitzades rellevants. Els resultats revelen la importància de l’esport per a l’immigrant en el procés d’establiment de xarxes socials, i per al manteniment, la reproducció i la negociació de les identitats culturals i, en particular, nacionals. Hi ha una divisió entre el sistema esportiu formal català i els sistemes informals i fragmentats que utilitzen els immigrants per organitzar activitats esportives. Les entrevistes realitzades a actors clau en els diferents nivells de l’administració pública i el cas d’estudi d’un municipi han proporcionat una visió general de la resposta política. Es proposen un conjunt de recomanacions referents a la necessitat de gestionar les xarxes socials de forma més sistemàtica, la necessitat d’incrementar les accions de transversalitat horitzontal i vertical entre els actors públics i d’establir un conjunt d’indicadors socials per mesurar l’efectivitat de la intervenció política en aquest àmbit, així com la identificació de bones pràctiques i activitats per compartir coneixements.

Paper del sulfur d'hidrogen com a neurotransmissor a nivell dels sistema nerviòs entèric

Al llarg dels últims anys l’òxid nítric (NO) i el monòxid de carboni (CO) han estat investigats com dos neurotransmissors gasosos del tracte gastrointestinal. Algunes dades demostren que el sulfur d’hidrogen (H2S) podria ser el tercer neurotransmissor gasos a nivell central i perifèric. Objectiu: valorar si el H2S compleix els requisits per ser considerat com el tercer neurotransmissor gasos a nivell del sistema nerviós entèric. Mètodes: la motilitat espontània de preparacions de múscul llis circular de mostres de còlon sigma humà i còlon mig de rata es van determinar in vitro mitjançant la tècnica de banys d’òrgans. El hidrogensulfur de sodi (NaHS) va ser utilitzat com donador de H2S. Resultats: 1- El NaHS va inhibir de forma concentració depenent la motilitat espontània en presència de bloqueig neural amb Tetrodotoxina (TTX 1 μM) (IC50 101±18 μM rata n=10; 329±86 μM humà n=18). 2- Aquesta relaxació es va veure reduïda per ODQ 10 μM, un inhibidor de la guanilat ciclasa, en còlon mig de rata (n=5). En humà a més de ser reduïda per ODQ 10μM (n=6), també ho va ser per SQ 22,536 100 μM (n=10), un inhibidor de l’adenilat ciclasa, i per L-NNA 1 mM (n=8), un inhibidor de la sintesi de NO. 3- En còlon de rata la incubació amb D,L-Propargilglicina 2 mM (PAG), un inhibidor de la síntesi de H2S, va incrementar la motilitat tant en situació control (10,05±2,06 vs 17,46±3,37 g•min-1 AUC, P&0,001, n=10) com en presència de TTX 1μM (14,45±7,28 vs 21,67±10,05 g•min-1 AUC, P&0,01, n=7). Conclusió: el H2S compleix part dels criteris per ser considerat un neurotransmissor gasos inhibitori en el tracte gastrointestinal: la inhibició de la seva síntesi incrementa la motilitat intestinal i la seva addició exògena produeix relaxació de la musculatura llisa intestinal.

The Liberal Ethics of Non-Interference and the Pareto Principle

We analyse the liberal ethics of non-interference applied to social choice. A liberal principle capturing noninterfering views of society and inspired by John Stuart Mill s conception of liberty, is examined. The principle captures the idea that society should not penalise agents after changes in their situation that do not a¤ect others. An impossibility for liberal approaches is highlighted: every social decision rule that satis es unanimity and a general principle of noninterference must be dictatorial. This raises some important issues for liberal approaches in social choice and political philosophy.

EAACI Position Paper: prevention of work-related respiratory allergies among pre-apprentices or apprentices and young workers.

ABSTRACT: Apprenticeship is a period of increased risk of developing work-related respiratory allergic diseases. There is a need for documents to provide appropriate professional advice to young adults aiming to reduce unsuitable job choices and prevent impairment from their careers. The present document is the result of a consensus reached by a panel of experts from European and non-European countries addressed to allergologists, pneumologists, occupational physicians, primary care physicians, and other specialists interested in this field, which aims to reduce work-related respiratory allergies (rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma) among allergic or nonallergic apprentices and other young adults entering the workforce. The main objective of the document is to issue consensus suggestions for good clinical practice based on existing scientific evidence and the expertise of a panel of physicians.

Validity of serology for American Trypanosomiasis with eluates from filter paper

This study evaluates whether blood collected on filter paper kept at 4 degrees C and tested at different intervals of time (1, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days after collection) would present similar results when compared to the serum samples and whether the type of filter paper influences the results. Eluates from filter paper samples were tested for Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), indirect haemagglutination (IHA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as reference, the antibody titer in sera. Analysis of data showed that results obtained with IFAT, IHA (cut off point = 1:40) and ELISA in sera had similar sensitivity and good concordance among reactions. The use of a multiple linear regression model indicated that titer fall in eluates occurs up to the 7th day after the collection, and it is more marked for samples with lower antibodies titers. However, no significant differences were observed by IFAT, IHA (cut off point = 1:20) and ELISA in the proportion of positive reactions between sera and eluates. The results also showed that Melitta, Klabin or Whatman (reference) filter papers could be indicated for surveys, since they have shown similar capacity of maintenance of anti-T. cruzi immunoglobulins.

Avaluació de la capacitat de segrest de carboni d'un sòl restaurat amb fangs de depuradora: paper de les propietats físiques del sòl

S’ha estudiat el grau de protecció física del carboni dins d’agregats de diferents mides en un sòl d’una pedrera restaurada fa 17 anys amb terres adobades amb fangs de depuradora, i s’ha interpretat el seu paper en el context del segrest de carboni en el sòl. La metodologia aplicada es basa en la d’humitejament ràpid dels agregats del sòl per immersió en aigua (Le Bissonnais, 1996), que simula l’estabilitat d'un sòl sec que es veu sotmès a processos tals com la inundació local o saturació ràpida. També s’ha determinat la quantitat de carboni oxidable present en els agregats del sòl amb el mètode de Nelson i Sommers (1982). Els resultats han mostrat que l’adobat amb fangs de depuradora contribueix a augmentar el contingut de carboni orgànic en els agregats del sòl i n’estimula el segrest a mitjà termini (unes 10 tones ha-1 en 17 anys), aportant estabilitat al sòl i protegint físicament el carboni orgànic dins dels agregats de mida major (5-2 mm). A més s’ha constatat que per determinar l’estabilitat del carboni segrestat en el sòl cal conèixer com es distribueix entre les diferents mides d’agregats. Finalment, l’augment del segrest de carboni en el sòl propiciat per l’aplicació dels fangs de depuradora li dóna més capacitat per fixar CO2 atmosfèric.

Research needs in allergy: an EAACI position paper, in collaboration with EFA.

In less than half a century, allergy, originally perceived as a rare disease, has become a major public health threat, today affecting the lives of more than 60 million people in Europe, and probably close to one billion worldwide, thereby heavily impacting the budgets of public health systems. More disturbingly, its prevalence and impact are on the rise, a development that has been associated with environmental and lifestyle changes accompanying the continuous process of urbanization and globalization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to prioritize and concert research efforts in the field of allergy, in order to achieve sustainable results on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this most prevalent chronic disease of the 21st century.The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is the leading professional organization in the field of allergy, promoting excellence in clinical care, education, training and basic and translational research, all with the ultimate goal of improving the health of allergic patients. The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA) is a non-profit network of allergy, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients' organizations. In support of their missions, the present EAACI Position Paper, in collaboration with EFA, highlights the most important research needs in the field of allergy to serve as key recommendations for future research funding at the national and European levels.Although allergies may involve almost every organ of the body and an array of diverse external factors act as triggers, there are several common themes that need to be prioritized in research efforts. As in many other chronic diseases, effective prevention, curative treatment and accurate, rapid diagnosis represent major unmet needs. Detailed phenotyping/endotyping stands out as widely required in order to arrange or re-categorize clinical syndromes into more coherent, uniform and treatment-responsive groups. Research efforts to unveil the basic pathophysiologic pathways and mechanisms, thus leading to the comprehension and resolution of the pathophysiologic complexity of allergies will allow for the design of novel patient-oriented diagnostic and treatment protocols. Several allergic diseases require well-controlled epidemiological description and surveillance, using disease registries, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, as well as large biobanks. Additionally, there is a need for extensive studies to bring promising new biotechnological innovations, such as biological agents, vaccines of modified allergen molecules and engineered components for allergy diagnosis, closer to clinical practice. Finally, particular attention should be paid to the difficult-to-manage, precarious and costly severe disease forms and/or exacerbations. Nonetheless, currently arising treatments, mainly in the fields of immunotherapy and biologicals, hold great promise for targeted and causal management of allergic conditions. Active involvement of all stakeholders, including Patient Organizations and policy makers are necessary to achieve the aims emphasized herein.

Paper de RIP140 en la fisiopatogenia de la adrenoleucodistròfia lligada a l'X.

La adrenoleucodistrofia ligada al X (X-ALD) es un enfermedad neurometabólica fatal caracterizada por una desmielinización cerebral progresiva infantil (CCALD) o por una neurodegeneración de la médula espinal (adrenomieloneuropatía, AMN), insuficiencia adrenal y acumulación de ácidos grasos de cadena muy larga (AGCML) como el ácido hexacosanoico (C26:0) en tejidos. La enfermedad está causada por mutaciones en el gen ABCD1 el cual codifica para un transportador peroxisomoal que importa AGCML. El ratón knockout para Abcd1 (Abcd1-) desarrolla alteraciones en la médula espinal que mimetizan el modelo de enfermedad AMN con inicio de los síntomas a los 20 meses. Previamente, nuestro grupo evidenció mediante análisis de transcriptómica, una desregulación mitocondrial en el modelo murino Abcd1- . En este trabajo demostramos que tanto en el ratón Abcd1- como en la sustancia blanca afectada de pacientes X-ALD hay una depleción mitocondrial. Para poder explicar esta depleción, estudiamos los niveles de un repressor de la biogenesis mitocondrial, RIP140. En cultivo organotípico de cortes de médula espinal observamos un aumento de los niveles proteicos de RIP140 en el ratón Abcd1- y también un aumento mediado por C26:0. Estos resultados indican que la sobreexpresión de RIP140 puede ser la responsable de la depleción mitocondrial presente en el ratón Abcd1- y una posible nueva diana terapèutica para la X-ALD.

Dried blood spots collected on filter paper: an international resource for the diagnosis and genetic characterization of human immunodeficiency virus Type-1

The collection of dried blood spots (DBS) on filter paper provides a powerful approach for the development of large-scale, population-based screening programs. DBS methods are particularly valuable in developing countries and isolated rural regions where resources are limited. Large numbers of field specimens can be economically collected and shipped to centralized reference laboratories for genetic and (or) serological analysis. Alternatively, the dried blood can be stored and used as an archival resource to rapidly establish the frequency and distribution of newly recognized mutations, confirm patient identity or track the origins and emergence of newly identified pathogens. In this report, we describe how PCR-based technologies are beginning to interface with international screening programmes for the diagnosis and genetic characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). In particular, we review recent progress using DBS specimens to resolve the HIV-1 infection status of neonates, monitor the genetic evolution of HIV-1 during early infancy and establish a sentinel surveillance system for the systematic monitoring of HIV-1 genetic variation in Asia.

Frequency-dependent sexual selection with respect to offspring fitness returns is consistent with predictions from rock-paper-scissors dynamics in the European common lizard

Genetic polymorphism can be maintained over time by negative frequency-dependent (FD) selection induced by Rock-paper-scissors (RPS) social systems. RPS games produce cyclic dynamics, and have been suggested to exist in lizards, insects, isopods, plants, and bacteria. Sexual selection is predicted to accentuate the survival of the future progeny during negative FD survival selection. More specifically, females are predicted to select mates that produce progeny genotypes that exhibit highest survival during survival selection imposed by adult males. However, no empirical evidence demonstrates the existence of FD sexual selection with respect to fitness payoffs of genetic polymorphisms. Here we tested this prediction using the common lizard Zootoca vivipara, a species with three male color morphs (orange, white, yellow) that exhibit morph frequency cycles. In a first step we tested the congruence of the morph frequency change with the predicted change in three independent populations, differing in male color morph frequency and state of the FD morph cycle. Thereafter we ran standardized sexual selection assays in which we excluded alternative mechanisms that potentially induce negative FD selection, and we quantified inter-sexual behavior. The patterns of sexual selection and the observed behavior were in line with context-dependent female mate choice and male behavior played a minor role. Moreover, the strength of the sexual selection was within the magnitude of selection required to produce the observed 3-4-year and 6-8 year morph frequency cycles at low and high altitudes, respectively. In summary, the study provides the first experimental evidence that underpins the crucial assumption of the RPS games suggested to exist in lizards, insects, isopods, and plants; namely, that sexual selection produces negative-FD selection. This indicates that sexual selection, in our study exert by females, might be a crucial driver of the maintenance of genetic polymorphisms.

Violència de gènere i immigració: barreres idiomàtiques i paper de l’intèrpret

L’objectiu principal d’aquesta recerca és conèixer com funciona, dins de l’àmbit del procés penal (recursos socials públics, advocats, policia i jutjats), el servei d’interpretació en casos de dones que han patit violència de gènere i no parlen català ni castellà, si realment es garanteix la comunicació i si les dones que pateixen una barrera idiomàtica tenen accés als recursos en les mateixes condicions que les dones espanyoles