176 results on '"Beatriz Calvo"'
Search Results
2. Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mitigation strategy during pregnancy on prenatal outcome, growth and development in early childhood in India: a UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub protocol paper
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Bharati Kulkarni, Komal Shah, Teena Dasi, Santosh Kumar Banjara, Beatriz Calvo-Urbano, Elaine Ferguson, Claire Heffernan, Modou Lamin Jobarteh, Hilary Davies-Kershaw, Kiruthika Selvaraj, Radhika Madhari, Dharani Pratyusha Palepu, Julie Dockrell, Monica Chilumula, Deepak B Saxena, Priyanka Akshay Shah, Farjana Memon, and Catherine Antalek
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Pediatrics ,RJ1-570 - Published
- 2024
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3. Assessment of the role of gut health in childhood stunting in a multisite, longitudinal study in India, Indonesia and Senegal: a UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub protocol
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Benjamin Momo Kadia, Stephen Allen, Bharati Kulkarni, Babacar Faye, Teena Dasi, Doudou Sow, Anouschka S Ramsteijn, Beatriz Calvo-Urbano, Elaine Ferguson, Paul Haggarty, Joanne P Webster, Alan W Walker, Claire Heffernan, Umi Fahmida, Min Kyaw Htet, Rajender Rao Kalashikam, Ritu Sharma, Arienta R P Sudibya, Sari Kusuma, Tiffany C Angelin, Mifa Nurfadilah, Modou Lamin Jobarteh, Ndeye Sokhna Diop, and Isobel Gabain
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Pediatrics ,RJ1-570 - Published
- 2024
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4. Discovery of allosteric regulators with clinical potential to stabilize alpha-L-iduronidase in mucopolysaccharidosis type I.
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Elena Cubero, Ana Ruano, Aida Delgado, Xavier Barril, Sara Morales, Ana Trapero, Lorenzo Leoni, Manolo Bellotto, Roberto Maj, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Natalia Pérez-Carmona, and Ana Maria Garcia-Collazo
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an inherited lysosomal disease caused by lowered activity of the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA). Current therapeutic options show limited efficacy and do not treat some important aspects of the disease. Therefore, it may be advantageous to identify strategies that could improve the efficacy of existing treatments. Pharmacological chaperones are small molecules that protect proteins from degradation, and their use in combination with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been proposed as an alternative therapeutic strategy. Using the SEE-Tx® proprietary computational drug discovery platform, a new allosteric ligand binding cavity in IDUA was identified distal from the active site. Virtual high-throughput screening of approximately 5 million compounds using the SEE-Tx® docking platform identified a subset of small molecules that bound to the druggable cavity and functioned as novel allosteric chaperones of IDUA. Experimental validation by differential scanning fluorimetry showed an overall hit rate of 11.4%. Biophysical studies showed that one exemplary hit molecule GT-01803 bound to (Kd = 22 μM) and stabilized recombinant human IDUA (rhIDUA) in a dose-dependent manner. Co-administration of rhIDUA and GT-01803 increased IDUA activity in patient-derived fibroblasts. Preliminary in vivo studies have shown that GT-01803 improved the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of rhIDUA, increasing plasma levels in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, GT-01803 also increased IDUA enzymatic activity in bone marrow tissue, which benefits least from standard ERT. Oral bioavailability of GT-01803 was found to be good (50%). Overall, the discovery and validation of a novel allosteric chaperone for rhIDUA presents a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of existing treatments for MPS I. The compound's ability to increase rhIDUA activity in patient-derived fibroblasts and its good oral bioavailability underscore its potential as a potent adjunct to ERT, particularly for addressing aspects of the disease less responsive to standard treatment.
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- 2024
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5. Lp(a) Levels in Relatives of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Elevated Lp(a): HER(a) Study
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M. Rosa Fernández-Olmo, Magdalena Carrillo Bailen, Mar Martínez Quesada, Carmen Rus Mansilla, Miriam Martin Toro, Ana López Suarez, Marta Lucas García, Gustavo Cortez Quiroga, Beatriz Calvo Bernal, Samuel Ortiz Cruces, Javier Torres Llergo, Ana García Ruano, Manuel Fernández Anguita, Diego Franco, and Alberto Cordero
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lipoprotein(a) ,cascade diagnosis ,ACS ,cardiovascular risk ,Medicine - Abstract
Background: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a proatherogenic particle associated with increased cardiovascular risk. It is mainly genetically determined; so, the aim of our study is to evaluate the levels of Lp(a) in the relatives of a prospective cohort of patients who have suffered from an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dL. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective study, in which consecutive patients who had suffered from an ACS and presented Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dL and their first-degree relatives were included. Results: We included 413 subjects, of which 56.4% were relatives of the patients. Family history of early ischemic heart disease was present in 57.5%, and only 20.6% were receiving statin treatment. The family cohort was younger (37.5 vs. 59.1 years; p < 0.001), and 4% had ischemic heart disease and fewer cardiovascular risk factors. Mean Lp(a) levels were 64.9 mg/dL, 59.4% had levels ≥ 50 mg/dL, and 16.1% had levels ≥ 100 mg/dL. When comparing the patients with respect to their relatives, the mean level of Lp(a) was lower but without significant differences regarding the levels of LDLc, ApoB, and non-HDL. However, relatives with Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dL, had values similar to the group of patients with ACS (96.8 vs. 103.8 mg/dL; p = 0.18). No differences were found in Lp(a) levels in relatives based on the other lipid parameters. Conclusions: Overall, 59.4% of the first-degree relatives of patients who suffered from an ACS with Lp(a) ≥ 50 mg/dL also had elevated levels. Relatives with elevated Lp(a) had similar levels as patients.
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- 2024
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6. Sensitivity and specificity of human point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test in African livestock for rapid diagnosis of schistosomiasis: A Bayesian latent class analysis.
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Beatriz Calvo-Urbano, Elsa Léger, Isobel Gabain, Claudia J De Dood, Nicolas D Diouf, Anna Borlase, James W Rudge, Paul L A M Corstjens, Mariama Sène, Govert J Van Dam, Martin Walker, and Joanne P Webster
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,RC955-962 ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease (NTD) affecting both humans and animals. The morbidity and mortality inflicted upon livestock in the Afrotropical region has been largely overlooked, in part due to a lack of validated sensitive and specific tests, which do not require specialist training or equipment to deliver and interpret. As stressed within the recent WHO NTD 2021-2030 Roadmap and Revised Guideline for schistosomiasis, inexpensive, non-invasive, and sensitive diagnostic tests for livestock-use would also facilitate both prevalence mapping and appropriate intervention programmes. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the currently available point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen test (POC-CCA), designed for Schistosoma mansoni detection in humans, for the detection of intestinal livestock schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma bovis and Schistosoma curassoni. POC-CCA, together with the circulating anodic antigen (CAA) test, miracidial hatching technique (MHT), Kato-Katz (KK) and organ and mesentery inspection (for animals from abattoirs only), were applied to samples collected from 195 animals (56 cattle and 139 small ruminants (goats and sheep) from abattoirs and living populations) from Senegal. POC-CCA sensitivity was greater in the S. curassoni-dominated Barkedji livestock, both for cattle (median 81%; 95% credible interval (CrI): 55%-98%) and small ruminants (49%; CrI: 29%-87%), than in the S. bovis-dominated Richard Toll ruminants (cattle: 62%; CrI: 41%-84%; small ruminants: 12%, CrI: 1%-37%). Overall, sensitivity was greater in cattle than in small ruminants. Small ruminants POC-CCA specificity was similar in both locations (91%; CrI: 77%-99%), whilst cattle POC-CCA specificity could not be assessed owing to the low number of uninfected cattle surveyed. Our results indicate that, whilst the current POC-CCA does represent a potential diagnostic tool for cattle and possibly for predominantly S. curassoni-infected livestock, future work is needed to develop parasite- and/or livestock-specific affordable and field-applicable diagnostic tests to enable determination of the true extent of livestock schistosomiasis.
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- 2023
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7. Fiber burden and asbestos-related diseases: an umbrella review
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José María Ramada Rodilla, Beatriz Calvo Cerrada, Consol Serra Pujadas, George L. Delclos, and Fernando G. Benavides
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Asbesto ,Fibras inorgánicas ,Asesoramiento de exposición ,Mesotelioma ,Fibrosis pulmonar ,Cáncer de pulmón ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Objective: What are the levels of asbestos exposure that cause each type of health effect? The objective of this study was to review the available scientific evidence on exposure levels for asbestos and their relationship to health effects. Method: An umbrella review of English-language reviews and meta-analyses, from 1980 to March 2021 was conducted. We included reviews involving quantified asbestos exposures and health outcomes. The review has been adapted to the indications of the PRISMA declaration. Methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the AMSTAR instrument. Results: We retrieved 196 references. After applying the search strategy and quality analysis, 10 reviews were selected for in-depth analysis. For lung cancer, the highest risk was observed with exposure to amphiboles. Longer, thinner fibers had the greatest capacity to cause lung cancer, especially those > 10 μm in length. For mesothelioma, longer and thinner fibers were also more pathogenic; amphiboles ≥ 5 μm are especially associated with increased mesothelioma risk. No studies observed an increased risk for lung cancer or mesothelioma at asbestos exposure levels 10 μm. Para el mesotelioma, las fibras más largas y delgadas también fueron más patógenas; los anfíboles ≥ 5 μm se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de mesotelioma. Ningún estudio observó mayor riesgo de cáncer de pulmón o de mesotelioma con niveles de exposición al asbesto
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- 2022
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8. Inhibitory mechanisms are affected by stimulus-response congruency
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Tommaso Currò, Matteo Candidi, and Beatriz Calvo-Merino
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Embodied cognition ,Cognitive control ,Go/no-go task ,Conflict ,Inhibition ,Motor simulation ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Embodied cognition theories propose that higher-order cognitive functions are grounded in the activity of cerebral systems supporting lower-level sensorimotor interactions between the body and the environment. However, the way in which sensorimotor body representations affect higher cognitive functions, such as cognitive control, is still not defined. Here we investigate in two Experiments whether the bodily content of visual stimuli and their stimulus-response congruency modulate motor inhibition, i.e., a key function of cognitive control. Participants completed an online manual Go/No-Go task on visual stimuli belonging to three categories (bodily-related: a right hand, and non-bodily related: a shape and a leaf) (Exp 1). Results show slower reaction times and lower accuracy in Go trials for hand compared to non-body images. We further investigated how the degree of stimulus-response congruency (left-hand vs right-hand stimuli) modulates the inhibitory resources (Exp 2). The data from the two experiments were compared to test whether the category (i.e., body vs. non-body images; Exp 1) or sensorimotor representations (i.e., hand stimulus-response congruency; Exp 2) affect inhibitory mechanisms differently. Results show stronger interference with high levels of congruency and support that bodily content influences response inhibition performance in accordance with an embodied view of cognitive functions.
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- 2023
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9. Increased urine chromium concentrations in a worker exposed to lead chromate due to medicinal herb intake
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Pere Sanz-Gallen, Beatriz Calvo-Cerrada, Gabriel Martí-Amengual, Marisa Ruiz, Eva Marín, and Anselmo López-Guillén
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hexavalent chromium ,lead chromate ,occupational risks ,occupational medicine ,medicinal herbs ,Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention ,T55-55.3 ,Industrial hygiene. Industrial welfare ,HD7260-7780.8 - Abstract
Background: Hexavalent chromium compounds are sensitizers of the skin and lung. Chronic exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds is associated with respiratory effects and ulceration and perforation of the nasal septum. Such compounds are also considered carcinogens of the lung and nasal and paranasal sinus. Objectives: To demonstrate the importance of studying occupational and non-occupational exposure when assessing the concentration of substances in the urine. Case study: A study was conducted of environmental chromium concentrations in the workplace. In addition, an occupational medical examination was performed, recording activities inside and outside the workplace, eating habits, blood lead and urine chromium at the beginning and end of the workday. Results: One worker exposed to lead chromate presented high chromium concentrations in urine (up to 62 µg/l before the working day and 52 µg/l at the end of the working day). Environmental chromium concentrations in the workplace were below 0.25 µg/m3. In view of the results, a full study was conducted of the patient’s habits outside work. He reported having bought a kilo of a medicinal herb infusion at a street market three weeks previously. The concentration of total chromium in the prepared infusion was 12000 µg/l. The patient stopped consuming the medicinal herb. Subsequently, the urine chromium analysis was below 0.5 µg/l. Discussion and Conclusions: This case is interesting because it demonstrates that the consumption of medicinal herbs can interfere with biological monitoring of workers exposed to hexavalent chromium compounds. This may give rise to confusion and can also create legal problems for companies and workers. It is important to provide advice to workers and to investigate their habits outside work, especially when there is a discrepancy between environmental and biological values. In this case, the increase in urinary chromium is due to the consumption of medicinal herbs.
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- 2021
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10. Las estrategias de Rojas: de cómo una «puta vieja» se convierte en sujeto histórico y literario
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Beatriz Calvo Peña
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celestina ,puta vieja ,personaje histórico ,misoginia ,Language and Literature - Abstract
This essay is a reflection on how Fernando de Rojas expresses himself through Celestina’s voice. The thesis is that he used the Medieval misogynistic tradition, which was didactic, as an excuse for his only objective: to create a harsh critic against the old Christian society. For this purpose, he uses typical converso techniques, such as irony, and his own strategy: the use of «palabras preñadas» (those called «bivocal words» by Bajtin, which consist of the fusion of two consciences in one voice.) This essay considers honra and remedio as the main «palabras preñadas». From their analysis it is possible to unravel the author’s subversive objective. Rojas voice is identified with Celestina’s voice and the old whore will be viewed as the absolute protagonist and as the ideal historical subject for Rojas' effective and concealed social satire.
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- 2021
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11. COVID-19 among workers of a comprehensive cancer centre between first and second epidemic waves (2020): a seroprevalence study in Catalonia, Spain
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Candela Calle, Esteve Fernández, Adaia Albasanz-Puig, Carlota Gudiol, Anna Saura-Lazaro, Jordi Trelis, Eva Loureiro, Delphine Casabonne, Maria Ángeles Domínguez, Paula Peremiquel-Trillas, Laia Alemany, Yolanda Benavente-Moreno, Sandra Cabrera, Angela Duran, Lidia Garrote, Immaculada Brao, Maica Galán, Francesc Soler, Joaquim Julià, Dolça Cortasa, Dolors Ramírez-Tarruella, Joan Muniesa, Juan Pedro Rivas, Carles Muñoz-Montplet, Ana Sedano, Àngel Plans, Beatriz Calvo-Cerrada, Ana Clopés, and Dolors Carnicer-Pont
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Medicine - Abstract
Objectives Patients with cancer are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 surveillance of workers in oncological centres is crucial to assess infection burden and prevent transmission. We estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among healthcare workers (HCWs) of a comprehensive cancer centre in Catalonia, Spain, and analyse its association with sociodemographic characteristics, exposure factors and behaviours.Design Cross-sectional study (21 May 2020–26 June 2020).Setting A comprehensive cancer centre (Institut Català d’Oncologia) in Catalonia, Spain.Participants All HCWs (N=1969) were invited to complete an online self-administered epidemiological survey and provide a blood sample for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection.Primary outcome measure Prevalence (%) and 95% CIs of seropositivity together with adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% CI were estimated.Results A total of 1266 HCWs filled the survey (participation rate: 64.0%) and 1238 underwent serological testing (97.8%). The median age was 43.7 years (p25–p75: 34.8–51.0 years), 76.0% were female, 52.0% were nursing or medical staff and 79.0% worked on-site during the pandemic period. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 8.9% (95% CI 7.44% to 10.63%), with no differences by age and sex. No significant differences in terms of seroprevalence were observed between onsite workers and teleworkers. Seropositivity was associated with living with a person with COVID-19 (aPR 3.86, 95% CI 2.49 to 5.98). Among on-site workers, seropositive participants were twofold more likely to be nursing or medical staff. Nursing and medical staff working in a COVID-19 area showed a higher seroprevalence than other staff (aPR 2.45, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.52).Conclusions At the end of the first wave of the pandemic in Spain, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among Institut Català d’Oncologia HCW was lower than the reported in other Spanish hospitals. The main risk factors were sharing household with infected people and contact with COVID-19 patients and colleagues. Strengthening preventive measures and health education among HCW is fundamental.
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- 2022
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12. Feasibility of an online antigen self-testing strategy for SARS-CoV-2 addressed to health care and education professionals in Catalonia (Spain). The TESTA’T- COVID Project
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Cristina Agustí, Héctor Martínez-Riveros, Victoria González, Gema Fernández-Rivas, Yesika Díaz, Marcos Montoro-Fernandez, Sergio Moreno-Fornés, Pol Romano-deGea, Esteve Muntada, Beatriz Calvo, and Jordi Casabona
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
We aimed to assess the feasibility of TESTA’T COVID strategy among healthcare and education professionals.in Spain during the peak of the 6th wave caused by Omicron variant. Kits were ordered online and sent by mail, participants answered an online acceptability/usability survey and uploaded the picture of results. 492 participants ordered a test, 304 uploaded the picture (61.8%). Eighteen positive cases were detected (5.9%). 92.2% were satisfied/very satisfied with the intervention; and 92.5% found performing the test easy/very easy. We demonstrated that implementing online COVID-19 self-testing in schools and healthcare settings in Spain is feasible.
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- 2022
13. The Interplay Between Beta-Amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42)-Induced Hippocampal Inflammatory Response, p-tau, Vascular Pathology, and Their Synergistic Contributions to Neuronal Death and Behavioral Deficits
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Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Tessa Elizabeth Chaffey, Thulani Hansika Palpagama, Sarah Waters, Jordi Boix, Warren Perry Tate, Katie Peppercorn, Michael Dragunow, Henry John Waldvogel, Richard Lewis Maxwell Faull, and Andrea Kwakowsky
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Alzheiemer’s disease ,β-amyloid ,tau phosphorylation ,cognition ,neuroinflamamation ,Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,RC321-571 - Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common chronic neurodegenerative disorder, has complex neuropathology. The principal neuropathological hallmarks of the disease are the deposition of extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) comprised of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein. These changes occur with neuroinflammation, a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and neuronal synaptic dysfunction, all of which ultimately lead to neuronal cell loss and cognitive deficits in AD. Aβ1–42 was stereotaxically administered bilaterally into the CA1 region of the hippocampi of 18-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. This study aimed to characterize, utilizing immunohistochemistry and behavioral testing, the spatial and temporal effects of Aβ1–42 on a broad set of parameters characteristic of AD: p-tau, neuroinflammation, vascular pathology, pyramidal cell survival, and behavior. Three days after Aβ1–42 injection and before significant neuronal cell loss was detected, acute neuroinflammatory and vascular responses were observed. These responses included the up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1, also known as CD31), fibrinogen labeling, and an increased number of activated astrocytes and microglia in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. From day 7, there was significant pyramidal cell loss in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and by 30 days, significant localized up-regulation of p-tau, GFAP, Iba-1, CD31, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the Aβ1–42-injected mice compared with controls. These molecular changes in Aβ1–42-injected mice were accompanied by cognitive deterioration, as demonstrated by long-term spatial memory impairment. This study is reporting a comprehensive examination of a complex set of parameters associated with intrahippocampal administration of Aβ1–42 in mice, their spatiotemporal interactions and combined contribution to the disease progression. We show that a single Aβ injection can reproduce aspects of the inflammatory, vascular, and p-tau induced pathology occurring in the AD human brain that lead to cognitive deficits.
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- 2020
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14. Beta-Amyloid (Aβ1-42) Increases the Expression of NKCC1 in the Mouse Hippocampus
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Patricia Lam, Chitra Vinnakota, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Julia Newland, Katie Peppercorn, Warren P. Tate, Henry J. Waldvogel, Richard L. M. Faull, and Andrea Kwakowsky
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Alzheimer’s disease ,GABA ,beta amyloid ,KCC2 ,NKCC1 ,bumetanide ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with an increasing need for developing disease-modifying treatments as current therapies only provide marginal symptomatic relief. Recent evidence suggests the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system undergoes remodeling in AD, disrupting the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance in the brain. Altered expression levels of K-Cl-2 (KCC2) and N-K-Cl-1 (NKCC1), which are cation–chloride cotransporters (CCCs), have been implicated in disrupting GABAergic activity by regulating GABAA receptor signaling polarity in several neurological disorders, but these have not yet been explored in AD. NKCC1 and KCC2 regulate intracellular chloride [Cl−]i by accumulating and extruding Cl−, respectively. Increased NKCC1 expression in mature neurons has been reported in these disease conditions, and bumetanide, an NKCC1 inhibitor, is suggested to show potential therapeutic benefits. This study used primary mouse hippocampal neurons to explore if KCC2 and NKCC1 expression levels are altered following beta-amyloid (Aβ1-42) treatment and the potential neuroprotective effects of bumetanide. KCC2 and NKCC1 expression levels were also examined in 18-months-old male C57BL/6 mice following bilateral hippocampal Aβ1-42 stereotaxic injection. No change in KCC2 and NKCC1 expression levels were observed in mouse hippocampal neurons treated with 1 nM Aβ1-42, but NKCC1 expression increased 30-days post-Aβ1-42-injection in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus. Primary mouse hippocampal cultures were treated with 1 nM Aβ1-42 alone or with various concentrations of bumetanide (1 µM, 10 µM, 100 µM, 1 mM) to investigate the effect of the drug on cell viability. Aβ1-42 produced 53.1 ± 1.4% cell death after 5 days, and the addition of bumetanide did not reduce this. However, the drug at all concentrations significantly reduced cell viability, suggesting bumetanide is highly neurotoxic. In summary, these results suggest that chronic exposure to Aβ1-42 alters the balance of KCC2 and NKCC1 expression in a region-and layer-specific manner in mouse hippocampal tissue; therefore, this process most likely contributes to altered hippocampal E/I balance in this model. Furthermore, bumetanide induces hippocampal neurotoxicity, thus questioning its suitability for AD therapy. Further investigations are required to examine the effects of Aβ1-42 on KCC2 and NKCC1 expression and whether targeting CCCs might offer a therapeutic approach for AD.
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- 2022
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15. Amyloid-Beta1-42 -Induced Increase in GABAergic Tonic Conductance in Mouse Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Cells
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Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, SooHyun Kim, Bhavya Chawdhary, Katie Peppercorn, Warren P Tate, Henry J Waldvogel, Richard LM Faull, Johanna Montgomery, and Andrea Kwakowsky
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gaba 1 ,gabaa receptor 2 ,tonic inhibition 3 ,amyloid-beta 4 ,hippocampus 5 ,Organic chemistry ,QD241-441 - Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex and chronic neurodegenerative disorder that involves a progressive and severe decline in cognition and memory. During the last few decades a considerable amount of research has been done in order to better understand tau-pathology, inflammatory activity and neuronal synapse loss in AD, all of them contributing to cognitive decline. Early hippocampal network dysfunction is one of the main factors associated with cognitive decline in AD. Much has been published about amyloid-beta1-42 (Aβ1-42)-mediated excitotoxicity in AD. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that the remodeling of the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) system contributes to the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) disruption in the AD hippocampus, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, we show that hippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 is sufficient to induce cognitive deficits 7 days post-injection. We demonstrate using in vitro whole-cell patch-clamping an increased inhibitory GABAergic tonic conductance mediated by extrasynaptic type A GABA receptors (GABAARs), recorded in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus following Aβ1-42 micro injection. Such alterations in GABA neurotransmission and/or inhibitory GABAARs could have a significant impact on both hippocampal structure and function, causing E/I balance disruption and potentially contributing to cognitive deficits in AD.
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- 2020
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16. Gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors in Alzheimer's disease: highly localized remodeling of a complex and diverse signaling pathway
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Andrea Kwakowsky, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Karan Govindpani, Henry J Waldvogel, and Richard L Faull
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Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system ,RC346-429 - Published
- 2018
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17. Towards a Better Understanding of GABAergic Remodeling in Alzheimer’s Disease
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Karan Govindpani, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Chitra Vinnakota, Henry J. Waldvogel, Richard L. Faull, and Andrea Kwakowsky
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Alzheimer’s disease ,GABA ,GAD ,GABA receptor ,GABA transporter ,GAT ,E/I balance ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain. In the past, there has been a major research drive focused on the dysfunction of the glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmitter systems in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, there is now growing evidence in support of a GABAergic contribution to the pathogenesis of this neurodegenerative disease. Previous studies paint a complex, convoluted and often inconsistent picture of AD-associated GABAergic remodeling. Given the importance of the GABAergic system in neuronal function and homeostasis, in the maintenance of the excitatory/inhibitory balance, and in the processes of learning and memory, such changes in GABAergic function could be an important factor in both early and later stages of AD pathogenesis. Given the limited scope of currently available therapies in modifying the course of the disease, a better understanding of GABAergic remodeling in AD could open up innovative and novel therapeutic opportunities.
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- 2017
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18. Discovery of allosteric regulators with clinical potential to stabilize alpha-L-iduronidase in mucopolysaccharidosis type I.
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Cubero, Elena, Ruano, Ana, Delgado, Aida, Barril, Xavier, Morales, Sara, Trapero, Ana, Leoni, Lorenzo, Bellotto, Manolo, Maj, Roberto, Guzmán, Beatriz Calvo-Flores, Pérez-Carmona, Natalia, and Garcia-Collazo, Ana Maria
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ENZYME replacement therapy ,DRUG discovery ,SMALL molecules ,PROTEOLYSIS ,HIGH throughput screening (Drug development) ,MOLECULAR chaperones - Abstract
Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is an inherited lysosomal disease caused by lowered activity of the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA). Current therapeutic options show limited efficacy and do not treat some important aspects of the disease. Therefore, it may be advantageous to identify strategies that could improve the efficacy of existing treatments. Pharmacological chaperones are small molecules that protect proteins from degradation, and their use in combination with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been proposed as an alternative therapeutic strategy. Using the SEE-Tx
® proprietary computational drug discovery platform, a new allosteric ligand binding cavity in IDUA was identified distal from the active site. Virtual high-throughput screening of approximately 5 million compounds using the SEE-Tx® docking platform identified a subset of small molecules that bound to the druggable cavity and functioned as novel allosteric chaperones of IDUA. Experimental validation by differential scanning fluorimetry showed an overall hit rate of 11.4%. Biophysical studies showed that one exemplary hit molecule GT-01803 bound to (Kd = 22 μM) and stabilized recombinant human IDUA (rhIDUA) in a dose-dependent manner. Co-administration of rhIDUA and GT-01803 increased IDUA activity in patient-derived fibroblasts. Preliminary in vivo studies have shown that GT-01803 improved the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of rhIDUA, increasing plasma levels in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, GT-01803 also increased IDUA enzymatic activity in bone marrow tissue, which benefits least from standard ERT. Oral bioavailability of GT-01803 was found to be good (50%). Overall, the discovery and validation of a novel allosteric chaperone for rhIDUA presents a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of existing treatments for MPS I. The compound's ability to increase rhIDUA activity in patient-derived fibroblasts and its good oral bioavailability underscore its potential as a potent adjunct to ERT, particularly for addressing aspects of the disease less responsive to standard treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
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19. Searching for bodies: ERP evidence for independent somatosensory processing during visual search for body-related information.
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Irena Arslanova, A. Galvez-Pol, Beatriz Calvo-Merino, and Bettina Forster
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- 2019
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20. Persistent recruitment of somatosensory cortex during active maintenance of hand images in working memory.
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A. Galvez-Pol, Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Almudena Capilla, and Bettina Forster
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- 2018
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21. Sincretismo, alteridad y polisemia en el relieve de las siete divinidades líbico-púnicas de Béja (Túnez)
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Bartolomé, Beatriz Calvo, primary
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- 2018
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22. Perception of facial expressions involves emotion specific somatosensory cortex activations which are shaped by alexithymia
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Irena Arslanova, Vasiliki Meletaki, Beatriz Calvo-Merino, and Bettina Forster
- Abstract
Somatosensory cortex (SCx) has been shown to crucially contribute to early perceptual processes when judging other’s facial emotion expressions. Here, we investigated the specificity of SCx activity to angry, happy, sad and neutral emotions and the role of personality factors. We assessed participants’ alexithymia (TAS-20) and depression (BDI) levels, their cardioceptive abilities and recorded changes in neural activity in a facial emotion judgment task. During the task, we presented tactile probes to reveal neural activity in SCx which was then isolated from visual carry-over responses. To obtain pure SCx emotion effects, SCx activity elicited by neutral emotion expressions was subtracted from angry, happy, and sad expressions. We show distinct modulations of SCx activity to angry and happy expressions. Moreover, the SCx anger response was predicted by individual differences in trait alexithymia. Thus, emotion expressions of others are uniquely presented in the observer’s neural body representation and are shaped by their personality trait.
- Published
- 2022
23. Watching and engaging in dance
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo-Merino
- Published
- 2022
24. Sensitivity and specificity of human point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test in African livestock for rapid diagnosis of schistosomiasis: a Bayesian latent class analysis
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo-Urbano, Elsa Léger, Isobel Gabain, Claudia J. De Dood, Nicolas D. Diouf, Anna Borlase, James W. Rudge, Paul L. A. M. Corstjens, Mariama Sène, Govert J. Van Dam, Martin Walker, and Joanne P. Webster
- Subjects
Infectious Diseases ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health - Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease (NTD) affecting both humans and animals. The morbidity and mortality inflicted upon livestock in sub-Saharan Africa has been largely overlooked, in part due to a lack of validated sensitive and specific tests, which do not require specialist training or equipment to deliver and interpret. Inexpensive, non-invasive, and sensitive diagnostic tests for livestock-use would also facilitate both prevalence mapping and appropriate intervention programmes. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the currently available point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen test (POC-CCA), designed for Schistosoma mansoni detection in humans, for the detection of intestinal livestock schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma bovis and Schistosoma curassoni. POC-CCA, together with the circulating anodic antigen (CAA) test, miracidial hatching technique (MHT) and organ and mesentery inspection (for animals from abattoirs only), were applied to samples collected from 195 animals (56 cattle and 139 small ruminants (goats and sheep) from abattoirs and living populations) from Senegal. POC-CCA sensitivity varied by ruminant group and by location/parasite species: sensitivity was greater in Barkedji (cattle: mean 81% (95% credible interval (CrI): 55%-98%); small ruminants: 49% (29%-87%), where livestock were primarily infected by S. curassoni, than in Richard Toll (cattle: 62% (41%-84%); small ruminants: 12% (1%-37%), where S. bovis was the main parasite species. Mean POC-CCA specificity across sites in small ruminants was 91% (77%-99%) with little variation between locations/parasites (Barkedji: 91% (73%-99%); Richard Toll: 88% (65% - 99%). Specificity could not be assessed in cattle owing to the low number of uninfected cattle surveyed. Overall, our results indicate that, whilst the current POC-CCA does represent a potential diagnostic tool for animal schistosomiasis, future work is needed to develop a livestock-specific affordable and field-applicable diagnostic tests to enable determination of the true extent of livestock schistosomiasis.Author summarySchistosomiasis is a debilitating neglected tropical and zoonotic disease, infecting over 230 million people and multiple millions of animals worldwide, most notably amongst the poorest regions and populations. The potential contribution of livestock schistosomiasis to disease transmission in human populations has implications for the design of effective disease management and elimination programmes. However, our understanding of the true prevalence, transmission and impact of animal schistosomiasis is severely limited, in part due to a lack of inexpensive, accessible, sensitive and specific diagnostic tools. As a point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) diagnostic test is now in widespread use to assess intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni in humans, we hypothesised that the same test could be used to detect livestock intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma bovis and Schistosoma curassoni. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the POC-CCA for the detection of intestinal livestock schistosomiasis in Senegal. POC-CCA sensitivity varied by ruminant group and by location/parasite species, while POC-CCA specificity in small ruminants, at least, did not vary across sites. We conclude that the currently-available POC-CCA does represent a potential diagnostic tool for animal schistosomiasis, but that the factors determining test performance warrant further investigation.
- Published
- 2022
25. Increased urine chromium concentrations in a worker exposed to lead chromate due to medicinal herb intake
- Author
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Marisa Ruiz, Beatriz Calvo-Cerrada, Anselmo López-Guillén, Eva Marín, Gabriel Martí-Amengual, and Pere Sanz-Gallen
- Subjects
Chronic exposure ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicinal herbs ,occupational medicine ,Perforation (oil well) ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Urine ,Occupational medicine ,Chromium ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Lead Chromate ,otorhinolaryngologic diseases ,Medicine ,Hexavalent chromium ,hexavalent chromium ,Traditional medicine ,business.industry ,T55-55.3 ,HD7260-7780.8 ,chemistry ,Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention ,lead chromate ,Medicinal herbs ,Industrial hygiene. Industrial welfare ,business ,occupational risks - Abstract
Background: Hexavalent chromium compounds are sensitizers of the skin and lung. Chronic exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds is associated with respiratory effects and ulceration and perforation of the nasal septum. Such compounds are also considered carcinogens of the lung and nasal and paranasal sinus. Objectives: To demonstrate the importance of studying occupational and non-occupational exposure when assessing the concentration of substances in the urine. Case study: A study was conducted of environmental chromium concentrations in the workplace. In addition, an occupational medical examination was performed, recording activities inside and outside the workplace, eating habits, blood lead and urine chromium at the beginning and end of the workday. Results: One worker exposed to lead chromate presented high chromium concentrations in urine (up to 62 µg/l before the working day and 52 µg/l at the end of the working day). Environmental chromium concentrations in the workplace were below 0.25 µg/m3. In view of the results, a full study was conducted of the patient’s habits outside work. He reported having bought a kilo of a medicinal herb infusion at a street market three weeks previously. The concentration of total chromium in the prepared infusion was 12000 µg/l. The patient stopped consuming the medicinal herb. Subsequently, the urine chromium analysis was below 0.5 µg/l. Discussion and Conclusions: This case is interesting because it demonstrates that the consumption of medicinal herbs can interfere with biological monitoring of workers exposed to hexavalent chromium compounds. This may give rise to confusion and can also create legal problems for companies and workers. It is important to provide advice to workers and to investigate their habits outside work, especially when there is a discrepancy between environmental and biological values. In this case, the increase in urinary chromium is due to the consumption of medicinal herbs.
- Published
- 2021
26. Embodiment and Multisensory Perception of Synchronicity: Biological Features Modulate Visual and Tactile Multisensory Interaction in Simultaneity Judgements
- Author
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Ramiro Joly-Mascheroni, Sonia Abad-Hernando, Bettina Forster, and Beatriz Calvo-Merino
- Subjects
Simultaneity ,Visual perception ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,media_common.quotation_subject ,05 social sciences ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Stimulus onset asynchrony ,Cognition ,Cognitive neuroscience ,Stimulus (physiology) ,050105 experimental psychology ,Sensory Systems ,03 medical and health sciences ,Ophthalmology ,0302 clinical medicine ,Embodied cognition ,Perception ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition ,Psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Cognitive psychology ,media_common - Abstract
The concept of embodiment has been used in multiple scenarios, but in cognitive neuroscience it normally refers to the comprehension of the role of one’s own body in the cognition of everyday situations and the processes involved in that perception. Multisensory research is gradually embracing the concept of embodiment, but the focus has mostly been concentrated upon audiovisual integration. In two experiments, we evaluated how the likelihood of a perceived stimulus to be embodied modulates visuotactile interaction in a Simultaneity Judgement task. Experiment 1 compared the perception of two visual stimuli with and without biological attributes (hands and geometrical shapes) moving towards each other, while tactile stimuli were provided on the palm of the participants’ hand. Participants judged whether the meeting point of two periodically-moving visual stimuli was synchronous with the tactile stimulation in their own hands. Results showed that in the hand condition, the Point of Subjective Simultaneity (PSS) was significantly more distant to real synchrony (60 ms after the Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA) than in the geometrical shape condition (45 ms after SOA). In experiment 2, we further explored the impact of biological attributes by comparing performance on two visual biological stimuli (hands and ears), that also vary in their motor and visuotactile properties. Results showed that the PSS was equally distant to real synchrony in both the hands and ears conditions. Overall, findings suggest that embodied visual biological stimuli may modulate visual and tactile multisensory interaction in simultaneity judgements.
- Published
- 2021
27. Beta-Amyloid (Aβ
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Patricia, Lam, Chitra, Vinnakota, Beatriz Calvo-Flores, Guzmán, Julia, Newland, Katie, Peppercorn, Warren P, Tate, Henry J, Waldvogel, Richard L M, Faull, and Andrea, Kwakowsky
- Subjects
Male ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Mice ,Amyloid beta-Peptides ,Chlorides ,Symporters ,Animals ,Solute Carrier Family 12, Member 2 ,Hippocampus ,Bumetanide ,Peptide Fragments - Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with an increasing need for developing disease-modifying treatments as current therapies only provide marginal symptomatic relief. Recent evidence suggests the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system undergoes remodeling in AD, disrupting the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance in the brain. Altered expression levels of K-Cl-2 (KCC2) and N-K-Cl-1 (NKCC1), which are cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs), have been implicated in disrupting GABAergic activity by regulating GABA
- Published
- 2022
28. Beta-Amyloid (Aβ1-42) Increases the Expression of NKCC1 in the Mouse Hippocampus
- Author
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Lam, Patricia, primary, Vinnakota, Chitra, additional, Guzmán, Beatriz Calvo-Flores, additional, Newland, Julia, additional, Peppercorn, Katie, additional, Tate, Warren P., additional, Waldvogel, Henry J., additional, Faull, Richard L. M., additional, and Kwakowsky, Andrea, additional
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. The somatotopy of observed emotions
- Author
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Bettina Forster, Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Manos Tsakiris, and Alejandra Sel
- Subjects
Dissociation (neuropsychology) ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,Emotions ,BF ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Electroencephalography ,Somatosensory system ,050105 experimental psychology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Discrimination, Psychological ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Emotional expression ,Affective response ,Facial expression ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,05 social sciences ,Somatosensory Cortex ,Discrete emotions ,Facial Expression ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,Eeg activity ,RC0321 ,Psychology ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
The ability to experience others' emotional states is a key component in social interactions. Uniquely among sensorimotor regions, the somatosensory cortex (SCx) plays an especially important role in human emotion understanding. While distinct emotions are experienced in specific parts of the body, it remains unknown whether the SCx exhibits somatotopic activations to different emotional expressions. In the current study, we investigated if the affective response triggered by observing others' emotional face expressions leads to differential activations in SCx. Participants performed a visual facial emotion discrimination task while we measured changes in SCx topographic EEG activity by tactually stimulating two body-parts representative of the upper and lower limbs, the finger and the toe respectively. The results of the study showed an emotion specific response in the finger SCx when observing angry as opposed to sad emotional expressions, after controlling for carry-over effects of visual evoked activity. This dissociation to observed emotions was not present in toe somatosensory responses. Our results suggest that somatotopic activations of the SCx to discrete emotions might play a crucial role in understanding others' emotions.
- Published
- 2020
30. Amyloid‐beta 1–42 induced glutamatergic receptor and transporter expression changes in the mouse hippocampus
- Author
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Thulani H. Palpagama, Henry J Waldvogel, Warren P. Tate, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Jayarjun Ethiraj, Andrea Kwakowsky, Jason H. Y. Yeung, Ying Zhai, Richard L.M. Faull, and Katie Peppercorn
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,biology ,Amyloid beta ,Dentate gyrus ,Glutamate receptor ,Hippocampus ,Biochemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Glutamatergic ,030104 developmental biology ,0302 clinical medicine ,chemistry ,biology.protein ,Excitatory postsynaptic potential ,Neurotransmitter ,Receptor ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading type of dementia worldwide. With an increasing burden of an aging population coupled with the lack of any foreseeable cure, AD warrants the current intense research effort on the toxic effects of an increased concentration of beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain. Glutamate is the main excitatory brain neurotransmitter and it plays an essential role in the function and health of neurons and neuronal excitability. While previous studies have shown alterations in expression of glutamatergic signaling components in AD, the underlying mechanisms of these changes are not well understood. This is the first comprehensive anatomical study to characterize the subregion- and cell layer-specific long-term effect of Aβ1-42 on the expression of specific glutamate receptors and transporters in the mouse hippocampus, using immunohistochemistry with confocal microscopy. Outcomes are examined 30 days after Aβ1-42 stereotactic injection in aged male C57BL/6 mice. We report significant decreases in density of the glutamate receptor subunit GluA1 and the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGluT) 1 in the conus ammonis 1 region of the hippocampus in the Aβ1-42 injected mice compared with artificial cerebrospinal fluid injected and naive controls, notably in the stratum oriens and stratum radiatum. GluA1 subunit density also decreased within the dentate gyrus dorsal stratum moleculare in Aβ1-42 injected mice compared with artificial cerebrospinal fluid injected controls. These changes are consistent with findings previously reported in the human AD hippocampus. By contrast, glutamate receptor subunits GluA2, GluN1, GluN2A, and VGluT2 showed no changes in expression. These findings indicate that Aβ1-42 induces brain region and layer specific expression changes of the glutamatergic receptors and transporters, suggesting complex and spatial vulnerability of this pathway during development of AD neuropathology. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 7. Cover Image for this issue: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.14763.
- Published
- 2020
31. Revealing the body in the brain: An ERP method to examine sensorimotor activity during visual perception of body-related information
- Author
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Alejandro Galvez-Pol, Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Bettina Forster, City University London, and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
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Visual perception ,Brain activity and meditation ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,Population ,Body perception ,BF ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Electroencephalography ,Somatosensory system ,050105 experimental psychology ,Embodiment ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Neuroimaging ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,education ,Evoked Potentials ,Visual Cortex ,Brain Mapping ,education.field_of_study ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,05 social sciences ,Brain ,Cognition ,Somatosensory cortex ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,Sensorimotor ,Visual Perception ,RC0321 ,EEG method ,Psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Neurotypical ,Cognitive psychology - Abstract
Examining the processing of others' body-related information in the perceivers' brain across the neurotypical and clinical population is a key topic in the domain of cognitive neurosciences. We argue that beyond classical neuroimaging techniques and frequency analyses, methods that can be easily adapted to capture the fast processing of body-related information in the brain are needed. Here we introduce a novel method that allows this by measuring event-related potentials recorded with electroencephalography (ERPs-EEG). This method possesses known EEG advantages (low cost, high temporal resolution, established paradigms) plus an improvement of its main limitation; i.e., spatiotemporally smoothed resolution due to mixed neural sources. This occurs when participants are presented and process images of bodies/actions that recruit posterior visual cortices. Such stimulus-evoked activity may spread and mask the recording of simultaneous activity arising from sensorimotor brain areas, which also process body-related information. Therefore, it is difficult to dissociate the contributing role of different brain regions. To overcome this, we propose eliciting a combination of somatosensory, motor, and visual-evoked potentials during processing of body-related information (vs non-body-related). Next, brain activity from sensorimotor and visual systems can be dissociated by subtracting activity from trials containing only visual-evoked potentials to those trials containing either a mixture of visual and somatosensory or visual and motor-cortical potentials. This allows isolating visually driven neural activity in areas other than visual. To introduce this method, we revise recent work using this method, consider the processing of body-related stimuli in the brain, as well as outline key methodological aspects to-be-considered. This work provides a clear guideline to researchers interested or transitioning from behavioural to ERPs studies, offering the possibility to adapt well-established paradigms in the EEG realm to study others' body-related processing in the perceiver's own cortical body representation (e.g., examining classical EEG components in the social and embodiment frameworks)., This work was supported by City University London PhD scholarship (A.G-P), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO; RYC-2008-03090 and PSI2012-34558 to B.C-M), EPS (Experimental Psychology Society to Arslanova. I; who supported developing the above methods).
- Published
- 2020
32. The Mind, the Brain, and the Moving Body
- Author
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Bettina Bläsing and Beatriz Calvo-Merino
- Subjects
Cognitive science ,Dance ,Moving body ,Cognitive neuroscience ,Psychology - Abstract
Dance has become a topic of increasing interest for empirical research in cognitive neuroscience and psychology. The study reviewed in this chapter aimed to reach a multifaceted community of scholars and practitioners interested in the blending between neuroscience and dance as an art form. It includes a revision on dancers’ physical expertise and skilled motor execution, studies on dancers’ timing and online synchronization abilities, and learning and memory processes, as well as a consideration of expert dancers as skilled dance observers. Following the authors’ comment on the article, they acknowledge major developments since its publication, in particular regarding recent lines of research on emotional components of dance, creativity, aesthetic perception, improvisation, entrainment, empathy, and well-being. Finally, the authors emphasize the impact of empirical research in dance beyond cognitive neuroscience and psychology and consider the potential of multidisciplinary expert teams that include the performing arts community to contribute to discourses in the arts and the sciences.
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- 2022
33. Dance, Expertise, and Sensorimotor Aesthetics
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo-Merino
- Abstract
The article reviewed in this chapter discusses how questions initially originated in cognitive neuroscience can be answered with collaborations with nonscientific disciplines, such as performing arts. The author describes the first study that showed dancer’s brain activity when observing dance movements. By investigating how the expert brain works, they demonstrated the important role of sensorimotor processing for movement perception, emotion perception, and aesthetic judgment. This work opened a channel of communication between neuroscientists and performing artists, enabling conversations that have generated novel questions of interest to both disciplines. The chapter discusses three fundamental insights: the importance of prior experience for perception, the importance of motor representations for perception, and the existence of a system for embodied aesthetics. Finally, the author provides some consideration on neuroscientists’ capacity to dissect the aesthetic experience and how this knowledge can be absorbed by the performing artist during the artistic and choreographic process.
- Published
- 2022
34. COVID-19 among workers of a comprehensive cancer centre between first and second epidemic waves (2020): a seroprevalence study in Catalonia, Spain
- Author
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Paula Peremiquel-Trillas, Anna Saura-Lázaro, Yolanda Benavente-Moreno, Delphine Casabonne, Eva Loureiro, Sandra Cabrera, Angela Duran, Lidia Garrote, Immaculada Brao, Jordi Trelis, Maica Galán, Francesc Soler, Joaquim Julià, Dolça Cortasa, Maria Ángeles Domínguez, Adaia Albasanz-Puig, Carlota Gudiol, Dolors Ramírez-Tarruella, Joan Muniesa, Juan Pedro Rivas, Carles Muñoz-Montplet, Ana Sedano, Àngel Plans, Beatriz Calvo-Cerrada, Candela Calle, Ana Clopés, Dolors Carnicer-Pont, Laia Alemany, and Esteve Fernández
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Health Personnel ,COVID-19 ,General Medicine ,COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 ,Antibodies, Viral ,Hospitals ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Seroepidemiologic Studies ,Spain ,Neoplasms ,Humans ,Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020 ,Female - Abstract
ObjectivesPatients with cancer are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 surveillance of workers in oncological centres is crucial to assess infection burden and prevent transmission. We estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among healthcare workers (HCWs) of a comprehensive cancer centre in Catalonia, Spain, and analyse its association with sociodemographic characteristics, exposure factors and behaviours.DesignCross-sectional study (21 May 2020–26 June 2020).SettingA comprehensive cancer centre (Institut Català d’Oncologia) in Catalonia, Spain.ParticipantsAll HCWs (N=1969) were invited to complete an online self-administered epidemiological survey and provide a blood sample for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detection.Primary outcome measurePrevalence (%) and 95% CIs of seropositivity together with adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% CI were estimated.ResultsA total of 1266 HCWs filled the survey (participation rate: 64.0%) and 1238 underwent serological testing (97.8%). The median age was 43.7 years (p25–p75: 34.8–51.0 years), 76.0% were female, 52.0% were nursing or medical staff and 79.0% worked on-site during the pandemic period. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 8.9% (95% CI 7.44% to 10.63%), with no differences by age and sex. No significant differences in terms of seroprevalence were observed between onsite workers and teleworkers. Seropositivity was associated with living with a person with COVID-19 (aPR 3.86, 95% CI 2.49 to 5.98). Among on-site workers, seropositive participants were twofold more likely to be nursing or medical staff. Nursing and medical staff working in a COVID-19 area showed a higher seroprevalence than other staff (aPR 2.45, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.52).ConclusionsAt the end of the first wave of the pandemic in Spain, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among Institut Català d’Oncologia HCW was lower than the reported in other Spanish hospitals. The main risk factors were sharing household with infected people and contact with COVID-19 patients and colleagues. Strengthening preventive measures and health education among HCW is fundamental.
- Published
- 2022
35. Fiber burden and asbestos-related diseases: an umbrella review
- Author
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Fernando G. Benavides, José María Ramada Rodilla, Consol Serra Pujadas, George L. Delclos, and Beatriz Calvo Cerrada
- Subjects
Mesothelioma ,Lung Neoplasms ,Asesoramiento de exposición ,Fibrosis pulmonar ,Asbesto ,medicine.disease_cause ,Risk Assessment ,Asbestos ,Pulmonary fibrosis ,03 medical and health sciences ,Gastrointestinal cancer ,0302 clinical medicine ,Laryngeal cancer ,Ovarian cancer ,Occupational Exposure ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,Cáncer de ovario ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Lung cancer ,Asbestos-related diseases ,Exposure assessment ,Cáncer de pulmón ,Asbestos, Amphibole ,business.industry ,Cáncer de laringe ,Cáncer gastrointestinal ,030503 health policy & services ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,medicine.disease ,Inorganic fibers ,Mesotelioma ,Fibras inorgánicas ,Health effect ,0305 other medical science ,business - Abstract
Objective: What are the levels of asbestos exposure that cause each type of health effect? The objective of this study was to review the available scientific evidence on exposure levels for asbestos and their relationship to health effects. Method: An umbrella review of English-language reviews and meta-analyses, from 1980 to March 2021 was conducted. We included reviews involving quantified asbestos exposures and health outcomes. The review has been adapted to the indications of the PRISMA declaration. Methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the AMSTAR instrument. Results: We retrieved 196 references. After applying the search strategy and quality analysis, 10 reviews were selected for in-depth analysis. For lung cancer, the highest risk was observed with exposure to amphiboles. Longer, thinner fibers had the greatest capacity to cause lung cancer, especially those > 10 μm in length. For mesothelioma, longer and thinner fibers were also more pathogenic; amphiboles ≥ 5 μm are especially associated with increased mesothelioma risk. No studies observed an increased risk for lung cancer or mesothelioma at asbestos exposure levels 10μm. Para el mesotelioma, las fibras más largas y delgadas también fueron más patógenas; los anfíboles ≥ 5μm se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de mesotelioma. Ningún estudio observó mayor riesgo de cáncer de pulmón o de mesotelioma con niveles de exposición al asbesto
- Published
- 2022
36. Prensa, política y prostitución en La Habana finisecular: El caso de "La Cebolla" y la "polémica de las meretrices"
- Author
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PEÑA, BEATRIZ CALVO
- Published
- 2005
37. El español académico: Guía práctica para la elaboración de textos académicos by María Regueiro Rodríguez y Daniel M. Sáez Rivera (review)
- Author
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Peña, Beatriz Calvo
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. A Region in Transition: The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands and the Role of Higher Education. The Border Pact Report. Understanding the Differences Series. Working Paper No. 6. Draft.
- Author
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Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, Washington, DC., Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, CO., Ponton, Beatriz Calvo, Ganster, Paul, Leon-Garcia, Fernando, and Marmolejo, Francisco
- Abstract
This document is intended to foster cross-border collaboration in higher education and includes three papers examining issues and concerns characteristic of the border states of the United States and Mexico. It also reports findings of a survey of institutional leaders at 38 postsecondary institutions in the U.S.-Mexico border states. The first paper, "The U.S.-Mexican Border Region" (Paul Ganster) examines the function of borders and border regions, defines the U.S.-Mexican border region, and discusses characteristics of the border region's political and legal systems, economic asymmetries, demographic features, culture, and higher education structure. The second paper, "The Border: An Approach Through History and Culture" (Beatriz Calvo Ponton) discusses the historical context of regional processes, everyday life and social relationships, the border area, the economic impact of globalization, migratory processes and the creation of new ways of life, and the appearance of new social forces. The third paper, "Higher Education in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: A Profile" (Francisco Marmolejo, Fernando Leon-Garcia) addresses the demographics of the U.S.-Mexican border, including such issues as education as a collective or individual asset, and centralism vs. federalism in government. Also considered are academic programs, institutional characteristics, funding, and government structure, institutional leadership, and administration. The final paper, "The Border Pact Survey" (Fernando Leo Garcia, Francisco Marmolejo) notes responses that address the concept of border, issues typical of border institutions, economic development, and differences in issues between institutions in the two countries. Some papers contain references. The Border Pact Memorandum of Understanding is appended. (DB)
- Published
- 1997
39. Presencia del amianto en la vida cotidiana: riesgos para la salud
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo Cerrada, Gabriel Martí-Amengual, and Pere Sanz-Gallen
- Subjects
Community and Home Care ,business.industry ,Gastroenterology ,Medicine ,business - Published
- 2020
40. Écrire au-delà de la fin des temps? Les littératures au Canada et au Québec/Writing beyond the end of times? The literatures of Canada and Quebec
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo Martín
- Subjects
Psychiatry and Mental health ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Art ,Humanities ,media_common - Abstract
Compte rendu du livre "Écrire au-delà de la fin des temps ? Les littératures au Canada et au Québec/Writing beyond the end of times? The literatures of Canada and Quebec", Mathis-Moser, Ursula et Carrière, Marie (eds), Innsbruck, innsbruck university press, canadiana oenipontana, 14, 2017, 276 pages.
- Published
- 2019
41. Aesthetics of Dance
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo-Merino
- Subjects
Dance ,Movement (music) ,Aesthetics ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Art ,Performing arts ,media_common - Abstract
How does the brain see and experience dance? Performing arts have captured the attention of empirical aesthetics and neuroaesthetics. In this chapter, the author reviews studies from cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology that have contributed to our understanding of the brain mechanisms for dance perception. The author introduces the concept of sensorimotor aesthetics, the process whereby the observer evokes an internal simulation of the perceived action of a dance performance, during its emotional and aesthetic experience. The author proposes an embodied aesthetics framework, in which the perception of the dancer’s body, the dance movement, and the expressed emotion are significantly influenced by an observer’s prior experience. Finally, the author discusses potential avenues for enhancing interactions between the science and artistic communities in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the aesthetics of dance.
- Published
- 2021
42. Probing the neural representations of body-related stimuli: A reply to Tame & Longo's commentary
- Author
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Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Bettina Forster, and Alejandro Galvez-Pol
- Subjects
Cognitive science ,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ,Research Design ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,MEDLINE ,Visual Perception ,Brain ,Humans ,BF ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Psychology - Published
- 2021
43. SHAPE METAPHORS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH: SYMMETRY, TOTAL ASYMMETRY AND PARTIAL SYMMETRY
- Author
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VERONICA Vivanco Cervero and Valeria Beatriz Calvo
- Abstract
El objetivo de este artículo es medir la simetría entre el español y el inglés en la aplicación de metáforas de forma del vocabulario técnico, por no haber recibido demasiada atención y porque Forceville (2007, 2008, 2012) recomienda estudiar como interactúan con factores culturales o lingüísticos. Como método se ha medido el porcentaje simetría/asimetría en distintas metáforas. La investigación muestra que la simetría entre metáforas del inglés y del español se eleva al 60%, mientras que la asimetría metafórica parcial es originada por un exceso de metaforización (30%) o por metonimia (10%) como muestra de causa-efecto entre dos conceptos.The objective of this article is to measure the symmetry between Spanish and English in the application of technical metaphors of shape. The reason for this is double: they have not received too much attention and Forceville (2007, 2008, 2012) recommends studying how they interact with cultural/linguistic factors. The method has measured percentage of symmetry / asymmetry in different metaphors. Research shows that symmetry between English/Spanish metaphors rises to 60%, whereas partial metaphoric asymmetry is caused by excessive metaphorization (30%) or by metonymy (10%) as a relation of cause-effect between two concepts.
- Published
- 2020
44. The Interplay Between Beta-Amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42)-Induced Hippocampal Inflammatory Response, p-tau, Vascular Pathology, and Their Synergistic Contributions to Neuronal Death and Behavioral Deficits
- Author
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Henry J. Waldvogel, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Warren P. Tate, Mike Dragunow, Tessa Elizabeth Chaffey, Sarah Waters, Thulani H. Palpagama, Katie Peppercorn, Jordi Boix, Andrea Kwakowsky, and Richard Faull
- Subjects
cognition ,0301 basic medicine ,Amyloid ,Neuropathology ,Hippocampal formation ,lcsh:RC321-571 ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine ,lcsh:Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry ,Molecular Biology ,neuroinflamamation ,Neuroinflammation ,Original Research ,Alzheiemer’s disease ,Glial fibrillary acidic protein ,biology ,Microglia ,β-amyloid ,business.industry ,tau phosphorylation ,Human brain ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,biology.protein ,Pyramidal cell ,business ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common chronic neurodegenerative disorder, has complex neuropathology. The principal neuropathological hallmarks of the disease are the deposition of extracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) comprised of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein. These changes occur with neuroinflammation, a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and neuronal synaptic dysfunction, all of which ultimately lead to neuronal cell loss and cognitive deficits in AD. Aβ1–42 was stereotaxically administered bilaterally into the CA1 region of the hippocampi of 18-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. This study aimed to characterize, utilizing immunohistochemistry and behavioral testing, the spatial and temporal effects of Aβ1–42 on a broad set of parameters characteristic of AD: p-tau, neuroinflammation, vascular pathology, pyramidal cell survival, and behavior. Three days after Aβ1–42 injection and before significant neuronal cell loss was detected, acute neuroinflammatory and vascular responses were observed. These responses included the up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1, also known as CD31), fibrinogen labeling, and an increased number of activated astrocytes and microglia in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. From day 7, there was significant pyramidal cell loss in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and by 30 days, significant localized up-regulation of p-tau, GFAP, Iba-1, CD31, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the Aβ1–42-injected mice compared with controls. These molecular changes in Aβ1–42-injected mice were accompanied by cognitive deterioration, as demonstrated by long-term spatial memory impairment. This study is reporting a comprehensive examination of a complex set of parameters associated with intrahippocampal administration of Aβ1–42 in mice, their spatiotemporal interactions and combined contribution to the disease progression. We show that a single Aβ injection can reproduce aspects of the inflammatory, vascular, and p-tau induced pathology occurring in the AD human brain that lead to cognitive deficits.
- Published
- 2020
45. Presencia del amianto en la vida cotidiana: riesgos para la salud
- Author
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Cerrada, Beatriz Calvo, Martí-Amengual, Gabriel, and Sanz-Gallen, Pere
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Cateterización venosa central para hemodiálisis. Actuaciones de enfermería
- Author
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Mislenis Viamonte Batista, Grettel Beatriz Calvo Viamonte, Annarelis Pérez Pupo, and Odalys Soto Castañeda
- Subjects
Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
Introducción: la utilización de los catéteres venosos centrales ha aumentado notablemente en la última década, por un incremento de los pacientes que entran al plan de crónico sin previo acceso vascular. Objetivo: describir las acciones de enfermería en pacientes en hemodiálisis con catéter venoso central para prevenir complicaciones. Método: se realizó un estudio longitudinal descriptivo en pacientes con tratamiento dialítico en el Hospital General Universitario Vladimir Ilich Lenin, Holguín, Cuba. El universo de estudio estuvo integrado por 63 pacientes atendidos desde septiembre 2018 a febrero del 2019 que cumplían con criterios de inclusión y a los que se les realizaría tratamiento de hemodiálisis a través de catéter venoso central. Resultados: predominaron los pacientes cuya etiología era la insuficiencia renal crónica terminal, con 63,5%. De los 63 pacientes estudiados, solo 17 presentaron complicaciones asociadas al catéter, la infección más reportada, con 10 casos y una frecuencia relativa de 58,8%. Se realizan protocolos de actuación de enfermería basados en normas de asepsia universal. Conclusiones: la mayoría de los pacientes estudiados se diagnosticaron con insuficiencia renal crónica terminal y bajo índice de complicaciones reportadas; se aplicaron protocolos de actuación de enfermería que sirvieron para establecer la metodología, garantizar la seguridad clínica y mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Palabras clave: catéter venoso central/ hemodiálisis, infección.
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- 2020
47. Amyloid-beta
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Jason H Y, Yeung, Beatriz, Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Thulani H, Palpagama, Jayarjun, Ethiraj, Ying, Zhai, Warren P, Tate, Katie, Peppercorn, Henry J, Waldvogel, Richard L M, Faull, and Andrea, Kwakowsky
- Subjects
Male ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Mice ,Amyloid beta-Peptides ,Dentate Gyrus ,Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 ,Animals ,Receptors, AMPA ,CA1 Region, Hippocampal ,CA3 Region, Hippocampal ,Hippocampus ,Immunohistochemistry ,Peptide Fragments - Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading type of dementia worldwide. With an increasing burden of an aging population coupled with the lack of any foreseeable cure, AD warrants the current intense research effort on the toxic effects of an increased concentration of beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain. Glutamate is the main excitatory brain neurotransmitter and it plays an essential role in the function and health of neurons and neuronal excitability. While previous studies have shown alterations in expression of glutamatergic signaling components in AD, the underlying mechanisms of these changes are not well understood. This is the first comprehensive anatomical study to characterize the subregion- and cell layer-specific long-term effect of Aβ
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- 2020
48. Amyloid-Beta1-42 -Induced Increase in GABAergic Tonic Conductance in Mouse Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Cells
- Author
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Henry J Waldvogel, Richard L.M. Faull, Bhavya Chawdhary, SooHyun Kim, Johanna M. Montgomery, Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán, Andrea Kwakowsky, Katie Peppercorn, and Warren P. Tate
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Male ,amyloid-beta 4 ,Excitotoxicity ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Hippocampal formation ,Biology ,Neurotransmission ,Inhibitory postsynaptic potential ,medicine.disease_cause ,Hippocampus ,Synaptic Transmission ,Analytical Chemistry ,lcsh:QD241-441 ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,lcsh:Organic chemistry ,Alzheimer Disease ,Memory ,Drug Discovery ,gabaa receptor 2 ,tonic inhibition 3 ,medicine ,GABAA receptor 2 ,Animals ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Cognitive decline ,CA1 Region, Hippocampal ,gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,Amyloid beta-Peptides ,GABAA receptor ,Communication ,Pyramidal Cells ,Organic Chemistry ,Receptors, GABA-A ,gaba 1 ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Chemistry (miscellaneous) ,Synapses ,Excitatory postsynaptic potential ,Molecular Medicine ,GABAergic ,Neuroscience ,hippocampus 5 ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex and chronic neurodegenerative disorder that involves a progressive and severe decline in cognition and memory. During the last few decades a considerable amount of research has been done in order to better understand tau-pathology, inflammatory activity and neuronal synapse loss in AD, all of them contributing to cognitive decline. Early hippocampal network dysfunction is one of the main factors associated with cognitive decline in AD. Much has been published about amyloid-beta1-42 (Aβ1-42)-mediated excitotoxicity in AD. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that the remodeling of the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) system contributes to the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) disruption in the AD hippocampus, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, we show that hippocampal injection of Aβ1-42 is sufficient to induce cognitive deficits 7 days post-injection. We demonstrate using in vitro whole-cell patch-clamping an increased inhibitory GABAergic tonic conductance mediated by extrasynaptic type A GABA receptors (GABAARs), recorded in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus following Aβ1-42 micro injection. Such alterations in GABA neurotransmission and/or inhibitory GABAARs could have a significant impact on both hippocampal structure and function, causing E/I balance disruption and potentially contributing to cognitive deficits in AD.
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- 2020
49. Schistosomiasis - Assessing Progress toward the 2020 and 2025 Global Goals
- Author
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Samuel Jemu, Beatriz Calvo-Urbano, Abdulhakeem Alkohlani, Arminder K Deol, Eugene Ruberanziza, Fiona M. Fleming, María-Gloria Basáñez, Martin Walker, Victor Bucumi, Seydou Touré, Michael D. French, Mahamadou Traore, Issah Gnandou, Upendo Mwingira, Edridah M. Tukahebwa, Joanne P. Webster, and Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Subjects
Yemen ,Endemic Diseases ,MEDLINE ,Schistosomiasis ,Disease ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,World Health Organization ,World health ,Schistosomiasis haematobia ,03 medical and health sciences ,Medicine, General & Internal ,0302 clinical medicine ,General & Internal Medicine ,Environmental health ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Organizational Objectives ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Child ,11 Medical and Health Sciences ,Africa South of the Sahara ,Anthelmintics ,Schistosoma haematobium ,Science & Technology ,biology ,business.industry ,Schistosoma mansoni ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Schistosomiasis mansoni ,Praziquantel ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Communicable Disease Control ,PRAZIQUANTEL ,business ,Life Sciences & Biomedicine ,medicine.drug - Abstract
BACKGROUND: With the vision of "a world free of schistosomiasis," the World Health Organization (WHO) set ambitious goals of control of this debilitating disease and its elimination as a public health problem by 2020 and 2025, respectively. As these milestones become imminent, and if programs are to succeed, it is important to evaluate the WHO programmatic guidelines empirically. METHODS: We collated and analyzed multiyear cross-sectional data from nine national schistosomiasis control programs (in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in Yemen). Data were analyzed according to schistosome species (Schistosoma mansoni or S. haematobium), number of treatment rounds, overall prevalence, and prevalence of heavy-intensity infection. Disease control was defined as a prevalence of heavy-intensity infection of less than 5% aggregated across sentinel sites, and the elimination target was defined as a prevalence of heavy-intensity infection of less than 1% in all sentinel sites. Heavy-intensity infection was defined as at least 400 eggs per gram of feces for S. mansoni infection or as more than 50 eggs per 10 ml of urine for S. haematobium infection. RESULTS: All but one country program (Niger) reached the disease-control target by two treatment rounds or less, which is earlier than projected by current WHO guidelines (5 to 10 years). Programs in areas with low endemicity levels at baseline were more likely to reach both the control and elimination targets than were programs in areas with moderate and high endemicity levels at baseline, although the elimination target was reached only for S. mansoni infection (in Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Rwanda within three treatment rounds). Intracountry variation was evident in the relationships between overall prevalence and heavy-intensity infection (stratified according to treatment rounds), a finding that highlights the challenges of using one metric to define control or elimination across all epidemiologic settings. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest the need to reevaluate progress and treatment strategies in national schistosomiasis control programs more frequently, with local epidemiologic data taken into consideration, in order to determine the treatment effect and appropriate resource allocations and move closer to achieving the global goals. (Funded by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation and others.).
- Published
- 2019
50. The GABAergic system as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease
- Author
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Chitra Vinnakota, Richard L.M. Faull, Karan Govindpani, Henry J. Waldvogel, Andrea Kwakowsky, and Beatriz Calvo-Flores Guzmán
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Disease ,Inhibitory postsynaptic potential ,Biochemistry ,gamma-Aminobutyric acid ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience ,Glutamatergic ,0302 clinical medicine ,Alzheimer Disease ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ,business.industry ,medicine.disease ,030104 developmental biology ,Drug development ,Cholinergic ,GABAergic ,Alzheimer's disease ,business ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Signal Transduction ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Glutamatergic and cholinergic dysfunction are well-attested features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressing with other pathological indices of the disorder and exacerbating neuronal and network dysfunction. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the inhibitory component of the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) network, particularly dysfunction in the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling system. There is growing evidence in support of GABAergic remodeling in the AD brain, potentially beginning in early stages of disease pathogenesis, and this could thus be a valid molecular target for drug development and pharmacological therapies. Several GABAergic drugs have been tested for efficacy in attenuating or reversing various features and symptoms of AD, and this could represent a novel path by which we might address the growing need for more effective and benign therapies.
- Published
- 2018
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