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Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is currently among the supporting elements that may contribute to an improvement in health markers by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles. mHealth interventions have been widely reported to achieve greater weight loss than other approaches, but their effect on body composition remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the short-term (3 months) effectiveness of a mobile app and a smart band for losing weight and changing body composition in sedentary Spanish adults who are overweight or obese. Methods: A randomized controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted involving the participation of 440 subjects from primary care centers, with 231 subjects in the intervention group (IG; counselling with smartphone app and smart band) and 209 in the control group (CG; counselling only). Both groups were counselled about healthy diet and physical activity. For the 3-month intervention period, the IG was trained to use a smartphone app that involved self-monitoring and tailored feedback, as well as a smart band that recorded daily physical activity (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi). Body composition was measured using the InBody 230 bioimpedance device (InBody Co., Ltd), and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mHealth intervention produced a greater loss of body weight (–1.97 kg, 95% CI –2.39 to –1.54) relative to standard counselling at 3 months (–1.13 kg, 95% CI –1.56 to –0.69). Comparing groups, the IG achieved a weight loss of 0.84 kg more than the CG at 3 months. The IG showed a decrease in body fat mass (BFM; –1.84 kg, 95% CI –2.48 to –1.20), percentage of body fat (PBF; –1.22%, 95% CI –1.82% to 0.62%), and BMI (–0.77 kg/m2, 95% CI –0.96 to 0.57). No significant changes were observed in any of these parameters in men; among women, there was a significant decrease in BMI in the IG compared with the CG. When subjects were grouped according to baseline BMI, the overweight group experienced a change in BFM of –1.18 kg (95% CI –2.30 to –0.06) and BMI of –0.47 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.80 to –0.13), whereas the obese group only experienced a change in BMI of –0.53 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.86 to –0.19). When the data were analyzed according to physical activity, the moderate-vigorous physical activity group showed significant changes in BFM of –1.03 kg (95% CI –1.74 to –0.33), PBF of –0.76% (95% CI –1.32% to –0.20%), and BMI of –0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.83 to –0.19). Conclusions: The results from this multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial study show that compared with standard counselling alone, adding a self-reported app and a smart band obtained beneficial results in terms of weight loss and a reduction in BFM and PBF in female subjects with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 and a moderate-vigorous physical activity level. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that this profile benefits more than others from this intervention and to investigate modifications of this intervention to achieve a global effect.

The existence of a possible anisotropy, determined by the orientation of any mineral or by micro­crack network in granite rock, isn´t easily detected by the naked eye. Five granitic rocks from Galicia (Spain), namely Albero, Gris Alba, Gris Mondariz, Rosa Porriño and Traspielas, were characterized petrographically by means of textural and mineralogical studies, using optical polarizing microscopy, and fractographic studies were carried out under scanning electron microscopy. Longitudinal wave propagation velocity was measured in three orthogonal directions on cubic samples, oriented according to rift surface (known in quarry works like the preferential partition surface visible in the blocks). Vp was measured on dry and water saturated samples. All the dry samples showed an anisotropic behaviour of Vp. Models of microcrack network distribution and possible mineral grain orientation were developed based on the obtained data., La existencia de una posible anisotropía originada por orientación de minerales y/o redes de microfisuración en rocas graníticas no es fácilmente detectable a simple vista. Cinco rocas graníticas de Galicia, denominadas comercialmente Albero, gris Alba, gris Mondariz, rosa Porriño y Traspielas, se car­acterizaron petrográficamente, mediante estudios texturales y mineralógicos utilizando microscopía óptica de polarización, realizándose también estudios fractográficos bajo microscopía electrónica de barrido. Se midieron las velocidades de propagación de las ondas longitudinales (Vp) en tres direcciones ortogonales en muestras cúbicas orientadas según el rift (denominado así en cantería como la superficie preferente de partición). Vp se midió en muestras secas y saturadas. Todas las muestras secas mostraron un comportamiento anisótropo de Vp. A partir de los datos obtenidos se han interpretado las redes de distribución de microfisuras y la orientación de minerales.

International audience; The metastatic dissemination is a complex multistep process by which tumor cells from a primary site enter into the systemic circulation to finally spread at distant sites. Even if this mechanism is rare at the tumor level, it remains the major cause of Osteosarcoma-patients' relapse and mortality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been described as novel epigenetics' genes' expression regulators actively implicated in cancer progression and dissemination. The understanding of their implication in the metastatic spreading could help clinicians to improve the outcome of osteosarcoma. We established the miRNA's expression-profile between primary bone-tumors (PTs), circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and lung metastatic (META) samples from in vivo mice xenograft models. Our results show that the expression level of the miR-198 and-206 was decreased in META samples, in which the expression of the metastasis-related receptor C-Met was up-regulated. Those expression variations were validated in osteosarcoma patient biopsies from matching primary tumors and lung metastasis. We validated in vitro the endogenous miRNAs inhibitory effects on both migration and invasion, as well as we confirmed by luciferase assays that the C-Met receptor is one of their bona-fide targets. The anti-metastatic effect of these miRNAs was also validated in vivo, as their direct injections into the tumors reduce the number of lung-metastases and prolongs the overall survival of the treated animals. All together, our results suggest the absence of the miR-198 and-206 as powerful predictive biomarkers of the tumor cell dissemination and the rationale of their potential therapeutic use in the treatment of Osteosarcoma.

Trabajo presentado al: 4th International Meeting on Apicomplexa in Farm Animals. (11-14 October 2017 - Madrid, Spain)., Bovine besnoitiosis is considered as a re-emergent disease in Europe. No treatments or vaccines are available for disease control. Therefore, the development of animal models of infection is urgently needed. The aim of the present study was to develop an experimental model of B. besnoiti infection in cattle. Two experimental infections were realized. In experiment A, 12 Holstein Friesian 3-month old male calves were inoculated intravenously with either 3 different doses of tachyzoites (G1: 108 ; G2: 107 ; G3: 106 ) or with PBS (G4). In experiment B, 6 young bulls (14 months of age) were inoculated with the infection dose that showed the best results in experiment A (106 tachyzoites). In both experiments, temperature and clinical signs compatible with acute and chronic besnoitiosis were monitored daily and blood samples were collected regularly for antibody and parasitemia detection. The experiment A was followed up to 70 days post-infection (pi), whilst the experiment B lasted 115 days pi. At the end of the trials, animals were euthanized and tissues from skin, eyes, respiratory and reproductive tracts among others, were collected for lesions and parasite detection. Clinical signs compatible with acute phase, such as lymphadenopathy and fever were observed in both calves (from 12 hours pi until 7 days pi) and young bulls (from 6 days pi until 9 days pi). Parasitemia was detected sporadically in calves from G1 on days 4 (n=2) and 7 dpi (n=3); and in G2 on 7 dpi (n=1). However, no clinical signs characteristic of the chronic stage of the disease, such as tissue cysts, were detected. All infected animals seroconverted around 16-19 days pi and antibody levels remained high until the end of the trials. In calves, parasite-DNA was detected in conjunctiva, ocular sclera, epididymis, as well as skin of scrotum and carpal zone (n=10, 6 of which belonged to calves inoculated with 106 tachyzoites). However, in young bulls only 2 tissues (pampiniform plexus and testicular parenchyma) were positive by PCR. The age seems not to be a key host-factor for inducing signs characteristic of the chronic stage. Despite the acute stage of the disease was successfully reproduced with a mild-moderate severity, the chronic stage was not developed. A further refinement of the present experimental model is needed and other parasite and host dependent factors should be considered., This study was funded by AGL2013-46442R. CDD was financially supported through a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2014-069839) and AJM through a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports as part of the program of Training of University Staff ( F.P.U., grant number FPU 13/05481)

Osteosarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma are the two most common types of Bone Sarcomas, principally localized at the long bones of the extremities and mainly affecting adolescents and young adults. Cisplatin is one of the current options in the therapeutic arsenal of drugs available to cure these aggressive cancers. Unfortunately, chemoresistance against this agent is still a major cause of patient relapse. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular pathways by which these drugs induce cancer cell death, together with a better delineation of the origins of chemoresistance are required to improve the success rate of current treatments. Furthermore, as p53 is frequently mutated in Bone Sarcomas, other pathways in these cancers must mediate drug-induced cell death. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that TAp73β, a p53-family protein, is implicated in Cisplatin-induced apoptosis of Bone Sarcomas’. Furthermore, while acquired resistance developed by cancer cells against such drugs can have multiple origins, it is now well accepted that epigenetic mechanisms involving microRNAs (miRNAs) are one of them. We show that miRNA-193a-5p modulates the viability, the clonogenic capacity and the Cisplatin-induced apoptosis of the Bone Sarcoma cells through inhibition of TAp73β. Collectively, these results shed light on the involvement of miR-193a- 5p in Cisplatin chemoresistance of Bone Sarcomas’, and they open the road to new therapeutic opportunities provided by targeting the miR-193a-5p/TAp73β axis in the context of these malignancies.

Computerized axial tomography studies were conducted to analyze water movements inside rocks (specifically in La Marina sandstone, used to build some of the historic monuments in Asturias, northern Spain). The X-ray images of water uptake by the stone interior recorded during capillarity tests provided supplementary information not furnished by conventional methods. The three-dimensional images obtained showed the position of the water front over time and its relationship to rock petrography. The volume of water-soaked rock proved to be a more realistic measure of stone capillarity. The results obtained were compared to mean capillarity measured as recommended in Spanish and European standard UNE-EN 1925:1999., La Tomografía Axial Computerizada de rayos X (TAC) ha sido aplicada al estudio del movimiento del agua en el interior de las rocas, usando como modelo la arenisca de La Marina, roca utilizada en la construcción de algunos monumentos históricos en Asturias (norte de España). Durante los ensayos de capilaridad se han registrado las imágenes de rayos X de la penetración del agua en el interior de la roca que suministran información no aportada por los métodos habituales. La reconstrucción tridimensional muestra la posición del frente de agua a lo largo del tiempo y su relación con las características petrográficas de la roca. La cuantificación del porcentaje en volumen de roca embebida en agua es una medida más real de la capilaridad de la misma. Los resultados así obtenidos han sido comparados con los de la capilaridad medida por el método descrito en la norma UNE-EN 1925:1999.