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This paper presents a promising winding technique which enables higher power-densities in partially superconducting electrical machines with a slotless stator, e.g., self-supporting windings. Firstly, the formulation for defining the skewing factor of the helical winding is given. Afterwards, the skew angle and how diverse winding configurations can be characterised as a function of this angle is explained, along with different parameters such as the skewing factor, the harmonic content of the magnetomotive force wave in the airgap or the resistance per phase of the winding. The sine-shaped winding, a particular case of helical winding, is shown, with which, thanks to the benefits of the additive manufacturing, a better electromagnetic performance is achieved. Finally, the implementation of the helical winding configuration in a slotless partially superconducting 2 MW high-power and high-voltage electric machine for electric aircraft propulsion is assessed, comparing the machine active part weight and their power density.

The hypoxic chemoreflex and the arterial baroreflex are implicated in the ventilatory response to exercise. It is well known that long-term exercise training increases parasympathetic and decreases sympathetic tone, both processes influenced by the arterial baroreflex and hypoxic chemoreflex function. Hypobaric hypoxia (i.e., high altitude [HA]) markedly reduces exercise capacity associated with autonomic reflexes. Indeed, a reduced exercise capacity has been found, paralleled by a baroreflex-related parasympathetic withdrawal and a pronounced chemoreflex potentiation. Additionally, it is well known that the baroreflex and chemoreflex interact, and during activation by hypoxia, the chemoreflex is predominant over the baroreflex. Thus, the baroreflex function impairment may likely facilitate the exercise deterioration through the reduction of parasympathetic tone following acute HA exposure, secondary to the chemoreflex activation. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to describe the main physiological mechanisms controlling baro- and chemoreflex function and their role in exercise capacity during HA exposure.

As part of a long-term research project aiming at generating a biomechanical model of a fossil human tongue from a carefully designed 3D Finite Element mesh of a living human tongue, we present a computer-based method that optimally registers 3D CT images of the head and neck of the living human into similar images of another primate. We quantitatively evaluate the method on a baboon. The method generates a geometric deformation field which is used to build up a 3D Finite Element mesh of the baboon tongue. In order to assess the method's ability to generate a realistic tongue from bony structure information alone, as would be the case for fossil humans, its performance is evaluated and compared under two conditions in which different anatomical information is available: (1) combined information from soft-tissue and bony structures; (2) information from bony structures alone. An Uncertainty Quantification method is used to evaluate the sensitivity of the transformation to two crucial parameters, namely the resolution of the transformation grid and the weight of a smoothness constraint applied to the transformation, and to determine the best possible meshes. In both conditions the baboon tongue morphology is realistically predicted, evidencing that bony structures alone provide enough relevant information to generate soft tissue.

This paper presents the design of a 2 MW superconducting electric machine capable of replacing a conventional regional aircraft turbine. The main objective of this work is to advance in the path towards the more-electric aircraft, by incorporating and assessing in the same design technologies such as a superconducting rotor and its cooling by means of helium at cryogenic temperatures, the skewed armature winding or the oil-flooded cooling of the stator, to obtain high specific power density and efficiency values. Although the use of these technologies is well known in the literature, no work is found to implement all of them simultaneously, which poses great challenges both for their subsequent manufacture and later performance. After showing and justifying each element of the design of the electric machine, the electromagnetic performance of the motor and of the superconducting coils is assessed, it is thermally evaluated so that it does not exceed the strict temperature limits and a mechanical analysis of the elements of the motor is also carried out. The main finding of this work is the validation of the proposed model, and that, even though the designed engine is feasible at the proposed power level, the specific power density and efficiency values would improve in the case of upscaling the engine for implementation in larger aircraft.

This paper presents a review of the state of the art in electric propulsion for regional aircraft in the MW range. The implications surrounding the implementation of this technology, such as the need of high-power density or the use of high-voltage at high-altitude, are presented. Along with the challenges, the available technologies to face them are reviewed. Those are, as follows, the emerging new motor topologies for this purpose, the winding technologies, the materials employed for electric motors for aircraft propulsion and the ground-breaking use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) as a high-power density enabler. Finally, a conclusion is presented gathering the main ideas of the paper.

Background: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) affects a quarter of the worldwide population, but no drug therapies have yet been developed. Croton urucurana Baill. (Euphorbiaceae) is a medicinal species, that is, widely distributed in Brazil. It is used in popular medicine to treat gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine system diseases. However, its hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering effects have not yet been scientifically investigated.Aim of the study: The present study investigated the effects of an extract of C. urucurana in a rat model of MAFLD that was associated with multiple risk factors, including hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia.Material and Methods: The phytochemical composition of C. urucurana was evaluated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Spontaneously hypertensive rats received a 0.5% cholesterol-enriched diet and were exposed to cigarette smoke (9 cigarettes/day for 10 weeks). During the last 5 weeks, the animals were orally treated with vehicle (negative control [C-] group), C. urucurana extract (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), or simvastatin + enalapril (two standard reference drugs that are commonly used to treat dyslipidemia and hypertension, respectively). One group of rats that were not exposed to these risk factors was also evaluated (basal group). Blood was collected for the analysis of cholesterol, triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The liver and feces were collected for lipid quantification. The liver was also processed for antioxidant and histopathological analysis.Results: The main constituents of the C. urucurana extract were flavonoids, glycosides, and alkaloids. The model successfully induced MAFLD, reflected by increases in AST and ALT levels, and induced oxidative stress in the C- group. Treatment with the C. urucurana extract (300 mg/kg) and simvastatin + enalapril decreased plasma and hepatic lipid levels. In contrast to simvastatin + enalapril treatment, C. urucurana reduced AST and ALT levels. Massive lesions were observed in the liver in the C- group, which were reversed by treatment with the C. urucurana extract (300 mg/kg).Conclusion:C. urucurana extract exerted promising hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering effects in a preclinical rat model of MAFLD.

In recent years, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with approved or experimental vaccines has proven to be a promising approach to improve vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy. This strategy seeks to overcome the immunosuppressive mechanisms associated with the vaccine response, thereby achieving increased immunogenicity and efficacy. Most of the information on the use of ICIs combined with vaccines derives from studies on certain anti-tumor vaccines combined with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against either cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). However, over the past few years, emerging strategies to use new-generation ICIs as molecular adjuvants are paving the way for future advances in vaccine research. Here, we review the current state and future directions of the use of ICIs in experimental and clinical settings, including mAbs and alternative new approaches using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small non-coding RNAs, aptamers, peptides, and other small molecules for improving vaccine efficacy. The scope of this review mainly includes the use of ICIs in therapeutic antitumor vaccines, although recent research on anti-infective vaccines will also be addressed.

How bacteria adapt to the changing environment within the host is critical for their ability to survive and cause disease. For example, the mammalian host severely restricts iron availability to limit bacterial growth, referred to as nutritional immunity.

Introduction Very little is known about the influence of socioeconomic status on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) complications. Our aim was to determine whether socioeconomic level is a risk factor for the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with T1DM.Research design and methods A cohort of 150 patients with T1DM were studied prospectively over 9 years. Socioeconomic status was assessed using a neighborhood-level measure based on an index of deprivation. The contribution of other variables such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetic nephropathy and smoking habit was evaluated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to quantify the associations.Results The incidence of DR was 21.6 cases per 1000 patient-years. Multivariable analyses showed that for each percentage point increase in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), the risk of developing DR increased by 58% (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.10).Patients with T1DM onset >18 years of age and resident in areas of lower socioeconomic levels presented with almost triple the risk of developing DR (HR 2.95, 95% CI 1.08 to 8.00) compared with those with onset

RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar o efeito da entrevista motivacional no autocuidado de pessoas com insuficiência cardíaca crônica. Método: Ensaio clínico randomizado, multicêntrico, dividindo as pessoas em grupo intervenção (n=59) e grupo controle (n=59), acompanhadas por 60 dias nos centros do Brasil e Uruguai. O grupo intervenção recebeu três consultas por entrevista motivacional, com intervalo de 30 dias, e o grupo controle manteve o acompanhamento convencional nas clínicas especializadas. Os dados foram avaliados através do Self-Care of Heart Failure Index 6.2, antes e após a intervenção, em cada um dos centros e analisados através de média, mediana, teste-t, análise de correlação pelo coeficiente de Spearman e efeito da intervenção pelo d de Cohen. Resultados: 118 pessoas concluíram o estudo. Diante da avaliação do efeito da entrevista motivacional no autocuidado, comparando-se ao acompanhamento convencional, foi identificado efeito médio na manutenção e manejo (Cohen-d=0,6723; 0,5086) e alto na confiança do autocuidado (Cohen-d=0,9877). Conclusão: A entrevista motivacional foi efetiva na melhora do autocuidado dos pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca, sendo uma estratégia factível a ser implementada em clínicas especializadas. Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos: RBR-6fp5qt.

El estudio consistió en evaluar la calidad nutricional del bocashi elaborado con residuos de las cosechas de pequeñas fincas de sectores rurales, en función de la adición de microorganismos eficientes (EM) nativos y comerciales, y del tiempo de fermentación. Considerando que la zona de estudio se caracteriza por la producción de hortalizas, se utilizó la planta de lechuga Lactuca sativaL. como indicador. Las variables evaluadas a los 30 y 50 días fueron: altura de planta, ancho de hoja, número de hojas, peso foliar y radicular. Con relación a la calidad nutricional de bocashi, la materia orgánica presentó el valor más alto (30,6%) en el bocashi con EM nativos de 60 días de fermentación. El nitrógeno total (NT) presentó el valor más alto (1,1%) en el mismo tratamiento. Similar situación ocurrió con el K20 cuyo valor más alto (1144 ppm) fue en tratamiento anteriormente mencionado. El contenido de P205fue mayor (797 ppm) en el bocashi con EM locales de 45 días de fermentación. Los valores más bajos de nutrientes se reportaron en el bocashi sin EM de 30 días de fermentación. Mayor biomasa aérea de las plantas (que es el producto de cosecha) fue observada en el bocashi con adición de EM nativos y comerciales con un promedio de 65,8 g entre los dos tratamientos. Utilizar los residuos de las cosechas para elaborar bocashi con adición de EM locales capturados de forma artesanal, conduce a mejorar la calidad nutricional de este abono, que se corrobora con el cultivo indicador.

Objective: Cancer therapy may cause cardiovascular toxicity even after successful treatment. It is unknown the cardioprotective role of carvedilol in this setting. We evaluated the role of carvedilol for the prevention of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in chemotherapy patients. Materials and methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials were performed through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, SciELO and ClinicalTrials.gov, including trials that evaluated and compared the difference of left ventricular ejection fraction (pre- and post-chemotherapy) in patients with and without carvedilol treatment. The effect size was expressed as the standardized difference (d) and the mean difference between groups with 95 % confidence interval. Results: Nine thousand seven hundred forty-nine (9,749) manuscripts were screened. Four (4) studies consisting of a total of 343 adult patients, from which 86.9 % were females with normal left ventricular ejection fraction and no past history of heart failure, were included. The carvedilol group showed less –though not statistically significant– reduction of the left ventricular ejection fraction than the control group (d = -0.501 [-1.372, 0.371]; p = 0.260). The difference of the reduction in the left ventricular ejection fraction pre- and post-chemotherapy in both groups was -0.71 % [-1.88, 0.46]. However, left ventricular ejection fraction post-chemotherapy was higher in the carvedilol group (d = 0.361 [0.146, 0.575]; p = 0.006) and the effect size was 1.73 % [0.74, 2.72]. Conclusions: Monotherapy or combination therapy with carvedilol is associated with a higher left ventricular ejection fraction, but not with less reduction in the left ventricular ejection fraction post-chemotherapy. Long-term, larger and high-quality randomized clinical trials are required to determine the clinical implication of the use of carvedilol in patients under chemotherapy.

Nearly four hundred people attended the inaugural Screening Rights Film Festival in 2015. Their feedback was considered in the preparation of this year’s festival, which took place from 15–18 September 2016, and featured twelve social justice films in comparison to last year’s seven. These films from countries including Honduras, Palestine, China and the UK were discussed in more post-screening discussions, and were seen by more people, due to the festival’s growing viewership across an increased amount of venues in Birmingham.

Objective: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index 6.2 instrument for use in Uruguay. Method: A methodological study, performed at a multidisciplinary heart failure care clinic in Uruguay between November 2016 and September 2017. The following stages were developed: translation, synthesis of translated versions, back-translation, expert committee evaluation and pre-test. For the analysis, the content validity index (adequate > 0.9), agreement percentage (adequate ≥ 80%) and Cronbach’s alpha in the pre-test (adequate ≥ 0.70) were used. Result: In the first evaluation, six items displayed CVI < 0.9 and/or a total agreement lower than 70% and for this reason were changed and subsequently reevaluated, reaching CVI > 0.9 and/or an agreement percentage greater than 70%. The internal consistency of the scale was 0.78. Conclusion: The translation and adaptation of this instrument enables the development of multi-center studies by providing the same outcome assessment measures.

Because of the ability of foodborne pathogens to survive in low-moisture foods, their decontamination is an important issue in food protection. This study aimed to clarify some of the cellular mechanisms involved in inactivation of foodborne pathogens after drying and subsequent heating. Individual strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Senftenberg, and Cronobacter sakazakii were mixed into whole milk powder and dried to different water activity levels (0.25 and 0.58); the number of surviving cells was determined after drying and subsequent thermal treatments in closed vessels at 90 and 100°C, for 30 and 120 s. For each condition, the percentage of unculturable cells was estimated and, in parallel, membrane permeability and respiratory activity were estimated by flow cytometry using fluorescent probes. After drying, it was clearly observable that the percentage of unculturable cells was correlated with the percentage of permeabilized cells (responsible for 20–40% of the total inactivated bacteria after drying), and to a lesser degree with the percentage of cells presenting with loss of respiratory activity. In contrast, the percentages of unculturable cells observed after heat treatment were strongly correlated with the loss of respiratory activity and weakly with membrane permeability (for 70–80% of the total inactivated bacteria after heat treatment). We conclude that cell inactivation during drying is closely linked to membrane permeabilization and that heat treatment of dried cells affects principally their respiratory activity. These results legitimize the use of time–temperature scales and allow better understanding of the cellular mechanisms of bacterial death during drying and subsequent heat treatment. These results may also allow better optimization of the decontamination process to ensure food safety by targeting the most deleterious conditions for bacterial cells without denaturing the food product.

The main goal in this article is to justify that source-type and other global-in-time similarity solutions of the Cauchy problem for the fourth-order thin film equation $$ u_t=-\nabla \cdot (|u|^n \nabla \Delta u) \quad \text{in }\mathbb{R}^N \times \mathbb{R}_ + \text{where }n>0,\; N \ge 1 $$ can be obtained by a continuous deformation (a homotopy path) as $n \to 0^+$. This is done by reducing to similarity solutions (given by eigenfunctions of a rescaled linear operator $\mathbf{B}$) of the classic bi-harmonic equation $$ u_t = - \Delta^2 u \quad\text{in }\mathbb{R}^N \times \mathbb{R}_ +, \text{ where } \mathbf{B}=-\Delta^2 +\frac 14 y \cdot \nabla+ \frac N4 I. $$ This approach leads to a countable family of various global similarity patterns of the thin film equation, and describes their oscillatory sign-changing behav iour by using the known asymptotic properties of the fundamental solution of bi-harmonic equation. The branching from $n=0^+$ for thin film equation requires Hermitian spectral theory for a pair $\{\mathbf{B}, \mathbf{B}^*\}$ of non-self adjoint operators and leads to a number of difficult mathematical problems. These include, as a key part, the problem of multiplicity of solutions, which is under particular scrutiny.

Due to the ability of foodborne pathogens to survive in low moisture food, the decontamination of milk powder is an important issue in food protection. The safety of food products is, however, not always insured and the different steps in the processing of food involve physiological and metabolic changes in bacteria. Among these changes, virulence properties may also be affected. In this study, the effect of drying and successive thermal treatments on the invasion capacity of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Senftenberg, and Cronobacter sakazakii was assessed. Bacteria were dried on milk powder at three different water activity levels (0.25, 0.58, and 0.80) and heated at two different temperatures (90°C and 100°C) for 30 and 120 s. After recovery, stressed bacterial populations were placed in contact with Caco-2 cells to estimate their invasion capacity. Our results show that drying increases the invasion capacity of foodborne pathogens, but that heat treatment in the dried state did not exert a selective pressure on bacterial cells depending on their invasion capacity after drying. Taken together, our findings add to the sum of knowledge on food safety in dried food products and provide insight into the effects of food processing.

La huella ecológica para el año 2014 en el AARNR de la UNL, que consiste en analizar las demandas humanas sobre la biósfera comparando el consumo con la capacidad regenerativa de la Tierra fue calculada y medidas de ecoeficiencia fueron propuestas. Se determinó las toneladas de dióxido de carbono (t CO2) emitidas a la atmósfera a causa del consumo de energía eléctrica, papel, agua, construcción de edificios, movilidad, y generación de residuos, empleando factores de emisión. Se determinó que la cantidad de CO2 emitida a la atmósfera fue de 330,97 t/C02/ha/año en un espacio de 2,67 ha correspondiente al AARNR. La capacidad de fijación de CO2 en un terreno forestal en la provincia de Loja en la que se acumula biomasa viva y muerta es de 4 404 t/C02/ha/año. El área requerida para la absorción de las emisiones de CO2 fue de 75,15 ha. Se calculó que la huella ecológica fue de 0,13 hag/persona/año, que es un valor aceptable con respecto a los reportes de otras universidades. Además se determinó la ausencia de déficit ecológico ya que la bioca- pacidad fue de 1,79 hag/persona/año. Las medi- das de eco-eficiencia propuestas permitirán la reducción de impactos ambientales, siempre y cuando exista el compromiso de la comunidad universitaria.

La cobertura vegetal y uso del suelo son factores determinantes en el balance hidrológico y la generación de escorrentía. La influencia del cambio de cobertura vegetal en el coeficiente de escorrentía promedio de la cuenca superior del río Catamayo del periodo 1986-1999 fue determinado mediante SIG y teledetección. La metodología se dividió en tres fases que consistieron en el análisis de los coeficientes de escorrentía reales de la cuenca mediante la relación de volúmenes escurridos y precipitados, el análisis del cambio de cobertura vegetal a través de imágenes satelitales Landsat 5 y la aplicación de dos métodos indirectos de generación de es- currimientos: racional y número de curva, para determinar cuál mantiene mayor correlación con los coeficientes reales. Los datos de cobertura vegetal y los coeficientes de escorrentía se compararon a través de modelos geoespaciales y pruebas estadísticas. Los resultados obtenidos indican un buen estado hidrológico de la cuenca con un coeficiente de escorrentía promedio de 0,41; la cobertura vegetal presenta un cambio del 43,5%. Los coeficientes generados mediante el método del número de curva mantienen una correlación significativa al 85% con los coeficientes reales. Finalmente se puede concluir que el cambio de cobertura vegetal analizada no influyó significativamente en la fluctuación del coeficiente de escorrentía promedio de la cuenca superior del río Catamayo.

Bearing fault diagnosis methods play an important role in rotating machine health monitoring. In recent years, various intelligent fault diagnosis methods have been proposed, which are mainly based on the features extraction method combined with either shallow or deep learning methods. During the last few years, Shannon entropy features have been widely used in machine health monitoring, improving the accuracy of the bearing fault diagnosis process. Therefore, in this paper, we consider the combination of multi-scale stationary wavelet packet analysis with the Fourier amplitude spectrum to obtain a new discriminative Shannon entropy feature that we call stationary wavelet packet Fourier entropy (SWPFE). Features extracted by our SWPFE method are then passed onto a shallow kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) classifier to diagnose bearing failure types with different severities. The proposed method was applied on two experimental vibration signal databases of a rolling element bearing and compared to two recently proposed methods called stationary wavelet packet permutation entropy (SWPPE) and stationary wavelet packet dispersion entropy (SWPPE). Based on our results, we can say that the proposed method is able to achieve better accuracy levels than both the SWPPE and SWPDE methods using fewer failure features. Further, as our method does not require any hyperparameter calibration step, it is less dependent on user experience/expertise.

Discriminative feature extraction and rolling element bearing failure diagnostics are very important to ensure the reliability of rotating machines. Therefore, in this paper, we propose multi-scale wavelet Shannon entropy as a discriminative fault feature to improve the diagnosis accuracy of bearing fault under variable work conditions. To compute the multi-scale wavelet entropy, we consider integrating stationary wavelet packet transform with both dispersion (SWPDE) and permutation (SWPPE) entropies. The multi-scale entropy features extracted by our proposed methods are then passed on to the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) classifier to diagnose bearing failure types with different severities. In the end, both the SWPDE⁻KELM and the SWPPE⁻KELM methods are evaluated on two bearing vibration signal databases. We compare these two feature extraction methods to a recently proposed method called stationary wavelet packet singular value entropy (SWPSVE). Based on our results, we can say that the diagnosis accuracy obtained by the SWPDE⁻KELM method is slightly better than the SWPPE⁻KELM method and they both significantly outperform the SWPSVE⁻KELM method.

Drying is a common process which is used to preserve food products and technological microorganisms, but which is deleterious for the cells. The aim of this study is to differentiate the effects of drying alone from the effects of the successive and necessary rehydration. Rehydration of dried bacteria is a critical step already studied in starter culture but not for different kinetics and not for pathogens. In the present study, the influence of rehydration kinetics was investigated for three foodborne pathogens involved in neonatal diseases caused by the consumption of rehydrated milk powder: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Senftenberg and Cronobacter sakazakii. Bacteria were dried in controlled relative humidity atmospheres and then rehydrated using different methods. Our results showed that the survival of the three pathogens was strongly related to rehydration kinetics. Consequently, rehydration is an important step to consider during food safety assessment or during studies of dried foodborne pathogens. Also, it has to be considered with more attention in consumers' homes during the preparation of food, like powdered infant formula, to avoid pathogens recovery.

We obtained the gonad volume and oocyte number in a single Venerupis pullastra (Montagu, 1803) using unbiased stereological estimators. Since the gonad is not a fixed anatomical structure and is merged with other organs in the clam, we used new variance expressions to study the efficiency of these estimators, where the isotropy condition is not required for the covariogram.

The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells can lead to cancer recurrence in a permissive cell-microenvironment interplay, promoting invasion in glioblastoma (GBM) and neuroblastoma (NB). Extracellular matrix (ECM) small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) play multiple roles in tissue homeostasis by remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM) components and modulating intracellular signaling pathways. Due to their pan-inhibitory properties against receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), SLRPs are reported to exert anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo. However, their roles seem to be tissue-specific and they are also involved in cancer cell migration and drug resistance, paving the way to complex different scenarios. The aim of this study was to determine whether the SLRPs decorin (DCN) and lumican (LUM) are recruited in cell plasticity and microenvironmental adaptation of differentiated cancer cells induced towards stem-like phenotype. Floating neurospheres were generated by applying CSC enrichment medium (neural stem cell serum-free medium, NSC SFM) to the established SF-268 and SK-N-SH cancer cell lines, cellular models of GBM and NB, respectively. In both models, the time-dependent synergistic activation of DCN and LUM was observed. The highest DCN and LUM mRNA/protein expression was detected after cell exposure to NSC SFM for 8/12 days, considering these cells as SLRP-expressing (SLRP+) CSC-like. Ultrastructural imaging showed the cellular heterogeneity of both the GBM and NB neurospheres and identified the inner living cells. Parental cell lines of both GBM and NB grew only in soft agar + NSC SFM, whereas the secondary neurospheres (originated from SLRP+ t8 CSC-like) showed lower proliferation rates than primary neurospheres. Interestingly, the SLRP+ CSC-like from the GBM and NB neurospheres were resistant to temozolomide (TMZ) at concentrations >750 μM. Our results suggest that GBM and NB CSC-like promote the activation of huge quantities of SLRP in response to CSC enrichment, simultaneously acquiring TMZ resistance, cellular heterogeneity, and a quiescent phenotype, suggesting a novel pivotal role for SLRP in drug resistance and cell plasticity of CSC-like, allowing cell survival and ECM/niche modulation potential.

El estudio socioeconómico se llevó a cabo en la zona sur de Costa Rica, en el distrito de Pejibaye del cantón de Pérez Zeledón, mediante una encuesta a 80 productores escogidos aleatoriamente; en el mes de mayo de 1999. El 84% de los agricultores poseen tierra propia para la producción, con unidades productivas en promedio de 14,5 ha. La mayoría de los productores de granos básicos diversifican con otras actividades agropecuarias, como tiquisque, café y pastos. El nivel de diversificación se incrementó con el tamaño de las unidades productivas. La mayor parte lo diversifica con la combinación maíz y frijol. El 90% de los productores que siembran maíz, tienen este cultivo durante la época veranera (diciembre a febrero), con un área promedio de 2,5 ha y con un rendimiento promedio de 1,9 t/ha. En el caso del frijol la siembra principal se da en la época inverniz (mayo a agosto), con un área promedio de 3 ha, y un rendimiento de 0,6 t/ha. Para ambos granos, la tendencia es hacia la reducción de áreas y rendimientos. Tanto para maíz como para frijol , la mayor parte de la cosecha se destina a la venta, y en general se puede señalar que la producción de ambos granos resulta rentable en términos de la relación beneficio/costo, siendo más rentable la actividad frijolera. En los últimos años las inestabilidades climáticas han afectado los rendimientos de los granos básicos, lo cual ha llevado a los productores a incursionar en otras actividades productivas. Los productores han empezado a utilizar una serie de estrategias para contrarrestar estos efectos, tales como el uso de coberturas, y diversas prácticas culturales y agronómicas

The chemotherapeutic drug 5-FU is widely used in the treatment of a range of cancers, but resistance to the drug remains a major clinical problem. Since defects in the mediators of apoptosis may account for chemo-resistance, the identification of new targets involved in 5-FU-induced apoptosis is of main clinical interest. We have identified the ds-RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) as a key molecular target of 5-FU involved in apoptosis induction in human colon and breast cancer cell lines. PKR distribution and activation, apoptosis induction and cytotoxic effects were analyzed during 5-FU and 5-FU/IFNα treatment in several colon and breast cancer cell lines with different p53 status. PKR protein was activated by 5-FU treatment in a p53-independent manner, inducing phosphorylation of the protein synthesis translation initiation factor eIF-2α and cell death by apoptosis. Furthermore, PKR interference promoted a decreased response to 5-FU treatment and those cells were not affected by the synergistic antitumor activity of 5-FU/IFNα combination. These results, taken together, provide evidence that PKR is a key molecular target of 5-FU with potential relevance in the clinical use of this drug.

Background Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) poses a significant challenge globally, often requiring surgical intervention for moderate to severe cases. Choosing between anterior and posterior surgical approaches remains controversial, highlighting the need to consider various factors such as sagittal balance and compression severity. Methods This retrospective cohort study described patients with DCM who underwent surgery at Carlos Van Buren Hospital between 2014 and 2021. Inclusion criteria involved clinical evidence of myelopathy and cervical spinal cord compression at two or more levels, with data collected preoperatively and postoperatively at 12 months. Results Of the 66 patients analyzed, both anterior and posterior approaches demonstrated substantial clinical improvements postoperatively, with 83% of patients showing overall improvement and 59.1% achieving the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in mJOA scores. Notably, anterior surgeries showed slightly higher rates of MCID achievement and fewer instances of disease progression postoperatively compared to posterior surgeries. Conclusions Our descriptive findings underscore the benefits of both anterior and posterior surgical approaches for DCM, with slight outcome variations. Individualized treatment, considering factors such as clinical symptoms, compression type, and cervical alignment, is crucial. Future research should prioritize comprehensive outcome measures to inform treatment strategies.

El uso del Museo Didáctico Virtual del Patrimonio Histórico-Educativo Andaluz -ligado al aprovechamiento de las potencialidades educativas de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación a través de Internet-, viene a poner de manifiesto que el conocimiento y difusión del patrimonio histórico-educativo de Andalucía es un nuevo yacimiento cultural y socioformativo para el desarrollo de la humanidad y de la Historia de la Educación. A través de este trabajo, hemos tratado de aportar una serie de reflexiones a modo de propuestas, ligadas a contribuir al impulso de un proyecto museológico y museográfico virtual que aspira a convertirse en un ente cultural al servicio de la sociedad y en un nuevo espacio de educación y conservación, apto para propiciar la conservación, exposición y difusión del patrimonio histórico-educativo de Andalucía.