Actin polymerization and assembly into stress fibers (SFs) is central to many cellular processes. However, how SFs form in response to the mechanical interaction of cells with their environment is ...not fully understood. Here we have identified Piezo2 mechanosensitive cationic channel as a transducer of environmental physical cues into mechanobiological responses. Piezo2 is needed by brain metastatic cells from breast cancer (MDA-MB-231-BrM2) to probe their physical environment as they anchor and pull on their surroundings or when confronted with confined migration through narrow pores. Piezo2-mediated Ca2+ influx activates RhoA to control the formation and orientation of SFs and focal adhesions (FAs). A possible mechanism for the Piezo2-mediated activation of RhoA involves the recruitment of the Fyn kinase to the cell leading edge as well as calpain activation. Knockdown of Piezo2 in BrM2 cells alters SFs, FAs, and nuclear translocation of YAP; a phenotype rescued by overexpression of dominant-positive RhoA or its downstream effector, mDia1. Consequently, hallmarks of cancer invasion and metastasis related to RhoA, actin cytoskeleton, and/or force transmission, such as migration, extracellular matrix degradation, and Serpin B2 secretion, were reduced in cells lacking Piezo2.
Background Obstetric-Gynecological Nursing is articulated as one of the specialities with the greatest responsibility in the field of health care, due to the involvement of being in care not only for ...the life of the pregnant woman, but also for the future neonate. Settling down as a profession with a high number of legal claims, there are not many studies in Spain on legal claims in the field of Nursing in general, and Obstetric-Gynecological Nursing in particular. Methods Retrospective analysis of judgments against midwives in the period from 2010 to the present through the CENDOJ database, with the aim of searching for criminal, civil and contentious-administrative judgments. Quality was assessed using the STROBE critical appraisal tool for observational studies. Results 19 judgments were selected from the 197 found that were related to the objective of the study. Fifty-three percent of the judgment analyzed resulted in acquittals, while the remaining 47% were upheld to varying degrees. Most of them were motivated damage to the newborn (79%), processed entirely through the contentious-administrative route. Conclusions Most of the legal claims in the field of Obstetric-Gynecological Nursing are related to adverse events with fetal damage, most of them receiving higher monetary compensation as the contentious-administrative route is the jurisdiction with the highest number of claims filed, due to breaches of the lex artis ad hoc.
Self-assembled nanotubes exhibit impressive biological functions that have always inspired supramolecular scientists in their efforts to develop strategies to build such structures from small ...molecules through a bottom-up approach. One of these strategies employs molecules endowed with self-recognizing motifs at the edges, which can undergo either cyclization–stacking or folding–polymerization processes that lead to tubular architectures. Which of these self-assembly pathways is ultimately selected by these molecules is, however, often difficult to predict and even to evaluate experimentally. We show here a unique example of two structurally related molecules substituted with complementary nucleobases at the edges (i.e., G:C and A:U) for which the supramolecular pathway taken is determined by chelate cooperativity, that is, by their propensity to assemble in specific cyclic structures through Watson–Crick pairing. Because of chelate cooperativities that differ in several orders of magnitude, these molecules exhibit distinct supramolecular scenarios prior to their polymerization that generate self-assembled nanotubes with different internal monomer arrangements, either stacked or coiled, which lead at the same time to opposite helicities and chiroptical properties.
As of 2021, over 5.4 million Venezuelans have fled their home country in search of safety, food, medicine and access to essential services. This is the most substantial exodus in the recent history ...of Latin America. Colombia has received 2 million of these refugees, making it the nation host to the greatest number of Venezuelan refugees. The present research aims to examine the relations between the sociocultural and psychological factors that are associated with Psychological Adaptation of Venezuelan refugees living in Colombia. We also examined how these relations were mediated by the acculturation orientations. Among Venezuelan refugees, higher Psychological Strength, lower Perceived Discrimination, higher National Identity and higher Outgroup Social Support, were significantly associated with higher engagement with Colombian society and better Psychological Adaptation. Orientation to the host (Colombian) society mediated the association between (a) National Identity and Psychological Adaptation, (b) Outgroup Social Support and Psychological Adaptation and (c) Perceived Discrimination and Psychological Adaptation. The results may inform refugee receiving societies of some essential factors and positive strategies behind adaptation of refugees.
Replication fork progression is being continuously hampered by exogenously introduced and naturally occurring DNA lesions and other physical obstacles. Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) is activated at ...replication forks that encounter damaged DNA. Subsequently, Chk1 inhibits the initiation of new replication factories and stimulates the firing of dormant origins (those in the vicinity of stalled forks). Chk1 also avoids fork collapse into DSBs (double strand breaks) and promotes fork elongation. At the molecular level, the current model considers stalled forks as the site of Chk1 activation and the nucleoplasm as the location where Chk1 phosphorylates target proteins. This model certainly serves to explain how Chk1 modulates origin firing, but how Chk1 controls the fate of stalled forks is less clear. Interestingly, recent reports demonstrating that Chk1 phosphorylates chromatin-bound proteins and even holds kinase-independent functions might shed light on how Chk1 contributes to the elongation of damaged DNA. Indeed, such findings have unveiled a puzzling connection between Chk1 and DNA lesion bypass, which might be central to promoting fork elongation and checkpoint attenuation. In summary, Chk1 is a multifaceted and versatile signaling factor that acts at ongoing forks and replication origins to determine the extent and quality of the cellular response to replication stress.
Using Oxford Nanopore technologies and phylogenetic analyses, we sequenced and identified the cosmopolitan genotype of dengue virus serotype 2 isolated from 2 patients in the city of Villavicencio, ...Meta department, Colombia. This identification suggests the emergence of this genotype in the country, which warrants further surveillance to identify its epidemic potential.
ETAA1 activates the master checkpoint kinase ATR. Bass and Cortez (2019.
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201810058) recently reported an intra-mitotic function of ETAA1 that safeguards chromosome ...stability. In this issue, Achuthankutty et al. (2019.
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201905064) describe a mechanism controlling the ATR-activating potential of ETAA1 in S phase to preserve chromosome stability.
(1) Objective: to establish practical guidance for the design of future clinical trials in MS (metabolic syndrome) patients aged 18 and older, based on a systematic review of randomized clinical ...trials connecting diet, physical exercise and changes in body composition. (2) Method: this systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCT) is based on the guidelines recommended by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses). Criteria of selection: ≥18 years of age; patients diagnosed with MS; intervention programs including diet, physical exercise and/or modifications in the style of life as treatment, as well as the magnitude of changes in body composition (BC); randomized clinical trial published between 2004 and 2018. (3) Results: the multidisciplinary interventions describe major changes in BC, and the recurring pattern in these clinical trials is an energy reduction and control in the percentage of intake of macronutrients along with the performance of regularly structured exercise; the most analyzed parameter was waist circumference (88.9% of the trials), followed by body weight (85.2%), BMI (77.8%) and body fat (55.6%). (4) Conclusions: The analysis of the information here reported sheds light for the design of future clinical trials in adults with MS. The best anthropometric parameters and units of measurement to monitor the interventions are related to dietary and physical exercise interventions. A list of practical advice that is easy to implement in daily practice in consultation is here proposed in order to guarantee the best results in changes of body composition.
In this study the superior stability against degradation induced by ultrasound irradiation of water‐soluble single‐chain polymer nanoparticles when compared to their parent precursor polymers is ...reported, and a loop scission mechanism in support of such behavior is suggested.
The enhanced stability against chain scission by sonication in water of single‐chain nanoparticles when compared to their parent precursor polymers is attributed to a loop scission mechanism.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forced Spain to implement unprecedented lockdown restriction. In this context, different factors could worsen sleep quality, but the impact of the pandemic and ...lockdown on sleep is still mostly unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we describe self-reported sleep disturbances in people without mental health disorders from a large Spanish sample (n = 15,070).
During the early phase of the lockdown (19-26 March), an online survey was launched using a snowball sampling method and included sociodemographic and clinical data along with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Two items of the IES were employed to assess sleep characteristics. Descriptive and bivariate analysis and logistic regression models were performed.
Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep were reported by 23.9% of the sample and was associated in the regression model with age (OR = 1.008, p = .003), female sex (OR = 1.344, p < .001), an income reduction >50% (OR = 1.248, p = .037), having one (OR = 1.208, p = .029) and two or more (OR = 1.299, p = .035) elderly dependents, drinking alcohol (OR = 1.129, p = .024), and a higher score on DASS-21 depression (OR = 1.148, p < .001), anxiety (OR = 1.218, p < .001), or stress (OR = 1.302, p < .001) subscales, whereas being able to enjoy free time (OR = 0.604, p < .001) and painting or listening to music (OR = 0.853, p = .012) were protective factors. Dreams related to COVID-19 were reported by 12.9% of the sample and were associated in the regression model with female sex (OR = 1.617, p < .001), being married (OR = 1.190, p = .015), self-employed (OR = 1.373, p = .032), or a civil servant (OR = 1.412, p = .010), having been tested for COVID-19 (OR = 1.583, p = .012), having infected family or friends (OR = 1.233, p = .001), reading news about coronavirus (OR = 1.139, p = .023), drinking alcohol (OR = 1.251, p < .001), and higher scores on DASS-21 depression (OR = 1.102, p < .001), anxiety (OR = 1.222, p < .001), or stress (OR = 1.213, p < .001) subscales, while protective factors were older age (OR = 0.983, p < .001) and being retired (OR = 0.625, p = .045).
These findings could help clinicians and public health systems design and deliver tailored interventions, such as internet-delivered campaigns, to promote sleep quality in the general population.