Choline is a precursor of acetylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, and the methyl-donor betaine. Reports indicate that supplementation with rumen-protected choline improves postpartum reproductive ...function of dairy cows. The objective was to determine whether addition of choline to culture medium of in vitro-produced embryos alters the phenotype of the resultant blastocysts. Treatments were choline chloride (ChCl; 0.004, 1.3, 1.8, and 6.37 mM) and phosphatidylcholine (1.3 mM). Treatment with 0.004 mM ChCl improved development to the blastocyst stage, increased blastocyst cell number, and increased the percentage of blastocysts that were hatching or hatched. Development was not affected by higher concentrations of ChCl but was reduced by 1.3 mM phosphatidylcholine. Treatment of embryos with 1.3 mM ChCl (but not other concentrations) increased expression in blastocysts of 11 of 165 genes examined (AMOT, NANOG, HDAC8, HNF4A, STAT1, MBNL3, SOX2, STAT3, KDM2B, SAV1, and GPAM) and decreased expression of one gene (ASS1). Treatment with 1.3 mM ChCl decreased global DNA methylation at d 3.5 of development and increased DNA methylation at d 7.5 in blastocysts. Treatment with 1.8 mM ChCl also increased methylation in blastocysts. In conclusion, addition of choline to the culture medium alters the phenotype of preimplantation bovine embryos produced in vitro. Choline chloride can act in a concentration-dependent manner to alter development, expression of specific genes, and DNA methylation.
Highlights from 22nd International AIDS Conference Núñez-Orantos, M J; Cabello Clotet, N; Vergas García, J ...
Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia,
09/2019, Letnik:
32 Suppl 2, Številka:
Suppl 2
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Yin-Yang transcription factor 1 (YY1) is involved in tumor progression, metastasis and has been shown to be elevated in different cancers, including leukemia. The regulatory mechanism underlying YY1 ...expression in leukemia is still not understood. Bioinformatics analysis reveal three Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) putative binding sites in the YY1 promoter region. The regulation of YY1 by HIF-1α in leukemia was analyzed. Mutation of the putative YY1 binding sites in a reporter system containing the HIF-1α promoter region and CHIP analysis confirmed that these sites are important for YY1 regulation. Leukemia cell lines showed that both proteins HIF-1α and YY1 are co-expressed under hypoxia. In addition, the expression of mRNA of YY1 was increased after 3 h of hypoxia conditions and affect several target genes expression. In contrast, chemical inhibition of HIF-1α induces downregulation of YY1 and sensitizes cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. The clinical implications of HIF-1α in the regulation of YY1 were investigated by evaluation of expression of HIF-1α and YY1 in 108 peripheral blood samples and by RT-PCR in 46 bone marrow samples of patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We found that the expression of HIF-1α positively correlates with YY1 expression in those patients. This is consistent with bioinformatic analyses of several databases. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that YY1 can be transcriptionally regulated by HIF-1α, and a correlation between HIF-1α expression and YY1 was found in ALL clinical samples. Hence, HIF-1α and YY1 may be possible therapeutic target and/or biomarkers of ALL.
This research sheds light on the relationship between the presence of location-based social network (LBSN) data and other economic and demographic variables in the city of Valencia (Spain). For that ...purpose, a comparison is made between location patterns of geolocated data from various social networks (i.e., Google Places, Foursquare, Twitter, Airbnb and Idealista) and statistical information such as land value, average gross income, and population distribution by age range. The main findings show that there is no direct relationship between land value or age of registered population and the amount of social network data generated in a given area. However, a noteworthy coincidence was observed between Google Places data-clustering patterns, which represent the offer of economic activities, and the spatial concentration of the other LBSNs analyzed, suggesting that data from these sources are mostly generated in areas with a high density of economic activities.
BACKGROUNDPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) consists of administering antiretroviral drugs to HIV-seronegative individuals who engage in high-risk practices, with the aim of reducing the probability of ...acquiring the infection. Despite its safety and efficacy, PrEP is still not available within Spain's public healthcare system. The aim of this study was to estimate the preventive impact of adding PrEP to the other preventive measures. We estimated the number of HIV seroconversions that could have been prevented (if PrEP had been available) among initially seronegative transsexual women and men who have sex with men. METHODSWe conducted a descriptive study of recent HIV seroconverters between 2014-2016 in a reference HIV/sexually transmitted infection clinic in Madrid. We analysed the individuals who were indicated PrEP, according to the guidelines of the 2016 AIDS Study Group. The statistical analysis to estimate the HIV infections that could have been prevented (if PrEP had been available) was conducted using Stata 14. RESULTSWe estimated that 195 of the 228 men who have sex with men and transsexual women, with documented HIV seroconversion, were indicated for PrEP. Considering the preventive efficacy reported in European studies, we estimated that 168 HIV seroconversions could have been prevented, which represents 73.7% of the diagnosed infections. CONCLUSIONSThe results confirm the need to promote combined preventive programs against HIV that integrate all possible measures, including PrEP.
Phenotypic expression of inflammatory cells in liver and hepatic lymph nodes (HLN) has been examined in lambs experimentally infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum using immunohistochemical ...techniques. Thirty-two lambs, 12 infected with 1,000 D. dendriticum metacercariae, 12 with 3,000, and 8 controls were used. Half the lambs in each group were slaughtered on days 60 and 180 post-infection (p.i.), respectively. Primary antibodies (Abs) against T cell epitopes (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and WC1+ γδ), B cell epitopes (CD79αcy+, CD45R+), immunoglobulin (IgG)-bearing plasma cells, macrophages (CD14+, VPM32+) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIβ antigen were used. T lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+) and B lymphocytes (CD79αcy+ and CD45R+) with diffuse pattern or forming lymphoid aggregates and follicles surrounded the septal bile ducts (SBD) and inter-lobular bile ducts, whereas the WC1 γδ T cells were scattered. Numerous IgG+ plasma cells were observed around SBD. CD14 and VPM32+ macrophages intermingled with lymphocytes were immunostained by the anti-MHC class IIβ. This Ab also reacted with lymphoid cells. Likewise, increased positive immunostaining for all Abs used was observed in the HLN of infected lambs. There was no qualitative difference regarding the phenotype expression of inflammatory cells between the lambs infected with D. dendriticum. The humoral and cell-mediated local immune responses observed were similar in the two groups of lambs infected with different doses.
The evolution and prognosis of patients co-infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B (HBV) is not well know. This study describes the treatment and serological, virological and ...biochemical and elastographic responses of HIV and HBV-coinfected patients.
A descriptive, retrospective study of all the HIV/HBV-coinfected patients seen in a specialized HIV department between 1 January 2007 and 30 November 2008 was performed. Virological and serological determinations of HIV and HBV infections as well as CD4 lymphocytes and transaminases prior to antiretroviral treatment and at the time of analysis were obtained.
A total of 54 (5.4%) cases of HIV/HBV coinfection were identified. The median nadir and current CD4 were 179 and 437 cells/L, respectively. There was undetectable RNA-HIV in 70%. There were 52 patients (96.3%) who followed active drugs treatment against HBV. After treatment, 68.8% had HBeAg negative result, with 81.6% virologic response. The HBsAg became negative in 10.4%. ALT was normal in 75.5%. FibroScan(®) was performed in 30 (55.6%) patients, yielding a median of 7.0kPa.
The results obtained suggest a good serological, virological and biochemical control of HIV/HBV-coinfected patients with treatments recommended by clinical guidelines.
In this work, a thermographic camera and intelligent algorithms have been used to classify five different types of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in grain or flour format and to detect mixtures of different ...rice types which act as adulterated samples. For this purpose, more than 63,000 thermographic images of pure rice (Japonica and Indica) and their mixtures were used. These images have been used to train and validate a system based on deep learning (convolutional neural networks) to carry out their classification and detect adulterations. The combination of cognitive modelling and thermographic analysis can classify the different types of rice and detect potential adulterations with accuracies above 98%. These promising results make this tool viable for fraud detection, food quality control, and public safety.
•Thermal evolution of rice captured via thermographic camera.•Thermography and convolutional neural networks combined to fight adulteration.•Five types of rice classified virtually perfectly through deep learning models.•Fraudulent mixtures of rice detected approximately 99% of cases.•Quality control of rice enabled for real-time analysis and evaluation.
Breakthrough changes in the rental market have occurred with the introduction of peer-to-peer accommodation services such as Airbnb. This phenomenon is attracting tourists who contribute to the ...sustainability of local trade and the economic development of the city. This research enriches the current debate on the range of factors that influence Airbnb accommodation prices. To that end, a method was developed to understand the relationship between Airbnb accommodation attributes and listing prices; and to consider variables related to the properties’ location and surrounding urban environment, considering the touristic characteristics of the four Spanish Mediterranean Arc cities selected as case study. A multivariable analysis technique is used for estimating a hedonic price model that adopts the ordinary least squares and the quantile regression methods. The findings obtained for the impact of location on listing prices are contrary to previous studies. In fact, accommodation prices increase incrementally by 1.3% per kilometer from the tourist area, which in all four cases are situated in the historic area of the city. However, at the same time, accommodation prices decrease incrementally as distance from the coastline increases. Lastly, results related to how the listings’ accommodation, host, and advertising characteristics impact Airbnb prices concur with previous studies.
Typical clinical indications for MSC therapy include musculoskeletal repair, neurological and cardiovascular pathologies (e.g., stroke), cancer treatment, hematological and auto- or allo-immune ...complications (e.g., graft-vs.-host disease, GvHD), and more recently also complications associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis (Soria-Juan et al., 2019; Hmadcha et al., 2020; Ringdén et al., 2022). The authors found that stem cell treatment is safe with only transient mild adverse events, with considerable variation in clinical trials in terms of statistical design, sample size, the cells used, the routes of administration, and the functional assessments, thus making it difficult to compare studies. The authors present an in-depth analysis of relevant factors for the optimization of MSC treatment, including the use of MSCs from different sources for lung repair, different administration routes, timing, dosing, frequency, and potential pretreatment of the clinical MSC products, to guide the design of future clinical research and to identify novel therapeutic options for these complex diseases. Montero-Vilchez et al. report in their article “MSC-conditioned medium for skin diseases: a systematic review” that MSC-CCM improved wound healing, hair restoration, skin rejuvenation, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, in both animal models and humans, and decreased hypertrophic scars and flap ischemia in animal models, with further studies needed to standardize CCM manufacturing.
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