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Novel pharmacological and electroceutical approaches for memory improvement in animal models of intellectual disability
No full textIntellectual disability is a term used to describe a group of neurodevelopmental disorders defined by deficits in cognitive and adaptive functioning with onset during the developmental period. Preclinical research suggest that pharmaceutical approached might benefit people with intellectual disabilities since mouse models bearing similar genetic modifications to those in human syndromes improve cognitive performance upon treatment. This thesis focused on the therapeutic potential of two different approaches, pharmacological and electroceutical, in two mouse models of intellectual disability. First, we studied therapeutic potential of long-term treatments targeting the endocannabinoid system for memory improvement in a well-characterized mouse model of Down syndrome. Secondly, we explored a new electroceutical approach for memory enhancement in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome based on vagus nerve stimulation. Together, using behavioral, pharmacological, electrostimulation, histological and biochemical approaches, we have described two new therapeutical interventions for memory enhancement in mouse models of intellectual disability.La discapacitat intel·lectual és un terme que s'utilitza per a descriure un grup de trastorns del neurodesenvolupament definits per dèficits en el funcionament cognitiu que comencen al llarg del període de desenvolupament. Aquesta tesi es va centrar en el potencial terapèutic de dues aproximacions diferents, farmacològica i electrocèutica, en dos models de ratolí de discapacitat intel·lectual. En primer lloc, hem estudiat el potencial terapèutic dels tractaments a llarg termini dirigits al sistema endocannabinoide per a millorar la memòria en un model de ratolí de síndrome de Down. En segon lloc, hem explorat un nou enfocament electrocèutic per a la millora de la memòria en un model de ratolí de la síndrome X fràgil basat en l'estimulació del nervi vague. Conjuntament, utilitzant tècniques conductuals, farmacològics, d'electroestimulació, histològics i bioquímics, hem descrit dues noves aplicacions terapèutiques per a la millora de la memòria en models de ratolí de discapacitat intel·lectual.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin
Annual report: academic year 2024-2025: critical knowledge for decision-making
No full textThe Annual Report 2024–2025 of the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center offers a comprehensive overview of the Center’s academic, research, and communication activities during the 2024–2025 academic year. It highlights the Center’s continued commitment to transdisciplinary research that informs evidence-based public decision-making across five key areas: inequality and poverty, climate and environment, international and EU governance, work and employment, and health and well-being.
Throughout the year, the Center enhanced its international visibility through 60 academic publications, the organization of major international conferences — including Rethinking the Eco-Social Determinants of Health Inequities (ESDHI-EU) and the 2nd International Congress of Ecological Humanities (CIHE 2025) — and by coordinating research projects funded by the European Union and other institutions. It also expanded its efforts in knowledge transfer, multimedia scientific communication, and joint educational programs between Pompeu Fabra University and Johns Hopkins University, such as the Master’s in Public and Social Policies and the Fall Institute in Health Policy and Management.
The report reaffirms the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center’s role as an international benchmark in producing critical knowledge for public action and promoting fairer, more sustainable, and equitable policies to address the eco-social challenges of the 21st century
Early biomarkers through transcriptomic profiling in young COPD patients: insights into sex-specific differences
No full textTutor: Jose Manuel Fernandez Fernandez
Director: Joaquim Gea Guiral (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute - UPF)
Co-supervisor: César Jessé Enríquez RodríguezChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a frequently underdiagnosed (by over 70%) disease due to its heterogeneity and the current diagnostic criteria, which make it challenging to diagnose in the early stages. This study aims to identify transcriptomic biomarkers in blood samples to facilitate early diagnosis and improve our understanding of the biological pathways involved, paying particular attention to sex differences.
Whole blood RNA samples from 37 patients and 35 matched controls (14 and 18 females, respectively) were analysed. Differential expression analyses were performed for COPD patients compared to controls, both globally and stratified by sex. An empirical Bayes approach was used to adjust for sex and age. Predictive models were built using Support Vector Machine and Random Forest algorithms with K-best AI feature selection.
A total of 511, 569, and 378 genes were differentially expressed in the global, female, and male analyses, respectively (p < 0.05), with 11 genes being common to all comparisons. Diagnostic models demonstrated high performance, particularly in sex-specific models based on AI selection (accuracy ≥ 95%; MCC ≥ 0.87), which outperformed models based on shared genes. The selected transcripts were related to immune response, oxidative stress, energy metabolism and ciliary function, some of which were modulated in a sex-specific manner.
Our results suggest that the pathogenic mechanisms of COPD may differ between men and women. This highlights the importance of considering sex as a relevant biological
factor in COPD research. They provide new insights into the early pathobiology of COPD and contribute to the move towards personalised medicine
Mechanical power is not associated with mortality in COVID-19 mechanically ventilated patients
No full textBackground: The relative contribution of the different components of mechanical power to mortality is a subject of debate and has not been studied in COVID-19. The aim of this study is to evaluate both the total and the relative impact of each of the components of mechanical power on mortality in a well-characterized cohort of patients with COVID-19-induced acute respiratory failure undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. This is a secondary analysis of the CIBERESUCICOVID project, a multicenter observational cohort study including fifty Spanish intensive care units that included COVID-19 mechanically ventilated patients between February 2020 and December 2021. We examined the association between mechanical power and its components (elastic static, elastic dynamic, total elastic and resistive power) with 90-day mortality after adjusting for confounders in seven hundred ninety-nine patients with COVID-19-induced respiratory failure undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. Results: At the initiation of mechanical ventilation, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio was 106 (78; 150), ventilatory ratio was 1.69 (1.40; 2.05), and respiratory system compliance was 35.7 (29.2; 44.5) ml/cmH2O. Mechanical power at the initiation of mechanical ventilation was 24.3 (18.9; 29.6) J/min, showing no significant changes after three days. In multivariable regression analyses, mechanical power and its components were not associated with 90-day mortality at the start of mechanical ventilation. After three days, total elastic and elastic static power were associated with higher 90-day mortality, but this relationship was also found for positive end-expiratory pressure. Conclusions: Neither mechanical power nor its components were independently associated with mortality in COVID-19-induced acute respiratory failure at the start of MV. Nevertheless, after three days, static elastic power and total elastic power were associated with lower odds of survival. Positive end-expiratory pressure and plateau pressure, however, captured this risk in a similar manner
Vorsatz ohne Kenntnis? Überlegungen im Zusammenhang mit der Verurteilung von Lionel Messi wegen Steuerhinterziehung
No full textIn den letzten Jahren gab es in einigen kontinentalen Rechtssystemen eine intensive Debatte über die Möglichkeit, dass es Vorsatzformen geben könnte, die keine Kenntnis der Tatbestandselemente erfordern. Diese Diskussion wurde durch zwei sehr unterschiedliche Traditionen angeregt: die deutsche Theorie der so genannten "Tatsachenblindheit" und die angelsächsische willful blindness-Doktrin. In diesem Beitrag sollen diese Ansätze in einem der berühmtesten Fälle, in denen diese Theorien angewendet wurden, vorgestellt und kritisch bewertet werden: die Verurteilung des Fußballers Lionel Messi durch die spanischen Gerichte als Täter einer Steuerhinterziehung.Dieser Beitrag ist im Rahmen der Durchführung des Forschungsprojekts DER2017-82232-P (AEI/FEDER, EU) entstanden
Entrevista a Francisco Vargas
No full textFrancisco Vargas és, des de l’any 2015, director de l’Àrea Audiovisual de l’Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals (ICEC). En aquesta entrevista explica quina és la seva visió del sector i quines mesures es prenen des de l’administració per tal d’enfortir les estructures empresarials de la producció audiovisual
Disruption of students' linguistic attitudes in the Catalan immersive schools in France
No full textStability of cytokine and immunoglobulin concentrations in the general population: prepandemic basal concentrations and intraindividual changes until the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textBackground: While there is wide evidence on concentrations of cytokines in patients attending health care facilities, evidence is scant on physiological, basal concentrations of cytokines in the general population and across sociodemographic groups, as well as on their potential stability over time. Furthermore, from a public health perspective it is remarkable that no studies have analyzed intraindividual changes in such concentrations from before the COVID-19 pandemic until its outbreak. Objectives: To investigate: (a) prepandemic concentrations of cytokines and immunoglobulins to viral exposures in a general, non-institutionalized population, and their associated sociodemographic variables; (b) the intraindividual change in such concentrations between a prepandemic period (2016-17) and the initial pandemic period (2020-21); and (c) whether such change was similar in participants who in 2020-21 were SARS-CoV-2 seronegative and seropositive, and between participants who did and did not develop COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 240 individuals from the general population of Barcelona, Spain. Thirty cytokines and 31 immunoglobulins were measured in paired serum samples collected in 2016-17 and 2020-21 in the same individuals. Results: The median value of the relative intraindividual change in cytokine concentrations between 2016 and 2020 was <15% for 29 of the 30 cytokines. A substantial number of participants had an intraindividual increase or decrease ≥15% in some cytokines. No major differences in intraindividual changes of cytokine and immunoglobulin levels between 2016 and 2020 were observed between participants who did and did not develop COVID-19. Conclusion: We provide novel information on physiological, basal ex-vivo concentrations of cytokines and immunoglobulins in a general population, which should be relevant for clinical practice and public health. Intraindividual changes in cytokines and immunoglobulins during the 4 years from 2016-17 to 2020-21 were moderate, and they did not differ between participants who in 2020-21 were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive and seronegative, nor between participants who did and did not develop COVID-19 disease. These findings are also novel and relevant for medicine and public health. In particular, the stability in the biomarkers is relevant to assess the role of the immunological and inflammatory state (measured through baseline levels of cytokines and immunoglobulins) in the development of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and COVID-19 disease, as well as in the susceptibility to other infections and pathologies.The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. The work was supported in part by research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Government of Spain, co-funded by FEDER and European Union (FIS PI17/00088, FIS PI21/00052, FIS PI24/00277, and CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública-CIBERESP); CRUE-Santander Fondo Supera Covid-19 (15072020); the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona; and the Government of Catalonia (2017 SGR 439; 2021 SGR 43). GM is supported by RYC2020-029886-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, co-funded by European Social Fund (ESF). Development of SARS-CoV-2 reagents was partially supported by the NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) contract HHSN272201400008C. ISGlobal acknowledges support from grant CEX2023-0001290-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. IMIM and ISGlobal acknowledge support from Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Approach to the translation of sound in comic books
No full textThe relationship between texts and images in comics is essential from the graphic point of view and for the understanding of the story. Hence, the translation of comics has certain peculiarities that other literature genres do not have, partly due to its combination of iconic language and literary language.
Among the wide array of interesting topics within this field, we are going to focus on a great challenge for translators: the graphic and phonetic values of the sounds in comics. Technical advances have improved comic books translation: nowadays modifying an element of the vignette no longer involves redrawing the whole animation. Thus, the translation of this literature genre can now focus on other problematic issues, such as the translation of sounds. Taking into account the lack of categorization of these sounds, this article deals with the translation of inarticulate sounds, interjections and onomatopoeias from English comic books into Spanish in order to observe the existing trends in these issues and to confirm if the new technologies have changed the translators' task in the last 25 years
A Verdú fan cantirets: l'antic forn de Cal Salisi, la producció de ceràmica negra a la vila closa: una problemàtica cronològica
No full textL'estudi del forn de Cal Salisi està relacionat amb la producció ceràmica de Verdú (Catalunya), un poble conegut tradicionalment per la ceràmica negra verdunina. L'estudi arqueològic i documental parteix de les incògnites sobre el moment en què va estar en ús aquest forn, la ceràmica que s'hi va produir i la identitat del seu propietari. L'estudi documental ha permès aproximar la cronologia d'amortització del forn, que se situa en un moment anterior a finals del segle XV, quan ja no estaria en ús. Gràcies a la consulta de fonts documentals històriques, es podria considerar que Cal Salisi és un dels forns conservats més antics del poble, en remuntar-se fins abans de 1549. L'estudi arqueològic ha permès conèixer la producció ceràmica, així com l'amortització del forn, gràcies a l'examen tipològic dels materials recuperats -ceràmica vidrada, ceràmica comuna, suports de forn i, sobretot, sellons i cànters. Els materials s'han pogut englobar, a partir de la seva forma, en tipologies prèviament definides i en d'altres de nova creació