410 research outputs found
Papel de la proteína desacoplante UCP2 en el estrés oxidativo provocado por la metformina en el adipocito blanco
Get PDFLeída en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas el 01-15-2010; 200 págs.A pesar de que la comprensión de la función biológica de la UCP2 en la célula ha constituido un amplio campo de estudio desde su descubrimiento, su papel en la célula no ha sido demostrado aún con claridad. En estos últimos años se ha puesto de manifiesto que la UCP2 estaría implicada en limitar la producción de especies reactivas del oxígeno y, por tanto, podría proteger frente al estrés oxidativo. En este trabajo de tesis se ha intentado determinar el papel de la UCP2 en el metabolismo energético del adipocito blanco cuando se trata con metformina. En este contexto se analizaron su papel en la respuesta al estrés oxidativo y en la regulación del metabolismo lipídico. Los resultados obtenidos en la respuesta al estrés oxidativo han indicado que la metformina provoca estrés oxidativo e induce la expresión de UCP2 en el adipocito blanco. En este caso la inducción de la UCP2 está asociada al aumento de especies reactivas del oxígeno en la célula. Por el contrario, del estudio el metabolismo lipídico se señala que la metformina, a través de la activación de la quinasa dependiente de AMP (AMPK), provoca una inhibición de la lipogénesis y una inducción de la lipolisis, aunque este incremento no coincide con el aumento de los niveles de la proteína, lo que sugiere que la UCP2 no está implicada en el catabolismo lipídico. Del análisis bioenergética del adipocito blanco en presencia de metformina se ha determinado que este fármaco inhibe la actividad del complejo I de la cadena respiratoria mitocondrial, lo que explicaría el aumento de la concentración de anión superóxido detectado en los ensayos de citometría de flujo. Sin embargo, cabe destacar que el efecto de la metformina sobre la velocidad de respiración mitocondrial puede ser revertido con agentes desacoplantes o con ácidos grasos.Peer reviewe
A multimodal analysis of political billboards in the poblano context: the textualization of state politics in central Mexico
Get PDFThis M.A. thesis proposes to analyze the political discourse of the multimodal texts that the two major political parties involved in the 2016 Puebla gubernatorial election produced and extensively distributed through the medium of billboards in a statewide election. The thesis is part of a larger study which investigates how political parties express their particular ideologies, construct social identities and construct power relations through the medium of billboards in a nationwide political campaign (Witten, Castineira and Flores, 2013). The study intends to examine the role that billboards play in the construction and dissemination of political propaganda in Mexican state-wide politics and provide a discussion of how social actors make use of these multimodal texts.
In order to accomplish these goals, the investigation performs a multimodal discourse analysis on a series of photographs of the gubernatorial billboards that were collected during the campaign period from april 3rd to June 5th, 2016. Multimodal discourse analysis refers to a type of analysis that goes beyond the linguistic elements of a text and considers additional modes being employed such as visual images, color, page layout, sound effects and more (Kress & van Leuween, 2001; 2006). Because this investigation analyzes texts that are highly multimodal in nature, multimodality and multimodal analysis are important tools in exploring how text producers achieve their goals in disseminating political discourses
Exploring how EFL students at a teacher education program manage taught and/or untaught idioms in the language learning process.
Get PDF"This study is important because when I was studying and teaching English, I realized of how important it is to learn idioms. I realized how important it is for us to understand idioms when teaching because students always want to know different aspects of the language, regardless of the established syllabus. Teachers of English often try to get immersed in English culture in order to get closer to expressions a native English speaker would use, but it becomes apparent that difficulties will arise due to the lack of authentic context in which the language is learnt in the classroom. As such, this study is meant to investigate how students of EFL at LEI conducted their learning process when learning the real meanings that certain idioms convey and when it is appropriate to use them”
Un concepte de fàbrica de creació a la Colònia Güell
No full textLa noció d’exposició fa temps que es va abandonar per organitzacions centrades en produir art públic on les dinàmiques es basaven en presentar projectes en diferents contextos seleccionats especificament segons el caràcter de cada obra d’art individual en lloc de relacionar-lo amb el mateix espai i fer que els projectes s’adaptessin a aquet lloc i disseny fixe. En quant a la qüestió espacial val la pena preguntar-se si la institució generada per a la producció d’art contemporani hauria de localitzar-se en un espai físic materialitzat. Al món dels museus ha hagut una tendència a encarregar a arquitectes estrella la construcció d’espais museistics i arquitectonicament espectaculars on l’equilibri entre la seu arquitectònica i les obres d’art exposades acabava sent problemàtic.
El punt de partida del projecte és entendre, en primera instància la modificació de les formes de treball amb el pas del temps. Per tant, el projecte es centra amb la rehabilitació de la nau del Secador per la introducció d'un programa de fàbrica de creació que desmatrialitzarà l’espai on històricament les persones i les màquines generaven recorreguts minims per desenvolupar un màxim rendiment per donar peu a un espai de producció vinculat directament amb el veinatge, la cooperació, la ciutat i l’interior i sud de Catalunya garantint l’extenció d’aquest model al seu entorn
The identification of sandfly species, from an area of Argentina with endemic leishmaniasis, by the PCR-based analysis of the gene coding for 18S ribosomal RNA
Get PDFThe area around Río Blanco, in the Orán department in the north of the Argentinian province of Salta, is endemic for American tegumentary leishmaniasis. In an attempt to facilitate the identification of the Lutzomyia species in this area, sequences of the gene coding for the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) of sandflies caught in a Shannon trap were explored, by a combination of PCR and analysis of restriction-fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP). The products from the PCR, which employed two primers developed specifically for this study (Lu.18S 1S and Lu.18S AR), were cloned into a commercial vector (pGEM-T Easy) so that their nucleotide sequences could be investigated. In the RFLP analysis, the products of single and double digestion with the AfaI and HapII restriction enzymes were separated by electrophoresis in 3% or 4% agarose. Taken together with the results of a morphological investigation of the flies, the resultant DNA fragment patterns were sufficient to identify most of the sandflies caught as Lu. neivai. Although two other species, Lu. cortelezzii and Lu. sallesi, were collected, they were relatively rare and only identified morphologically. A single digestion of the 18S-rRNA gene sequences with AfaI or HapII appeared sufficient and useful for the identification of Lu. neivai from the north of Salta province, and for several other Lutzomyia species.Fil: Barroso, Paola Andrea. Kochi University; Japón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marco, Jorge Diego. Kochi University; Japón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Kato, H.. Yamaguchi University; JapónFil: Tarama, R.. Yamaguchi University; JapónFil: Rueda, P.. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Cajal, S. P.. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Basombrío, Miguel Ángel Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Korenaga, M.. Kochi University; JapónFil: Taranto, Nestor Juan. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Sede Regional Orán. Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales; ArgentinaFil: Hashiguchi, Y.. Kochi University; Japó
Un concepte de fàbrica de creació a la Colònia Güell
Get PDFLa noció d’exposició fa temps que es va abandonar per organitzacions centrades en produir art públic on les dinàmiques es basaven en presentar projectes en diferents contextos seleccionats especificament segons el caràcter de cada obra d’art individual en lloc de relacionar-lo amb el mateix espai i fer que els projectes s’adaptessin a aquet lloc i disseny fixe. En quant a la qüestió espacial val la pena preguntar-se si la institució generada per a la producció d’art contemporani hauria de localitzar-se en un espai físic materialitzat. Al món dels museus ha hagut una tendència a encarregar a arquitectes estrella la construcció d’espais museistics i arquitectonicament espectaculars on l’equilibri entre la seu arquitectònica i les obres d’art exposades acabava sent problemàtic.
El punt de partida del projecte és entendre, en primera instància la modificació de les formes de treball amb el pas del temps. Per tant, el projecte es centra amb la rehabilitació de la nau del Secador per la introducció d'un programa de fàbrica de creació que desmatrialitzarà l’espai on històricament les persones i les màquines generaven recorreguts minims per desenvolupar un màxim rendiment per donar peu a un espai de producció vinculat directament amb el veinatge, la cooperació, la ciutat i l’interior i sud de Catalunya garantint l’extenció d’aquest model al seu entorn
Seasonal and age effects on in vitro embryo production in domestic cats under a standardized protocol
No full textAuthor contributions
AP-G: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. AM-M: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. MF-R: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. PA: Writing – original draft, Data curation, Methodology, Supervision, Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Project administration, Validation, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Resources, Visualization, Software. MAS-C: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. SB-A: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. MJS-C: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editingIntroduction
In vitro embryo production (IVP) in the domestic cat (Felis catus) remains highly variable owing to intrinsic reproductive traits and the absence of fully standardized protocols.
Methods
We retrospectively analysed 108 IVP replicates produced under a single protocol (2020–2024) to quantify the effects of season, donor age and methodological parameters on oocyte yield and embryo development.
Results
Winter proved the most favourable season for both oocyte recovery and blastocyst formation, whereas spring, despite lower initial yields, achieved the greatest post-selection oocyte retention. Donor age correlated negatively with oocyte number; however, older queens showed higher blastocyst conversion rates, suggesting that only developmentally competent oocytes persist at advanced age.
Discussion
These results highlight the need for rigorous donor selection and season-tailored IVP protocols to enhance embryo yield, quality and dataset reproducibility, prerequisites for deciphering embryo–maternal signalling mechanisms. Because the domestic cat serves as a valuable translational model for endangered felids, optimizing these factors will advance both feline ART and conservation breeding programs.Comunidad de MadridDepto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalDepto. de FisiologíaFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu
Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height
Get PDFMost common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits(1), but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait(2,3). The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P<0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways
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