Autonomous University of Barcelona

About: Autonomous University of Barcelona is a education organization based out in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 37833 authors who have published 80514 publications receiving 2321142 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Computer Vision Center.

Therapeutic Action of Cannabinoids in a Murine Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract: Theiler's virus infection of the CNS induces an immune-mediated demyelinating disease in susceptible mouse strains and serves as a relevant infection model for human multiple sclerosis (MS). Cannabinoids may act as immunosuppressive compounds that have shown therapeutic potential in chronic inflammatory disorders. Using the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus model, we report here that treatment with the synthetic cannabinoids WIN 55,212-2, ACEA, and JWH-015 during established disease significantly improved the neurological deficits in a long-lasting way. At a histological level, cannabinoids reduced microglial activation, abrogated major histocompatibility complex class II antigen expression, and decreased the number of CD4+ infiltrating T cells in the spinal cord. Both recovery of motor function and diminution of inflammation paralleled extensive remyelination. Overall, the data presented may have potential therapeutic implications in demyelinating pathologies such as MS; in particular, the possible involvement of cannabinoid receptor CB2 would enable nonpsychoactive therapy suitable for long-term use.

Evolution before genes

Abstract: Our current understanding of evolution is so tightly linked to template-dependent replication of DNA and RNA molecules that the old idea from Oparin of a self-reproducing 'garbage bag' ('coacervate') of chemicals that predated fully-fledged cell-like entities seems to be farfetched to most scientists today. However, this is exactly the kind of scheme we propose for how Darwinian evolution could have occurred prior to template replication. We cannot confirm previous claims that autocatalytic sets of organic polymer molecules could undergo evolution in any interesting sense by themselves. While we and others have previously imagined inhibition would result in selectability, we found that it produced multiple attractors in an autocatalytic set that cannot be selected for. Instead, we discovered that if general conditions are satisfied, the accumulation of adaptations in chemical reaction networks can occur. These conditions are the existence of rare reactions producing viable cores (analogous to a genotype), that sustains a molecular periphery (analogous to a phenotype). We conclude that only when a chemical reaction network consists of many such viable cores, can it be evolvable. When many cores are enclosed in a compartment there is competition between cores within the same compartment, and when there are many compartments, there is between-compartment competition due to the phenotypic effects of cores and their periphery at the compartment level. Acquisition of cores by rare chemical events, and loss of cores at division, allows macromutation, limited heredity and selectability, thus explaining how a poor man's natural selection could have operated prior to genetic templates. This is the only demonstration to date of a mechanism by which pre-template accumulation of adaptation could occur. This article was reviewed by William Martin and Eugene Koonin.

The role of primary care in preventing ambulatory care sensitive conditions

Abstract: Background: To examine the postulated relationship between Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) and Primary Health Care (PHC) in the US context for the European context, in order to develop an ACSC list as markers of PHC effectiveness and to specify which PHC activities are primarily responsible for reducing hospitalization rates. Methods: To apply the criteria proposed by Solberg and Weissman to obtain a list of codes of ACSC and to consider the PHC intervention according to a panel of experts. Five selection criteria: i) existence of prior studies; ii) hospitalization rate at least 1/10,000 or ‘risky health problem’; iii) clarity in definition and coding; iv) potentially avoidable hospitalization through PHC; v) hospitalization necessary when health problem occurs. Fulfilment of all criteria was required for developing the final ACSC list. A sample of 248,050 discharges corresponding to 2,248,976 inhabitants of Catalonia in 1996 provided hospitalization rate data. A Delphi survey was performed with a group of 44 experts reviewing 113 ICD diagnostic codes (International Classification of Diseases, 9 th Revision, Clinical Modification), previously considered to be ACSC. Results: The five criteria selected 61 ICD as a core list of ACSC codes and 90 ICD for an expanded list. Conclusions: A core list of ACSC as markers of PHC effectiveness identifies health conditions amenable to specific aspects of PHC and minimizes the limitations attributable to variations in hospital admission policies. An expanded list should be useful to evaluate global PHC performance and to analyse market responsibility for ACSC by PHC and Specialist Care.

The elemental stoichiometry of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and its relationships with organismic lifestyle and ecosystem structure and function: a review and perspectives

Abstract: C, N and P are three of the most important elements used to build living beings, and their uptake from the environment is consequently essential for all organisms. We have reviewed the available studies on water, soils and organism elemental content ratios (stoichiometry) with the aim of identifying the general links between stoichiometry and the structure and function of organisms and ecosystems, in both aquatic and terrestrial contexts. Oceans have variable C:N:P ratios in coastal areas and a narrow range approximating the Redfield ratio in deep water and inner oceanic areas. Terrestrial ecosystems have a general trend towards an increase in soil and plant N:P ratios from cool and temperate to tropical ecosystems, but with great variation within each climatic area. The C:N:P content ratio (from now on C:N:P ratio) is more constrained in organisms than in the water and soil environments they inhabit. The capacity to adjust this ratio involves several mechanisms, from leaf re-absorption in plants to the control of excretion in animals. Several differences in C:N:P ratios are observed when comparing different taxa and ecosystems. For freshwater ecosystems, the growth rate hypothesis (GRH), which has consistent experimental support, states that low N:P supply determines trophic web structures by favoring organisms with a high growth rate. For terrestrial organisms, however, evidence not yet conclusive on the relevance of the GRH. Recent studies suggest that the N:P ratio could play a role, even in the evolution of the genomes of organisms. Further research is warranted to study the stoichiometry of different trophic levels under different C:N:P environment ratios in long-term ecosystem-scale studies. Other nutrients such as K or Fe should also be taken into account. Further assessment of the GRH requires more studies on the effects of C:N:P ratios on anabolic (growth), catabolic (respiration), storage and/or defensive allocation. Combining elemental stoichiometry with metabolomics and/or genomics should improve our understanding of the coupling of different levels of biological organization, from elemental composition to the structure and evolution of ecosystems, via cellular metabolism and nutrient cycling.