Los andaluces somos “juerguistas y graciosos”, según los estudiantes de otras comunidades

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Los andaluces somos “juerguistas y graciosos”, según los estudiantes de otras comunidades

Alegres, abiertos, amantes de su tierra y hospitalarios… pero también juerguistas y graciosos. Así nos ven a los andaluces los estudiantes de otras regiones, según un informe realizado por la profesora del departamento de Antropología Social de la Universidad de Granada, Aurelia Martín. Un trabajo de campo cuyos resultados ponen de manifiesto que las representaciones mentales negativas persisten: la más detestada es, posiblemente, la que nos tacha de ‘vagos’. No en vano, este calificativo ocupa el décimo noveno puesto en una lista de ochenta adjetivos. Esto indica que “un buen número” de alumnos “aún tiene esta percepción”, según sostiene la directora del estudio, quien asocia dicha visión a una “muy probable vinculación de los términos vago y desempleado”.

Al objeto de esclarecer qué opinan los andaluces de sí mismos y, sobre todo, cómo los describen los estudiantes del resto de España y los extranjeros, fueron encuestados 727 alumnos de los dos últimos cursos de la Facultad de Letras de Granada, que participaron en el estudio ‘Estereotipos y prejuicios sobre la población andaluza’. Entre sus conclusiones más sorprendentes destaca que el acento de los habitantes de esta comunidad se entiende como “una barrera discriminatoria en el ascenso social”. De hecho, los universitarios autóctonos estiman que es el causante de que el resto de los españoles crean que son “incultos”.

Los alumnos extranjeros que colaboraron en este proyecto también confesaron tener una imagen bastante estereotipada de una región en la que el flamenco y el folclore parecen ser los elementos protagonistas. Sin embargo, admitieron haber cambiado de opinión al vivir aquí, aunque muchos consideran que los andaluces “hablan a gritos y que el ruido, en general, es un problema importante.

El problema más grave asociado a este territorio es el paro y la precariedad laboral, según el 66,11 por ciento de quienes participaron en el citado sondeo; una conexión que no se debe al temor que hoy en día aqueja a muchos ciudadanos a causa de la crisis económica, pues la opinión de los estudiantes fue captada en octubre de 2007, cuando esta situación no había sido retratada aún por los medios de comunicación. Los estudiantes andaluces son quienes destacan mayoritariamente esta traba (67 por ciento), frente a los procedentes de otras regiones (48 por ciento) u otros países (32 por ciento) que “no se mostraron intranquilos al no tener intención de trabajar en Andalucía”, explica Aurelia Martín. No obstante, dos alumnas, una francesa y una belga, apuntaron lo siguiente: “se gana muy poco dinero en comparación con el precio de la vida”, lo que relacionaron a la precariedad laboral.

Incultura y analfabetismo

La incorrecta gestión de la inmigración y una educación deficiente, que han llegado a calificarse de “incultura y analfabetismo”, son los otros dos aspectos negativos de la comunidad más resaltados, que encabezan una lista de doce. Entre ellos no se encuentra el terrorismo, que ha pasado “a un segundo término y sólo fue señalado por dos alumnos”.

Los mecanismos empleados para el desarrollo de este informe son innovadores, afirma la profesora Martín, porque además de la típica encuesta, se crearon tres grupos de discusión que separaban a los andaluces, al resto de españoles y a los participantes foráneos, cuyas opiniones fueron grabadas. Para extraer las conclusiones se “combinaron las técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas para corregir los sesgos de la investigación de cada método”, arguye la directora del estudio.

El desencadenante del proyecto fue la negativa de una alumna brillante a exponer su trabajo porque se avergonzaba de su acento. Esto provocó en la profesora la necesidad de “otorgarle un valor positivo al andaluz para que los jóvenes que se proyecten con fuerza hacia el futuro”. El estudio ha sido financiado por el Centro de Estudios Andaluces, perteneciente a la Junta de Andalucía.
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New anti-cancer components of extra-virgin olive oil revealed

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New anti-cancer components of extra-virgin olive oil revealed

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, \’phytochemicals,\’ that can trigger cancer cell death. New research published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer. Menendez said, \’Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells.\’

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process. Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation. As the authors point out, \’The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumouricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil.\’

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, \’These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs.\’
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Olive oil may help fight cancer

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Olive oil may help fight cancer

The study published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer.

Menendez said, «Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells».

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process.

Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation.

As the authors point out, «The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil».

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, «These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs».
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Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, ‘phytochemicals’, that can trigger cancer cell death

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Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, \’phytochemicals\’, that can trigger cancer cell death

New research published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer. Menendez said, «Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells».

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process. Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation. As the authors point out, «The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil».

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, «These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs».

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmccancer/
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Compound from olive-skin pomace protects against colon-cancer

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Compound from olive-skin pomace protects against colon-cancer

Researchers from the University of Granada and the University of Barcelona have shown that treatment with maslinic acid, a triterpenoid compound isolated from olive-skin pomace, results in a significant inhibition of cell proliferation and causes apoptotic death in colon-cancer cells.

Maslinic acid is a novel natural compound and it is able to induce apoptosis or programmed death in human HT29 colon-cancer cells via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. Scientifics suggest this could be a useful new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colon carcinoma.

This study is the first to investigate the precise molecular mechanisms of the anti-tumoral and pro-apoptotic effects of maslinic acid against colon-cancer. Chemopreventive agents of a natural origin, often a part of our daily diet, may provide a cheap, effective way of controlling such diseases as cancer of the colon. A wide range of studies in recent years has shown that triterpenoids hinder carcinogenesis by intervening in pathways such as carcinogen activation, DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, cell differentiation and the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells.

Triterpenoids are compounds present in a wide range of plants used in traditional medicine and known to have antitumoral properties. Low concentrations of maslinic acid are to be found in plants with medicinal properties, but its concentration in the waxy skin of olives may be as high as 80%.

The results of the study could contribute to the development of maslinic acid for use as cancer chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents.

The research paper will be published in 2009 in the journal Cancer Letters, specialized in the broad area of cancer research, under the title Maslinic acid, a natural triterpene from Olea europaea L., induces apoptosis in HT29 human colon-cancer cells via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Scientifics found that the compound, present in olive skin\’s leaf and wax, inhibits the growth of HT29 colon-cancer cells.
It may provide a useful new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colon carcinoma.
Low concentrations of maslinic acid are to be found in plants with medicinal properties, but its concentration in the waxy skin of olives may be as high as 80%.
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La restauración en la zona afectada por el incendio de Lanjarón aunará técnicas tradicionales e innovadoras

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La restauración en la zona afectada por el incendio de Lanjarón aunará técnicas tradicionales e innovadoras

El plan de restauración de la zona afectada por el incendio que afectó en 2005 a 3.425 hectáreas del Espacio Natural de Sierra Nevada, principalmente en el término municipal de Lanjarón, aunará las técnicas científicas más innovadoras con las tradicionales con el proyecto \’Monte del Siglo XXI\’, con una inversión de 5,8 millones de euros y una duración de tres años que pretende conseguir un modelo de monte más sostenible.

El proyecto ha sido elaborado por la Consejería de Medio Ambiente con la colaboración del Departamento de Ecología Aplicada de la Universidad de Granada, el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, y el Centro de Investigación Agraria de la Consejería de Innovación.

Tiene como objetivo la regeneración del monte mediante la aplicación de novedosas técnicas forestales de siembra y plantación, como la regeneración bajo cubierta de matorral y bajo restos de vegetación y núcleos de dispersión en torno a la superficie afectada, con distintas prácticas de preparación del terreno y con una amplia selección de especies, explicó hoy en rueda de prensa el director del espacio Natural de Sierra Nevada, Javier Sánchez.

La definición de las estrategias de intervención se realizan poniendo como meta la obtención de un determinado diseño global del tipo de hábitat que se pretende que tenga una serie de características: Que sea abierto, con vegetación arbórea no excesivamente densa para garantizar mayores índices de biodiversidad con discontinuidades; heterogéneo, enfocando con determinación de las técnicas de restauración en función de la variedad de condiciones que va a presentar las diferentes zonas objeto de restauración.

También se pretende conseguir un hábitat diverso, empleando en las repoblaciones un amplio rango de especies autóctonas adaptadas a la estación. Con ello se espera que se potencien el uso múltiple y las externalidades propias de los ecosistemas forestales mediterráneos.

Asimismo se intentará conseguir una zona resistente a agentes erosivos, de manera que a corto-medio plazo el objetivo principal de las actuaciones de restauración de la cubierta vegetal es facilitar la defensa del suelo frente a la erosión mediante un aumento de su capacidad de retención e infiltración de agua, con lo cual disminuirán las escorrentías.

En cuanto a las especies que se utilizarán para las reforestaciones, los modelos se fundamentarán en las series de vegetación potencial que hayan sido asociadas a cada una de las áreas a restaurar. En la zona afectada por el siniestro en Sierra Nevada la vegetación potencial para cada zona varía notablemente debido a la amplitud del área quemada, pero se utilizarán, sobre todo robledal, Encinar, piornal, pinar y saucedas en las zonas cercanas a riberas de río, que han sido un total de 70 kilómetros afectados gravemente por el incendio.

Con el diseño planeado, la nueva masa a implantar se adaptará al carácter heterogéneo de la zona, creando una gran variedad que diversificará el entorno y lo hará más resistente a los avatares que se pueda producir. Se dejarán zonas despejadas con el fin de aumentar los efectos bordes, rompiendo y diversificando el paisaje y compartimentando el monte para evitar que los incendios forestales sigan con facilidad su recorrido, en caso de que se declarara otro.

También se han reservado grandes superficies para la implantación de pastizales que además de crear grandes discontinuidades, servirán para recuperar el uso tradicional de la ganadería intensiva a la par que constituirán una fuente de alimentos para la fauna silvestre y redundarán en la mejora de la biodiversidad faunística de la zona.

Otra de las novedades importantes que presenta este proyecto es el patrocinio del mismo por Aguas de Font Vella y Lanjarón, que se adhiere al proyecto \’Monte del Siglo XXI\’ en el marco de su proyecto de responsabilidad corporativa \’Compromiso con los Parques Naturales\’, señaló la directora general de Medio Natural, Marina Martín.

El siniestro afectó a un 32 por ciento de la superficie del Parque Nacional y a un 68 del Parque Natural y se estima que la zona tardará en recuperarse entre 30 y 50 años.

El incendio, que afectó a cinco términos municipales, especialmente a Lanjarón, Nigüelas y Dúrcal, se produjo en septiembre en 2005 y tuvo como resultado la detención de una pareja extranjera que encendieron una hoguera en el campo después de haberse extraviado con el objetivo de ser localizados, concretamente en el paraje de El Tello.
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Olive oil may help fight cancer

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Olive oil may help fight cancer

Extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, \’phytochemicals\’, that can trigger cancer cell death, says a new research.

The study published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer.

Menendez said, Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells.

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process.

Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation.

As the authors point out, The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil.

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs. (ANI)
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Olive oil could hold key to developing new breast cancer drugs

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Olive oil could hold key to developing new breast cancer drugs

The oil makes up a large component of the Mediterranean-style diet which is known to protect against some forms of cancer.

Researchers have now isolated chemicals that could be the active ingredient in the oil which affects cancerous cells.

A team from the University of Granada in Spain found two chemicals made by the plant and present in the oil blocked the protein involved in some breast cancers.

Around one fifth of breast cancer tumours have the Her2 protein and grow more quickly than other forms of the disease.

Drugs such as Herceptin work against these cancers and help prevent them from returning.

New research in the journal BioMed Central reveals that chemicals called lignans and secoiridoids may work in a similar way.

Javier Menéndez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada said: «Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells».

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments and so contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process.

The team isolated the chemicals called lignans and secoiridoids and tested them against breast cancer cells in the lab.

The authors said although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of Her 2 breast cancers the results from the laboratory cannot be extrapolated to a human diet as the concentrations needed to produce an effect were much higher than could be obtained from food.

They said: «These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs».

Dr Joanna Owens, Cancer Research UK senior cancer information officer, said: «We already know that a Mediterranean-style diet can help to protect against cancer, which includes cutting down on saturated fats often found in chocolate, crisps and cakes in favour of the monounsaturated fats found in foods like olive oil.

«In this study the researchers separated out the natural plant chemicals in olive oil and looked at their effects on different types of breast cancer cells in the lab – but the concentrations they\’ve used are much higher than you could ever obtain from eating olive oil.

«This research is at a very early stage but investigating the potential of plant chemicals is an exciting area of research that could pave the way for the development of cancer-preventing drugs in the future.»
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Olive oil ‘fights cancer’

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Olive oil ‘fights cancer’

Extra-virgin olive oil contains plant chemicals that combat breast cancer, a study has found.

Scientists believe the discovery may open the door to new treatments for the disease. It may also help explain why olive-rich Mediterranean diets appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Extra-virgin olive oil is made from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. Olive oil made this way contains plant chemicals otherwise lost in the refining process.

Researchers in Spain separated olive oil into “fractions” containing different plant chemicals, which were then tested for their effects on breast cancer cells in the laboratory.

All the fractions containing chemicals chiefly found in extra-virgin olive oil suppressed the breast cancer-promoting gene HER2 in the cells.

The compounds, known as “polyphenols”, caused cells with overactive HER2 to commit suicide through a process called apoptosis.

In normal circumstances, apoptosis naturally helps to clear away defective cells that might turn cancerous. Drug Herceptin targets HER2 gene but is only effective in certain patients.

The scientists, led by Dr Javier Menendez, from the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Girona, and Dr Antonio Segura-Carretero, from the University of Granada were writing in online open access journal BMC Cancer.
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El País

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Hecho en Andalucía – Pág. 41: El Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud de Granada. Una referencia en salud
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Olive oil may help fight cancer

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Olive oil may help fight cancer

Extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, \’phytochemicals\’, that can trigger cancer cell death, says a new research.

The study published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer.

Menendez said, «Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells».

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process.

Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation.

As the authors point out, «The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil».

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, «These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs».
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Olive oil may help fight cancer

Escrito por

Olive oil may help fight cancer

Extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, ”phytochemicals”, that can trigger cancer cell death, says a new research.

The study published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Javier Menendez from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain led a team of researchers who set out to investigate which parts of olive oil were most active against cancer.

Menendez said, “Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells”.

Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process.

Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2.

Although these findings provide new insights on the mechanisms by which good quality oil, i.e. polyphenol-rich extra-virgin olive oil, might contribute to a lowering of breast cancer risk in a HER2-dependent manner, extreme caution must be applied when applying the lab results to the human situation.

As the authors point out, “The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil”.

Nevertheless, and according to the authors, “These findings, together with the fact that that humans have safely been ingesting significant amounts of lignans and secoiridoids as long as they have been consuming olives and extra-virgin oil, strongly suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs”. (ANI)
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