Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

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Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

A team of Spanish scientists, studying recent, active deformations in the Baetic mountain range, have shown that the activity of smaller tectonic structures close to larger faults in the south east of the Iberian Peninsula partially offsets the risk of earthquakes. «There are large faults in the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range, which are active and occasionally cause moderate, low magnitude earthquakes (measuring less than 5 on the Richter scale)», Antonio Pedrera, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada (UGR), tells SINC.

The team\’s research, published recently in the Journal of Quaternary Science, involved studying the La Molata sector, near Albox, in Almeria, near the southern end of the active Alhama de Murcia fault. The authors say this sector has been deformed by small faults and folds that are growing progressively.

«Although we can\’t exclude the possibility that these direction faults could cause earthquakes of greater magnitude, we have shown that the formation of small tectonic structures helps to partially relax the energy associated with the convergence of plates, and reduces seismic activity in these larger faults», says Pedrera.

The secrets of rodent fossils

By studying mammal fossils, Antonio Ruiz Bustos, co-author of the study and a researcher at the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (UGR) has been able to date inverse faults and active folds near the town of Albox.

Some of the fossils found in the faults have included the molars of Mimomys Sabin (a small rodent that lived in wetland areas between 950,000 and 830,000 years ago), which have allowed him to measure the horizontal narrowing of the faults at 0.006 milimetres/year.

The scientists have combined the dating of deformed sediments with other surface geological data, such as geological mapping, cinematic analysis of the structures, geophysical prospecting and geomorphological analysis, in order to evaluate what role these faults have played in causing earthquakes during the Quaternary (from 1.8 million years ago to the present day).

Nine million years ago, the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range was deformed by numerous folds and faults, caused by the collision of the Eurasian and African plates.

Currently, some of these tectonic structures are still developing, but available data on the location of earthquakes suggest that their seismic activity is dispersed and moderate.
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Gene Increases Effectiveness of Drugs Used to Fight Cancer and Allows Reduction in Dosage

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Gene Increases Effectiveness of Drugs Used to Fight Cancer and Allows Reduction in Dosage

Researchers at the University of Granada have found a suicide gene, called \’gene E\’, which leads to the death of tumour cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and prevents their growth. The importance of this new gene is that its use to fight cancer can reduce the potent drugs that are currently used, so that could mean more effective treatment for cancer.

This research was conducted by Ana Rosa Rama Ballesteros, from the Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology at the University of Granada, and directed by professors Antonia Aránega Jimenez, José Carlos Prados Salazar and Consolación Melguizo Alonso. Its aim was to study the possibility of reducing the dosage of drugs currently administered to cancer patients using combination therapy with suicide gene E.

Scientists from the UGR have shown that the bacteriophage phiX174 killer gene called E, can be used to induce death in tumour cells. So far, attempts to use many chemotherapeutic (cytotoxic) agents similar to the E gene have shown severe limitations resulting from their toxicity and their poor affinity with the tumour.

Advantages of gene therapy

As Ana Rosa Rama explains, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery show at present «limited» results in advanced stages of cancer. «That is why it is urgent to find new therapies, and gene therapy has emerged as a potentially powerful therapeutic platform.» Her work has shown that «it is possible to use gene therapy as an aid to chemotherapy, improving its results when it comes to attacking cancer, thus allowing the dosage of agents to be reduced and contributing to a reduction in side effects for the patient.»

In order to understand how the E gene works, the researchers conducted studies using various techniques. The results indicate that the E gene\’s mechanism of action is to induce apoptosis (cell death), possibly through mitochondrial injury.

Therefore, they stress that «this new E gene appears as an ideal candidate to be transfected into tumour cells in order to induce apoptosis, possibly through mitochondrial activation, and to increase the sensitivity of these cells to the action of the drug developed specifically to act on them.»

The results of this research suggest the possibility of reducing the concentration of chemotherapeutic agents in current use with cancer patients. Thus, in lung cancer cell line A-549, scientists from the UGR achieved a 14% inhibition of tumour growth and reduced by 100 times the dose of Paclitaxel agent when it was combined with gene E. In the case of colon cancer, the results were similar. However, the most relevant fact was found in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7, in which the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin, was reduced by 100 times, reaching up to a 21% greater inhibition of tumour proliferation when combined with gene E. Currently, researchers from the UGR are in the process of obtaining a patent for gene E.
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Achieve early diagnosis of ocular pathologies such as keratitis and macular degeneration

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Achieve early diagnosis of ocular pathologies such as keratitis and macular degeneration

Researchers from the University of Granada, Spain, have provided an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases that are very common today, such as age-related macular degeneration and keratitis, by applying an existing optical technique that, nevertheless, had never before been used for this purpose.

Scientists from the UGR have studied the image quality in subjects affected by one of these two pathologies, finding a greater amount of ocular aberrations and a higher level of scattering (term associated with the dispersion that light suffers when passing through the various ocular media) in affected eyes compared with results in healthy eyes. This significantly affects visual performance.

This work has been performed by the researcher Carolina Herrera Ortiz, from the Optics Department at the University of Granada, and directed by professors José Ramón Jiménez Cuesta and Francisco Pérez Ocón.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in developed countries, and mainly affects people of over 50 years of age. As far as keratitis is concerned, this condition causes inflammation of the cornea and can cause blindness, due to the severe alterations that the corneal surface may suffer.

Optical instruments

To carry out this work, the scientists measured the image quality with two optical instruments and used a psychophysical test for assessing visual performance. Results from patients with ARMD were compared with those obtained from a control group of similar age without any ocular pathology. Thus, the researchers could verify that for individuals affected by this condition there is an increased level of ocular scattering that could be mainly due to the disruption suffered by the light reflected in the damaged retina of the ARMD eyes, because a priori optics are not expected to be altered, since it is a retinal pathology.

On the other hand, optical quality and visual performance have also been studied in patients affected by keratitis. Eyes affected by keratitis present a poorer optical quality and a reduced visual performance that improves significantly after the resolution of the pathology. Nevertheless, once medical treatment ends, eyes that suffered from keratitis still have a worse image quality compared to the contralateral healthy eye, a result that significantly influences visual performance even having reached the normal values of visual acuity.

Visual quality characterization

The results of this research carried out at the UGR will make a full and objective characterization of visual quality in patients affected by any of these ocular pathologies. So far, the use of new techniques for assessing objectively the optic quality of the eye has been limited to studies on refractive or cataract surgery. However, as Carolina Ortiz Herrera suggests, this work «may be of particular interest to establish an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, the main cause of central vision loss in developed countries.»

Furthermore, this technique allows researchers to carry out a monitoring of possible stages of both diseases. Ortiz Herrera stresses the importance of including «both in the clinical practice of optometry and ophthalmology» the use of new techniques that, objectively, could indicate deterioration in vision even when the visual acuity values are normal, since «vision is not only seeing well, but providing quality and comfort.»

More information: The results of this PhD research led to two publications in journals of international prestige such as Journal of Modern Optics and Cornea. They will be soon published in Current Eye Research.
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Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

Escrito por

Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

A team of Spanish scientists, studying recent, active deformations in the Baetic mountain range, have shown that the activity of smaller tectonic structures close to larger faults in the south east of the Iberian Peninsula partially offsets the risk of earthquakes.

«There are large faults in the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range, which are active and occasionally cause moderate, low magnitude earthquakes (measuring less than 5 on the Richter scale)», Antonio Pedrera, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada (UGR), tells SINC.

The team\’s research, published recently in the Journal of Quaternary Science, involved studying the La Molata sector, near Albox, in Almeria, near the southern end of the active Alhama de Murcia fault. The authors say this sector has been deformed by small faults and folds that are growing progressively.

«Although we can\’t exclude the possibility that these direction faults could cause earthquakes of greater magnitude, we have shown that the formation of small tectonic structures helps to partially relax the energy associated with the convergence of plates, and reduces seismic activity in these larger faults», says Pedrera.

The secrets of rodent fossils

By studying mammal fossils, Antonio Ruiz Bustos, co-author of the study and a researcher at the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (UGR) has been able to date inverse faults and active folds near the town of Albox.

Some of the fossils found in the faults have included the molars of Mimomys Sabin (a small rodent that lived in wetland areas between 950,000 and 830,000 years ago), which have allowed him to measure the horizontal narrowing of the faults at 0.006 milimetres/year.

The scientists have combined the dating of deformed sediments with other surface geological data, such as geological mapping, cinematic analysis of the structures, geophysical prospecting and geomorphological analysis, in order to evaluate what role these faults have played in causing earthquakes during the Quaternary (from 1.8 million years ago to the present day).

Nine million years ago, the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range was deformed by numerous folds and faults, caused by the collision of the Eurasian and African plates.

Currently, some of these tectonic structures are still developing, but available data on the location of earthquakes suggest that their seismic activity is dispersed and moderate.

More information: Pedrera, Antonio; Galindo-Zaldivar, Jesús; Ruiz-Bustos, Antonio; Rodríguez-Fernández, José; Ruiz-Constan, Ana. «The role of small-scale fold and fault development in seismogenic zones: example of the western Huercal-Overa Basin (eastern Betic Cordillera, Spain)» Journal of Quaternary Science 24(6): 581-592, Sept 2009.
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Achieve early diagnosis of ocular pathologies such as keratitis and macular degeneration

Escrito por

Achieve early diagnosis of ocular pathologies such as keratitis and macular degeneration

Researchers from the University of Granada have provided an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases that are very common today, such as age-related macular degeneration and keratitis, by applying an existing optical technique that, nevertheless, had never before been used for this purpose.

Scientists from the UGR have studied the image quality in subjects affected by one of these two pathologies, finding a greater amount of ocular aberrations and a higher level of scattering (term associated with the dispersion that light suffers when passing through the various ocular media) in affected eyes compared with results in healthy eyes. This significantly affects visual performance.

This work has been performed by the researcher Carolina Herrera Ortiz, from the Optics Department at the University of Granada, and directed by professors José Ramón Jiménez Cuesta and Francisco Pérez Ocón.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in developed countries, and mainly affects people of over 50 years of age. As far as keratitis is concerned, this condition causes inflammation of the cornea and can cause blindness, due to the severe alterations that the corneal surface may suffer.

Optical instruments

To carry out this work, the scientists measured the image quality with two optical instruments and used a psychophysical test for assessing visual performance. Results from patients with ARMD were compared with those obtained from a control group of similar age without any ocular pathology. Thus, the researchers could verify that for individuals affected by this condition there is an increased level of ocular scattering that could be mainly due to the disruption suffered by the light reflected in the damaged retina of the ARMD eyes, because a priori optics are not expected to be altered, since it is a retinal pathology.

On the other hand, optical quality and visual performance have also been studied in patients affected by keratitis. Eyes affected by keratitis present a poorer optical quality and a reduced visual performance that improves significantly after the resolution of the pathology. Nevertheless, once medical treatment ends, eyes that suffered from keratitis still have a worse image quality compared to the contralateral healthy eye, a result that significantly influences visual performance even having reached the normal values of visual acuity.

Visual quality characterization

The results of this research carried out at the UGR will make a full and objective characterization of visual quality in patients affected by any of these ocular pathologies. So far, the use of new techniques for assessing objectively the optic quality of the eye has been limited to studies on refractive or cataract surgery. However, as Carolina Ortiz Herrera suggests, this work «may be of particular interest to establish an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, the main cause of central vision loss in developed countries.»

Furthermore, this technique allows researchers to carry out a monitoring of possible stages of both diseases. Ortiz Herrera stresses the importance of including «both in the clinical practice of optometry and ophthalmology» the use of new techniques that, objectively, could indicate deterioration in vision even when the visual acuity values are normal, since «vision is not only seeing well, but providing quality and comfort.»

The results of this PhD research led to two publications in journals of international prestige such as Journal of Modern Optics and Cornea. They will be soon published in Current Eye Research.
Descargar

Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

Escrito por

Small faults in Southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

A team of Spanish scientists, studying recent, active deformations in the Baetic mountain range, have shown that the activity of smaller tectonic structures close to larger faults in the south east of the Iberian Peninsula partially offsets the risk of earthquakes.

«There are large faults in the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range, which are active and occasionally cause moderate, low magnitude earthquakes (measuring less than 5 on the Richter scale)», Antonio Pedrera, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada (UGR), tells SINC.

The team\’s research, published recently in the Journal of Quaternary Science, involved studying the La Molata sector, near Albox, in Almeria, near the southern end of the active Alhama de Murcia fault. The authors say this sector has been deformed by small faults and folds that are growing progressively.

«Although we can\’t exclude the possibility that these direction faults could cause earthquakes of greater magnitude, we have shown that the formation of small tectonic structures helps to partially relax the energy associated with the convergence of plates, and reduces seismic activity in these larger faults», says Pedrera.

The secrets of rodent fossils

By studying mammal fossils, Antonio Ruiz Bustos, co-author of the study and a researcher at the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (UGR) has been able to date inverse faults and active folds near the town of Albox.

Some of the fossils found in the faults have included the molars of Mimomys Sabin (a small rodent that lived in wetland areas between 950,000 and 830,000 years ago), which have allowed him to measure the horizontal narrowing of the faults at 0.006 milimetres/year.

The scientists have combined the dating of deformed sediments with other surface geological data, such as geological mapping, cinematic analysis of the structures, geophysical prospecting and geomorphological analysis, in order to evaluate what role these faults have played in causing earthquakes during the Quaternary (from 1.8 million years ago to the present day).

Nine million years ago, the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range was deformed by numerous folds and faults, caused by the collision of the Eurasian and African plates.

Currently, some of these tectonic structures are still developing, but available data on the location of earthquakes suggest that their seismic activity is dispersed and moderate.
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Gene may help drugs fight cancer

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Gene may help drugs fight cancer

Spanish scientists say they have found a gene that leads to the death of tumor cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer.

The University of Granada researchers, led by Professors Antonia Jimenez, Jose Salazar and Consolacion Alonso, said the importance of the newly found gene — called «gene E» — is that its use to fight cancer can reduce the potent drugs that are currently used, resulting in a more effective treatment.

The researchers, including Ana Rosa Rama, said chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery show at present «limited» results in advanced stages of cancer.

«That is why it is urgent to find new therapies, and gene therapy has emerged as a potentially powerful therapeutic platform,» Rama said, noting «it is possible to use gene therapy as an aid to chemotherapy, improving its results when it comes to attacking cancer, thus allowing the dosage of agents to be reduced and contributing to a reduction in side effects for the patient.»

The scientists said their research suggests the possibility of using gene E to reduce the concentration of chemotherapeutic agents in current use with cancer patients.
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Small faults in southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

Escrito por

Small faults in southeast Spain reduce earthquake risk of larger ones

A team of Spanish scientists, studying recent, active deformations in the Baetic mountain range, have shown that the activity of smaller tectonic structures close to larger faults in the south east of the Iberian Peninsula partially offsets the risk of earthquakes.

«There are large faults in the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range, which are active and occasionally cause moderate, low magnitude earthquakes (measuring less than 5 on the Richter scale)», Antonio Pedrera, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada (UGR), tells SINC.

The team\’s research, published recently in the Journal of Quaternary Science, involved studying the La Molata sector, near Albox, in Almeria, near the southern end of the active Alhama de Murcia fault. The authors say this sector has been deformed by small faults and folds that are growing progressively.

«Although we can\’t exclude the possibility that these direction faults could cause earthquakes of greater magnitude, we have shown that the formation of small tectonic structures helps to partially relax the energy associated with the convergence of plates, and reduces seismic activity in these larger faults», says Pedrera.

The secrets of rodent fossils

By studying mammal fossils, Antonio Ruiz Bustos, co-author of the study and a researcher at the Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (UGR) has been able to date inverse faults and active folds near the town of Albox.

Some of the fossils found in the faults have included the molars of Mimomys Sabin (a small rodent that lived in wetland areas between 950,000 and 830,000 years ago), which have allowed him to measure the horizontal narrowing of the faults at 0.006 milimetres/year.

The scientists have combined the dating of deformed sediments with other surface geological data, such as geological mapping, cinematic analysis of the structures, geophysical prospecting and geomorphological analysis, in order to evaluate what role these faults have played in causing earthquakes during the Quaternary (from 1.8 million years ago to the present day).

Nine million years ago, the eastern part of the Baetic mountain range was deformed by numerous folds and faults, caused by the collision of the Eurasian and African plates.

Currently, some of these tectonic structures are still developing, but available data on the location of earthquakes suggest that their seismic activity is dispersed and moderate.
Descargar

UGR researchers provide early diagnosis of ARMD and keratitis

Escrito por

UGR researchers provide early diagnosis of ARMD and keratitis

Researchers from the UGR have provided an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases that are very common today, such as age-related macular degeneration and keratitis, by applying an existing optical technique that, nevertheless, had never before been used for this purpose.

Scientists from the UGR have studied the image quality in subjects affected by one of these two pathologies, finding a greater amount of ocular aberrations and a higher level of scattering (term associated with the dispersion that light suffers when passing through the various ocular media) in affected eyes compared with results in healthy eyes. This significantly affects visual performance.

This work has been performed by the researcher Carolina Herrera Ortiz, from the Optics Department at the University of Granada, and directed by professors José Ramón Jiménez Cuesta and Francisco Pérez Ocón.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in developed countries, and mainly affects people of over 50 years of age. As far as keratitis is concerned, this condition causes inflammation of the cornea and can cause blindness, due to the severe alterations that the corneal surface may suffer.

Optical instruments

To carry out this work, the scientists measured the image quality with two optical instruments and used a psychophysical test for assessing visual performance. Results from patients with ARMD were compared with those obtained from a control group of similar age without any ocular pathology. Thus, the researchers could verify that for individuals affected by this condition there is an increased level of ocular scattering that could be mainly due to the disruption suffered by the light reflected in the damaged retina of the ARMD eyes, because a priori optics are not expected to be altered, since it is a retinal pathology.

On the other hand, optical quality and visual performance have also been studied in patients affected by keratitis. Eyes affected by keratitis present a poorer optical quality and a reduced visual performance that improves significantly after the resolution of the pathology. Nevertheless, once medical treatment ends, eyes that suffered from keratitis still have a worse image quality compared to the contralateral healthy eye, a result that significantly influences visual performance even having reached the normal values of visual acuity.

Visual quality characterization

The results of this research carried out at the UGR will make a full and objective characterization of visual quality in patients affected by any of these ocular pathologies. So far, the use of new techniques for assessing objectively the optic quality of the eye has been limited to studies on refractive or cataract surgery. However, as Carolina Ortiz Herrera suggests, this work «may be of particular interest to establish an early diagnosis of certain ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, the main cause of central vision loss in developed countries.»

Furthermore, this technique allows researchers to carry out a monitoring of possible stages of both diseases. Ortiz Herrera stresses the importance of including «both in the clinical practice of optometry and ophthalmology» the use of new techniques that, objectively, could indicate deterioration in vision even when the visual acuity values are normal, since «vision is not only seeing well, but providing quality and comfort.»

The results of this PhD research led to two publications in journals of international prestige such as Journal of Modern Optics and Cornea. They will be soon published in Current Eye Research.
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‘Suicide gene E’ reduces potent drug dosage in cancer patients

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\’Suicide gene E\’ reduces potent drug dosage in cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Granada have found a suicide gene, called \’gene E\’, which leads to the death of tumour cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and prevents their growth. The importance of this new gene is that its use to fight cancer can reduce the potent drugs that are currently used, so that could mean more effective treatment for cancer.

This research was conducted by Ana Rosa Rama Ballesteros, from the Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology at the University of Granada, and directed by professors Antonia Ar-nega Jimenez, Jos- Carlos Prados Salazar and Consolaci-n Melguizo Alonso. Its aim was to study the possibility of reducing the dosage of drugs currently administered to cancer patients using combination therapy with suicide gene E.

Scientists from the UGR have shown that the bacteriophage phiX174 killer gene called E, can be used to induce death in tumour cells. So far, attempts to use many chemotherapeutic (cytotoxic) agents similar to the E gene have shown severe limitations resulting from their toxicity and their poor affinity with the tumour.

Advantages of gene therapy

As Ana Rosa Rama explains, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery show at present «limited» results in advanced stages of cancer. «That is why it is urgent to find new therapies, and gene therapy has emerged as a potentially powerful therapeutic platform.» Her work has shown that «it is possible to use gene therapy as an aid to chemotherapy, improving its results when it comes to attacking cancer, thus allowing the dosage of agents to be reduced and contributing to a reduction in side effects for the patient.»

In order to understand how the E gene works, the researchers conducted studies using various techniques. The results indicate that the E gene\’s mechanism of action is to induce apoptosis (cell death), possibly through mitochondrial injury.

Therefore, they stress that «this new E gene appears as an ideal candidate to be transfected into tumour cells in order to induce apoptosis, possibly through mitochondrial activation, and to increase the sensitivity of these cells to the action of the drug developed specifically to act on them.»

The results of this research suggest the possibility of reducing the concentration of chemotherapeutic agents in current use with cancer patients. Thus, in lung cancer cell line A-549, scientists from the UGR achieved a 14% inhibition of tumour growth and reduced by 100 times the dose of Paclitaxel agent when it was combined with gene E. In the case of colon cancer, the results were similar. However, the most relevant fact was found in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7, in which the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin, was reduced by 100 times, reaching up to a 21% greater inhibition of tumour proliferation when combined with gene E. Currently, researchers from the UGR are in the process of obtaining a patent for gene E.
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Las pequeñas fallas del sureste de España mitigan el riesgo sísmico de las grandes

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Las pequeñas fallas del sureste de España mitigan el riesgo sísmico de las grandes

Un equipo español de científicos, que estudia la deformación reciente y activa de la Cordillera Bética, ha demostrado que la actividad de las estructuras tectónicas menores cercanas a las fallas mayores en el sureste de la Península Ibérica atenúa parcialmente el riesgo sísmico.

En la parte oriental de la Cordillera Bética hay grandes fallas de salto en dirección que son activas y que ocasionalmente generan terremotos de magnitud baja y moderada (menos de magnitud 5 en la escala Richter)”, confirma a SINC Antonio Pedrera, autor principal e investigador de Departamento de Geodinámica de la Universidad de Granada (UGR).

En su investigación, publicada recientemente en el Journal of Quaternary Science, el equipo ha estudiado el sector de La Molata, en las proximidades de Albox (Almería), cerca de la terminación meridional la falla activa de Alhama de Murcia. Según los autores este sector está deformado por fallas y pliegues de pequeña escala que crecen de manera progresiva.

“Aunque no se puede excluir la posibilidad de que estas fallas de salto en dirección puedan generar terremotos de magnitud más elevada, demostramos que la formación de pequeñas estructuras tectónicas contribuye a relajar parcialmente la energía asociada con la convergencia de placas, y atenúa la actividad sísmica de estas fallas mayores”, declara Pedrera.

El secreto de los fósiles de roedores

A partir del estudio de mamíferos fósiles, el experto Antonio Ruiz Bustos, coautor del estudio e investigador en el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (UGR) ha datado algunas fallas inversas y pliegues activos cerca de la localidad de Albox.

Entre los fósiles encontrados en las fallas, unos molares de Mimomys Sabin (pequeño roedor que vivía en zonas húmedas hace entre 950.000 y 830.000 años) han permitido cuantificar en 0.006 milímetros/año el acortamiento horizontal de las fallas.

Los científicos han combinado la datación de sedimentos deformados con otros datos geológicos de superficie, como la cartografía geológica, el análisis cinemático de las estructuras, la prospección geofísica y los análisis geomorfológicos para evaluar el papel que, durante el Cuaternario (desde hace 1,8 millones de años hasta la actualidad), desempeñan estas fallas en la formación de terremotos.

Desde hace nueve millones de años, la parte oriental de la Cordillera Bética está deformada por la actividad de numerosos pliegues y fallas que se han desarrollado como consecuencia de la convergencia entre las placas de Euroasia y África.

En la actualidad, algunas de estas estructuras tectónicas continúan su desarrollo, pero los datos de distribución de terremotos indican que la sismicidad es dispersa y moderada.
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Descubren un gen que aumenta la eficacia de los fármacos que se usan contra el cáncer y permite reducir sus dosis

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Descubren un gen que aumenta la eficacia de los fármacos que se usan contra el cáncer y permite reducir sus dosis

Investigadores de la Universidad de Granada han descubierto un gen suicida, denominado \’gen E\’, que induce la muerte de las células tumorales derivadas del cáncer de mama, pulmón y colon e impide su crecimiento, por lo que su uso contra el cáncer permitiría reducir la dosis de los fármacos que se usan en la actualidad. En la actualidad, estos científicos de la UGR tramitan la patente del \’gen E\’.

En concreto, este trabajo, cuyo objetivo era estudiar la posibilidad de reducir las dosis de fármacos que se emplean hoy en pacientes con cáncer mediante la terapia combinada con el \’gen E\’, ha demostrado que el gen asesino, denominado E del bacteriófago phiX174, se puede utilizar para inducir muerte en las células tumorales.

Según la investigadora Ana Rosa Rama Ballesteros, del Departamento de Anatomía y Embriología Humana de la Universidad de Granada, autora del estudio, han demostrado que «es posible emplear la terapia génica como apoyo a la quimioterapia, mejorando sus resultados a la hora de atacar el cáncer, reduciendo la dosis de los agentes empleados y por tanto, contribuyendo a la disminución de los efectos secundarios».

Por tanto, según indicó, este gen aparece «como un candidato ideal para ser transfectado en células tumorales con el objetivo de inducir apoptosis, probablemente mediante activación de la vía mitocondrial, y para aumentar la sensibilidad de estas células a la acción de las drogas desarrolladas específicamente para actuar sobre ellas».

Los resultados de esta investigación sugieren la posibilidad de reducir las concentraciones de los agentes quimioterapéuticos de uso actual. Así, en la línea A-549 de cáncer de pulmón, lograron un 14 por ciento más de inhibición del crecimiento tumoral y redujeron 100 veces la dosis del agente paclitaxel cuando lo combinaron con el \’gen E\’. Contra el cáncer de colon, los resultados fueron similares.

Sin embargo, el dato mas relevante fue hallado en la línea MCF-7 de cáncer de mama, en la que la dosis del agente quimioterapéutico doxorrubicina pudo ser reducida 100 veces, alcanzándose hasta un 21 por ciento más de inhibición de la proliferación tumoral al combinarlo con el \’gen E\’.

Hasta ahora, el uso de muchos agentes quimioterapéuticos (citotóxicos) similares al \’gen E\’ presentaban grandes limitaciones, derivadas de su toxicidad y de su pobre afinidad con el tumor.

Según Rama, la quimioterapia, la radioterapia y la cirugía presentan resultados «limitados» en estados avanzados de cáncer, por lo que «urge encontrar nuevas terapias, y la terapia génica ha emergido como una plataforma terapéutica potencialmente poderosa».
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