Llega a los cines españoles "Intocable", una comedia francesa sobre la tetraplejia

Philippe (François Cluzet, 'No se lo digas a nadie') es un hombre adinerado que pertenece a una clase social alta. Sin embargo, su vida cambiará para siempre cuando tenga un aparatoso accidente de parapente que lo dejará inválido y en silla de ruedas. Ya no podrá hacer nada por sí mismo, así que tendrá que contratar a un asistente para que le ayude a desplazarse y a cuidar de él en la casa. La persona que quedará a su cargo será Driss (Omar Sy, 'Micmacs'), un joven de color necesitado de dinero que procede de un barrio marginal y que para colmo acaba de ser liberado de la cárcel.
Sin embargo, aunque parecen destinados a no llevarse bien, Philippe y Driss encontrarán el uno en el otro la ilusión que les falta en sus vidas. Aprenderán a apreciar y a mezclar a Vivaldi con el hip hop, los trajes hechos a medida con la ropa holgada y el chándal y la exquisitez en el paladar con la hamburguesa callejera. Si separados son personas frágiles, juntos serán intocables.
El tandem de directores formado por Eric Toledano y Olivier Nakache ha conseguido un éxito rotundo de taquilla en Francia, convirtiéndose 'Intocable' en la película más vista de la temporada en el país vecino.

EL PERIÓDICO enseña en un DVD qué hacer ante una muerte súbita

Por solo un euro se pueden salvar vidas o al menos intentarlo. En cada corazón late una. Por eso, EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA ofrece mañana y pasado un ilustrativo DVD que incluye dos documentales donde se explican, entre otras cosas, cómo reaccionar médicamente ante una muerte súbita cardiaca. La oferta se completa con unas páginas especiales, que también publica mañana el diario.
Cada año mueren en Catalunya 3.000 personas, la mayoría jóvenes y deportistas, a consecuencia de esta patología. La cifra es 10 veces superior a las que se registran en accidentes de tráfico.
Los documentales Segona oportunitat y Xoc vital se han emitido en el programa Sense ficció, de TV-3. Ahora, el diario los recopila en un único DVD que se puede conseguir por un euro más el cupón que se publica ese día. También incluye un díptico con la información de cada documental.
El relato Segona oportunitat tuvo su origen en la trágica muerte, con solo 22 años, del futbolista del Sevilla Antonio Puerta. Fue en agosto del 2007 durante el partido entre el Sevilla y el Getafe. Todavía no se había emitido el documental cuando se produjo una nueva tragedia: el fallecimiento de Dani Jarque, el añorado capitán del Espanyol. El trabajo reúne a reconocidos profesionales de cuatro países europeos que explican cómo prevenir y evitar muchas de estas muertes súbitas.
Xoc vital, el segundo documental de Televisió de Catalunya, lanza un mensaje: salvar una vida no tiene precio. Y narra, a través de dos proyectos solidarios de desfibriladores, cómo con estos aparatos se ganan minutos de oro en la recuperación de la víctima.

**Publicado en "EL PERIODICO DE CATALUNYA"

Eating Wild: Foraging Safely in a Modern World

In an expanding "foodie" culture, people go to great lengths to get the best ingredients, seek out the most aesthetic desserts, and buy natural and organic. Less noted, though, is the movement of "foragers": people who "eat wild" on a regular basis, supplemented by naturally growing, edible plants for which they search in their local communities, whether urban or rural.

"Foraging as part of a lifestyle is not really new," says mycologist Karen Snetselaar, Ph.D., professor and chair of biology. "Guidebooks for food foragers have been around for years, as well as publications like Mother Earth News."
Still, more and more people are taking to the woods -- and streets and parks -- to find common plants and fungi such as dandelions, chanterelles and berries. Chefs at boutique restaurants have also picked up on the trend, as the push to use local, sustainable, seasonal ingredients grows. But, as Snetselaar points out, foraging isn't for everyone and shouldn't be taken on as a casual hobby.
"People new to foraging have to be very careful. There are many plants and fungi that are poisonous or have parts that are poisonous," she says. "Wild parsley looks a lot like poison hemlock, for example. The growing environment is also a factor, because plants will sequester toxins that are introduced to the soil or fall on their leaves, like pesticides."

Snetselaar offers this advice to novice foragers:
1. Educate yourself. Photo guides and iPhone apps do not sufficiently show plants and their parts for those unfamiliar with vegetation to distinguish the subtle differences that prove a plant edible or poisonous. Instead, learn the terminology associated with classification and rely on a more academic guidebook that has diagrams and shows a plant's relative size.
2. Learn from an expert. Taking a seasoned forager as a guide is a safer and more informative way to learn what to pick.
3. Forage in untainted environments. Though people have been known to forage in urban settings, be wary of vacant lots and roadsides, where unknown pollutants can lie both underneath the soil and on vegetation itself. Do not forage where fertilizers and weed killers have been used and always wash plants before eating.
4. Check ordinances in parks and protected lands. Many state and national parks do not allow visitors to disturb protected environments by removing plant life and endangering regrowth.

**published in "SCIENCE DAILY"

La ciencia busca el origen de la agresividad masculina

Unos científicos australianos, del instituto Prince Henry's de Melbourne, aseguran haber encontrado el gen responsable de la agresividad masculina en situaciones estresantes. El gen SRY, exclusivamente masculino al encontrarse en el cromosoma Y, controla el desarrollo del hombre. Además, según la web especializada MedicalXpress, se cree que puede determinar otros rasgos característicos del comportamiento varonil.
El estudio, publicado por BioEssays y desarrollado por Joohyung Lee y Vicent Harley, explica que el gen actúa directamente en el cerebro de los hombres y estimula a los órganos del cuerpo para que sean capaces de generar una respuesta ante el estrés, incrementando la liberación de catecolaminas y el flujo de sangre.
Los científicos creen que las mujeres suelen actuar de manera diferente a causa del estrógeno y otras sustancias químicas internas que calman el dolor, y que podrían prevenir las respuestas agresivas

Nanoparticles Affect Nutrient Absorption, Study Suggests

Nanoparticles are everywhere. From cosmetics and clothes, to soda and snacks. But as versatile as they are, nanoparticles also have a downside, say researchers at Binghamton University and Cornell University in a recent paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. These tiny particles, even in low doses, could have a big impact on our long-term health.

According to lead author of the article, Gretchen Mahler, assistant professor of bioengineering at Binghamton University, much of the existing research on the safety of nanoparticles has been on the direct health effects. But what Mahler, Michael L. Shuler of Cornell University and a team of researchers really wanted to know was what happens when someone gets constant exposure in small doses -- the kind you'd get if you were taken a drug or supplement that included nanoparticles in some form.
"We thought that the best way to measure the more subtle effects of this kind of intake was to monitor the reaction of intestinal cells," said Mahler. "And we did this in two ways: in vitro, through human intestinal-lining cells that we had cultured in the lab; and in vivo, through the intestinal linings of live chickens. Both sets of results pointed to the same thing -- that exposure to nanoparticles influences the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream."
The uptake of iron, an essential nutrient, was of particular interest due to the way it is absorbed and processed through the intestines. The way Mahler and the team tested this was to use polystyrene nanoparticles because of its easily traceable fluorescent properties.
"What we found was that for brief exposures, iron absorption dropped by about 50 percent," said Mahler. "But when we extended that period of time, absorption actually increased by about 200 percent. It was very clear -- nanoparticles definitely affects iron uptake and transport."
While acute oral exposure caused disruptions to intestinal iron transport, chronic exposure caused a remodeling of the intestinal villi -- the tiny, finger-like projections that are vital to the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients -- making them larger and broader, thus allowing iron to enter the bloodstream much faster.
"The intestinal cells are a gateway that ingested nanoparticles must go through to get to the body," said Mahler. "We monitored iron absorption both in vivo and in vitro and found that the polystyrene nanoparticles affected the absorption process and caused a physiological response."
The next step for Mahler and the team is to take a look at whether similar disruptions in nutrient absorption could be possible in other inorganic elements such as calcium, copper and zinc. Also on the research agenda is the reaction of other nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. And chickens and their intestines will definitely be part of this next phase of the study.
"The gastrointestinal tract of a chicken has very similar features to that of a human," said Mahler. "We can learn a great deal from the way chicken tissue works which means we can make better predictions about how humans will react."
And humans certainly consume enough nanoparticles -- about 100 trillion of them every day. Their ultra-small size and amazing qualities makes them increasingly common in food and pharmaceutical products. Although the impact of chronic exposure remains somewhat unknown, the ingestion of dietary particles is thought to promote a range of diseases, including Crohn's disease. With so many nanomaterials under development and with so much yet to be learned about nanoparticle toxicity and potential human tissue reactivity, Mahler and the team are hoping that their work, particularly the in vitro model, will provide an effective low-cost screening tool.

**Published in "SCIENCE DAILY"

La patronal de tecnologías sanitarias no quiere quitas para cobrar

Los planes del Gobierno para reducir la deuda de las Administraciones son bien acogidos por la patronal del sector de tecnologías sanitarias (Fenin), el proveedor de materiales que van desde las tiritas a los escáneres. O, al menos, aprecian el interés mostrado y que haya propuestas, como dar créditos a los Ejecutivos autonómicos, para que paguen.
Pero hay un punto que no les gusta nada. En una nota, señala que “se ha de señalar expresamente la negatividad de un concepto como la opción de quitas para las empresas, que sería gravemente distorsionador para los mercados, y que pondría en duda la credibilidad de nuestro país en los mercados extranjeros, y con ello dañaría gravemente la marca España”.

El sector es el segundo acreedor de las comunidades, después de los laboratorios que venden directamente sus medicamentos a los hospitales de la sanidad pública. El importe de la deuda a finales de 2011 era de 5.230 millones de euros, con una demora media en los pagos de 473 días, 126 más que en 2010.
La idea de las quitas no se ha establecido todavía para los proveedores de las comunidades, pero sí estaba incluida en el plan para pagar la deuda de los Ayuntamientos. Por eso los principales acreedores recelan de que se les aplique una medida similar. Fuentes del sector de los laboratorios coinciden con los recelos de Fenin, aunque oficialmente la postura es esperar a conocer el plan concreto de pago.
En cambio, Fenin aprueba otra de las propuestas: que el estado avale la deuda de las comunidades. De hecho, esta propuesta también fue barajada por Farmaindustria como una medida de solucionar el impago del sector (en su caso, 6.400 millones con una demora de 525 días).
También va en esta línea la propuesta para las oficinas de farmacia (unos 2.000 millones de deuda).

**Publicado en "EL PAIS"

Genetic Manipulation Boosts Growth of Brain Cells Linked to Learning, Enhances Effects of Antidepressants

UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators have identified a genetic manipulation that increases the development of neurons in the brain during aging and enhances the effect of antidepressant drugs.
The research finds that deleting the Nf1 gene in mice results in long-lasting improvements in neurogenesis, which in turn makes those in the test group more sensitive to the effects of antidepressants.
"The significant implication of this work is that enhancing neurogenesis sensitizes mice to antidepressants -- meaning they needed lower doses of the drugs to affect 'mood' -- and also appears to have anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects of its own that continue over time," said Dr. Luis Parada, director of the Kent Waldrep Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration and senior author of the study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Just as in people, mice produce new neurons throughout adulthood, although the rate declines with age and stress, said Dr. Parada, chairman of developmental biology at UT Southwestern. Studies have shown that learning, exercise, electroconvulsive therapy and some antidepressants can increase neurogenesis. The steps in the process are well known but the cellular mechanisms behind those steps are not.
"In neurogenesis, stem cells in the brain's hippocampus give rise to neuronal precursor cells that eventually become young neurons, which continue on to become full-fledged neurons that integrate into the brain's synapses," said Dr. Parada, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, its Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The researchers used a sophisticated process to delete the gene that codes for the Nf1 protein only in the brains of mice, while production in other tissues continued normally. After showing that mice lacking Nf1 protein in the brain had greater neurogenesis than controls, the researchers administered behavioral tests designed to mimic situations that would spark a subdued mood or anxiety, such as observing grooming behavior in response to a small splash of sugar water.
The researchers found that the test group mice formed more neurons over time compared to controls, and that young mice lacking the Nf1 protein required much lower amounts of anti-depressants to counteract the effects of stress. Behavioral differences between the groups persisted at three months, six months and nine months. "Older mice lacking the protein responded as if they had been taking antidepressants all their lives," said Dr. Parada.
"In summary, this work suggests that activating neural precursor cells could directly improve depression- and anxiety-like behaviors, and it provides a proof-of-principle regarding the feasibility of regulating behavior via direct manipulation of adult neurogenesis," Dr. Parada said.
Dr. Parada's laboratory has published a series of studies that link the Nf1 gene -- best known for mutations that cause tumors to grow around nerves -- to wide-ranging effects in several major tissues. For instance, in one study researchers identified ways that the body's immune system promotes the growth of tumors, and in another study, they described how loss of the Nf1 protein in the circulatory system leads to hypertension and congenital heart disease.

**Published in "SCIENCE DAILY"