Jose Sempere

• Hospital Carlos III - Madrid

Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This heterogeneous disease has been historically considered a non-immunogenic type of cancer. However, recent advances in immunotherapy have increased the interest in knowing the role of the immune checkpoints (IC) and other imm...

Carotenoids, known for their antioxidant properties, have garnered significant attention for their potential antitumour activities. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the diverse mechanisms by which carotenoids exert antitumour effects, focusing on both well-established and novel findings. We explore their role in inducing apoptosis, inhib...

Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This heterogeneous disease has been historically considered a non-immunogenic type of cancer. However, recent advances in immunotherapy have increased the interest in knowing the role of the immune checkpoints (IC) in this neop...

Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This heterogeneous disease has been historically considered a non-immunogenic type of cancer. However, recent advances in immunotherapy have increased the interest in knowing the role of the immune checkpoints (IC) and other imm...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, pain, and ultimately, bone erosion of the joints. The causes of this disease are multifactorial, including genetic factors, such as the presence of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1*04 variant, alterations in the microbiota, or immune factors including increased cytot...

An unprecedented global social and economic impact as well as a significant number of fatalities have been brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Acute SARS-CoV-2 infection can, in certain situations, cause immunological abnormalities, leading to an anomal...

Rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) are the most frequently used rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnostic markers, but they are unable to anticipate the patient’s evolution or response to treatment. The aim of this study was to identify possible severity biomarkers to predict an upcoming flare-up or remission period...

Advances in immunotherapy have increased interest in knowing the role of the immune system in breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis. Therefore, immune checkpoints (IC) and other pathways related to immune regulation, such as JAK2 and FoXO1, have emerged as potential targets for BC treatment. However, their intrinsic gene expression in vitro has not been...

The incorporation of gamification strategies in teaching has been described as a tool to increase the motivation and engagement of students with the subject. Under this premise, an educational innovation experience has been developed using the Kahoot! platform in the first and last laboratory practice of the Cell Biology course of the Biology degre...

The clinical application of stem cells continues to fascinate the scientific and clinical communities. Despite the controversies surrounding this field, it is clear that stem cells have revolutionized regenerative medicine. Cell therapy is a progressively growing field that is moving fast from preclinical model development to clinical application....

Inhibitor of differentiation (ID) proteins are a family of transcription factors that contribute to maintaining proliferation during embryogenesis as they avoid cell differentiation. Afterward, their expression is mainly silenced, but their reactivation and contribution to tumor development have been suggested. In breast cancer (BC), the overexpres...

The aim of the present report was to evaluate the inflammatory response to a 2000-m running test considering neutrophil myeloperoxidase as an inflammatory marker, and to verify if supplements rich in antioxidants could modulate Post-test antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. To this end, a 21-day homogenization period was carried out with th...

Background Identification of effective treatments in severe cases of COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation represents an unmet medical need. Our aim was to determine whether the administration of adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AT-MSC) is safe and potentially useful in these patients. Methods Thirteen COVID-19 adult patients...

Introduction: Background: physical activity in type 1 diabetic patients allows a better control of glycaemia and glycosylated hemoglobin, helps to maintain a residual endocrine pancreatic mass and optimizes subsequent insulin requirements. These improvements might be due in part to increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines that could help to minimi...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a widely used population in cell therapy for their ability to differentiate into distinct tissues and more lately, for their immunomodulatory properties. However, the use of heterogeneous populations could be responsible for the nondesired outcomes reflected in the literature. Here, we analyse the different capaciti...

Exercise intensity usually correlates with increased oxidative stress and enhanced cytokine production. However, it is unknown if all types of exercise that induce muscle damage can cause a parallel response in the oxidation balance and cytokine production. To this end, the effect of a 2000-m running test in a group of volunteers that regularly tra...

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)-based immunoassay has been developed to quantify aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) at ultra-trace levels in milk samples. AFM1 detection is carried out by means of a competitive immunoassay using secondary biotinylated antibodies and streptavidin-conjugated Au nanoparticles. After acid addition, nanopartic...

We studied the relationship between CD44 and Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) gene expression in cell lines and breast carcinomas and their association with clinicopathological variables and patient outcome. We assessed messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of CD44 and FOXP3 by quantitative real-time PCR and determined the number of FOXP3+ Tregs by immunohistoche...

Chitosan permeabilizes plasma membrane and kills sensitive filamentous fungi and yeast. Membrane fluidity and cell energy determine chitosan sensitivity in fungi. A five-fold reduction of both glucose (main carbon (C) source) and nitrogen (N) increased 2-fold Neurospora crassa sensitivity to chitosan. We linked this increase with production of intr...

Context and objective: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the macro- and microcirculation of severely obese adolescents (SOA) and normal-weight counterparts and to determine the longitudinal effects of weight loss on vascular function in SOA. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Seventeen SOA (body mass index z-score = 4.22...

The onset of type 1 diabetes coincides with the final phase of β-cell destruction. In some cases, this period is characterized by the presence of a functional reserve of β-cells, favouring an adequate metabolic control (honeymoon phase). Therefore, the extension of this situation could have evident benefits in subsequent diabetes management. We aim...

Background The main group of suppressor cells/regulators of the immune response (Treg cells), usually co-expressed different combinations of antigens CD4, CD25, and FoxP3, among other markers (1).A decrease in the number-function of this population in various autoimmune diseases, suggesting a role of it for potential use as a therapeutic target, di...

Human adipose mesenchymal stem cells are a heterogeneous population, where cell cultures derived from single cell-expanded clones present varying degrees of differential plasticity. This work focuses on the immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory properties of these cells. To this end, 5 single cell clones were isolated (generally called 1.X and 3.X) fr...

Con el fin de desarrollar el aprendizaje autónomo, el trabajo en equipo y mejorar la comunicación tanto oral como escrita de los alumnos de Biología Celular, hemos diseñado una serie de actividades en grupo fundamentadas en el aprendizaje basado en problemas. Cada grupo de estudiantes tenía que buscar una enfermedad humana cuya causa fuera consecue...

It is unclear to what extent T cell reconstitution may be possible in HIV-1-infected individuals on continuous successful highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Herein, we analysed distinct phenotypic markers of immune recovery in patients with undetectable viraemia for 8 years, taking as reference untreated patients and healthy controls. Se...

Nondietary exposure to milk proteins may be a risk for children who do not outgrow milk allergy by school age. To study the allergenicity of casein containing chalk. A 6-year-old, milk allergic child developed asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis while in school. The suspected cause was dust-free chalk containing casein. To study the relationship of dust...

Double negative (DN) T cells are CD3(+) , CD4(-) , CD8(-) cells with either T-cell receptors (TCR) αβ or TCR γδ whose importance on protection against HIV infection is unknown. Since HIV-exposed seronegative individuals correspond to an ideal group in whom correlates of protection are expected, the role of these cells was studied in 13 HIV-serodisc...

Treatment of a relapsed glioma is a clinical challenge nowadays. New active treatments are required to treat these difficult diseases. Here we present a durable complete remission of a relapsed glioblastoma that has achieved a complete radiologic response with the combination of cetuximab and bevacizumab, in a third-line setting, that has offered a...

Hormone-resistant prostate cancer (HRPC) occurs when prostate cancer is no longer responsive to hormone therapy. Treatment options are limited, and there is a clear necessity for therapies that improve outcome. Preclinical and clinical evidence supports the role of the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide in HRPC. In this paper, we report that lenal...

Cross-sectional studies in HIV-positive patients have suggested that interleukin 7 (IL-7) may increase in parallel to CD4 decline during the natural course of HIV infection. We tested this hypothesis in a longitudinal study examining the evolution of IL-7 and CD4 counts in 2 different scenarios. IL-7 and CD4 counts were regularly monitored in 30 dr...

HIV-specific T cells response and T cell activation are frequently seen in exposed seronegative individuals (ESN). In this study, we report HIV-specific response and level of T cell activation in ESN partners of HIV-infected patients presenting low or undetectable levels of HIV-RNA. We evaluated 24 HIV-serodiscordant couples. ESN were classified in...

Here we studied and characterized different peripheral blood (PB) regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and tested the hypothesis that changes in these cells can be linked to the degree of inflammation and relapsing/remission periods. PB cells were examined from RA subjects (n = 60) with different disease activity s...

Here we studied and characterized different peripheral blood (PB) regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and tested the hypothesis that changes in these cells can be linked to the degree of inflammation and relapsing/remission periods. PB cells were examined from RA subjects (n = 60) with different disease activity s...

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) infection is not rare among injection drug users with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and may exert a protective role in the progression of HIV disease. Immunological and virological parameters were compared in HIV-HTLV-2-coinfected patients and a control group of HIV-monoinfected subject...

Several issues of HIV pathogenesis remain unsolved. Among them, the reason for uncontrolled viral replication in the majority of infected patients is one of the most investigated but still not completely understood. In the last four years a new player has been incorporated into the HIV field: T regulatory (Treg) cells. They are a subset of CD4+ T-c...

The role of cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in controlling viral replication during chronic HIV infection remains controversial. Viral escape mutations driven by immune pressure have been postulated to be an important mechanism contributing to the evasion of CD8(+) T cell responses. To explore this issue in more detail, HIV-1 p17 sequence variabil...

Both hydroxyurea (HU) and structured treatment interruptions (STI) have been investigated as therapeutic approaches to enhance immune responses in chronically HIV-infected individuals. HIV-specific T cell responses as well as T cell activation were analyzed longitudinally in 31 HIV-infected individuals who had been treated for the prior 12 months w...

A child allergic to cow's milk developed a mild systemic allergic reaction after the first dose of Ferplex 40 (iron proteinsuccinylate). Skin tests and in vitro studies were performed in the child, in three cow's milk-allergic controls and in a non-allergic control. Milk, casein and iron proteinsuccinylate (Ferplex 40) were used for skin tests, spe...

Hypersensitivity to carmine (E120) has been identified as a cause of food intolerance and occupational asthma. We present a case of occupational asthma following exposure to carmine in a manufacturer of sausages and review the literature. A 42-year-old non-atopic male presented with a 5-year history of rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma on occupational...

Anapsos is a medical prescription registered in the Health Ministry of Spain, that is obtained from the rhizomes of the fern Polypodium leucotomos. An immunomodulating effect of Anapsos on certain lymphocyte subsets and cytokines has already been described in the literature. The current study extends and supports part of the aforementioned results...

In agreement with the predictions of the oxygen-stress theory of aging and age-related degenerative diseases, diet supplementation with a number of phenolic or thiolic antioxidants has been able to increase the life span of laboratory animals, protect against senescent immune decline and preserve the respiratory function of aged mitochondria. In ad...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two doses of anapsos in comparison with placebo on cognitive performance, brain bioelectrical activity pattern and cerebral hemodynamic parameters in patients with mild to moderate senile dementia of vascular type and Alzheimer type. Forty-five patients (age 73.8 +/- 7.6 years; range 56-89 years)...

Olive pollen is a major cause of inhalant allergy in countries around the Mediterranean sea. The major allergen of olive pollen is Ole e 1. Measurement of the major allergen content of allergen products for diagnosis and therapy is becoming an essential element of standardization protocols. This study aimed at the development of a monoclonal antibo...

Anapsos is a vegetal extract obtained from dried rhizhomes of the fern Polypodium leucotomos growing in Central America. This extract is devoid of toxic effects in animals and humans at therapeutic doses and is commercially available in Spain. An antitumoral effect of anapsos was found in early studies (Horwath et al., 1967), and this effect was co...

Rats with neurotoxic lesions, induced by single or double bilateral injections of ibotenic acid into different parts of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM), showed increased psychomotor activity (PMA) and impaired learning in a passive avoidance task. Behavioral deficits were similar in all the groups of lesioned animals, suggesting that the lesio...

The enzyme Cu-Zn-SOD is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide radical into hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen, being a defense system against free radical formation. Free radical reactions are implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological processes as aging, apoptosis and neurodegenerative diseases, and ab...

The aim of the study was to test the immunomodulating capacity of Anapsos, Polypodium leucotomos extract, in vitro in an attempt to explore how this extract acts from an immunological point of view and thus to identify a common link capable of explaining most of its effects. Polypodium leucotomos rhizomes were harvested in Guatemala and the extract...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by an heterogeneous etiopathogenesis on a genetic basis. The most prominent neuropathological findings in AD are senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), amyloid deposition in neural tissues and vessels, synaptic loss and subsequent neuronal death (Cacabelos et al., 1993,...

Several immunological and serological variables have become established in recent studies as valuable markers to identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals at the highest risk for rapid disease progression. These studies have been performed mainly in cohorts of homosexual men. In this study, we assessed the usefulness of CD4 l...

Several immunological and serological variables have become established in recent studies as valuable markers to identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals at the highest risk for rapid disease progression. These studies have been performed mainly in cohorts of homosexual men. In this study, we assessed the usefulness of CD4 l...

Several immunological and serological variables have become established in recent studies as valuable markers to identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals at the highest risk for rapid disease progression. These studies have been performed mainly in cohorts of homosexual men. In this study, we assessed the usefulness of CD4 l...

We analyzed the in vitro synthesis and release of PGE2, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha by peripheral blood monocytes from HIV-infected injection drug users at the early clinical stages of HIV infection. We investigated whether there is a concomitant altered production of PGE2 and proinflammatory cytokines by HIV-positive monocytes. We also evaluated T-ce...

Las declaraciones de La Sorbona (1998), y de Bolonia (1999) y el comunicado de Praga (2001) señalan hacia una clara convergencia de la enseñanza superior europea, y "la integración del Sistema Universitario Español en el Espacio Europeo de Enseñanza Superior", como se desprende del Documento-Marco del "Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte" (2...

RESUMEN El nuevo marco de educación superior ha provocado un cambio de perspectiva en el proceso formativo: el alumno es el responsable último de su propio proceso de aprendizaje. Además, la integración intelectual, afectiva y social del aprendizaje adquiere gran relevancia. Por ello, se deben replantear los contenidos curriculares con el fin de qu...