Tarragona, November 28, 2024. The municipalities of Perafort and Els Garidells joined forces last Sunday, November 24, in the ninth edition of the solidarity walk for diabetes.
The event, which brought together nearly 400 people of all ages, raised nearly 2,000 euros, which will be used to support research on this disease through the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV).
The participants enjoyed a 9-kilometer circular route that connected the two towns, promoting health, coexistence and commitment to a cause of solidarity. The funds collected will be allocated to the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Research Group (DIAMET), a team of scientists from the IISPV that is a reference in Spain for its history in the study of diabetes and associated metabolic diseases.
The DIAMET group has made significant scientific advances possible that contribute to improving the knowledge and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, which affects millions of people worldwide.
For more information on the projects led by the DIAMET group, you can visit the following link.
Once again, this walk demonstrates how citizen collaboration can become an engine of change, boosting scientific research and improving the lives of many people.
Tarragona, Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Diabetes is a complex and chronic metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose levels. It can be accompanied by other health problems such as hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular conditions or chronic kidney disease.
The treatment and management of diabetes are complex because each patient requires individual and regular adjustments in therapy under the attention of healthcare professionals. The amount of insulin to be administered to the patient is determined based on the blood glucose at that time and the conditions that are not available. Poor glucose control in patients with diabetes can lead to hospital admissions, prolonged hospital stays, increased risk of infection, deterioration following a myocardial infarction or falls, acute respiratory and renal failure, and even death.
When patients are admitted to hospital, it is often necessary to adapt their usual diabetes therapy and the use of subcutaneous insulin is recommended, since oral drugs (which are what they usually take) can interfere with other treatments or insulin requirements can change rapidly due to the illness that has caused the admission. Each patient requires individual adjustments, to avoid dangerous hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia episodes. At the moment, no solution has yet been found that allows the automation and standardization of diabetes treatment and management for each hospitalized patient. In this sense, being able to develop and implement an algorithm with the help of AI is key: it would help healthcare professionals make better decisions and benefit the health of these patients.
With the aim of providing solutions to this reality, the Study Group on Metabolic Diseases Associated with Insulin Resistance (GEMMAIR), formed by researchers from the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and healthcare personnel from the Internal Medicine Unit of the Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, is working on a research project together with different European partners for the implementation and evaluation of a therapeutic decision software. This is an algorithm that will allow for more accurate monitoring of the blood glucose levels of these patients when they are admitted, while also allowing for an indication of the insulin dose to be given. “We have seen that when these patients are admitted to a hospital and have their glucose levels under control, they have a lower risk of complications and mortality,” explains Dr. Teresa Auguet Quintillà, head of the GEMMAIR Research Group and head of the Internal Medicine Service at the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona.
The result of the efforts of the researchers at the IISPV, the healthcare team of this internal medicine service and the rest of the European partners, the software (known as GlucoTab and designed to be used on digital devices) will be validated and in the future it will be possible to implement it in hospitals, nursing homes and home care. “When a person with this pathology is admitted to a hospital, their glucose levels are meticulously monitored to avoid the risks previously described. The insulin doses are adjusted depending on their progress and based on different parameters. Thanks to this device and with the help of artificial intelligence, this adjustment will be more accurate and can be made by the nurse herself (with final validation by the internal medicine healthcare staff). If this tool is validated, it will be possible to use it later not only in hospitals, but also in primary care centres or nursing homes, facilitating the work of professionals”, adds Dr. Auguet.
The Medical University of Graz (Austria) is the institution leading the project, which will be implemented in different healthcare centers in Europe thanks to the collaboration with EIT Health and its partners in Spain (the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute, the Jordi Gol i Gurina University Institute for Primary Health Care Research Foundation (IDIAPJGol) and the Catalan Health Institute), Sweden (Stockholm Danderyd University Hospital region), Denmark (Hovedstaden Steno Diabetes Center region) and the Czech Republic (Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine).
This Sunday, the inhabitants of La Pobla de Mafumet took part in the Fiesta del Oli Nou, one of the most deeply-rooted traditions in the municipality. As every year, the attendees were able to savour the new oil pressing through a popular breakfast that included herring, sausage, sausage, sausage, bacon and bread as components of a meal washed down with the protagonist of the day, new oil, from the Siurana PDO. More than 400 people took part in the event.
With the purchase of the breakfast ticket, for only 3 euros, the attendees participated in the breakfast, and also, as usual, the activity had a solidarity background, since the full proceeds from this popular initiative will benefit the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and the Mamapop Festival, in favour of research against breast cancer.
About IISPV
The IISPV is the centre that manages research in health and biomedicine in the province of Tarragona. which brings together the university hospitals Joan XXIII in Tarragona, Sant Joan in Reus and Institut Pere Mata in Reus, and the Hospital Virgen de la Cinta in Tortosa, as well as the Rovira de la Cinta University in Tortosa. of Reus and the Hospital Virgen de la Cinta of Tortosa, as well as the Rovira i Virgili University. Since its Since its creation in 2005, the Institute has been working to ensure that biomedical research is translated into quality clinical practice for the benefit of patients and to improve the health of the population. The IISPV has more than 600 professionals and 35 research groups divided into four strategic areas: Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition; Infection, Immunity and Environment; Oncology; and Neurosciences and Mental Health.
About Mamapop
The Mamapop solidarity concert was born in Lleida in 2014 with the aim of raising funds for scientific research in the field of breast cancer. scientific research in the field of breast cancer. In Camp de Tarragona, Mamapop collaborates with the IISPV with the IISPV in the common goal of fighting against this disease.
Some images of the day
For the ninth consecutive year, the councils of both municipalities have joined forces to organise this activity, the proceeds of which will be used for research into diabetes by the DIAMET research group of the IISPV
The 9th edition of the solidarity walk ‘Damos un paso contra la Diabetes’ of the town councils of Perafort and Garidells has been a success and has brought together nearly 450 people, who have joined together to raise funds for research into diabetes. The funds will be donated to the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases research group (DIAMET) of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute.
The walk began at the Bressol school in Perafort, and continued for 9 kilometres along rural paths, until it reached the municipality of Perafort again. As in previous editions, upon arrival at the Garidells, a breakfast was provided to all participants, to regain strength before continuing with the final stretch of the activity.
The rain made an appearance and meant that many of those registered could not attend the event, and part of the route was modified, but the walk was nevertheless carried out without any complications.
The money collected from participants’ registrations, with a solidarity cost of €5, will be donated to the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Research Group (DIAMET) of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV). This financial contribution will help to continue advancing in the lines of research on diabetes that this group, one of the leaders in Spain in the research of diabetes and other metabolic diseases, has underway. In fact, the DIAMET group, led by Dr. Sonia Fernández Veledo and Dr. Joan Vendrell, director of the IISPV, has made remarkable findings in recent years that have been published in prestigious scientific journals.
Within the framework of Science Week, which was celebrated last week in different cities and also in Tarragona, the IISPV gave science workshops to the students of the Primary quarter of the Col·legi Lestonnac l’Ensenyança d’aquesta ciutat.
The researcher and head of the scientific support platforms at our research centre, Lluís Gallart, gave an informative workshop to teach children how to extract DNA from a banana.
Science Week is an initiative coordinated by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) and supported by numerous institutions and entities in the field of research and the dissemination of science and technology.
Researchers at the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) have conducted a review of the therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles in inflammatory bowel disease. Although this approach is in the early stages of research, there are already clinical studies underway for several diseases that support its viability.
20 November 2024, Tarragona. Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition characterised by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract due to an imbalance in the immune response. It encompasses pathologies such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Despite therapeutic advances in the last decade, approximately half of all patients still require surgery within the first ten years of diagnosis. Researchers and clinicians are therefore working to develop new treatments that effectively modulate the immune response in inflammatory bowel disease.
A collaboration between the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Research Group (GReMII) of the IGTP, and the Inflammatory Diseases Research Group (IBODI) of the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the Centre for Biomedical Research Network on Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD) has resulted in a comprehensive review of the potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) as a potential innovative therapy to treat these pathologies. The results of this work have been published in Clinical and Translational Medicine, one of the leading journals in translational medicine.
Dr. Josep Manyé, co-author and IGTP and CIBEREHD researcher, highlights that ‘MSC-EVs represent a promising therapeutic alternative for inflammatory bowel disease, as they can offer significant benefits over conventional cell therapies. As an acellular therapy, MSC-EVs present lower risks of immunogenicity and tumourigenicity, as well as being easier to store and handle.
The review takes an in-depth look at the immunomodulatory, pro-regenerative, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties of MSC-EVs in preclinical studies. Dr Carolina Serena, senior researcher at the IISPV and co-author of the study, adds: ‘We have analysed in depth the current knowledge on the functions of MSC-EVs in chronic inflammatory processes using advanced transcriptomic, proteomic and lipidomic techniques, which have allowed us to identify their mechanisms of action and understand how they can restore intestinal haemostasis’.
In addition, the article discusses advances in the characterisation of MSC-EVs, isolation methods and the challenges that must be overcome to translate this innovative therapy to the clinical setting. Dr. Laura Clua-Ferré, first author of the publication and researcher at the IGTP, highlights that ‘the results of this review provide a solid basis for the further development of innovative therapies for inflammatory bowel disease, and reflect the commitment of our research teams to offer safer and more effective alternatives to patients’.
The research team concludes that MSC-EVs have the potential to transform the therapeutic approach to inflammatory bowel disease by addressing a potential new pathway to effectively treat chronic intestinal inflammation, promote tissue repair and contribute to the restoration of intestinal balance. Currently, there are about 20 phase I or II clinical trials investigating these vesicles in different diseases. However, the authors highlight the need to overcome regulatory and logistical challenges before these therapies can reach patients.
Referencia
Clua-Ferré L, Suau R, Vañó-Segarra I, Ginés I, Serena C, Manyé J. Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: A focus on inflammatory bowel disease. Clin Transl Med. 2024 Nov;14(11):e70075. DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.70075
Funded
The research has been funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (reference number PID2021-122636OB-I00) and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (reference number PI20/00420), with the support of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER), through the programmes CB06_04_0034 and RYC2013-13186, as well as co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). In addition, it has been supported by the INVESTIGO-AGAUR programme (reference numbers 100008ID1 and 100036TC2) and the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), with reference number CB06_04_0034.
Club Bàsquet Tarragona has handed over the proceeds from the game against Palmer Basket Mallorca to the Mamapop team on Wednesday, just a few hours before the opening of the 9th Mamapop at the Palau Firal i de Congressos de Tarragona. The €650 will be added to the proceeds of the concert and will go to breast cancer research at the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute.
Club Bàsquet Tarragona has donated a total of €650 to Mamapop Solidari, a fundraiser raised thanks to the charity match between CBT and Palmer Basket Mallorca just a week ago at the Pavelló del Serrallo. This amount will be added to the profits from the concert and will go entirely to breast cancer research at the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute. Mamapop stresses the great value of this first collaboration with the CBT, which combines sport and solidarity and gives great visibility to the project.
Mamapop Tarragona is supported by the Repsol Foundation, Factor Energia, the Port of Tarragona, Tarragona City Council and Tarragona Provincial Council.
Sobre Mamapop
The Mamapop solidarity concert was born in Lleida in November 2014 with the aim of raising funds for scientific research on breast cancer. In Lleida, Mamapop donates its profits to the Institute for Biomedical Research of Lleida, becoming the IRBLleida’s main source of private funding for breast cancer research with €232,800. In the Tarragona region, it collaborates with the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) along the same lines and so far has contributed €23,699. Different companies and individuals have been actively collaborating with Mamapop since it was launched. Of particular note is the support of Fundación Repsol and Factor Energia and, especially, that of anonymous people committed to the dissemination and promotion of the project; As well as the sponsors, including Luis del Olmo, Roser Capdevila, Ruben Viñuales, Xavier Grasset, the honorary sponsor Helena Rakosnik, the Lleida-born singer Lorena Gómez and the Valladolid-born Mariona Escoda, among others.
Sobre l’IISPV
The Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) integrates biomedical research led from the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre regions. It is the instrument with which the university hospitals of both health regions (Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, Verge de la Cinta Hospital in Tortosa, Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus and Pere Mata University Hospital in Reus) and Rovira i Virgili University (URV) have been equipped to bring together and manage biomedical research and innovation in the region.
With 90% of the capacity full and a thousand tickets sold, the proceeds from the concert will go entirely to breast cancer research at the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV). As part of the concert, a credential was given to the researcher who will start her pre-doctoral contract at the IISPV thanks to the funds raised a year ago with Mamapop in Tarragona.
Tarragona, 18 November 2024. This Saturday, Tarragona hosted the premiere of the 9th edition of the Mamapop solidarity music show in Tarragona, which brought together a thousand people at the Palau Firal i de Congressos, reaching 90% occupancy of the hall. All the proceeds from the concert will once again go to breast cancer research at the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute. The credential was given to the researcher who will start her pre-doctoral contract at the IISPV thanks to the funds raised a year ago with the Mamapop in Tarragona, Noelia Peláez Poblet, a graduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Rovira i Virgili University, and with a master’s degree in Biological Engineering from the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute, and with a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Zaragoza, will explore in her research new connections between obesity and breast cancer, one of the cancers most strongly associated with obesity, especially in post-menopausal women.
To the rhythm of the music of the ‘Movida Generation’, Mamapop has made the audience vibrate and brought them to their feet by reviewing the great pop-rock songs of the eighties and nineties with versions of Alaska y Dinarama, Loquillo y los Trogloditas, Hombres G, La Guardia, Duncan Dhu, Los Secretos, Mecano, Tino Casal, Sau, Sopa de Cabra and Els Pets. Mamapop has put on stage a dozen solo singers and forty musicians fusing the pop-rock base of the MamaBanda with the strings of the Joven Orquesta de Ponent. All this under the musical direction of Josep María Bossa; pianist, guitarist, composer and producer of the Bolsa Records label.
Mamapop Solidarity has counted on the collaboration of Tarragona City Council and solidarity companies such as Repsol, Factor Energia and the Port of Tarragona.
About Mamapop
The Mamapop solidarity concert was born in Lleida in November 2014 with the aim of raising funds for scientific research on breast cancer. In Lleida, Mamapop donates its profits to the Institute of Biomedical Research of Lleida, becoming the first source of private funding of IRBLleida for breast cancer research with 232,800 €. In the counties of Tarragona, it collaborates with the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) in the same line and so far the contribution has been €23,699. Different companies and individuals have been actively collaborating with Mamapop since its launch. Of particular note is the support of the Repsol Foundation and Factor Energía, and especially that of anonymous people committed to the dissemination and promotion of the project, as well as ambassadors such as Luis del Olmo, Roser Capdevila, Rubén Viñuales, Xavier Grasset, the ambassador of honour Helena Rakosnik, the singer Lorena Gómez from Lleida and Mariona Escoda from Valladolid, among others.
About IISPV
The Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) integrates biomedical research led from the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre regions. It is the instrument with which the university hospitals of both health regions (the Juan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, the Virgen de la Cinta Hospital in Tortosa, the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus and the Pere Mata Institute University Hospital in Reus) and the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) have been equipped to bring together and manage biomedical research and innovation in the region.
Reus, 14 November 2024. One in four people will suffer a mental disorder in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the Camp de Tarragona health region, the professionals at the Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata attend to more than 13,600 people with psychiatric diagnoses at its centres every year (including children, young people and adults). These data show that mental health has become a major issue in our society and that it is urgent to address the diversity of realities that derive from it. One of them is the improvement of treatments and diagnoses, thanks, to a large extent, to scientific advances in this field.
In this sense, researchers from the Research Group on Genetics and Environment in Psychiatry (GAP) of the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) and the Pere Mata University Hospital have set up a working group in which patients and relatives participate, so that the latter can help to improve the reports they are given with the evaluation of the tests they are given when they participate in a study.
‘Some of the studies we carry out envisage the possibility that we could incorporate what is called an outcome report, through which we give feedback to the people we have tested on the results of the tests. It would therefore be a matter of these participants helping us to make these reports more comprehensible and attractive, according to what they consider, since, at the end of the day, they are the main stakeholders; improving their health and quality of life is the reason why we do research,’ explains Dr. Elisabet Vilella, head of the GAP research group and deputy director of the IISPV.
Another of the functions of the participation of patients with a mental health diagnosis and their families in this working group is to help the GAP research group to design the programme of open days that will take place in spring 2025 and which will open the facilities of the Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata to the public. The aim of the activity is that all those interested can learn about the latest advances in mental health that are being carried out (specifically, the projects that will be presented have received funding from the Fundació la Marató). Those who attend will also be able to speak directly to the researchers who are making these studies possible, and ask them any questions they may have.
This initiative is part of what is known as Citizen Science, which aims to involve citizens in scientific studies and projects, so that research and the findings that make it possible can respond to people’s real needs. It is an innovative approach that will allow science to move towards a more global and inclusive approach.
Below, we share first-person testimonials from members of this working group. The aim of the working group is to improve the communication of research results on this type of disease:
Research by the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) has studied the supplementation patterns and levels of these vitamins in pregnant women, the lack of which is a risk factor for the health of mothers and children
The Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics Unit of the IISPV and the URV has carried out a study to determine the supplementation patterns of pregnant women in Camp de Tarragona and their folate and vitamin B12 levels. After studying 831 pregnancies, they determined that only 36% of women follow the recommendations for folic acid supplementation and detected low levels of folate and vitamin B12 in almost half of them at some stage of their pregnancy. Deficiencies in these vitamins, essential for foetal development, can lead to miscarriage, malformations and other health problems in mothers and children.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 are essential nutrients for a successful pregnancy and optimal maternal and infant health. Folic acid is a man-made supplement containing folates, i.e. vitamin B9. Folates are found in green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts and some meats and are crucial for the proper functioning of the nervous system, cardiovascular system and cell division processes, which are critical during pregnancy. Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, also plays a key role in the functioning of the nervous system and in DNA synthesis, among others. Both are vital for the entire foetal development process, from conception to birth. A deficiency of either of these vitamins is considered a risk factor for maternal and infant health, which can cause miscarriage, severe foetal malformations, deficiency and anaemias in late pregnancy and adverse infant health.
‘Although pregnant women are advised to take folic acid supplements, they often do not receive this advice until their first prenatal check-up,’ says Michelle Murphy, a researcher in the URV’s Department of Basic Medical Sciences and co-author of this research. Prenatal care guidelines include the recommendation to take 400µg daily from one month before conception until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. However, the first medical visit of pregnancy may in some cases take place weeks or even months after conception. ‘We assume that this factor prevents many women from being aware of the importance of these supplements before they become pregnant,’ says Murphy.
The Reus-Tarragona Birth Cohort (RTBC) study is the largest investigation of folate and B12 levels in pregnant women carried out in a high-income country. The research team monitored the levels of these vitamins in 831 women, who followed their pregnancies at the Hospital Sant Joan de Reus and the Hospital Joan XXIII de Tarragona, from the early stages of pregnancy until birth. The research therefore collected data on the women’s supplementation patterns and measured levels of B12 and folic acid at five points during pregnancy.
There are two ways to determine a person’s folate levels: by measuring plasma folates, i.e. the level of B9 in the blood; or by measuring erythrocyte folates, which indicate the amount of this vitamin that has reached the red blood cells. In the first case, the plasma folate level is susceptible to fluctuation, due to dietary changes, within hours. In the second case, erythrocyte folate levels give a better idea of the long-term presence of B9 in the body. The study revealed that 47% of the pregnant women in the sample had erythrocyte folate levels below the threshold recommended by the WHO to prevent abnormalities in foetal development. By measuring plasma folate, the research team identified very low levels of this vitamin in 5% of the women at the beginning of pregnancy, and in 25% at the end of pregnancy.
In addition, the researchers found that more than 16% of the women in the sample had the variant form of a genetic polymorphism associated with increased folic acid requirements. This genetic peculiarity, common in southern Europe, makes women – and also men – more likely to have low reserves of this vitamin so important for the gestation process. ‘Without alarming anyone, the message is that we cannot take folic acid supplementation lightly,’ says Murphy. At the same time, the results of the study reveal that although 80 per cent of the women in the sample planned pregnancy, only 36 per cent took folic acid supplements before conception.
As for vitamin B12, deficiencies were detected in 7% of pregnant women at the first screening. This proportion increased drastically in subsequent records, reaching 44% of women with low cobalamin levels at the end of pregnancy. ‘Historically, the explanation for low B12 levels in pregnant women has been justified by the high intake of this vitamin in the formation of the placenta and foetus,’ explains Murphy. However, the URV researcher points out that this explanation only reflects 35% of cases with low levels of this vitamin at the end of pregnancy. The researcher warns of the false sense of security that exists in countries that adhere to the Mediterranean diet: ‘We have shown that there are widespread deficiencies in this vitamin’.
Vitamin supplementation in pregnancy is so important to prevent foetal developmental abnormalities that in more than 80 countries around the world, governments are making it mandatory to fortify flour with folic acid to ensure that all women are provided with folic acid. European countries have not implemented this policy, but neither have they stepped up their campaigns to raise awareness among women of childbearing age of the importance of these supplements. Michelle Murphy points out that more research is needed in this area and stresses the importance of communication campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of supplementation in pregnant women: ‘They are not perfect, because they never reach everyone, but they have been shown to work in other parts of the world.
Referencia: Santos-Calderón LA, Caballé-Busquets P, Ramos-Rodríguez C, Grifoll C, Rojas-Gómez A, Ballesteros M, Ueland PM, Murphy MM. Folate and cobalamin status indicators, modulators, interactions and reference ranges from early pregnancy until birth. The Reus-Tarragona Birth Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; Sep 24: DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.09.015
