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The objective of this thesis is to answer the following research question: what are the limits to the validity of contracts on human tissue in the Italian, English and EU legal system? In order to establish such limits, this study focuses on the following possible cases of contractual relations for the transfer and use of human tissue: a) Gratuitous contracts between the first transferor and the first recipient of human tissue; b) Non-gratuitous contracts between the first transferor and the first recipient; c) Contracts between the first and subsequent recipients. The research concludes that it is desirable to regulate, via contract law legislative provisions, the tissue transfers for the purposes of research. This regulation should place on the first recipient a clear set of information duties towards the first transferor of the tissue. In addition, such regulation should include mandatory and default rules for contracts between the first transferor and first recipient. The interaction between mandatory norms and default rules could achieve a strengthened protection of the autonomy of the first transferor of tissue. This research also demonstrates that the conclusion of sales and other non-gratuitous contracts on human tissue between first transferor and the first recipient should not be prohibited.

AbstractSeveral European law documents (including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) lay down a general prohibition on making the human body and its parts, as such, a source of financial gain. Scholars have identified three reasons for this prohibition: human dignity, equality, and solidarity. This paper aims at exploring to what extent non-gratuitous contracts on human biological samples can be validly concluded for purposes of research and commercial applications of the research results. In particular, the present paper will firstly, analyse the role of the three aforementioned reasons – dignity, equality, and solidarity – in the assessment of the validity of non-gratuitous contracts on human biological samples for the purposes of research and possible commercial uses thereof. Secondly, this paper will outline some possible advantages of excluding this kind of contracts from the scope of application of the prohibition of financial gain.

« Immigration non communautaire », relativisme culturel et construction du « genre ».
Enrique SANTAMARÍA
La « dénonciation » de la situation des femmes arabes, musulmanes et/ou africaines occupe une place centrale dans le discours sur les migrations post-coloniales. Partant de ce fait, et sans nous interroger sur la justesse des descriptions de cette situation subalterne, nous avons choisi d'approcher cette question non comme il est habituel de le faire, à partir de l'analyse de cette situation mais à travers l'analyse des actions et des discours qui, sur les migrants originaires de ce que l'on nomme le « Tiers Monde », traversent et transforment la société catalane.
Cet article, a deux objectifs. Il cherche d'abord à élucider, au moins de façon approximative et provisoire, les usages qui sont faits, de cette situation subalterne dans le discours sur « l'immigration non communautaire », discours qui recourt au relativisme culturel. A partir de là, et c'est mon deuxième objectif, nous pourrons explorer les fonctions symboliques que jouent les formes de ce discours pour la construction des identités ethniques et/ou de genre dans la Catalogne d'aujourd'hui.

Queremos comenzar con un aforismo de Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, en el que aconsejaba que "se debería investigar con más frecuencia aquello que generalmente es olvidado por los hombres, aquello que no miran y suporen ya tan conocido que no lo consideran digno de investigación alguna, "pues ha sido partiendo de esta idea que hemos comezando a indagar sobre el significado e implicacions de alguns convenciones, de algunos lugares comunes, en torno a las actuales migraciones y a la omnipresente figura social del "inmigrante". [...]

El exilio

Thrombotic material retrieved from acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients represents a valuable source of biological information. In this study, we have developed a clinical proteomics workflow to characterize the protein cargo of thrombi derived from AIS patients. To analyze the thrombus proteome in a large-scale format, we developed a workflow that combines the isolation of thrombus by endovascular thrombectomy and peptide chromatographic fractionation coupled to mass-spectrometry. Using this workflow, we have characterized a specific proteomic expression profile derived from four AIS patients included in this study. Around 1600 protein species were unambiguously identified in the analyzed material. Functional bioinformatics analyses were performed, emphasizing a clustering of proteins with immunological functions as well as cardiopathy-related proteins with blood-cell dependent functions and peripheral vascular processes. In addition, we established a reference proteomic fingerprint of 341 proteins commonly detected in all patients. Protein interactome network of this subproteome revealed protein clusters involved in the interaction of fibronectin with 14-3-3 proteins, TGFβ signaling, and TCP complex network. Taken together, our data contributes to the repertoire of the human thrombus proteome, serving as a reference library to increase our knowledge about the molecular basis of thrombus derived from AIS patients, paving the way toward the establishment of a quantitative approach necessary to detect and characterize potential novel biomarkers in the stroke field. ; This work was supported by Navarre Government Funding (Industry and Health department) through ADITECH (PT030) and Department of Economic Development from Government of Navarra (Ref. PC025), and Obra Social la Caixa to ES. KA are supported by PEJ-2014-A-61949 (MINECO). The Proteomics Unit of Navarrabiomed is a member of Proteored, PRB3-ISCIII, and is supported by grant PT17/0019/009 to JF, of the PE I+D+I 2013–2016 funded by ISCIII and FEDER

Olfactory dysfunction is considered an early prodromal marker of many neurodegenerative diseases. Neuropathological changes and aberrant protein aggregates occur in the olfactory bulb (OB), triggering a tangled cascade of molecular events that is not completely understood across neurological disorders. This study aims to analyze commonalities and differences in the olfactory protein homeostasis across neurological backgrounds with different spectrums of smell dysfunction. For that, an integrative analysis was performed using OB proteomics datasets derived from subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson´s disease (PD), mixed dementia (mixD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP43), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with respect to OB proteome data from neurologically intact controls. A total of 80% of the differential expressed protein products were potentially disease-specific whereas the remaining 20% were commonly altered across two, three or four neurological phenotypes. A multi-level bioinformatic characterization revealed a subset of potential disease-specific transcription factors responsible for the downstream effects detected at the proteome level as well as specific densely connected protein complexes targeted by several neurological phenotypes. Interestingly, common or unique pathways and biofunctions were also identified, providing novel mechanistic clues about each neurological disease at olfactory level. The analysis of olfactory epithelium, olfactory tract and primary olfactory cortical proteotypes in a multi-disease format will functionally complement the OB dyshomeostasis, increasing our knowledge about the neurodegenerative process across the olfactory axis. ; This work was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. PID2019-110356RB-I00/ AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 to JF-I and ES) and the Department of Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarra (Ref. 0011-14112020-000028 to ES).The Proteomics Platform of Navarrabiomed, member of Proteored (PRB3ISCIII), was supported by grant PT17/0019/009, of the PE I+D+I 2013-2016 funded by ISCIII and FEDER to JF. The Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit of Navarrabiomed is member of the Spanish Olfactory Network (ROE) (supported by grant RED2018-102662-T funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation) and the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR).

The most common form of mixed dementia (MixD) is constituted by abnormal protein deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) that coexist with vascular disease. Although olfactory dysfunction is considered a clinical sign of AD-related dementias, little is known about the impact of this sensorial impairment in MixD at the molecular level. To address this gap in knowledge, we assessed olfactory bulb (OB) proteome-wide expression in MixD subjects (n = 6) respect to neurologically intact controls (n = 7). Around 9% of the quantified proteins were differentially expressed, pinpointing aberrant proteostasis involved in synaptic transmission, nucleoside monophosphate and carbohydrate metabolism, and neuron projection regeneration. In addition, network-driven proteomics revealed a modulation in cell-survival related pathways such as ERK, AKT, and the PDK1-PKC axis. Part of the differential OB protein set was not specific of MixD, also being deregulated across different tauopathies, synucleinopathies, and tardopathies. However, the comparative functional analysis of OB proteome data between MixD and pure AD pathologies deciphered commonalities and differences between both related phenotypes. Finally, olfactory pro-teomics allowed to propose serum Prolow-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) as a candidate marker to differentiate AD from MixD phenotypes. ; This work was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. PID2019-110356RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and the Department of Economic and Business Development from Government of Navarra (Ref. 0011-1411-2020-000028 to E.S.).

The tumor-suppressor protein p16 is paradoxically overexpressed in cervical cancer (CC). Despite its potential as a biomarker, its clinical value and the reasons for its failure in tumor suppression remain unclear. Our purpose was to determine p16 clinical and biological significance in CC. p16 expression pattern was examined by immunohistochemistry in 78 CC cases (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix –SCCCs). CC cell proliferation and invasion were monitored by real-time cell analysis and Transwell® invasion assay, respectively. Cytoplasmic p16 interactors were identified from immunoprecipitated extracts by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and colocalization was confirmed by double-immunofluorescence. We observed that SCCCs showed significantly more cytoplasmic than nuclear p16 expression than HSILs. Importantly, nuclear p16 absence significantly predicted poor outcome in SCCC patients irrespective of other clinical parameters. Moreover, we demonstrated that cytoplasmic p16 interacted with CDK4 and other unreported proteins, such as BANF1, AKAP8 and AGTRAP, which could sequester p16 to avoid nuclear translocation, and then, impair its anti-tumor function. Our results suggest that the absence of nuclear p16 could be a diagnostic biomarker between HSIL and SCCC, and an independent prognostic biomarker in SCCC; and explain why p16 overexpression fails to stop CC growth. ; This research was funded by the Health Department of the Navarre Government (Grant number 21/11), the Navarre Breast Cancer Patients' Association (SARAY) and the 'Proof of concept project on proteomic research' from Proteored (Grant number ProteoRed-0000029). The Proteomics Unit of Navarrabiomed is a member of Proteored, PRB3-ISCIII, and is supported by Grant PT17/0019/009, of the PE I + D + I 2013–2016 funded by ISCIII and ERDF. S.M. was a recipient of a predoctoral grant from the Public University of Navarre. E.M.-S. was a recipient of a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PTA2015-11895-I).

Adenovirus Delta-24-RGD has shown a remarkable efficacy in a phase I clinical trial for glioblastoma. Delta-24-RGD induces autophagy in glioma cells, however, the molecular derangements associated with Delta-24-RGD infection remains poorly understood. Here, proteomics was applied to characterize the glioma metabolic disturbances soon after Delta-24-RGD internalization and late in infection. Minutes post-infection, a rapid survival reprogramming of glioma cells was evidenced by an early c-Jun activation and a time-dependent dephosphorylation of multiple survival kinases. At 48 h post-infection (hpi), a severe intracellular proteostasis impairment was characterized, detecting differentially expressed proteins related to mRNA splicing, cytoskeletal organization, oxidative response, and inflammation. Specific kinase-regulated protein interactomes for Delta-24-RGD-modulated proteome revealed interferences with the activation dynamics of protein kinases C and A (PKC, PKA), tyrosine-protein kinase Src (c-Src), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) as well as serine/threonine-protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1, PP2A) at 48hpi, in parallel with adenoviral protein overproduction. Moreover, the late activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) correlates with the extracellular increment of specific cytokines involved in migration, and activation of different inflammatory cells. Taken together, our integrative analysis provides further insights into the effects triggered by Delta-24-RGD in the modulation of tumor suppression and immune response against glioma. Significance: The current study provides new insights regarding the molecular mechanisms governing the glioma metabolism during Delta-24-RGD oncolytic adenoviral therapy. The compilation and analysis of intracellular and extracellular proteomics have led us to characterize: i) the cell survival reprogramming during Delta-24-RGD internalization, ii) the proteostatic disarrangement induced by Delta-24-RGD during the autophagic stage, iii) the protein interactomes for Delta-24-RGD-modulated proteome, iv) the regulatory effects on kinase dynamics induced by Delta-24-RGD late in infection, and v) the overproduction of multitasking cytokines upon Delta-24-RGD treatment. We consider that the quantitative molecular maps generated in this study may establish the foundations for the development of complementary adenoviral based-vectors to increase the potency against glioma. ; This work was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (Ref. SAF2014-59340-R To ES), the Department of Economic Development from Government of Navarra (Ref. PC023-PC024, PC025, PC081-82 and PI059 to ES and PI031 to JFI), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondos Feder Europeos (PI16/00066 to MMA), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (IEDI-2015-00638 to MMA), the Department of Health of the Government of Navarra (to MMA), the Basque Foundation for Health Research (BIOEF, BIO13/CI/005 to MMA), Asociación Pablo Ugarte-Fuerza, Julen (to MMA). AGM was supported by PEJ-2014-A-61949 (MINECO), and a pre-doctoral fellowship from Public University of Navarra (UPNA). The Proteomics Unit of Navarrabiomed is a member of Proteored, PRB3-ISCIII, and is supported by grant PT17/0019/0009, of the PE I+D+I 2013-2016 funded by ISCIII and FEDER.