December 9, 2023 - Current quotation #48: "I suppose I am proud
of what has gone on, after all I only ever wanted to play the guitar
for a living, and that is what I am still doing" (Bernie Marsden,
English musician).
December 7, 2023 - Faithful to their annual rendezvous with the
School of Medicine, the storks start
to populate the roofs of the main building. But, as always, these
little things that make some people happy also annoy others....
November 29, 2023 - "The
detective of cholesterol and triglycerides." Journalists always
unleashing their creativity.
November 28, 2023 - As the time for conversation is long over,
we are just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round. We
really love to watch them roll.
November 23, 2023 - Yesterday,
Alvaro Garrido defended his doctoral dissertation, titled
"Lipidomic Studies in Macrophages. Role of Lipins in Regulating
Phospholipid Levels and Inflammatory Processes." Congrats to him for
an excellent performance.
November 20, 2023 - Back from the Annual CIBERDEM meeting. Not
much novelty under the Catalan sun this year, except for
interesting data on lipin-2 and the
mitochondria.
November 14, 2023 - Good things always come in pairs. Another
collaborative paper with our CIBERDEM colleagues at the University
of Barcelona (Manuel Vázquez Carrera's group) has just appeared in
Cell Communication and Signaling.
November 10, 2023 - Lipin-2 is really becoming a master
regulator of so many innate immune reactions that... well, it is
always fun to talk about it.
November 9, 2023 - Interested in the distribution of
docosahexaenoic acid in macrophage
phospholipids? Check this
out.
November 6, 2023 - The Stanford list of top scientists is
here again. Other than pissing the hell off an old friend
of us, we fail to see the purpose of this kind of lists.
November 2, 2023 - Our friends and colleagues at the IMIB in
Murcia, bringing again a bit of humor to everyday scientist's life:
Dance the Barbie night! Special eye on the wigs.
October 30, 2023 - Our latest collaborative effort with the
group of CIBERDEM fellow Manuel Vazquez-Carrera at the University of
Barcelona has just been published in the journal
Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy: Elafibranor upregulates the
epithelial-mesenchymal transition inducer S100A4 via PPARβ/δ.
October 28, 2023 - One more milestone in lipid research has been
achieved. Another elusive enzyme of lipid metabolism, the synthase that generates the minor glycerophospholipid
bis(monoacyl-glycero)phosphate (BMP; also known as lyso
bis-phosphatidic acid), is described in a recent study published in
Science. This work clarifies BMP biosynthesis, although the
unusual stereochemistry of this phospholipid still remains to be
understood in enzymic terms.
October 27, 2023 - In an interesting repeat with the
previous post, one has to do what is right, even if it hurts, no
matter what the consequences are. We have gotten sturdy raincoats
and resistant umbrellas, we are ready for the storms coming.
October 26, 2023 -
Madam Mim, the adorable old witch in Disney's The Sword and the
Stone, used to brag about how magnificent, marvelous and mad she
was. She was not renowned for telling the truth though. However, we
know of a Madam Mean who is notorious for speaking the truth, even
if it hurts.
October 20, 2023 - It was a long and bumpy ride, but in the end,
the intricacies of lipin-2 regulation of interferon responses
reached the bookshelves of the
Eicosanoid library.
October 17, 2023 - After a long time, we finally found a moment
for the Eicosanoid Group Picture
2023. Unfortunately again, not everyone was around when the
photo was taken.
October 7, 2023 - Back from the 63rd edition of the
International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids (ICBL), held in
Palma. As
always in this conference, outstanding
science, great atmosphere, friendly people and a wonderful
venue.
September 28, 2023 - In an unexpected cross-talk, a
recent paper published in Cell Chemical Biology suggests that
cannabinoids stimulate lipid class-switching in macrophages for
producing pro-resolutory mediators of the inflammation.
September 22, 2023 - Yesterday, a not-that-young man who was
passing by the IBGM with his mother, stopped in front of the
entrance
and, pointing at the building, asked: Hey Mom, what is that they do
in there? What an intriguing question indeed.
September 12, 2023 - "If there is a way into the wood, there is
also a way out of it" (Irish proverb). Fall 2023 group meeting schedule
here.
September 9, 2023 - We were not born in a little tent by the
river, but we sure know that a change is gonna come.
August 21, 2023 - The Eicosanoid Research Division has two
openings, one for a postdoctoral researcher and the other for a
graduate student. They have been advertised in many places, he,
he. These are excellent opportunities to learn about lipid
science.
August 17, 2023 - Some logos that come, some logos that go...
Life goes on bra, la-la how the life goes on.
August 11, 2023 - It may be that, in addition to or
independently of their role as free fatty acid providers for
eicosanoid regulation, the reason why ethanolamine plasmalogens
accumulate so much arachidonate (or polyunsaturates in general) is
to endow the cells with a powerful and efficient means to die
gracefully.
August 3, 2023 - Current quotation #47: "My son, ask for thyself
another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee"
(Philip II of Macedon to his son Alexander the Great, as told by
Plutarch and Iron Maiden).
July 26, 2023 - It is unfortunately frequent to receive e-mail
messages from predatory journals using names similar to those of
well established journals to try to deceive the unwary. Today we
have received one which surely ranks among the most imaginative
and original ever: "Nature Cell and Science."
July 18, 2023 - At the risk of repeating ourselves we must
recall again the immortal words of Col. Hannibal Smith: "We love it
when a plan comes together." Pleased to have been able to write a
proposal that was judged to be: "very solid, high-risk/high-gain
research. Overall, a top-notch proposal, excelling particularly in
formal presentation, scientific relevance and originality."
July 17, 2023 - Despite the frightening accumulation of black
clouds and stormy waters that were to be expected ahead, the
eicosanoid brigantine came out triumphant once more. The valley of
plenty was reached again.
July 6, 2023 - Lipin-2, cardiolipins, calcium-independent
phospholipase A2s,
and tafazzin, all making a nice macrophage mix.
July 5, 2023 - Most of the times you got to see the things for
yourself to realize that what at first seemed like an interesting
option, in the real life it is not. You got to try though.
June 19, 2023 - "A dead man in Spain is more alive than a
dead man anywhere in the world" (Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet). Spring 2023 group meeting schedule
here.
June 16, 2023 - Definition of scientific excellence according to
any excellent Spanish scientist: "me and my friends." That is how it
goes, we have no remedy.
June 6, 2023 -
Still in love with science, baby! Our colleagues at the IMIB
demonstrating that lab coats and good humor go hand in hand. Also
putting MJ's Thriller to shame, we agree.
June 3, 2023 - Back from visiting the Murcian Institute for
Biohealth Research (IMIB) and the University of Murcia, while
re-charging our inflammasomic and
lipidomic batteries for the exciting
times lying ahead.
May 30, 2023 - Honestly speaking, the change that predictably
will come today should be of little consequence to us. However, as
it is not easy to predict how the other side will react to the
unfavorable outcome, we cannot be sure what to expect in the end.
May 20, 2023 - We have been told about the abundance of recent
reviews on the subject of ferroptosis. None like
ours, of course! Still, this is
a topic that has shaken the world of phospholipid fatty acid
metabolism and, as such, it deserves all the exposure it can
receive.
May 12, 2023 - The plasmalogen biosynthesis pathway is thought
to have evolved first in anaerobic bacteria. Later, an oxygen-dependent
biosynthesis of plasmalogens appeared in some aerobic bacteria and
animal cells, but not in yeast or plant cells. The anaerobic
plasmalogen
biosynthesis route starts with glycerol-3-phosphate, while the
oxygen-dependent route commences with dihydroxyacetone phosphate.
April 17, 2023 - Current quotation #46: "if you want grain,
Aitor, I'll lend you my tractor" (former Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy, visionary extraordinaire).
April 14, 2023 - Current quotation #45: "We have nothing to fear
but the sky falling on our heads... but this will not happen
tomorrow" (Abraracourcix, wise and thoughtful Gaulish chieftain)
April 4, 2023 - In the latest issue of Nature Metabolism there
is this
paper, which constitutes and excellent example on how to combine
click chemistry with lipid mass analysis to great effect.
March 27, 2023 - "Every country and society is different, but
Spain is a bit more different" (Julian Pitt-Rivers, British
anthropologist). Spring 2023 group meeting schedule
here.
March 23, 2023 - It may happen once in a blue moon, yes, but
sometimes things fix themselves. No need to do anything, just wait.
March 8, 2023 - We all get preposterous e-mails from time to
time, but this one tops the list.
Perhaps a scam or a bait, but in any case it speaks volumes about
the current state of science.
February 15, 2023 - Even in those moments where everything seems
to be heading to the definitive disaster, a glimmer of light gets in
through a crack to let you know that there is still a lot of things
to do.
February 7, 2023 - Soccer, science, and passion... Replace
Racing Club with Real Madrid in this
essay, and we fully subscribe to it.
.
January 27, 2023 - Life would be so much happier if people spent
on the essential only half the time they spent on the accessory. The
new CIBERDEM logo here.
.
January 25, 2023 - Narcissism, arrogance, selfishness, seeking
attention, putting the blame on others, poor management of
conflicts, defensive behavior... these are all defining traits of an
immature person. How can power be given to people of that profile?
Fascinating mysteries of the IBGM.
.
January 10, 2023 - "It does not matter who you are, or how smart
you are, or what title you have, if your prediction is wrong then
your hypothesis is wrong. Period" (Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate
in Physics 1965). Winter 2023 group meeting schedule
here.
January 9, 2023 - Cryptic but highly educational message to
begin the year: Bribery (cohecho in Spanish) is the solicitation by
an authority or public official of value in exchange for performing
an act inherent to their position. The trap was set but the vermin
did not fall into it. New opportunities may present themselves.
 |
News Archive |
|
|