Gadolinium Enhanced MR Coronary Vessel Wall Imaging at 3.0 Tesla.

Purpose. We evaluated the influence of the time between low-dose gadolinium (Gd) contrast administration and coronary vessel wall enhancement (LGE) detected by 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in healthy subjects and patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and Methods. Four healthy subjects (4 men, mean age 29 ± 3 years and eleven CAD patients (6 women, mean age 61 ± 10 years) were studied on a commercial 3.0 Tesla (T) whole-body MR imaging system (Achieva 3.0 T; Philips, Best, The Netherlands). T1-weighted inversion-recovery coronary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was repeated up to 75 minutes after administration of low-dose Gadolinium (Gd) (0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA). Results. LGE was seen in none of the healthy subjects, however in all of the CAD patients. In CAD patients, fifty-six of 62 (90.3%) segments showed LGE of the coronary artery vessel wall at time-interval 1 after contrast. At time-interval 2, 34 of 42 (81.0%) and at time-interval 3, 29 of 39 evaluable segments (74.4%) were enhanced. Conclusion. In this work, we demonstrate LGE of the coronary artery vessel wall using 3.0 T MRI after a single, low-dose Gd contrast injection in CAD patients but not in healthy subjects. In the majority of the evaluated coronary segments in CAD patients, LGE of the coronary vessel wall was already detectable 30-45 minutes after administration of the contrast agent.

Biased V beta usage in immature thymocytes is independent of DJ beta proximity and pT alpha pairing.

During thymus development, the TCR beta locus rearranges before the TCR alpha locus. Pairing of productively rearranged TCR beta-chains with an invariant pT alpha chain leads to the formation of a pre-TCR and subsequent expansion of immature pre-T cells. Essentially nothing is known about the TCR V beta repertoire in pre-T cells before or after the expression of a pre-TCR. Using intracellular staining, we show here that the TCR V beta repertoire is significantly biased at the earliest developmental stage in which VDJ beta rearrangement has occurred. Moreover (and in contrast to the V(H) repertoire in immature B cells), V beta repertoire biases in immature T cells do not reflect proximity of V beta gene segments to the DJ beta cluster, nor do they depend upon preferential V beta pairing with the pT alpha chain. We conclude that V gene repertoires in developing T and B cells are controlled by partially distinct mechanisms.

Hacia un entrenamiento del actor

Esta investigación está basada en la intención de crear una guía de entrenamiento para el actor, que busca asumir un compromiso con su cuerpo, como instrumento para la creación escénica. El trabajo del actor-actriz está irremediablemente vinculado a su cuerpo, todo lo humano se enmarca en un cuerpo vivido, en el espacio y en el tiempo, no es algo neutral. Sabemos que cada actor-actriz, tiene una noción de su esquema corporal, entendiendo por esquema corporal la representación en imágenes de los diferentes segmentos corporales que conforman nuestro cuerpo y la percepción de éste esquema corporal, estará en función de su capacidad de auto-percepción

Le droit, l'éthique et la politique. Chemins de travers à partir de l'éthique théologique

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) Comment se posent aujourd'hui les rapports de l'éthique et du droit? L'un et l'autre ont longtemps pu vivre chacun dans leur monde propre: d'un côté la science juridique, le champ des actes observables, la justice extérieure du tribunal (droit), de l'autre la philosophie, le champ des mouvements de la volonté et le tribunal intérieur de la conscience (éthique). Mais dans le flou et la complexité des questions contemporaines, les frontières se déplacent. L'objectif de cet ouvrage est d'observer la manière dont ces déplacements opèrent en analysant plusieurs segments de la vie sociale: la politique, le domaine du vivant, le divorce et le travail dans l'économie internationale. En outre, quatre interventions montrent comment la tradition biblique et le protestantisme ont pensé le rapport de l'éthique et du droit.

Ribonucleotide reductase genes of Bacillus prophages: a refuge to introns and intein coding sequences.

The ribonucleotide reductase gene tandem bnrdE/bnrdF in SPbeta-related prophages of different Bacillus spp. isolates presents different configurations of intervening sequences, comprising one to three of six non-homologous splicing elements. Insertion sites of group I introns and intein DNA are clustered in three relatively short segments encoding functionally important domains of the ribonucleotide reductase. Comparison of the bnrdE homologs reveals mutual exclusion of a group I intron and an intein coding sequence flanking the codon that specifies a conserved cysteine. In vivo splicing was demonstrated for all introns. However, for two of them a part of the mRNA precursor molecules remains unspliced. Intergenic bnrdE-bnrdF regions are unexpectedly long, comprising between 238 and 541 nt. The longest encodes a putative polypeptide related to HNH homing endonucleases.

Morphological Aspects of the Larval Instars of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera, Calliphoridae) Reared in the Laboratory

In order to study the morphology of young Chrysomya albiceps forms, newly hatched larvae were collected at 2 hr intervals, during the first 56 hr; after this time the collection was made at 12 hr intervals. For identification and drawing, larvae were placed between a slide and a coverslip. The cephalopharyngeal skeletons along with the first and last segments were cut off for observation of their structures and spiracles. The larvae present microspines, which are distributed randomly throughout the 12 segments of the body surface; the cephalopharyngeal skeleton varies in shape and extent of sclerotization according to larval instar; the second and third instars have relatively long processes (tubercles) on the dorsal, lateral and ventral surfaces, with microspine circles on the terminal portion

The First Instar Larva of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Phlebotomidae)

The morphology and chaetotaxy of the first instar larva of Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis are described based on observations made under scanning electron microscope. Because three-dimensional images were studied, some terminological changes are proposed to give a more realistic description of the positions of the setae. On the larval body, the pairs of setae have the following number: 9 on the head, 12 on the prothorax, 8 on the meso- and metathorax, 6 on the first to eighth abdominal segments, and 8 on the ninth abdominal segment

Factors associated with clinical leptospirosis: a population-based case-control study in the Seychelles (Indian Ocean).

BACKGROUND: In Western countries, leptospirosis is uncommon and mainly occurs in farmers and individuals indulging in water-related activities. In tropical countries, leptospirosis can be up to 1000 times more frequent and risk factors for this often severe disease may differ. METHODS: We conducted a one-year population-based matched case-control study to investigate the frequency and associated factors of leptospirosis in the entire population of Seychelles. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients had definite acute leptospirosis based on microagglutination test (MAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay (incidence: 101 per 100,000 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 79-126). Among the controls, MAT was positive in 37% (past infection) and PCR assay in 9% (subclinical infection) of men aged 25-64 with manual occupation. Comparing cases and controls with negative MAT and PCR, leptospirosis was associated positively with walking barefoot around the home, washing in streams, gardening, activities in forests, alcohol consumption, rainfall, wet soil around the home, refuse around the home, rats visible around the home during day time, cats in the home, skin wounds and inversely with indoor occupation. The considered factors accounted for as much as 57% of the variance in predicting the disease. CONCLUSION: These data indicate a high incidence of leptospirosis in Seychelles. This suggests that leptospires are likely to be ubiquitous and that effective leptospirosis control in tropical countries needs a multifactorial approach including major behaviour change by large segments of the general public.

Segmental copy number variation shapes tissue transcriptomes

Abstract : Copy number variation (CNV) of DNA segments has recently gained considerable interest as a source of genetic variation likely to play a role in phenotypic diversity and evolution. Much effort has been put into the identification and mapping of regions that vary in copy number among seemingly normal individuals, both in humans and in a number of model organisms, using both bioinformatic and hybridization-based methods. Synteny studies suggest the existence of CNV hotspots in mammalian genomes, often in connection with regions of segmental duplication. CNV alleles can be in equilibrium within a population, but can also arise de novo between generations, illustrating the highly dynamic nature of these regions. A small number of studies have assessed the effect of CNV on single loci, however, at the genome-wide scale, the functional impact of CNV remains poorly studied. We have explored the influence of CNV on gene expression, first using the Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) associated deletion as a model, and second at the genome-wide scale in inbred mouse strains. We found that the WBS deletion influences the expression levels not only of the hemizygous genes, but also affects the euploid genes mapping nearby. Consistently, on a genome wide scale we observe that CNV genes are expressed at more variable levels than genes that do not vary in copy number. Likewise, CNVs influence the relative expression levels of genes that map to the flank of the genome rearrangements, thus globally influencing tissue transcriptomes. Further studies are warranted to complete cataloguing and fine mapping of CNV regions, as well as to elucidate the different mechanisms by which CNVs influence gene expression. Résumé : La variation en nombre de copies (copy number variation ou CNV) de segments d'ADN suscite un intérêt en tant que variation génétique susceptible de jouer un r81e dans la diversité phénotypique et l'évolution. Les régions variables en nombre de copies parmi des individus apparemment normaux ont été cartographiées et cataloguées au moyen de puces à ADN et d'analyse bioinformatique. L'étude de la synténie entre plusieurs espèces de mammifères laisse supposer l'existence de régions à haut taux de variation, souvent liées à des duplications segmentaires. Les allèles CNV peuvent être en équilibre au sein d'une population ou peuvent apparaître de novo. Ces faits illustrent la nature hautement dynamique de ces régions. Quelques études se sont penchées sur l'effet de la variation en nombre de copies de loci isolés, cependant l'impact de ce phénomène n'a pas été étudié à l'échelle génomique. Nous avons examiné l'influence des CNV sur l'expression des gènes. Dans un premier temps nous avons utilisé la délétion associée au syndrome de Williams-Beuren (WBS), puis, dans un second temps, nous avons poursuivi notre étude à l'échelle du génome, dans des lignées consanguines de souris. Nous avons établi que la délétion WBS influence l'expression non seulement des gènes hémizygotes, mais également celle des gènes euploïdes voisins. A l'échelle génomique, nous observons des phénomènes concordants. En effet, l'expression des gènes variant en nombre de copies est plus variable que celles des gènes ne variant pas. De plus, à l'instar de la délétion WBS, les CNV influencent l'expression des gènes adjacents, exerçant ainsi un impact global sur les profils d'expression dans les tissus. Résumé pour un large public : De nombreuses maladies ont pour cause un défaut génétique. Parmi les types de mutations, on compte la disparition (délétion) d'une partie de notre génome ou sa duplication. Bien que l'on connaisse les anomalies associées à certaines maladies, les mécanismes moléculaires par lesquels ces réarrangements de notre matériel génétique induisent les maladies sont encore méconnus. C'est pourquoi nous nous sommes intéressés à la régulation des gènes dans les régions susceptibles à délétion ou duplication. Dans ce travail, nous avons démontré que les délétions et les duplications influencent la régulation des gènes situés à proximité, et que ces changements interviennent dans plusieurs organes.

Research activities at european level performed at the Institute for Públic Safety of Catalonia

To start off, this document describes the Catalan model for emergencies response and its reference frame in terms of geography, location population…In addition, describes the main actors involved in emergencies response such as: police, the Fire and Rescue Emergency Service, the Emergency Medical System, Civil Protection, Reception and Management of Emergency Calls, Rural Agents, ADF’s and UME. Civil Protection, Firefighters and Police are includes in the training model developed by the Institute for Public Safety of Catalonia which at the same time does research in both security and safety matters. Research activities are performed by the Area for Research, Knowledge and International Cooperation at the ISPC and an example of these activities are European Research Projects such as COIM-Best (Coordination Improvement by Best Practices) and BESECU (cross-cultural differences of human behaviour in fire disasters and other crisis situations) among others.

Morphological study of adult male worms of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907 by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Aiming to detail data obtained through brightfield microscopy (BM) on reproductive, excretory and digestive system, specimens of Schistosoma mansoni eight weeks old, were recovered from SW mice, stained with Langeron's carmine and analyzed under a confocal laser scanning microscope CLSM 410 (Carl Zeiss). The reproductive system presented a single and lobate testis, with intercommunications between the lobes without efferent duct. Supernumerary testicular lobe was amorphous and isolated from the normal ones. Collecting tubules (excretory ducts), followed by the excretory bladder, opening to the external media through the excretory pore, were observed at the posterior extremity of the body. In the digestive tract, a cecal swelling was noted at the junction that originates the single cecum. It was concluded that through confocal laser scanning microscopy, new interpretations of morphological structures of S. mansoni worms could be achieved, modifying adopted and current descriptions. The gonad consists of a single lobed testis, similar to that observed in some trematode species. Moreover, the same specimens can be observed either by BM or CLSM, considering that the latter causes only focal and limited damage in tissue structures.

Infarto agudo de miocardio con mínima elevación del segmento ST: características, evolución y pronóstico.

En la pràctica diària hi ha síndromes coronàries amb elevació del segment ST que no compleixen de forma estricta els criteris diagnòstics de la definició universal de l'infart. Un 7,2% dels IAM de la nostra mostra presentaven una elevació del ST menor als criteris diagnòstics de l’IAM. El 70,4% d'aquests pacients no van rebre cap tractament de reperfusió en fase aguda. A la coronariografia el 73.4% dels pacients presentaven malaltia dels segments proximals o mitjos. Aquests IAM van presentar una baixa taxa de complicacions intrahospitalàries, però en el seguiment a 26,5 mesos destaca una important necessitat de noves revascularitzacions.

Down-regulation of NOSII gene expression by iontophoresis of anti-sense oligonucleotide in endotoxin-induced uveitis.

Transcorneoscleral iontophoresis was used to enhance ocular penetration of a 21-bp NH(2) protected anti-NOSII oligonucleotides (ODNs) (fluorescein or infrared-41 labeled) in Lewis rats. Both histochemical localization and acrylamide sequencing gels were used. To evaluate the potential to down-regulate NOSII expression in the rat model of endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU), anti-sense NOSII ODN, scrambled ODN or saline were iontophorezed into these animals' eyes. Iontophoresis facilitated the penetration of intact ODNs into the intraocular tissues of the rat eye and only the eyes receiving ODNs and electrical current demonstrated intact ODNs within the ocular tissues of both segments of the eye. Iontophoresis of anti-NOSII ODN significantly down-regulated the expression of NOSII expression in iris/ciliary body compared to the saline or scrambled ODN treated eyes. Nitrite production was also significantly reduced in the anti-NOSII applied eyes compared to those treated with saline. Using this system, intraocular delivery of ODNs can be significantly enhanced increasing the potential for successful gene therapy for human eye diseases.

Penetration Sites and Migratory Routes of Angiostrongylus costaricensis in the Experimental Intermediate Host (Sarasinula marginata)

The intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus costaricensis are terrestrian molluscs, mostly of the family Veronicellidae. The present work aimed at clarifying more accurately the sites of penetration and the migratory routes of A. costaricensis in the tissue slugs and at verifying the pattern of the perilarval reaction at different times of infection. Slugs were individually infected with 5,000 L1, and killed from 30 min to 30 days after infection. From 30 min up to 2 hr after infection, L1 were found within the lumen of different segments of the digestive tube having their number diminished in more advanced times after exposition until complete disappearance. After 30 min of exposition, percutaneous infection occurred, simultaneously to oral infection. Perilarval reaction was observed from 2 hr of infection around larvae in fibromuscular layer, appearing later (after 6 hr) around larvae located in the viscera. A pre-granulomatous reaction was characterized by gradative concentration of amebocytes around larvae, evolving two well-organized granulomas. In this work we confirmed the simultaneous occurrence of oral and percutaneous infections. Perilarval reaction, when very well developed, defined typical granulomatous structure, including epithelioid cell transformation. The infection also caused a systemic mobilization of amebocytes and provoked amebocyte-endothelium interactions.

La Investigació d'incendis i explosions

En el marc de les Jornades sobre investigació de sinistres que es van realitzar a l’Institut el juny de 2008, es va copsar la necessitat de crear un grup de recerca per facilitar l’intercanvi d’experiències professionals i per impulsar la coordinació en l’actuació dels diferents agents i sectors implicats en la investigació d’incendis i explosions. Així, l’octubre de 2008 l’Àrea de Recerca, Coneixement i Relacions Exteriors de l’Institut va posar en marxa el Grup de recerca sobre investigació d’incendis i explosions (GRIE), de caràcter multidisciplinari i transversal, amb la participació de persones d’expertesa reconeguda, en representació dels diferents àmbits que poden intervenir en la investigació d’aquest tipus de sinistres: bombers, mossos d’esquadra, companyies d’assegurances, empreses privades, universitat, judicatura i medicina forense. L’Àrea de Recerca va dur a terme la coordinació del Grup, que es va reunir amb una regularitat mensual —de l’octubre de 2008 fins al desembre de 2009—, per tal d’acomplir els objectius següents: d’una banda, posar en comú el coneixement i el bagatge dels diversos professionals per poder valorar l’estat de la qüestió en la investigació d’incendis i explosions; de l’altra, elaborar un document descriptiu i didàctic, a partir de l’anàlisi de casos concrets, amb el propòsit d’oferir unes pautes generals —des del pensament i amb total respecte a les competències i responsabilitats dels protagonistes de les actuacions on intervenen—, amb informació i una metodologia útil per a tots els sectors. Al llarg d’aquest temps també es va comptar amb la participació puntual d’altres professionals per a l’avaluació d’aspectes específics. Cal remarcar que l’abast de l’estudi es limita als incendis i les explosions en edificis i indústries de qualsevol ús i en infraestructures. No s’han tractat, doncs, els incendis forestals, que són un àmbit molt més específic i determinat, ni tampoc els incendis que afecten matèries perilloses i d’altres en entorns singulars, que en qualsevol cas poden ser objecte d’estudis posteriors més especialitzats. La investigació d’incendis i explosions és, clarament, una matèria transversal ja que, com s’ha dit, en els casos complexos hi intervenen policies, bombers, companyies d’assegurances, gabinets tècnics i universitats, jutges i forenses. Els objectius de cada agent són lògicament sectorials, és a dir orientats a respondre a les qüestions habituals del seu camp d’actuació. La policia intervé quan es sospiten actes il·lícits o quan és requerida per l’autoritat judicial per fer-ho; la intervenció, doncs, no és exhaustiva i es limita a un percentatge relativament petit dels casos, i sempre l’objectiu és recollir proves per atribuir, en judicis, responsabilitats civils o, en el seu cas, penals.