Cannabinoids impact on pregnancy: effects in trophoblast cells

Cannabinoids (CBs) can be classified as: phytocannabinoids, the constituents of the Cannabis sativa plant; synthetic cannabinoids lab-synthesized and the endocannabinoids that are endogenous lipid mediators. Cannabinoid compounds activate cannabinoid receptors – CB1 and CB2. The most prevalent psychoactive phytocannabinoid is Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but more than 60 different CBs were already identified in the plant. The best characterized endocannabinoids (eCBs) are anandamide (AEA) and 2arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), that are involved in several physiological processes including synaptic plasticity, pain modulation, energy homeostasis and reproduction. On the other hand, some synthetic cannabinoids that were initially designed for medical research, are now used as drugs of abuse. During the period of placental development, highly dynamic processes of remodeling occur, involving proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and invasion of trophoblasts. It is known that a tight control of eCBs levels is required for normal pregnancy progression and that eCBs are involved in trophoblast cells turnover. Therefore, by sharing activation of the same receptors, exposure to exocannabinoids either by recreational or medicinal use may lead to alterations in the eCBs levels and in the endocannabinoid system homeostasis In this work, it was studied the impact of CBs in BeWo trophoblastic cells and in primary cultures of human cytotrophoblasts. Cells were treated for 24 hours with different concentrations of THC, the synthetic cannabinoid WIN‐55,212 (WIN) and 2-AG. Treatment with THC did not affect BeWo cells viability while WIN and 2-AG caused a dose-dependent viability loss. Morphological studies together with biochemical markers indicate that 2-AG is able to induce apoptosis in cytotrophoblasts. On the other hand, morphological studies after acridine orange staining suggest that autophagy may take part in WIN-induced loss of cell viability. All cannabinoids caused a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) but only 2-AG led to ROS/RNS generation, though no changes in glutathione levels were observed. In addition, ER-stress may be involved in the 2-AG induced-oxidative stress, as preliminary results point to an increase in CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) expression. Besides the decrease in cell viability, alterations in cell cycle progression were observed. WIN treatment induced a cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, whereas 2-AG induced a cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. Here it is reinforced the relevance of cannabinoid signaling in fundamental processes of cell proliferation and cell death in trophoblast cells. Since cannabis-based drugs are the most consumed illicit drugs worldwide and some of the most consumed recreational drugs by pregnant women, this study may contribute to the understanding of the impact of such substances in human reproduction.

The challenge of sales competitions.

Universities in the United Kingdom do not make provision to deliver sales-ready graduates to the economy. One means of delivering sales education is participation in university sales competitions that bring together commercial sponsors, the higher education establishment and those students who may be interested in embarking upon a sales career. This paper explores the views of a sample of Edinburgh Napier University undergraduate students who completed a survey, with both multiple choice and open-ended questions, that detailed their experience in taking part in the Russ Berrie Institute (RBI) Sales Challenge competition between 2009-2014 at the Cotsakos Business Faculty of William Paterson University, New Jersey, in the United States. Ten categories of questions were asked relating to students' sales working experience, sales education, sales jobs, skills and knowledge, their preparation for the sales challenge competition process, observations during the event, post-competition reflection, and overall benefits of taking part in the sales competition process. The findings suggest that there are multiple benefits to students, business and universities from sales challenge competitions, which deliver an overall win-win-win outcome for all stakeholders.

Interest Representation as a Clash of Unequal Allies

Organized interests do not have direct control over the fate of their policy agendas in Congress. They cannot introduce bills, vote on legislation, or serve on House committees. If organized interests want to achieve virtually any of their legislative goals they must rely on and work through members of Congress. As an interest group seeks to move its policy agenda forward in Congress, then, one of the most important challenges it faces is the recruitment of effective legislative allies. Legislative allies are members of Congress who “share the same policy objective as the group” and who use their limited time and resources to advocate for the group’s policy needs (Hall and Deardorff 2006, 76). For all the financial resources that a group can bring to bear as it competes with other interests to win policy outcomes, it will be ineffective without the help of members of Congress that are willing to expend their time and effort to advocate for its policy positions (Bauer, Pool, and Dexter 1965; Baumgartner and Leech 1998b; Hall and Wayman 1990; Hall and Deardorff 2006; Hojnacki and Kimball 1998, 1999). Given the importance of legislative allies to interest group success, are some organized interests better able to recruit legislative allies than others? This question has received little attention in the literature. This dissertation offers an original theoretical framework describing both when we should expect some types of interests to generate more legislative allies than others and how interests vary in their effectiveness at mobilizing these allies toward effective legislative advocacy. It then tests these theoretical expectations on variation in group representation during the stage in the legislative process that many scholars have argued is crucial to policy influence, interest representation on legislative committees. The dissertation uncovers pervasive evidence that interests with a presence across more congressional districts stand a better chance of having legislative allies on their key committees. It also reveals that interests with greater amounts of leverage over jobs and economic investment will be better positioned to win more allies on key committees. In addition, interests with a policy agenda that closely overlaps with the jurisdiction of just one committee in Congress are more likely to have legislative allies on their key committees than are interests that have a policy agenda divided across many committee jurisdictions. In short, how groups are distributed across districts, the leverage that interests have over local jobs and economic investment, and how committee jurisdictions align with their policy goals affects their influence in Congress.

The Origins and Legacy of a Currency Board in Argentina

This is a qualitative case study of the adoption of a currency board in Argentina in 1991. It presents a discursive analysis and intellectual history of four overlaying and mutually influencing stories of Convertibility’s adoption. It is (1) the story of how Menem aligned himself to the Washington Consensus as a means to win a Presidential election. This ideological alignment influences and is influenced by a (2) reconstitution of the Peronist Party’s historically entrenched identity. This in turn re-fashion the whole system of interest articulation and relative power of interest groups in Argentina. The adoption of a currency board also marks the pace of (3) the entrenchment neoliberal interests across a domestic network of neoliberal think-tanks, technocrats, politicians, and “technopoles” articulating neoliberal interests outside of the Washington Consensus, within an International Neoliberal Network. Argentina’s adoption of a currency board falls in line with the Corner Solutions, a neoliberal doctrine promoted to influence developing countries to adopt two forms of exchange rate regimes that allow for less government involvement, including a currency board. Argentina starts as a test country and then becomes (4) an ideological stepping stone to help promote the creation of currency boards across more “developing” countries. These stories are not sequential but concurrent, and they help advance an alternative critique of neoliberalism that focuses on specifics to induce case-specific lessons versus a theory claiming to provide any universal truth.

Resolução de conflitos internacionais: estudo com militares em missões de paz

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia na área de especialidade em Psicologia Comunitária

Charte canadienne et droits linguistiques : frontières allégoriques et autres assertions consensuelles

La frontière entre le politique et l'intellectualisme militant est, d'ordinaire, ténue. Tout univers politico-constitutionnel est ainsi susceptible de faire les frais d'un martèlement doctrinal qui, à maints égards, relève davantage du construit que du donné. Résultante directe d'une construction parfois intéressée, le récit identitaire, à force de répétition, s'installera confortablement sur les sièges de l'imaginaire populaire. Il accèdera, au fil du temps, au statut de mythe pur et simple. Ce dernier, politiquement parlant, revêt de puissants effets aphrodisiaques. La présente thèse doctorale s'intéresse plus particulièrement aux mythes créés, depuis 1982, par un segment de la doctrine québécoise : en matière de droits linguistiques, objet principal de notre étude, Charte canadienne des droits et libertés et Cour suprême, toutes deux liguées contre le Québec, combineront leurs efforts afin d'assurer le recul du fait français dans la Belle Province. Quant aux francophones hors Québec, ceux-ci, depuis l'effritement du concept de nation canadienne-française, sont dorénavant exclus de l'équation, expurgés de l'échiquier constitutionnel. En fait, l'adoption d'un nationalisme méthodologique comme nouvelle orthodoxie politique et doctrinale rend ardue, en plusieurs sens, la conciliation de leur existence avec les paradigmes et épistémologie maintenant consacrés. Ainsi, et selon la logique du tiers exclu, une victoire francophone hors Québec signifiera, du fait d'une prétendue symétrie interprétative, un gain pour la communauté anglo-québécoise. Cette thèse vise à discuter de la teneur de diverses allégories établies et, le cas échéant, à reconsidérer la portée réelle de la Charte canadienne en matière linguistique. Il sera alors démontré que plusieurs lieux communs formulés par les milieux intellectuels québécois échouent au moins partiellement, le test de l'analyse factuelle. Celui-ci certifiera de l'exclusion, par la doxa, de toute décision judiciaire ou autre vérité empirique ne pouvant cadrer à même les paramètres, voire les prismes, de l'orthodoxie suggérée.

Efectividad de la deslaminación mecánica con bisturí en la eliminación de helomas e hiperqueratosis

Introducción El motivo principal por el que acuden los pacientes a las consultas de podología es el dolor producido por los callos y callosidades plantares. El dolor producido por las callosidades y callos plantares provocan en el paciente cambios de presiones y alteraciones en el apoyo, dificultando la deambulación correcta. Existen numerosos estudios sobre la eliminación de callosidades en pacientes diabéticos, con AR, pero pocos en personas sanas. La eliminación de estos callos y callosidades se puede realizar mediante deslaminación mecánica con bisturí o mediante queratolíticos. Objetivos Objetivo principal Analizar el efecto de la deslaminación mecánica con bisturí de las callosidades y callos plantares sobre el dolor y la calidad de vida en sujetos sanos Objetivos secundarios Determinar la existencia de modificaciones en los parámetros de la marcha con la eliminación de callosidades y callos plantares Observar las diferencias y efectividad de tratamientos de la eliminación de callosidades plantares mediante la técnica de deslaminación mecánica con bisturí versus parches de ácido salicílico Comprobar los cambios producidos en los parámetros psíquicos y fiscos del paciente antes y después de las diferentes técnicas de eliminación de las callosidades empleadas Método Se realizan dos estudios: un estudio cuasi experimental aleatorizado no controlado, en el que a un grupo de 34 pacientes con callosidades plantares dolorosas se les mide el dolor con una escala visual analógica y para analizar los parámetros de la marcha, la paltaformaWin-Track, antes del tratamiento de deslaminación mecánica con bisturí y a las 24 horas. El segundo estudio es un ensayo clínico aleatorizado inscrito en Australian New ZelandClinicalstrials y aprobado por el Comité ético de la Universidad de Málaga, en el que 62 participantes con callosidades plantares dolorosas se dividieron en dos grupos de tratamiento. El grupo A recibió tratamiento con parche de ácido salicílico y el grupo B recibió tratmiento de deslaminación con bisturí. Se utilizó la escala visual analógica para la medida de dolor antes, inmediatamente después de la intervención, a las 2 semanas y a las 6 semanas. Para el dolor y la discapacidad funcional del pie se utilizó el cuestionario Manchester FootPain and Disability antes del tratamiento, a las 2 semanas y a las 6 semanas. Para medir la calidad de vida general se utilizó el cuestionario SF-12 Conclusiones La deslaminación mecánica con bisturí de los callos y callosidades plantares es efectiva para su eliminación a nivel de la sensación de dolor, aunque no tanto en lo que se refiere a la mejora de calidad de vida. No hay resultados significativos de que la eliminación mecánica con bisturí de callos y callosidades plantares modifican los parámetros de la marcha medido con la plataforma Win-track. Se observa como la deslaminación mecánica con bisturí para la eliminación de callos y callosidades plantares pueden ser más efectiva a corto plazo que la eliminación mediante parche con ácido salicílico. Se observa cómo se modifica los paramentos psíquicos en el grupo de tratamiento con parche con ácido salicílico, aunque con una significación baja. Bibliografía Balanowski, K. R., & Flynn, L. M. (2005). Effect of painful keratoses debridement on foot pain, balance and function in older adults. Gait & Posture, 22(4), 302-307. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2004.10.006 Collins, S. L., Moore, R. A., &McQuay, H. J. (1997). The visual analogue pain intensity scale: what is moderate pain in millimetres? Pain, 72(1-2), 95-97. Coughlin, M. J. (2000).Common Causes of Pain in the Forefoot in Adults. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, British Volume, 82-B(6), 781-790. Farndon, L. J., Vernon, W., Walters, S. J., Dixon, S., Bradburn, M., Concannon, M., & Potter, J. (2013). The effectiveness of salicylic acid plasters compared with «usual» scalpel debridement of corns: a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 6(1), 40. http://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1146-6-40 Freeman, D. B. (2002). Corns and calluses resulting from mechanical hyperkeratosis. American FamilyPhysician, 65(11), 2277-2280. Gijon-Nogueron, G., Ndosi, M., Luque-Suarez, A., Alcacer-Pitarch, B., Munuera, P. V., Garrow, A., & Redmond, A. C. (2014). Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index into Spanish. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation, 23(2), 571-579. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-013-0507-5 Grouios, G. (2005). Footedness as a potential factor that contributes to the causation of corn and callus formation in lower extremities of physically active individuals. The Foot, 15(3), 154-162. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foot.2005.05.003 Landorf, K. B., Morrow, A., Spink, M. J., Nash, C. L., Novak, A., Potter, J., &Menz, H. B. (2013). Effectiveness of scalpel debridement for painful plantar calluses in older people: a randomized trial. Trials, 14, 243. http://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-14-243 Lang, L. M. G., Simmonite, N., West, S. G., & Day, S. (1994). Salicylic acid in the treatment of corns. The Foot, 4(3), 145-150. http://doi.org/10.1016/0958-2592(94)90019-1 Luo, X., Lynn George, M., Kakouras, I., Edwards, C. L., Pietrobon, R., Richardson, W., & Hey, L. (2003). Reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the short form 12-item survey (SF-12) in patients with back pain. Spine, 28(15), 1739-1745. http://doi.org/10.1097/01.BRS.0000083169.58671.96 Ramachandra, P., Maiya, A. G., & Kumar, P. (2012). Test-retest reliability of the Win-Track platform in analyzing the gait parameters and plantar pressures during barefoot walking in healthy adults. Foot & Ankle Specialist, 5(5), 306-312. http://doi.org/10.1177/1938640012457680 Siddle, H. J., Redmond, A. C., Waxman, R., Dagg, A. R., Alcacer-Pitarch, B., Wilkins, R. A., &Helliwell, P. S. (2013). Debridement of painful forefoot plantar callosities in rheumatoid arthritis: the CARROT randomised controlled trial. Clinical Rheumatology, 32(5), 567-574. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-2134-x

Evolução da capacidade preditiva da informação contábil : um estudo a partir dos disclosures das Companhias listadas na BM&FBovespa após a adoção das Normas Internacionais de Contabilidade no Brasil

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Programa de Pós-Graduação Multiinstitucional e Inter-Regional de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Contábeis, 2016.

Standardized environmental management systems as an internal management tool

In a principal-agent model we analyze the firm’s decision to adopt an informal or a standardized Environmental Management System (EMS). Our results are consistent with empirical evidence in several respects. A standardized EMS increases the internal control at the cost of introducing some degree of rigidity that entails an endogenous setup cost. Standardized systems are more prone to be adopted by big and well established firms and under tougher environmental policies. Firms with standardized EMS tend to devote more effort to abatement although this effort results in lower pollution only if public incentives are strong enough, suggesting a complementarity relationship between standardized EMS and public policies. Emission charges have both a marginal effect on abatement and a qualitative effect on the adoption decision that may induce a conflict between private and public interests. As a result of the combination of these two effects it can be optimal for the government to distort the tax in a specific way in order to push the firm to choose the socially optimal EMS. The introduction of standardized systems can result in win-win situations where firms, society and the environment get better off.

Pensamento de Remo Bodei sobre a filosofia do século XX : da estagnação ao retorno da responsabilidade

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília,Instituto de Ciências Humanas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia, 2014.

Environmental enrichment reduces aggression of pearl cichlid, Geophagus brasiliensis, during resident-intruder interactions

Em lutas entre peixes residentes e intrusos, residentes geralmente vencem, provavelmente porque valorizam o território mais do que os intrusos. Nós aventamos a hipótese de que ambientes enriquecidos aumentam o valor da área em disputa, levando os residentes a defenderem mais violentamente ambientes enriquecidos de recursos do que ambientes empobrecidos, pois possuiriam mais motivação para mantê-lo. No entanto, no presente estudo, ao testarmos as interações entre intrusos e residentes em acarás, Geophagus brasiliensis, observamos que o enriquecimento ambiental reduz a agressividade e pode levar a cohabitação entre os peixes, sem luta. Adicionalmente, em nossos experimentos, o efeito da residência prévia ocorreu independente da condição de enriquecimento. A diminuição das interações entre os peixes e, consequentemente, a diminuição do nível de agressividade é aqui atribuída aos efeitos da diminuição da visibilidade entre os peixes devido ao aumento de complexidade do ambiente.

La crisis de mercado en cadenas globales del café

Introducción El café constituye un generador de ingresos de gran importancia para más de 125 millones de personas en 52 países del trópico en vías de desarrollo. Alrededor de 25 millones de pequeños productores cultivan este producto perenne en 11.8 millones de hectáreas de tierra fértil y con ello anualmente producen 6.6 millones de toneladas de café para consumo. Estas son las grandes cifras que se ocultan detrás de la taza del café que tomamos cada mañana. Cerca de la cuarta parte de la producción la consumen los países de origen y las restantes tres cuartas partes se comercializan en el mundo para importarlas a los 25 países más desarrollados del mundo y a otros destinos. El café es el segundo producto básico del comercio mundial después del petróleo…

O marketing das notícias : consumo de informações online, persuasão e confiança

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Psicologia, Departamento de Psicologia Social e do Trabalho, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia Social, do Trabalho e das Organizações, 2016.

Building bridges for innovation in ageing:synergies between action groups of the EIP on AHA

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have often worked in silos and, consequently, synergies between Action Groups have been proposed to strengthen the triple win of the EIP on AHA. The paper presents the methodology and current status of the Task Force on EIP on AHA synergies. Synergies are in line with the Action Groups’ new Renovated Action Plan (2016-2018) to ensure that their future objectives are coherent and fully connected. The outcomes and impact of synergies are using the Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the EIP on AHA (MAFEIP). Eight proposals for synergies have been approved by the Task Force: Five cross-cutting synergies which can be used for all current and future synergies as they consider overarching domains (appropriate polypharmacy, citizen empowerment, teaching and coaching on AHA, deployment of synergies to EU regions, Responsible Research and Innovation), and three cross-cutting synergies focussing on current Action Group activities (falls, frailty, integrated care and chronic respiratory diseases).

Análisis de las barreras para la unificación de una Historia Clínica Electrónica -HCE- en Colombia

Objetivo: Identificar las barreras para la unificación de una Historia Clínica Electrónica –HCE- en Colombia. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio cualitativo. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a profesionales y expertos de 22 instituciones del sector salud, de Bogotá y de los departamentos de Cundinamarca, Santander, Antioquia, Caldas, Huila, Valle del Cauca. Resultados: Colombia se encuentra en una estructuración para la implementación de la Historia Clínica Electrónica Unificada -HCEU-. Actualmente, se encuentra en unificación en 42 IPSs públicas en el departamento de Cundinamarca, el desarrollo de la HCEU en el país es privado y de desarrollo propio debido a las necesidades particulares de cada IPS. Conclusiones: Se identificaron barreras humanas, financieras, legales, organizacionales, técnicas y profesionales en los departamentos entrevistados. Se identificó que la unificación de la HCE depende del acuerdo de voluntades entre las IPSs del sector público, privado, EPSs, y el Gobierno Nacional.