Ecological and physiological variance in T-cell mediated immune response in Cory's shearwaters

T-cell mediated immune response (CMI) hasbeen widely studied in relation to individual andfitness components in birds. However, few studieshave simultaneously examined individual and socialfactors and habitat-mediated variance in theimmunity of chicks and adults from the samepopulation and in the same breeding season. Weinvestigated ecological and physiological variancein CMI of male and female nestlings and adults in abreeding population of Cory's Shearwaters(Calonectrisdiomedea) in theMediterranean Sea. Explanatory variables includedindividual traits (body condition, carbon andnitrogen stable isotope ratios, plasma totalproteins, triglycerides, uric acid, osmolarity,β-hydroxy-butyrate, erythrocyte meancorpuscular diameter, hematocrit, andhemoglobin) and burrow traits(temperature, isolation, and physicalstructure). During incubation, immune responseof adult males was significantly greater than thatof females. Nestlings exhibited a lower immuneresponse than adults. Ecological and physiologicalfactors affecting immune response differed betweenadults and nestlings. General linear models showedthat immune response in adult males was positivelyassociated with burrow isolation, suggesting thatmales breeding at higher densities suffer immunesystem suppression. In contrast, immune response inchicks was positively associated with bodycondition and plasma triglyceride levels.Therefore, adult immune response appears to beassociated with social stress, whereas a trade-offbetween immune function and fasting capability mayexist for nestlings. Our results, and those fromprevious studies, provide support for anasymmetrical influence of ecological andphysiological factors on the health of differentage and sex groups within a population, and for theimportance of simultaneously considering individualand population characteristics in intraspecificstudies of immune response.

Ecological and physiological variance in T-cell mediated immune response in Cory's shearwaters

T-cell mediated immune response (CMI) hasbeen widely studied in relation to individual andfitness components in birds. However, few studieshave simultaneously examined individual and socialfactors and habitat-mediated variance in theimmunity of chicks and adults from the samepopulation and in the same breeding season. Weinvestigated ecological and physiological variancein CMI of male and female nestlings and adults in abreeding population of Cory's Shearwaters(Calonectrisdiomedea) in theMediterranean Sea. Explanatory variables includedindividual traits (body condition, carbon andnitrogen stable isotope ratios, plasma totalproteins, triglycerides, uric acid, osmolarity,β-hydroxy-butyrate, erythrocyte meancorpuscular diameter, hematocrit, andhemoglobin) and burrow traits(temperature, isolation, and physicalstructure). During incubation, immune responseof adult males was significantly greater than thatof females. Nestlings exhibited a lower immuneresponse than adults. Ecological and physiologicalfactors affecting immune response differed betweenadults and nestlings. General linear models showedthat immune response in adult males was positivelyassociated with burrow isolation, suggesting thatmales breeding at higher densities suffer immunesystem suppression. In contrast, immune response inchicks was positively associated with bodycondition and plasma triglyceride levels.Therefore, adult immune response appears to beassociated with social stress, whereas a trade-offbetween immune function and fasting capability mayexist for nestlings. Our results, and those fromprevious studies, provide support for anasymmetrical influence of ecological andphysiological factors on the health of differentage and sex groups within a population, and for theimportance of simultaneously considering individualand population characteristics in intraspecificstudies of immune response.

Identification of metabolites and thermal transformation products of quinolones in raw cow milk by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry.

The presence of residues of antibiotics, metabolites, and thermal transformation products (TPs), produced during thermal treatment to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in milk, could represent a risk for people. Cow"s milk samples spiked with enrofloxacin (ENR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), difloxacin (DIF), and sarafloxacin (SAR) and milk samples from cows medicated with ENR were submitted to several thermal treatments. The milk samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to find and identify TPs and metabolites. In this work, 27 TPs of 4 quinolones and 24 metabolites of ENR were found. Some of these compounds had been reported previously, but others were characterized for the first time, including lactose-conjugated CIP, the formamidation reaction for CIP and SAR, and hydroxylation or ketone formation to produce three different isomers for all quinolones studied.

La construcción narrativa de la identidad en un contexto educativo intercultural = The narrative construction of identity in a intercultural educative setting

En este trabajo se expone e ilustra un modelo teórico para entender las funciones de la identidad, así como los mecanismospsicosociales asociados a su construcción: “Modelo Evolutivo y Funcional de la Identidad Mediada” (MEBIM). La identidad, mediada narrativamente, cumple una función personal orientada a la dirección de la propia vida, así como una función sociocultural vinculada a la búsqueda de reconocimiento de los derechos de los grupos sociales a los que uno se siente apegado. Se ilustran los factores asociados a la construcción de la identidad personal (sí mismos posibles, transiciones vitales, vínculo afectivo) y sociocultural (acción-transformación e identificación simbólica) a partir de 12 historias de vida realizadas con mestizos e indígenasde la Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas (México). Se sugiere que en contextos educativos formales, como la escuela o la Universidad, se deben propiciar narrativas personales y socioculturales con el objetivo de optimizar la identidad en un mundo a la vez globalizado y plural

Immune Evasion by Borrelia burgdorferi – With Special Reference to CD38-mediated Chemotaxis of Neutrophils and Dendritic Cells

Lyme borreliosis is a tick-transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The tick injects bacteria into host skin, where a first line defence, mainly the complement system, neutrophils, dendritic cells and macrophages are ready to attack foreign intruders. However, in the case of Lyme borreliosis, the original immune response in the skin is untypically mild among bacterial infections. A further untypical feature is the ability of B. burgdorferi to disseminate to distant organs, where, in some patients, symptoms appear after years after the original infection. This study aimed at uncovering some of the immune evasion mechanisms utilized by B. burgdorferi against the complement system, neutrophils and dendritic cells. B. burgdorferi was shown to inhibit chemotaxis of human neutrophils towards nformyl- methyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). Outer surface protein B (OspB) of B. burgdorferi was shown to promote resistance to the attack of the complement system and neutrophil phagocytosis at low complement concentrations. B. burgdorferi was shown to inhibit migration of dendritic cells in vitro towards CCL19 and CCL21 and also in an in vivo model. This effect was shown to be due to the absence of CD38 on the borrelia-stimulated dendritic cell surface. A defect in p38 mitogen-activated-protein-kinase (p38) signaling was linked to defective CD38 expression. A defect in CD38 expression on B. burgdorferi-stimulated neutrophils was also observed. In this study, a number of novel immune evasion strategies utilized by B burgdorferi were chracterized. However, further studies are needed as other immune evasion mechanisms await to be uncovered.

Greek by Steven Berkoff (1980): The Risky Transformation of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex into a Love Story

[eng] Can Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex really be transformed into a love story, as in Steven Berkoff’s drama entitled Greek? This article will show that, although Greek may be viewed by some critics as simply a provocative drama by no means intended to justify incest, directors, actors and critics in the end become enthralled by the powerful love story that ensues between Eddy and his wife and mother. This perspective reveals that Berkoff’s adaptation, intended to portray the social degradation of 1980s Great Britain, is in reality a quite risky proposition since it represents a flat denial of the tragic awareness of contemporary men and women. However, if this is the case, the audience, apart from enjoying the performance of Berkoff’s drama, might question, even from a non-fundamentalist perspective within the classical tradition, to what degree it makes sense to take inspiration from a text by Sophocles that precisely illustrates the great tragic awareness of the ancient Greeks.

ROLOC. Transformation chromatic stripes

[cat] Roloc es basa en la codificació cromàtica d'imatges. Roloc analitza una imatge i, a partir d'uns colors predeterminats per l'usuari, la reconverteix en franges de diferents mides segons la seva proporció cromàtica. D'aquesta manera tota imatge es reordena en franges verticals de colors plans.

The Transformation of Practical Teaching Focusing on Dialogic Learning

This study investigates the transformation of practical teaching in a Catalan school, connected to the design, implementation and development of project-based learning, and focusing on dialogic learning to investigate its limits and possibilities. Qualitative and design-based research (DBR) methods are applied. These methods are based on empirical educational research with the theory-driven of learning environments. DBR is proposed and applied using practical guidance for the teachers of the school. It can be associated with the current proposals for Embedding Social Sciences and Humanities in the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges. This position statement defends the social sciences and the humanities as the most fundamental and important ideas to face all societal challenges. The results of this study show that before the training process, teachers apply dialogic learning in specific moments (for example, when they speak about the weekend); however, during the process and after the process, they work systematically with dialogic learning through the PEPT: they start and finish every activity with a individual and group reflection about their own processes, favouring motivation, reasoning and the implication of all the participants. These results prove that progressive transformations of teaching practice benefit cooperative work in class

Transformation of a Rural Landscape in the Eastern Pyrenees Between 1953 and 2000

In the mid-20th century, the southern parts of the Madres and Mont Coronat massif (Eastern Pyrenees, France) were characterized by a Mediterranean landscape shaped by human activity. Long-term use of these mountains for crops, livestock, and forestry led to an increase in grassland areas at the expense of forest. However, socioeconomic transformation (abandonment of agriculture and a decrease in the rural population) in recent decades has caused profound changes in this massif. Interpretation of aerial photographs (1953, 1969, 1988, and 2000) made it possible to detect and analyze the changes produced in the study area (6787 ha) during this period. In 1953 most of the massif landscape consisted of grasslands (38%) and open forests (18%), with some areas of dense forest (15%). By 2000, dense forest cover had doubled in size (31%), and grassland had decreased considerably (by 73% of the initial area). Since 1953, the study area has become more homogeneous, with a few local exceptions. The results of this study suggest that socioeconomic factors might be the main cause of landscape transformations in this period of approximately 50 years.

GLUT2-mediated glucose uptake and availability are required for embryonic brain development in zebrafish

Glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2; gene name SLC2A2) has a key role in the regulation of glucose dynamics in organs central to metabolism. Although GLUT2 has been studied in the context of its participation in peripheral and central glucose sensing, its role in the brain is not well understood. To decipher the role of GLUT2 in brain development, we knocked down slc2a2 (glut2), the functional ortholog of human GLUT2, in zebrafish. Abrogation of glut2 led to defective brain organogenesis, reduced glucose uptake and increased programmed cell death in the brain. Coinciding with the observed localization of glut2 expression in the zebrafish hindbrain, glut2 deficiency affected the development of neural progenitor cells expressing the proneural genes atoh1b and ptf1a but not those expressing neurod. Specificity of the morphant phenotype was demonstrated by the restoration of brain organogenesis, whole-embryo glucose uptake, brain apoptosis, and expression of proneural markers in rescue experiments. These results indicate that glut2 has an essential role during brain development by facilitating the uptake and availability of glucose and support the involvement of glut2 in brain glucose sensing.

In vivo co-ordinated interactions between inhibitory systems to control glutamate mediated hippocampal excitability.

We present an overview of the long-term adaptation of hippocampal neurotransmission to cholinergic and GABAergic deafferentation caused by excitotoxic lesion of the medial septum. Two months after septal microinjection of 2.7 nmol a -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA), a 220% increase of GABA A receptor labelling in the hippo- campal CA3 and the hilus was shown, and also changes in hippocampal neurotransmission characterised by in vivo microdialysis and HPLC. Basal amino acid and purine extra- cellular levels were studied in control and lesioned rats. In vivo effects of 100 m M KCl perfusion and adenosine A 1 receptor blockade with 1,3-dipropyl- 8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX) on their release were also investigated. In lesioned animals GABA, glutamate and glutamine basal levels were decreased and taurine, adenosine and uric acid levels increased. A similar response to KCl infusion occurred in both groups except for GABA and glutamate, which release decreased in lesioned rats. Only in lesioned rats, DPCPX increased GABA basal level and KCl-induced glutamate release, and decreased glutamate turnover. Our results evidence that an excitotoxic septal lesion leads to increased hippocampal GABA A receptors and decreased glutamate neurotransmis- sion. In this situation, a co-ordinated response of hippocampal retaliatory systems takes place to control neuron excitability.

Socio-Cultural Transformation and the Promotion of Learning

The main premise of Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory is that to promotelearning, and thus development, educators must intervene in, and change, the students’ socio-cultural context. Vygotsky’s theory, however, has been misinterpreted and the opposite approach has been accepted: the teaching is adapted, according to the context. The result is widespread failure in schools. This article reclaims the true transformative meaning of Vygotskian theory and shows how successful schools in several countries implement various actions to transform their social and cultural environment. Data is presented from six casestudies of successful schools conducted in five European countries. The analysis showsthat these actions improve instrumental learning and, consequently, cognitive development. All these efforts focus on teaching methods that aim to increase the amount that students learn

Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the mouth – in vitro studies on saliva-mediated functions and acid production

Probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the mouth – in vitro studies on saliva-mediated functions and acid production Probiotics are viable bacteria which, when used in adequate amounts, are beneficial to the health of the host. Although most often related to intestinal health, probiotic bacteria can be found also in the mouth after consumption of products that contain them. This study aimed at evaluating the oral effects of probiotic bacteria already in commercial use. In a series of in vitro studies, the oral colonisation potential of different probiotic bacteria, their acid production and potential saliva-mediated effects on oral microbial ecology were investigated. The latter included effects on the salivary pellicle, the adhesion of other bacteria, and the activation of the peroxidase system. Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Helicobacter pylori were used as bacterial indicators of the studied phenomena. There were significant differences between the probiotic strains in their colonisation potential. They all were acidogenic, although using different sugars and sugar alcohols. However, their acid production could be inhibited by the peroxidase system. Based on the results, it can be suggested that probiotic bacteria might influence the oral microbiota by different, partly species or strain-specific means. These include the inhibition of bacterial adhesion, modification of the enamel pellicle, antimicrobial activity, and activation of the peroxidase system. To conclude, probiotic strains differed from each other in their colonisation potential and other oral effects as evaluated in vitro. Both positive and potentially harmful effects were observed, but the significance of the perceived results needs to be further evaluated in vivo.

Espacios olvidados, lugares diferenciados: transformación social del espacio urbano en Bogotá (1850- 1880) = Forgotten Spaces, distinct places: Social transformation of urban space in Bogotá (1850-1880)

The purpose of this article is linked to some forms of recovery of social and urban spaces fallen into oblivion that are evident in the social transformation of urban space in Bogotá between 1850 and 1880.The following paper presents the preliminary results of the research entitled practices and social uses of water in Bogotá (1850-1888). The text links in first discussions about the understanding of the city as a drawing in space, moving to describe, the growth of the city, integrating its historical, social and cultural structuring

Salmonella enterica– Mechanisms of fluoroquinolone and macrolide resistance

Salmonella enterica – Fluorokinoloni- ja makrolidiresistenssimekanisimit Vakavia salmonellainfektioita on pitkään hoidettu fluorokinoloniantibiooteilla, kuten siprofloksasiinilla. Fluorokinolonien runsas käyttö niin ihmisillä kuin eläimilläkin on kuitenkin johtanut fluorokinoloniresistenttien salmonellakantojen lisääntymiseen. Vuoteen 2002 asti kaikki matalan tason fluorokinoloniresistenssiä ilmentävät salmonellakannat olivat resistenttejä nalidiksiinihapolle, joka on vanha ensimmäisen polven kinoloniantibiootti jota ei enää käytetä infektioiden hoidossa. Vuonna 2003 havaitsimme aivan uudentyyppisen resistenssifenotyypin salmonelloissa. Kaikki uuden fenotyypin kannat osoittivat matalaa fluorokinoloniresistenssiä (MIC ≥0.125 mg/L), mutta useat kannat olivat yllättäen aikaisempaa herkempiä nalidiksiinihapolle (MIC ≤32 mg/L). Ilmiöllä on suuri merkitys salmonellan antibioottiherkkyyksien määrittämisessä, sillä jos kanta on ollut nalidiksiinihapolle herkkä, sitä on pidetty herkkänä myös fluorokinoloneille. Väitöskirjatyössä määritettiin vuosina 2003–2007 Suomessa kerättyjen kotimaisten ja ulkomaalaisten S. enterica -kantojen fluorokinoloniresistenssiä sekä tutkittiin uuden salmonellafenotyypin epidemiologiaa ja resistenssimekanismeja. Lisäksi tutkittiin salmonellan hoidossa mahdollisesti käyttökelpoisen makrolidiantibioottijohdannaisen, atsitromysiinin tehoa salmonelloihin ja erityisesti matalaa fluorokinoloniresistenssiä ilmentäviin kantoihin. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että matalaa fluorokinoloniresistenssiä osoittavien salmonellakantojen määrä vähenee. Lasku oli voimakkainta Kaakkois-Aasiasta tuoduissa kannoissa. Uusi resistenssifenotyyppi on plasmidivälitteinen ja qnr-geenit olivat ainoa plasmidivälitteinen kinoloniresistenssimekanismi, joka kannoista löydettiin. Myöskään kromosomaalisten gyrA, gyrB ja parE -geenien QRDR-alueelta ei löydetty fluorokinoloniresistenssiä aiheuttavia mutaatioita. Transformaatiolla osoitettiin qnr-plasmidien olevan siirtyviä ja uusi resistenssifenotyyppi saatiin ilmennettyä myös herkässä vastaanottajakannassa. Nämä tulokset osoittavat, että vaikka S. enterican qnr-fenotyyppi on toistaiseksi levinnyt pääasiassa Kaakkois-Aasiaan, se siirtyy helposti bakteerista toiseen ja tulee todennäköisesti aiheuttamaan hoito-ongelmia myös muualla maailmassa. Uudentyyppinen qnr-fenotyyppi voi olla vaikea havaita perinteisellä herkkyysmäärityksellä. Siksi laboratorioissa tulisi aina määrittää sekä siprofloksasiiniettä nalidiksiinihappoherkkyydet. Atsitromysiinin osoitettiin olevan herkkyysmääritysten mukaan tehokas salmonelloja kohtaan mukaanlukien matala-asteista fluorokinoloniresistenssiä ilmentävät bakteerikannat.