La pertenencia infantil del Agroecoturismo en la comunidad de Tepexilotla, en Chocamán, Veracruz, México

Objective: The overall objective of this study is to identify the relationship of belonging among children with their natural resources, in order to strengthen ties in the development of Agroecoturistic activity in your community, environmental conservation and natural resources of the micro-region Tepexilotla and its surroundings. Design/methodology/approach: Agroecotourism is approached from the child's subjective perception of that community, located in the cloud forest of fog, in the high mountains of Veracruz, Mexico. We analyze the issue from four themes: (1) ownership of the rural and natural environment, (2) the child's perspective of tourism, (3) interpretation of their natural environment and (4) as an engine Agroecotourism conservation natural and development of rural communities. Results: From the experience of the workshops with Tepexilotla´s infants, it was possible to identify that the relationship with their environment is strongly linked to the needs of life. 13 girls (52%) 9 boys (48%) between 7 and 14 years old participated. Boys include more the mountains and clouds, and girls, for stars and flowers. Less weight is given to crops. Agroturistic activities needs to be more considered at agroecoturistic workshops. Limitations on study/implications: We are interested in children's community, because this part of society is hardly considered in the decision making of the development of rural communities throughout the world. Findings/conclusions: With which we conclude with knowledge of the panorama of Agroecoturística activity from a child focus, as this position showed the child contribution to rural development; because children are the future decisions taken in their community, and guide the destiny of their natural environment as a means particularly vulnerable and important.Objetivo: Identificar la relación de pertenencia en la población infantil hacia sus recursos naturales, con el fin de fortalecer lazos en el desarrollo de la actividad Agroecoturística en su comunidad, la conservación del ambiente y recursos naturales de la microrregión de Tepexilotla en Veracruz, México, y sus alrededores. Diseño/metodología/aproximación: Se abordó el Agroecoturismo desde la percepción subjetiva infantil de dicha comunidad, ubicada en el bosque Mesófilo de niebla, en las Altas Montañas del estado de Veracruz. Se analizó el tema desde cuatro ejes temáticos: (1) sentido de pertenencia del entorno rural y natural, (2) la perspectiva infantil de la actividad turística, (3) la interpretación de su medio natural y (4) el Agroecoturismo como motor de conservación natural y desarrollo de las comunidades rurales. Resultados: Participaron 13 niñas (52%) y 9 niños (48%) de entre 7 y 14 años. En los talleres y dibujos, se identificó que la relación con su medio natural está fuertemente vinculada con su vida cotidiana, mostrando conocimiento y uso de diferentes de especies vegetales, animales, así como identificación psicosocial con algunas de ella y su valoración en caso de desaparición de las especies de la zona. Los niños incluyen más montañas y nubes, las niñas estrellas y flores. Los sembradíos son menos dibujados, por lo que las actividades agroturísticas deben ser más consideradas en talleres agroecoturísticos.   Limitaciones del estudio/implicaciones: Nos interesamos en la comunidad infantil, debido a que esta parte de la sociedad es muy poco considerada en la toma de decisiones del desarrollo de las comunidades rurales a lo largo del mundo. Hallazgos/conclusiones: El conocimiento del panorama de la actividad Agroecoturística desde un enfoque infantil, mostró su contribución para el desarrollo rural; debido a que los niños y las niñas son los que tomarán las decisiones futuras de su comunidad, y guiarán el destino de su medio natural, un medio tan particular, vulnerable e importante

Sperm death and dumping in Drosophila

Mating with more than one male is the norm for females of many species. In addition to generating competition between the ejaculates of different males, multiple mating may allow females to bias sperm use. In Drosophila melanogaster, the last male to inseminate a female sires approximately 80% of subsequent progeny. Both sperm displacement, where resident sperm are removed from storage by the incoming ejaculate of the copulating male, and sperm incapacitation, where incoming seminal fluids supposedly interfere with resident sperm, have been implicated in this pattern of sperm use. But the idea of incapacitation is problematic because there are no known mechanisms by which an individual could damage rival sperm and not their own. Females also influence the process of sperm use, but exactly how is unclear. Here we show that seminal fluids do not kill rival sperm and that any 'incapacitation' is probably due to sperm ageing during sperm storage. We also show that females release stored sperm from the reproductive tract (sperm dumping) after copulation with a second male and that this requires neither incoming sperm nor seminal fluids. Instead, males may cause stored sperm to be dumped or females may differentially eject sperm from the previous mating

Risk factors in the development of breast cancer, state of Mexicoº

Introducción: El cáncer de mama es una de las patología más frecuentes de la mujer y con gran impacto en la sociedad. Los factores de riesgo más estudiados han sido los hormonales, los genéticos y los ambientales, aunque también los hábitos tóxicos, el sobrepeso y la obesidad; como factores protectores, por el contrario, la lactancia materna y la actividad física. Objetivo: Conocer los factores de riesgo de las mujeres con cáncer de mama en nuestro grupo de estudio. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de casos y controles en 115 mujeres diagnosticadas con cáncer de mama y en 115 mujeres sanas que acudieron al centro Oncológico de ISSEMyM en el periodo enero-diciembre del año 2011. Se recogieron datos sobre la historia familiar de cáncer, de los antecedentes personales, así como de los estilos de vida y de la determinación del Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC). El riesgo fue estimado con modelos multivariados de regresión logística y chi cuadrada. Resultados: Se encontró un riesgo mayor de padecer cáncer de mama a las mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad, que no desarrollaban ejercicio alguno y con un menor índice de lactancia materna. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre el cáncer de mama y los hábitos tóxicos. Conclusiones: En nuestro estudio, el cáncer de mama se relaciona con el sobrepeso, la obesidad y la inactividad física. La lactancia materna, practicada durante los primeros meses de vida del bebé, se manifestó como un factor protector de padecer esta enfermedad.Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent diseases in women today, and its social impact is devastating. The risk factors focused on in recent research are mainly hormonal, genetic, and environmental though toxic habits, overweight, and obesity have also been studied. In contrast, protective factors against breast cancer include breastfeeding and daily exercise. Objective: To ascertain the risk factors for the women with breast cancer in our study sample. Material and methods: A study of cases and controls was performed on 115 women diagnosed with breast cancer and on 115 healthy women, who had been patients at the National Cancer Institute ISSEMYM in Mexico from January to December 2011. Information was collected from the women in the sample pertaining to their family history of cancer, personal background, life style, and body mass index (BMI). Breast cancer risk was estimated with multivariate logistic regression models and the chi-square test. Results: It was found that there was a greater risk of breast cancer in overweight or obese women who did not do any physical exercise and either who had breastfed their children for a very short time or who had not breastfed them at all. No significant differences were found between breast cancer and toxic habits. Conclusions: The results of our study found a direct relation between breast cancer and overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity. Breastfeeding during the first months of the babyís life was found to be a protective factor against breast cancer

The occurrence of tarsal injuries in male mice of C57BL/6N substrains in multiple international mouse facilities.

Dislocation in hindlimb tarsals are being observed at a low, but persistent frequency in group-housed adult male mice from C57BL/6N substrains. Clinical signs included a sudden onset of mild to severe unilateral or bilateral tarsal abduction, swelling, abnormal hindlimb morphology and lameness. Contraction of digits and gait abnormalities were noted in multiple cases. Radiographical and histological examination revealed caudal dislocation of the calcaneus and partial dislocation of the calcaneoquartal (calcaneus-tarsal bone IV) joint. The detection, frequency, and cause of this pathology in five large mouse production and phenotyping centres (MRC Harwell, UK; The Jackson Laboratory, USA; The Centre for Phenogenomics, Canada; German Mouse Clinic, Germany; Baylor College of Medicine, USA) are discussed

Characterization and genomic analysis of chromate resistant and reducing Bacillus cereus strain SJ1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chromium is a toxic heavy metal, which primarily exists in two inorganic forms, Cr(VI) and Cr(III). Chromate [Cr(VI)] is carcinogenic, mutational, and teratogenic due to its strong oxidizing nature. Biotransformation of Cr(VI) to less-toxic Cr(III) by chromate-resistant and reducing bacteria has offered an ecological and economical option for chromate detoxification and bioremediation. However, knowledge of the genetic determinants for chromate resistance and reduction has been limited so far. Our main aim was to investigate chromate resistance and reduction by <it>Bacillus cereus </it>SJ1, and to further study the underlying mechanisms at the molecular level using the obtained genome sequence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Bacillus cereus </it>SJ1 isolated from chromium-contaminated wastewater of a metal electroplating factory displayed high Cr(VI) resistance with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 30 mM when induced with Cr(VI). A complete bacterial reduction of 1 mM Cr(VI) was achieved within 57 h. By genome sequence analysis, a putative chromate transport operon, <it>chrIA</it>1, and two additional <it>chrA </it>genes encoding putative chromate transporters that likely confer chromate resistance were identified. Furthermore, we also found an azoreductase gene <it>azoR </it>and four nitroreductase genes <it>nitR </it>possibly involved in chromate reduction. Using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) technology, it was shown that expression of adjacent genes <it>chrA</it>1 and <it>chrI </it>was induced in response to Cr(VI) but expression of the other two chromate transporter genes <it>chrA</it>2 and <it>chrA</it>3 was constitutive. In contrast, chromate reduction was constitutive in both phenotypic and gene expression analyses. The presence of a resolvase gene upstream of <it>chrIA</it>1, an arsenic resistance operon and a gene encoding Tn7-like transposition proteins ABBCCCD downstream of <it>chrIA</it>1 in <it>B. cereus </it>SJ1 implied the possibility of recent horizontal gene transfer.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicate that expression of the chromate transporter gene <it>chrA</it>1 was inducible by Cr(VI) and most likely regulated by the putative transcriptional regulator ChrI. The bacterial Cr(VI)-resistant level was also inducible. The presence of an adjacent arsenic resistance gene cluster nearby the <it>chrIA</it>1 suggested that strong selective pressure by chromium and arsenic could cause bacterial horizontal gene transfer. Such events may favor the survival and increase the resistance level of <it>B. cereus </it>SJ1.</p

The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC): a functional catalogue of the mammalian genome that informs conservation.

The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) is building a catalogue of mammalian gene function by producing and phenotyping a knockout mouse line for every protein-coding gene. To date, the IMPC has generated and characterised 5186 mutant lines. One-third of the lines have been found to be non-viable and over 300 new mouse models of human disease have been identified thus far. While current bioinformatics efforts are focused on translating results to better understand human disease processes, IMPC data also aids understanding genetic function and processes in other species. Here we show, using gorilla genomic data, how genes essential to development in mice can be used to help assess the potentially deleterious impact of gene variants in other species. This type of analyses could be used to select optimal breeders in endangered species to maintain or increase fitness and avoid variants associated to impaired-health phenotypes or loss-of-function mutations in genes of critical importance. We also show, using selected examples from various mammal species, how IMPC data can aid in the identification of candidate genes for studying a condition of interest, deliver information about the mechanisms involved, or support predictions for the function of genes that may play a role in adaptation. With genotyping costs decreasing and the continued improvements of bioinformatics tools, the analyses we demonstrate can be routinely applied

A comprehensive and comparative phenotypic analysis of the collaborative founder strains identifies new and known phenotypes.

The collaborative cross (CC) is a large panel of mouse-inbred lines derived from eight founder strains (NOD/ShiLtJ, NZO/HILtJ, A/J, C57BL/6J, 129S1/SvImJ, CAST/EiJ, PWK/PhJ, and WSB/EiJ). Here, we performed a comprehensive and comparative phenotyping screening to identify phenotypic differences and similarities between the eight founder strains. In total, more than 300 parameters including allergy, behavior, cardiovascular, clinical blood chemistry, dysmorphology, bone and cartilage, energy metabolism, eye and vision, immunology, lung function, neurology, nociception, and pathology were analyzed; in most traits from sixteen females and sixteen males. We identified over 270 parameters that were significantly different between strains. This study highlights the value of the founder and CC strains for phenotype-genotype associations of many genetic traits that are highly relevant to human diseases. All data described here are publicly available from the mouse phenome database for analyses and downloads

Efectos sobre la fertilidad del cerdo de dos candidatos vacunales recombinantes basados en la GnRH

This paper describes for the first time the generation of the K88ab-GnRH hybrid fimbriae, the fusion of N. meningitidis P64k protein (P64k-GnRH), and its evaluation as vaccine candidates to control fertility in mammals. Twenty hybrid male pigs were randomly distributed in four groups: placebos and immunized with K88ab-GnRH, P64k-GnRH and a GnRH analogue (GnRHm1), linked to a tetanus toxoid (TT) T-helper epitope (positive control), respectively. The pigs were immunized at 9-10 weeks of age, using a two-dose scheme, and were sacrificed sixteen weeks later. K88ab-GnRH, P64k-GnRH, and GnRHm1-TT induced higher, similar, and lower testosterone levels in the serum, compared to the placebo, respectively. In the K88ab-GnRH group, the pigs underwent a reduction in testicle size and weight (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.01), and the weight of epididymes compared to the placebo; none of them was able to ejaculate. In the P64k-GnRH group, the pigs had a reduction in testicle weight (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.05), and only one of them was able to ejaculate. The testicles of the pigs immunized with K88ab-GnRH and P64k-GnRH showed structural and functional damage; spermatogenesis was also affected. The accessory sexual glands of the P64k-GnRH group were normal, in contrast to K88ab-GnRH, where interstitial fibrosis was observed. The damage caused by K88ab-GnRH and P64k-GnRH in the target organs evaluated were in all cases lower than the affectations caused by the GnRHm1-TT peptide.En este trabajo se describe, por primera vez, la obtención de la fimbria híbrida K88ab-GnRH, la fusión de la GnRH a la proteína P64k de N. meningitidis (P64k-GnRH) y su evaluación como candidatos vacunales para controlar la fertilidad en mamíferos. Veinte cerdos machos híbridos fueron asignados al azar a cuatro grupos: placebo e inmunizados con K88ab-GnRH, P64k-GnRH y con un péptido análogo de GnRH (GnRHm1), unido a un epítopo T cooperador del toxoide tetánico (TT) (control positivo), respectivamente. Los cerdos se inmunizaron con 9-10 semanas de edad, en un esquema de 2 dosis y se sacrificaron 16 semanas después. K88ab-GnRH, P64k-GnRH y GnRHm1-TT indujeron niveles de testosterona en suero, mayor, similar y menor, comparados con el placebo, respectivamente. En el grupo K88ab-GnRH los cerdos disminuyeron (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0,01) el largo y peso de los testículos y el peso de los epidídimos, comparado con el placebo y ninguno llegó a eyacular. En el grupo P64k-GnRH los cerdos disminuyeron el peso de los testículos (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0,05), y sólo uno llegó a eyacular. Los testículos de los cerdos inmunizados con K88ab-GnRH y P64k-GnRH mostraron daños estructurales, funcionales y afectación de la espermatogénesis. Las glándulas sexuales accesorias del grupo P64k-GnRH estaban normales a diferencia de K88ab-GnRH, en las que se observó fibrosis intersticial. Los daños provocados por K88ab-GnRH y P64k-GnRH en los órganos diana evaluados, resultaron inferiores en todos los casos, a las afectaciones que generó el péptido GnRHm1-TT

A large scale hearing loss screen reveals an extensive unexplored genetic landscape for auditory dysfunction

The developmental and physiological complexity of the auditory system is likely reflected in the underlying set of genes involved in auditory function. In humans, over 150 non-syndromic loci have been identified, and there are more than 400 human genetic syndromes with a hearing loss component. Over 100 non-syndromic hearing loss genes have been identified in mouse and human, but we remain ignorant of the full extent of the genetic landscape involved in auditory dysfunction. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, we undertook a hearing loss screen in a cohort of 3006 mouse knockout strains. In total, we identify 67 candidate hearing loss genes. We detect known hearing loss genes, but the vast majority, 52, of the candidate genes were novel. Our analysis reveals a large and unexplored genetic landscape involved with auditory function