Book Review: Women Doing Life: Gender, Punishment and the Struggle for Identity

Lempert, L. B. Women Doing Life: Gender, Punishment and the Struggle for Identity. New York: New York University Press. (2016). $27.00 (paperback), ISBN 9781479827053

Las TIC y la innovación en las empresas andaluzas. Parques tecnológicos de Sevilla

La tecnología y la innovación han creado un nuevo contexto con su introducción en el ámbito empresarial, por lo que ha mejorado la competitividad de las empresas andaluzas. Andalucía es una de las comunidades españolas que más exporta al extranjero y la tecnología ha contribuido favorablemente a ello. Se estudia la evolución de los distintos indicadores TIC en las empresas andaluzas y cómo influye la tecnología e innovación a los Parques Tecnológicos, que integran las empresas más innovadoras de nuestra comunidad.Universidad de Sevilla. Doble Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas y en Derech

Los judíos en Al-Ándalus: Itinerario didáctico por el Patrimonio Cultural de la Judería de Córdoba

El trabajo que a continuación se presenta consiste en un itinerario didáctico por la Judería de Córdoba dirigido a 5º Curso de Primaria, con el objeto de ampliar los conocimientos sobre el patrimonio cultural que los judíos dejaron en Al-Ándalus. Teniendo en cuenta los contenidos de las Ciencias Sociales se ha diseñado un itinerario en el que el alumnado pueda reconocer los elementos urbanísticos de la ciudad medieval musulmana en la que se integraba la judería y su sinagoga. Se pretende además abordar otros aspectos relativos a la comunidad judía como fiestas, costumbres y personajes históricos.Universidad de Granada. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Grado de Educación Primari

Parasitosis en el proventrículo por Procyrnea sp. (Spiruroidea: Habronematidae), de un aguililla caminera (Rupornis magnirostris) del estado de Veracruz, México: reporte de un caso

The report presented herein describes the necropsy findings (red nodules over the linning of the proventriculus) in an adult female roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) found in Veracruz State, Mexico. We further provide the description of a nematode from the genus Procyrnea found in the proventriculus wall including histopathological sections of tissue damage associated with the parasite.The report presented herein describes the necropsy findings (red nodules over the linning of the proventriculus) in an adult female roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) found in Veracruz State, Mexico. We further provide the description of a nematode from the genus Procyrnea found in the proventriculus wall including histopathological sections of tissue damage associated with the parasite

Microbiological and clinical effects of probiotics and antibiotics on nonsurgical treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized placebo- controlled trial with 9-month follow-up

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel- arm randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1-containing probiotic sachet and azithromycin tablets as an adjunct to nonsurgical therapy in clinical parameters and in presence and levels of Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Material and Methods: Forty-seven systemically healthy volunteers with chronic periodontitis were recruited and monitored clinically and microbiologically at baseline for 3, 6 and 9 months after therapy. Subgingival plaque samples were collected from four periodontal sites with clinical attachment level ≥1 mm, probing pocket depth ≥4 mm and bleeding on probing, one site in each quadrant. Samples were cultivated and processed using the PCR technique. Patients received nonsurgical therapy including scaling and root planing (SRP) and were randomly assigned to a probiotic (n=16), antibiotic (n = 16) or placebo (n = 15) group. L. rhamnosus SP1 was taken once a day for 3 months. Azithromycin 500mg was taken once a day for 5 days. Results: All groups showed improvements in clinical and microbiological parameters at all time points evaluated. Probiotic and antibiotic groups showed greater reductions in cultivable microbiota compared with baseline. The placebo group showed greater reduction in number of subjects with P. gingivalis compared with baseline. However, there were no significant differences between groups. Conclusions: The adjunctive use of L. rhamnosus SP1 sachets and azithromycin during initial therapy resulted in similar clinical and microbiological improvements compared with the placebo group

Speech therapy and Dentistry in the use of Cephalometry as a tool in the diagnosis of velopharyngeal dysfunction

Los análisis de cefalometría ofrecen información sobre las estructuras de la cabeza, que posibilitan un mejor entendimiento del desarrollo de las funciones orales. Las áreas de intervención odontológica y fonoaudiológica, son específicamente las más beneficiadas por los datos normativos obtenidos por la cefalometria, que optimiza el manejo de alteraciones de funciones como la respiración, succión, masticación, deglución y habla. Con respecto al habla, es posible un mejor entendimiento sobre el esfínter velofaríngeo, mediante el estudio de las medidas obtenidas por la cefalometría, particularmente, la extensión del velo del paladar (EXT), el espesor del velo del paladar (ESP) y la profundidad de la nasofaringe (PNF). Esas medidas pueden ser calculadas usando tanto una imagen congelada de la velofaringe en reposo, obtenida durante videofluoroscopía (disponible apenas para pacientes con DVF), como usando la teleradiografia (obtenida para lineamiento del tratamiento ortodóncico). En el abordaje de las anomalías craneofaciales, las medidas cefalométricas de EXT, ESP y PNF son una importante herramienta para el mejor conocimiento del desarrollo facial, de las estructuras velofaríngeas, de los espacios faríngeos y del manejo de la disfunción velofaríngea (DVF). Dicho conocimiento permite realizar mejores diagnósticos y facilita la planificación del tratamiento, tanto en la clínica como en la investigación.Cephalometric analysis offers information of the head structures, which allow a better understanding of the development of oral functions. Odontology and speech pathology are the areas of intervention specifically most benefited by the normative data obtained by cephalometry, which optimizes the management of alterations of structures and the relationship with functions, such as reathing, sucking, chewing, swallowing and speaking. Regarding to speech, a better understanding of the velopharyngeal sphincter is possible, by studying the measurements obtained by cephalometry, particularly velar length (VL), velar width (VW), depth of the nasopharynx (DN). These measurements can be calculated using both a frozen image of the resting velopharynx, obtained during videofluoroscopy (available only for patients with DVF), and using cephalometric radiographs (obtained for orthodontic treatment). In the approach to craniofacial anomalies, cephalometric measurements VL, VW and DN are an important tool for a better understanding of facial development, velopharyngeal structures, pharyngeal spaces and the management of velopharyngeal dysfunction (DVF). This knowledge allows a better diagnoses and facilitates treatment planning, both in the clinical and research.Fil: Denegri, María Alicia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de OdontologíaFil: de Cássia Rillo Dutka, Jeniffer . Universidad Estadual de Sao Paulo (Brasil)Fil: Godoy, Patricia . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de OdontologíaFil: Fernández Salto, María Laura . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Odontologí

Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) isolated from the ISA disease outbreaks in Chile diverged from ISAV isolates from Norway around 1996 and was disseminated around 2005, based on surface glycoprotein gene sequences

BACKGROUND: Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) virus (ISAV) is a pathogen of marine-farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); a disease first diagnosed in Norway in 1984. For over 25 years ISAV has caused major disease outbreaks in the Northern hemisphere, and remains an emerging fish pathogen because of the asymptomatic infections in marine wild fish and the potential for emergence of new epidemic strains. ISAV belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae, together with influenza viruses but is sufficiently different to be assigned to its own genus, Isavirus. The Isavirus genome consists of eight single-stranded RNA species, and the virions have two surface glycoproteins; fusion (F) protein encoded on segment 5 and haemagglutinin-esterase (HE) protein encoded on segment 6. However, comparison between different ISAV isolates is complicated because there is presently no universally accepted nomenclature system for designation of genetic relatedness between ISAV isolates. The first outbreak of ISA in marine-farmed Atlantic salmon in the Southern hemisphere occurred in Chile starting in June 2007. In order to describe the molecular characteristics of the virus so as to understand its origins, how ISAV isolates are maintained and spread, and their virulence characteristics, we conducted a study where the viral sequences were directly amplified, cloned and sequenced from tissue samples collected from several ISA-affected fish on the different fish farms with confirmed or suspected ISA outbreaks in Chile. This paper describes the genetic characterization of a large number of ISAV strains associated with extensive outbreaks in Chile starting in June 2007, and their phylogenetic relationships with selected European and North American isolates that are representative of the genetic diversity of ISAV. RESULTS: RT-PCR for ISAV F and HE glycoprotein genes was performed directly on tissue samples collected from ISA-affected fish on different farms among 14 fish companies in Chile during the ISA outbreaks that started in June 2007. The genes of the F and HE glycoproteins were cloned and sequenced for 51 and 78 new isolates, respectively. An extensive comparative analysis of ISAV F and HE sequence data, including reference isolates sampled from Norway, Faroe Islands, Scotland, USA, and Canada was performed. Based on phylogenetic analysis of concatenated ISAV F and HE genes of 103 individual isolates, the isolates from the ISA outbreaks in Chile grouped in their own cluster of 7 distinct strains within Genotype I (European genotype) of ISAV, with the closest relatedness to Norwegian ISAVs isolated in 1997. The phylogenetic software program, BACKTRACK, estimated the Chile isolates diverged from Norway isolates about 1996 and, therefore, had been present in Chile for some time before the recent outbreaks. Analysis of the deduced F protein sequence showed 43 of 51 Chile isolates with an 11-amino acid insert between 265N and 266Q, with 100% sequence identity with Genotype I ISAV RNA segment 2. Twenty four different HE-HPRs, including HPR0, were detected, with HPR7b making up 79.7%. This is considered a manifestation of ISAV quasispecies HE protein sequence diversity. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings suggest that the ISA outbreaks were caused by virus that was already present in Chile that mutated to new strains. This is the first comprehensive report tracing ISAV from Europe to South America.Source type: Electronic(1

Mutational studies on resurrected ancestral proteins reveal conservation of site-specific amino acid preferences throughout evolutionary history

Local protein interactions ("molecular context" effects) dictate amino acid replacements and can be described in terms of site-specific, energetic preferences for any different amino acid. It has been recently debated whether these preferences remain approximately constant during evolution or whether, due to coevolution of sites, they change strongly. Such research highlights an unresolved and fundamental issue with far-reaching implications for phylogenetic analysis and molecular evolution modeling. Here, we take advantage of the recent availability of phenotypically supported laboratory resurrections of Precambrian thioredoxins and β-lactamases to experimentally address the change of site-specific amino acid preferences over long geological timescales. Extensive mutational analyses support the notion that evolutionary adjustment to a new amino acid may occur, but to a large extent this is insufficient to erase the primitive preference for amino acid replacements. Generally, site-specific amino acid preferences appear to remain conserved throughout evolutionary history despite local sequence divergence. We show such preference conservation to be readily understandable in molecular terms and we provide crystallographic evidence for an intriguing structural-switch mechanism: Energetic preference for an ancestral amino acid in a modern protein can be linked to reorganization upon mutation to the ancestral local structure around the mutated site. Finally, we point out that site-specific preference conservation naturally leads to one plausible evolutionary explanation for the existence of intragenic global suppressor mutations

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from the Respiratory Tract in Mechanically-Ventilated Patients

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and frequent colonizer of the upper respiratory tract. When mechanical ventilation disrupts natural defenses, S. aureus is frequently isolated from the lower airways, but distinguishing between colonization and infection is difficult. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the bacterial genome sequence in consecutive isolates in order to identify changes related to the pathological adaptation to the lower respiratory tract and (2) to explore the relationship between specific phenotypic and genotypic features with the patient's study group, persistence of the clinical isolate and clinical outcome. A set of 94 clinical isolates were selected and corresponded to 34 patients that were classified as having pneumonia (10), tracheobronchitis (11) and bronchial colonization (13). Clinical strains were phenotypically characterized by conventional identification and susceptibility testing methods. Isolates underwent whole genome sequencing using Illumina HiSeq4000. Genotypic characterization was performed with an in-house pipeline (BacterialTyper). Genomic variation arising within-host was determined by comparing mapped sequences and de novo assemblies. Virulence factors important in staphylococcal colonization and infection were characterized using previously established functional assays. (1) Toxin production was assessed using a THP-1 cytotoxicity assay, which reports on the gross cytotoxicity of individual isolates. In addition, we investigated the expression of the major virulence factor, alpha-toxin (Hla) by Western blot. (2) Adhesion to the important extracellular matrix molecule, fibronectin, was determined using a standardized microtitre plate assay. Finally, invasion experiments using THP-1 and A539 cell lines and selected clinical strains were also performed. Repeated isolation of S. aureus from endotracheal aspirate usually reflects persistence of the same strain. Within-host variation is detectable in this setting, but it shows no evidence of pathological adaptation related to virulence, resistance or niche adaptations. Cytotoxicity was variable among isolates with 14 strains showing no cytotoxicity, with these latter presenting an unaltered Fn binding capacity. No changes on cytotoxicity were reported when comparing study groups. Fn binding capacity was reported for almost all strains, with the exception of two strains that presented the lowest values. Strains isolated from patients with pneumonia presented a lower capacity of adhesion in comparison to those isolated during tracheobronchitis (p = 0.002). Hla was detected in 71 strains (75.5%), with most of the producer strains in pneumonia and bronchial colonization group (p = 0.06). In our cohort, Hla expression (presence or absence) in sequential isolates was usually preserved (70%) although in seven cases the expression varied over time. No relationship was found between low cytotoxicity and intracellular persistence in invasion experiments. In our study population, persistent S. aureus isolation from airways in ventilated patients does not reflect pathological adaptation. There is an important diversity of sequence types. Cytotoxicity is variable among strains, but no association with study groups was found, whereas isolates from patients with pneumonia had lower adhesion capability. Favorable clinical outcome correlated with increased bacterial adhesion in vitro. Most of the strains isolated from the lower airways were Hla producers and no correlation with an adverse outcome was reported. The identification of microbial factors that contribute to virulence is relevant to optimize patient management during lower respiratory tract infections

Temocillin versus meropenem for the targeted treatment of bacteraemia due to third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (ASTARTÉ): protocol for a randomised, pragmatic trial

Introduction: Alternatives to carbapenems are needed in the treatment of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GCR-E). Temocillin is a suitable candidate, but comparative randomised studies are lacking. The objective is to investigate if temocillin is non-inferior to carbapenems in the targeted treatment of bacteraemia due to 3GCR-E. Methods and analysis: Multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, pragmatic phase 3 trial. Patients with bacteraemia due to 3GCR-E will be randomised to receive intravenously temocillin (2 g three times a day) or carbapenem (meropenem 1 g three times a day or ertapenem 1 g once daily). The primary endpoint will be clinical success 7–10 days after end of treatment with no recurrence or death at day 28. Adverse events will be collected; serum levels of temocillin will be investigated in a subset of patients. For a 10% non-inferiority margin, 334 patients will be included (167 in each study arm). For the primary analysis, the absolute difference with one-sided 95% CI in the proportion of patients reaching the primary endpoint will be compared in the modified intention-to-treat population. Ethics and dissemination: The study started after approval of the Spanish Regulatory Agency and the reference institutional review board. Data will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number: NCT04478721.Instituto de Salud Carlos III ICI19/00093Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad y Fondos FEDER RD16/0016/0001, 0002, 0004, 0008, 0009, 0010, 0011, 0013, 001