The Role of IL-33 in Host Response to Candida albicans

Background. Interleukin (IL) 33 is a recently identified pleiotropic cytokine that influences the activity of multiple cell types and orchestrates complex innate and adaptive immune responses. Methods. We performed an extensive review of the literature published between 2005 and 2013 on IL-33 and related cytokines, their functions, and their regulation of the immune system following Candida albicans colonization. Our literature review included cross-references from retrieved articles and specific data from our own studies. Results. IL-33 (IL-1F11) is a recently identified member of the IL-1 family of cytokines. Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of the IL-33/ST2 axis in host immune defense against fungal pathogens, including C. albicans. IL-33 induces a Th2-type inflammatory response and activates both innate and adaptive immunity. Studies in animal models have shown that Th2 inflammatory responses have a beneficial role in immunity against gastrointestinal and systemic infections by Candida spp. Conclusions. This review summarizes the most important clinical studies and case reports describing the beneficial role of IL-33 in immunity and host defense mechanisms against pathogenic fungi. The finding that the IL-33/ST2 axis is involved in therapeutic target has implications for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, including acute or chronic candidiasis

Condición física, adiposidad y autoconcepto en adolescentes. Estudio piloto

Un alto índice de masa corporal y una baja capacidad aeróbica se asocia con un peor autoconcepto. Se ha observado también que personas obesas pero con buena forma física están físicamente sanos, fenómeno conocido como "fat but fit". El presente estudio pretende: 1) determinar la relación entre cantidad de grasa corporal y principales componentes de la condición física con el autoconcepto en adolescentes; 2) testar si el fenómeno fat but fit se asocia con un mejor autoconcepto. Un total de 69 adolescentes (14.68 ± 1.36 años) participaron en la evaluación de la composición corporal y la condición física (Batería ALPHA-Fitness). La capacidad aeróbica (forma vs. no en forma) e índice de masa corporal (normo-peso vs. sobrepeso-obesidad) fueron categorizadas usando criterios estándar. Cinco dimensiones del autoconcepto fueron evaluadas mediante el Cuestionario de Autoconcepto Forma 5. La grasa total y central se correlacionó negativamente con el autoconcepto físico, mientras que la condición física (fuerza, velocidad-agilidad y capa- cidad aeróbica) se correlacionó positivamente (p .3). Los resultados confirman la paradoja fat but fit, el sobrepeso se asocia a un peor autoconcepto físico, pero si se tiene una buena forma física los valores de autoconcepto se igualan a los de los adolescentes con normo-peso.A high body mass index and low level of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with a poor self-concept. It has also been noted that obese people who are fit are physically healthy, a fact which is known as 'fat but fit'. The present study aims to: 1) determine the association between body fat and the main components of physical fitness and adolescents' self-concept; 2) test whether the phenomenon called 'fat but fit' is related to a better selfconcept. A total of 69 adolescents (14.68 ± 1.36 years old) took part in the body composition and physical fitness evaluation (ALPHA-Fitness Test Battery). Cardiorespiratory fitness (fit vs. not fit) and the body mass index (normal-weight vs. overweight-obesity) were classified using standard criteria. Five dimensions of self-concept were evaluated by means of the Self-Concept Form 5 Questionnaire. Total and central fat was negatively correlated with physical self-concept, whereas physical condition (strength, speed-agility and aerobic capacity) was positively correlated (p < .05 to .001). High levels of fat mass and little speed-agility were correlated with a worse social self-concept (p < .05). The adolescents who were overweight-obese but in good physical condition (fat but fit) showed a higher self-concept than those who were overweight-obese/not fit (p = .006), with similar figures to adolescents with a normal weight

Sterol regulation of fatty acid synthase promoter: coordinate feedback regulation of two mayor lipid pathways

The gene encoding fatty acid synthase, the essential multi-functional enzyme of fatty acid biosynthesis, is shown to be regulated by cellular sterol levels similar to genes that encode important proteins of cholesterol metabolism. We show that expression of the endogenous FAS gene is repressed when regulatory sterols are included in the culture medium of HepG2 cells and that the FAS promoter is subject to similar regulation when fused to the luciferase reporter gene. Mutational studies demonstrate that sterol regulation is mediated by binding sites for the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) and transcription factor Sp1, making it mechanistically similar to sterol regulation of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene. It is also demonstrated that SREBP and Sp1 synergistically activate the FAS promoter in Drosophila tissue culture cells, which lack endogenous Sp1. These experiments provide key molecular evidence that directly links the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol together

Creación y mantenimiento de una comunidad de voluntarios medioambientales a través de una comunicación "cross-media"

El auge de las formas de participación ciudadana en la ciencia ha supuesto que las decisiones sobre ciencia y tecnología no sean patrimonio exclusivo de los políticos o expertos. El papel de la comunicación para crear y mantener una comunidad de ciudadanos que forman parte de proyectos de ciencia ciudadana es, sin duda, una cuestión de gran relevancia. Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación sobre las acciones de comunicación empleadas en un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana financiado por la Comisión Europea, Life+Respira, basado en la participación de voluntarios medioambientales. Esta investigación analiza, mediante una investigación cuantitativa (encuesta) y cualitativa (entrevistas semiestructuradas) a los voluntarios medioambientales, si las diversas motivaciones que presentan los voluntarios para participar en el proyecto influyen en su interés por interactuar en el proyecto y si ese interés influye a su vez en su percepción sobre la eficacia y credibilidad de las diferentes acciones de comunicación

Flexible and Robust Privacy-Preserving Implicit Authentication

Implicit authentication consists of a server authenticating a user based on the user's usage profile, instead of/in addition to relying on something the user explicitly knows (passwords, private keys, etc.). While implicit authentication makes identity theft by third parties more difficult, it requires the server to learn and store the user's usage profile. Recently, the first privacy-preserving implicit authentication system was presented, in which the server does not learn the user's profile. It uses an ad hoc two-party computation protocol to compare the user's fresh sampled features against an encrypted stored user's profile. The protocol requires storing the usage profile and comparing against it using two different cryptosystems, one of them order-preserving; furthermore, features must be numerical. We present here a simpler protocol based on set intersection that has the advantages of: i) requiring only one cryptosystem; ii) not leaking the relative order of fresh feature samples; iii) being able to deal with any type of features (numerical or non-numerical). Keywords: Privacy-preserving implicit authentication, privacy-preserving set intersection, implicit authentication, active authentication, transparent authentication, risk mitigation, data brokers.Comment: IFIP SEC 2015-Intl. Information Security and Privacy Conference, May 26-28, 2015, IFIP AICT, Springer, to appea

Frontal sinus mucocele with intracranial and intraorbital extension

ABSTRACT Introduction: Frontal sinus mucoceles can present with a multitude of different symptoms including ophthalmic disturbances. Even benign, they have a tendency to expand by eroding the surrounding bony walls that displaces and destroys structures by pressure and bony resorption. Case report: A 32-year-old man with diplopia, proptosis of the right eye and headache was presented. The diagnosis was frontal sinus mucocele with intracranial and intraorbital extension. Possible clinical manifestations of mucoceles, diagnostic imaging techniques and treatment used are discussed. Conclusion: Frontal mucoceles are benign and curable, early recognition and management of them is of paramount importance, because they can cause local, orbital or intracranial complications

Frontal sinus mucocele with intracranial and intraorbital extension

ABSTRACT Introduction: Frontal sinus mucoceles can present with a multitude of different symptoms including ophthalmic disturbances. Even benign, they have a tendency to expand by eroding the surrounding bony walls that displaces and destroys structures by pressure and bony resorption. Case report: A 32-year-old man with diplopia, proptosis of the right eye and headache was presented. The diagnosis was frontal sinus mucocele with intracranial and intraorbital extension. Possible clinical manifestations of mucoceles, diagnostic imaging techniques and treatment used are discussed. Conclusion: Frontal mucoceles are benign and curable, early recognition and management of them is of paramount importance, because they can cause local, orbital or intracranial complications

Caracterización psicológica y autovaloración del rendimiento en jugadores de fútbol y baloncesto en la primera división costarricense

El propósito de este estudio fue realizar una caracterización psicológicade jugadores profesionales de fútbol y baloncesto de la primeradivisión en Costa Rica. Se contó con la participación de 242 deportistas(140 futbolistas y 99 basquetbolistas). Se aplicó el Cuestionario de CaracterísticasPsicológicas relacionadas con el Rendimiento (CPRD) y la escala deClasificación del Rendimiento (PCQ). Los resultados encontrados muestranvalores promedio que sugieren la necesidad de trabajar en el desarrollode destrezas psicológicas. De manera particular en el manejo de mecanismosde afrontamiento del estrés en la competencia deportiva. Especialmenteestresante se evidenció la evaluación que hacen del rendimiento. Muyrelacionado con el tema de las destrezas psicológicas, se presenta la necesidadde trabajar más en el desarrollo de habilidades mentales que potencienel desarrollo del talento del deportista. Conclusión: se requiere una mayorinversión de tiempo en el trabajo psicológico deportivo, como factor determinantepara que el deportista rinda al máximo

Grxcr1 promotes hair bundle development by destabilizing the physical interaction between Harmonin and Sans usher syndrome proteins

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cell Reports 25 (2018): 1281–1291, doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.005.Morphogenesis and mechanoelectrical transduction of the hair cell mechanoreceptor depend on the correct assembly of Usher syndrome (USH) proteins into highly organized macromolecular complexes. Defects in these proteins lead to deafness and vestibular areflexia in USH patients. Mutations in a non-USH protein, glutaredoxin domain-containing cysteine-rich 1 (GRXCR1), cause non-syndromic sensorineural deafness. To understand the deglutathionylating enzyme function of GRXCR1 in deafness, we generated two grxcr1 zebrafish mutant alleles. We found that hair bundles are thinner in homozygous grxcr1 mutants, similar to the USH1 mutants ush1c (Harmonin) and ush1ga (Sans). In vitro assays showed that glutathionylation promotes the interaction between Ush1c and Ush1ga and that Grxcr1 regulates mechanoreceptor development by preventing physical interaction between these proteins without affecting the assembly of another USH1 protein complex, the Ush1c- Cadherin23-Myosin7aa tripartite complex. By elucidating the molecular mechanism through which Grxcr1 functions, we also identify a mechanism that dynamically regulates the formation of Usher protein complexes.This work was supported by grants from the NIH (DC004186, OD011195, and HD22486)

Development of an active risk-based surveillance strategy for avian influenza in Cuba

AbstractThe authors designed a risk-based approach to the selection of poultry flocks to be sampled in order to further improve the sensitivity of avian influenza (AI) active surveillance programme in Cuba. The study focused on the western region of Cuba, which harbours nearly 70% of national poultry holdings and comprise several wetlands where migratory waterfowl settle (migratory waterfowl settlements – MWS). The model took into account the potential risk of commercial poultry farms in western Cuba contracting from migratory waterfowl of the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes through dispersion for pasturing of migratory birds around the MWS. We computed spatial risk index by geographical analysis with Python scripts in ESRI® ArcGIS 10 on data projected in the reference system NAD 1927–UTM17. Farms located closer to MWS had the highest values for the risk indicator pj and in total 31 farms were chosen for targeted surveillance during the risk period. The authors proposed to start active surveillance in the study area 3 weeks after the onset of Anseriformes migration, with additional sampling repeated twice in the same selected poultry farms at 15 days interval (Comin et al., 2012; EFSA, 2008) to cover the whole migration season. In this way, the antibody detectability would be favoured in case of either a posterior AI introduction or enhancement of a previous seroprevalence under the sensitivity level. The model identified the areas with higher risk for AIV introduction from MW, aiming at selecting poultry premises for the application of risk-based surveillance. Given the infrequency of HPAI introduction into domestic poultry populations and the relative paucity of occurrences of LPAI epidemics, the evaluation of the effectiveness of this approach would require its application for several migration seasons to allow the collection of sufficient reliable data