Small and large intestine (II): Inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, and malignant tumors of the digestive tract

The small intestine is key in the digestion and absorption of macro and micronutrients. The large intestine is essential for the absorption of water, to allow adequate defecation, and to har-bor intestinal microbiota, for which their nutritional role is as important as it is unknown. This article will describe the causes and consequences of malnutrition in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, the importance of screening and replacement of micronutrient deficits, and the main indi-cations for enteral and parenteral nutrition in these patients. We will also discuss the causes of short bowel syndrome, a complex entity due to anatomical or functional loss of part of the small bowel, which can cause insufficient absorption of liquid, electrolytes, and nutrients and lead to complex management. Finally, we will review the causes, consequences, and management of malnutrition in patients with malignant and benign digestive tumors, including neuroendocrine tumors (present not only in the intestine but also in the pancreas). © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Educação em Biologia e construção de cidadanias: uma relação complexa

El artículo reporta las reflexiones del Grupo de Investigación Biología, Enseñanza y Realidades UD- UPN, acerca de la relación entre Educación en Biología y construcción de ciudadanía en el marco del XI Congreso Latinoamericano de Enseñanza de la Biología y la Educación Ambiental. El aporte se derivó del desarrollo de reflexiones teóricas y prácticas acerca de la propia experiencia de los integrantes del grupo como estudiantes en formación, docentes en ejercicio e investigadores en el campo de la enseñanza de la Biología, tomando como referente inicial las preguntas de trabajo propuestas en este evento y que se orientaron a: 1. ¿Cómo contribuir a una enseñanza de la Biología que reconozca la diversidad epistémica, cultural y biológica Latinoamericana y desde allí promover un ciudadano/a crítico vigilante de sus derechos? Y 2. ¿Qué retos tenemos los educadores en Biología para aportar en la formación de ciudadanos críticos? Metodológicamente, se recurre a los fundamentos de la investigación interpretativa, desde el principio de la construcción de conocimiento a través de la intersubjetividad y de la reflexividad. Así, es posible comprender que la relación entre Educación en Biología y construcción de ciudadanías se caracteriza por su complejidad. Se plantea entonces que la complejidad subyace desde las múltiples relaciones que se pueden establecer entre al menos cinco ítems interdependientes: la educación como un acto político de transformación social que aporta en la formación de ciudadanos críticos, la diversidad como la oportunidad de reconocer distintas singularidades culturales y epistémicas etc. La sociedad como una organización situada e histórica con unas intencionalidades propias, la Biología como una ciencia no neutral que aporta en la construcción de una perspectiva de lo vivo y de la vida y el conocimiento como una experiencia que se deriva del ejercicio reflexivo del pensar y del actuar. El texto se presenta en tres momentos: El primero da una mirada general del panorama Latinoamericano en el contexto planteado; el segundo, una mirada a la complejidad a través de las interacciones y emergencias entre los cinco elementos propuestos y el tercero, las reflexiones y consideraciones que permiten abordar y responder las preguntas orientadoras enunciadas

Development of the Fetal Vermis: New Biometry Reference Data and Comparison of 3 Diagnostic Modalities-3D Ultrasound, 2D Ultrasound, and MR Imaging

Normal biometry of the fetal posterior fossa rules out most major anomalies of the cerebellum and vermis. Our aim was to provide new reference data of the fetal vermis in 4 biometric parameters by using 3 imaging modalities, 2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound, and MR imaging, and to assess the relation among these modalities. A retrospective study was conducted between June 2011 and June 2013. Three different imaging modalities were used to measure vermis biometry: 2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound, and MR imaging. The vermian parameters evaluated were the maximum superoinferior diameter, maximum anteroposterior diameter, the perimeter, and the surface area. Statistical analysis was performed to calculate centiles for gestational age and to assess the agreement among the 3 imaging modalities. The number of fetuses in the study group was 193, 172, and 151 for 2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound, and MR imaging, respectively. The mean and median gestational ages were 29.1 weeks, 29.5 weeks (range, 21-35 weeks); 28.2 weeks, 29.05 weeks (range, 21-35 weeks); and 32.1 weeks, 32.6 weeks (range, 27-35 weeks) for 2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound, and MR imaging, respectively. In all 3 modalities, the biometric measurements of the vermis have shown a linear growth with gestational age. For all 4 biometric parameters, the lowest results were those measured by MR imaging, while the highest results were measured by 3D ultrasound. The inter- and intraobserver agreement was excellent for all measures and all imaging modalities. Limits of agreement were considered acceptable for clinical purposes for all parameters, with excellent or substantial agreement defined by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Imaging technique-specific reference data should be used for the assessment of the fetal vermis in pregnanc

How selective are real wage cuts? : a micro-analysis using linked employer-employee data

Using linked employer–employee panel data for Germany, this paper investigates whether firms implement real wage reductions in a selective manner. In line with insider–outsider and several strands of efficiency wage theory, we find strong evidence for selective wage cuts with high-productivity workers being spared even when controlling for permanent differences in firms’ wage policies. In contrast to some recent contributions stressing fairness considerations, we also find that wage cuts increase wage dispersion among peers rather than narrowing it. Notably, the same selectivity pattern shows up when restricting our analysis to firms covered by collective agreements or having a works council

Author Correction:Pathogenic p62/SQSTM1 mutations impair energy metabolism through limitation of mitochondrial substrates (Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01678-4)

2 p.- Correction to: Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01678-4, published online 10 May 2017Peer reviewe

Social preferences, accountability, and wage bargaining

We assess the extent of preferences for employment in a collective wage bargaining situation with heterogeneous workers. We vary the size of the union and introduce a treatment mechanism transforming the voting game into an individual allocation task. Our results show that highly productive workers do not take employment of low productive workers into account when making wage proposals, regardless of whether insiders determine the wage or all workers. The level of pro-social preferences is small in the voting game, while it increases as the game is transformed into an individual allocation task. We interpret this as an accountability effect

SDSS J092609.45+334304.1: a nearby unevolved galaxy

We present the results of observations of the very low surface brightness (VLSB) dwarf galaxy SDSS J092609.45+334304.1 with extreme parameters which indicate its unevolved status. Namely, its value of O/H, derived as an average of that in two adjacent HII regions at the NE edge of the disc, corresponds to the parameter 12+log(O/H)=7.12+-0.02, which is amongst two lowest known. The total HI flux measurement obtained with the Nancay Radio Telescope and the photometric results imply that the galaxy ratio M(HI)/L_B ~3.0, is among the top known in the Local Volume. The galaxy is situated in the region of a nearby underdense region known as the Lynx-Cancer void, where other, unevolved galaxies, including DDO 68, HS 0832+3542 and SAO 0822+3545, are known to be present. The total mass of this almost edge-on VLSB galaxy is ~8.3 times larger than its baryonic mass, implying the dynamical dominance of Dark Matter (DM) halo. The (u-g), (g-r) colours of outer parts of this galaxy are consistent with the ages of its main stellar population of 1--3 Gyr. Thanks to the galaxy isolation, the small effect of current or recent star formation (SF), its proximity and rather large HI flux (~2.5 Jy km/s), this VLSB dwarf is a good laboratory for the detailed study of DM halo properties through HI kinematics and the star formation processes in very metal-poor low surface density environment. This finding, along with the discovery of other unusual dwarf galaxies in this void, provides evidence for the relation between galaxy evolution and its very low-density environment for the baryonic mass range of 10^{8} to 10^{9} Mo. This relation seems to be consistent with that expected in the LambdaCDM models of galaxy and structure formation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables, accepted to MNRA

Two negative cis-regulatory regions involved in fruit-specific promoter activity from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris S.)

A 1.8 kb 5′-flanking region of the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, isolated from watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris S.), has fruit-specific promoter activity in transgenic tomato plants. Two negative regulatory regions, from –986 to –959 and from –472 to –424, were identified in this promoter region by fine deletion analyses. Removal of both regions led to constitutive expression in epidermal cells. Gain-of-function experiments showed that these two regions were sufficient to inhibit RFP (red fluorescent protein) expression in transformed epidermal cells when fused to the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S minimal promoter. Gel mobility shift experiments demonstrated the presence of leaf nuclear factors that interact with these two elements. A TCCAAAA motif was identified in these two regions, as well as one in the reverse orientation, which was confirmed to be a novel specific cis-element. A quantitative β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity assay of stable transgenic tomato plants showed that the activities of chimeric promoters harbouring only one of the two cis-elements, or both, were ∼10-fold higher in fruits than in leaves. These data confirm that the TCCAAAA motif functions as a fruit-specific element by inhibiting gene expression in leaves