Efectos de los atributos de la hembra de ñandú (Rhea americana) sobre la viabilidad del huevo

We conducted a study throughout a breeding season in a captive-bred population of Greater rheas (Rhea americana) to evaluate the association between egg viability and the female´s body weight and age. A total of 180 eggs laid by 15 females of three age classes (5 individuals per class) were collected, individually identified, and their morphometric traits, fertility and hatchability were registered. Egg fertility increased with female´s age but was unaffected by female weight. Hatching rate does not correlate with maternal attributes. The current paper contributes towards understanding the role of certain maternal attributes in egg viability. Our findings suggest that breeding Greater rheas in large flocks where free mating occurs, increases the expression of natural sexual behavior and enhances the productivity and welfare of the birds.Realizamos un estudio a lo largo de una temporada reproductiva en una población de Ñandú común (Rhea americana) en cautiverio, con el fin de evaluar la asociación entre la viabilidad del huevo y el peso corporal y la edad de la hembra. Se colectaron un total de 180 huevos depositados por 15 hembras de tres clases de edad (5 individuos por clase). Cada huevo se identificó y se registraron sus características morfométricas, su fertilidad y éxito de eclosión. La fertilidad de los huevos se incrementó con la edad de la hembra que lo produjo pero no fue afectado por el peso corporal de la misma. La tasa de eclosión no se correlacionó con los atributos maternos evaluados. El presente trabajo contribuye a comprender el rol de ciertos atributos maternos en la viabilidad del huevo. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que la cría de ñandúes en grandes grupos, donde el libre apareamiento es posible, aumentaría la expresión de un comportamiento sexual natural mejorando la productividad y el bienestar de las avesFil: Lábaque, María Carla. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica. Cátedra de Ecología; ArgentinaFil: Martella, Monica Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Bazzano, Gisela del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Navarro, Joaquin Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecológica. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentin

Tailoring Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Interventions to the Cultural Context: An Investigation of AMS Programs Operating in Northern Italian Acute-Care Hospitals

Antibiotic misuse and overuse are important contributors to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are coordinated sets of actions aiming to promote appropriate antibiotic use, improving patient outcomes whilst reducing AMR. Two main organizational models for AMS programs have been described: restrictive strategies (RS) vs. enabling strategies (ES). Evaluating and understanding social and cultural influences on antibiotic decision-making are critical for the development of successful and sustainable context-specific AMS programs. Characteristics and surrogate outcomes of AMS programs operating in acute-care hospitals of Piedmont in north-western Italy were investigated. The aim of this study was assessing whether RS vs. ES operating in our context were associated with different outcomes in terms of total antimicrobial usage and percentage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria (CRE) over invasive isolates. In total, 24 AMS programs were assessed. ES were more frequently chosen compared to RS, with the latter being implemented only in broader AMS programs involving enabling components (combined strategy, CS). This study found no difference in evaluated outcomes among hospitals implementing ES vs. CS, suggesting both approaches could be equally valid in our context

Myeloma-Induced Osteocyte Death Was Blunted By Proteasome Inhibitors Through The Modulation Of Autophagy

Osteocytes are critical in the maintenance of bone integrity regulating bone remodeling through the cell death and autophagy, a cellular process stress-induced to prolong cell survival but when induced excessively can cause cell death. Recently we have demonstrated that an increased osteocyte death is involved in multiple myeloma (MM)-induced osteolysis. However the mechanisms involved in this process as well as the effect of the proteasome inhibitors able to stimulate bone formation are not known and have been investigated in this study. Firstly the effect of the proteasome inhibitors BOR and MG262 on osteocyte viability was evaluated in vitro in murine osteocytic cell line MLO-Y4 and in the human pre-osteocytic one HOB-01. Both cell lines were co-coltured for 48 hours in the presence or absence of the human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs) RPMI8226 and JJN3, placed in a traswell insert. The treatment for 12-24 hours with (BOR) (2nM) and MG262 (10nM) significantly blunted MLO-Y4 and HOB-01 cell death. In addition, dexamethasone (DEX)-induced MLO-Y4 apoptosis, obtained at high doses (10-5-10-6 M), was reduced by the treatment with proteasome inhibitors. Interestingly, we found that PTH short-term treatment potentiated the in vitro effects of proteasome inhibitors on DEX-induced osteocyte death. To evaluate the presence of autophagy in osteocytes, we checked the expression of the autophagic marker LC3 both by confocal microscopy and western blot analysis in the co-colture system with MLO-Y4 and RPMI-8226. Prevalence of autophagic cell death and in a lesser extent apoptosis was observed in this system. BOR increased the basal level of LC3 indicating a pro-survival and protective function of autophagy against the BOR-induce stress. On the contrary, when cells undergo to a stronger stress such as in the presence of HMCLs or by treatment with high dose of DEX we found that both proteasome inhibitors BOR and MG262 blocked autophagic cell death in osteocytes. To translate our in vitro evidence in a clinical perspective, thereafter we performed a histological evaluation on bone biopsies of a cohort of 37 newly diagnosis MM patients 31 of them with symptomatic MM and 6 with smoldering MM (SMM). The 55% of patients with MM have evidence of osteolytic lesions at the X-rays survey. Bone biopsies were obtained at the diagnosis and after an average time of 12 months of treatment or observation. Osteocyte viability was evaluated in a total of 500 lacunae per histological sections. A significant increase of the number of viable osteocytes was demonstrated in MM patients treated with BOR-based regimen as compared to those treated without BOR (% median increase: +6% vs. +1.30%; p=0.017). Patients treated with BOR alone showed the highest increase of osteocyte viability, as compared to those either treated without BOR (+11.6% vs. +1.3%, p=0.0019) or treated with BOR plus DEX (+11.6% vs. +4.4%, p=0.01). A reduction of both osteocyte apoptosis and autophagy was demonstrated by TUNEL assays and confocal microscopy. On the other hand, any significant difference was not observed in patients treated with Thalidomide (THAL) or Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) than in those untreated with these drugs (p= 0.7). A multiple regression non-parametric analysis showed that BOR had a significant positive impact on osteocyte viability (p=0.042) whereas THAL/IMiDs as well as Zoledronic acid (ZOL) treatments have not (p=0.2). BOR also counterbalanced the negative effect of DEX treatment (p=0.035). Our data suggest that proteasome inhibitors blunted osteocyte cell death induced by MM cells and DEX through the modulation of the autophagy supporting their use to improve bone integrity in MM patients

Proteasome Inhibitors Block Myeloma-Induced Osteocyte Death in Vitro and in Vivo in Multiple Myeloma Patients

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by a severe unbalanced and uncoupling bone remodeling leading to osteolysis. We have recently shown that osteocytes are involved in MM-induced osteolysis through an increased cell death. Accordingly MM patients are characterized by a reduced number of viable osteocytes related to the presence of bone lesions. Proteasome inhibitors currently used in the treatment of MM are able to stimulate osteoblast formation but their potential effects on osteocyte death are not known and have been investigated in this study both in vitro and in vivo. Osteocytic MLO-Y4 cells or human pre-osteocytic HOB-01 cells were co-cultured for 48 hours in the presence or absence of the human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs) JJN3 or RPMI-8226 placed in a transwell insert. A significantly reduction of ostecyte viability was observed (median percent reduction of MLO-Y4 viability: -16% and -30%, respectively). The treatment for 12–24 hours with Bortezomib (BOR) (2nM) or other proteasome inhibitors such as MG262 (10nM) or MG132 (100nM) significantly blunted MLO-Y4 and HOB-01 cell death. Similarly, Dexamethasone (DEX)-induced MLO-Y4 apoptosis, obtained at pharmacological doses (10–4–10–5 M), was significantly reduced by the treatment with proteasome inhibitors. To translate our in vitro data into a clinical perspective we performed a retrospective histological evaluation on bone biopsies of a cohort of 40 newly diagnosis MM patients (24 male and 16 female, median age: 68 years) 34 of them with symptomatic MM and 6 with smoldering MM (SMM). The 58% of patients with symptomatic MM have evidence of osteolytic lesions at the X-rays survey. Bone biopsies were obtained in both symptomatic MM and SMM at diagnosis and after an average time of 12 months of treatment or observation, respectively. The 68% of patients with symptomatic MM were treated with a BOR-based regimen while 42% do not. Moreover the 58% of MM patients received DEX and the 59% Thalidomide (TAL). Zoledronic acid (ZOL) was infused monthly in the 60% of MM patients. Osteocyte viability was evaluated in a total of 500 lacunae per histological sections, corresponds to the total number of osteocyte lacunae in the bone biopsies. The number of viable osteocytes and the number of degenerated or apoptotic osteocytes and empty lacunae have been evaluated. In patients with SMM no significant change was observed in the number of viable osteocytes in the two histological evaluations carried out (median percent change: +1.2, p=0.68, NS). In symptomatic MM patients the mean percent change of the osteocyte viability was not correlated with the response rate to treatment (R2 0.01, p=NS). A significant increase of the number of viable osteocytes was demonstrated in MM patients treated with BOR-based regimen as compared to those treated without BOR (% median increase of osteocyte viability: +6% vs. +1.30%, Mann-Whitney test: p=0.017). Patients treated with BOR alone showed the highest increase of osteocyte viability that was statistical significant in comparison with that observed either in patients treated without BOR (+11.6% vs. +1.3%, p=0.0019) or in those treated with BOR plus DEX (+11.6% vs. +4.4%, p=0.01). On the contrary, no significant difference was observed in patients treated with TAL than in those treated without TAL (p= 0.7, NS) as well as patients treated with ZOL compared to those untreated showed no significant difference in the number of viable osteocytes (p=0.18, NS). To confirm the role of the different drug treatment on the osteocyte viability we perform a multiple regression non-parametric analysis showing that BOR had a significant positive impact on osteocyte viability (p=0.042) whereas ZOL and TAL have not (p>0.2,NS) and it counterbalanced the negative effect of DEX treatment (p=0.035). In conclusion our in vitro and in vivo data suggest the proteasome inhibitors block osteocyte death induced by MM cells could have a positive impact on bone integrity in MM patients

Museu do café é devolvido restaurado para a prefeitura: local deverá ser reaberto ao público no dia 18 de julho e terá programações variadas

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Dimensions of well-being and their statistical measurements

Nowadays, a relevant challenge regards the assessment of a global measure of well-being by using composite indicators of different features such as level of wealth, comfort, material goods, standard living, quality and availability of education, etc. In this paper, we focus on statistical methodologies designed to build composite indicators of well-being by detecting latent components and assessing the statistical relationships among indicators. We will consider some constrained versions of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) which allow to specify disjoint classes of variables with an associated component of maximal variance. Once that the latent components are detected, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) has been used to evaluate their relationships. These methodologies will be compared by using a data set from 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)