Effect of inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production on pancreatic infection in experimental acute pancreatitis

AbstractObjective. Acute pancreatitis is one the important causes of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS results in gut barrier dysfunction that allows bacterial translocation and pancreatic infection to occur. Indomethacin has been used to reduce inflammatory process and bacterial translocation in experimental models. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production on pancreatic infection. Materials and methods. An experimental model of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) was utilized. The animals were divided into three groups: sham (surgical procedure without AP induction); pancreatitis (AP induction); and indomethacin (AP induction plus administration of 3 mg/kg of indomethacin). Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10, PGE2, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured 2h after the induction of AP. We analyzed the occurrence of pancreatic infection with bacterial cultures performed 24h after the induction of AP. The occurrence of pancreatic infection (considered positive when the CFU/g was >105), pancreatic histologic analysis, and mortality rate were studied. Results. In spite of the reduction of IL-6, IL-10, and PGE2 levels in the indomethacin group, TNF-α level, bacterial translocation, and pancreatic infection were not influenced by administration of indomethacin. The inhibition of PGE2 production did not reduce pancreatic infection, histologic score, or mortality rate. Conclusion. The inhibition of PGE2 production was not able to reduce the occurrence of pancreatic infection and does not have any beneficial effect in this experimental model. Further investigations will be necessary to discover a specific inhibitor that would make it possible to develop an anti-inflammatory therapy

Crescimento econômico e a moderna crise ambiental: uma análise crítica

We discuss in this essay the importance of overcoming the scientific and epistemological reductionism to achieve a critical understanding of the origins of the environmental crisis experienced by humanity in this new millennium. Through a historical review, we trace the transformation of economic models, their impact on the environment, as well the effectiveness and legitimacy of the main technical and political process historically proposed to overcome the environmental crisis. Given the insignificant results obtained by this technicist way of understanding the environmental issues, we believe that the hegemony of the paradigm of development as economic growth is an important reason for the current social and environmental problems. The neglect of socio-economic dimension in the environment discussions has led to a failure of conservation policies by those who actually seek alternative paths to socio-ecological sustainability of the planet.Key words: conservation of biodiversity, economy, economic growth.Discutimos neste ensaio a importância da superação dos reducionismos científicos e epistemológicos para se alcançar uma compreensão crítica das origens da crise ambiental experimentada pela humanidade neste início de milênio. Por meio de um resgate histórico, traçamos as transformações dos modelos econômicos, seus impactos ao meio ambiente, assim como a eficácia e a legitimidade das principais vias técnico-políticas propostas para superar a crise ambiental. Tendo em conta os irrisórios resultados alcançados pela via tecnicista de entendimento da questão ambiental, acreditamos ser a hegemonia do paradigma do desenvolvimento por meio do crescimento econômico uma importante razão dos atuais problemas socioambientais. O negligenciamento da dimensão socioeconômica nas discussões ambientais tem conduzido a um fracasso das políticas de conservação por parte daqueles que, de fato buscam caminhos alternativos para sustentabilidade socioecológica do planeta.Palavras-chave: conservação da biodiversidade, economia, crescimento econômico

Expression of Msx1 and Dlx1 during Dumbo rat head development: Correlation with morphological features

The Dumbo rat possesses some characteristics that evoke several human syndromes, such as Treacher-Collins: shortness of the maxillary, zygomatic and mandibular bones, and low position of the ears. Knowing that many homeobox genes are candidates in craniofacial development, we investigated the involvement of the Msx1 and Dlx1 genes in the Dumbo phenotype with the aim of understanding their possible role in abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis and examining the possibility of using Dumbo rat as an experimental model for understanding abnormal craniofacial development. We studied the expression of these genes during craniofacial morphogenesis by RT-PCR method. We used Dumbo embryos at E12 and E14 and included the Wistar strain as a control. Semi-quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that Msx1 and Dlx1 are expressed differently between Dumbo and Wistar rats, indicating that their low expression may underly the Dumbo phenotype

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data