Interaction of Electromagnetic S-Wave with a Metal Film Located Between Two Dielectric Mediums

Generalization of the theory of interaction of electromagnetic S-wave with a metal film on a case of the film concluded between two dielectric environments is developed.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure

Efecto del sulpomag y complejos orgánicos como sustitutos parciales del medio de cultivo de micropropagación de Musa sp. Cv. Cavendish

The Sulpomag natural fertilizer, or potassium sulfate and magnesium, constituted by K 2 O 22%, MgO 22%, S 18% and Cl (chloride) 2.5% plus organic complexes of coconut water 10 to 20%, and casein hydrolyzate 250 and 500 mg.l -1 , as partial substitutes for mineral salts of Murashige and Skoog (MS), were used in the in vitro propagation of banana, Musa sp., cv. Cavendish. The aim was that the in vitro plants grow and develop in minimum quantities of mineral salts, banned in the technical regulation for organic products. Shoot tips, established in vitro on MS medium, were transferred to 10 treatments for shoot multiplication supplemented with KH 2 PO 4 (170 mg.l -1 ), CaCl 2 .2H 2 O (150 mg.l -1 ), NH 4 NO 3 and KNO 3 , at 1/5 and 1/10 of the MS concentration, MS micronutrients and 0.1096 g.l -1 of Sulpomag, IAA (0.2 mg.l -l ) and BAP (5 mg.l -1 ). The rooting medium was the same formulation of mineral salts, only varying on the growth regulators. Best results were obtained in culture media supplemented with NH 4 NO 3 and KNO 3 at 1/5 of MS concentration, 0.1096 g.l -1 Sulpomag and coconut water 10 y 20%. The results allow to consider the possibility of using Sulpomag and coconut water, as partial substitutes for MS mineral salts for in vitro propagation of Musa sp., cv. Cavendish for use in organic agriculture.El fertilizante de origen natural Sulpomag, o sulfato de potasio y magnesio, constituido por K 2 O 22%, MgO 22%, S 18% y Cl (cloruro) 2,5% y los complejos orgánicos agua de coco 10 y 20% y caseína hidrolizada 250 y 500 mg.l -1 , como sustitutos parciales de las sales minerales de Murashige y Skoog (MS), fueron utilizados en la propagación in vitro de banano, Musa sp., cv. Cavendish. El objetivo de esta investigación fue inducir el crecimiento y desarrollo de plantas in vitro en condiciones mínimas de sales minerales inorgánicas, prohibidas en el reglamento técnico para los productos orgánicos. Ápices caulinares, cultivados en medio de cultivo MS, fueron transferidos a 10 formulaciones de multiplicación de brotes suplementadas con KH 2 PO 4 (170 mg.l -1 ), CaCl 2 .2H 2 O (150 mg.l -1 ), NH 4 NO 3 y KNO 3 , a 1/5 y 1/10 de la concentración MS, micronutrientes MS y Sulpomag 0,1096 g.l -1 , AIA 0,2 mg.l -1 y BAP 5 mg.l -1 . El medio de cultivo de enraizamiento fue de igual formulación de sales minerales, con variaciones en los reguladores de crecimiento. Los mejores resultados se obtuvieron con NH 4 NO 3 y KNO 3 a 1/5 de la concentración MS, Sulpomag 0,1096 g.l -1 y agua de coco 10 y 20%. Los resultados obtenidos posibilitan la utilización del Sulpomag y el agua de coco como sustitutos parciales de las sales minerales MS en la propagación in vitro de Musa sp., cv. Cavendish en la agricultura orgánica

Sera from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and their household contacts induce nuclear changes in neutrophils

Mario Juárez-Ortega,1 Oscar Rojas-Espinosa,1 Raquel Muñiz-Salazar,2 Enrique Becerril-Villanueva,3 Alejandro Hernández-Solís,4 Patricia Arce-Paredes,1 Sergio Islas-Trujillo,1 Raúl Cicero-Sabido4 1Department of Immunology, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico; 2School of Health Sciences, Unidad Ensenada, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, BC, Mexico; 3Laboratory of Psychoimmunology, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico City, Mexico; 4Pneumology Unit, Hospital General de México “Eduardo Liceaga”, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico Background: Resident alveolar macrophages, dendritic cells, and immigrating neutrophils (NEU) are the first cells to contact Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lung. These cells, and additional lymphoid cells in the developing granuloma, release a series of components that may concentrate in the serum and affect disease progression. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the serum from tuberculosis (TB) patients and their household contacts (HHC) on the nuclear morphology of NEU. Materials and methods: NEU from healthy (HLT) people were incubated with sera from patients with active pulmonary TB, their HHC, and unrelated people. Changes in the nuclear morphology of NEU were analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Results: Sera from patients with TB induced changes in the nuclear morphology of NEU that included pyknosis, swelling, apoptosis, and netosis in some cases. Sera from some HHC induced similar changes, while sera from HLT people had no significant effects. Bacteria did not appear to participate in this phenomenon because bacteremia is not a recognized feature of nonmiliary TB, and because sera from patients that induced nuclear changes maintained their effect after filtration through 0.22 µm membranes. Neither anti-mycobacterial antibodies, TNFα, IL-6, IFNγ, or IL-8 participated in the phenomenon. In contrast, soluble mycobacterial antigens were likely candidates, as small quantities of soluble M. tuberculosis antigens added to the sera of HLT people led to the induction of nuclear changes in NEU in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: These results might help to detect subclinical TB within HHC, thus leading to a recommendation of prophylactic treatment. Keywords: tuberculosis, serum, neutrophils, pyknosis, apoptosis, netosi

Increased proliferation and neuronal fate in prairie vole brain progenitor cells cultured in vitro: effects by social exposure and sexual dimorphism

Abstract Background The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a socially monogamous rodent that establishes an enduring pair bond after cohabitation, with (6 h) or without (24 h) mating. Previously, we reported that social interaction and mating increased cell proliferation and differentiation to neuronal fate in neurogenic niches in male voles. We hypothesized that neurogenesis may be a neural plasticity mechanism involved in mating-induced pair bond formation. Here, we evaluated the differentiation potential of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) isolated from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of both female and male adult voles as a function of sociosexual experience. Animals were assigned to one of the following groups: (1) control (Co), sexually naive female and male voles that had no contact with another vole of the opposite sex; (2) social exposure (SE), males and females exposed to olfactory, auditory, and visual stimuli from a vole of the opposite sex, but without physical contact; and (3) social cohabitation with mating (SCM), male and female voles copulating to induce pair bonding formation. Subsequently, the NPCs were isolated from the SVZ, maintained, and supplemented with growth factors to form neurospheres in vitro. Results Notably, we detected in SE and SCM voles, a higher proliferation of neurosphere-derived Nestin + cells, as well as an increase in mature neurons (MAP2 +) and a decrease in glial (GFAP +) differentiated cells with some sex differences. These data suggest that when voles are exposed to sociosexual experiences that induce pair bonding, undifferentiated cells of the SVZ acquire a commitment to a neuronal lineage, and the determined potential of the neurosphere is conserved despite adaptations under in vitro conditions. Finally, we repeated the culture to obtain neurospheres under treatments with different hormones and factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, estradiol, prolactin, oxytocin, and progesterone); the ability of SVZ-isolated cells to generate neurospheres and differentiate in vitro into neurons or glial lineages in response to hormones or factors is also dependent on sex and sociosexual context. Conclusion Social interactions that promote pair bonding in voles change the properties of cells isolated from the SVZ. Thus, SE or SCM induces a bias in the differentiation potential in both sexes, while SE is sufficient to promote proliferation in SVZ-isolated cells from male brains. In females, proliferation increases when mating is performed. The next question is whether the rise in proliferation and neurogenesis of cells from the SVZ are plastic processes essential for establishing, enhancing, maintaining, or accelerating pair bond formation. Highlights 1. Sociosexual experiences that promote pair bonding (social exposure and social cohabitation with mating) induce changes in the properties of neural stem/progenitor cells isolated from the SVZ in adult prairie voles. 2. Social interactions lead to increased proliferation and induce a bias in the differentiation potential of SVZ-isolated cells in both male and female voles. 3. The differentiation potential of SVZ-isolated cells is conserved under in vitro conditions, suggesting a commitment to a neuronal lineage under a sociosexual context. 4. Hormonal and growth factors treatments (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, estradiol, prolactin, oxytocin, and progesterone) affect the generation and differentiation of neurospheres, with dependencies on sex and sociosexual context. 5. Proliferation and neurogenesis in the SVZ may play a crucial role in establishing, enhancing, maintaining, or accelerating pair bond formation