[Review of] Adela de la Torre and Beatriz M. Pesquera, eds. Building with Our Hands

Building With Our Hands is a milestone in the development of Chicana Studies and its possibilities. This multidisciplinary anthology critiques the cultural, political and economic conditions of Chicanas in the US. by voicing their struggles against race, class, gender, and sexual oppression

Mujeres, Migration & Arizona’s SB1070: Codifying Patriarchy and White Privilege

No abstract available

Closure of a large lumbosacral myelomeningocele post operative defect with a human cadaveric split-thickness skin graft: a case report

Spina bifida is the most common birth defect of the central nervous system that is compatible with life, and myelomeningocele represents its most frequent form. Congenital myelomeningocele (CMM) has a worldwide incidence of 0.5 to 0.8 per 1,000 live newborns. CMM is a complex condition resulting from incomplete closure of the neural tube, mainly in the lumbosacral region. The objective of the surgical repair of the CMM is the reconstruction of all the tissue layers of the defect, avoiding possible postoperative complications. The aim of this case review is to present a re-epithelialization closure in a patient with a large CMM defect in who primary hermetic closure was not possible because there was too much tension at the edges of the defect. Therefore, human cadaveric split-thickness skin grafts were placed over the dura mater and the aponeurotic layer, covering the entire defect and an adequate healing and completely closure of the defect were observed in eight weeks. The surgical management of large meningomyelocele defects represents a major challenge and no single protocol exists for its reconstruction. The repair of an MMC defect should be performed during the first 72 hours after birth. After neurosurgical closure of the neural tube and dura, the myelomeningocele defect requires good quality skin and subcutaneous tissue with minimal wound tension for stable coverage. Human cadaveric skin grafts are considered a useful technique for temporary wound coverage because they lead to a more natural healing environment, possess ideal properties, and provide a physiological barrier that reduces microbiological contamination, in addition, it acts as a bridge to adhere to and to seal wound beds

Gap junctions in olfactory neurons modulate olfactory sensitivity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the fundamental questions in olfaction is whether olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) behave as independent entities within the olfactory epithelium. On the basis that mature ORNs express multiple connexins, I postulated that gap junctional communication modulates olfactory responses in the periphery and that disruption of gap junctions in ORNs reduces olfactory sensitivity. The data collected from characterizing connexin 43 (Cx43) dominant negative transgenic mice OlfDNCX, and from calcium imaging of wild type mice (WT) support my hypothesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>I generated OlfDNCX mice that express a dominant negative Cx43 protein, Cx43/β-gal, in mature ORNs to inactivate gap junctions and hemichannels composed of Cx43 or other structurally related connexins. Characterization of OlfDNCX revealed that Cx43/β-gal was exclusively expressed in areas where mature ORNs resided. Real time quantitative PCR indicated that cellular machineries of OlfDNCX were normal in comparison to WT. Electroolfactogram recordings showed decreased olfactory responses to octaldehyde, heptaldehyde and acetyl acetate in OlfDNCX compared to WT. Octaldehyde-elicited glomerular activity in the olfactory bulb, measured according to odor-elicited <it>c-fos </it>mRNA upregulation in juxtaglomerular cells, was confined to smaller areas of the glomerular layer in OlfDNCX compared to WT. In WT mice, octaldehyde sensitive neurons exhibited reduced response magnitudes after application of gap junction uncoupling reagents and the effects were specific to subsets of neurons.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>My study has demonstrated that altered assembly of Cx43 or structurally related connexins in ORNs modulates olfactory responses and changes olfactory activation maps in the olfactory bulb. Furthermore, pharmacologically uncoupling of gap junctions reduces olfactory activity in subsets of ORNs. These data suggest that gap junctional communication or hemichannel activity plays a critical role in maintaining olfactory sensitivity and odor perception.</p

Heterotypic docking of Cx43 and Cx45 connexons blocks fast voltage gating of Cx43.

Immunohistochemical co-localization of distinct connexins (Cxs) in junctional areas suggests the formation of heteromultimeric channels. To determine the docking effects of the heterotypic combination of Cx43 and Cx45 on the voltage-gating properties of their channels, we transfected DNA encoding Cx43 or Cx45 into N2A neuroblastoma or HeLa cells. Using a double whole-cell voltage-clamp technique, we determined macroscopic and single-channel gating properties of the intercellular channels formed. Cx43-Cx45 heterotypic channels had rectifying properties where Cx45 connexons inactivated rapidly upon hyperpolarizing voltage pulses applied to the Cx45-expressing cell. During depolarizing pulses to the Cx45-expressing cell, Cx43 connexons inactivated with substantially reduced kinetics as compared with homotypic Cx43 channels. Similar slow kinetics was observed for homotypic Cx43M257 (truncation mutant). Heterotypic channels had a main conductance whose value was predicted by the sum of corresponding homomeric connexon conductances; it was not voltage dependent and had no detectable residual conductance. The voltage-gating kinetics of heterotypic channels and their single-channel behavior implicate a role for the Cx43 carboxyl-terminal domain in the fast gating mechanism and in the establishment of residual conductance. Our results also suggest that heterotypic docking may lead to conformational changes that inhibit this action of the Cx43 carboxyl-terminal domain

Talleres de autodiagnóstico participativo en Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

Documento en el que se presenta el proceso que se llevó a cabo en la coordinación general de Participación Ciudadana y Construcción de Comunidad del ayuntamiento de Tlajomulco de Zúñiga para la realización de un autodiagnóstico participativo desde la lógica de educación popular. Este proyecto se abordó desde la perspectiva teórica de los conceptos de derecho, gobernabilidad, gobernanza, espacios públicos y bienes públicos