Up-Regulation of Annexin-A1 and Lipoxin A4 in Individuals with Ulcerative Colitis May Promote Mucosal Homeostasis

PubMed ID: 22723974This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The Problem-solving processes of writers and readers

This report discusses a cognitive/social perspective on writing and reading. Research demonstrating the communicative and problem-solving nature of writing and reading is examined, with special attention given to the influences that audience and purpose have on the construction of meaning. This theoretical position is illustrated with a series of "scenarios" that portray students of varying ages and levels of sophistication as they tackle writing and reading assignments in school. Woven throughout the scenarios are practical suggestions for supporting students' writing and reading expertise across a range of contexts

β-lactoglobulin as a molecular carrier of linoleate: characterisation and effects on intestinal epithelial cells in vitro

S. Le Maux is currently supported by a Teagasc Walsh Fellowship and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (FIRM project 08/RD/TMFRC/650). We also acknowledge funding from IRCSET-Ulysses Travel Grant.peer-reviewedThe dairy protein β-lactoglobulin (βlg) is known to bind hydrophobic ligands such as fatty acids. In the present work, we investigated the biological activity in vitro of linoleate once complexed to bovine βlg. Binding of linoleate (C18:2) to bovine βlg was achieved by heating at 60 °C for 30 min at pH 7.4, resulting in a linoleate/βlg molar binding stoichiometry of 1.1, 2.1, and 3.4. Two types of binding sites were determined by ITC titrations. Binding of linoleate induced the formation of covalent dimers and trimers of βlg. The LD50 on Caco-2 cells after 24 h was 58 μM linoleate. However, cell viability was unaffected when 200 μM linoleate was presented to the Caco-2 cells as part of the βlg complex. The Caco-2 cells did not increase mRNA transcript levels of long chain fatty acid transport genes, FATP4 and FABPpm, or increase levels of the cAMP signal, in response to the presence of 50 μM linoleate alone or as part of the βlg complex. Therefore, it is proposed that βlg can act as a molecular carrier and alter the bioaccessibility of linoleate/linoleic acid

¿Reproducir o desarrollar conocimiento? Las funciones de la escritura en el contexto escolar português

A escrita pode ser perspetivada como ferramenta de aprendizagem, desempenhando um papel relevante nos processos de aquisição, elaboração e expressão do conhecimento. O papel da escrita na construção do conhecimento pode ser compreendido focando as características linguísticas, os processos cognitivos implicados, ou a prática social e cultural em que se insere. Tendo por base o relevo que, no contexto da escola, a escrita pode assumir nesses processos, realizamos um estudo com o objetivo de verificar até que ponto essa dimensão é valorizada na escola portuguesa no ensino básico. Optamos por dois percursos metodológicos complementares: a análise de manuais escolares e um inquérito a professores por meio de questionário. Os dados recolhidos demonstram que, no contexto escolar, o uso da escrita acontece, sobretudo, no quadro de tarefas que visam à reprodução de informação e que, só muito raramente, ela é perspetivada como promotora da elaboração do conhecimento.Writing may be considered a learning tool, playing a relevant role in knowledge acquisition, development and expression. The role of writing in knowledge construction can be understood focusing on linguistic features, the cognitive processes involved, or the social and cultural practice in which it occurs. Based on the relevance that writing can take in these processes in the school context, we conducted a study aimed at verifying the extent to which this dimension is valued in Portuguese schools of primary education (1st to 9th grades). We chose two complementary methodological pathways: analyzing textbooks and inquiring teachers by means of a questionnaire. The data collected show that, in the school context, writing is used particularly in tasks aimed at the reproduction of information and that only very seldom is writing viewed as a promoter of knowledge creation. Keywords: writing; learning tool; knowledge reproduction/construction.La escritura se puede entender como un instrumento de aprendizaje en la medida que desempeña un papel importante en los procesos de adquisición, elaboración y expresión de conocimiento. El papel de la escritura en la construcción del conocimiento se puede comprender considerando centrales las características lingüísticas, los procesos cognitivos implicados, o la práctica sociocultural en la que se insiere. Teniendo por base la importancia que la escritura como herramienta de aprendizaje puede tener en el contexto escolar, se llevó a cabo un estudio con el fin de averiguar hasta qué punto esa dimensión se valora en la escuela portuguesa de educación básica. Hemos optado por dos caminos metodológicos complementarios: el análisis de libros de texto y de las respuestas al cuestionario propuesto a los profesores. Los datos han demostrado que, en el contexto escolar, el uso de la escritura se da, en la mayoría de los casos, en el cuadro de tareas que tienen como objetivo la reproducción de conocimiento y que, rara vez, se ve como una herramienta que promueve la elaboración del conocimiento.(undefined