Val del Omar And Parajanov’s poetic-mystical cinema. Ethnographical and cultural tradition as a palimpsest

El presente artículo sigue las huellas de diferentes manifestaciones literarias en las obras de los cineastas José Val del Omar y Sergei Paradjanov. El cine de ambos es poético, espiritual y místico, y destaca por ser revolucionario en lo que se refiere a la creación de códigos iconográficos —para lo que se valen de textos donde aparecen la tradición cultural etnográfica, el folclore, leyendas populares y doctrinas místicas.The present paper follows the traces of different literary expressions in the works of filmmakers José Val del Omar and Sergei Parajanov. Their cinema is poetic, spiritual and mystical, and it is remarkable for being groundbreaking regarding the creation of iconographic codes through the use of texts where ethnographic cultural traditions, folklore, popular tales and mystical theories are displayed

Frequency of Bullying Behaviours in Secondary Schools in Cluj-Napoca

“Bullying” is generally considered to be a specific form of aggressive behaviour. The aim of this paper is the investigation of gender and age-related bully and victim incidence in Cluj-Napoca secondary schools. A survey on bullying was completed by 264 students (141 girls and 123 boys; 112 students from grades 5-6 and 152 students from grades 7-8) with an age range between 10 and 14 years old. From the entire sample, results showed that 3.8% of the students bullied others once a week or more during the previous 3 months and 40.5% had been frequently bullied by other students once a week or more often during the previous 3 months. Considering the gender differences, girls showed a bullying behaviour more frequently than boys

A roadmap to integrate astrocytes into Systems Neuroscience.

Systems neuroscience is still mainly a neuronal field, despite the plethora of evidence supporting the fact that astrocytes modulate local neural circuits, networks, and complex behaviors. In this article, we sought to identify which types of studies are necessary to establish whether astrocytes, beyond their well-documented homeostatic and metabolic functions, perform computations implementing mathematical algorithms that sub-serve coding and higher-brain functions. First, we reviewed Systems-like studies that include astrocytes in order to identify computational operations that these cells may perform, using Ca2+ transients as their encoding language. The analysis suggests that astrocytes may carry out canonical computations in a time scale of subseconds to seconds in sensory processing, neuromodulation, brain state, memory formation, fear, and complex homeostatic reflexes. Next, we propose a list of actions to gain insight into the outstanding question of which variables are encoded by such computations. The application of statistical analyses based on machine learning, such as dimensionality reduction and decoding in the context of complex behaviors, combined with connectomics of astrocyte-neuronal circuits, is, in our view, fundamental undertakings. We also discuss technical and analytical approaches to study neuronal and astrocytic populations simultaneously, and the inclusion of astrocytes in advanced modeling of neural circuits, as well as in theories currently under exploration such as predictive coding and energy-efficient coding. Clarifying the relationship between astrocytic Ca2+ and brain coding may represent a leap forward toward novel approaches in the study of astrocytes in health and disease

Staging Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease

The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is controversial because conclusions from numerous epidemiological studies reporting delayed onset of AD in NSAID users have not been corroborated in clinical trials. The purpose of this personal view is to revise the case for NSAIDs in AD therapeutics in light of: (i) the last report from the only primary prevention trial in AD, ADAPT, which, although incomplete, points to significant protection in long-term naproxen users, and (ii) the recently proposed dynamic model of AD evolution. The model contends that there is a clinical silent phase in AD that can last up to 20 years, the duration depending on life style habits, genetic factors, or cognitive reserve. The failure of many purported disease-modifying drugs in AD clinical trials is forcing the view that treatments will only be efficacious if administered pre-clinically. Here we will argue that NSAIDs failed in clinical trials because they are disease-modifying drugs, and they should be administered in early stages of the disease. A complete prevention trial in cognitively normal individuals is thus called for. Further, the shift of anti-inflammatory treatment to early stages uncovers a knowledge void about the targets of NSAIDs in asymptomatic individuals. AD researchers have mostly relied on post-mortem analysis of Aβ plaque-laden brains from demented patients or animal models, thus drawing conclusions about AD pathogenesis based on late symptoms. We will discuss evidence in support that defective, not excessive, inflammation underlies AD pathogenesis, that NSAIDs are multifunctional drugs acting on inflammatory and non-inflammatory targets, and that astrocytes and microglia may play differing roles in disease progression, with an emphasis of ApoEε4 as a key, undervalued target of NSAIDs. According to a meta-analysis of epidemiological data, NSAIDs afford an average protection of 58%. If this figure is true, and translated into patient numbers, NSAID treatment may revive as a worth pursuing strategy to significantly reduce the socio-economical burden imposed by AD

Cyclophilin D as a potential target for antioxidants in neurodegeneration: the X-ALD case

Abstract: X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a severe inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by adrenal insufficiency and graded damage in the nervous system. Loss of function of the peroxisomal ABCD1 fatty-acid transporter, resulting in the accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids in organs and plasma, is the genetic cause. Treatment with a combination of antioxidants halts the axonal degeneration and locomotor impairment displayed by the animal model of X-ALD, and is a proof of concept that oxidative stress contributes to axonal damage. New evidence demonstrates that metabolic failure and the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore orchestrated by cyclophilin D underlies oxidative stress-induced axonal degeneration. Thus, cyclophilin D could serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of X-ALD and cyclophilin D-dependent neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative diseases

Effect of anti-inflammatory agents on transforming growth factor beta over-expressing mouse brains: a model revised.

BACKGROUND: The over-expression of transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-beta1) has been reported to cause hydrocephalus, glia activation, and vascular amyloidbeta (Abeta) deposition in mouse brains. Since these phenomena partially mimic the cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) concomitant to Alzheimer's disease, the findings in TGF-beta1 over-expressing mice prompted the hypothesis that CAA could be caused or enhanced by the abnormal production of TGF-beta1. This idea was in accordance with the view that chronic inflammation contributes to Alzheimer's disease, and drew attention to the therapeutic potential of anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of Abeta-elicited CAA. We thus studied the effect of anti-inflammatory drug administration in TGF-beta1-induced pathology. METHODS: Two-month-old TGF-beta1 mice and littermate controls were orally administered pioglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist, or ibuprofen, a non steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, for two months. Glia activation was assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis; Abeta precursor protein (APP) by western blot analysis; Abeta deposition by immunohistochemistry, thioflavin-S staining and ELISA; and hydrocephalus by measurements of ventricle size on autoradiographies of brain sections. Results are expressed as means +/- SD. Data comparisons were carried with the Student's T test when two groups were compared, or ANOVA analysis when more than three groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Animals displayed glia activation, hydrocephalus and a robust thioflavin-S-positive vascular deposition. Unexpectedly, these deposits contained no Abeta or serum amyloid P component, a common constituent of amyloid deposits. The thioflavin-S-positive material thus remains to be identified. Pioglitazone decreased glia activation and basal levels of Abeta42- with no change in APP contents - while it increased hydrocephalus, and had no effect on the thioflavin-S deposits. Ibuprofen mimicked the reduction of glia activation caused by pioglitazone and the lack of effect on the thioflavin-S-labeled deposits. CONCLUSIONS: i) TGF-beta1 over-expressing mice may not be an appropriate model of Abeta-elicited CAA; and ii) pioglitazone has paradoxical effects on TGF-beta1-induced pathology suggesting that anti-inflammatory therapy may reduce the damage resulting from active glia, but not from vascular alterations or hydrocephalus. Identification of the thioflavin-S-positive material will facilitate the full appraisal of the clinical implication of the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs, and provide a more thorough understanding of TGF-beta1 actions in brain

Severa complicación neurológica tras vertebroplastia percutánea

La vertebroplastia percutánea como tratamiento de las fracturas acuñamientos vertebrales osteoporóticos tras fracaso del tratamiento sintomático y ortopédico así como para el tratamiento de lesiones tumorales del caquis ha tomado un auge importante debido a los buenos resultados publicados y la baja tasa de complicaciones. Este hecho ha llevado a las casas comerciales a desarrollar productos específicos para esta técnica que simplifican su utilización y disminuyen en lo posible las dificultades técnicas del procedimiento así como sus complicaciones. A pesar de ello, en nuestra opinión es una técnica que requiere una alta demanda de entrenamiento y que puede dar lugar a graves complicaciones a pesar de que no existan prácticamente en la literatura complicaciones severas con la utilización de esta técnica. Presentamos un caso ocurrido en nuestra serie de una paraplejia completa no resuelta tras una vertebroplastia percutanea torácica para una fractura osteoporótica.The technique of percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic fractures and spine tumors was develop an important increase because there were a lot of publications with good results and low rate of complications. This fact was done a fast developing of instruments and new PMMA cements to simplify this technique and decreased the rate of complications. In our opinion the percutaneous vertebroplasty is a high demand technique and have a high potential of major neurological complications if it is not performed with use of appropriate safeguards, but the purpose of this article is not to condemn the technique because we have had a good results using it in this pathologies and the majority of publications have shown a high rate of excellent results

Efecto de las características del biorreactor y de su manejo sobre el desarrollo de cultivos embriogénicos de alcornoque

En el marco del proyecto SEFEAL-2, liderado por TRAGSA, se aplican protocolos de embriogénesis somática (ES) para desarrollar variedades de alcornoque de alta calidad y productividad. Al mismo tiempo se mejora la técnica de ES para abaratar los costes y permitir su aplicación a escala comercial. En el alcornoque, como en otras especies, el desarrollo comercial de la embriogénesis como técnica de multiplicación masiva se basa en el uso de biorreactores y medios líquidos agitados. El diseño del biorreactor, su sistema de cierre y el nivel de agitación determinan el grado de mezclado, el estrés hidrodinámico y el intercambio gaseoso, y por ello afectan tanto al crecimiento como al desarrollo de los cultivos embriogénicos. Mediante un ensayo factorial se testaron 3 tipos de envase y tres niveles de agitación. Los efectos sobre el intercambio gaseoso se estimaron a través de la tasa de transferencia de O2 (OTR) y su coeficiente volumétrico de transferencia de masa (KLa), y los efectos sobre el nivel de mezclado mediante el “shear force index” (SFI), un indicador de estrés hidrodinámico. El tipo de envase afectó básicamente al número total de agregados embriogénicos y a la frecuencia de formación de los agregados de mayor tamaño. El nivel de agitación tuvo mayores efectos que el tipo de envase tanto sobre el número como sobre el tamaño de los agregados. Para las condiciones ensayadas, que dieron lugar a valores de KLa comprendidos entre 0,11 h-1 y 1,47 h-1, la disponibilidad de oxígeno no pareció limitante. En cualquier caso, los efectos del tipo de envase y del nivel de agitación sobre los procesos de crecimiento y desarrollo de los materiales embriogénicos de alcornoque fueron complejos resultando muy significativa la interacción tipo de envase por nivel de agitación

CREB Regulates Distinct Adaptive Transcriptional Programs in Astrocytes and Neurons

The cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) is a primary hub of a activity-driven genetic programs in neurons controlling plasticity, neurogenesis and survival. By contrast, the gene networks coordinated by CREB in astrocytes are Unknown despite the fact that the astrocytic CREB is a also activity-driven and neuroprotective. Herein we identified the transcriptional programs regulated by CREB in astrocytes as compared to neurons using, as study materials, transcriptome databases of astrocyte exposed to weII-known activators of CREB-dependent transcription as well as publidy available transcriptomes of neuronal cultures. Functional CREB signatures were extracted from the transcriptomes using Gene Ontology, adult-brain gene lists generated by Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) and CREB-target gene repositories. We found minimal overlap between CREB signatures in astrocytes and neurons. In astrocytes, the top triad of functions regulated by CREB consists of'Gene expression', 'Mitochondria', and 'Signa Iling', while in neurons it is 'Neurotransmission', 'Signalling' and 'Gene expression', the latter being represented by different genes from those in astrocytes. The newly gene rated data bases Will provide a tool to explore novel means whereby CREB impinges on brain functions requiring adaptive, long-lasting changes by coordinating transcriptionaI cascades in astrocytes