Environmental Temperature Affects Prevalence of Blood Parasites of Birds on an Elevation Gradient: Implications for Disease in a Warming Climate

Background: The rising global temperature is predicted to expand the distribution of vector-borne diseases both in latitude and altitude. Many host communities could be affected by increased prevalence of disease, heightening the risk of extinction for many already threatened species. To understand how host communities could be affected by changing parasite distributions, we need information on the distribution of parasites in relation to variables like temperature and rainfall that are predicted to be affected by climate change.\ud \ud Methodology/Principal Findings: We determined relations between prevalence of blood parasites, temperature, and seasonal rainfall in a bird community of the Australian Wet Tropics along an elevation gradient. We used PCR screening to investigate the prevalence and lineage diversity of four genera of blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon and Trypanosoma) in 403 birds. The overall prevalence of the four genera of blood parasites was 32.3%, with Haemoproteus the predominant genus. A total of 48 unique lineages were detected. Independent of elevation, parasite prevalence was positively and strongly associated with annual temperature. Parasite prevalence was elevated during the dry season.\ud \ud Conclusions/Significance: Low temperatures of the higher elevations can help to reduce both the development of avian haematozoa and the abundance of parasite vectors, and hence parasite prevalence. In contrast, high temperatures of the lowland areas provide an excellent environment for the development and transmission of haematozoa. We showed that rising temperatures are likely to lead to increased prevalence of parasites in birds, and may force shifts of bird distribution to higher elevations. We found that upland tropical areas are currently a low-disease habitat and their conservation should be given high priority in management plans under climate change

Neuromatch Academy: a 3-week, online summer school in computational neuroscience

Neuromatch Academy (https://academy.neuromatch.io; (van Viegen et al., 2021)) was designed as an online summer school to cover the basics of computational neuroscience in three weeks. The materials cover dominant and emerging computational neuroscience tools, how they complement one another, and specifically focus on how they can help us to better understand how the brain functions. An original component of the materials is its focus on modeling choices, i.e. how do we choose the right approach, how do we build models, and how can we evaluate models to determine if they provide real (meaningful) insight. This meta-modeling component of the instructional materials asks what questions can be answered by different techniques, and how to apply them meaningfully to get insight about brain function

Maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during physiological childbirth - a systematic review with implications for uterine contractions and central actions of oxytocin

Oxytocin is a key hormone in childbirth, and synthetic oxytocin is widely administered to induce or speed labour. Due to lack of synthetized knowledge, we conducted a systematic review of maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during physiological childbirth, and in response to infusions of synthetic oxytocin, if reported in the included studies. An a priori protocol was designed and a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in October 2015. Search hits were screened on title and abstract after duplicates were removed (n = 4039), 69 articles were examined in full-text and 20 papers met inclusion criteria. As the articles differed in design and methodology used for analysis of oxytocin levels, a narrative synthesis was created and the material was categorised according to effects. Basal levels of oxytocin increased 3-4-fold during pregnancy. Pulses of oxytocin occurred with increasing frequency, duration, and amplitude, from late pregnancy through labour, reaching a maximum of 3 pulses/10 min towards the end of labour. There was a maximal 3- to 4-fold rise in oxytocin at birth. Oxytocin pulses also occurred in the third stage of labour associated with placental expulsion. Oxytocin peaks during labour did not correlate in time with individual uterine contractions, suggesting additional mechanisms in the control of contractions. Oxytocin levels were also raised in the cerebrospinal fluid during labour, indicating that oxytocin is released into the brain, as well as into the circulation. Oxytocin released into the brain induces beneficial adaptive effects during birth and postpartum. Oxytocin levels following infusion of synthetic oxytocin up to 10 mU/min were similar to oxytocin levels in physiological labour. Oxytocin levels doubled in response to doubling of the rate of infusion of synthetic oxytocin. Plasma oxytocin levels increase gradually during pregnancy, and during the first and second stages of labour, with increasing size and frequency of pulses of oxytocin. A large pulse of oxytocin occurs with birth. Oxytocin in the circulation stimulates uterine contractions and oxytocin released within the brain influences maternal physiology and behaviour during birth. Oxytocin given as an infusion does not cross into the mother's brain because of the blood brain barrier and does not influence brain function in the same way as oxytocin during normal labour does

Psicoterapia integrativa para el manejo de la ansiedad frente al Covid -19 en las mujeres del Grupo Lee

Esta investigación se sustenta en una intervención psicoterapéutica basada en la psicoterapia integrativa con mujeres del Grupo Lee en el distrito de Aguadulce de la cuales presentaron ansiedad frente a la Covid 19, dicha intervención del plan psicoterapéutico fue diseñado en 8 sesiones la misma se utilizó diferentes técnicas contempladas en la mencionada psicoterapia. Se trabajó con una muestra de 13 mujeres que presentaron ansiedad, se aplicó como instrumento el Cuestionario de Ansiedad de Beck antes y después de la intervención. Esta investigación es de tipo descriptivo. La investigación es de un diseño cuasiexeperimental, donde de manipulo la variable independiente que en nuestro caso fue la psicoterapia integrativa en consecuencia los resultados demostrados en el post test apuntan a la conclusión de tomar la hipótesis y la interrogante de investigación sobre la eficacia de la psicoterapia integrativa para disminuir la ansiedad frente a la covid 19 en mujeres

Use of Lactate ProTM2 for measurement of fetal scalp blood lactate during labor – proposing new cutoffs for normality, preacidemia and acidemia : a cross-sectional study

Objective: Measurement of fetal scalp blood lactate is a supplementary tool to cardiotocography in the case of a non-reassuring tracing. Several hand-held lactate meters have been launched, all with differentials in absolute values. Therefore, the reference intervals must be calculated for each device. The internationally accepted reference interval is based on measurement with Lactate ProTM with recently got out of production. The aim of this study was to propose cutoffs for normality, preacidemia, and acidemia in fetal scalp blood for Lactate ProTM2 based on the comparison of lactate values measured with Lactate ProTM and Lactate ProTM2. Design: Seven hundred one fetal scalp blood samples were analyzed simultaneously. The conversion equations were retrieved from the linear regression model. On the basis of the cutoffs for Lactate ProTM cutoffs for Lactate ProTM2 were calculated. Results: The conversion equations obtained were Lactate ProTM = −0.02 + 0.68 × Lactate ProTM2 (SD: −0.09–0.07 × Lactate ProTM2) and Lactate proTM2 (LP2) = 0.03 + 1.48 × Lactate ProTM (SD: 0.16 + 0.17 × Lactate ProTM). The correlation to umbilical arterial pH was identical for the two devices (r = −0.18), whereas the correlation to umbilical arterial lactate was better for Lactate ProTM than for Lactate ProTM2 (r = 0.38, respectively, r = 0.33). The correlation to umbilical arterial lactate was dependent on time from sampling to delivery. Conclusion: Proposed reference values for Lactate ProTM2: scalp lactate 7.1 mmol/L = acidemia, expedite delivery