Bone conditioned media (BCM) improves osteoblast adhesion and differentiation on collagen barrier membranes

Background: The use of autogenous bone chips during guided bone regeneration procedures has remained the gold standard for bone grafting due to its excellent combination of osteoconduction, osteoinduction and osteogenesis. Recent protocols established by our group have characterized specific growth factors and cytokines released from autogenous bone that have the potential to be harvested and isolated into bone conditioned media (BCM). Due to the advantageous osteo-promotive properties of BCM, the aims of the present study was to pre-coat collagen barrier membranes with BCM and investigate its effect on osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and differentiation for possible future clinical use. Methods: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was first used to qualitative assess BCM protein accumulation on the surface of collagen membranes. Thereafter, undifferentiated mouse ST2 stromal bone marrow cells were seeded onto BioGide porcine derived collagen barrier membranes (control) or barrier membranes pre-coated with BCM (test group). Control and BCM samples were compared for cell adhesion at 8 h, cell proliferation at 1, 3 and 5 days and real-time PCR at 5 days for osteoblast differentiation markers including Runx2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP). Mineralization was further assessed with alizarin red staining at 14 days post seeding. Results: SEM images demonstrated evidence of accumulated proteins found on the surface of collagen membranes following coating with BCM. Analysis of total cell numbers revealed that the additional pre-coating with BCM markedly increased cell attachment over 4 fold when compared to cells seeded on barrier membranes alone. No significant difference could be observed for cell proliferation at all time points. BCM significantly increased mRNA levels of osteoblast differentiation markers including ALP, OCN and BSP at 5 days post seeding. Furthermore, barrier membranes pre-coated with BCM demonstrated a 5-fold increase in alizarin red staining at 14 days. Conclusion: The results from the present study suggest that the osteoconductive properties of porcine-derived barrier membranes could be further improved by BCM by significantly increasing cell attachment, differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts in vitro. Future animal testing is required to fully characterize the additional benefits of BCM for guided bone regeneration

Faja milonítica El Cortijo: puesta en valor de su patrimonio geominero y propuesta de un nuevo sitio de interés geológico en Tandil, Buenos Aires

El basamento del Sistema de Tandilia reúne a las rocas más antiguas de la Argentina, las cuales guardan una valiosa información de los procesos geológicos ocurridos hace aproximadamente 2.200 Ma. Entre estas rocas ígneo-metamórficas (Complejo Buenos Aires) se encuentran las que integran la Formación El Cortijo, que contrastan notoriamente con el resto por sus características mineralógicas, metamórficas y estructurales. Esta Formación está constituida por rocas típicas de una cuenca oceánica desarrollada durante el lapso Neoarqueano - Paleoproterozoico, fuertemente milonitizadas. Aflora en las cercanías de la ciudad de Tandil, a lo largo de una faja de 3 kilómetros con rumbo este-oeste (aquí denominada Faja milonítica El Cortijo), a la que se accede por la Ruta Nacional 226. Tandil es una ciudad reconocida por su origen minero, actualmente con una fuerte impronta turística y una infraestructura óptima para ofrecer diversos circuitos geomineros. Esta contribución tiene como objetivo presentar un nuevo sitio de interés geológico en Tandil, que junto con los otros circuitos geoturísticos urbanos, manifieste el valor geológico de la región. Esto conduciría a su protección y podría impulsar la creación de un futuro Parque Geológico, producto de la integración de todos los geositios conocidos además del aquí propuesto. El trabajo realizado incluyó un relevamiento del área mediante imágenes satelitales y actividades de campo que permitieron seleccionar un conjunto de canteras labradas en la faja milonítica que constituye el geositio propuesto. Este sector de la provincia de Buenos Aires reúne todos los atributos necesarios para establecer un sitio de interés geológico como el sugerido, considerando sus riquezas paisajísticas y geológicas relacionadas con la evolución geológica y tectónica del basamento de Tandilia

Preserved VPS13A distribution and expression in Huntington’s disease: divergent mechanisms of action for similar movement disorders?

VPS13A disease and Huntington’s disease (HD) are two basal ganglia disorders that may be difficult to distinguish clinically because they have similar symptoms, neuropathological features, and cellular dysfunctions with selective degeneration of the medium spiny neurons of the striatum. However, their etiology is different. VPS13A disease is caused by a mutation in the VPS13A gene leading to a lack of protein in the cells, while HD is due to an expansion of CAG repeat in the huntingtin (Htt) gene, leading to aberrant accumulation of mutant Htt. Considering the similarities of both diseases regarding the selective degeneration of striatal medium spiny neurons, the involvement of VPS13A in the molecular mechanisms of HD pathophysiology cannot be discarded. We analyzed the VPS13A distribution in the striatum, cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of a transgenic mouse model of HD. We also quantified the VPS13A levels in the human cortex and putamen nucleus; and compared data on mutant Htt-induced changes in VPS13A expression from differential expression datasets. We found that VPS13A brain distribution or expression was unaltered in most situations with a decrease in the putamen of HD patients and small mRNA changes in the striatum and cerebellum of HD mice. We concluded that the selective susceptibility of the striatum in VPS13A disease and HD may be a consequence of disturbances in different cellular processes with convergent molecular mechanisms already to be elucidated

Sperm whale long-range echolocation sounds revealed by ANTARES, a deep-sea neutrino telescope

[EN] Despite dedicated research has been carried out to adequately map the distribution of the sperm whale in the Mediterranean Sea, unlike other regions of the world, the species population status is still presently uncertain. The analysis of two years of continuous acoustic data provided by the ANTARES neutrino telescope revealed the year-round presence of sperm whales in the Ligurian Sea, probably associated with the availability of cephalopods in the region. The presence of the Ligurian Sea sperm whales was demonstrated through the real-time analysis of audio data streamed from a cabled-to- shore deep-sea observatory that allowed the hourly tracking of their long-range echolocation behaviour on the Internet. Interestingly, the same acoustic analysis indicated that the occurrence of surface shipping noise would apparently not condition the foraging behaviour of the sperm whale in the area, since shipping noise was almost always present when sperm whales were acoustically detected. The continuous presence of the sperm whale in the region confirms the ecological value of the Ligurian sea and the importance of ANTARES to help monitoring its ecosystemsThe authors acknowledge the financial support of the funding agencies: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat a lenergie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA), la Commission Europeenne (FEDER fund and Marie Curie Program), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), IdEx program and UnivEarthS Labex program at Sorbonne Paris Cite (ANR-10-LABX-0023 and ANR-11-IDEX-0005-02), Region Ile-de-France (DIM-ACAV), Region Alsace (contrat CPER), Region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Departement du Var and Ville de La Seyne-sur-Mer, France; Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Germany; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy; Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM), Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), the Netherlands; Council of the President of the Russian Federation for young scientists and leading scientific schools supporting grants, Russia; National Authority for Scientific Research (ANCS), Romania; Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO), Prometeo and Grisolia programs of Generalitat Valenciana and MultiDark, Spain; Agence de l'Oriental and CNRST, Morocco. We also acknowledge the technical support of Ifremer, AIM and Foselev Marine for the sea operation and the CC-IN2P3 for the computing facilitiesAndre, M.; Caballé, A.; Van Der Schaar, M.; Solsona, A.; Houégnigan, L.; Zaugg, S.; Sanchez, AM.... (2017). Sperm whale long-range echolocation sounds revealed by ANTARES, a deep-sea neutrino telescope. Scientific Reports. 7:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45517S1127Aguilar, J. A. et al. ANTARES: the first undersea neutrino telescope. Nucl Inst and Met Phys Res A. 656, 11–38 (2011a).Aguilar, J. A. et al. AMADEUS - The Acoustic Neutrino Detection Test System of the ANTARES Deep-Sea Neutrino Telescope -. Nucl Inst and Met Phys Res A. 626–627, 128–143 (2011b).Ruhl, H. et al. Societal need for improved understanding of climate change, anthropogenic impacts, and geo-hazard warning drive development of ocean observatories in European Seas. Prog Oceanog. 91, 1–33 (2011).Tamburini, C. et al. 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II. 95, 160–181 (2013).Solé, M. et al. Ultrastructural damage of Loligo vulgaris and Illex coindetii statocysts after low frequency sound exposure. PLoS One 8(10), e78825. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078825 (2013).André, M. et al. Listening to the Deep: Live monitoring of ocean noise and cetacean acoustic signals. Mar Pollut Bull. 63, 18–26 (2011).Whitehead, H. Sperm whales: social evolution in the ocean(The University of Chicago Press, Chicaho, 2003).Mohl, B., Wahlberg, M., Madsen, P. T., Heerfordt, A. & Lund, A. The monopulsed nature of sperm whale clicks. J Acous Soc Am. 114, 1143–1154 (2003).André, M., Johansson, T., Delory, E. & van der Schaar, M. Foraging on squid: the sperm whale mid-range sonar. Jour Mar Biol Assoc. 87, 59–67 (2007).Madsen, P., Wahlberg, M. & Møhl, B. Male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) acoustics in a high-latitude habitat: implications for echolocation and communication. 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Sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, in the Mediterranean Sea: a summary of status, threats, and conservation recommendations. Aquatic Conserv. Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 24, 4–10. doi: 10.1002/aqc.2409 (2014).Pace, D. S., Mussi, B., Gordon, J. C. D. & Würtz, M. Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation of Sperm Whale in the Mediterranean Sea in Aquatic Conserv . Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 24 (ed. Wiley, J. ) 1–118 (Wiley Online library, 2014).Rendell, L. E. & Frantzis, A. Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus: the precarious state of a lost tribe In Medit. Mar. Mam. Ecol. Cons. 75 (ed. Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Podestà, M. P. & Curry, B. E. ) 37–74, doi: 10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 (Advances in Marine Biology, Academic Press/Elsevier, 2016).Di Natale, A. & Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. A review of the passive fishing nets and trap fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea and of the cetacean bycatch In Gillnets and cetaceans(ed. Perrin, W. F., Donovan, G. 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Development of a Quantitative Instrument to Measure Mobile Collaborative Learning (MCL) Using WhatsApp: The Conceptual Steps

It has been reported that WhatsApp, a social media application, had approximately 1.6 billion active users globally as of July 2019, almost one-fifth of the total world’s population. Thus, research about WhatsApp’s influence in general and especially its influence in education was relevant and significant. While there was much research involving WhatsApp and learning, it was not conclusive about the effects of WhatsApp on student learning. Specifically, research focusing on collaborative learning using WhatsApp was lacking, including research instruments for measuring collaboration on WhatsApp. Consequently, the paper’s research problem was the lack of research instruments for measuring collaboration on WhatsApp in relation to academic achievement. To address the research problem, the study followed the important initial and conceptual steps of the instrument development process to develop a research instrument to measure collaboration on WhatsApp in relation to academic achievement. The result of the paper was a developed instrument that provides researchers with a basis to measure the explanatory constructs involved in mobile collaborative learning (MCL) processes on WhatsApp and potentially other social media platforms. Therefore, the paper made an appropriately theoretical contribution, which was grounded in the scientific literature. The study facilitated positivistic research and epistemology for acquiring objective and precise scientific knowledge. Such deductive research promotes theory testing and development and presents educators and students with scientific evidence about learning with MCL applications such as WhatsApp from which both curriculum and learning design can be informed and benefited. In the age of connected mobility this is a necessity.School of Computin