Compromisos del manejo sustentable de los agroecosistemas con los recursos naturales y humanos

p.357-364El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir en tomo a la cuestión de la resiliencia y la estabilidad de los sistemas productivos laneros en la región patagónica, la manera en que las decisiones de manejo de la ganadería ovina afectan los recursos naturales y a las personas vinculadas a la explotación ovina. Nuestra tarea nos conduce a transgredir la definición de los términos resiliencia y estabilidad, para aplicarlos a cuestiones del agroecosistema, que incluye al ecosistema y al sistema sociocultural. En la actualidad contamos con marcos teóricos y herramientas de análisis y predicción que nos permitirían prevenir efectos indeseados en las condiciones de producción de alimentos y fibras. Aún así, las soluciones técnicas simplistas parecen inapropiadas en un contexto donde hay múltiples intereses en juego y conflictos potenciales. Considerando que es necesario un acercamiento más cuidadoso en el análisis del uso de los Recursos Naturales, que incluya las motivaciones y respuestas de los distintos actores sociales involucrados (Ludwig, 1993) es preciso para llevar adelante esta empresa desarrollar criterios apropiados. Intentamos develar el lado social de la resiliencia y la estabilidad, ya que en la medida que sea de interés sostener la producción lanera en Patagonia, necesariamente entran en consideración las necesidades de las personas directamente relacionadas con la actividad productiva

Neuroendocrine Reactivity During the Naturalistic Stress of an Outward Bound Course

Recent studies have found that subjects with high hostility propensity have greater catecholamine (CA) and cortisol (Cf) levels during laboratory stressors. The present investigation sought to determine if similar patterns would be found in the naturalistic setting of an Outward Bound experience, and if high versus low aerobic fitness would influence CA and CT levels in this setting. Sixty-six individuals volunteered for the study from participants who had registered for a nine-day \u27adult intensive\u27 Outward Bound course. Thirty-one subjects were selected from those who volunteered. The Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory was completed by each subject prior to arriving for their course and aerobic fitness estimates were completed within the first six hours of the course using the University of Houston Non-Exercise Test Stress levels were quantified by urinary CA and CT excretion. Three to five hour urine samples were collected for the following activities: rockclimbing/rappelling, whitewater canoeing, ropes course, off-trail backpacking, commuting from airport to base camp and back, and one night-time sleep sample. At the beginning of each activity period, all subjects voided and at the end of the three to five hour period urine was collected, measured for total volume, and a sample was taken and ftw.en within two hours of collection. The urine was assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection to determine levels of excreted epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol (CT). The CA and CT were then quantified by mg of creatinine. Of the 31 subjects (14 females and 17 males), nine were classfied as high hostile (HiHo) and 22 as average to low hostile (LoHo). The classifications for aerobic fitness were: 26 average to high fit (HF) with an estimated max V02 greater than 39 ml/kg for women and 46 ml/kg for men, and five low fit (LF) subjects with lower estimated V02 max. The data were analyzed by the two levels of hostility and two levels of aerobic fitness using univariate ANOVA with repeated measures across activity periods. The analysis of hostility revealed significant CT excretion differences between hostility levels for four of the nine activity periods with the LoHo subjects excreting higher CT levels. The four activities where this was found were: off-trail backpacking, (F=4.74,

Sleep disturbances in depressed pregnant women and their newborns

Pregnant women (N= 253) were recruited during their second trimester of pregnancy (M= 22.3 weeks gestation) and assigned to depressed (N= 83) and non-depressed groups based on a SCID diagnosis of depression. They were then given self-report measures on sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and anger, and their urine was assayed for norepinephrine and cortisol. These measures were repeated during their third trimester (M= 32.4 weeks). Their newborns were then observed during sleep. During both the second and third trimesters, the depressed women had more sleep disturbances and higher depression, anxiety and anger scores. They also had higher norepinephrine and cortisol levels. The newborns of the depressed mothers also had more sleep disturbances including less time in deep sleep and more time in indeterminate (disorganized) sleep, and they were more active and cried/fussed more.We would like to thank the parents and infants who participated in this study. This Research was supported by a merit award (MH# 46586) and Senior Research Scientist Awards (MH# 00331 and AT# 001585) and a March of Dimes Grant (#12-FYO3-48) to Tiffany Field and funding from Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute to the Touch Research Institutes

Prenatal cortisol, prematurity and low birthweight

Three hundred depressed pregnant women were recruited at approximately 20 weeks gestation. They were then divided by a median split into high and low urinary cortisol level groups. The high cortisol group had higher CES-D depression scores and higher inhibition (BIS) scores prenatally. Their fetuses had smaller head circumference, abdominal circumference, biparietal diameter and fetal weight. The high cortisol group neonates were shorter gestational age and lower birthweight and they had lower Brazelton habituation and higher Brazelton reflex scores. Discriminant function analyses suggested that cortisol levels more accurately classified short gestation and low birthweight groups than CES-D depression scores.National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) - (#AT01585).National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Senior Scientist Award - (MH #00331), (MH #46586).March of Dimes - Grant (#12-FY03-48)

Emergence of daptomycin resistance in daptomycin-naïve rabbits with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic joint infection is associated with resistance to host defense cationic peptides and mprF polymorphisms.

BackgroundPrevious studies of both clinically-derived and in vitro passage-derived daptomycin-resistant (DAP-R) Staphylococcus aureus strains demonstrated the coincident emergence of increased DAP MICs and resistance to host defense cationic peptides (HDP-R).MethodsIn the present investigation, we studied a parental DAP-susceptible (DAP-S) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain and three isogenic variants with increased DAP MICs which were isolated from both DAP-treated and DAP-untreated rabbits with prosthetic joint infections. These strains were compared for: in vitro susceptibility to distinct HDPs differing in size, structure, and origin; i.e.; thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal proteins [tPMPs] and human neutrophil peptide-1 [hNP-1]; cell membrane (CM) phospholipid and fatty acid content; CM order; envelope surface charge; cell wall thickness; and mprF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression profiles.ResultsIn comparison with the parental strain, both DAP-exposed and DAP-naive strains exhibited: (i) significantly reduced susceptibility to each HDP (P<0.05); (ii) thicker cell walls (P<0.05); (iii) increased synthesis of CM lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (L-PG); (iv) reduced content of CM phosphatidylglycerol (PG); and (v) SNPs within the mprF locus No significant differences were observed between parental or variant strains in outer CM content of L-PG, CM fluidity, CM fatty acid contents, surface charge, mprF expression profiles or MprF protein content. An isolate which underwent identical in vivo passage, but without evolving increased DAP MICs, retained parental phenotypes and genotype.ConclusionsTHESE RESULTS SUGGEST: i) DAP MIC increases may occur in the absence of DAP exposures in vivo and may be triggered by organism exposure to endogenous HDPs: and ii) gain-in-function SNPs in mprF may contribute to such HDP-DAP cross-resistance phenotypes, although the mechanism of this relationship remains to be defined

Dominance, Politics, and Physiology: Voters' Testosterone Changes on the Night of the 2008 United States Presidential Election

BACKGROUND: Political elections are dominance competitions. When men win a dominance competition, their testosterone levels rise or remain stable to resist a circadian decline; and when they lose, their testosterone levels fall. However, it is unknown whether this pattern of testosterone change extends beyond interpersonal competitions to the vicarious experience of winning or losing in the context of political elections. Women's testosterone responses to dominance competition outcomes are understudied, and to date, a clear pattern of testosterone changes in response to winning and losing dominance competitions has not emerged. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The present study investigated voters' testosterone responses to the outcome of the 2008 United States Presidential election. 183 participants provided multiple saliva samples before and after the winner was announced on Election Night. The results show that male Barack Obama voters (winners) had stable post-outcome testosterone levels, whereas testosterone levels dropped in male John McCain and Robert Barr voters (losers). There were no significant effects in female voters. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The findings indicate that male voters exhibit biological responses to the realignment of a country's dominance hierarchy as if they participated in an interpersonal dominance contest

Chronic prenatal depression and neonatal outcome

Four hundred and thirty pregnant women were recruited at approximately 22 weeks gestation at prenatal clinics. Of these, 86 (20%) were diagnosed as depressed. The women were seen again at approximately 32 weeks gestation and after delivery. Chronicity of depression was evidenced by continuing high depression scores in those women diagnosed as depressed. Comorbid problems were chronically high anxiety, anger, sleep disturbance, and pain scores. Less optimal outcomes for the depressed women included lower gestational age and lower birthweight of their newborns

Differential effects of naltrindole on morphine-induced tolerance and physical dependence in rats

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of delta opioid receptor blockade by naltrindole on the development of physical dependence and tolerance to the antinociceptive and respiratory depressive effects of morphine in rats. Chronic morphine was delivered either by s.c. injection of increasing amounts of morphine over 5 days or by s.c. implantation of morphine pellets. Animals were cotreated with saline or naltrindole. Antinociception and respiratory depression were assessed after administration of a challenge dose of morphine, and withdrawal signs were determined after naloxone challenge. Naltrindole significantly attenuated the development of antinociceptive tolerance after all three chronic treatment regimens. In addition, rats pretreated with naltrindole displayed significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms and less weight loss after a naloxone challenge. In contrast, naltrindole did not prevent the development of tolerance to morphine-induced respiratory depression. These results imply that tolerance to antinociception and physical dependence involves adaptations at interacting mu and delta receptor populations, whereas tolerance to respiratory depression reflects actions of independent mu and delta receptor populations. These findings suggest that delta antagonists may have potential clinical application for decreasing the rapid development of tolerance to opiate-induced analgesia, while allowing for the development of protective tolerance to respiratory depression. There is increasing evidence of interaction between mu and delta opiate receptors (see Traynor and Elliot, 1993 for review). These receptors can coexist on the same neuron, as proposed for receptor populations in the neostriatum Stimulation of delta opiate receptors modulates mu-based antinociception. Two populations of delta receptors (delta 1 and delta 2 ) have been postulated on the basis of pharmacologic evidence There is also evidence that delta receptor activation contributes to the development of morphine-induced tolerance and physical dependence. Coadministration of the delta-2 antagonist 5Ј-NTII with either 100 mg/kg of morphine or morphine pellets over 3 days prevented the normal development of tolerance and dependence in mice, whereas the delta-1-specific antagonist DALCE did not prevent the development of physical dependence in mic

Significância prognóstica da expressão de ki-67, receptores de estrógeno e receptores de progesterona em pacientes com melanoma cutâneo / Prognostic significance of ki-67, estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors expression in patients with cutaneous melanoma

Introdução: O Melanoma Cutâneo (MC) é a forma mais agressiva de câncer de pele. Pouco se conhece sobre marcadores biológicos que representam uma maior ou menor agressividade desta neoplasia. Estudos indicam uma relação entre os hormônios sexuais e o índice de proliferação celular (Ki-67) com o MC. Objetivo: Analisar o perfil molecular de pacientes com MC invasor, verificando a significância prognóstica dos Receptores de Estrógeno (RE), Receptores de Progesterona (RP) e Ki-67. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo caso-controle que analisou 179 casos de MC invasor, que ocorreram na região dos Campos Gerais – PR, Brasil, no período de 2002 a 2014. Foi construído um banco de dados com informações anatomopatológicas, clínicas, e imuno-histoquímicas. Posteriormente, os dados foram analisados pelos testes Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Student uni-caudal e exato de Fisher. Resultados: A incidência de metástases foi maior nos casos de Ki-67 alto (p=0,021). Observou-se que a marcação citoplasmática, tanto pelo RE, quanto pelo RP, está associada com pacientes que não possuem metástases (p=0,006; 0,001 respectivamente). Sexo masculino, sítio anatômico, estadiamento clínico, nível de Clark, espessura de Breslow, ulceração e invasão linfática foram os fatores que apresentaram significância estatística como preditores de metástases. Não foi evidenciada correlação entre o Ki- 67 e os outros marcadores. Conclusão: Este estudo foi estatisticamente significante, corroborando as evidências do envolvimento dos hormônios sexuais e do Ki-67 na progressão do MC. Novos estudos devem ser realizados para comprovar os reais papéis do Ki-67 e dos hormônios sexuais, assim como os mecanismos de ação por eles adotados