Anti-inflammatory activity of

The anti-inflammatory activity of the chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Wigandia urens and Acalypha alopecuroides were investigated on carrageenan-induced paw edema at doses of 400 mg/kg. The three extracts of W. urens, and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides caused significantinhibition of the edema (58.1±6.5% and 63.5±5.4%, respectively). Indomethacin was used as positive control (8 mg/kg), and inhibited edema by 66.3±5.2%. The methanol extract of W. urens and the aqueous extract of A. alopecuroides, at doses of 200 mg/kg, inhibited pellet implantation-induced granuloma formation by 69.4±6.5 and 70.6±6.6%, respectively. These levels of inhibition are higher than those exhibited by naproxen at doses of 50 mg/kg (46.1±7.1%). Both extracts showed activity on adjuvantinduced arthritis in rats, with the best effect being observed after 96 h (82.2±4.6 and 80.6±7.3%, respectively)

A hybrid tgfu/se volleyball teaching unit for enhancing motivation in physical education: A mixed-method approach

Grounded in self-determination theory, this pre-experimental study analyzed the effects of a hybrid teaching games for understanding/sport education (TGfU/SE) volleyball teaching unit on students’ motivational outcomes, using a mixed-method approach. It also examined whether the intervention was equally effective for boys and girls. Participants were 53 secondary school students (Mage = 15.50, SDage = 0.57) who were taught through a hybrid TGfU/SE unit. The structure of this unit was designed according to the characteristics of SE model, while learning tasks were designed by using the pedagogical principles of TGfU model. Both self-reported validated questionnaires and focus groups were used before and after intervention to assess students’ motivational responses. After the hybrid TGfU/SE unit, both quantitative and qualitative findings showed improvements in students’ perceptions of need-support from the physical education (PE) teacher, basic psychological needs satisfaction, novelty, and variety satisfaction, as well as intrinsic motivation compared to baseline values. Although the hybrid TGfU/SE unit was effective in both genders, a large effect size was found for girls. Despite the existence of social and cultural stereotypes in team sports such as volleyball in favor of boys, results highlight the importance of developing hybrid TGfU/SE units to improve students’ motivational outcomes, especially in girls

Sex-Specific Effects of Early Life Stress on Brain Mitochondrial Function, Monoamine Levels and Neuroinflammation

Sex differences have been reported in the susceptibility to early life stress and its neurobiological correlates in humans and experimental animals. However, most of the current research with animal models of early stress has been performed mainly in males. In the present study, prolonged maternal separation (MS) paradigm was applied as an animal model to resemble the effects of adverse early experiences in male and female rats. Regional brain mitochondrial function, monoaminergic activity, and neuroinflammation were evaluated as adults. Mitochondrial energy metabolism was greatly decreased in MS females as compared with MS males in the prefrontal cortex, dorsal hippocampus, and the nucleus accumbens shell. In addition, MS males had lower serotonin levels and increased serotonin turnover in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. However, MS females showed increased dopamine turnover in the prefrontal cortex and increased norepinephrine turnover in the striatum, but decreased dopamine turnover in the hippocampus. Sex differences were also found for pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, with increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of MS males, and increased IL-6 levels in the striatum of MS females. These results evidence the complex sex- and brain region-specific long-term consequences of early life stress.This work was supported by grants PSI 2017-83038-P to HGP and NC, PSI 2017-90806-REDT to JLA, PSI 2017-83893-R to JLA (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain)

Intoxicación por plaguicidas en pacientes asistidos en el Centro Nacional de Toxicología del Ministerio de Salud Pública

Se ha observado un gran incremento en el uso de plaguicidas en el Paraguay, especialmente en el área agrícola; sin embargo la conciencia sobre el peligro del uso de las sustancias químicas aún tiene una historia relativamente corta, y actualmente el control está bastante limitado. Las estadísticas no tienen un registro único, por lo que se estima un importante subregistro de casos. El siguiente trabajo corresponde a un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal y retrospectivo con el propósito de determinar la frecuencia de intoxicación por el uso de plaguicidas y las características demográficas de pacientes que acudieron al CentroNacional de Toxicología (CNT) del Centro de Emergencias Médicas de Asunción, Paraguay, en el período de julio del 2000 a mayo del 2004. El 13,7% de 2570 intoxicaciones correspondieron a plaguicidas, siendo las más frecuentes a órgano fosforados (47,1%). El grupo etáreo másfrecuente correspondió al de 16 a 30 años (50,3%) con predominio en el sexo femenino (58.2%). Con relación a la ocupación las intoxicaciones afectaban a estudiantes de primaria y secundaria con 61 casos (22,6%), seguidos por 49 casos domésticos (18,2%) y agricultores con31 casos (11,5%). La mayoría de los pacientes provenían del departamento Central con 190 casos (53,9%). Se destaca el bajo número de casos asistidos en el CNT de los departamentosque usan mayor cantidad de plaguicidas, además del fácil acceso que estudiantes de primaria y secundaria tienen a estas sustancias químicas

Ectopic overexpression of the cell wall invertase gene CIN1 leads to dehydration avoidance in tomato

Drought stress conditions modify source–sink relations, thereby influencing plant growth, adaptive responses, and consequently crop yield. Invertases are key metabolic enzymes regulating sink activity through the hydrolytic cleavage of sucrose into hexose monomers, thus playing a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the physiological role of invertases during adaptation to abiotic stress conditions is not yet fully understood. Here it is shown that plant adaptation to drought stress can be markedly improved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by overexpression of the cell wall invertase (cwInv) gene CIN1 from Chenopodium rubrum. CIN1 overexpression limited stomatal conductance under normal watering regimes, leading to reduced water consumption during the drought period, while photosynthetic activity was maintained. This caused a strong increase in water use efficiency (up to 50%), markedly improving water stress adaptation through an efficient physiological strategy of dehydration avoidance. Drought stress strongly reduced cwInv activity and induced its proteinaceous inhibitor in the leaves of the wild-type plants. However, the CIN1-overexpressing plants registered 3- to 6-fold higher cwInv activity in all analysed conditions. Surprisingly, the enhanced invertase activity did not result in increased hexose concentrations due to the activation of the metabolic carbohydrate fluxes, as reflected by the maintenance of the activity of key enzymes of primary metabolism and increased levels of sugar-phosphate intermediates under water deprivation. The induced sink metabolism in the leaves explained the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, delayed senescence, and increased source activity under drought stress. Moreover, CIN1 plants also presented a better control of production of reactive oxygen species and sustained membrane protection. Those metabolic changes conferred by CIN1 overexpression were accompanied by increases in the concentrations of the senescence-delaying hormone trans-zeatin and decreases in the senescence-inducing ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the leaves. Thus, cwInv critically functions at the integration point of metabolic, hormonal, and stress signals, providing a novel strategy to overcome drought-induced limitations to crop yield, without negatively affecting plant fitness under optimal growth conditions.España Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación AT2009-0038 and AGL2011-2799

Insects associated to yellow pitaya crops (Selenicereus megalanthus) on Inzá Cauca, Colombia.

In the municipality of Inzá (Cauca, Colombia) the profitability of the main economic resource, coffee crops, decreased. As an alternative, yellow pitaya crops were established, but knowledge of the possible phytosanitary limitations for this crop in this region was absent. This study presents the entomofauna associated with yellow pitaya crops in three plantations of Inzá that contrast in agronomic and landscape features. Direct sampling of the insects found on each structure of the plant and sampling was done using entomological nets from directly under the plants to 50 cm away. Abiotic factors and indices of ecological diversity were considered. With direct sampling, 58 families were recognized; of these, Formicidae (n = 22), Coreidae (n = 11) and Lonchaeidae (n = 7) were most prevalent. Five orders and 56 families of insects were collected using entomological nets. The plants with the highest density of cladodes favored the Lonchaeidae (τ = 1.0; P = 0.00), Formicidae (τ = 1.00; P = 0.007) and Cicadellidae (τ = 1.00; P = 0.00) families. Insects from the Lonchaeidae family benefitted from the positive correlation between rainfall (τ = 1.00; P = 0.00) and temperature (τ = 1.00; P = 0.00). Damage associated with Dasiops spp. (Diptera) was not found. The presence of D. saltans was not confirmed because all the specimens collected were males. The Margalef (DMg) = 7.42; Shannon-Wiener (H ‘) = 3.217 (Alpha) and Whittaker (βw) = 1.0; and Routledge (βr) = 0.25 (Beta) diversity indices represented a large variety of beneficial insect families. A system of regular entomological surveillance and technical support should be established for producers with aim of providing long-term economic viability for this crop in the municipality

Efectos de la fertilización con nitrógeno y potasio sobre la sigatoka amarilla (Mycosphaerella musicola) del plátano (Musa AAB cv Dominico-Hartón).

Con el fin de establecer el efecto de la fertilización a base de N y K sobre la sigatoka amarilla (M. musicola) del plátano, se llevó a cabo un experimento en el que dosis de 0,75 y 150 Kg/Ha-1 de N se combinaron con dosis de 100, 200 y 400 Kg/Ha-1 de K, las cuales se compararon entre sí y con un testigo relativo (75 Kg/Ha-1 de N), en sus efectos sobre la hoja más joven afectada, el índice de severidad y la incidencia de la enfermedad. Los análisis realizados permitieron establecer un efecto altamente significativo de los tratamientos sobre la hoja más joven afectada, y significativo sobre el índice de severidad en el primero y segundo ciclos, respectivamente. Así mismo, y en promedio, el índice de severidad disminuyó conforme se incrementaron las dosis de K en ambos ciclos de producción. Al contrario, un aumento en las dosis de N causó un incremento promedio en este mismo parámetro especialmente durante el segundo ciclo de producción. Finalmente se discuten los resultados y se formulan algunas conclusionesPlátano-Musa sapientu

Guided weekly reflection papers: a strategy for Achieving academic goals

Rapid changes in innovative teaching need multidisciplinary efforts to accomplish a variety of goals through a collaborative tool which inspires and stimulates the students to learn and use the knowledge in a more a critical way. In this context, our team of lecturers concerned by educational innovation had carried out during three academic years a learning tool based on “Weekly Reflection Papers” (WRP). With the experience gained in this process we have implemented an essential modification in the procedure in order to improve the teaching-learning process. The goal of this communication is to show the development of the initial tool and how it has been changed until the actual proposal called Guided Weekly Reflection Papers” (GWRP)