Conservation communautaire de la forêt humide de basse altitude d'Andriantantely, Madagascar

Andriantantely is a lowland rainforest fragment situated in the Brickaville District of eastern Madagascar, to the south-east of the Ankeniheny-Zahamena forest Corridor. Andriantantely is recognised as a priority site for the conservation of biodiversity in general, and of four species of Critically Endangered lemurs: Prolemur simus, Varecia variegata, Indri indri, and Propithecus diadema. Approximately 4,000 ha in size, the forest extends into five different rural communes, and is impacted by many villages and hamlets, some of which are found within the forest itself. Eight VOI (local community associations) from three communes (Lohariandava, Fanasanagare and Fetraomby) are interested in management transfer contracts for parts of Andriantantely. Since 2010, The Aspinall Foundation works with the VOIs for the conservation of Prolemur simus, other lemurs, and their habitats, which helped lead to the removal of P.simus from the 25 most endangered primates list in 2012. The conservation strategy was developed following a socio-economic survey undertaken in 2010 which aimed to identify the factors limiting the conservation of the species and its habitat. The main issues identified were poverty of local people and lack of awareness of the value of biodiversity. The first conservation action undertaken was the initiation of a patrol system with local community rangers which increased understanding and protection of the monitored P.simus groups. Simultaneously, awareness-raising missions were organised within the communities living close to the P.simus sites, aimed at changing local attitudes to natural resources, and particularly lemurs. These initial activities led to the VOIs asking the Foundation for assistance in obtaining their management transfer contracts. The first contract was signed in January 2014, but several others need completion, and the development of a long-term conservation strategy for the entire Andriantantely forest, implicating local communities in a true and effective manner, is still required. Environmental education activities have followed the initial awareness-raising missions, to in still practices of rational natural resource use to assure rural development that is respectful of the environment. Much work is still required over a long time period before this rational use might be adopted by the local population in general, by VOI members and non-members alike. La forêt humide de basse altitude d’Andriantantely est située dans le district de Brickaville, au sud-est du corridor Ankeniheny- Zahamena dans l’est de Madagascar. Andriantantely est reconnu comme site prioritaire pour la conservation de la biodiversité en général, mais également pour celle de quatre espèces de lémurien en Danger Critique d’Extinction, à savoir Prolemur simus, Varecia variegata, Indri indri et Propithecus diadema. Avec une superficie d’environ 4,000 ha, la forêt d’Andriantantely s’étend sur cinq communes rurales et concerne plusieurs villages et habitations éparses dont certaines se trouvent en son cœur même. Huit groupements communautaires Vondron’Olona Ifotony (VOI), réparties dans six fokontany appartenant à trois communes rurales du bloc forestier regroupant ces villages, à savoir Lohariandava, Fanasana gare et Fetraomby, sont intéressées par la gestion de la forêt d’Andriantantely. Depuis 2010, la fondation Aspinall (The Aspinall Foundation) a travaillé avec des VOI pour la conservation des lémuriens dont Prolemur simus et de leurs habitats. Son action a permis de retirer P.simus de la liste des 25 primates les plus menacés au monde en 2012. Pour ce faire, les axes et stratégies d’intervention ont été élaborés suite à une étude socio-économique menée en 2010. Cette étude a cherché à identifier les facteurs limitant la conservation de l’espèce et la préservation de son habitat. Les principaux facteurs identifiés étaient la pauvreté des Hommes vivant à la périphérie et dans la forêt, ainsi que la méconnaissance de la valeur de la biodiversité. La première étape de l’action de conservation a été la mise en place d’un système de patrouilles assuré par des gardes locaux. Parallèlement aux patrouilles, des campagnes de sensibilisation ont été menées auprès des communautés villageoises pour que leurs attitudes vis-à-vis des ressources naturelles et plus spécifiquement des lémuriens évoluent. Ces travaux de sensibilisation ont porté leurs fruits puisque ce sont les VOI ellesmêmes qui ont sollicité l’appui de la fondation pour l’obtention d’un contrat de transfert de gestion. Le premier contrat a été signé en janvier 2014, mais d’autres sont en cours de réalisation depuis début 2015. L’élaboration d’une stratégie de conservation à long terme pour l’ensemble de la forêt d’Andriantantely, impliquant la population locale de façon réelle et effective, reste à élaborer. Les campagnes d’éducation environnementale ont succédé à celles de la sensibilisation afin d’inculquer les pratiques d’une utilisation rationnelle des ressources naturelles pour assurer un développement rural respectueux de l’environnement. Un long chemin reste néanmoins à parcourir pour que cette utilisation rationnelle soit pleinement adoptée par l’ensemble de la communauté, que les villages soient membres ou non des organisations communautaires ou VOI

Pregnancy and helminth infections.

It has been proposed that helminth infection may be particularly detrimental during pregnancy, through adverse effects on maternal anaemia and on birth outcomes, and that anthelminthic treatment during pregnancy will therefore be particularly beneficial. However, the few treatment trials that have been conducted have given, but little support to this notion and further trials in settings of nutritional stress are needed. It has also been proposed that prenatal exposure to helminth infection has an important effect on the development of the foetal immune response. There is evidence that this may impact, long-term, upon responses to helminth and nonhelminth antigens, and to allergens. Exposure to helminths in utero may also have nonspecific effects that may modify the offspring's susceptibility to diseases mediated by inflammation, including metabolic disorders. The mechanisms of such effects are not known, but they deserve to be explored as current epidemiological findings suggest the possibility of primary prevention for inflammatory conditions such as allergy, through intervention during pregnancy

Prior Mating Experience Modulates the Dispersal of Drosophila in Males More Than in Females

Cues from both an animal’s internal physiological state and its local environment may influence its decision to disperse. However, identifying and quantifying the causative factors underlying the initiation of dispersal is difficult in uncontrolled natural settings. In this study, we automatically monitored the movement of fruit flies and examined the influence of food availability, sex, and reproductive status on their dispersal between laboratory environments. In general, flies with mating experience behave as if they are hungrier than virgin flies, leaving at a greater rate when food is unavailable and staying longer when it is available. Males dispersed at a higher rate and were more active than females when food was unavailable, but tended to stay longer in environments containing food than did females. We found no significant relationship between weight and activity, suggesting the behavioral differences between males and females are caused by an intrinsic factor relating to the sex of a fly and not simply its body size. Finally, we observed a significant difference between the dispersal of the natural isolate used throughout this study and the widely-used laboratory strain, Canton-S, and show that the difference cannot be explained by allelic differences in the foraging gene

TGF-beta 1 induces human alveolar epithelial to mesenchymal cell transition (EMT)

Background: Fibroblastic foci are characteristic features in lung parenchyma of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). They comprise aggregates of mesenchymal cells which underlie sites of unresolved epithelial injury and are associated with progression of fibrosis. However, the cellular origins of these mesenchymal phenotypes remain unclear. We examined whether the potent fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1 could induce epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the human alveolar epithelial cell line, A549, and investigated the signaling pathway of TGF-β1-mediated EMT. Methods: A549 cells were examined for evidence of EMT after treatment with TGF-β1. EMT was assessed by: morphology under phase-contrast microscopy; Western analysis of cell lysates for expression of mesenchymal phenotypic markers including fibronectin EDA (Fn-EDA), and expression of epithelial phenotypic markers including E-cadherin (E-cad). Markers of fibrogenesis, including collagens and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were also evaluated by measuring mRNA level using RT-PCR, and protein by immunofluorescence or Western blotting. Signaling pathways for EMT were characterized by Western analysis of cell lysates using monoclonal antibodies to detect phosphorylated Erk1/2 and Smad2 after TGF-β1 treatment in the presence or absence of MEK inhibitors. The role of Smad2 in TGF-β1-mediated EMT was investigated using siRNA. Results: The data showed that TGF-β1, but not TNF-α or IL-1β, induced A549 cells with an alveolar epithelial type II cell phenotype to undergo EMT in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. The process of EMT was accompanied by morphological alteration and expression of the fibroblast phenotypic markers Fn-EDA and vimentin, concomitant with a downregulation of the epithelial phenotype marker E-cad. Furthermore, cells that had undergone EMT showed enhanced expression of markers of fibrogenesis including collagens type I and III and CTGF. MMP-2 expression was also evidenced. TGF-β1-induced EMT occurred through phosphorylation of Smad2 and was inhibited by Smad2 gene silencing; MEK inhibitors failed to attenuate either EMT-associated Smad2 phosphorylation or the observed phenotypic changes. Conclusion: Our study shows that TGF-β1 induces A549 alveolar epithelial cells to undergo EMT via Smad2 activation. Our data support the concept of EMT in lung epithelial cells, and suggest the need for further studies to investigate the phenomenon

Scrotal calcinosis due to resorption of cyst walls: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Scrotal calcinosis is a rare benign entity defined as the presence of multiple calcified nodules within the scrotal skin. There are controversies about the origin of this entity. In fact, it is still debatable whether scrotal calcinosis is an idiopathic growth or dystrophic calcification of dartoic muscles. It is also unclear whether scrotal calcinosis originates from inflammation of epidermal cysts affected by mild to moderate inflammation of mononuclear cells, from foreign body granuloma formation followed by resorption of cyst walls or from eccrine epithelial cysts.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a 41-year-old male Turkish patient presenting with a 10-year history of scrotal tumours increasing slowly in size and number. Histopathologically, there was no epithelial lining around the calcified nodules, but there was fibrosis adjacent to atrophic stratified squamous epithelium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results of histopathological examinations suggested that scrotal calcinosis might have been due to resorption of cyst walls. Surgery remains the key for this problem. In cases of non-massive scrotal calcinosis, like the case presented here, excision of the nodules from the affected part of the scrotal wall and repairing the defect with horizontal stitches offer good cosmetic results without relapse.</p

Strategies to self-manage side-effects of adjuvant endocrine therapy among breast cancer survivors: an umbrella review of empirical evidence and clinical guidelines

Purpose: Side-effects of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) are common in breast cancer survivors, and can affect adherence to treatment. We synthesised the evidence for strategies to self-manage these side-effects. Methods: We searched for systematic reviews and clinical guidelines on self-management strategies for AET side-effects (arthralgia, fatigue, hot flashes, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vulvovaginal symptoms, and sleep disturbance). We searched oncology organisation’s websites and eight databases (Inception-November 2020). Screening, data extraction and quality assessment were completed independently in duplicate. PROSPERO: 2019CRD4201914001. Results: We identified 33 systematic reviews and 18 clinical guidelines. 21% of reviews were high quality, and the average quality score for guidelines was 44%. Evidence for most strategies was absent or weak. There was consensus from a low-quality review and multiple guidelines to recommend moisturisers, gels and lubricants for vulvovaginal symptoms. Evidence was weak for physical activity for self-managing most symptoms, although two high-quality reviews indicated yoga and aerobic exercise could reduce fatigue. Primary research was often biased by weak and underpowered study designs. Eleven reviews did not report information on adverse events. Conclusions: Most self-management strategies for breast cancer survivors experiencing side-effects from AET lack evidence. Primary research is needed using high-quality well-powered designs focusing on implementable strategies. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Patients and clinicians should be aware that although the risk of harm is low for these self-management strategies, the likelihood of benefit is often unclear. Women should consider moisturisers, gels or lubricants for self-managing vulvovaginal symptoms, and yoga or aerobic exercise for alleviating fatigue

Hybridization in parasites: consequences for adaptive evolution, pathogenesis and public health in a changing world

[No abstract available

Toll-like receptor signaling adapter proteins govern spread of neuropathic pain and recovery following nerve injury in male mice.

BackgroundSpinal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and signaling intermediaries have been implicated in persistent pain states. We examined the roles of two major TLR signaling pathways and selected TLRs in a mononeuropathic allodynia.MethodsL5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) was performed in wild type (WT, C57BL/6) male and female mice and in male Tlr2-/-Tlr3-/-, Tlr4-/-, Tlr5-/-, Myd88-/-, Triflps2, Myd88/Triflps2, Tnf-/-, and Ifnar1-/- mice. We also examined L5 ligation in Tlr4-/- female mice. We examined tactile allodynia using von Frey hairs. Iba-1 (microglia) and GFAP (astrocytes) were assessed in spinal cords by immunostaining. Tactile thresholds were analyzed by 1- and 2-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test was used.ResultsIn WT male and female mice, SNL lesions resulted in a persistent and robust ipsilateral, tactile allodynia. In males with TLR2, 3, 4, or 5 deficiencies, tactile allodynia was significantly, but incompletely, reversed (approximately 50%) as compared to WT. This effect was not seen in female Tlr4-/- mice. Increases in ipsilateral lumbar Iba-1 and GFAP were seen in mutant and WT mice. Mice deficient in MyD88, or MyD88 and TRIF, showed an approximately 50% reduction in withdrawal thresholds and reduced ipsilateral Iba-1. In contrast, TRIF and interferon receptor null mice developed a profound ipsilateral and contralateral tactile allodynia. In lumbar sections of the spinal cords, we observed a greater increase in Iba-1 immunoreactivity in the TRIF-signaling deficient mice as compared to WT, but no significant increase in GFAP. Removing MyD88 abrogated the contralateral allodynia in the TRIF signaling-deficient mice. Conversely, IFNβ, released downstream to TRIF signaling, administered intrathecally, temporarily reversed the tactile allodynia.ConclusionsThese observations suggest a critical role for the MyD88 pathway in initiating neuropathic pain, but a distinct role for the TRIF pathway and interferon in regulating neuropathic pain phenotypes in male mice