Occupational Therapy Interventions Using New Technologies in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

New technologies (NT) are increasingly used in Occupational Therapy (OT) interventions in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We conducted a scoping review to describe OT interventions investigated in scientific literature which use NT in children and adolescents with ASD. Two authors independently searched the scientific databases PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science, carried out a peer-review screening of articles and extracted data. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. OT interventions lasted between 1 week and 12 months, consisted of between 1 session per day and 5 sessions per week, were carried out exclusively by an occupational therapist, and the most used NT was the computer (n = 12). The duration of the interventions and assessment measures used varied greatly between studies

Analysis of alternative splicing events for cancer diagnosis using a multiplexing nanophotonic biosensor

Personalized medicine is a promising tool not only for prevention, screening and development of more efficient treatment strategies, but also for diminishing the side effects caused by current therapies. Deciphering gene regulation pathways provides a reliable prognostic analysis to elucidate the origin of grave diseases and facilitate the selection of the most adequate treatment for each individual. Alternative splicing of mRNA precursors is one of these gene regulation pathways and enables cells to generate different protein outputs from the same gene depending on their developmental or homeostatic status. Its deregulation is strongly linked to disease onset and progression constituting a relevant and innovative class of biomarker. Herein we report a highly selective and sensitive nanophotonic biosensor based on the direct monitoring of the aberrant alternative splicing of Fas gene. Unlike conventional methods, the nanobiosensor performs a real-time detection of the specific isoforms in the fM-pM range without any cDNA synthesis or PCR amplification requirements. The nanobiosensor has been proven isoform-specific with no crosshybridization, greatly minimizing detection biases. The demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity make our nanobiosensor ideal for examining significant tumor-associated expression shifts of alternatively spliced isoforms for the early and accurate theranostics of cancer

El género Geastrum en Argentina: adiciones a la Región Chaqueña

Hernández Caf fot, María L.; Laura S. Domínguez; Carlos Urcelay. 2014. “El género Geastrum en Argentina: adiciones a la Región Chaqueña”. Lilloa 51 (1). En este trabajo se cita por primera vez a Geastrum striatum, G. violaceum y G. trichiferum para el bosque Chaqueño Húmedo de la Provincia Fitogeográfica Chaqueña. Estas especies habían sido citadas previamente para las regiones Pampeana, Espinal y Selva Paranaense, respectivamente. El trabajo incluye las descripciones de las colecciones estudiadas, imágenes y algunas observaciones de las mismas

Analysis of the Relationship between Lifestyle and Coffee Consumption Habits, from the Myth Approach, in the Municipalities of Orizaba, Tehuipango, and Zongolica Veracruz.

Coffee consumption habits have evolved along with society for more than 300 years around the world. Social changes imply different lifestyles in each culture. Lifestyles influence the myths used by people in their consumption decisions. The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between lifestyle and coffee consumption habits, from the perspective of myth, in the inhabitants of the Mexican municipalities of Orizaba, Tehuipango, and Zongolica. A survey was conducted with a sample of inhabitants of the three municipalities studied. The statistical analyzes applied were the central limit theorem, Pearson, and Chi-square. The results show that the variables Consumption habits-Lifestyle-Myth, are highly dependent on the level of perception of people. It is concluded that the coffee myth corresponds to the "family union" in the study municipalities. This myth is not characterized in the evolutionary stages contemplated in the "waves of coffee"

Epiparasitic plants specialized on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Over 400 non-photosynthetic species from 10 families of vascular plants obtain their carbon from fungi and are thus defined as myco-heterotrophs. Many of these plants are epiparasitic on green plants from which they obtain carbon by 'cheating' shared mycorrhizal fungi. Epiparasitic plants examined to date depend on ectomycorrhizal fungi for carbon transfer and exhibit exceptional specificity for these fungi, but for most myco-heterotrophs neither the identity of the fungi nor the sources of their carbon are known. Because many myco-heterotrophs grow in forests dominated by plants associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; phylum Glomeromycota), we proposed that epiparasitism would occur also between plants linked by AMF. On a global scale AMF form the most widespread mycorrhizae, thus the ability of plants to cheat this symbiosis would be highly significant. We analysed mycorrhizae from three populations of Arachnitis uniflora (Corsiaceae, Monocotyledonae), five Voyria species and one Voyriella species (Gentianaceae, Dicotyledonae), and neighbouring green plants. Here we show that non-photosynthetic plants associate with AMF and can display the characteristic specificity of epiparasites. This suggests that AMF mediate significant inter-plant carbon transfer in nature

Influence of cognitive impairment on the freezing of gait in non demented people with Parkinson’s disease

[Resumen] Introducción. La congelación de la marcha (CDM) es una alteración motora que suele aparecer en estadios avanzados de la enfermedad de Parkinson (EP). Las funciones cognitivas y ejecutivas parecen tener un papel importante en la aparición de este fenómeno. Objetivo. Investigar si los parámetros cognitivos y cinemáticos se correlacionan con la CDM en pacientes con EP sin demencia. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio observacional y transversal. Los participantes se clasificaron en dos grupos: con y sin CDM. La información clínica se obtuvo mediante la escala de Hoehn y Yahr, la Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale y la prueba de equilibrio de la Short Physical Performance Battery. La función cognitiva se valoró con el miniexamen cognitivo y la Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, y la función ejecutiva, con la Frontal Assessment Battery. Los parámetros cinemáticos se valoraron mediante la velocidad de la marcha, la cadencia, la longitud del paso y el tiempo del paso. Resultados. Veinticinco participantes con EP sin demencia completaron el programa. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre individuos con y sin CDM en cognición global (p = 0,02), memoria (p = 0,04), función ejecutiva (p = 0,04), cadencia (p = 0,02), longitud del paso (p = 0,04) y tiempo del paso (p = 0,01). Conclusión. Diversos parámetros cognitivos pueden contribuir de forma importante en la aparición de la CDM en la EP. Estos resultados pueden tener implicaciones clínicas relevantes para el desarrollo de estrategias e intervenciones no farmacológicas y cognitivas dirigidas a pacientes con EP y con CDM.[Abstract] Introduction. Freezing of gait (FOG) is a motor disturbance usually appearing in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Cognitive and executive function seems to play an important role in this phenomenon. Aim. To investigate if cognitive and kinematic parameters correlate with FOG in PD patients without dementia. Patients and methods. We conducted an observational cross-sectional study. Participants were classified in two groups: freezers and non-freezers. Clinical information was obtained by Hoehn & Yahr scale, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale and balance test of Short Physical Performance Battery. Cognitive function was evaluated using Minimental Examination and the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation; executive function was assessed with the Frontal Assessment Battery test. Battery kinematic parameters were assessed by means of gait speed, cadence, stride length and stride time. Results. Twenty-five participants with PD without dementia completed the evaluation. Statistical significant differences between freezers and non-freezers were found in global cognition (p = 0.02), memory (p = 0.04), executive function (p = 0.04), cadence (p = 0.02), stride length (p = 0.04) and stride time (p = 0.01). Conclusion. Cognitive parameters may have an important contribution to the manifestation of freezing of gait in PD. These results may have important clinical implications for developing future non-pharmacological and cognitive interventions strategies targeted to PD patients with FOG

The anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-37 is an inhibitor of trained immunity.

Summary Trained immunity (TI) is a de facto innate immune memory program induced in monocytes/macrophages by exposure to pathogens or vaccines, which evolved as protection against infections. TI is characterized by immunometabolic changes and histone post-translational modifications, which enhance production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. As aberrant activation of TI is implicated in inflammatory diseases, tight regulation is critical; however, the mechanisms responsible for this modulation remain elusive. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that curbs inflammation and modulates metabolic pathways. In this study, we show that administration of recombinant IL-37 abrogates the protective effects of TI in vivo, as revealed by reduced host pro-inflammatory responses and survival to disseminated candidiasis. Mechanistically, IL-37 reverses the immunometabolic changes and histone post-translational modifications characteristic of TI in monocytes, thus suppressing cytokine production in response to infection. IL-37 thereby emerges as an inhibitor of TI and as a potential therapeutic target in immune-mediated pathologies

Association between progesterone concentration and endometrial gene expression in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between progesterone concentration on Days 4 and 9 of the estrus cycle and endometrial transcriptome at Day 9 in lactating grazing dairy cows. Blood samples were obtained on Days 0, 4, and 9 for progesterone measurement by chemiluminescence. Cows were assigned to one of the following groups (n = 3 per group): cows with low physiological progesterone on Day 4, cows in anestrous, cows with high physiological progesterone on Day 4, and superovulated cows. Endometrial biopsy samples were obtained on Day 9 for RNA sequencing. Quality control and determination of differentially expressed genes (false discovery rate <0.05) were determined using the edgeR package for R software. We identified 3,042 differentially expressed genes among the 4 groups. Cows having high physiological progesterone and superovulated cows showed high similarities and clustered apart from those in anestrus or having low physiological progesterone. Functional analysis using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery revealed that endometrial genes upregulated by low progesterone concentration are enriched genes involved in the immune system and inflammatory response. Conversely, cows with high physiological progesterone concentration presented an endometrial transcriptome with similarities to cows with good genetic merit for fertility, showing upregulation of genes related to uterine relaxation–contraction, focal adhesion, GnRH signaling pathway, and epidermal growth factor–like related terms, suggesting a favorable embryo environment. In conclusion, our results support the concept that there is a threshold of progesterone concentration at the beginning of the luteal phase associated with endometrial expression of critical genes involved in the preparation of the uterine environment for embryo implantation.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Heterozygous CAPN3 missense variants causing autosomal-dominant calpainopathy in seven unrelated families

[Aims] Recessive variants in CAPN3 gene are the cause of the commonest form of autosomal recessive limb girdle muscle dystrophy. However, two distinct in-frame deletions in CAPN3 (NM_000070.3:c.643_663del21 and c.598_621del15) and more recently, Gly445Arg and Arg572Pro substitutions have been linked to autosomal dominant (AD) forms of calpainopathy. We report 21 affected individuals from seven unrelated families presenting with an autosomal dominant form of muscular dystrophy associated with five different heterozygous missense variants in CAPN.[Methods] We have used massively parallel gene sequencing (MPS) to determine the genetic basis of a dominant form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy in affected individuals from seven unrelated families.[Results] The c.700G> A, [p.(Gly234Arg)], c.1327T> C [p.(Ser443Pro], c.1333G> A [p.(Gly445Arg)], c.1661A> C [p.(Tyr554Ser)] and c.1706T> C [p.(Phe569Ser)] CAPN3 variants were identified. Affected individuals presented in young adulthood with progressive proximal and axial weakness, waddling walking and scapular winging or with isolated hyperCKaemia. Muscle imaging showed fatty replacement of paraspinal muscles, variable degrees of involvement of the gluteal muscles, and the posterior compartment of the thigh and minor changes at the mid-leg level. Muscle biopsies revealed mild myopathic changes. Western blot analysis revealed a clear reduction in calpain 3 in skeletal muscle relative to controls. Protein modelling of these variants on the predicted structure of calpain 3 revealed that all variants are located in proximity to the calmodulin-binding site and are predicted to interfere with proteolytic activation.[Conclusions] We expand the genotypic spectrum of CAPN3-associated muscular dystrophy due to autosomal dominant missense variants.This study was funded in part by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the project PI14/00738 to M. O. (co-funded by European Regional Development Fund. ERDF, a way to build Europe). We thank CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support NGL (APP1117510) and GR (APP1122952) are supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). This work is also funded by an NHMRC Project Grant (APP1080587).Peer reviewe

Influence of socioeconomic status on community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in elderly patients requiring hospitalization: a multicenter observational study

The associations between socioeconomic status and community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in adults have been studied although studies did not always document a relationship. The aim of this multicenter observational study was to determine the association between socioeconomic status and community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in the elderly, in the context of a public health system providing universal free care to the whole population