Igitur o el nacimiento de la poesía

El texto que presentamos es una reseña de la más reciente traducción al español de Igitur o la locura de Elbehnon de Stéphane Mallarmé, elaborada por el ensayista veracruzano José Miguel Barajas para la Colección Mandrágora, en Aueio ediciones.Ubicado en el punto medio de su labor, Igitur es en más de un sentido el origen pero también el final de su obra: como si Mallarmé hubiera propuesto: “pienso, luego existe la poesía”. El protagonista del texto desciende al interior del espíritu humano en busca de un sentido más puro, absoluto. Igitur pronuncia las palabras. ¿Pero qué dice? Murmullos… la explicación órfica de la tierra. Tras conocer la trama de este poema-cuento podríamos parafrasear a Válery diciendo: que cada generación traduzca a su Mallarmé. Aunque en español sólo contemos con tres o cuatro versiones

Transformation of a flocculating saccharomyces cerevisiae using lithium acetate and pYAC4

A flocculating yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae ura3 was transformed by the method based on treatment of intact cells with lithium acetate plus single-stranded carrier DNA using the shuttle vector pYAC4. The transformation efficiency was above 10³ transformants per microgram of plasmid DNA which is similar to other described yeast transformation systems. Under selective pressure, the transformed cells were stable and maintained the flocculation ability. Thus, this simple transformation system can be used for gene expression studies in flocculating yeasts, overcoming disadvantages of conventional methods such as the spheroplast one.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - PRAXIS XXI/BD/11306/9

Intraepithelial nerve fibers project into the lumen of the larynx

Objectives/Hypothesis: Studies on the morphology and location of the sensory receptors in the laryngeal mucosa have resulted in insufficient and sometimes conflicting data. In the present study the authors analyzed the distribution and morphology of sensory nerve plexuses and terminal fibers in the laryngeal mucosa of the rat. Study Design: Two groups of Male Wistar rats were used in this laboratory study; the larynx of the first group were used to analyse the sensitive innervation of its epithelium, whereas the larynx of the second group (controls) were tested for the specificity of the antibodies used. Methods: The larynges of the animals were entirely removed after perfusion, and coronal or horizontal sections were immunoprocessed for further randomized analysis of the mucosa. Primary afferents were detected by immunoreaction to two widely recognized markers of sensory nerves, calcitonin generelated peptide and substance P, and visualized using diaminobenzidine as a chromogen. Results: The nerve plexuses were more densely distributed in the dorsal half of the vocal folds and in the laryngeal aspect of the epiglottis. Dense networks of fine fibers with many varicosities en passant, immunoreactive for both calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P, occurred in the lamina propria and along the epithelial thickness. Calcitonin gene-related peptide– immunoreactive and substance P–immunoreactive fibers extended across the epithelium and projected to the laryngeal lumen itself, reaching the space between the cilia. Conclusion: The projection of intraepithelial nerve fibers into the lumen of the larynx indicates that in the absence of mucus, nerve endings may be exposed and thus receive direct stimulation from airborne substances. Furthermore, it suggests that the laryngeal mucosa of the rat may constitute an experimental model for studying the direct activation or manipulation of primary afferents at the periphery and neurogenic inflammation.União Europeia (UE). Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – Programa Operacional “Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação” (POCTI) - POCTI/NSE/46399/2002.Grunenthal Foundation

Calmodulin gene as good voucher as MALDI-TOF ICMS to identify portuguese isolates of aspergillus section flavi

Aspergillus is a large genus, with a complex and ever evolving taxonomy. Section Flavi is one of the most significant Sections in the Genus. Taxonomy and species identification is subject of great interest for scientists aiming to clarify the species concept and limits within the section. Furthermore, this Section comprises both toxigenic and non-toxigenic species/strains, with great interest to biotechnology and food industry. Various genes, namely the rRNA (internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial LSU-rRNA regions), calmodulin and ~-tubulin genes, have been widely reported as good markers for Aspergillus species identification, because they are rapid and cost-effectiv

Characterization and identification of Aspergillus section flavi isolates from portuguese almonds using a polyphasic approach including MALDI-TOF ICMS

[Excerpt] Introduction: Aspergillus is a large genus, with a complex and ever evolving taxonomy. Section Flavi is one of the most significant sections in the genus, and is one of the best studied among fungi, for the numerous industrial applications as well as for food safety issues. Section Flavi is composed of a large number of very closely related species. While these species are difficult to differentiate morphologically and even genetically, they differ in a characteristic that is of paramount importance for food safety, as some are responsible for the production of the highly toxigenic aflatoxins. Taxonomy and species identification are therefore subject of great interest for scientists aiming to clarify the species concept and limits within the section. In this sense, the establishment of schemes for species and for aflatoxigenic strains identification that are simultaneously accurate, sensitive, robust and expedite is mandatory. At present, reliable identification schemes typically imply the analysis of a wide variety of morphological, biochemical and molecular traits. Recently, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-Of-Flight Intact Cell Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF ICMS) has been used to generate spectra of protein masses in a range of 2,000 to 20,000 Da, which result in a taxa specific fingerprint. This technique has already shown high potentialities to discriminate very closely related taxa, but has rarely been used in fungal species identification, either on its one or as part of a polyphasic scheme of identification. [...

Brain afferents to the lateral caudal ventrolateral medulla : a retrograde and anterograde tracing study in the rat

The ventrolateral medulla (VLM) modulates autonomic functions, motor reactions and pain responses. The lateralmost part of the caudal VLM (VLMlat) was recently shown to be the VLM area responsible for pain modulation. In the present study, the brain sources of VLMlat afferent fibers were determined by tract-tracing techniques. Following injection of cholera toxin subunit B into the VLMlat, retrogradely labeled neurons in the forebrain occurred at the somatosensory, insular, motor, limbic and infralimbic cortices, and at the central amygdaloid nucleus. Retrogradely labeled neurons in diencephalic regions were observed in the lateral hypothalamus, posterior hypothalamus and paraventricular nucleus. In the brainstem, retrograde labeling occurred at the periaqueductal gray, red nucleus, parabrachial area, nucleus raphe magnus, nucleus tractus solitarii, lateral reticular nucleus and dorsal and ventral medullary reticular formation. In the cerebellum, retrogradely labeled neurons occurred at the lateral nucleus. Following injections of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into the lateral hypothalamus or paraventricular nucleus, anterogradely labeled fibers were mainly observed in the VLMlat. Injections of BDA into the periaqueductal gray, red nucleus or lateral nucleus of the cerebellum resulted in anterograde labeling in the VLMlat and lateral reticular nucleus. The present study gives an account of the brain regions putatively involved in triggering the modulatory actions elicited from the VLMlat. These include areas committed to somatosensory processing, autonomic control, somatic and visceral motor activity and affective reactions. The findings suggest that the VLMlat may play a major homeostatic role in the integration of nociception with other brain functions.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – Programa Operacional “Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação” (POCTI) - POCTI/NSE/38952/2001.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (FCG) – Pain Program

Evaluation des risques de contamination des vins portugais par l’Ochratoxine A : étude menée sur un an

During the 2001 wine vintage, grapes were sampled at harvest time in eleven vineyards located in four Portuguese wine regions (from north to south: Vinhos Verdes, Douro, Ribatejo and Alentejo) for filamentous fungi isolation and identification, and for ochratoxin A (OTA) analysis. In all studied vineyards, fungi isolates belonging to Penicillium and Aspergillus recognized as producers of OTA were tested to detect its production. Also, several strains were assessed for their ability to degrade OTA in other compounds. The Penicillium isolates were not OTA producers, although some were able to degrade OTA. Many of the Aspergillus strains belong to the black Aspergillus section, mainly: A. niger aggregate and A. carbonarius. Not all the strains from the above-mentioned Aspergillus were able to produce OTA, but most of them were able to degrade OTA. It was found that just 13 out of 207 A. niger aggregate and 32 out of 33 A. carbonarius were OTA producers. Furthermore, all the black Aspergillus tested were able to degrade OTA, in many cases to the less toxic ochratoxin a. It was also observed a prevalence of not OTA producer strains over the producer ones, and many of these not OTA producer strains were able to degrade OTA. The presence of OTA in grapes from all sampled vineyards was determined. However, it was not possible to correlate the presence of OTA in grapes with the presence of OTA producer strains in the same grapes. The possibility that the presence of OTA in grapes is due to in vivo interactions between the ability to produce and to degrade the mycotoxin by fungi is suggested.En 2001, au moment des vendanges, nous avons cueilli des raisins dans onze vignes situées dans quatre régions viticoles du Portugal (du nord au sud: Vinhos Verdes, Douro, Ribatejo et Alentejo) pour isoler et identifier les moisissures filamenteuses et pour analyser la présence d’ochratoxine A (OTA). Pour toutes les vignes étudiées, les espèces de Penicillium et Aspergillus connues comme productrices d’OTA ont été testées quant à la production de cette mycotoxine. Nous avons aussi testé quelques moisissures pour savoir si elles étaient capables de transformer l’OTA et de produire des composés moins toxiques. La plupart des Aspergillus isolés appartiennent au groupe Aspergillus noir comme: A. niger (agrégat) et A. carbonarius. Cependant, nous avons trouvé que seulement 13 des 207 appartenant à l’agrégat A. niger et 32 des 33 A. carbonarius étaient producteurs d’OTA. Nous avons aussi constaté, dans la plupart des cas, que les Aspergillus noirs ont été capables de transformer l´OTA en ochratoxine a (OTa). Nous avons pourtant trouvé dans les raisins une prédominance des moisissures non productrices d’OTA et des moisissures capables de transformer l´OTA. La présence de l´OTA dans les raisins de toutes les vignes échantillonnées a également été déterminée. Toutefois, il n´a pas été possible de relier la présence d´OTA dans les raisins avec la présence des espèces productrices de cette mycotoxine dans ces mêmes raisins. Les espèces capables de transformer l´OTA peuvent-elles, in vivo, jouer un rôle important