Low doses of ivermectin cause sensory and locomotor disorders in dung beetles

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Here, based on electroantennography and spontaneous muscle force tests, we show sub-lethal disorders caused by ivermectin in sensory and locomotor systems of Scarabaeus cicatricosus, a key dung beetle species in Mediterranean ecosystems. Our findings show that ivermectin decreases the olfactory and locomotor capacity of dung beetles, preventing them from performing basic biological activities. These effects are observed at concentrations lower than those usually measured in the dung of treated livestock. Taking into account that ivermectin acts on both glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride ion channels of nerve and muscle cells, we predict that ivermectin’s effects at the physiological level could influence many members of the dung pat community. The results indicate that the decline of dung beetle populations could be related to the harmful effects of chemical contamination in the dung.Financial support was provided by the Project OAPN 762/2012 of the Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales-Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia. Departamentos del Cesar y Bolívar

Durante más de 5 décadas de violencia, el territorio Colombiano fue sometido a la voluntad de los grupos armados al margen de la ley, en este periodo se conformaron diferentes ideologías y movimientos en todo el territorio Colombiano. Hemos vivido una situación de violencia que parece nunca acabar, muchas son las familias que han quedado desamparadas, olvidadas, asesinadas, desplazadas y violentadas a tal punto que son sujetas a muchos pensares subjetivos. A pesar de los sucesos ocurridos, son re victimizados sufriendo constantemente el fuerte golpe de la violencia. Es importante adentrarnos en el abordaje de los escenarios de violencia a través del cortometraje, que nos da una clara idea de todos los sucesos a los que fueron sometidas todas estas familias indígenas, que tuvieron que dejar a un lado sus costumbres, creencias y decisiones para someterse a otra cultura con el fin de no ser masacrados, vulnerados y violentados. Este espacio académico, nos brindó un escenario concreto que nos permitió llegar más a fondo acerca de los sucesos que afectan a las poblaciones más vulnerables de nuestro territorio nacional. Este espacio nos permite a través de imágenes, reflexiones y cuestionamientos acerca del conflicto armado en Colombia, determinar la importancia de esta problemática en nuestra sociedad y así mismo, se dan a conocer las estrategias de abordaje psicosocial para el Caso de Masacre en El Salado: relatos de resiliencia después de 20 años.During more than 5 decades of violence, the Colombian territory was subdued by the will of illegal armed groups. During this period, different ideologies and movements were formed throughout the territory. We have experienced a situation of violence that seems to never end. Many families have been left helpless, forgotten, killed, displaced, and assaulted to such an extent that they are subject to many subjective thoughts. Despite the events that have occurred, they are revictimized, constantly suffering the heavy strike of violence. It is important to dig into the approach to the scenes of violence through the short film figure; which gives us a clear idea of all the events to which all these indigenous families were subdued, who had to put aside their customs, beliefs, and decisions to be subjected to another culture in order not to be massacred, harmed and assaulted. This academic space provided us with a specific scenario that allowed us to go deeper into the events that affect the most vulnerable populations in our national territory. Through images, reflections, and questions about the armed conflict in Colombia, this space allows us to determine the importance of this problem in our society and, on the other hand, to make known the psychosocial approach strategies for the Case of the Massacre in El Salado: stories of resilience after 20 years

Efeito do microclima no intercâmbio gasoso potencial de cambará (Vochysia divergens Pohl) e lixeira (Curatella americana L.) em área de Cerrado

Leaf gas exchange is affected by micrometeorological conditions, but in many cases and especially for native species, plant acclimation to prior conditions contributes to their physiological performance later. In this sense, the objective of this research was to assess the association between leaf gas exchange and climate variables prevailing at the time of measurement and taken as average values of the previous day, for two plant species Vochysia divergens and Curatella americana representatives of the region and two leaf ages (young and adult), in the case of V. divergens. The work was performed in a pasture in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso, located in Santo Antonio de Leverger 15 km SSE from Cuiabá, for the period between May and December of 2009. Based on the results, it was observed that V. divergens gas exchange rates were affected by both the past environmental conditions and prevailing conditions on the morning of the measurements. Within the ages of leaves of V. divergens, the young leaves showed greater sensitivity to variations in weather conditions as compared to older leaves. In contrast, the gas exchange of C. americana leaves were not significantly correlated with environmental variables. It’s like C. americana respond instantly to changes in microclimate that occur in the environment.O intercâmbio gasoso é afetado pelas condições micrometeorológicas. Porém, em muitos casos, e em especial para espécies nativas, a aclimatação das plantas a condições precedentes contribui para o seu desempenho fisiológico posterior. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do microclima sobre o intercâmbio gasoso das espécies Vochysia divergens e Curatella americana em uma área de Cerrado Mato-Grossense. O trabalho foi relizado no município de Santo Antônio de Leverger, distante 15 km de Cuiabá, no período compreendido de maio a dezembro de 2009. Com base nos resultados, observou-se que as taxas do intercâmbio gasoso de V. divergens foram afetadas tanto pelas condições ambientais passadas quanto pelas prevalecentes na manhã das medições, com a participação significativa de todas as variáveis microclimáticas estudadas apenas para a segunda situação. Folhas jovens de V. divergens demonstraram maior sensibilidade às variações das condições meteorológicas em relação às adultas. Por outro lado, em nenhum momento, as taxas do intercâmbio gasoso de C. americana apresentaram correlação significativa com as variáveis ambientais, como se a espécie fosse sensível às mudanças instantâneas das condições microclimáticas, dentro dos limites empregados neste estudo

Efeito do microclima no intercâmbio gasoso potencial de cambará (Vochysia divergens Pohl) e lixeira (Curatella americana L.) em área de Cerrado

Leaf gas exchange is affected by micrometeorological conditions, but in many cases and especially for native species, plant acclimation to prior conditions contributes to their physiological performance later. In this sense, the objective of this research was to assess the association between leaf gas exchange and climate variables prevailing at the time of measurement and taken as average values of the previous day, for two plant species Vochysia divergens and Curatella americana representatives of the region and two leaf ages (young and adult), in the case of V. divergens. The work was performed in a pasture in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso, located in Santo Antonio de Leverger 15 km SSE from Cuiabá, for the period between May and December of 2009. Based on the results, it was observed that V. divergens gas exchange rates were affected by both the past environmental conditions and prevailing conditions on the morning of the measurements. Within the ages of leaves of V. divergens, the young leaves showed greater sensitivity to variations in weather conditions as compared to older leaves. In contrast, the gas exchange of C. americana leaves were not significantly correlated with environmental variables. It’s like C. americana respond instantly to changes in microclimate that occur in the environment.O intercâmbio gasoso é afetado pelas condições micrometeorológicas. Porém, em muitos casos, e em especial para espécies nativas, a aclimatação das plantas a condições precedentes contribui para o seu desempenho fisiológico posterior. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do microclima sobre o intercâmbio gasoso das espécies Vochysia divergens e Curatella americana em uma área de Cerrado Mato-Grossense. O trabalho foi relizado no município de Santo Antônio de Leverger, distante 15 km de Cuiabá, no período compreendido de maio a dezembro de 2009. Com base nos resultados, observou-se que as taxas do intercâmbio gasoso de V. divergens foram afetadas tanto pelas condições ambientais passadas quanto pelas prevalecentes na manhã das medições, com a participação significativa de todas as variáveis microclimáticas estudadas apenas para a segunda situação. Folhas jovens de V. divergens demonstraram maior sensibilidade às variações das condições meteorológicas em relação às adultas. Por outro lado, em nenhum momento, as taxas do intercâmbio gasoso de C. americana apresentaram correlação significativa com as variáveis ambientais, como se a espécie fosse sensível às mudanças instantâneas das condições microclimáticas, dentro dos limites empregados neste estudo

Ivermectin residues disrupt dung beetle diversity, soil properties and ecosystem functioning: An interdisciplinary field study

Ivermectin is the most common endectocide used to control parasites affecting livestock. Short-term physiological and behavioural effects of ivermectin on dung beetles may have long-term consequences for beetle populations and ecosystem functioning. Long-term effects of the use of ivermectin can be estimated by comparing dung assemblages and ecosystem functions in areas with conventional ivermectin-treated livestock and environmentally similar areas in which livestock are not treated with veterinary medical products (organic farming). In this study, we investigated both short-term and long-term effects of the administration of ivermectin on the characteristics of dung beetle assemblages and the services they provided in a protected area (Doñana National Park, SW Spain). We examined short-term dung colonization, dwelling, relocation, and disaggregation rates and the associations between these processes and the key assemblage parameters of species richness, abundance, biomass and functional diversity. Furthermore, we analysed changes in soil physical-chemical properties and processes. Short-term differences were observed in the total amount of dung relocated by dung beetles at different colonization vs. emigration stages, suggesting that dung beetles in this area were affected by the recent treatments of livestock with ivermectin. Moreover, short-term effects could also be responsible for the significant differences in dung spreading rates between sites. Conventional use of ivermectin disrupted ecosystem functioning by affecting species richness, abundance and biomass. The decrease in diversity parameters was related to a reduction in the functional efficiency, which resulted in the long-term accumulation of dung on the ground and considerable changes in soil functionality.Financial support was provided by the projects CGL2015-68207-R of the Secretaría de Estado de Investigación– Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, and OAPN 762/2012 of the Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales-Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente.Peer Reviewe

Ivermectin residues disrupt dung beetle diversity, soil properties and ecosystem functioning: An interdisciplinary field study

Ivermectin is the most common endectocide used to control parasites affecting livestock. Short-term physiological and behavioural effects of ivermectin on dung beetles may have long-term consequences for beetle populations and ecosystem functioning. Long-term effects of the use of ivermectin can be estimated by comparing dung assemblages and ecosystem functions in areas with conventional ivermectin-treated livestock and environmentally similar areas in which livestock are not treated with veterinary medical products (organic farming). In this study, we investigated both short-term and long-term effects of the administration of ivermectin on the characteristics of dung beetle assemblages and the services they provided in a protected area (Doñana National Park, SW Spain). We examined short-term dung colonization, dwelling, relocation, and disaggregation rates and the associations between these processes and the key assemblage parameters of species richness, abundance, biomass and functional diversity. Furthermore, we analysed changes in soil physical-chemical properties and processes. Short-term differences were observed in the total amount of dung relocated by dung beetles at different colonization vs. emigration stages, suggesting that dung beetles in this area were affected by the recent treatments of livestock with ivermectin. Moreover, short-term effects could also be responsible for the significant differences in dung spreading rates between sites. Conventional use of ivermectin disrupted ecosystem functioning by affecting species richness, abundance and biomass. The decrease in diversity parameters was related to a reduction in the functional efficiency, which resulted in the long-term accumulation of dung on the ground and considerable changes in soil functionality.Financial support was provided by the projects CGL2015-68207-R of the Secretaría de Estado de Investigación–Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, and OAPN 762/2012 of the Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales-Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente

Ex vivo effect of JAK inhibition on JAK-STAT1 pathway hyperactivation in patients with dominant-negative STAT3 mutations.

STAT1 gain-of-function (GOF) and dominant-negative (DN) STAT3 syndromes share clinical manifestations including infectious and inflammatory manifestations. Targeted treatment with Janus-kinase (JAK) inhibitors shows promising results in treating STAT1 GOF-associated symptoms while management of DN STAT3 patients has been largely supportive. We here assessed the impact of ruxolitinib on the JAK-STAT1/3 pathway in DN STAT3 patients' cells. Using flow cytometry, immunoblot, qPCR, and ELISA techniques, we examined the levels of basal STAT1 and phosphorylated STAT1 (pSTAT1) of cells obtained from DN STAT3, STAT1 GOF patients, and healthy donors following stimulation with type I/II interferons (IFNs) or interleukin (IL)-6. We also describe the impact of ruxolitinib on cytokine-induced STAT1 signaling in these patients. DN STAT3 and STAT1 GOF resulted in a similar phenotype characterized by increased STAT1 and pSTAT1 levels in response to IFNα (CD3+ cells) and IFNγ (CD14+ monocytes). STAT1-downstream gene expression and C-X-C motif chemokine 10 secretion were higher in most DN STAT3 patients upon stimulation compared to healthy controls. Ex vivo treatment with the JAK1/2-inhibitor ruxolitinib reduced cytokine responsiveness and normalized STAT1 phosphorylation in DN STAT3 and STAT1 GOF patient' cells. In addition, ex vivo treatment was effective in modulating STAT1 downstream signaling in DN STAT3 patients. In the absence of effective targeted treatment options for AD-HIES at present, modulation of the JAK/STAT1 pathway with JAK inhibitors may be further explored particularly in those AD-HIES patients with autoimmune and/or autoinflammatory manifestations

Compilación de Proyectos de Investigación desde el año 2003 al 2012

Listado de Proyectos de investigación de UPIICSA desde 2003 a 201