The association between mites and the Agave L. snout weevil, more than phoresis

Objective: to identify the phoretic mites associated with the Agave (Maguey) snout weevil Scyphophorus acupunctatus. Materials and methods: manual collections of Scyphophorus acupunctatus were carried out in Agave plantations. The daily behavior of mite-infested weevils was documented. The latter were observed and classified according to specialized taxonomic keys. Results and Conclusions: there was an anomalous behavior of the agave weevil possibly favored by the infestation by mites, which can play an important role in the detriment of the vitality of that pest. Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) interacted with three groups of mites; Macrocheles merdarius (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae), Tridiplogynium sp. (Acari: Mesostigmata: Diplogyniidae) and Curculanoetus sp. (Acari: Sarcoptiformes: Histiostomatidae). Implications: this study is the first to document the presence of phoretic mites on S. acupunctatus. It is the first report to document the association between the agave weevil and the aforementioned arachnids (Acari: acari) that participate and play a desirable role in the biological control of S. acupunctatus

Essential role of CFTR in PKA-dependent phosphorylation, alkalinization, and hyperpolarization during human dperm capacitation

Mammalian sperm require to spend a limited period of time in the female reproductive tract to become competent to fertilize in a process called capacitation. It is well established that HCO3 − is essential for capacitation because it activates the atypical soluble adenylate cyclase ADCY10 leading to cAMP production, and promotes alkalinization of cytoplasm, and membrane hyperpolarization. However, how HCO3 − is transported into the sperm is not well understood. There is evidence that CFTR activity is involved in the human sperm capacitation but how this channel is integrated in the complex signaling cascades associated with this process remains largely unknown. In the present work, we have analyzed the extent to which CFTR regulates different events in human sperm capacitation. We observed that inhibition of CFTR affects HCO3 −-entrance dependent events resulting in lower PKA activity. CFTR inhibition also affected cAMP/PKA-downstream events such as the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, hyperactivated motility, and acrosome reaction. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time, that CFTR and PKA activity are essential for the regulation of intracellular pH, and membrane potential in human sperm. Addition of permeable cAMP partially recovered all the PKA-dependent events altered in the presence of inh-172 which is consistent with a role of CFTR upstream of PKA activation.Fil: Puga Molina, Lis del Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Pinto, Nicolás Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Torres Rodríguez, Paulina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Romarowski, Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Vicens Sanchez, Alberto. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Visconti, Pablo E.. University of Massachussets; Estados UnidosFil: Darszon, Alberto. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Treviño, Claudia L.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Buffone, Mariano Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin

Preliminary definitions for the sonographic features of synovitis in children

Objectives Musculoskeletal ultrasonography (US) has the potential to be an important tool in the assessment of disease activity in childhood arthritides. To assess pathology, clear definitions for synovitis need to be developed first. The aim of this study was to develop and validate these definitions through an international consensus process. Methods The decision on which US techniques to use, the components to be included in the definitions as well as the final wording were developed by 31 ultrasound experts in a consensus process. A Likert scale of 1-5 with 1 indicating complete disagreement and 5 complete agreement was used. A minimum of 80% of the experts scoring 4 or 5 was required for final approval. The definitions were then validated on 120 standardized US images of the wrist, MCP and tibiotalar joints displaying various degrees of synovitis at various ages. Results B-Mode and Doppler should be used for assessing synovitis in children. A US definition of the various components (i.e. synovial hypertrophy, effusion and Doppler signal within the synovium) was developed. The definition was validated on still images with a median of 89% (range 80-100) of participants scoring it as 4 or 5 on a Likert scale. Conclusions US definitions of synovitis and its elementary components covering the entire pediatric age range were successfully developed through a Delphi process and validated in a web-based still images exercise. These results provide the basis for the standardized US assessment of synovitis in clinical practice and research

Perspectiva universitaria Una visión multidisciplinaria sobre la ética y la realidad

La presente obra muestra a la población lectora, desde una perspectiva universitaria multidisciplinaria, un conjunto de siete investigaciones de corte teórico, que motivan la reflexión sobre las realidades sociales, donde las diferentes éticas analizadas aportan elementos teóricos y posibles estrategias para acompañar en la solución de los conflictos que encara la vida actual en el planeta.Ante los retos que enfrenta la humanidad, algunas veces consecuencia de comportamientos acumulados de baja prosocialidad y civilidad, donde el egoísmo, los abusos y la irresponsabilidad han cobrado protagonismo, son las instituciones educativas, y especialmente las universidades quienes tienen el compromiso de preparar y actualizar profesionistas cuyo perfil de egreso sea capaz de atender las necesidades apremiantes demandas por la colectividad, mismas que muchas veces no generan el reconocimiento público y, por lo tanto, no llegan a provocar una respuesta comprometida desde las políticas públicas, como puede ser el trato en los servicios a las personas más vulneradas, otras veces desde el abuso de la desinformación que termina por dar fuerza al rumor y con ello, desencadenar problemas de pánico, violencia, o incapacidad de atención, como ha sido el caso de la pandemia por el virus SARS CoV2, analizado ampliamente en este libro

Graves' disease is associated with a defective expression of the immune regulatory molecule galectin-9 in antigen-presenting dendritic cells

Introduction Patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) show defects in their immune-regulatory mechanisms. Herein we assessed the expression and function of galectin-1 and galectin-9 (Gal-1, Gal-9) in dendritic cells (DCs) from patients with AITD. Materials and Methods Peripheral blood samples from 25 patients with Graves’ disease (GD), 11 Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), and 24 healthy subjects were studied. Thyroid tissue samples from 44 patients with AITD and 22 patients with goiter were also analyzed. Expression and function of Gal-1 and Gal-9 was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Results A diminished expression of Gal-9, but not of Gal-1, by peripheral blood DCs was observed in GD patients, mainly in those with Graves´ ophthalmopathy, and a significant negative association between disease severity and Gal-9 expression was detected. In addition, the mRNA levels of Gal-9 and its ligand TIM-3 were increased in thyroid tissue from AITD patients and its expression was associated with the levels of Th1/Th12/Th17 cytokines. Immunofluorescence studies proved that intrathyroidal Gal-9 expression was confined to DCs and macrophages. Finally, in vitro functional assays showed that exogenous Gal-9 had a suppressive effect on the release of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines by DC/lymphocyte autologous co-cultures from both AITD patients and healthy controls. Conclusions The altered pattern of expression of Gal-9 in peripheral blood DCs from GD patients, its correlation with disease severity as well as its ability to suppress cytokine release suggest that Gal-9 could be involved in the pathogenesis of AITDThis work was supported by grants from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FISS) PI10/ 02521 and S2010/BMD-2328 TIRONET (Comunidad de Madrid), Spain (to MM) and the Fondo de Cooperación Internacional en Ciencia y Tecnología (FONCICYT) 95395, European Union-México (to RGA

The therapeutic relationship from the perspective of patients and nurses in the first days of admission: A cross‐sectional study in acute mental health units

The therapeutic relationship (TR) is essential in mental health nursing care and plays a fundamental role in the understanding and treatment of the patient's health status. Despite being a bidirectional construct, limited evidence is available to shed light on this issue in mental health units and even less so in the first days of admission. This study aimed to examine the association and differences between nurses' and patients' perspectives on the establishment of the therapeutic relationship in acute mental health units during the first days of hospitalization. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 12 Spanish mental health units. Data were collected from patients and nurses using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short (WAI-S) questionnaire. A total of 234 cases were analysed, including 234 patients and 58 nurses. The results showed a positive association between nurses' and patients' perspectives on the therapeutic relationship, but also revealed significant differences on each WAI-S dimension. Nurses assigned higher scores compared to patients on the perception of the quality of the therapeutic relationship. The dimensions with the greatest weight from the patients' perspective regarding the quality of the therapeutic relationship were the perception of greater agreement on goals and tasks among nurses. This study demonstrates the importance of establishing shared goals and tasks with nurses from the first days of hospitalization to improve the quality of the therapeutic relationship as perceived by patients. These findings underline the need to consider the different perspectives of both parties to promote a high-quality therapeutic relationship

The scope of the crustacean immune system for disease control

The culture or wild capture of marine and freshwater shellfish, including crustaceans, is without doubt a key source of protein for a burgeoning world population. Historically the expansion of aquaculture has, however, been accompanied by the increased incidence of economically significant diseases, most notably of viral and bacterial origin. Since the late 1970s great progress has been made in our understanding of the generalized protostome innate immune system. Distinct pathways, pathogen receptor proteins and effector molecules have since been identified that are not ancestral or homologous to those of the deuterostomes, including vertebrates. Within the past decade progress has accelerated with the rapid characterisation of new classes of recognition proteins, immune effectors and regulatory pathways. This paper provides a broad overview of our current understanding of invertebrate immunology, taking the crustacean decapod immune system as its focus. Recent developments in the field are described briefly and their implications and potential considered. These advances offer fundamental new insights in our efforts to understand disease in cultured populations and also to develop knowledge of environmental effects on host/pathogen interactions within a fishery context. Of course, challenges do remain, including the lack of an immortal cell line and the limited publically-available genomic resources. These are considered in this review as priorities for future research effort. With the continued application of more insightful technologies, coupled with associated investment, it is expected that the speed at which some of these issues are resolved will accelerate