Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Oligodendroglial Differentiation in Hippocampal Slice Cultures

We have previously shown that soluble factors derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induce oligodendrogenic fate and differentiation in adult rat neural progenitors (NPCs) in vitro. Here, we investigated if this pro-oligodendrogenic effect is maintained after cells have been transplanted onto rat hippocampal slice cultures, a CNS-organotypic environment. We first tested whether NPCs, that were pre-differentiated in vitro by MSC-derived conditioned medium, would generate oligodendrocytes after transplantation. This approach resulted in the loss of grafted NPCs, suggesting that oligodendroglial pre-differentiated cells could not integrate in the tissue and therefore did not survive grafting. However, when NPCs together with MSCs were transplanted in situ into hippocampal slice cultures, the grafted NPCs survived and the majority of them differentiated into oligodendrocytes. In contrast to the prevalent oligodendroglial differentiation in case of the NPC/MSC co-transplantation, naive NPCs transplanted in the absence of MSCs differentiated predominantly into astrocytes. In summary, the pro-oligodendrogenic activity of MSCs was maintained only after co-transplantation into hippocampal slice cultures. Therefore, in the otherwise astrogenic milieu, MSCs established an oligodendrogenic niche for transplanted NPCs, and thus, co-transplantation of MSCs with NPCs might provide an attractive approach to re-myelinate the various regions of the diseased CNS. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base

Experimental determination of viscosities and densities of mixtures carbon dioxide+1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. Viscosity correlation

Producción CientíficaThe effect of viscosity reduction caused by the solubilization of CO2 is studied in order to improve the biomass processing in ionic liquids. To do so, densities and viscosities of the pure ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and its mixtures with CO2 up molar fractions of 0.25 and temperatures between 333 and 372 K have been experimentally determined. Viscosities were correlated as a function of temperature and CO2 molar fractions with an average relative error of 2.5%. The viscosities of other mixtures CO2 + ionic liquids were also correlated for other ionic liquids with an average relative error between 4.4 and 13%. In general these ionic liquids present a linear decrease of viscosity with CO2 molar fractions up to around 0.5 that is more pronounced at lower temperatures and depends of each ionic liquid, and can reach between 60 and 100% viscosity reduction with respect the viscosity of the pure ionic liquid, making the CO2 a promising co-solvent for viscosity reduction in process with ionic liquids.2018-01-29Junta de Castilla y León VA295U14Marie Curie Program. Project DoHipMinisterio de Economía. Programa Ramon y Cajal, RyC RYC-2013-13976Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (EXC 1069) funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Trainer in a pocket - proof-of-concept of mobile, real-time, foot kinematics feedback for gait pattern normalization in individuals after stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury and elderly patients

Background: Walking disabilities negatively affect inclusion in society and quality of life and increase the risk for secondary complications. It has been shown that external feedback applied by therapists and/or robotic training devices enables individuals with gait abnormalities to consciously normalize their gait pattern. However, little is known about the effects of a technically-assisted over ground feedback therapy. The aim of this study was to assess whether automatic real-time feedback provided by a shoe-mounted inertial-sensor-based gait therapy system is feasible in individuals with gait impairments after incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI), stroke and in the elderly. Methods: In a non-controlled proof-of-concept study, feedback by tablet computer-generated verbalized instructions was given to individuals with iSCI, stroke and old age for normalization of an individually selected gait parameter (stride length, stance or swing duration, or foot-to-ground angle). The training phase consisted of 3 consecutive visits. Four weeks post training a follow-up visit was performed. Visits started with an initial gait analysis (iGA) without feedback, followed by 5 feedback training sessions of 2–3 min and a gait analysis at the end. A universal evaluation and FB scheme based on equidistant levels of deviations from the mean normal value (1 level = 1 standard deviation (SD) of the physiological reference for the feedback parameter) was used for assessment of gait quality as well as for automated adaptation of training difficulty. Overall changes in level over iGAs were detected using a Friedman’s Test. Post-hoc testing was achieved with paired Wilcoxon Tests. The users’ satisfaction was assessed by a customized questionnaire. Results: Fifteen individuals with iSCI, 11 after stroke and 15 elderly completed the training. The average level at iGA significantly decreased over the visits in all groups (Friedman’s test, p < 0.0001), with the biggest decrease between the first and second training visit (4.78 ± 2.84 to 3.02 ± 2.43, p < 0.0001, paired Wilcoxon test). Overall, users rated the system’s usability and its therapeutic effect as positive. Conclusions: Mobile, real-time, verbalized feedback is feasible and results in a normalization of the feedback gait parameter. The results form a first basis for using real-time feedback in task-specific motor rehabilitation programs. Trial registration: DRKS00011853 , retrospectively registered on 2017/03/23

As mídias em múltiplas perspectivas

Os estudos antropológicos da mídia têm se ampliado e se consolidado nos últimos anos no Brasil. Crescem os grupos de trabalho em encontros e congressos da área, as publicações, os livros, os artigos e as coletâneas; os trabalhos de conclusão, como teses, dissertações, monografias de graduação: uma produção ainda a ser mapeada, descrita e analisada. No entanto, o reconhecimento e a produção sobre o tema em nosso campo ainda não refletem a importância do fenômeno da mídia e da comunicação nas sociedades contemporâneas, e, como diversos autores já apontaram, uma antropologia do contemporâneo necessariamente deve tomar em conta os territórios e as articulações midiáticos.Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

Feasibility of visual instrumented movement feedback therapy in individuals with motor incomplete spinal cord injury walking on a treadmill

Background: Incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) leads to motor and sensory deficits. Even in ambulatory persons with good motor function an impaired proprioception may result in an insecure gait. Limited internal afferent feedback (FB) can be compensated by provision of external FB by therapists or technical systems. Progress in computational power of motion analysis systems allows for implementation of instrumented real-time FB. The aim of this study was to test if individuals with iSCI can normalize their gait kinematics during FB and more importantly maintain an improvement after therapy. Methods: Individuals with chronic iSCI had to complete 6 days (one day per week) of treadmill-based FB training with a 2 weeks pause after 3 days of training. Each day consists of an initial gait analysis followed by 2 blocks with FB/no-FB. During FB the deviation of the mean knee angle during swing from a speed matched reference (norm distance, ND) is visualized as a number. The task consists of lowering the ND, which was updated after every stride. Prior to the tests in patients the in-house developed FB implementation was tested in healthy subjects with an artificial movement task. Results: 4 of 5 study participants benefited from FB in the short and medium term. Decrease of mean ND was highest during the first 3 sessions (from 3.93±1.54 to 2.18±1.04). After the pause mean ND stayed in the same range than before. In the last 3 sessions the mean ND decreased slower (2.40±1.18 to 2.20±0.90). Direct influences of FB ranged from 60% to 15% of reduction in mean ND compared to initial gait analysis and from 20% to 1% compared to no-FB sessions. Conclusions: Instrumented kinematic real-time FB may serve as an effective adjunct to established gait therapies in normalizing the gait pattern after incomplete spinal cord injury. Further studies with larger patient groups need to prove long term learning and the successful transfer of newly acquired skills to activities of daily living

Games for Quantum Physics Education

As the second quantum revolution comes to pass with its potential to revolutionize our lives, it becomes increasingly relevant to educate the public about quantum mechanics. Quantum literacy is also a formidable challenge and opportunity for a massive cultural uplift, since it fosters the possibility for citizens to engender their creativity and practice a new way of thinking. However, quantum theory is highly counterintuitive, manifesting in a reality we have no direct experience of, and represented by mathematically difficult formalisms. Here, we propose that games can provide a playground for engaging forms of experimental and symbolic literacy accessible to anyone. We discuss the theoretical foundations underlying this idea in the framework of a global educational strategy, illustrate existing examples of its implementation along different dimensions related to educational, citizen-science, and age-related contexts, and envision future challenges

Peripheral serotonin transporter DNA methylation is linked to increased salience network connectivity in females with anorexia nervosa

Background: Epigenetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has been shown to modulate the functioning of brain circuitry associated with the salience network and may heighten the risk for mental illness. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to test this epigenome–brain–behaviour pathway in patients with anorexia nervosa.Methods: We obtained resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) data and blood samples from 55 acutely underweight female patients with anorexia nervosa and 55 age-matched female healthy controls. We decomposed imaging data using independent component analysis. We used bisulfite pyrosequencing to analyze blood DNA methylation within the promoter region of SLC6A4. We then explored salience network rsFC patterns in the group × methylation interaction.Results: We identified a positive relationship between SLC6A4 methylation levels and rsFC between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the salience network in patients with anorexia nervosa compared to healthy controls. Increased rsFC in the salience network mediated the link between SLC6A4 methylation and eating disorder symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa. We confirmed findings of rsFC alterations for CpG-specific methylation at a locus with evidence of methylation correspondence between brain and blood tissue.Limitations: This study was cross-sectional in nature, the sample size was modest for the method and methylation levels were measured peripherally, so findings cannot be fully generalized to brain tissue.Conclusion: This study sheds light on the neurobiological process of how epigenetic variation in the SLC6A4 gene may relate to rsFC in the salience network that is linked to psychopathology in anorexia nervosa.</p

Nova ocorrência de Leprocaulon Nyl. ex Lamy (Incertae Sedis, Lecanorales) para o estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

The genus Leprocaulon is a lichenized anamorphic fungi, characterized by the fruticose aspect, presence of phyllocladia and absence of a cortical layer. Until now, Leprocaulon was only registered in Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro. In the present work, this genus is registered for the first time in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The specimen was identified as Leprocaulon albicans (Th. Fr.) Nyl. ex Hue, and it was collected in the city of São Francisco de Paula, in an area of Araucaria forest, on the cortex of a tree which was also covered by other lichens and mosses.O gênero Leprocaulon é um fungo anamórfico liquenizado que se caracteriza pelo hábito fruticoso, presença de filocládios e ausência de camada cortical. Até o momento, Leprocaulon havia sido registrado somente nos estados de Minas Gerais, Paraná e Rio de Janeiro. No presente trabalho, este gênero é registrado pela primeira vez para o estado do Rio Grande do Sul. O espécime foi identificado como Leprocaulon albicans (Th. Fr.) Nyl. ex Hue, e foi  coletado no município de São Francisco de Paula, em área de Floresta Ombrófila Mista, sob tronco coberto por liquens e musgos

Vitamin C Intake Reduces the Cytotoxicity Associated with Hyperglycemia in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes

Hyperglycemia leads to the formation of free radicals and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Antioxidants can reduce the level of protein glycation and DNA damage. In this study, we compared the levels of vitamin C intake, which is among the most abundant antioxidants obtained from diet, with the levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (A1C), DNA damage, and cytotoxicity in prediabetic subjects and type 2 diabetic subjects. Our results indicated that there was no significant correlation between FPG or A1C and DNA damage parameters (micronuclei, nucleoplasmic bridges, and nuclear buds). FPG and A1C correlated with necrosis (r = 0.294; P = 0.013 and r = 0.401; P = 0.001, resp.). Vitamin C intake correlated negatively with necrosis and apoptosis (r = −0.246; P = 0.040, and r = −0.276; P = 0.021, resp.). The lack of a correlation between the FPG and A1C and DNA damage could be explained, at least in part, by the elimination of cells with DNA damage by either necrosis or apoptosis (cytotoxicity). Vitamin C appeared to improve cell survival by reducing cytotoxicity. Therefore, the present results indicate the need for clinical studies to evaluate the effect of low-dose vitamin C supplementation in type 2 diabetes

Automatic Weather Station (AWS) Program operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 2012-2013 field season: Challenges and Successes

ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校で推進している南極無人気象観測計画（Antarctic Automatic Weather Station（AWS）program）の，2012-2013年のフィールド調査および結果の概要を報告する．今期はAWS 観測網の歴史上，特異なシーズンであった．ロス島地域が温暖であったことは氷上滑走路の利用に影響を及ぼし，いくつかの設営面での制約に直面した． 柔軟な計画により，限られた条件下でAWS サービルを最大化し，自動観測ネットワークへの要求に対応する最善の手段をとることができた．This report reviews 2012-2013 field season activities of the University of Wisconsin-Madison＇s Antarctic Automatic Weather Station (AWS) program, summarizes the science that these sites are supporting, and outlines the factors that impact the number of AWS sites serviced in any given field season. The 2012-2013 austral summer season was unusual in the AWS network history. Challenges encountered include, but are not limited to, warmer than normal conditions in the Ross Island area impacting airfield operations, changes to logistical procedures, and competition for shared resources. A flexible work plan provides the best means for taking on these challenges while maximizing AWS servicing efforts under restricted conditions and meeting the need for routine servicing that maintaining an autonomous observing network demands