Zebrafish Caudal Haematopoietic Embryonic Stromal Tissue (CHEST) Cells Support Haematopoiesis.

Haematopoiesis is an essential process in early vertebrate development that occurs in different distinct spatial locations in the embryo that shift over time. These different sites have distinct functions: in some anatomical locations specific hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are generated de novo. In others, HSPCs expand. HSPCs differentiate and renew in other locations, ensuring homeostatic maintenance. These niches primarily control haematopoiesis through a combination of cell-to-cell signalling and cytokine secretion that elicit unique biological effects in progenitors. To understand the molecular signals generated by these niches, we report the generation of caudal hematopoietic embryonic stromal tissue (CHEST) cells from 72-hours post fertilization (hpf) caudal hematopoietic tissue (CHT), the site of embryonic HSPC expansion in fish. CHEST cells are a primary cell line with perivascular endothelial properties that expand hematopoietic cells in vitro. Morphological and transcript analysis of these cultures indicates lymphoid, myeloid, and erythroid differentiation, indicating that CHEST cells are a useful tool for identifying molecular signals critical for HSPC proliferation and differentiation in the zebrafish. These findings permit comparison with other temporally and spatially distinct haematopoietic-supportive zebrafish niches, as well as with mammalian haematopoietic-supportive cells to further the understanding of the evolution of the vertebrate hematopoietic system

Abordagem investigativa sobre o acidente de Chernobyl

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)As usinas nucleares são responsáveis por cerca de 10% do suprimento de energia elétrica em todo o mundo e são alternativas viáveis para a substituição de fontes de combustíveis fósseis, uma vez que produzem quatidades muito baixas de gás carbônico. A comunidade científica tem pesquisado bastante ao longo dos últimos anos como aprimorar: técnicas de produção de energia nuclear, procedimentos de segurança e deposição de rejeitos nucleares. O atual conflito entre Rússia e Ucrânia ameaça a integridade das principais centrais nucleares ucranianas e coloca em risco a vida de milhares de pessoas e ecossistemas na Europa e na Ásia, tanto pela guerra armada quanto pelos perigos conhecidos da exposição à radioatividade. Assim, vê-se importante relembrar o principal acidente industrial da história, ocorrido na planta nuclear de Chernobyl. Discutiu-se, com base em documentos históricos, livros e publicações encontradas em bases de dados disponíveis para consulta virtual, as principais causas do desastre, desde as falhas de projeto dos reatores russos RBMK (reaktor bolshoy moshchnosty kanalny), deficiências na cultura de segurança da usina até a sequência de eventos que provocaram a explosão da Unidade 4 de Chernobyl. Avaliou-se também o estado da arte dos simuladores de treinamento utilizados em instalações de energia nuclear, cujo emprego contribui significativamente para o aperfeiçoamento das habilidades de trabalho dos operadores e para a predição de acidentes nucleares, como o perpetrado em 1986

Eye drop Self-medication: Comparative Questionnaire-based study of two Latin American cities.

A broad spectrum of ocular symptoms are treated by self-medication with commercial eye-drops.  This behavior threatens individuals' visual health. In Latin America, evidence is poor. Objective:  To  detect,  characterize  and  compare  patterns  of  ophthalmic  self-medication  between  Córdoba (Argentina) and Barranquilla (Colombia).Design:  Analytic, cross-sectional and comparative population-based study. Setting: Two private tertiary care ophthalmology centers from Córdoba, Argentina, and Barranquilla, Colombia.Participants:  Patients 18 years of age or older who consulted for the first time in this two institutions duringAugust-November 2009, were included. A number of 570 patients were enrrolled.Methods:  Data collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. Main outcome measure: To determine thefrequency of self-medication with eyedrops on a specific population of two cities in Latin America.Results:  Comparable  rates  of  ocular  self-medication  were  found  (25.6%  and  25.7%  for  Cordoba  and Barranquilla, respectively). The percentage of men and women who self-medicated was not significantly different between both samples. The major source of eye drops recommendation in the Argentineans patients was the pharmacist (31%); while the social source was predominant in Colombian individuals (53%). In Cordoba, the most frequently used product was a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drop in combination with a vasoconstrictive agent (32%); while in Barranquilla, antibiotic eye drops were preferred (33%). Self-medication was higher between the ages of 31 and 50 years old in Argentinean citizens (28%) and between 18 to 31 years old in the Colombiancommunity (39%). This habit was found mostly in patients who completed university studies in Cordoba (33%); in Barranquilla, individuals with lower educational level practice more this behavior (36%).Conclusion:  In both populations, patients commonly treat ocular conditions by self-medicating. Currently, anincreasing number of eye drops are obtainable without prescription and a high percentage of self-medicated patients in both samples ignore the possible side effects of the used medication.Fil: Marquez, Gabriel. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Hildegard Piñeros-Heilbron. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Sanchez, Victoria M.. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Victor Eduardo Roque. Fundación VER; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad; ArgentinaFil: Gramajo, Ana L.. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Juarez, Claudio P.. Fundación VER; Argentina. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Peña, Fernando. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Luna, José D.. Fundación VER; Argentin

Elasticidad de la demanda de estacionamiento ante variaciones sistemáticas del ingreso en Montería, Colombia

This article analyzes on-street and private parking lots demand elasticityin the central business district of Monteria, Colombia, when fee andincome variations are considered.Estimated choice models were based on a stated preference survey.Elasticities were analyzed using a multinomial logit model, whichexplanatory variables were travel time, access time, fee and income.It was found that demand and income elasticities were -0,10 and -0,32for on-street and private parking lot, respectively. Those elasticitiesexperienced a 33,5 % change when users’ income variations are considered.This shows that a restrictive parking management policy wouldaffect lower income groups.El presente artículo analiza la elasticidad de la demanda de estacionamientosobre la vía pública y en parqueadero privado en la zona céntricade la ciudad de Montería, Colombia, considerando variaciones en latarifa y en el nivel de ingreso de los usuarios.Los modelos fueron estimados con base en datos de preferencias declaradas.Las elasticidades fueron analizadas con un modelo de tipo logitmultinomial, cuyas variables explicativas fueron el tiempo de viaje, eltiempo de acceso, el costo y el ingreso.Se encontró que las elasticidades entre la demanda y la tarifa fueronde -0,10 y -0,32 para parqueo sobre la vía pública y en parqueaderoprivado, respectivamente. Se evidenció además una diferencia del33,5 % en el valor de dichas elasticidades cuando son consideradasvariaciones de ingreso de los individuos. Esto muestra que una políticarestrictiva de gestión de precios de parqueo afectaría más a grupos conmenores ingresos

3D printer-controlled syringe pumps for dual, active, regulable and simultaneous dispensing of reagents. Manufacturing of immunochromatographic test strips

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) are widely used worldwide for the detection of different analytes because they combine multiple advantages such as low production cost, simplicity, and portability, which allows biomarkers detection without requiring infrastructure or highly trained personnel. Here we propose to provide solutions to the manufacturing process of LFIA at laboratory-scale, particularly to the controlled and active dispensing of the reagents in the form the Test Lines (TL) and the Control Lines (CL). To accomplish this task, we adapted a 3D printer to also control Syringe Pumps (SP), since the proposed adaptation of a 3D printer is easy, free and many laboratories already have it in their infrastructure. In turn, the standard function of the 3D printer can be easily restored by disconnecting the SPs and reconnecting the extruder. Additionally, the unified control of the 3D printer enables dual, active, regulable and simultaneous dispensing, four features that are typically found only in certain high-cost commercial equipment. With the proposed setup, the challenge of dispensing simultaneously at least 2 lines (CL and TL) with SPs controlled by a 3D printer was addressed, including regulation in the width of dispensed lines within experimental limits. Also, the construction of a LFIA for the detection of leptospirosis is shown as a practical example of automatized reagent dispensing.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Functional specialization of gut CD103+ dendritic cells in the regulation of tissue-selective T cell homing

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) dendritic cells (DCs) display a unique ability to generate CCR9+α4β7+ gut-tropic CD8+ effector T cells. We demonstrate efficient induction of CCR9 and α4β7 on CD8+ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) after oral but not intraperitoneal (i.p.) antigen administration indicating differential targeting of DCs via the oral route. In vitro, lamina propria (LP)–derived DCs were more potent than MLN or Peyer's patch DCs in their ability to generate CCR9+α4β7+ CD8+ T cells. The integrin α chain CD103 (αE) was expressed on almost all LP DCs, a subset of MLN DCs, but on few splenic DCs. CD103+ MLN DCs were reduced in number in CCR7−/− mice and, although CD8+ T cells proliferated in the MLNs of CCR7−/− mice after i.p. but not oral antigen administration, they failed to express CCR9 and had reduced levels of α4β7. Strikingly, although CD103+ and CD103− MLN DCs were equally potent at inducing CD8+ T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, only CD103+ DCs were capable of generating gut-tropic CD8+ effector T cells in vitro. Collectively, these results demonstrate a unique function for LP-derived CD103+ MLN DCs in the generation of gut-tropic effector T cells

Comparative study of nomophobia among Spanish and Portuguese nursing students

Nomophobia is the fear of leaving the house without a mobile and being out of mobile phone contact and affects different areas of a person's life, especially in terms of social, work and academic relationships due to a dependence on the use of smartphones. Discovering the prevalence of nomophobia among nursing students is very important, as the misuse of smartphones in clinical practice may cause distractions, affecting the quality of care and putting patient safety at risk. Furthermore, it can lead to poorer academic performance during class. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of nomophobia experienced by nursing students at the University of Almeria, Spain and the Polytechnic Institute of Braganza, Portugal. A comparative descriptive observational study was carried out. A nomophobia questionnaire adapted to the Spanish and Portuguese sociolinguistic context was employed; 258 participants comprised the subjects of study. The main results showed both Spanish and Portuguese nursing students scored higher than average regarding levels of nomophobia. However, the scores gathered from items on the questionnaire were generally higher among the Portuguese population than the Spanish one. The Portuguese students (54.7%) felt more anxious than the Spanish students (35.4%) if their battery ran out. Similarly, the Portuguese population showed a greater need for instant communication with their family and friends. In conclusion, the dimensions explored indicate significant levels of nomophobia among both nursing student populations, with higher levels among the Portuguese population than the Spanish.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The mechanism of the gas-phase elimination kinetics of the β,γ-unsaturated aldehyde 2,2–dimethyl-3-butenal: a theoretical study

The study on the mechanism of the gas-phase elimination or thermal decomposition kinetics of 2, 2-dimethyl-3-butenal has been carried out by using theoretical calculation at MP2, combined ab initio CBSQB3 and DFT (B3LYP, B3PW91, MPW1PW91, PBEPBE, PBE1PBE, CAMB3LYP, M06, B97d) levels of theory. A good reasonable agreement between experimental and calculated parameters was obtained by using CAMB3LYP/6-311G(d,pd) calculations. The contrasted calculated parameters against experimental values suggested decarbonylation reaction to proceed through a concerted five-membered cyclic transition state type of mechanism, involving the hydrogen transfer from the carbonyl carbon to the gamma carbon, consistent with observed kinetic isotope effect. The breaking of alpha carbon–carbonyl carbon bond to produce carbon monoxide is 50% advanced in the transition state. The reaction mechanism may be described as a concerted moderately non-synchronous process. Examination of the Atoms in Molecules (AIM) analysis of electron density supports the suggested mechanism