Trypanosoma cruzi expresses a plant-like ascorbate-dependent hemoperoxidase localized to the endoplasmic reticulum.

In most aerobic organisms hemoperoxidases play a major role in H(2)O(2)-detoxification, but trypanosomatids have been reported to lack this activity. Here we describe the properties of an ascorbate-dependent hemoperoxidase (TcAPX) from the American trypanosome Trypanosoma cruzi. The activity of this plant-like enzyme can be linked to the reduction of the parasite-specific thiol trypanothione by ascorbate in a process that involves nonenzymatic interaction. The role of heme in peroxidase activity was demonstrated by spectral and inhibition studies. Ascorbate could saturate TcAPX activity indicating that the enzyme obeys Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Parasites that overexpressed TcAPX activity were found to have increased resistance to exogenous H(2)O(2). To determine subcellular location an epitope-tagged form of TcAPX was expressed in T. cruzi, which was observed to colocalize with endoplasmic reticulum resident chaperone protein BiP. These findings identify an arm of the oxidative defense system of this medically important parasite. The absence of this redox pathway in the human host may be therapeutically exploitable

Application of kDNA as a molecular marker to analyse Leishmania infantum diversity in Portugal.

Around the Mediterranean basin Leishmania infantum is an important parasite causing canine leishmaniasis and visceral and cutaneous clinical forms in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised humans. Efficient monitoring and evaluation of epidemiology with discriminatory molecular markers are required. We investigated the genetic diversity of L. infantum in Portugal by polymerase chain amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of kinetoplastid DNA, as molecular marker. We analysed 120 Portuguese isolates of L. infantum plus 16 other non-Portuguese isolates (as a reference group) from humans, dogs and sand flies. The Portuguese population showed a high degree of polymorphism with a total of 13 profiles identified. The predominant profile was A, which was only detected in the Portuguese samples. The kinetoplastid DNA PCR-RFLP assay described here was suitable for use directly with biological samples and the profiles obtained were stable during long-term growth in vitro and in laboratory animals

Public Financial Management Reforms: The Role of Ipsas in Latin-America

During the last 30years, many public administration reforms promoted by New Public Management have been undertaken. These reforms have spread to Latin-American countries and include changes in governmental accounting systems, where the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) has been a stimulus for modernization. This article aims to clarify the situation of IPSASs implementation in the Latin-American context as well as the stimuli for and effects of their implementation. The analysis shows that there is an emerging international trend to adopt IPSASs in Latin-American countries although at the same time, there are evident obstacles to achieving reform goals. In Colombia, reforms are still underway, and the usefulness of IPSASs to improve decision-making at an organisational level cannot be evaluated. Meanwhile, in Peru, the modernization is more rhetorical than real, and many efforts remain to be made for the effective implementation

Evolución del Comercio Intraindustrial entre las regiones colombianas y la Comunidad Andina, 1990-2004: un análisis comparativo

This paper measures and compares the Intraindustry Trade (IIT) levels between Colombia and its main economic regions with the Andean Community (AC). It finds that this trade has been overestimated in previous studies due to geographical and aggregation biases. The nature of IIT is predominantly vertical, where Colombia is found to produce higher quality varieties. As for the regions, the “center” provinces of each region explain the largest part of the sector composition of the most significant IIT flows with the AC. This result evidences the strong relationship between IIT and regional development, which is found to be more relevant than other factors such as geographical proximity.intraindustry trade; Andean Community; regional economics; international trade

Leishmania donovani populations in Eastern Sudan: temporal structuring and a link between human and canine transmission.

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by the members of the Leishmania donovani complex, has been responsible for devastating VL epidemics in the Sudan. Multilocus microsatellite and sequence typing studies can provide valuable insights into the molecular epidemiology of leishmaniasis, when applied at local scales. Here we present population genetic data for a large panel of strains and clones collected in endemic Sudan between 1993 and 2001. METHODS: Genetic diversity was evaluated at fourteen microsatellite markers and eleven nuclear sequence loci across 124 strains and clones. RESULTS: Microsatellite data defined six genetic subpopulations with which the nuclear sequence data were broadly congruent. Pairwise estimates of FST (microsatellite) and KST (sequence) indicated small but significant shifts among the allelic repertoires of circulating strains year on year. Furthermore, we noted the co-occurrence of human and canine L. donovani strains in three of the six clusters defined. Finally, we identified widespread deficit in heterozygosity in all four years tested but strong deviation from inter-locus linkage equilibrium in two years. CONCLUSIONS: Significant genetic diversity is present among L. donovani in Sudan, and minor population structuring between years is characteristic of entrenched, endemic disease transmission. Seasonality in vector abundance and transmission may, to an extent, explain the shallow temporal clines in allelic frequency that we observed. Genetically similar canine and human strains highlight the role of dogs as important local reservoirs of visceral leishmaniasis

El aislamiento social: Inteligencia emocional de los padres y el aprendizaje en los niños de 4 años de la institución educativa San Martín Sánchez Carrión en el periodo 2020

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo general determinar la relación entre inteligencia emocional de los padres y el aprendizaje en los niños de 4 años en una institución educativa en el periodo 2020. El Método es descriptiva, aplicada y con un diseño correlacional de carácter transversal con una población de 30 niños y 30 padres de familia. Se utilizó como instrumentos de recolección de datos las escalas de inteligencias emocional y aprendizaje desarrolladas por la autora de la investigación. Se obtuvo como resultado que la inteligencia emocional del 60% de los padres era bajo y el aprendizaje del 76.7% niños era bajo, por otro lado, se encontró que existe una relación altamente significativa (r=.585; p<.01) directa y con tamaño de efecto medio entre las variables. Por lo que se concluye que, a medida que los padres mejoren su inteligencia emocional, también lo hará el aprendizaje de los niños.The present investigation has as a general objective to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence of parents and learning in 4-year-old children in an educational institution in the period 2020. The Method is descriptive, applied and with a cross-sectional correlational design with a population of 30 children and 30 parents. The emotional intelligence and learning scales developed by the author of the research were used as data collection instruments. It was obtained as a result that the emotional intelligence of 60% of the parents was low and the learning of 76.7% of the children was low, on the other hand, it was found that there is a highly significant direct relationship (r=.585; p<.01) and with a mean effect size between the variables. Therefore, it is concluded that, as parents improve their emotional intelligence, so will the learning of children.Tesi

El aislamiento social: Inteligencia emocional de los padres y el aprendizaje en los niños de 4 años de la institución educativa San Martín Sánchez Carrión en el periodo 2020

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo general determinar la relación entre inteligencia emocional de los padres y el aprendizaje en los niños de 4 años en una institución educativa en el periodo 2020. El Método es descriptiva, aplicada y con un diseño correlacional de carácter transversal con una población de 30 niños y 30 padres de familia. Se utilizó como instrumentos de recolección de datos las escalas de inteligencias emocional y aprendizaje desarrolladas por la autora de la investigación. Se obtuvo como resultado que la inteligencia emocional del 60% de los padres era bajo y el aprendizaje del 76.7% niños era bajo, por otro lado, se encontró que existe una relación altamente significativa (r=.585; p<.01) directa y con tamaño de efecto medio entre las variables. Por lo que se concluye que, a medida que los padres mejoren su inteligencia emocional, también lo hará el aprendizaje de los niños.The present investigation has as a general objective to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence of parents and learning in 4-year-old children in an educational institution in the period 2020. The Method is descriptive, applied and with a cross-sectional correlational design with a population of 30 children and 30 parents. The emotional intelligence and learning scales developed by the author of the research were used as data collection instruments. It was obtained as a result that the emotional intelligence of 60% of the parents was low and the learning of 76.7% of the children was low, on the other hand, it was found that there is a highly significant direct relationship (r=.585; p<.01) and with a mean effect size between the variables. Therefore, it is concluded that, as parents improve their emotional intelligence, so will the learning of children.Tesi

Sex differences and sex‑specific regulation of motivated behavior by Melanin‑concentrating hormone: a short review

Recent preclinical research exploring how neuropeptide transmitter systems regulate motivated behavior reveal the increasing importance of sex as a critical biological variable. Neuropeptide systems and their central circuits both contribute to sex differences in a range of motivated behaviors and regulate sex-specific behaviors. In this short review, we explore the current research of how sex as a biological variable influences several distinct motivated behaviors that are modulated by the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neuropeptide system. First, we review how MCH regulates feeding behavior within the context of energy homeostasis differently between male and female rodents. Then, we focus on MCH’s role in lactation as a sex-specific process within the context of energy homeostasis. Next, we discuss the sex-specific effects of MCH on maternal behavior. Finally, we summarize the role of MCH in drugmotivated behaviors. While these topics are traditionally investigated from different scientific perspectives, in this short review we discuss how these behaviors share commonalities within the larger context of motivated behaviors, and that sex differences discovered in one area of research may impact our understanding in another. Overall, our review highlights the need for further research into how sex differences in energy regulation associated with reproduction and parental care contribute to regulating motivated behaviors

New insights on taxonomy, phylogeny and population genetics of Leishmania (Viannia) parasites based on multilocus sequence analysis.

The Leishmania genus comprises up to 35 species, some with status still under discussion. The multilocus sequence typing (MLST)--extensively used for bacteria--has been proposed for pathogenic trypanosomatids. For Leishmania, however, a detailed analysis and revision on the taxonomy is still required. We have partially sequenced four housekeeping genes--glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD), mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD)--from 96 Leishmania (Viannia) strains and assessed their discriminatory typing capacity. The fragments had different degrees of diversity, and are thus suitable to be used in combination for intra- and inter-specific inferences. Species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected, but not for all species; ambiguous sites indicating heterozygosis were observed, as well as the putative homozygous donor. A large number of haplotypes were detected for each marker; for 6PGD a possible ancestral allele for L. (Viannia) was found. Maximum parsimony-based haplotype networks were built. Strains of different species, as identified by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), formed separated clusters in each network, with exceptions. NeighborNet of concatenated sequences confirmed species-specific clusters, suggesting recombination occurring in L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis. Phylogenetic analysis indicates L. lainsoni and L. naiffi as the most divergent species and does not support L. shawi as a distinct species, placing it in the L. guyanensis cluster. BURST analysis resulted in six clonal complexes (CC), corresponding to distinct species. The L. braziliensis strains evaluated correspond to one widely geographically distributed CC and another restricted to one endemic area. This study demonstrates the value of systematic multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) for determining intra- and inter-species relationships and presents an approach to validate the species status of some entities. Furthermore, it contributes to the phylogeny of L. (Viannia) and might be helpful for epidemiological and population genetics analysis based on haplotype/diplotype determinations and inferences.publishersversionpublishe