Depredación de la “babosa” Veronicella cubensis Pfeiffer (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Veronicellidae), por la larva de Cratomorphus signativentris Olivier 1895 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) en Panamá

Larvae of fireflies (Coleoptera; Lampyridae) feed natural and greedily of various species of terrestrial mollusks including slugs. Although this antagonistic relationship has been documented in countless species of Lampyridae, in the case of the genus Cratomorphus Motschulsky, 1853, its predatory role on these land mollusks is unknown. The aim of the study was to record for first time a predatory event of Cratomorphus signativentris larvae on the Cuban Slug (Veronisella cubensis). Similarly, some comments are made on larvae and adults of C. signativentris studied, as well as a comparison of food preference in this genus.Las larvas de luciérnagas (Coleoptera; Lampyridae) se alimentan natural y vorazmente de diversas especies de moluscos terrestres entre ellas babosas. Aunque se ha documentado esta relación antagónica en innumerables especies de Lampyridae, en el caso de la luciérnaga gigante del género Cratomorphus Motschulsky, 1853, se desconoce su papel depredador sobre moluscos terrestres. El objetivo del estudio fue documentar por primera vez la depredación de la Babosa Cubana (Veronisella cubensis Pfeiffer, 1840) por larvas de Cratomorphus signativentris De igual forma se hacen algunos comentarios sobre las larvas y adultos de C. signativentris estudiadas, además de una comparación de predilección alimenticia dentro de este género

Hypercholesterolemia Impaired Sperm Functionality in Rabbits

Hypercholesterolemia represents a high risk factor for frequent diseases and it has also been associated with poor semen quality that may lead to male infertility. The aim of this study was to analyze semen and sperm function in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Twelve adult White New Zealand male rabbits were fed ad libitum a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.05% cholesterol. Rabbits under cholesterol-enriched diet significantly increased total cholesterol level in the serum. Semen examination revealed a significant reduction in semen volume and sperm motility in hypercholesterolemic rabbits (HCR). Sperm cell morphology was seriously affected, displaying primarily a “folded head”-head fold along the major axe-, and the presence of cytoplasmic droplet on sperm flagellum. Cholesterol was particularly increased in acrosomal region when detected by filipin probe. The rise in cholesterol concentration in sperm cells was determined quantitatively by Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses. We also found a reduction of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in sperm incubated under capacitating conditions from HCR. Interestingly, the addition of Protein Kinase A pathway activators -dibutyryl-cyclic AMP and iso-butylmethylxanthine- to the medium restored sperm capacitation. Finally, it was also reported a significant decrease in the percentage of reacted sperm in the presence of progesterone. In conclusion, our data showed that diet-induced hypercholesterolemia adversely affects semen quality and sperm motility, capacitation and acrosomal reaction in rabbits; probably due to an increase in cellular cholesterol content that alters membrane related events

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Campo Experimental Potrok Aike : resultado de 15 años de labor técnica

Libro de edición impresa publicado en 2005 y con edición electrónica en el año 2016.Al crearse, en el año 1985, la Estación Experimental Santa Cruz en el marco del convenio entre el INTA y la provincia de Santa Cruz surgió la necesidad de contar con un campo donde se pudieran desarrollar trabajos de investigación en ganadería, fundamentalmente ovina, y en pastizales naturales con el necesario control de diferentes variables productivas y ambientales. El gobierno provincial cedió un predio ubicado al sur de la provincia de Santa Cruz, en una zona representativa de la Estepa magallánica seca, en el extremo austral de la Patagonia. Esta publicación recopiló y organizó los datos e información dispersa resultante de más de 15 años de trabajo, y transformó esa materia prima en información accesible para técnicos y productores. Conformada por el aporte de distintos autores ofrece la información de base para describir el ambiente del Campo Experimental Potrok Aike, más las conclusiones de ensayos y experiencias llevadas a cabo en el lugar, que son perfectamente extrapolables a todo el sur provincial.EEA Santa CruzFil: Alegre, María Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Alegre, María Beatriz. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Alegre, María Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Anglesio, Francisco. Secretaría de Medio Ambiente. Provincia de Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Baetti, Carlos. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Baetti, Carlos. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Bahamonde, Héctor Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Bahamonde, Héctor Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Barría, Julio. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Battini, Alberto. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Baumann, Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Borrelli, Pablo. Consultor privado. Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Camejo, Ana María. Consultor privado. Trelew; Argentina.Fil: Castillo, Miguel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Cibils, Andrés. New México State University. Department of Animal and Range Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Ciurca, Lorena. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Clifton, Guillermo Raimundo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Clifton, Guillermo Raimundo. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Culun, Victor Pascual. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Escalada, Julián. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Ferrante, Daniela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Ferrante, Daniela. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Gismondi, Daniel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: González, Liliana. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Grima, Daniel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Humano, Gervasio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Iacomini, Mónica. Secretaría de la Producción. Provincia de Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Iglesias, Roberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Chubut; Argentina.Fil: Kofalt, Bustamante Rosa. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Kofalt, Bustamante Rosa. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Kofalt, Bustamante Rosa. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Lamoureux, Mabel Noemi. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Lamoureux, Mabel Noemi. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Larrosa, José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Manero, Amanda. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Manero, Amanda. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Marcolín, Arrigo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina.Fil: Mascó, Mercedes. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Mascó, Mercedes. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Mascó, Mercedes. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Migliora, Horacio. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Milicevic, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Montes, Leopoldo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Centro Regional Patagonia Sur; Argentina.Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Oliva, Gabriel Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Osses, Julio Angel. Consejo Agrario Provincial- Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Paredes, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peinetti, Raúl. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.Fil: Rial, Pablo Eduardo. Ministerio de Economía y Obras Públicas. Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Rial, Pablo Eduardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Romero, Rubén. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Rosales, Valeria. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Salazar, Daniel. LU85 TV Canal 9. Auxiliar en Control de Erosión de Suelos. Provincia de Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Tapia, Hector Horacio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Chubut; Argentina.Fil: Torra, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina.Fil: Zerpa, Débora. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Unidad Académica Río Gallegos; Argentina

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Immunohistochemical evidences showing the presence of thymulin containing cells located in involuted thymus and in peripheral lymphoid organs

Thymulin is a well-characterized thymic hormone that exists as a nonapeptide coupled to equimolar amounts of Zn2+. Thymulin is known to have multiple biological roles, including T cell differentiation, immune regulation, and analgesic functions. It has been shown that thymulin is produced by the reticulo-epithelial cells of the thymus, and it circulates in the blood from the moment of birth, maintain its serum level until puberty diminishing thereafter in life. To study the localization of this hormone, we prepared polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the commercial peptide and utilized immunocytochemical techniques for visualization. The results indicate that thymulin stains the thymic reticular cells, the outer layers of Hassall's corpuscles and a large round cellular type, which is keratin-negative and does not show affinity for the common leukocyte antigen (CD-45). In mice, this thymulin-positive cell remains in the thymus throughout life and even appears in relatively increased numbers in old involuted thymi. It also appears in thymus-dependent areas of the spleen and lymph nodes, demonstrating that at least one of the thymus cells containing this peptide can be found in peripheral lymphoid tissue

Modulatory role of regulatory T cells in a murine model of severe equine asthma

Abstract Background It is accepted that T regulatory cells (Treg) control different types of immune responses. In connection with this role, we have recently described an important increase in CD4+, CD25high, Foxp3+ lymphocytes in the airway system of horses coursing with an exacerbation of severe equine asthma (EA). To explore the potential role of this population in the resolution of EA inflammation, we used a murine experimental model in which airway neutrophilic inflammation, which is similar to that observed in EA, is induced in mice by continual exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus contaminated hay. This model has the advantage that in mice we may induce a reduction of the Treg population using low doses of cyclophosphamide (Cy). Results The results indicated that the percentage of Treg cells increased with allergen exposure, as in horses; and animals partially depleted of Treg cells by treatment with Cy showed increased airway inflammation, demonstrated by an increased percentage of neutrophils and specific immunoglobulins in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, a histopathologic study of animals that were pretreated with Cy before antigenic challenge showed higher cellular infiltration in the lung and deeper remodeling changes in the bronchi, including epithelial and goblet cell hyperplasia as well as airway smooth muscle hypertrophy. Conclusion In this murine model of EA, the reduced number and function of Treg induced by low doses of Cy, which directly correlates with increased airway inflammation and lung infiltration, indicates that Treg may play a major role in the regulation and resolution of EA

Synthesis and Docking of Novel 3-Indolylpropyl Derivatives as New Polypharmacological Agents Displaying Affinity for 5-HT1AR/SERT

A series of novel 3-indolylpropyl derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinities at the serotonin-1A receptor subtype (5-HT1AR) and the 5-HT transporter (SERT). Compounds 11b and 14b exhibited the highest affinities at the 5-HT1AR (Ki = 43 and 56 nM), whereas compounds 11c and 14a were the most potent analogs at the SERT (Ki = 34 and 17 nM). On the other hand, compounds 14b and 11d showed potent activity at both targets, displaying a profile that makes them promising leads for the search for novel potent ligands with a dual mechanism of action. Molecular docking studies in all the compounds unveiled relevant drug–target interactions, which allowed rationalizing the observed affinities