The role of endoglin in post-ischemic revascularization

60 p.-5 fig.-1 tab.Following arterial occlusion, blood vessels respond by forming a new network of functional capillaries (angiogenesis), by re-organizing pre-existing capillaries through the recruitment of smooth muscle cells to generate new arteries (arteriogenesis) and by growing and remodeling pre-existing collateral arterioles into physiologically relevant arteries (collateral development). All these processes result in the recovery of organ perfusion. The importance of endoglin in post-occlusion reperfusion is sustained by several observations: i) endoglin expression is increased in vessels showing active angiogenesis/remodeling; ii) genetic endoglin haploinsufficiency in humans causes deficient angiogenesis; and iii) the reduction of endoglin expression by gene disruption or the administration of endoglin-neutralizing antibodies reduces angiogenesis and revascularization. However, the precise role of endoglin in the several processes associated with revascularization has not been completely elucidated and, in some cases, the function ascribed to endoglin by different authors is controversial. The purpose of this review is to organize in a critical way the information available for the role of endoglin in several phenomena (angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and collateral development) associated with post-ischemic revascularization.Peer reviewe

Nutritive value of Quercus pyrenaica Willd browse species in NE of Portugal

Quercus pyrenaica Willd (pyrenean oak) occurs in a transition between the Mediterranean sclerophyllous and the temperate deciduous forest, being one of the most abundant and characteristic oak species in the Iberian Peninsula, due our economical and biological importance and by several services produced. The aim of this study was to assess the nutritive value of key browse species of Pyrenean oak Mediterranean Ecosystems in Trás-os-Montes region (Portugal). The study was to undertake at different mature stages the evolution of chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of shrub twigs and tree leaves. The browse species evaluated were Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link, Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm, Cytisus multiflorus (LHér.) Sweet, Genista falcata Brot. and Quercus pyrenaica. Tree samples were formed by foliage and shrub by mixed twigs from several specimens. Hand-samples of the different species were taken along the year seasons, in five moments of the year, begin May in late spring, July in summer, and final September in autumn, December in winter and begin March in early spring. Quercus pyrenaica was sampled only during the leaf production periods in five moments too. The dates were: May, July, August, September, and October; regarding different stages of leaves: very young leaf, young leaf, mature leaf, leaf in early of senescence, senescent leaf. Species varied widely in crude protein content (CP) (10.06-22.57 gKg-1 DM), neutral detergent fibre content (NDF) (36.03-66.53 gKg-1 DM), acid detergent fibre content (ADF) (24.22-53.50 gKg-1 DM), acid detergent lignin content (6.20-15.76 gKg-1 DM) and in vitro digestible organic matter (IVOMD) (39.21-70.39 %). Cytisus sp. showed the higher CP and IVOMD values. Shrub species showed the highest nutritive value in late spring and the lowest values in autumn. Oak leaves presented a constant composition along the leaf cycle just, this pattern changed in very young leaf stages when leaves were not formed

Absolute agreement and consistency of the OptoGait system and Freemed platform for measuring walking gait

The gait cycle can be divided into four functional rocker units. Although the widespread use of the OptoGait (OG) system and the Freemed (FM) platform, their accuracy has not been tested. An observational study was completed with eighteen healthy volunteers to determine the accuracy of OG and FM for overground walking gait analysis. The pairwise comparison between data obtained from OG, FM and high-speed video analysis revealed significant differences for most of the measurements (p  0.94) for all measures for OG systems compared to video-analysis. When considering FM vs. video-analysis, ICCs showed good absolute agreement for rocker 1 (ICC = 0.86) and 3 (ICC = 0.82), excellent for rocker 2 (ICC = 0.93) and poor (ICC  0.1) while no heteroscedasticity of error was found when using FM (r2 < 0.1). This study indicates that the OG system and the FM platform can provide consistent foot rockers values when walking at a constant velocity. The differences between the systems assessed and their agreement and consistency values advise against their interchangeable use

MSP Plans in MSPMED; main facts

El objetivo de este informe es la creación de fichas comparativas de los planes nacionales de ordenación del espacio marítimo de los países socios de MSPMED con el fin de detectar los puntos comunes y las principales diferencias entre ellos

Comparing prey composition and prey size delivered to nestlings by great tits, Parus major, and blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, in a Mediterranean sclerophyllous mixed forest

Resource partitioning is a central issue in ecology because it can establish to which point similar species can coexist in the same habitat. Great tits and blue tits have been classical model species in studies of trophic competence. However, most studies on the topic have been conducted at localities where caterpillars are by far the most relevant prey brought to the nestlings. In Mediterranean mixed forests, nevertheless, the abundance of caterpillars is relatively low and it is spiders that play a key role in the diet of great tits, at least for nestlings. The aim of this paper was to study nest food provisioning to establish the degree of diet overlap of these two tit species in a Mediterranean forest. Our results showed that blue tit feeding rates were higher than those of great tits, probably to compensate for the smaller prey delivered to nestlings by blue tits. Blue tits brought more spiders than great tits, while grey tits brought larger prey and more caterpillars. This may be because larger great tits can prey upon larger prey items than blue tits. As a main result, this study supports the view of resource partitioning by great and blue tits in sclerophyllous Mediterranean forest ecosystem

Moral Disengagement Mechanisms, Sex Differences, and Clinical Predictors in Adolescents: An Exploratory Study

La desconexión moral es un constructo útil para explicar el comportamiento disruptivo en la adolescencia, evidenciando diferencias entre hombres y mujeres. Sin embargo, no existen estudios respecto de la asociación de factores clínicos y psicológicos y el uso de mecanismos de desconexión moral. Por tal motivo, este estudio analizó las diferencias de sexo y predictores clínicos de los mecanismos de desconexión moral en adolescentes. Se utilizó una metodología cuantitativa, no experimental, transversal y explicativa, con la participación de 354 adolescentes entre 14 y 18 años (M = 15,58, DE = 1,22) de dos instituciones educativas de Manizales, Colombia. Se utilizó el cuestionario de desconexión moral (MMDS) y las escalas de autoestima (RSES), impulsividad (BIS-11), desesperanza (BHS), ansiedad (BAI) y depresión (BDI). Una prueba t de Student mostró que los hombres presentan puntuaciones más altas que las mujeres en todos los mecanismos de desconexión moral. Un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple por sexo también reveló que la impulsividad tuvo un efecto sobre la desconexión moral en hombres, mientras que las variables impulsividad, desesperanza y ansiedad evidenciaron los efectos más altos que explican la desconexión moral en mujeres. El modelo de regresión lineal múltiple evidenció que la impulsividad y el sexo presentaron los efectos más altos en la predicción de la desconexión moral y sus mecanismos. Se considera que los resultados aportan explicaciones teóricas novedosas en una línea de investigación que pretende relacionar las perspectivas psicológicas, clínicas y cognitivo-sociales con implicaciones importantes para la intervención psicosocial en adolescentes.Moral disengagement is a useful construct for explaining disruptive behavior in adolescents, revealing differences between men and women. However, no research has been conducted on the association between clinical and psychological factors and the use of moral disengagement mechanisms. For this reason, this study analyzed sex differences and clinical predictors of moral disengagement mechanisms in teenagers. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and explanatory methodology was used. The participants were 354 adolescents between 14 and 18 years of age (M = 15.58, SD = 1.22) from two educational institutions in Manizales, Colombia. The moral disengagement scale (MMDS) was used along with self-esteem (RSES), impulsivity (BIS-11), despair (BHS), anxiety (BAI), and depression scales (BDI). A Student's t-test showed that men scored higher than women on all moral disengagement mechanisms. A multiple linear regression analysis by sex also revealed that impulsivity had an effect on moral disengagement in men, whereas the variables impulsivity, despair, and anxiety showed the highest effects explaining moral disengagement in women. The multiple linear regression model showed that impulsivity and sex had the strongest effects on the prediction of moral disengagement and its mechanisms. The results are considered to offer innovative theoretical explanations in a line of research aimed at linking psychological, clinical, and cognitive-social perspectives, with major implications for psychosocial intervention in adolescents.Universidad Católica Luis Amigó, Colombi

Endoglin-mediated angiogenic responses are regulated by its cytosolic domain

1 p.This work was supported by grants from Czech Science foundation GACR number 15-24015S, the Grant Agency of Charles University in Prague (1284214/C and 1158413/C), Charles University in Prague (SVV/2014/260064), European Regional Development Fund under the Innovative Economy Program of the European Union (grant coordinated by JCET-UJ, No POIG.01.01.02- 00-069/09), Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (SAF2010-19222 and SAF2013-43421-R and SAF2010-1588), Junta de Castilla y Leon (GR100), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER) and Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Renales (RD12/0021/0032; REDINREN). CIBERER and REDINREN are initiatives of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of Spain supported by FEDER funds. The Cardiovascular Phenotyping Unit of the University of Salamanca, including the telemetry equipment, was acquired with the support of the European Regional Development Funds (FEDER). Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (BES-2008-005550). The publication is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic (Project No.CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0061).Peer reviewe

NGC 6705 a young α\alpha-enhanced Open Cluster from OCCASO data

The stellar [$\alpha$/Fe] abundance is sometimes used as a proxy for stellar age, following standard chemical evolution models for the Galaxy, as seen by different observational results. In this work we show that the Open Cluster NGC6705/M11 has a significant $\alpha$-enhancement [$\alpha$/Fe]$>0.1$ dex, despite its young age ($\sim$300 Myr), challenging the current paradigm. We use high resolution (R$>65,000$) high signal-to-noise ($\sim$70) spectra of 8 Red Clump stars, acquired within the OCCASO survey. We determine very accurate chemical abundances of several $\alpha$ elements, using an equivalent width methodology (Si, Ca and Ti), and spectral synthesis fits (Mg and O). We obtain [Si/Fe]=$0.13\pm0.05$, [Mg/Fe]=$0.14\pm0.07$, [O/Fe]=$0.17\pm0.07$, [Ca/Fe]=$0.06\pm0.05$ and [Ti/Fe]=$0.03\pm0.03$. Our results place these cluster within the group of young [$\alpha$/Fe]-enhanced field stars recently found by several authors in the literature. The ages of our stars have an uncertainty of around 50 Myr, much more precise than for field stars. By integrating the cluster's orbit in several non-axisymmetric Galactic potentials, we establish the M11's most likely birth radius to lie between 6.8-7.5 kpc from the Galactic center, not far from its current position. With the robust Open Cluster age scale, our results prove that a moderate [$\alpha$/Fe]-enhancement is no guarantee for a star to be old, and that not all $\alpha$-enhanced stars can be explained with an evolved blue straggler scenario. Based on our orbit calculations, we further argue against a Galactic bar origin of M11.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted in A&