On the co-evolution of investment and bargaining norms

Two parties bargaining over a pie whose size is determined by the investment decisions of both. The bargaining rule is sensitive to the investment behavior. If a symmetric investments profile is observed, bargaining proceeds according to the Nash Demand Game; otherwise bargaining proceeds according to the Ultimatum Game. We are interested in the evolutionary emergence of both an efficient investment norm and a bargaining norm. Under some conditions we prove that these norms co-evolve; when this happens they support the efficient investment and the egalitarian distribution of the surplus. In addition, when surplus requires that at least one agent invests, then either both norms co-evolve or no norm evolves.

Necroptosis in intestinal inflammation and cancer: new concepts and therapeutic perspectives

Necroptosis is a caspases-independent programmed cell death displaying intermediate features between necrosis and apoptosis. Albeit some physiological roles during embryonic development such tissue homeostasis and innate immune response are documented, necroptosis is mainly considered a pro-inflammatory cell death. Key actors of necroptosis are the receptor-interacting-protein-kinases, RIPK1 and RIPK3, and their target, the mixed-lineage-kinase-domain-like protein, MLKL. The intestinal epithelium has one of the highest rates of cellular turnover in a process that is tightly regulated. Altered necroptosis at the intestinal epithelium leads to uncontrolled microbial translocation and deleterious inflammation. Indeed, necroptosis plays a role in many disease conditions and inhibiting necroptosis is currently considered a promising therapeutic strategy. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms of necroptosis as well as its involvement in human diseases. We also discuss the present developing therapies that target necroptosis machinery

Krill oil, vitamin D and Lactobacillus reuteri cooperate to reduce gut inflammation

Current research into original therapies to treat intestinal inflammation is focusing on no-drug therapies. KLD is a mixture of krill oil (KO), probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri (LR), and vitamin D (VitD3). The aim of this study was to assess in vitro and in vivo the potential cooperative effects of KLD in reducing gut inflammation. Colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, CACO2 and HT29, and C57BL/6 mice were used for in vitro and in vivo analyses, respectively. Cells were exposed to cytomix (interferon gamma + tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a)) to induce inflammation or co-exposed to cytomix and KO, LR and VitD3 alone or to cytomix and KLD. Animals were treated for 7 days with dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) to induce colitis or with DSS and KLD. In vitro assays: F-actin expression was analysed by immunofluorescence; scratch test and trans-epithelial electric resistance test were performed to measure wound healing; adhesion/invasion assays of adhesive and invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) bacteria were made; mRNA expression of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-8 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) was detected by quantitative PCR. In vivo assays: body weight, clinical score, histological score and large intestine weight and length were estimated; mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10 by quantitative PCR; VDR expression was detected by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. In vitro: KLD restores epithelial cell-cell adhesion and mucosal healing during inflammation, while decreases the adhesiveness and invasiveness of AIEC bacteria and TNF-α and IL-8 mRNA expression and increases VDR expression. In vivo: KLD significantly improves body weight, clinical score, histological score and large intestine length of mice with DSS-induced colitis and reduces TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 mRNA levels, while increases IL-10 mRNA and VDR levels. KLD has significant effects on the intestinal mucosa, strongly decreasing inflammation, increasing epithelial restitution and reducing pathogenicity of harmful commensal bacteria

Determination of fatty acids profile in original brown cows dairy products and relationship with alpine pasture farming system

This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between fatty acids and the pattern that most contributes to discriminate between two farming systems, in which the main difference was the practice, or not, of alpine summer-grazing. Milk and cheese were sampled every month in two farms of Original Brown cows identical under geographical location and management during no grazing season point of view in the 2018 season. Fatty acids concentrations were determined by gas chromatography. The principal component analysis extracted three components (PCs). Mammary gland de novo synthetized fatty acids (C14:0, C14:1 n9, and C16:0) and saturated and monosaturated C18 fatty acids (C18:0, C18:1 n9c) were inversely associated in the PC1; PC2 included polyunsaturated C18 fatty acids (C18:2 n6c, C18:3 n3) and C15:0 while conjugated linoleic acid (CLA n9c, n11t) and fatty acids containing 20 or more carbon atoms (C21:0, C20:5 n3) were associated in the PC3. The processes of rumen fermentation and de novo synthesis in mammary gland that are, in turn, influenced by diet, could explain the relationships between fatty acids within each PC. The discriminant analyses showed that the PC2 included the fatty acids profile that best discriminated between the two farming systems, followed by PC3 and, lastly, PC1. This model, if validated, could be an important tool to the dairy industry

Efecto de la ciclofosfamida en la infección por Coccidioides immitis en la rata

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis, endemic in arid areas of the American continent. The rat was employed as an experimental host, since it had been shown to reproduce human lesions and present a chronic course of disease with granulomas mainly restricted to lungs. Given the influence of immunosuppressive therapy on the clinical course of human coccidioidomycosis, we studied the effect of cyclophosphamide (CY) in the experimental rat model. Accordingly, animals were inoculated with 400 Coccidioides immitis arthroconidia of the Acosta strain, by intracardiacal route. As single CY doses failed to alter the course of disease, three schedules were used: A) 4 daily doses of 20 mg/kg each, prior to C. immitis inoculation; B) 4 similar daily doses after infection; and C); 6 doses of 20 mg/kg each, given from day +1 to +4, then on days +8 and +9, post infection (pi), taking day 0 as the time of fungal inoculation. The first two schedules inhibited antibody formation up to day 28 pi, without modifying cellular response to coccidioidin as measured by foodpad swelling. Initially, there was greater fungal spread than in controls receiving C. immitis alone, which proved self-limiting in the latter. In contrast, schedule C led to 559r mortality, with both humoral and cellular response abrogation, accompanied by extensive C. immitis dissemination. Histology disclosed significant alterations, such as the persistence of primary infection sporangia, corresponding to the acute stage of coccidioidomycosis in the absence of granuloma development. Therefore, the observed depression in cellular immunity seems responsible for the lack of inflammatory reaction capable of restricting sporangia proliferation in tissues which, in turn, enhances pathogen spread and mortality rate.El propósito de este trabajo fue estudiar el efecto de la inmunosupresión causada por la droga ciclofosfamida (CY) sobre la infección de la rata con Coccidioides immitis por vía intracardíaca. Este huésped fue empleado como modelo experimental, ya que presenta una evolución de la enfermedad semejante a la del hombre, alcanzando una etapa crónica con granulomas principalmente restringidos a los pulmones. Se utilizaron tres esquemas de CY: A) 4 dosis de 20 mg/kg cada una, antes de la inoculación de Ci; B) 4 dosis de igual cantidad de CY, luego de la infección; y C) 6 dosis de 20 mg/kg cada una, administradas desde el día +1 hasta +4 y continuando los días + 8 y +9 post-infección (pi). Los dos primeros esquemas inhibieron la formación de anticuerpos hasta el día 28 pi, sin modificar la respuesta celular a la coccidioidina, medida como hinchazón de la almohadilla plantar. Se observó una mayor diseminación fúngica inicial, autolimi-tándose más tarde. Por el contrario, el esquema C provocó un 55% de mortalidad, disminución de la respuesta humoral y celular, acompañada de una extensa diseminación del Ci. La histología mostró alteraciones significativas, tales como persistencia de esporangios de primoinfección, correspondientes al estadio agudo de la coccidioidomicosis, con ausencia de desarrollo de granulomas. Por lo tanto, la depresión observada en la respuesta celular debido al tratamiento con CY sería la responsable de la ausencia de la reacción inflamatoria capaz de restringir la proliferación de esporangios en los tejidos, lo cual a su vez favorece la diseminación del microorganismo patógeno y el aumento de morta lidad

Single top production at the LHC as a probe of R parity violation

We investigate the potential of the LHC to probe the R parity violating couplings involving the third generation by considering single top production. This study is based on particle level event generation for both signal and background, interfaced to a simplified simulation of the ATLAS detector.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables (LaTeX, style revtex), few references adde