Interpretive trails in Brazil: a proposal for basic education

[Resumo] O contido da bioloxía no ensino secundario e da bioloxía de ciencia-contido no segundo segmento do ensino primaria pode ser ensinada en clases extraescolares. Un deles é a charla pedagóxica sobre un percorrido interpretativo. Non se sabe a súa eficacia. Os obxectivos do traballo son: a) propoñer un modelo de análise clasificatoria da eficacia das conferencias pedagóxicas dadas en rutas interpretativas; b) analizar se as conferencias en traballos realizados sobre pistas interpretativas presentaron eficacia pedagóxica a través dunha tipoloxía clasificatoria; c) propoñer pautas para a formulación de conferencias pedagóxicas que se adoptarán nun percorrido interpretativo que poida satisfacer o contido da bioloxía ou a docencia científica, abordando un problema socioambiental. Vinte papeis foron seleccionados ao azar de setembro a decembro de 2017. Proponse unha tipoloxía que evalúa a charla con catro niveles de eficacia: a) Plena Eficacia (EP); b) Efectivo (E); c) parcialmente eficaz (PE) d) ineficaz (I). Case todas as clases maxistrais (90%) abordaron cuestións socioambientais. As conferencias foron PE (40%) e Ineficaces (20%), é dicir, o 60% deles non foron de forma completa ou efectiva e unha minoría de 6 (30%) presentaron problemas críticos-Freirian. As conferencias mostraron marcadamente parámetros biolóxicos [flora (100%) e fauna (85%)] e mal humanística [cultura local (45%) e ocupación histórica do territorio (55%)]. A maioría das conferencias realizáronse en pistas interpretativas nos estados de São Paulo (30%) e en Río de Janeiro (15%). As charlas realizáronse en pistas cunha extensión de 0,35-2,9 km e 3-14 puntos interpretativos. O público das clases expositivas é de estudantes de primaria (45%), grandes públicos (30%) e ensino medio (25%). Os camiños interpretativos son 10% subacuáticos, sendo un deles parcialmente terrestre como o resto. Se propoñen cinco modelos de directrices para a formulación de conferencias para 9 puntos interpretativos, abordando un tema socioambiental, baixo a inspiración critica-freireana da educación ambiental.[Abstract] High-school biology and middle-school science subject matters can be taught in outof- classroom activities, one of which is the pedagogical lecture along interpretive trails. Its effectiveness, however, is unknown. This papers aims at: a) proposing a model for analytically classifying the effectiveness of pedagogical lectures along interpretive trails; b) analyzing whether lecture activities along interpretive trails have presented pedagogical effectiveness through a classifying typology; c) presenting guidelines for the design of pedagogical lectures along interpretive trails for teaching biology or science by approaching socioenvironmental issues. For that purpose, we have randomly selected 20 works implemented between September and December 2017. The evaluating typology for lectures included four levels of effectiveness: a) Fully Effective (FE); b) Effective (E); c) Partially Effective (PE); d) Ineffective (I). Results revealed 40% PE and 20% I lectures, which means 60% were not E or FE. Almost all lectures (90%) approached socioenvironmental issues, while only 30% (6) presented critical or Freirean interrogations. Their parameters were strongly biologizing – 100% approached flora and 85%, fauna – and faintly humanistic – 45% encompassed local culture, 55% approached the territory historically. Most lectures took place along interpretive trails in São Paulo (30%) and Rio de Janeiro (15%) states, ranging from 0.35 to 2.9km in length and 3 to 14 interpretive spots. Their audience included primary education students (45%), undistinguished groups (30%) and high school students (25%). Submarine trails made 10% of the sample, one of which was partially terrestrial. We finally provide five guideline models for designing lectures for nine interpretive spots, approaching a socioenvironmental issue from a Freirean critical environmental education inspiration

Cross-linked polyamidoamine/non-woven fibroin fabric composite hydrogels for tissue engineering applications

Cross-linked polyamidoamines (PAAs) absorb large amounts of water and form hydrogels that can be designed to be biocompatible and biodegradable to nontoxic products. PAA hydrogels were tested as substrates for cell culturing and found adhesive toward different cell types [1-3]. However, PAA hydrogels have poor mechanical properties, and can not be fixed to the surrounding tissues by stitching, but only with fibrin glue. PAA composite hydrogels obtained either by adding inorganic fillers [4] or embedding electrospun PLLA mats were previously investigated [5]. In this work, PAA hydrogels were strengthened by embedding non-woven fibroin fabrics. These composite hydrogels were cured by UV-induced radical polymerization of double bond terminated PAA oligomers obtained from N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine/1,4-bis(acryloyl)piperazine mixtures with 10% and 20% excess, on a molar basis, bisacrylamide. According to a first procedure, pre-synthesized PAA oligomer solutions containing a radical initiator were used to impregnate the non-woven fibroin fabric within a glass mold. Curing was then obtained by irradiating with a UV lamp. A second procedure relied on the impregnation of the non-woven fabric with the monomer mixture, followed by in situ polymerization and finally by UV-induced curing of the reactive oligomer. Best results were obtained with the second procedure. Slightly milky, soft and pliable hydrogels were obtained, which maintained shape and morphology after several swelling - deswelling cycles, owing to the formation of covalent bonds between the PAA matrix and fibroin. For comparison purposes, the same synthetic procedures were applied for the synthesis of fibroin-embedded poly-4-acryloylmorpholine (PACM) hydrogels with different degrees of crosslinking. Swelling-deswelling tests showed that PACM/fibroin hydrogels had poor strength, likely due to the low PACM-fibroin adhesion. The good PAA/fibroin adhesion was ascribed to the establishing of covalent bonds by surface NH2 of fibroin with the bisacrylamide monomers during PAA formation

Cross-linked polyamidoamine/non-woven fibroin fabric composite hydrogels for tissue engineering applications

Cross-linked polyamidoamines (PAAs) absorb large amounts of water and form hydrogels that can be designed to be biocompatible and biodegradable to nontoxic products. PAA hydrogels were tested as substrates for cell culturing and found adhesive toward different cell types [1-3]. However, PAA hydrogels have poor mechanical properties, and can not be fixed to the surrounding tissues by stitching, but only with fibrin glue. PAA composite hydrogels obtained either by adding inorganic fillers [4] or embedding electrospun PLLA mats were previously investigated [5]. In this work, PAA hydrogels were strengthened by embedding non-woven fibroin fabrics. These composite hydrogels were cured by UV-induced radical polymerization of double bond terminated PAA oligomers obtained from N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine/1,4-bis(acryloyl)piperazine mixtures with 10% and 20% excess, on a molar basis, bisacrylamide. According to a first procedure, pre-synthesized PAA oligomer solutions containing a radical initiator were used to impregnate the non-woven fibroin fabric within a glass mold. Curing was then obtained by irradiating with a UV lamp. A second procedure relied on the impregnation of the non-woven fabric with the monomer mixture, followed by in situ polymerization and finally by UV-induced curing of the reactive oligomer. Best results were obtained with the second procedure. Slightly milky, soft and pliable hydrogels were obtained, which maintained shape and morphology after several swelling - deswelling cycles, owing to the formation of covalent bonds between the PAA matrix and fibroin. For comparison purposes, the same synthetic procedures were applied for the synthesis of fibroin-embedded poly-4-acryloylmorpholine (PACM) hydrogels with different degrees of crosslinking. Swelling-deswelling tests showed that PACM/fibroin hydrogels had poor strength, likely due to the low PACM-fibroin adhesion. The good PAA/fibroin adhesion was ascribed to the establishing of covalent bonds by surface NH2 of fibroin with the bisacrylamide monomers during PAA formation

Evolving Identification of Blood Cells Associated with Clinically Isolated Syndrome: Importance of Time since Clinical Presentation and Diagnostic MRI

It is not clear how the profile of immune cells in peripheral blood differs between patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and healthy controls (HC). This study aimed to identify a CIS peripheral blood signature that may provide clues for potential immunomodulatory approaches early in disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 18 people with CIS, 19 HC and 13 individuals with other demyelinating conditions (ODC) including multiple sclerosis (MS). Individuals with CIS separated into two groups, namely those with early (≤14 days post-diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); n = 6) and late (≥27 days; n = 12) blood sampling. Transitional B cells were increased in the blood of CIS patients independently of when blood was taken. However, there were two time-dependent effects found in the late CIS group relative to HC, including decreased CD56bright NK cells, which correlated significantly with time since MRI, and increased CD141+ myeloid dendritic cell (mDC2) frequencies. Higher CD1c+ B cells and lower non-classical monocyte frequencies were characteristic of more recent demyelinating disease activity (ODC and early CIS). Analysing cell populations by time since symptoms (subjective) and diagnostic MRI (objective) may contribute to understanding CIS

Changes in serum neurofilament light chain levels following narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in clinically isolated syndrome

Objective To determine whether serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels are suppressed in patients with the clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) following narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy (UVB-PT). Methods sNfL levels were measured using a sensitive single-molecule array assay at baseline and up to 12 months in 17 patients with CIS, 10 of whom received UVB-PT, and were compared with healthy control (HC) and early relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) group. sNfL levels were correlated with magnetic resonance imaging total lesion volume (LV) determined using icobrain version 4.4.1 and with clinical outcomes. Results Baseline median sNfL levels were significantly higher in the CIS (20.6 pg/mL, interquartile range [IQR] 13.7–161.4) and RRMS groups (36.6 pg/ml [IQR] 16.2–212.2) than in HC (10.7 pg/ml [IQR] 4.9–21.5) (p = .012 and p = .0002, respectively), and were strongly correlated with T2 and T1 LV at 12 months (r = .800; p = .014 and r = .833; p = .008, respectively) in the CIS group. Analysis of changes in sNfL levels over time in the CIS group showed a significant cumulative suppressive effect of UVB-PT in the first 3 months (UVB-PT −10.6% vs non-UVB-PT +58.3%; p = .04) following which the levels in the two groups converged and continued to fall. Conclusions Our findings provide the basis for further studies to determine the utility of sNfL levels as a marker of neuro-axonal damage in CIS and early MS and for assessing the efficacy of new therapeutic interventions such as UVB-PT

Autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis: Results from a single centre

Background: In the last 2 decades, intensive immunosuppression followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been proposed as a possible strategy for treatment of severe immune-mediated disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: To review the outcome of ASCT for MS in Western Australia. Methods: Eligibility criteria for ASCT were (1) progression of sustained disability with expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score increase of more than 1/10 over a 12 month period, (2) advanced MS with threatened loss of ambulation and (3) rapidly progressive disease not adequately assessed by EDSS. Stem cell mobilization was with cyclophosphamide (CY) 2g/m 2 and granu - locyte-colony stimulating factor 5ug/kg bd. conditioning chemo - therapy was with CY 50mg/kg and rabbit antithymocyte globulin 1mg/kg days -5 to -2. Patients were assessed at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months post-transplant. Results: Fourteen patients underwent ASCT. Median age was 47 years; median time from diagnosis to transplant was 12 years. Diagnosis at transplant was secondary progressive MS (12), pri - mary progressive MS (1) and neuromyelitis optica (1). About half the cohorts were neurologically stable at 24 months while the remainder had clinically relevant neurological deterioration. Two patients had meaningful improvement in bladder function. Follow-up MRI showed no Gd-enhancing lesions, but two patients developed new cerebral lesions on T2 weighted imaging. Conclusion: In this group of patients with advanced MS, neuro - logical function 24 months post-ASCT was essentially stable in half the cohort while the remainder experienced clinical progres - sion. It is not possible to conclude whether ASCT altered the natu - ral history of the disease

Lymphocyte reconstitution following autologous stem cell transplantation for progressive MS

BACKGROUND: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) may reset the immune repertoire. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to analyse lymphocyte recovery in patients with progressive MS treated with ASCT. METHODS: Patients with progressive MS not responding to conventional treatment underwent ASCT following conditioning with high-dose cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin. Lymphocyte subset analysis was performed before ASCT and for two years following ASCT. Neurological function was assessed by the EDSS before ASCT and for three years post-ASCT. RESULTS: CD4+ T-cells fell significantly post-transplant and did not return to baseline levels. Recent thymic emigrants and naïve T-cells fell sharply post-transplant but returned to baseline by nine months and twelve months, respectively. T-regulatory cells declined post-transplant and did not return to baseline levels. Th1 and Th2 cells did not change significantly while Th17 cells fell post-transplant but recovered to baseline by six months. Neurological function remained stable in the majority of patients. Progression-free survival was 69% at three years. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates major changes in the composition of lymphocyte subsets following ASCT for progressive MS. In particular, ablation and subsequent recovery of thymic output is consistent with the concept that ASCT can reset the immune repertoire in MS patients

Higher serum immunoglobulin G3 levels may predict the development of multiple sclerosis in individuals with Clinically Isolated Syndrome

Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is a first episode of neurological symptoms that may precede a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, studying individuals with CIS may lead to breakthroughs in understanding the development and pathogenesis of MS. In this study, serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, IgM, and IgG1–4 were measured in 20 people with CIS and compared with those in 10 healthy controls (HC) and 8 people with MS. Serum Ig levels in individuals with CIS were compared with (a) the time to their conversion from CIS to MS, (b) serum levels of antibodies to Epstein–Barr virus, (c) frequencies of T regulatory (Treg), T follicular regulatory (Tfr), and B cell subsets, and (d) Treg/Tfr expression of Helios. Serum IgG, IgM, and IgG2 levels were significantly lower in people with CIS than HC, and IgG, IgM, and IgG1 levels were significantly lower in people with CIS than MS. After adjusting for age, sex, and serum 25(OH) vitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels, CIS was associated with lower serum levels of IgG and IgG2 compared with HC (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). People with MS had lower IgG2 levels (p < 0.001) and IgG2 proportions (%IgG; p = 0.007) compared with HC. After adjusting for age, sex, and 25(OH)D, these outcomes remained, in addition to lower serum IgA levels (p = 0.01) and increased IgG3 levels (p = 0.053) in people with MS compared with HC. Furthermore, serum from people with MS had increased proportions of IgG1 and IgG3 (p = 0.03 and p = 0.02, respectively), decreased proportions of IgG2 (p = 0.007), and greater ratios of “upstream” to “downstream” IgG subclasses (p = 0.001) compared with HC. Serum IgG3 proportions (%IgG) from people with CIS correlated with the frequency of plasmablasts in peripheral blood (p = 0.02). Expression of Helios by Treg and Tfr cell subsets from individuals with CIS correlated with levels of serum IgG2 and IgG4. IgG3 levels and proportions of IgG3 (%IgG) in serum at CIS diagnosis were inversely correlated with the time until conversion to MS (p = 0.018 and p < 0.001, respectively), suggesting they may be useful prognostic markers of individuals with CIS who rapidly convert to MS

Common and low frequency variants in MERTK are independently associated with multiple sclerosis susceptibility with discordant association dependent upon HLA-DRB1*15:01 status

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The risk of developing MS is strongly influenced by genetic predisposition, and over 100 loci have been established as associated with susceptibility. However, the biologically relevant variants underlying disease risk have not been defined for the vast majority of these loci, limiting the power of these genetic studies to define new avenues of research for the development of MS therapeutics. It is therefore crucial that candidate MS susceptibility loci are carefully investigated to identify the biological mechanism linking genetic polymorphism at a given gene to the increased chance of developing MS. MERTK has been established as an MS susceptibility gene and is part of a family of receptor tyrosine kinases known to be involved in the pathogenesis of demyelinating disease. In this study we have refined the association of MERTK with MS risk to independent signals from both common and low frequency variants. One of the associated variants was also found to be linked with increased expression of MERTK in monocytes and higher expression of MERTK was associated with either increased or decreased risk of developing MS, dependent upon HLA-DRB1*15:01 status. This discordant association potentially extended beyond MS susceptibility to alterations in disease course in established MS. This study provides clear evidence that distinct polymorphisms within MERTK are associated with MS susceptibility, one of which has the potential to alter MERTK transcription, which in turn can alter both susceptibility and disease course in MS patients