Éditorial

Ce nouveau numéro d’e-Phaistos propose aux lecteurs divers exemples, nationaux et internationaux, des productions artisanales et industrielles. Dans ce Varia, les sujets diffèrent bien évidemment. Mais ils ont un dénominateur commun : la recherche du savoir-faire technique et l’importance de sa sauvegarde. Le lieu d’implantation, les matières premières, les marchés sont des éléments fondamentaux à la bonne réussite d’un produit. Mais c’est l’être humain, avec son savoir-faire et sa culture te..

Establishing comprehensive oral assessments for children with safeguarding concerns.

The dental profession is well placed to contribute important information in child protection cases but no previous research has been reported that assesses the volume or impact of this information. Comprehensive oral assessment clinics were introduced and established as an integral part of comprehensive medical assessments for children with welfare concerns in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. An assessment protocol and standardised paperwork for comprehensive oral assessments were developed to enhance information sharing and patient access to appropriate care. Two cases are presented and discussed to demonstrate the value of dental input

Imaging of X-Ray-Excited Emissions from Quantum Dots and Biological Tissue in Whole Mouse

© The Author(s) 2019. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Optical imaging in clinical and preclinical settings can provide a wealth of biological information, particularly when coupled with targetted nanoparticles, but optical scattering and absorption limit the depth and resolution in both animal and human subjects. Two new hybrid approaches are presented, using the penetrating power of X-rays to increase the depth of optical imaging. Foremost, we demonstrate the excitation by X-rays of quantum-dots (QD) emitting in the near-infrared (NIR), using a clinical X-ray system to map the distribution of QDs at depth in whole mouse. We elicit a clear, spatially-resolved NIR signal from deep organs (brain, liver and kidney) with short (1 second) exposures and tolerable radiation doses that will permit future in vivo applications. Furthermore, X-ray-excited endogenous emission is also detected from whole mouse. The use of keV X-rays to excite emission from QDs and tissue represent novel biomedical imaging technologies, and exploit emerging QDs as optical probes for spatial-temporal molecular imaging at greater depth than previously possible.Peer reviewe

Propuestas para la reinterpretación de resultados de una investigación sobre sustentabilidad de los sistemas productivos, a partir del análisis de los conflictos en el paisaje

Ponencia presentada en 1º Congreso Argentino de Agroecología. "Otra agricultura es posible: Cultivando interacciones para el mañana". Mendoza, Argentina, 18 al 20 de septiembre de 2019.Fil: Rojas, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Martiarena, Miguel Ángel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Arborno, Vilda Miryam. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Zamar, José Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Re, Gustavo Enrique. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Revelli, Claudia Susana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.En este trabajo se propone la reinterpretación de los resultados de sistemas productivos evaluados a través de la aplicación de indicadores de sustentabilidad en la Región Central de Córdoba. El paisaje, entendido como un concepto transversal, significativo como escenario de vida, permite ampliar el marco de análisis previo desde las tres dimensiones del paisaje y su relación con los conflictos en el territorio: dimensión de los objetos o funcional, social o normativa, y subjetiva o de las innovaciones. Se concluye que la pérdida de diversidad ecosistémica, de cultura y tradiciones, y de soberanía alimentaria, afectan la dimensión de los objetos y social. Desde la dimensión subjetiva, se observa que el modelo industrial del agronegocio impone el optimismo tecnológico como paliativo cortoplacista y controla las innovaciones dentro del territorio, impidiendo la diversificación de cultivos y la adopción de modelos tecnológicos que puedan ser creados en sus propios escenarios.In this work we propose the reinterpretation of results from productive systems evaluated through sustainability indicators in the Central Area of Córdoba. The landscape, understood as a transverse concept, significant as a life scenario, allows us to broaden the framework of previous analysis from the three dimensions of the landscape: i) of objects or functional, ii) social or normative, and iii) subjective or innovations; as well as on their relationship with conflicts on the territory. It is concluded that the loss of ecosystem diversity, culture and traditions, and food sovereignty as well, affect the dimensions of objects and social. From the subjective dimension, it is observed that the industrial agribusiness model imposes technological optimism as a short-term palliative and controls innovations within the territory, preventing the diversification of crops and the adoption of technological models that could be created in their own scenarios.Fil: Rojas, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Martiarena, Miguel Ángel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Arborno, Vilda Miryam. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Zamar, José Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Re, Gustavo Enrique. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Revelli, Claudia Susana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina

La gestión del agua, análisis territorial de la cuenca de Cruz del Eje

Ponencia presentada en las VIII Jornadas Interdisciplinarias de Estudios Agrarios y Agroindustriales. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 31 de octubre al 1 de noviembre de 2013La gestión del agua es analizada considerando los criterios de territorialidad y diversidad social y productiva, propios de la heterogeneidad evolutiva del espacio rural, contemplando la conservación de los recursos naturales. Esta investigación se centró en un análisis teórico – metodológico para entender el entramado de la gestión del agua con un abordaje integral y participativo. Para permitir la emergencia de las diferencias y la conflictualidad en el acceso al agua y su uso, se aplicó la técnica de grupos focales. La consigna de trabajo se centró en la elaboración de propuestas y alternativas de mejoramiento de la gestión, abarcando la multiplicidad de dimensiones involucradas. La unidad de análisis y de investigación es la cuenca hidrográfica definida por la pluralidad de actores y la complejidad de relaciones entre ellos. El estudio de la gestión del agua desde una perspectiva integral garantiza legitimidad, sostenibilidad y gobernabilidad en el aprovechamiento del agua y en su justa distribución. Para profundizar en los aspectos participativos de la gestión del agua, se incorporaron variables históricas, socio-organizativas, institucionales, económicas, ambientales, productivas y jurídicas. Se evidencia la gestión del agua considerada parte de un proceso de desarrollo que construye un tipo de territorio social, productivo y ambiental.Fil: Bisio, Catalina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Bisio, Catalina. Gobierno de la Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentos; Argentina.Fil: Ryan, Silvia Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Bergamín, Gerardo Antonio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Re, Gustavo Enrique. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Menna, José María. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Ramos, Carlos A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina.Fil: Rojas, D. Gobierno de la Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentos; Argentina

Inadequate glucose control in type 2 diabetes is associated with impaired lung function and systemic inflammation: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inadequate glucose control may be simultaneously associated with inflammation and decreased lung function in type 2 diabetes. We evaluated if lung function is worse in patients with inadequate glucose control, and if inflammatory markers are simultaneously increased in these subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were selected at the Colombian Diabetes Association Center in Bogotá. Pulmonary function tests were performed and mean residual values were obtained for forced expiratory volume (FEV₁₎, forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV₁/FVC, with predicted values based on those derived by Hankinson et al. for Mexican-Americans. Multiple least-squares regression was used to adjust for differences in known determinants of lung function. We measured blood levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA_1c), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), fibrinogen, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (C-RP).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>495 diabetic patients were studied, out of which 352 had inadequate control (HBA_1c> 7%). After adjusting for known determinants of lung function, those with inadequate control had lower FEV₁(-75.4 mL, IC95%: -92, -59; P < 0.0001) and FVC (-121 mL, IC95%: -134, -108; P < 0,0001) mean residuals, and higher FEV₁/FVC (0.013%, IC95%: 0.009, 0.018, P < 0.0001) residuals than those with adequate control, as well as increased levels of all inflammatory markers (P < 0.05), with the exception of IL-6.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Subjects with type 2 diabetes and inadequate control had lower FVC and FEV₁than predicted and than those of subjects with adequate control. It is postulated that poorer pulmonary function may be associated with increased levels of inflammatory mediators.</p

A

Abstract:&nbsp; Recent studies have shown that enteric cells are targets for SARS-CoV-2 infection, as they express the cellular receptor for the virus (ACE2), allowing viral replication in the gastrointestinal tract. Other studies report that 35% of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (symptomatic and asymptomatic) excrete the virus in fecal matter, with a mean excretion time of 17 days. In this way, wastewater constitutes a matrix that summarizes the population excretion of the virus. Objective: To study the population circulation dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern (VOC) in wastewater from Córdoba city and Punilla‘s Valley. Materials and Methods: Sampling: From May 2020 to the present, 313 raw wastewater samples were collected from the central network conduit that enters the treatment plant of the city of Córdoba (n = 130) and Carlos Paz (n = 61), Valle Hermoso (n = 61) and La Falda (n = 61) treatment plants, in Punilla‘s Valley. Collection frequency: weekly. SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater: elusion and precipitation with polyethylene glycol 6000, followed by 4°C differential centrifugations. RNA extraction: MagNAPure 96 - Roche. Genomic detection: DisCoVery SARS-CoV-2RT-PCR Detection Kit gen N and LightMix® Modular SARS and Wuhan CoV E-gene kit. Real-time RT-PCR Variants detection: TaqMan™ SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Panel (AppliedBiosystems) for detection of Alpha, Beta and Gamma VOCs. Results and Conclusions: Viral RNA was detected in 38% of the analyzed samples (28% Córdoba, 45% Punilla‘s Valley). SARS-CoV-2 genome detection, through Ct values, was correlated with the epidemiological curve of clinical cases reported between the months analyzed, been detected in water samples up to two weeks before the clinical cases exponential increase&nbsp; both in the first and second waves and in the summer outbreak in all localities. This predictive value of epidemic waves could be explained by a significant number of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic excretors. In addition, wastewater study described the circulation dynamics of viral variants (VOC) in all the studied localities.&nbsp;Resumen:&nbsp; Estudios recientes demostraron que las células entéricas son blanco para la infección por SARS-CoV-2, debido a que expresan el receptor celular para el virus (ACE2), permitiendo la replicación viral en el tracto gastrointestinal. Otros estudios reportan que el 35% de pacientes infectados con SARS-CoV-2 (sintomáticos y asintomáticos), excretan el virus por materia fecal, con un tiempo medio de excreción de 17 días. De esta manera, las aguas residuales constituyen una matriz que resume la excreción poblacional del virus. Objetivo: Estudiar la dinámica de circulación poblacional de SARS-CoV-2&nbsp; y sus variantes de preocupación (VOC) en aguas residuales de la Ciudad de Córdoba Capital y Valle de Punilla. Materiales y Métodos: Muestreo: Desde el mes de mayo del año 2020, al presente, se recolectaron 313 muestras de aguas residuales crudas del conducto de la red central que ingresa a la planta depuradora de la ciudad de Córdoba (n= 130) y a las plantas de Carlos Paz (n=61), Valle Hermoso (n=61) y La Falda (n=61), en Valle de Punilla. Frecuencia de recolección: semanal. Concentración de SARS-CoV-2 en aguas residuales: elusión y precipitación con polietilenglicol 6000, seguido de centrifugaciones diferenciales a 4°C.&nbsp; Extracción de ARN: MagNAPure 96 - Roche. Detección genómica: DisCoVery SARS-CoV-2RT-PCR Detection Kit gen N y LightMix® Modular SARS and Wuhan CoV E-gene kit. Detección de variantes por RT-PCR en tiempo real: TaqMan™ SARSCoV-2 Mutation Panel (AppliedBiosystems) para detección de VOCs Alpha, Beta y Gamma. Resultados y Conclusiones: Se detectó RNA viral en el 38% de las muestras analizadas (28% Córdoba, 45% Valle&nbsp; de Punilla).La detección del genoma de SARS-CoV-2, a través de los valores de Ct, se correlacionó con la curva epidemiológica de casos clínicos reportados entre los meses analizados, comenzando a ser detectado en aguas hasta dos semanas antes del aumento exponencial de casos clínicos tanto en la primera y segunda ola como en el brote estival en todas las localidades. Este valor predictivo de olas epidémicas podría explicarse por un número significativo de excretores asintomáticos y pre-sintomáticos. Además, el estudio de las aguas residuales describió la dinámica de circulación de las variantes virales (VOC) en laslocalidades estudiadas.

Cost-Effectiveness of Chagas Disease Vector Control Strategies in Northwestern Argentina

Despite decreasing rates of prevalence and incidence, Chagas disease remains a serious problem in Latin America, especially for the rural poor. Without vaccines, control and prevention rely mostly on residual spraying of insecticides. Under the aegis of the Southern Cone Initiative, and in agreement with global trends in decentralization of the health systems, in 1992 the Argentinean vector control launched a new vector control program based on community participation. The present study represents the first thorough evaluation of the overall performance of such vector control program and the first comparative assessment of the cost-effectiveness of different vector control strategies in a highly endemic rural area of northwestern Argentina. Supported by results of independent studies, the present work shows that in rural, poor and dispersed areas of the Gran Chaco region, the implementation of a mixed (i.e., vertical attack phase followed by horizontal surveillance) strategy constantly supervised and supported by national or local vector control programs would be the most cost-effective option to interrupt vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease

Basement membrane proteins as a substrate for efficient Trypanosoma brucei differentiation in vitro

The ability to reproduce the developmental events of trypanosomes that occur in their mammalian host in vitro offers significant potential to assist in understanding of the underlying biology of the process. For example, the transition from bloodstream slender to bloodstream stumpy forms is a quorum-sensing response to the parasite-derived peptidase digestion products of environmental proteins. As an abundant physiological substrate in vivo, we studied the ability of a basement membrane matrix enriched gel (BME) in the culture medium to support differentiation of pleomorphic Trypanosoma brucei to stumpy forms. BME comprises extracellular matrix proteins, which are among the most abundant proteins found in connective tissues in mammals and known substrates of parasite-released peptidases. We previously showed that two of these released peptidases are involved in generating a signal that promotes slender-to-stumpy differentiation. Here, we tested the ability of basement membrane extract to enhance parasite differentiation through its provision of suitable substrates to generate the quorum sensing signal, namely oligopeptides. Our results show that when grown in the presence of BME, T. brucei pleomorphic cells arrest at the G0/1 phase of the cell cycle and express the differentiation marker PAD1, the response being restricted to differentiation-competent parasites. Further, the stumpy forms generated in BME medium are able to efficiently proceed onto the next life cycle stage in vitro, procyclic forms, when incubated with cis-aconitate, further validating the in vitro BME differentiation system. Hence, BME provides a suitable in vitro substrate able to accurately recapitulate physiological parasite differentiation without the use of experimental animals

Nut production in Bertholletia excelsa across a logged forest mosaic: implications for multiple forest use

Although many examples of multiple-use forest management may be found in tropical smallholder systems, few studies provide empirical support for the integration of selective timber harvesting with non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction. Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythidaceae) is one of the world’s most economically-important NTFP species extracted almost entirely from natural forests across the Amazon Basin. An obligate out-crosser, Brazil nut flowers are pollinated by large-bodied bees, a process resulting in a hard round fruit that takes up to 14 months to mature. As many smallholders turn to the financial security provided by timber, Brazil nut fruits are increasingly being harvested in logged forests. We tested the influence of tree and stand-level covariates (distance to nearest cut stump and local logging intensity) on total nut production at the individual tree level in five recently logged Brazil nut concessions covering about 4000 ha of forest in Madre de Dios, Peru. Our field team accompanied Brazil nut harvesters during the traditional harvest period (January-April 2012 and January-April 2013) in order to collect data on fruit production. Three hundred and ninety-nine (approximately 80%) of the 499 trees included in this study were at least 100 m from the nearest cut stump, suggesting that concessionaires avoid logging near adult Brazil nut trees. Yet even for those trees on the edge of logging gaps, distance to nearest cut stump and local logging intensity did not have a statistically significant influence on Brazil nut production at the applied logging intensities (typically 1–2 timber trees removed per ha). In one concession where at least 4 trees ha-1 were removed, however, the logging intensity covariate resulted in a marginally significant (0.09) P value, highlighting a potential risk for a drop in nut production at higher intensities. While we do not suggest that logging activities should be completely avoided in Brazil nut rich forests, when a buffer zone cannot be observed, low logging intensities should be implemented. The sustainability of this integrated management system will ultimately depend on a complex series of socioeconomic and ecological interactions. Yet we submit that our study provides an important initial step in understanding the compatibility of timber harvesting with a high value NTFP, potentially allowing for diversification of forest use strategies in Amazonian Perù