Checkpoint proteins come under scrutiny

Details are emerging of the interactions between the kinetochore and various spindle checkpoint proteins that ensure that sister chromatids are equally divided between daughter cells during cell division

Parasitic Infection and Immunity—A Special Biomedicines Issue

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Contextos organizacionais do desenvolvimento das práticas de supervisão : que cooperação no processo formativo dos estudantes de enfermagem?

A questão central na formação de estudantes de Enfermagem advém da revalorização do potencial formativo das práticas nas organizações de saúde, devendo estas assegurar as condições de aprendizagem clínica para os cursos e garantir os respetivos padrões de qualidade. Isto obriga a que sejam potenciadas sinergias entre ambas as organizações. O Decreto-Lei n.º 206/2004 de 19 de Agosto, clarifica a relação entre as entidades prestadoras de cuidados de saúde e as instituições responsáveis pelo ensino, a educação e a investigação científica, nomeadamente com as escolas de enfermagem, como explicitamente determina o n.º 3, do artigo 1.º, conjugado com o que preconiza o artigo 13.º. Aqui, está também traçado o quadro geral de articulação entre as duas organizações, a qual é feita mediante o estabelecimento de protocolos para a realização de estágios e desenvolvimento da investigação. Este estudo, de carater exploratório e descritivo teve como objetivo compreender os processos de parceria em uso entre as Escolas Superiores de Enfermagem e as entidades prestadoras de cuidados onde se realizam as práticas cínicas. Metodologicamente foi suportado na análise de conteúdo de 66 protocolos firmados por sete Escolas de Enfermagem. Os achados do estudo revelaram fragilidades na formalização dos protocolos com as instituições de saúde, não surgindo claro, qual a natureza ou extensão da sua cooperação. Evidenciaram ausência de uma definição clara do papel a desempenhar no processo formativo dos estudantes e a falta da clarificação de indicadores necessários a uma forma integrada de agir em articulação. Apesar de no atual quadro legal, assente na celebração formal de protocolos, estarem reunidas as condições para a efetivação da articulação entre as duas entidades, os protocolos firmados não obedecem, com as devidas adaptações, aos princípios gerais definidos no n.º 2 do artigo 13.º do referido diploma, o que parece condicionar a corresponsabilização dos intervenientes no processo.The central issue in the training nursing students arises from the revaluation of the training potential of the practices in health organizations, which should ensure the conditions for clinical training of the courses guaranteeing the respective standards of quality. This requires being further enhanced synergies between both organizations. Decree-Law number 206/2004, August 19, clarifies the relationship between health institutions and institutions responsible by education and scientific research, particularly with nursing schools, as explicitly determines the number 3, Article 1, in conjunction with advocated in Article 13.º. Here is also outlined the general framework of coordination between both organizations, which is done by establishing protocols for the stages conduct and scientific research development. Aiming to understanding the processes in use of partnership between Nursing Schools and health institutions where they carry out the clinical practices, we developed a study of exploratory and descriptive nature. Methodologically was supported in content analysis of 66 protocols signed by seven Nursing Schools. The results of this study demonstrated flaws in the formalization of agreements with health institutions, not appearing clear what is the nature or extent of their cooperation. It was evidenced a lack of definition by the health institutions role in the students training and the dearth of clarification the indicators needed to an articulated working. In the current legal framework, although contemplated the conditions for effective coordination between both entities, based on formal protocols, these weren´t in accordance to the general principles defined in number 2, article 13.º of the referenced law, which can determine the co-responsibility the involved parts

Immunization and Aging: a Learning Process in the Immune Network

The immune system can be thought as a complex network of different interacting elements. A cellular automaton, defined in shape-space, was recently shown to exhibit self-regulation and complex behavior and is, therefore, a good candidate to model the immune system. Using this model to simulate a real immune system we find good agreement with recent experiments on mice. The model exhibits the experimentally observed refractory behavior of the immune system under multiple antigen presentations as well as loss of its plasticity caused by aging.Comment: 4 latex pages, 3 postscript figures attached. To be published in Physical Review Letters (Tentatively scheduled for 5th Oct. issue

Experimentation with accumulation

We study signal-dependent experimentation in the presence of accumulation and show that the passive-learner’s action surprisingly coincides with the experimentor’s when the unknown term is the one determining the decay rate of the stock, while they differ when the parameter being learned is the one measuring the accumulation rate. These results highlight the importance of the dynamic structure of the problem in signal-dependent experimentation. Moreover, they have important consequences for the pollution-accumulation debate currently in progress

The pressor effect of angiotensin-(1-7) in the rat rostral ventrolateral medulla involves multiple peripheral mechanisms

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, the peripheral mechanism that mediates the pressor effect of angiotensin-(1-7) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla was investigated. METHOD: Angiotensin-(1-7) (25 pmol) was bilaterally microinjected in the rostral ventrolateral medulla near the ventral surface in urethane-anesthetized male Wistar rats that were untreated or treated (intravenously) with effective doses of selective autonomic receptor antagonists (atenolol, prazosin, methyl-atropine, and hexamethonium) or a vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5 -Tyr(Me)-AVP] given alone or in combination. RESULTS: Unexpectedly, the pressor response produced by angiotensin-(1-7) (16 ± 2 mmHg, n = 12), which was not associated with significant changes in heart rate, was not significantly altered by peripheral treatment with prazosin, the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist, hexamethonium or methyl-atropine. Similar results were obtained in experiments that tested the association of prazosin and atenolol; methyl-atropine and the vasopressin V1 antagonist or methyl-atropine and prazosin. Peripheral treatment with the combination of prazosin, atenolol and the vasopressin V1 antagonist abolished the pressor effect of glutamate; however, this treatment produced only a small decrease in the pressor effect of angiotensin-(1-7) at the rostral ventrolateral medulla. The combination of hexamethonium with the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist or the combination of prazosin, atenolol, the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist and methyl-atropine was effective in blocking the effect of angiotensin-(1-7) at the rostral ventrolateral medulla. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that angiotensin-(1-7) triggers a complex pressor response at the rostral ventrolateral medulla that involves an increase in sympathetic tonus, release of vasopressin and possibly the inhibition of a vasodilatory mechanism

GRASS UTILIZATION IN GROWING FINISHING BÍSARO PIGS (85-107 KG). PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS COMPOSITION

The use of different quantities of vegetables, forages or fresh grass as fodder for growing-finishing pigs is an important factor of the northern Portugal traditional system. The increasing development of swine production in outdoor systems, extensive and organic production, turns to upcoming natural diets, in which grass performs a significant part. With regard to this, some investigation has been made concerning the use of fibre-rich feed ingredients in pig nutrition. Metabolic effects of its ingestion are analysed concerning different sights (economical, social, environmental and physiological ones). The aim of this work was to study the effects of grass utilization in the diets on performances of finishing Bísaro pigs. A total of 22 pigs (16 castrated males and 6 females) was housed outdoor and fed ad libitum (37 – 85 kg live weight) with a growing diet and then transferred to an indoor system (with free access to an outdoor area) for 49 days, according to 3 different treatments: 100% concentrate (C), 75% concentrate + ad libitum grass (CE75), 50% concentrate + ad libitum grass (CE50). The grass was supplied and its intake registered on a daily basis. Every 14 days, the pigs were weighted and their back fat (P2 in vivo) measured. After slaughter (average weight of 107 kg LW), yield and ½ left carcass characteristics were controlled. During the outdoor growing phase, the ADG was 513 g/day. During the indoor finishing phase, the increase grass intake was proportional to the reduction of concentrate in the diet. The ADG (g) and the fat deposition (P2 cm) were significantly different (P<0,05) in the 3 treatments (ADG: C=641, CE75=467, CE50=356 and: C=11,4, CE75=+9,5, CE50=+6,2). The empty body weight (kg) was also proportional to the intake of concentrate (C=116,2; CE75=107,7; CE50=102,2). Comparatively to the weight of the body parts, pigs that had higher intake of grass and lower of concentrate showed a higher % of shoulder (P<0,05; C=20,4, CE75=21,7, CE50=22,2) and the pH45min of CE carcasses was significantly higher (P<0,05). As a conclusion, concentrate substitution for grass showed a slower growing rate, thinner carcasses and a high technological quality. Neverthelles variability (CV %) of the productive parameters at the end of this study were higher in the treatments that included grass: live weight (C= 10,5%; C75=10,7%; C50=14,3%), finishing ADG (C=24%; C75=37%, C50=42%), and final fat (C=37%; C75=32%, C50=52%). These values suggest that the utilization of fibrous feeds in growing-finishing swine may be one of the possible explanations of the more heterogeneous products and carcasses found in the traditional or extensive systems, common users of fibrous feeds in the carcass finishing phase