ENHANCEMENTS IN SAFEGUARDING AGAINST INVASIVE PLANT PESTS

Crop Production/Industries,

Molecular subgroups of medulloblastoma: the current consensus

Medulloblastoma, a small blue cell malignancy of the cerebellum, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric oncology. Current mechanisms for clinical prognostication and stratification include clinical factors (age, presence of metastases, and extent of resection) as well as histological subgrouping (classic, desmoplastic, and large cell/anaplastic histology). Transcriptional profiling studies of medulloblastoma cohorts from several research groups around the globe have suggested the existence of multiple distinct molecular subgroups that differ in their demographics, transcriptomes, somatic genetic events, and clinical outcomes. Variations in the number, composition, and nature of the subgroups between studies brought about a consensus conference in Boston in the fall of 2010. Discussants at the conference came to a consensus that the evidence supported the existence of four main subgroups of medulloblastoma (Wnt, Shh, Group 3, and Group 4). Participants outlined the demographic, transcriptional, genetic, and clinical differences between the four subgroups. While it is anticipated that the molecular classification of medulloblastoma will continue to evolve and diversify in the future as larger cohorts are studied at greater depth, herein we outline the current consensus nomenclature, and the differences between the medulloblastoma subgroups

Acute effects of bright light exposure on cortisol levels

Multisynaptic neural and endocrine pathways from the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus have been hypothesized to communicate circadian and photic information to the adrenal glands. In humans, light exposure has been reported to have no effect, increase, or decrease cortisol levels. These inconsistent findings in humans may be related to differences among studies including the intensity (approximately 500 to 5500 lux), duration (15 min to 4 h), and circadian phase of light exposure. The authors assessed the influence of exposure to bright light on cortisol levels in humans during the rising and descending phases of the circadian rhythm of cortisol, that is, when cortisol levels are high. Twenty healthy men and women were studied using a within-subject research design. Subjects were studied in an environment free of time cues for 9 to 10 days. Subjects received a 6.7-h exposure of bright light (approximately 10,000 lux; equivalent to ambient light intensity just after sunrise or just before sunset) or dim light (approximately 3 lux; equivalent to candle light) during the biological night and morning. Bright light exposure significantly reduced plasma cortisol levels at both circadian phases studied, whereas dim light exposure had little effect on cortisol levels. The finding of an acute suppressive effect of bright light exposure on cortisol levels supports the existence of a mechanism by which photic information can acutely influence the human adrenal glands

Os Contornos e o Entorno da Nova Sociologia da Moral

Neste ensaio vou expor brevemente como vejo o desenvolvimento do campo da Sociologia da Moral, com foco em seu potencial fundamentalmente interdisciplinar, destacando os estudos e tradições que merecem ser incorporados à sociologia. A moral, como tema de investigação da ciência social, perpassa os campos da psicologia (social e do desenvolvimento), sociologia, antropologia, neurociências e economia. Aqueles entre nós implicados no seu desenvolvimento afirmam que ela serve de fundamento para toda a organização e interação social. Assumo, implicitamente, a posição do filósofo Charles Taylor e do sociólogo Christian Smith de que os seres humanos vivem envolvidos em teias de significados, pelas quais são moldados, conforme versões de "certo" e de "bem". Os seres humanos são fundamentalmente morais, não no sentido de serem convencionalmente altruístas ou de se preocuparem com os outros, mas de que as pessoas humanas, por serem seres sociais habitando um espaço social, devem assumir posições sobre temas relevantes nessas sociedades e grupos. As pessoas, de um modo geral, nesse meu paradigma, ancoram seus sentidos de si em posicionamentos morais, padrões que oferecem um solo a partir do qual dão sentido ao mundo através de lentes morais. Uma sociologia da moral compreende a formação dessas crenças, sua relativa imutabilidade ou as circunstâncias pelas quais elas mudam, sua influência sobre a ação e sua reconstrução retrospectiva diante de efeitos desajustados ou de pressões sociais