Plasticity in the Brain after a Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury in Adults

In this chapter, we aim to discuss the neurophysiological basis of the brain reorganization (also called plasticity) that associates with a traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI), as well as following the brachial plexus surgical reconstruction and its physical rehabilitation. We start by reviewing core aspects of plasticity following peripheral injuries such as amputation and TBPI as well as those associated with chronic pain conditions. Then, we present recent results collected by our team centered on physiological measurements of plasticity after TBPI. Finally, we discuss that an important limitation in the field is the lack of systematic measurement of TBPI clinical features. We finish by proposing possible future venues in the domain of brain plasticity following a TBPI

Effect of sucrose, kinetin, isopentenyl adenine and zeatin on the development of embryos of Heliconia rostrata in vitro

Embriões provenientes de frutos maturos de Heliconia rostrata Ruiz & Pavon foram excisados e inoculados em meio de cultura contendo os sais básicos MS, vitaminas e sacarose. A adição de sacarose foi essencial para o desenvolvimento dos embriões. Em meio desprovido de sacarose os embriões morreram em cultura. Concentrações de 1%, 2% e 3% (p/v) de sacarose favoreceram o desenvolvimento dos embriões. Concentrações de 6%, 9% e 12% (p/v) de sacarose inibiram o crescimento dos embriões. A adição de cinetina, isopentenil adenina e zeatina não favoreceram o crescimento e o desenvolvimento dos embriões. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTEmbryos from mature fruits of Heliconia rostrata were excised and cultured in basal medium containing MS salts, vitamins and sucrose. Sucrose was essential for embryo development. In meclium without sucrose the embryos died in culture. Sucrose concentrations of 1%, 2% and 3% (w/v) were beneficial for embryo development. Sucrose concentrations of 6%, 9% and 12% (w/v) inhibited embryo growth. The addition of kinetin, isopentenyl adenine and zeatin did not improve embryo growth and development

Nutritional valuation of schoolchildren from three Ibero-American countries: A comparative analysis of the references proposed by International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and World Health Organization (WHO)

Introducción: El índice de masa corporal (IMC) resulta un indicador útil para valorar la condición nutricional en la infancia y adolescencia. Si bien no existe consenso respecto a los valores o puntos de corte de IMC que deben utilizarse para la diagnosis del sobrepeso, la obesidad o la insuficiencia ponderal, las referencias propuestas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y la International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) son las más aceptadas. No obstante, existen discrepancias importantes en los resultados obtenidos en función de una u otra referencia. Objetivo: Analizar y comparar la condición nutricional de una muestra internacional a partir del IMC, mediante la aplicación simultánea de las referencias recomendadas por la IOTF y la OMS. Métodos: Se calculó el IMC de 1289 escolares de 10 a 13 años de México, Venezuela y España. A cada niño le fue atribuida una categoría nutricional (bajo peso, normopeso, sobrepeso y obesidad) utilizando el criterio de la IOTF (puntos de corte equivalentes a 18,5; 25 y 30 en adultos) y OMS (-1 DE: bajo peso + 1 DE: sobrepeso y +2 DE: obesidad). Las prevalencias de estado nutricional obtenidas por cada criterio fueron comparadas mediante la prueba de Chi-Cuadrado. Resultados: El porcentaje de escolares en cada una de las categorías nutricionales varió significativamente en función de la referencia empleada. La prevalencia de malnutrición por exceso o por defecto fue, en ambos sexos y en los tres países, superior al emplear los parámetros OMS. La referencia OMS evidenció un 10,9% menos de niños normonutridos y un 13,1% más de malnutridos que la IOTF. Discusión: Los resultados de esta investigación permiten inferir que la referencia propuesta por la OMS resulta ser más “preventiva” al momento de identificar individuos malnutridos. Se subraya la importancia de especificar los criterios empleados para la determinación del estado nutricional en los estudios de carácter epidemiológico, así como de contrastar las referencias empleadas para el diagnóstico. Conclusiones: Las referencias OMS para IMC sobrestiman la prevalencia de bajo peso, sobrepeso y obesidad en relación a los puntos de corte propuestos por el IOTF para el diagnóstico de la malnutrición.Introduction: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful tool for assessing nutritional status in childhood and adolescence. Although there is no consensus on BMI values or cutoffs to be used for the diagnosis of overweight, obesity and underweight references proposed by World Health Organization (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) are the most accepted. However, there are significant discrepancies in the results obtained in terms of either reference. Objective: To analyze and compare the nutritional status of an international sample from IMC, by simultaneous application of IOTF and WHO recommended references. Methods: 1289 schoolchildren’s BMI between 10 and 13 years of Mexico, Venezuela and Spain was estimated. Each child was assigned a nutritional category (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese) using the IOTF criteria (points cut equivalent to 18,5, 25 and 30 in adults) and WHO (-1 SD: low weight +1 DE: overweight and +2 SD: obesity). The prevalence of nutritional status of each criterion was compared using the Chi-square test. Results: The percentage of students in each of the nutritional categories mottled significantly depending on the reference used. The prevalence of excess or defect malnutrition, in both sexes and in all three countries, was exceeded using the WHO parameters. WHO reference showed 10,9% less than well-nourished children and 13,1 % more malnourished than the IOTF. Discussion: The results of this research allow inferring that the reference proposed by WHO appears to be more “protecting” when identifying malnourished individuals. The importance of specifying the criteria for determination of nutritional status in epidemiologic studies, as well as to contrast the references used for diagnosis, is emphasized. Conclusions: The WHO BMI references overestimate the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity in relation to the cutoff points proposed by the IOTF for diagnosing malnutrition.Fil: Bergel Sanchís, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Cesani Rossi, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Cordero, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Navazo, Bárbara. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Antropología. Cátedra de Antropología Biológica Iv; ArgentinaFil: Olmedo, S.. Programa de Ecología Reproductiva del Gran Chaco Argentino. Formosa; ArgentinaFil: Quintero, F.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Antropología. Cátedra de Antropología Biológica Iv; ArgentinaFil: Sardi, Marina Laura. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento de Antropología; ArgentinaFil: Torres, María Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Arechiga, J.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Méndez de Pérez, B. Universidad Nacional de Venezuela; VenezuelaFil: Marrodán, M. D.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Españ

8-Amide and 8-carbamate substitution patterns as modulators of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin's antidepressant profile: Synthesis, biological evaluation and docking studies

Psychiatric and neurological disorders affect millions of people worldwide. Currently available treatments may help to improve symptoms, but they cannot cure the diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need for potent and safe therapeutic solutions. 8-Amide and 8-carbamatecoumarins were synthetized and evaluated as human monoamine oxidase A and B (hMAO-A and hMAO-B) inhibitors. Comparison between both scaffolds has been established, and we hypothesized that the introduction of different substituents can modulate hMAO activity and selectivity. N-(7-Hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin-8-yl)-4-methylbenzamide (9) and ethyl N-(7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin-8-yl)carbamate (20) proved to be the most active and selective hMAO-A inhibitors (IC = 15.0 nM and IC = 22.0 nM, respectively), being compound 9 an irreversible hMAO-A inhibitor twenty-four times more active in vitro than moclobemide, a drug used in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Based on PAMPA assay results, both compounds proved to be good candidates to cross the blood-brain barrier. In addition, these compounds showed non-significant cytotoxicity on neuronal viability assays. Also, the best compound proved to have a t of 6.84 min, an intrinsic clearance of 195.63 μL min mg protein, and to be chemically stable at pH 3.0, 7.4 and 10.0. Docking studies were performed to better understand the binding affinities and selectivity profiles for both hMAO isoforms. Finally, theoretical drug-like properties calculations corroborate the potential of both scaffolds on the search for new therapeutic solutions for psychiatric disorders as depression.This research was funded by Consellería de Cultura, Educacion ´ e Ordenacion ´ Universitaria (EM2014/016), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion ´ (PID2020-116076RJ-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and Fundaçao ˜ para a Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (PTDC/ASP-PES/28397/ 2017, CEECIND/02423/2018, UIDB/00081/2020, LA/P/0056/2020 and EXPL/BIA-BQM/0492/2021). Financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (Centro de investigacion ´ de Galicia accreditation 2019–2022) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund - ERDF), is also gratefully acknowledged. M.I.R.-F. acknowledges the economic support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; Spanish Research Agency; and European Regional Development Funds (grant PID2021-122650OB-I00) and from CSIC (PIE202080E118)

El aporte de la biomecánica y la Ingeniería en rehabilitación en la Ingeniería Biomédica de la EIA-CES

Cuando el programa de Ingeniería Biomédica del convenio EIA-CES definió sus áreas de énfasis, enmarcadas dentro del contexto social y las múltiples necesidades que se tenían en el campo biomédico, estableció que la línea de Biomecánica e Ingeniería en Rehabilitación sería su prioridad. Es así como surgió un programa que ha buscado, desde sus comienzos, fortalecerse en esta área al involucrar desde el principio a sus estudiantes, docentes y directivos, no sólo en proyectos de investigación formativa y aplicada, sino también en entes que permitan establecer políticas públicas y privadas para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas en situación de discapacida

A consolidated analysis of the physiologic and molecular responses induced under acid stress in the legume-symbiont model-soil bacterium <i>Sinorhizobium meliloti</i>

Abiotic stresses in general and extracellular acidity in particular disturb and limit nitrogen-fixing symbioses between rhizobia and their host legumes. Except for valuable molecular-biological studies on different rhizobia, no consolidated models have been formulated to describe the central physiologic changes that occur in acid-stressed bacteria. We present here an integrated analysis entailing the main cultural, metabolic, and molecular responses of the model bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti growing under controlled acid stress in a chemostat. A stepwise extracellular acidification of the culture medium had indicated that S. meliloti stopped growing at ca. pH 6.0-6.1. Under such stress the rhizobia increased the O2 consumption per cell by more than 5-fold. This phenotype, together with an increase in the transcripts for several membrane cytochromes, entails a higher aerobic-respiration rate in the acid-stressed rhizobia. Multivariate analysis of global metabolome data served to unequivocally correlate specific-metabolite profiles with the extracellular pH, showing that at low pH the pentose-phosphate pathway exhibited increases in several transcripts, enzymes, and metabolites. Further analyses should be focused on the time course of the observed changes, its associated intracellular signaling, and on the comparison with the changes that operate during the sub lethal acid-adaptive response (ATR) in rhizobia.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesInstituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Morphological analysis and description of the ovaries of female silky sharks, Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839)

This work aims to study the female reproductive tract of silky sharks, Carcharhinus falciformis, captured in the South and Equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Samples were collected between January 2008 and March 2010 through oceanic commercial vessels that targeted tuna and swordfish, with a total of 17 females collected. The methodologies followed for analyzing the ovaries of those females included both macroscopic and histological analysis. Macroscopically, it was possible to determine that the ovaries on these sharks is suspended by mesenteries in the anterior section of the body cavity, heavily irrigated by blood vessels, and contains a wide range of oocytes. Ovaries were found in three distinct maturational stages: Stage I (Immature), Stage II (Maturing) and Stage III (Mature). Immature ovaries were small, with widths ranging from 1.0 to 3.1 cm, and had a gelatinous or granulose internal structure; maturing ovaries were slightly larger, ranging in width between 5.2 and 6.0 cm; mature ovaries ranged in width between 6.5 and 7.8 cm, and had a more rounded shape and the presence of large and well developed oocytes. Under microscopic examination, it was observed that the ovaries were covered with simple epithelial tissue during the early development stages and a simple cubic epithelium in the final stages of maturation. During the initial maturation stages the epigonal organ was not differentiated from the ovary. In mature specimens, the ovary showed a simple cubic epithelium and just below this epithelium there was a layer of dense connective tissue and muscle with the presence of vitellogenic oocytes and fat cells. A thin yolk membrane enclosing the oocytes was also evident. Finally, it was possible to distinguish a zona pellucida, separating the oocytes from the follicle wall and a basal lamina between the granular layers and the teak layer.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corredores socioambientales para la regeneración del río Pitillal en Puerto Vallarta

Desde inicios del 2021 el PAP ha realizado estudios sociales y ambientales de diferentes áreas de la zona de estudio en la ribera sur del río PItillal, para generar propuestas tales como: 1. Restauración de la ribera como parque lineal para la regeneración del paisaje: parque lineal con caminos en la ribera sur, áreas verdes, espacios de descanso, y puente peatonal que conecte con la ribera norte. 2. Mejoramiento de espacios públicos y naturales: Crear un paradigma de apreciación y cuidado con los espacios naturales; incentivar a que las personas reconozcan las dinámicas del agua para apreciar sus bondades; fortalecer valores en la comunidad como unidad, compromiso, cuidado por el medio ambiente. 3. Adecuación del paisaje: densificar con plantas de distintos niveles para que crezcan de manera íntegra.bajo criterios de sucesión ecológica. 4. Autoproducción del paisaje: Desarrollar diseños y estructuras de bambú para el mejoramiento del espacio público bajo criterios de producción social del hábitat. El objetivo del trabajo fue mejorar la vivienda y el espacio público y así propiciar la regeneración espacial, ecológica y social de la zona del Río Pitillal. Beneficiar, en primera instancia, a los habitantes de la zona, y puedan apropiarse del espacio de manera responsable, y que abone a las dinámicas sociales y a la identidad de las colonias vecinas. Generar espacios públicos y viviendas de calidad y vincular la regeneración ecológica del río. Donde a través de la vertiente de vivienda se solidifique el proyecto en la escala micro, enlazando no solo el mejoramiento del espacio público, sino también el habitar dentro del hogar de las personas.ITESO, A.C