Social Nesting, Animal Welfare, and Disease Monitoring

The assessment of welfare and disease progression in animal models is critical. Most tools rely on evaluating individual subjects, whereas social behaviors, also sensitive to acute illness, chronic diseases, or mental health, are scarcely monitored because they are complex and time-consuming. We propose the evaluation of social nesting, a species-typical behavior naturally occurring in standard housing conditions, for such behavioral monitoring. We provide an example of its use to evaluate social deficits and the long-term effects of neonatal tactile-proprioceptive sensorial stimulation from postnatal day 1 to 21, in male and female adult 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer's disease compared to sex- and age-matched non-transgenic (NTg) counterparts with normal aging. Social nesting was sensitive to genotype (worse in 3xTg-AD mice), sex (worse in males), profile, and treatment (distinct time to observe the maximum score and incidence of the perfect nest). Since social nesting can be easily included in housing routines, this neuroethological approach can be useful for animal welfare, monitoring the disease's progress, and evaluating potential risk factors and effects of preventive/therapeutical strategies. Finally, the noninvasive, painless, simple, short time, and low-cost features of this home-cage monitoring are advantages that make social nesting feasible to be successfully implemented in most animal department settings

Vibrating Tail, Digging, Body/Face Interaction, and Lack of Barbering : Sex-Dependent Behavioral Signatures of Social Dysfunction in 3xTg-AD Mice as Compared to Mice with Normal Aging

Modeling of Alzheimer's disease (AD), classically focused on the subject-environment interaction, foresees current social neuroscience efforts as improving the predictive validity of new strategies. Here we studied social functioning among congeners in 13-14-month-old mice with normal aging in naturalistic and experimental conditions and depicted behavioral signatures of dysfunction in age-matched 3xTg-AD mice. The most sensitive variables were vibrating tail, digging, body/face and self-grooming, that can be easily used in housing routines and the assessment of strategies. Sex-specific signatures (vibrating tail, digging, and grooming) defined female 3xTg-AD mice ethogram. All animals sleep huddled while barbering was only found in females with normal aging

Implications of the agreements between China and Panama

Studying the implications of the bilateral agreements between the Republic of Panama and the People’s Republic of China of 2017 allows us to understand the economic and political effects of Chinese diplomacy on international cooperation, economic development, and soft power under the principles of trust and mutual benefit. The objective is to theorise the possible risks of the various aspects of these agreements; expand or modify their terms, ideally, if desirable; promote all sectors’ participation; and collect scientific evidence to make the agreements easier for decision-makers to evaluate. Maintaining complex, interdependent relationships with different spheres of power requires prioritising national interests and adapting them to the new global reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires adjusting agreements on grounds other than the Belt and Road’s specific objectives

Impacto psicosocial del diagnóstico del Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) en los principales cuidadores

El Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA), está clasificado como Trastorno del desarrollo Neurológico, esta condición se caracteriza por una perturbación grave y generalizada en diversas áreas del desarrollo como: las habilidades sociales, la comunicación e intereses o conductas estereotipadas. La sospecha del Autismo se puede iniciar antes del primero año de vida, sin embargo, el diagnóstico en algunos casos es tardío trayendo como consecuencia un impacto significativo en diferentes áreas de la vida personal, familiar, de pareja, social, psicológica y económica de todo el grupo familiar. Esta repercusión modifica el estilo de vida generando procesos de duelo que pueden tener un desarrollo negativo o positivo de acuerdo a la intervención temprana tanto para el niño como a los familiares. Es por esto que esta investigación busca comprender el impacto psicosocial sobre el diagnóstico del Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) en los padres o cuidadores, mediante estudios de casos realizados en El Centro Ann Sullivan Panamá. Este trabajo tiene un diseño mixto con mayor énfasis cualitativo, donde cuenta con estudios de casos múltiples, con el propósito de entender el impacto que ha causado en los padres o cuidadores tener un hijo (a) con Autismo. En esta investigación se encontró que hubo un impacto elevado, en el momento del diagnóstico, es decir, presentaron etapas de vulnerabilidad, en tres de las cuatro áreas (socioeconómico, sociopsicológico, funcionamiento familiar). Donde las áreas más sensibles fueron la sociopsicológica (integración social, participación social, modo de vida familiar, convivencia social, planes y proyectos filiares) y las funciones familiares (comunicación familiar, afectividad, cohesión, armonía, roles). Por lo tanto, la sociedad panameña debe seguir informándose acerca del Autismo, para permitir mayor concientización, así como también mejorar la integración social tanto del niño como la familia en general, poder disminuir las creencias/mitos erróneos con respecto al TEA.   &nbsp

The 'two Chinas' and Panama: an historical review of Panamanian relations with the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, 1903–2017

This paper offers a historical overview of Panama’s ties with the “two Chinas”, focusing initially on Asian migration to the Isthmus of Panama before the territory became part of New Granada (Colombia). This migration was the result of Chinese labourers being recruited to work for the Panama railway construction company from 1850-1855 and, a few decades later, for construction of the French Canal and the Panama Canal. This will be followed by an examination of the Republic of China (ROC or Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) respective policies towards Panama. In addition, this paper analyses the new social, political, and economic scenarios resulting from Panama’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in June 2017. Panama’s engagement with China, particularly its links with China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative presents opportunities and challenges for the Central American country as it balances these with its national priorities

The diplomatic context between China and Panama and their agreements

n 2017, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela established official ties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), deepening such diplomacy without disclosing why, exactly, his government had broken its long-standing relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in favor of those with the PRC, what commitments his government had made to the PRC, and how he planned to handle the PRC’s strategic interests. China’s objectives, however, are clear. Beijing knows the strategic value of relations with Panama, particularly through its multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Panamanian side, meanwhile, negotiated hastily in a process without consultation, leaving their country in a lurch. Accordingly, Panamanian now need to do the work—to evaluate Panama-PRC agreements, involve all relevant sectors, and move forward according to the country’s best interests. This study analyzes Chinese diplomacy with a focus on Latin America, as well as the content of the PRC’s 47 agreements with Panama, ultimately offering a path forward for Panama

Impact of chronic risperidone use on behavior and survival of 3xTg-AD mice model of Alzheimer's disease and mice with normal aging

Altres ajuts: FLMTV3/2010/062930Psychosis and/or aggression are common problems in dementia, and when severe or persistent, cause considerable patient distress and disability, caregiver stress, and early institutionalization. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that atypical antipsychotics were associated with a significantly greater mortality risk compared to placebo, which prompted the addition of an FDA black-box warning. The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) White Paper, 2008, reviewed this issue and made clinical and research recommendations regarding the use of antipsychotics in dementia patients with psychosis and/or agitation. Increased mortality risk has also been described in cerebrovascular adverse events in elderly users of antipsychotics. In the present work, at the translational level, we used male 3xTg-AD mice (PS1M146V, APPSwe, tauP301L) at advanced stages of the disease reported to have worse survival than females, to study the behavioral effects of a low chronic dose of risperidone (0.1 mg/ kg, s.c., 90 days, from 13 to 16 months of age) and its impact on long-term survival, as compared to mice with normal aging. Animals were behaviorally assessed for cognitive and BPSD (behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia)-like symptoms in naturalistic and experimental conditions (open-field test, T-maze, social interaction, Morris water maze, and marble test) before and after treatment. Weight, basal glucose levels, and IPGTT (i.p. glucose tolerance test) were also recorded. Neophobia in the corner test was used for behavioral monitoring. Survival curves were recorded throughout the experiment until natural death. The benefits of risperidone were limited, both at cognitive and BPSD-like level, and mostly restricted to burying, agitation/vibrating tail, and other social behaviors. However, the work warns about a clear early mortality risk window during the treatment and long-lasting impact on survival. Reduced life expectancy and life span were observed in the 3xTg-AD mice, but total lifespan (36 months) recorded in C57BL/6 × 129Sv counterparts with normal aging was also truncated to 28 months in those with treatment. Sarcopenia at time of death was found in all groups, but was more severe in wild-type animals treated with risperidone. Therefore, the 3xTg-AD mice and their non-transgenic counterparts can be useful to delimitate critical time windows and for studying the physio-pathogenic factors and underlying causal events involved in this topic of considerable public health significance