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

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

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

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

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

Los Derechos de las personas LGBTIQ+, agenda de género y las políticas de igualdad.

In Central America, human rights instruments, public policies and plans for gender equality have been approved, but discrimination and women’s demand for respect for their human rights persist, feminist social movements and LGBTIQ + people are added, who They are excluded from these policies. The study, through the analysis of the international regulatory frameworks, the commitments acquired by the States, and the equality policies of the region, seeks the objective of identifying their rights, the challenges in their recognition, the policies of equality and the inclusion of the human rights of the LGBTIQ + population, which shows that states are not responding to the demands of the gender agenda.En Centroamérica se han aprobado instrumentos de derechos humanos, políticas públicas y planes para la igualdad de género, pero persiste la discriminación y a la demanda de las mujeres por el respeto de sus derechos humanos, se suman los movimientos sociales feministas y las personas LGBTIQ+, que son excluidos de estas políticas. El estudio a través del análisis de los marcos normativos internacionales, los compromisos adquiridos por los Estados, y las políticas de igualdad de la región, busca el objetivo de identificar sus derechos, los retos en su reconocimiento, las políticas de igualdad y la inclusión de los derechos humanos de la población LGBTIQ+, que evidencia que los Estados no están dando respuestas a las demandas de la agenda de género

Autoestima, motivación y resiliencia en escuelas panameñas con puntajes diferenciados en la Prueba TERCE

Education in recent decades has moved from a traditional context to a context reflective of individual competence, in order to create healthy and inclusive schools that develop professional-social-personal skills. However, it has focused on quantitative aspects, leaving aside other factors that can influence performance, such as motivation, self-esteem, and resilience. The main objective of this study is to analyze the factors involved in academic performance, such as self-esteem, motivation and school resilience in the results obtained in the TERCE test. The sample consists of 568 students aged 10-12 years and 11 teachers from (8) schools of the Republic of Panama chosen from the arithmetic mean (best performance = 5; low performance = 3, in TERCE). The School Self-Esteem Test, the Questionnaire to Assess School Motivation, School Resilience Scale and Test Expectations and Motivational Attitudes of Teachers Test have been used. This study has found that the self-esteem variable correlates with gender, academic performance and school type (P <0.05); it is also affected by the geographical location of students, which also the case for the motivation variable (P <0.05). Children from hard-to-reach schools have an average level of resilience associated with positive levels in the identity-self-esteem dimension. In addition, teachers perceive that school performance is influenced by external factors, giving more importance to grades. In order to learn, cognitive skills, knowledge and strategies are important, which require intention and motivation to be gained.La educación en las últimas décadas se ha trasformado de un contexto tradicional a uno por competencia, para crear escuelas saludables e inclusivas con el fin de desarrollar las habilidades profesionales-sociales-personales. Sin embargo, se ha centrado en el contexto cuantitativo, dejando de un lado otros factores que pueden incidir en el rendimiento, como la motivación, autoestima, y resiliencia. El objetivo central fue analizar los factores que intervienen en el rendimiento académico como: la autoestima, motivación y resiliencia escolar en los resultados obtenidos en la prueba TERCE. La muestra fueron 568 alumnos de 10-12 años y 11 docentes de (8) escuelas de la República de Panamá escogidas a partir de la media aritmética (mejor rendimiento=5; bajo rendimiento=3, en el TERCE). Se utilizó el Test de Autoestima escolar, Cuestionario para Valorar la motivación escolar, Escala de Resiliencia Escolar y Test Expectativas y actitudes motivacionales del profesorado. En este estudio se encontró que la variable Autoestima se correlaciona con el factor género, rendimiento académico, tipo de escuela (P<0.05), sin embargo, es afectada por la ubicación geográfica de donde viven los estudiantes, fenómeno que se repite en la motivación (P<0.05). Los niños de las escuelas de difícil acceso presentan un nivel de Resiliencia (Media) asociado a niveles positivos en la dimensión identidad-autoestima. Además, los docentes tienen la percepción que el rendimiento escolar está influenciado por factores externos, dando mayor importancia a las calificaciones. Para aprender son importantes las capacidades, conocimientos y estrategias cognitivas, requiriendo de la intención y motivación suficiente para lograrlo

Survival curves and behavioral profiles of female 3xTg-AD mice surviving to 18-months of age as compared to mice with normal aging

New evidence reveals a high degree of heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical and temporal patterns, supporting the existence of several subgroups of patients. Prognosticators of end-of-life dementia specific to elderly patients are necessary to address this heterogeneity. Among 3xTg-AD mice, a widely-used model for AD, a very small number of animals overcome advanced neuropathological stages of disease beyond 18 months of age. They are usually females, which reach longevity in spite of worse neuropathological status as compared to males (the morbidity/mortality paradox). We posit that 3xTg-AD long-term survivors could serve to model end-of-life dementia but also aware about the mortality selection bias. In the present study, we performed behavioral and functional phenotype in long-term survivors, 18-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice and age-matched wildtype undergoing normal aging. Animals were followed up until natural death to correlate survival with phenotype assessments. Strong similarity of their behavioral profiles in all the variables analyzed (e.g. reflexes, sensorimotor functions, locomotion, exploration, emotionality, and anxiety-like behaviors) was found, with the exception of memory impairment, which was a salient trait in old 3xTg-AD survivors. The two groups showed similar mean life expectancy and had behavioral correlates among lifespan, neophobia and long-term memory in common, with some distinctions in 3xTg-AD, supporting recent studies in end-of-life patients. In spite of the small sample size, this brief report presents an interesting scenario to further study heterogeneity and survival in Alzheimer's disease. 3xTg-AD survivors may be a model to gain insight into the frailty/survival paradigm in normal and pathological aging

Survival curves and behavioral profiles of female 3xTg-AD mice surviving to 18-months of age as compared to mice with normal aging

New evidence reveals a high degree of heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical and temporal patterns, supporting the existence of several subgroups of patients. Prognosticators of end-of-life dementia specific to elderly patients are necessary to address this heterogeneity. Among 3xTg-AD mice, a widely-used model for AD, a very small number of animals overcome advanced neuropathological stages of disease beyond 18 months of age. They are usually females, which reach longevity in spite of worse neuropathological status as compared to males (the morbidity/mortality paradox). We posit that 3xTg-AD long-term survivors could serve to model end-of-life dementia but also aware about the mortality selection bias. In the present study, we performed behavioral and functional phenotype in long-term survivors, 18-month-old female 3xTg-AD mice and age-matched wildtype undergoing normal aging. Animals were followed up until natural death to correlate survival with phenotype assessments. Strong similarity of their behavioral profiles in all the variables analyzed (e.g. reflexes, sensorimotor functions, locomotion, exploration, emotionality, and anxiety-like behaviors) was found, with the exception of memory impairment, which was a salient trait in old 3xTg-AD survivors. The two groups showed similar mean life expectancy and had behavioral correlates among lifespan, neophobia and long-term memory in common, with some distinctions in 3xTg-AD, supporting recent studies in end-of-life patients. In spite of the small sample size, this brief report presents an interesting scenario to further study heterogeneity and survival in Alzheimer's disease. 3xTg-AD survivors may be a model to gain insight into the frailty/survival paradigm in normal and pathological aging