Flourishing in Ministry through Resilience: Mentoring as a Catalyst for Resiliency Development and Practices

Resilience, the ability to overcome obstacles, is a gift and a necessity to deal with and overcome the uncertainty and tensions in complex ministry contexts

Embodied Resilience: Supervising/Mentoring during a Time of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and Climate Change

The authors take on the task of addressing three of the most significant issues in our society today and how one functions as a mentor and supervisor

Convergence of Wnt signalling on the HNF4a-driven transcription in controlling liver zonation

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In each hepatocyte, the specific repertoire of gene expression is influenced by its exact location along the portocentrovenular axis of the hepatic lobule and provides a reason for the liver functions compartmentalization defined "metabolic zonation." So far, few molecular players controlling genetic programs of periportal (PP) and perivenular (PV) hepatocytes have been identified; the elucidation of zonation mechanisms remains a challenge for experimental hepatology. Recently, a key role in induction and maintenance of the hepatocyte heterogeneity has been ascribed to Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. We sought to clarify how this wide-ranging stimulus integrates with hepatocyte specificity. METHODS: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) allowed the transcriptional profiling of hepatocytes derived from in vitro differentiation of liver stem cells. The GSK3beta inhibitor 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) was used for beta-catenin stabilization. Co-immunoprecipitations were used to study biochemical protein interactions while ChIP assays allowed the in vivo inspection of PV and PP genes regulatory regions. RESULTS: We found that spontaneous differentiation of liver stem cells gives rise to PP hepatocytes that, after Wnt pathway activation, switch into PV hepatocytes. Next, we showed that the Wnt downstream player LEF1 interacts with the liver-enriched transcriptional factor HNF4alpha. Finally, we unveiled that the BIO induced activation of PV genes correlates with LEF1 binding to both its own and HNF4alpha consensus, and the repression of PP genes correlates with HNF4alpha displacement from its own consensus. CONCLUSION: Our data show a direct and hitherto unknown convergence of the canonical Wnt signaling on the HNF4alpha-driven transcription providing evidences of a mechanism controlling liver zonated gene expression

Null-Flux Coils in Permanent Magnets Bearings

In this paper, the stability analysis of a new permanent magnets (PMs) bearings is presented and discussed. The suspension is assured by the repulsive force of properly shaped PMs placed on both the stator and the rotor. Then, exploiting currents induced on a system of null-flux coils attached to the stator, a stabilizing force for the translation of the center of mass of the rotor is obtained. The performance of the proposed bearing is investigated by a research code, previously developed at DESTEC and capable to simulate six degrees of freedom electromechanical devices

Surgery on breast cancer in pregnancy

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is defined as breast cancer develops either during or within 1 year after pregnancy, it is a rare disease arising in 1:3,000 to 1:10,000 pregnant women. Prognosis of this tumor is influenced by local or systemic treatment, which might be conditioned by gestational age and limited by the concern on potential adverse impact on fetus. The aim of this literature review is to analyze the main topics regarding surgical treatment of patients diagnosed with breast cancer in pregnancy: anesthesia and maternal-fetal monitoring, type of breast surgery, immediate breast reconstruction after radical surgery and management of the axilla. Some important topics remain controversial since the relative rarity of PABC precludes the feasibility of large studies leading to a lack of literature data. Multi-institutional collaboration is warranted to collect women with PABC, in order to best define surgical treatment in view of associated maternal and fetal risks

Who comes first. rescheduling endoscopic activity after the acute phase of the Covid 19 pandemic

The current health emergency caused by the COVID19 pandemic has caused an abrupt reduction in all ordinary endoscopic activities [1]. Our endoscopy unit, usually overloaded with procedures, has reduced its activities to immediate urgencies only, as recommended by position statements of many scientific societies [2–4]. After the most critical phase of the emergency, the need to evaluate the relative urgency of the endoscopic procedures was addressed. In our endoscopic academic tertiary referral unit, about 300 endoscopic procedures from March 16 to May 2 were suspended. According to local (hospital) and regional health department indications, outpatient services have been reorganised, by remodulating time slots for procedures, controlling and filtering patients’ access to the unit and reviewing the indications for each single endoscopic procedure programmed but not performed. Procedures initially classified as urgent (by 48 hours, n. 77) and short (by 10 days, n. 68) were directly rescheduled and performed. Furthermore, we decided to interview all the patients of postponed endoscopic procedures by phone calls carried out by trainees, tutored by a senior component of the endoscopy unit. A systematic questionnaire was developed based on the following items: demographic and clinical patient characteristics, current conditions, gastrointestinal signs and symptoms, exam indications and priority classes assigned by the general practitioner or other physicians, time and results of previous endoscopic examinations, laboratory tests, ongoing treatments. Results of the phone interview and any additional clinical documentation e-mailed by the patient was evaluated and archived including date and time of the interview with the patient’s informed consent. Based on the results of the reassessment, patients were rescheduled stratifing the procedures in the following 4 priority cl

Redes de conocimiento para la ayuda de cercanía : Instrumento para la reactivación microeconómica

Nos hemos enfocado en trabajar en un Proyecto que mitiga las consecuencias devastadoras que la Pandemia ha infligido en la economía de familias, emprendedores y microempresas. Para su consecución conformamos un equipo interdisciplinario con la participación de diferentes profesiones, especialidades y unidades académicas. El objetivo es la construcción de una Red de Ayuda de Cercanía para conectar beneficiarios con benefactores y emprendedores y microempresas con clientes. La Metodología propuesta contiene los conocimientos producidos en la secuencia de Investigaciones que hemos realizado en el últimos años. Además en este Proyecto abordaremos la modelización y el desarrollo de una Plataforma para la implementación dinámica y ad-hoc de Procesos. En ellos incluiremos la configuración de objetos específicos para cada solución con sus estados, sus cambios, su transformación y su evolución en nuevos Objetos. Para lograr el objetivo Tecnológico se sincronizarán tres Sistemas: La Red de Conocimiento, la búsqueda de Productos y Servicios de Cercanía más Transferencias y Pagos. Para dar un respaldo consensuado y sólido trabajamos en el Plan Estratégico del Proyecto que nos orientó en los Objetivos, Misión y Visión que nos regirá en la Investigación y Desarrollo.Eje: Innovación en sistemas de software.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Role of Heme and Heme-Proteins in Trypanosomatid Essential Metabolic Pathways

Around the world, trypanosomatids are known for being etiological agents of several highly disabling and often fatal diseases like Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp.), and African trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei). Throughout their life cycle, they must cope with diverse environmental conditions, and the mechanisms involved in these processes are crucial for their survival. In this review, we describe the role of heme in several essential metabolic pathways of these protozoans. Notwithstanding trypanosomatids lack of the complete heme biosynthetic pathway, we focus our discussion in the metabolic role played for important heme-proteins, like cytochromes. Although several genes for different types of cytochromes, involved in mitochondrial respiration, polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism, and sterol biosynthesis, are annotated at the Tritryp Genome Project, the encoded proteins have not yet been deeply studied. We pointed our attention into relevant aspects of these protein functions that are amenable to be considered for rational design of trypanocidal agents

Mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of honey bees, Apis mellifera, in Hawaii

International audienceAbstractHoney bees, Apis mellifera, in the Hawaiian Islands are geographically isolated from honey bees in mainland United States. We conducted a study on the mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of honey bees from seven of the Hawaiian Islands by sequencing the intergenic region between the Cytochrome Oxidase I and Cytochrome Oxidase II genes (COI-COII). We observed a total of 10 haplotypes from 235 samples collected from 2009 to 2014. Haplotypes belonged to the A. mellifera C lineage (64 %), M lineage (35 %), and O lineage (1 %). Four of the five C lineage haplotypes found were common among queen breeders in continental United States (C1, C2, C11, C19) and accounted for 99 % of the C lineage bees. Haplotype C33 (1 %) has been observed in feral honey bee populations in continental United States. For the M lineage, which includes the dark honey bee, A. m. mellifera, four haplotypes were observed (M3, M4c”’, M7 and M70), with a novel haplotype unique to Hawaii, M70, being the second most common. Five islands had M lineage haplotypes, with their frequency ranging from 70 % on Maui to 22 % on Molokai. Two individuals of the O lineage, haplotype O1, were found on Oahu. Among the islands, Oahu and Maui, had the greatest amount of haplotypic diversity (haplotypic diversity (Hd) = 0.76 and 0.75). Lanai and Kahoolawe had only one haplotype, C1, present