Continuous agrochemical treatments in agroecosystems can modify the effects of pendimethalin-based herbicide exposure on immunocompetence of a beneficial ground beetle

Herbicide application for pest control can negatively affect soil biodiversity, mainly acting on species that are involved in ecosystem service. In this study, field and laboratory trials were designed to assay herbicide exposure effects on the constitutive immunity of Harpalus (Pseudoophonus) rufipes (De Geer, 1774), a beneficial carabid species that inhabits croplands. The circulating hemocytes (THCs) and plasmatic levels of basal and total phenoloxidase (PO), as well as lysozyme-like enzyme activities, were measured as markers of exposure. In laboratory tests, the exposure to realistic field doses of pendimethalin-based herbicides for two, seven and 21 days caused a reduction in enzyme activities in beetles from organic crops. In beetles from conventional fields, the THCs and total PO activity decreased significantly at two and seven days after the initial exposure, though no effects were recorded on basal PO and lysozyme like-enzyme activities. These differences in enzyme activities and THCs indicate that the interference of pendimethalin with immune parameters clearly depends on both the different field conditions from which the population comes and the cumulative effects of repeated applications over the time

Dysregulation of l-arginine metabolism and bioavailability associated to free plasma heme

Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria is associated with hypoargininemia, which contributes to impaired systemic and pulmonary nitric oxide (NO) production and endothelial dysfunction. Since intravascular hemolysis is an intrinsic feature of severe malaria, we investigated whether and by which mechanisms free heme [Fe(III)-protoporphyrin IX (FP)] might contribute to the dysregulation of l-arginine (l-Arg) metabolism and bioavailability. Carrier systems “y+” [or cationic amino acid transporter (CAT)] and “y+L” transport l-Arg into red blood cells (RBC), where it is hydrolyzed to ornithine and urea by arginase (isoform I) or converted to NO· and citrulline by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Our results show a significant and dose-dependent impairment of l-Arg transport into RBC pretreated with FP, with a strong inhibition of the system carrier y+L. Despite the impaired l-Arg influx, higher amounts of l-Arg-derived urea are produced by RBC preexposed to FP caused by activation of RBC arginase I. This activation appeared not to be mediated by oxidative modifications of the enzyme. We conclude that l-Arg transport across RBC membrane is impaired and arginase-mediated l-Arg consumption enhanced by free heme. This could contribute to reduced NO production in severe malaria

Los sondeos y encuestas de opinión hallados en el archivo BANADE ¿un uso productivo de las tecnologías de gobierno por parte de la última dictadura militar argentina?

Surveys and opinion polls were systematically carried out by the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983), becoming the main source to comprehend public opinion. Governmental and military institutions with intelligence services focused on the population carried out polls on collective moods, produced reports on the “psychosocial situation”, and designed communication strategies as well as propaganda campaigns to revert the trend of negative opinion. This article analyzes opinion polls and surveys carried out in 1981, which have not been systematically studied yet. The polls and surveys can be found in the BANADE archives. These documents open a new dimension of analysis, which leads to the hypothesis that the last military dictatorship in Argentina governed not only through constant repression but also through a productive plan, as systematic as the suppressive plan, aiming at the regulation of behavior to achieve useful outcomes (compliance, support, obedience, etc.).Las encuestas y sondeos de opinión fueron sistemáticamente utilizadas por el último régimen militar argentino como su principal fuente de inteligibilidad de la opinión pública. A través del sondeo del ánimo social, realizado tanto por instituciones gubernamentales como castrenses dedicadas a producir inteligencia sobre la población, se realizaron informes de “situación psicosocial” y se sugirieron estrategias de comunicación y campañas de propaganda para revertir las tendencias negativas. En este artículo analizaremos encuestas y sondeos de opinión realizadas durante el año 1981, y que hasta el momento no fueron estudiadas sistemáticamente. Las hallamos en el archivo BANADE y exponen una nueva dimensión de análisis que nos permite afirmar que la última dictadura militar argentina, además de gobernar por medio de la represión continua, implementó un plan productivo igualmente sistemático a través del que buscó regular las conductas con el fin de generar efectos útiles (conductas de adhesión, apoyo, obediencia, etc.).Fil: Schenquer, Laura. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales del Litoral. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Risler, Julia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones "Gino Germani"; Argentin

P2X7 Receptor Modulation of the Gut Microbiota and the Inflammasome Determines the Severity of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>-Induced Ileitis

In mice, oral Toxoplasma gondii infection induces severe ileitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of the P2X7 receptor (P2X7) on the inflammatory response to T. gondii-induced ileitis. Cysts of the ME49 strain of T. gondii were used to induce ileitis. The infected mice were euthanized on day 8 and ileal tissue and peripheral blood were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses. Ileal contractility, inflammatory mediators, inflammasome activation, quantitative PCR analysis of gene expression, and fecal microbiota were assessed using appropriate techniques, respectively. The infected P2X7−/− mice had greater disease severity, parasitic burden, liver damage, and intestinal contractility than the infected wild-type (WT) mice. Infection increased serum IL-6 and IFN-γ and tissue caspase-1 but not NLRP3 in P2X7−/− mice compared to WT mice. Bacteroidaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Rhodospirillales increased while Muribaculaceae and Lactobacillaceae decreased in the infected WT and P2X7−/− mice. Bacteroidia and Tannerellaceae increased in the P2X7−/− mice with ileitis. By contrast, Clostridiales and Mollicutes were absent in the P2X7−/− mice but increased in the WT mice. P2X7 protects mice against T. gondii infection by activating the inflammasome and regulating the local and systemic immune responses. Specific gut bacterial populations modulated by P2X7 determine disease severity