Increased Resin Collection after Parasite Challenge: A Case of Self-Medication in Honey Bees?

The constant pressure posed by parasites has caused species throughout the animal kingdom to evolve suites of mechanisms to resist infection. Individual barriers and physiological defenses are considered the main barriers against parasites in invertebrate species. However, behavioral traits and other non-immunological defenses can also effectively reduce parasite transmission and infection intensity. In social insects, behaviors that reduce colony-level parasite loads are termed “social immunity.” One example of a behavioral defense is resin collection. Honey bees forage for plant-produced resins and incorporate them into their nest architecture. This use of resins can reduce chronic elevation of an individual bee's immune response. Since high activation of individual immunity can impose colony-level fitness costs, collection of resins may benefit both the individual and colony fitness. However the use of resins as a more direct defense against pathogens is unclear. Here we present evidence that honey bee colonies may self-medicate with plant resins in response to a fungal infection. Self-medication is generally defined as an individual responding to infection by ingesting or harvesting non-nutritive compounds or plant materials. Our results show that colonies increase resin foraging rates after a challenge with a fungal parasite (Ascophaera apis: chalkbrood or CB). Additionally, colonies experimentally enriched with resin had decreased infection intensities of this fungal parasite. If considered self-medication, this is a particularly unique example because it operates at the colony level. Most instances of self-medication involve pharmacophagy, whereby individuals change their diet in response to direct infection with a parasite. In this case with honey bees, resins are not ingested but used within the hive by adult bees exposed to fungal spores. Thus the colony, as the unit of selection, may be responding to infection through self-medication by increasing the number of individuals that forage for resin

Association of IL1B -511C/-31T haplotype and Helicobacter pylori vacA genotypes with gastric ulcer and chronic gastritis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The association between proinflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms and gastric diseases related to <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>varies by population and geographic area.</p> <p>Our objective was to determine if the <it>IL-1B </it>-<it>511 T>C </it>and -<it>31 C>T </it>polymorphisms and <it>H. pylori vacA </it>genotypes are associated with risk of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcer in a Mexican population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted endoscopic studies in 128 patients with symptoms of dyspepsia. We took two biopsies from the body, antrum, or ulcer edge from each patient, and classified our histopathological findings according to the Sydney System. <it>H. pylori </it>infection and <it>vacA </it>genotyping were accomplished via PCR from total DNA of the gastric biopsies. We confirmed the presence of anti-<it>H. pylori </it>serum IgG and IgM in 102 control subjects. In both case subjects and control subjects, the <it>IL-1B </it>-<it>511 T>C </it>polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-RFLPs and the <it>IL-1B -31 C>T </it>polymorphism was genotyped by pyrosequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sixty-two point seven (62.7%) of the 102 control subjects were <it>H. pylori-</it>seropositive. Among the case subjects, 100 were diagnosed with chronic gastritis and 28 with gastric ulcer. We found that 77% of the patients with chronic gastritis and 85.7% of the patients with gastric ulcer were <it>H. pylori-</it>positive. The predominant <it>H. pylori </it>genotype was <it>vacA s1m1 </it>(58.4%) and the most frequent subtype was <it>vacA s1</it>. The -<it>511 TC</it>, (rs16944 -511 T>C) genotype and the -<it>511C </it>allele were associated with chronic gastritis (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.4-6.8 and OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.4-6.0, respectively). The subjects carrying -<it>31T </it>(rs1143627 -31 C>T) were found to be at a higher risk of having chronic gastritis (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.3-5.8). The <it>IL-1B </it>-<it>511C/-31T </it>haplotype was associated with chronic gastritis (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2-3.8) but not with gastric ulcer.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>H. pylori vacA </it>genotypes identified herein were similar to those reported for other regions of Mexico. The <it>vacA s1m1 </it>genotype was not associated with gastric ulcer. In the southern Mexican population, the <it>IL-1B -511C </it>and -<it>31T </it>alleles and the -<it>511C/-31T </it>and -<it>511T/-31T </it>haplotypes are associated with increased risk of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcer.</p

Dry Needling for Spine Related Disorders: a Scoping Review

Introduction/Background: The depth and breadth of research on dry needling (DN) has not been evaluated specifically for symptomatic spine related disorders (SRD) from myofascial trigger points (TrP), disc, nerve and articular structures not due to serious pathologies. Current literature appears to support DN for treatment of TrP. Goals of this review include identifying research published on DN treatment for SRD, sites of treatment and outcomes studied. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following Levac et al.’s five part methodological framework to determine the current state of the literature regarding DN for patients with SRD. Results: Initial and secondary search strategies yielded 55 studies in the cervical (C) region (71.43%) and 22 in the thoracolumbar-pelvic (TLP) region (28.57%). Most were randomized controlled trials (60% in C, 45.45% in TLP) and clinical trials (18.18% in C, 22.78% in TLP). The most commonly treated condition was TrP for both the C and TLP regions. In the C region, DN was provided to 23 different muscles, with the trapezius as treatment site in 41.88% of studies. DN was applied to 31 different structures in the TLP region. In the C region, there was one treatment session in 23 studies (41.82%) and 2–6 treatments in 25 (45.45%%). For the TLP region, one DN treatment was provided in 8 of the 22 total studies (36.36%) and 2–6 in 9 (40.9%). The majority of experimental designs had DN as the sole intervention. For both C and TLP regions, visual analogue scale, pressure pain threshold and range of motion were the most common outcomes. Conclusion: For SRD, DN was primarily applied to myofascial structures for pain or TrP diagnoses. Many outcomes were improved regardless of diagnosis or treatment parameters. Most studies applied just one treatment which may not reflect common clinical practice. Further research is warranted to determine optimal treatment duration and frequency. Most studies looked at DN as the sole intervention. It is unclear whether DN alone or in addition to other treatment procedures would provide superior outcomes. Functional outcome tools best suited to tracking the outcomes of DN for SRD should be explored.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-020-00310-

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

La evaluación: una actividad crítica de conocimiento.

La evaluación: una actividad crítica de conocimiento Antúnez Pérez, Ángel Z. Reconociendo a una facultad cargada de historia, letras, educación e idiomas babélicos Rivas, Pedro José Fecha posible de creación de la Facultad de Humanidades y Educación Angulo Rivas, Alfredo, López Bohórquez, Alí Enrique y Paredes V., César Los cincuenta años de la Escuela de Humanidades y los cuarenta y siete de la Facultad de Humanidades y Educación (1958) Tallaferro, Julio Extendiendo los cincuenta años León, Aníbal Y llegamos a los cincuenta Mora Gallardo, Elsa Enseñanza y evaluación: lo uno y lo diverso Pérez Luna, Enrique La evaluación de la educación física, los prototipos de enseñante y sus contextos Antúnez Pérez, Ángel Z. y Aranguren R., Carmen Formas de participación en la evaluación Torres Perdomo, María Electa y Torres, Carmen Minerva La evaluación de competencias complejas: la práctica del portafolio Barberá Gregori, Elena Evaluación de los niveles de aceptación del cambio curricular y el régimen de transición de la carrera de Ingeniería de Sistemas Pachano Azuaje, Felipe Gerencia, planificación y evaluación universitarias Villarroel, César Cómo evaluar cursos en línea Sandia, Beatriz E., Montilva G., Jonás y Barrios Albornoz, Judith del Rosario La docencia universitaria y las prácticas evaluativas Ruiz, Lidia F. y Pachano Rivera, Lizabeth Los procesos en la evaluación educativa Villamizar, José Angel La evaluación en el enfoque procesal de la composición escrita Albarrán Santiago, Manuel Ansiedad ante los exámenes: evaluación e intervención psicopedagógica Bausela Herreras, Esperanza Evaluación de la lectura y la escritura: el registro de observación en la práctica profesional docente Sánchez, Carla Cómo diseñar situaciones de aprendizaje para la construcción y la evaluación de textos expositivos en el aula Chacón Contreras, Yamira Recomendación de artículos complementarios sobre evaluación publicados por educere Rivas, Pedro José Enseñar latín o enseñar en contra de él: docencia viva de una lengua muerta, en la Facultad de Humanidades y Educación de la ULA Rojas, Clea Una reflexión filosófica sobre la relación entre conocimiento, educación y ética Guerra González, María del Rosario El arte de crear escribiendo: la producción textual en niños de la primera etapa de educación básica Tovar, Rosa M; Ortega, Nidia; Camero, Yajaira; Alezones Padrón, Jeannette; Frantzis, Laura y García, Eneyda Una aproximación teórica al uso del portafolio en la enseñanza, el aprendizaje y la evaluación Peña González, Josefina; Ball Vargas, Manuela S. y Barboza P., Francis D. El sujeto, sus nociones y lugar en la formación de docentes Sarria Materón, Marta Lucía Mario Briceño Iragorry, el trujillano universal Miliani, Domingo Índice retrospectivo de educere, junio/1997-diciembre/2005: la mirada futura desde la retrospectiva editorial Rivas, Pedro José y León, Aní[email protected] analíticotrimestra