Can multicentre urodynamic studies provide high quality evidence for the clinical effectiveness of urodynamics? ICI‐RS 2019

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Isolation of Beauveria Bassiana from the Chagas disease vector Triatoma Infestans in the gran Chaco region of Argentina: Assessment of gene expression during host-pathogen interaction

A native strain of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb-C001) was isolated from a naturally infected Triatoma infestans, Klug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) adult cadaver in the Gran Chaco region, Salta province, Argentina. The isolate was both phenotypic and molecularly characterized in a context of fungus-insect interaction, by measuring the expression pattern of toxin genes during infection and immune response of T. infestans. The commercial strain GHA of B. bassiana, which was previously used in field interventions to control these vectors, was used as reference in this study. The phylogenetic trees based on both ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α) indicated that Bb-C001 fits into a B. bassiana cluster, and the sequence-characterized amplified regions (SCAR) showed that Bb-C001 is different from the GHA strain. There were no differences between both strains regarding viability, radial growth, and conidia production, either in the median survival time or insect mortality. However, Bb-C001 showed a higher expression than GHA of the bassianolide synthetase gene (BbbslS) during infection, and similar levels of the beauvericin synthetase gene (BbbeaS). Immune-related genes of T. infestans nymphs (limpet-2 and defensin-1, -2, and -6) were later expressed and thus insects failed to stop the infection process. These results showed that B. bassiana Bb-C001 is a promised fungal strain to be incorporated in the current biological control programs of T. infestans in Salta province, Argentina.Fil: Baldiviezo, Linda Vanesa. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; Argentina. Provincia de Salta. Ministerio de Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Pedrini, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Santana, Marianela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Mannino, Maria Constanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Nieva, Lucia Beatriz del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Gentile, Alberto Gerónimo. Provincia de Salta. Ministerio de Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Cardozo, Rubén Marino. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Provincia de Salta. Ministerio de Salud Pública; Argentin

Microencapsulation of a native strain of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana and bioinsecticide activity against pyrethroid-Rresistant triatoma infestans to vector control of Chagas disease in the Argentine Gran Chaco Region

The blood-sucking bug Triatoma infestans is the main Chagas disease vector in the Southern Cone of Latin America. Populations resistant to pyrethroid insecticides have been detected in the early 2000s and then expanded to the endemic area of northern Salta province, Argentina. In this context, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has been shown to be pathogenic to pyrethroid-resistant T. infestans. In this study, both the bioinsecticidal activity and the residual effect of an alginate-based microencapsulation of a native strain of B. bassiana (Bb-C001) were tested under semi-field conditions against pyrethroid-resistant T. infestans nymphs. Fungal microencapsulated formulation caused higher nymph mortality than the unmicroencapsulated fungus and contributed to maintaining the conidial viability throughout the period evaluated under the tested conditions. These results suggest that alginate microencapsulation is an effective, simple, low-cost method that could be incorporated into the formulation of a bioinsecticide as a strategy to reduce the vector transmission of Chagas disease.Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plat

Economía naranja o economía creativa. Una discusión conceptual respecto a la Ley 1834 de 2017

Resumen: La economía naranja es un tema de moda a nivel político, social y académico. Al parecer, este término propuesto por Duque Márquez and Buitrago Restrepo ha sido aceptado sin muchos análisis. Como parte de una investigación, se pudo encontrar que este término es un sinónimo de Economía Creativa. Este último se viene utilizando desde el año 2001, anterior en doce años al de economía naranja, y goza de aceptación académica e institucional a nivel internacional. En este documento se presentan las bases para debatir el término economía naranja, se propone la utilización de Economía creativa y se discuten algunos aspectos de la denominada ley naranja. Además se presenta una discusión acerca de la importancia de esta economía para la dinámica nacional y su aporte al PIB que justifica la elaboración de políticas públicas coherentes que reglamenten estos modelos de negocio, garanticen la identidad cultural y generen empleo.//Abstract: The orange economy is a fashionable subject at political, social and academic level. Apparently, this term proposed by Duque Márquez and Buitrago Restrepo has been accepted without much analysis. As part of an investigation, it could be found that this term is a synonym of Creative Economy. The latter has been used since 2001, twelve years before the orange economy, and enjoys academic and institutional acceptance at the international level. This document presents the bases to discuss the term orange economy, the use of creative economy is proposed and some aspects of the so-called orange law are discussed. There is also a discussion about the importance of this economy for the national dynamics and its contribution to GDP that justifies the development of coherent public policies that regulate these business models, guarantee cultural identity and generate employment

Evaluación de impacto socioeconómico de la tecnología generada en fríjol en las provincias de Guanenta y Comuneros, Santander :(informe final)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar el impacto socioeconómico de la tecnología generada en frijol en las Provincias Guanentá y Comuneros, con énfasis en las variedades ICA - CORPOICA Guanentá y CORPOICA Froilán, que fueron entregadas a los agricultores en los años de 1994 y 1997, respectivamente. La zona de estudio se concentró en los municipios de Villanueva, San Gil, Barichara y Curití, que representan el 79.6% del área cultivada en frijol en estas Provincias. La información de campo se obtuvo mediante consenso con productores y a través de una encuesta aplicada a una muestra de 81 agricultores, para lo cual se utilizó la técnica de muestreo aleatorio estratificado con afijación proporcional simple. Las características sobresalientes de las nuevas variedades son la resistencia a la Antracnosis (Colletotricum Lindemu Thianum), uno de los mayores limitantes de la producción, y el aumento de la productividad física por hectárea. Se encontró que el 40% de los productores consultados utilizan en sus predios las dos variedades simultáneamente; en la actualidad el 79% de ellos utilizan la variedad Froilán y el 49.4% continúan usando la variedad Guanentá. La rentabilidad mensual para las variedades Guanentá y Froilán es de 8.9 y 12% respectivamente, muy superior al costo de oportunidad del capital en la zona. Así mismo, la Tasa Interna de Retomo Social de la investigación en frijol en el Creced es de 64%, lo que demuestra que los recursos públicos dedicados a esta investigación tienen alta rentabilidad social.Fríjol-Phaseolus vulgarisCorpoica Froilán: variedad de frijol tipo radical para clima medio para las subregiones naturales Montaña Santandereana y Valle de los ríos Chicamocha, Suárez y Fonc

Connecting the dots to build the future teaching and learning

This paper outlines a seven-point strategy to devise a system of continuous improvement of teacher quality and, through it, the quality of education as a whole. Education is one of the single most important initiatives that can be undertaken to improve the quality of life, financial security and economic potential of a given population. There is no disputing the benefits of a strong education system. The challenge is in the design and implementation of such a system, and creating the political will to see the system through. For such a program to be implemented, teacher quality and the quality of education as a whole must be considered a national priority. Educational and political leaders must support these initiatives publicly, place them on their policy agenda and establish a blue ribbon commission to develop a strategy to significantly and measurably improve teacher quality. The blue ribbon commission will audit the various policies and programs that influence teacher quality. By mapping these programs and their coherence, the commission will identify opportunities to increase their effectiveness and yield greater and more synergistic harmonious results. These changes can form the basis for a strategy that is sequenced and calibrated to deal with specific entry points, concerns and constraints for the region in question. The steps necessary to promote teacher professionalism may differ where there are serious shortages of teacher candidates or where chronic absenteeism is rampant, or where there is a dearth or glut of technology and infrastructure. This determination will also highlight what role the private sector or civil society can play in the education development in the region. Making teaching an attractive profession is crucial to the strategy, to ensure a constant flow of qualified applicants who can capitalize on their initial training, and take full advantage of continuous learning throughout their careers. Clear career trajectories and incentives tied to performance, as well as a system to accurately measure performance outcomes will provide a pathway to teacher professionalism. The quest for professionalism must begin at the institutions charged with teacher preparation. The blue ribbon commission should include incentives and support for these institutions, providing the support necessary to review and improve their programs to ensure the best results. Innovating the preparation of teachers is integral to the strategy. Rapidly changing societies require versatile teachers to equip their students with a dynamic array of tools to face a dynamic world. Teacher professional development must take into account this need, ensuring that the pre-service education programs align with professional standards, are goal-oriented, and include holistic, integrated and innovative projects. Technology and collaborative projects will also serve a crucial role in the pre-service education of teacher candidates, as well as the life-long development of teachers. The core of good education is a skilled and versatile teaching staff. In order to effect significant improvements to the quality of education, a cohesive strategy is required so that we can combine what we know already into an efficient system which can be implemented worldwide at the scale necessary to succeed. The dots need to be connected. Connecting the dots to build the future teaching and learning (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314878979_Connecting_the_dots_to_build_the_future_teaching_and_learning [accessed Jan 29 2018]

Modeling dose-response relationships of the effects of fesoterodine in patients with overactive bladder

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fesoterodine is an antimuscarinic for the treatment of overactive bladder, a syndrome of urgency, with or without urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), usually with increased daytime frequency and nocturia. Our objective was to develop predictive models to describe the dose response of fesoterodine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from subjects enrolled in double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II and III trials were used for developing longitudinal dose-response models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The models predicted that clinically significant and near-maximum treatment effects would be seen within 3 to 4 weeks after treatment initiation. For a typical patient with 11 micturitions per 24 hours at baseline, predicted change was -1.2, -1.7, and -2.2 micturitions for placebo and fesoterodine 4 mg and 8 mg, respectively. For a typical patient with 2 UUI episodes per 24 hours at baseline, predicted change was -1.05, -1.26, and -1.43 UUI episodes for placebo and fesoterodine 4 mg and 8 mg, respectively. Increase in mean voided volume was estimated at 9.7 mL for placebo, with an additional 14.2 mL and 28.4 mL for fesoterodine 4 mg and 8 mg, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A consistent dose response for fesoterodine was demonstrated for bladder diary endpoints in subjects with overactive bladder, a result that supports the greater efficacy seen with fesoterodine 8 mg in post hoc analyses of clinical trial data. The dose-response models can be used to predict outcomes for doses not studied or for patient subgroups underrepresented in clinical trials.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>The phase III trials used in this analysis have been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00220363 and NCT00138723).</p