Éditorial: Mesure des performances et évaluation des systèmes éducatifs – présupposés et contextes

Loin d’être un effet de mode médiatique, les études comparatives internationales d’évaluation et de performances des systèmes éducatifs (Third International Mathematics dans Science Study (TIMSS), le Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ou l’Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL)) se sont imposées tant au niveau national qu’international. Les longues discussions sur le positionnement des systèmes éducatifs, sur le niveau de compétences des systèmes éducatifs locaux ou nationaux, sur les particularités des « modèles » très ou peu performants représentent une évolution significative des systèmes éducatifs et de la politique de l’éducation même. Dans les pays et les systèmes politiques où l’implantation du système éducatif, institutionnelle et relativement aux contenus, était traitée au plan des réalités locales – alors que le fédéralisme était considéré comme une constante incontournable, comme c’était le cas aux Etats-Unis et en Suisse aussi –, la standardisation ou l’unité, voir l’uniformisation de l’enseignement est désormais un programme-cadre universellement accepté. (DIPF/Orig.

Vom Verbandsorgan zur wissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift

Der Beitrag untersucht unter dem Titel «Vom Verbandsorgan zur wissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift» die Frage, wie sich die «Beiträge zur Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung» (BzL) im Längsschnitt entwickelt haben. Dabei wird der Blick einerseits auf die äußere Gestalt der Zeitschrift gerichtet, andererseits werden inhaltliche Aspekte der BzL analysiert und diskutiert. Die Betrachtung zeigt auf, dass sich die BzL in beiden Bezügen im Längsschnitt verändert haben, ohne die ursprüngliche Intention - die Bildungspraxis der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung unter relevanten theoretischen Gesichtspunkten zu reflektieren - aufzugeben. (DIPF/Orig.

Isolation of a Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast strain from the sandfly Phlebotomus perniciosus, displaying the killer phenotype

The yeast Wickerhamomyces anomalus has been studied for its wide biotechnological potential, mainly for applications in the food industry. Different strains of W. anomalus have been isolated from diverse habitats and recently from insects, including mosquitoes of medical importance. This paper reports the isolation and phylogenetic characterization of W. anomalus from laboratory-reared adults and larvae of Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae), a main phlebotomine vector of human and canine leishmaniasis. Of 65 yeast strains isolated from P. perniciosus, 15 strains were identified as W. anomalus; one of these was tested for the killer phenotype and demonstrated inhibitory activity against four yeast sensitive strains, as reported for mosquito-isolated strains. The association between P. perniciosus and W. anomalus deserves further investigation in order to explore the possibility that this yeast may exert inhibitory/killing activity against Leishmania spp

Delayed larval development in Anopheles mosquitoes deprived of Asaia bacterial symbionts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent years, acetic acid bacteria have been shown to be frequently associated with insects, but knowledge on their biological role in the arthropod host is limited. The discovery that acetic acid bacteria of the genus <it>Asaia</it> are a main component of the microbiota of <it>Anopheles stephensi</it> makes this mosquito a useful model for studies on this novel group of symbionts. Here we present experimental results that provide a first evidence for a beneficial role of <it>Asaia</it> in <it>An. stephensi</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Larvae of <it>An. stephensi</it> at different stages were treated with rifampicin, an antibiotic effective on wild-type <it>Asaia</it> spp., and the effects on the larval development were evaluated. Larvae treated with the antibiotic showed a delay in the development and an asynchrony in the appearance of later instars. In larvae treated with rifampicin, but supplemented with a rifampicin-resistant mutant strain of <it>Asaia</it>, larval development was comparable to that of control larvae not exposed to the antibiotic. Analysis of the bacterial diversity of the three mosquito populations confirmed that the level of <it>Asaia</it> was strongly decreased in the antibiotic-treated larvae, since the symbiont was not detectable by PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), while <it>Asaia</it> was consistently found in insects supplemented with rifampicin plus the antibiotic-resistant mutant in the diet, and in those not exposed to the antibiotic.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results here reported indicate that <it>Asaia</it> symbionts play a beneficial role in the normal development of <it>An. stephensi</it> larvae.</p

Chimeric symbionts expressing a Wolbachia protein stimulate mosquito immunity and inhibit filarial parasite development

Wolbachia can reduce the capability of mosquitoes to transmit infectious diseases to humans and is currently exploited in campaigns for the control of arboviruses, like dengue and Zika. Under the assumption that Wolbachia-mediated activation of insect immunity plays a role in the reduction of mosquito vectorial capacity, we focused our attention on the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP), a potential inductor of innate immunity. We hypothesized that the heterologous expression of this protein in gut- and tissue-associated symbionts may reduce parasite transmission. We thus engineered the mosquito bacterial symbiont Asaia to express WSP (AsaiaWSP). AsaiaWSP induced activation of the host immune response in Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, and inhibited the development of the heartworm parasite Dirofilaria immitis in Ae. aegypti. These results consolidate previous evidence on the immune-stimulating property of WSP and make AsaiaWSP worth of further investigations as a potential tool for the control of mosquito-borne diseases

Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.

The QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization. Rare variant analysis of 6 new QT interval-associated loci in 298 unrelated probands with LQTS identified coding variants not found in controls but of uncertain causality and therefore requiring validation. Several newly identified loci encode proteins that physically interact with other recognized repolarization proteins. Our integration of common variant association, expression and orthogonal protein-protein interaction screens provides new insights into cardiac electrophysiology and identifies new candidate genes for ventricular arrhythmias, LQTS and SCD

COVID-19 in rheumatic diseases in Italy: first results from the Italian registry of the Italian Society for Rheumatology (CONTROL-19)

OBJECTIVES: Italy was one of the first countries significantly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. The Italian Society for Rheumatology promptly launched a retrospective and anonymised data collection to monitor COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), the CONTROL-19 surveillance database, which is part of the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance. METHODS: CONTROL-19 includes patients with RMDs and proven severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) updated until May 3rd 2020. In this analysis, only molecular diagnoses were included. The data collection covered demographic data, medical history (general and RMD-related), treatments and COVID-19 related features, treatments, and outcome. In this paper, we report the first descriptive data from the CONTROL-19 registry. RESULTS: The population of the first 232 patients (36% males) consisted mainly of elderly patients (mean age 62.2 years), who used corticosteroids (51.7%), and suffered from multi-morbidity (median comorbidities 2). Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent disease (34.1%), followed by spondyloarthritis (26.3%), connective tissue disease (21.1%) and vasculitis (11.2%). Most cases had an active disease (69.4%). Clinical presentation of COVID-19 was typical, with systemic symptoms (fever and asthenia) and respiratory symptoms. The overall outcome was severe, with high frequencies of hospitalisation (69.8%), respiratory support oxygen (55.7%), non-invasive ventilation (20.9%) or mechanical ventilation (7.5%), and 19% of deaths. Male patients typically manifested a worse prognosis. Immunomodulatory treatments were not significantly associated with an increased risk of intensive care unit admission/mechanical ventilation/death. CONCLUSIONS: Although the report mainly includes the most severe cases, its temporal and spatial trend supports the validity of the national surveillance system. More complete data are being acquired in order to both test the hypothesis that RMD patients may have a different outcome from that of the general population and determine the safety of immunomodulatory treatments