Previous studies have shown that engineered nanomaterials can be transferred from prey to predator, but the ecological impacts of this are mostly unknown. In particular, it is not known if these ...materials can be biomagnified-a process in which higher concentrations of materials accumulate in organisms higher up in the food chain. Here, we show that bare CdSe quantum dots that have accumulated in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria can be transferred to and biomagnified in the Tetrahymena thermophila protozoa that prey on the bacteria. Cadmium concentrations in the protozoa predator were approximately five times higher than their bacterial prey. Quantum-dot-treated bacteria were differentially toxic to the protozoa, in that they inhibited their own digestion in the protozoan food vacuoles. Because the protozoa did not lyse, largely intact quantum dots remain available to higher trophic levels. The observed biomagnification from bacterial prey is significant because bacteria are at the base of environmental food webs. Our findings illustrate the potential for biomagnification as an ecological impact of nanomaterials.
The simplified psoriasis index (SPI) was developed in the United Kingdom to provide a simple summary measure for monitoring changes in psoriasis severity and associated psychosocial impact as well as ...for obtaining information about past disease behavior and treatment. Two complementary versions of the SPI allow for self-assessment by the patient or professional assessment by a doctor or nurse. Both versions have proven responsive to change, reliable, and interpretable, and to correlate well with assessment tools that are widely used in clinical trials—the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index. The SPI has already been translated into several languages, including French, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, and Thai.
To translate the professional and self-assessment versions of the SPI to Spanish and to field test the translations.
A medically qualified native Spanish speaker translated both versions of the SPI into Spanish. The Spanish translations were discussed by comparing them to blinded back translations into English undertaken by native English speakers; the Spanish texts were then revised in an iterative process involving the translators, 4 dermatologists, and 20 patients. The patients scored their own experience of psoriasis with the self-assessment version and commented on it. The process involved checking the conceptual accuracy of the translation, language-related differences, and subtle gradations of meaning in a process involving all translators and a panel of both Spanish- and English-speaking dermatologists, including a coauthor of the SPI.
The final self-assessment and professional Spanish versions of the SPI are presented in this manuscript.
Castilian Spanish translations of both versions of the SPI are now available for monitoring disease changes in Spanish-speaking patients with psoriasis under routine clinical care.
El índice de psoriasis simplificado (SPI) fue desarrollado en el Reino Unido con el fin de proveer un resumen métrico para monitorizar los cambios en la gravedad de la psoriasis (SPI-s) y su impacto social asociado (SPI-p), junto con su comportamiento y tratamiento previo (SPI-i). Existen 2 versiones complementarias, una para profesionales de salud, incluidos médicos o enfermeras (proSPI) y otra para la autoevaluación de los pacientes (saSPI). Ambas versiones han demostrado tener una variabilidad al cambio, ser confiables y tener una buena correlación con los instrumentos más utilizados en los estudios clínicos, como el PASI y el DQLI. El SPI estaba ya disponible en versiones adaptadas del francés, portugués (Brasil), holandés, arábigo y tailandés.
El objetivo del proyecto actual era producir y probar traducciones del proSPI y saSPI al español.
Un médico hispanohablante realizó la primera traducción de ambas versiones al español. Ambas versiones fueron comparadas con sus contratraducciones al inglés de hablantes nativos, y luego fueron ajustadas en un proceso repetitivo de múltiples pasos conducidas por traductores, 4 dermatólogos y 20 pacientes quienes colaboraron con la evaluación del saSPI. Se verificó cuidadosamente la exactitud conceptual al revisar las discrepancias lingüísticas o diferencias sutiles en los significados en un proceso que involucró a todos los traductores y panel incluyendo dermatólogos de habla inglesa como hispana incluyendo a un cocreador del SPI.
Se presentan en este manuscrito las versiones finales acordadas del SPI en español.
Las versiones del SPI en español (castellano) están ahora disponibles para monitorizar clínicamente a los pacientes con psoriasis.
The simplified psoriasis index (SPI) was developed in the United Kingdom to provide a simple summary measure for monitoring changes in psoriasis severity and associated psychosocial impact as well as ...for obtaining information about past disease behavior and treatment. Two complementary versions of the SPI allow for self-assessment by the patient or professional assessment by a doctor or nurse. Both versions have proven responsive to change, reliable, and interpretable, and to correlate well with assessment tools that are widely used in clinical trials-the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index. The SPI has already been translated into several languages, including French, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, and Thai.
To translate the professional and self-assessment versions of the SPI to Spanish and to field test the translations.
A medically qualified native Spanish speaker translated both versions of the SPI into Spanish. The Spanish translations were discussed by comparing them to blinded back translations into English undertaken by native English speakers; the Spanish texts were then revised in an iterative process involving the translators, 4 dermatologists, and 20 patients. The patients scored their own experience of psoriasis with the self-assessment version and commented on it. The process involved checking the conceptual accuracy of the translation, language-related differences, and subtle gradations of meaning in a process involving all translators and a panel of both Spanish- and English-speaking dermatologists, including a coauthor of the SPI.
The final self-assessment and professional Spanish versions of the SPI are presented in this manuscript.
Castilian Spanish translations of both versions of the SPI are now available for monitoring disease changes in Spanish-speaking patients with psoriasis under routine clinical care.
Over the past decade, researchers have manipulated the unique biology of
Tetrahymena thermophila to generate a premier experimental organism for functional genomic analysis. A diverse array of DNA ...transformation methods have spearheaded
in vivo strategies for discovering and dissecting universal eukaryotic processes, such as telomere addition and chromatin remodeling. Compartmentalization of this protist's genome into two functionally distinct nuclei – the silent ‘germline’ micronucleus and the transcriptionally active macronucleus – provides a powerful means for controlling the expression of transgenes. Heterokaryons that silently harbor homozygous recessive mutations (including lethal ones) in the germline have been exploited. The coupling of forward and reverse genetic approaches with genomics-based methods for gene discovery presents a bright future for research in this rising model eukaryote.
Over the past decade, researchers have manipulated special biological and genetic features of the unicellular eukaryote Tetrahymena thermophila to generate a premier experimental organism for functional genomic analysis.
The chromosomes of the macronuclear (expressed) genome of Tetrahymena thermophila are generated by developmental fragmentation of the five micronuclear (germline) chromosomes. This fragmentation is ...site specific, directed by a conserved chromosome breakage sequence (Cbs element). An accompanying article in this issue reports the development of a successful scheme for the genome-wide cloning and identification of functional chromosome breakage sites. This article reports the physical and genetic characterization of 30 functional chromosome breakage junctions. Unique sequence tags and physical sizes were obtained for the pair of macronuclear chromosomes generated by fragmentation at each Cbs. Cbs-associated polymorphisms were used to genetically map 11 junctions to micronuclear linkage groups and macronuclear coassortment groups. Two pairs of junctions showed statistically significant similarity of the sequences flanking the Cbs, suggestive of relatively recent duplications of entire Cbs junctions during Tetrahymena genome evolution. Two macronuclear chromosomes that lose at least one end in an age-related manner were also identified. The whole-genome shotgun sequencing of the Tetrahymena macronucleus has recently been completed at The Institute for Genome Research (TIGR). By providing unique sequence from natural ends of macronuclear chromosomes, Cbs junctions will provide useful sequence tags for relating macro- and micronuclear genetic, physical, and whole-genome sequence maps.
Ciliates are among the very few eukaryotes in which the powers of molecular biology, conventional genetics, and microbial methodology can be synergistically combined. Because ciliates also are ...distant relatives of vertebrates, fungi, and plants, the sequencing of a ciliate genome will be of import to our understanding of eukaryotic biology. Tetrahymena thermophila is the only ciliate in which a systematic genetic mapping of DNA polymorphisms has begun. Tetrahymena has many biological features that make it a specially or uniquely useful experimental system for fundamental research in cell and molecular biology and for biotechnological applications. A key factor in the usefulness of Tetrahymena is the speed, facility, and versatility with which it can be cultivated under a wide range of nutrient conditions, temperature, and scale. This article describes the progress made in genetically and physically mapping the genomes of T. thermophila: the micronuclear (germ-line) genome, which is not transcriptionally expressed, and the macronuclear (somatic) fragmented genome, which is actively expressed and determines the cell's phenotype.
We have used the PCR-based randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method to efficiently identify and map DNA polymorphisms in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. The polymorphisms ...segregate as Mendelian genetic markers. A targeted screen, using DNA from pooled meiotic segregants, yielded the polymorphisms most closely linked to the mat locus. A total of 10 polymorphisms linked to the mat-Pmr segment of the left arm of micronuclear chromosome 2 have been identified. This constitutes the largest linkage group described in T. thermophila. We also provide here the first crude estimate of the frequency of meiotic recombination in the mat region, 20 kb/cM. This frequency is much higher than that observed in most other eukaryotes. Special features of Tetrahymena genetics enhanced the power of the RAPD method: the ability to obtain in a single step meiotic segregants that are whole-genome homozygotes and the availability of nullisomic strains permitting quick deletion mapping of polymorphisms to micronuclear chromosomes or chromosome segments. The RAPD method appears to provide a practical and relatively inexpensive approach to the construction of a high-resolution map of the Tetrahymena genome.
![[Translated article] Transl...](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/0001-7310_1578-2190_1695-4734/small "[Translated article] Translation into Spanish and Field-Testing of a New Score for Evaluating Psoriasis Severity: The Simplified Psoriasis Index (SPI)")
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