Freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as intermediate hosts for the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the etiological agent for the most widespread form of intestinal ...schistosomiasis. As neuropeptide signaling in host snails can be altered by trematode infection, a neural transcriptomics approach was undertaken to identify peptide precursors in Biomphalaria glabrata, the major intermediate host for S. mansoni in the Western Hemisphere. Three transcripts that encode peptides belonging to the FMRF‐NH2‐related peptide (FaRP) family were identified in B. glabrata. One transcript encoded a precursor polypeptide (Bgl‐FaRP1; 292 amino acids) that included eight copies of the tetrapeptide FMRF‐NH2 and single copies of FIRF‐NH2, FLRF‐NH2, and pQFYRI‐NH2. The second transcript encoded a precursor (Bgl‐FaRP2; 347 amino acids) that comprised 14 copies of the heptapeptide GDPFLRF‐NH2 and 1 copy of SKPYMRF‐NH2. The precursor encoded by the third transcript (Bgl‐FaRP3; 287 amino acids) recapitulated Bgl‐FaRP2 but lacked the full SKPYMRF‐NH2 peptide. The three precursors shared a common signal peptide, suggesting a genomic organization described previously in gastropods. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on the nervous systems of B. glabrata and B. alexandrina, a major intermediate host for S. mansoni in Egypt. FMRF‐NH2‐like immunoreactive (FMRF‐NH2‐li) neurons were located in regions of the central nervous system associated with reproduction, feeding, and cardiorespiration. Antisera raised against non‐FMRF‐NH2 peptides present in the tetrapeptide and heptapeptide precursors labeled independent subsets of the FMRF‐NH2‐li neurons. This study supports the participation of FMRF‐NH2‐related neuropeptides in the regulation of vital physiological and behavioral systems that are altered by parasitism in Biomphalaria.
Freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as intermediate hosts for the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the etiological agent for the most widespread fo rm of intestinal schistosomiasis. A neural transcriptomics approach was undertaken to identify peptide precursors in Biomphalaria glabrata, the major intermediate host for S. mansoni in the Western Hemisphere. Three precursors encoding FMRF‐NH2‐related peptides were characterized and localized to specific neurons and cell groups in the central nervous system. The image shows the ventral lobe, a cluster of neurons that controls male reproductive behavior in snails.
The symptomatology of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) includes periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS), dysesthesias, and hyperarousal. Alterations in the dopaminergic system, a presynaptic ...hyperdopaminergic state, seem to be involved in PLMS, while alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission, a presynaptic hyperglutamatergic state, seem to be involved in hyperarousal and also PLMS. Brain iron deficiency (BID) is well-recognized as a main initial pathophysiological mechanism of RLS. BID in rodents have provided a pathogenetic model of RLS that recapitulates the biochemical alterations of the dopaminergic system of RLS, although without PLMS-like motor abnormalities. On the other hand, BID in rodents reproduces the circadian sleep architecture of RLS, indicating the model could provide clues for the hyperglutamatergic state in RLS. We recently showed that BID in rodents is associated with changes in adenosinergic transmission, with downregulation of adenosine A
receptors (A1R) as the most sensitive biochemical finding. It was hypothesized that A1R downregulation leads to hypersensitive striatal glutamatergic terminals and facilitation of striatal dopamine release. Hypersensitivity of striatal glutamatergic terminals was demonstrated by an optogenetic-microdialysis approach in the rodent with BID, indicating that it could represent a main pathogenetic factor that leads to PLMS in RLS. In fact, the dopaminergic agonists pramipexole and ropinirole and the α
δ ligand gabapentin, used in the initial symptomatic treatment of RLS, completely counteracted optogenetically-induced glutamate release from both normal and BID-induced hypersensitive corticostriatal glutamatergic terminals. It is a main tenet of this essay that, in RLS, a single alteration in the adenosinergic system, downregulation of A1R, disrupts the adenosine-dopamine-glutamate balance uniquely controlled by adenosine and dopamine receptor heteromers in the striatum and also the A1R-mediated inhibitory control of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the cortex and other non-striatal brain areas, which altogether determine both PLMS and hyperarousal. Since A1R agonists would be associated with severe cardiovascular effects, it was hypothesized that inhibitors of nucleoside equilibrative transporters, such as dipyridamole, by increasing the tonic A1R activation mediated by endogenous adenosine, could represent a new alternative therapeutic strategy for RLS. In fact, preliminary clinical data indicate that dipyridamole can significantly improve the symptomatology of RLS.
Caffeine is the most consumed pychostimulant in the world, and it is known to affect basic and fundamental human processes such as sleep, arousal, cognition and learning and memory. It works as a ...nonselective blocker of adenosine receptors (A1, A2a, A2b and A3) and has been related to the regulation of heart rate, the contraction/relaxation of cardiac and smooth muscles, and the neural signaling in the central nervous system (CNS). Since the late 1990s, studies using adenosine receptor antagonists, such as Caffeine, to block the A1 and A2a adenosine receptor subtypes have shown to reduce the physical, cellular and molecular damages caused by a spinal cord injury (SCI) or a stroke (cerebral infarction) and by other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Interestingly, other studies using adenosine receptor agonists have also shown to provide a neuroprotective effect on various models of neurodegenerative diseases through the reduction of excitatory neurotransmitter release, apoptosis and inflammatory responses, among others. The seemingly paradoxical use of both adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists as neuroprotective agents has been attributed to differences in dosage levels, drug delivery method, extracellular concentration of excitatory neurotransmitters and stage of disease progression. We discuss and compare recent findings using both antagonists and agonists of adenosine receptors in animal models and patients that have suffered spinal cord injuries, brain strokes, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Additionally, we propose alternative interpretations on the seemingly paradoxical use of these drugs as potential pharmacological tools to treat these various types of neurodegenerative diseases.
Summary of the recently reported results of using adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists to treat the main detrimental effects caused by a spinal cord injury, stroke, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Display omitted
Mixed-methods study.
Evaluate the knowledge that family caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injuries acquired through the use of a high-fidelity simulation-based learning (SBL) program.
The ...study was comprised of three phases: a previous qualitative research study detecting training needs, one in which clinical simulation scenarios were designed, and a final quasi-experimental phase in which ten caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injuries were trained in their care using simulations at the Toledo National Hospital for Paraplegics (Spain).
The competences acquired by the family were evaluated before and after the simulation training. A researcher-validated tool for each scenario was utilized for this evaluation.
Four learning scenarios were designed based on the needs identified through the caregiver interviews. Following the training of the caregivers with SBL, an increase in their knowledge and skills was identified. For all the scenarios, the caregivers obtained a higher average score on the post test than on the pre test, and these differences were significant (p < 0.001).
Simulation training is a useful and efficient learning tool for caregivers of individuals with a spinal cord injury.
Freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as intermediate hosts for the digenetic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the etiological agent for the most widespread form of intestinal ...schistosomiasis. As neuropeptide signaling in host snails can be altered by trematode infection, a neural transcriptomics approach was undertaken to identify peptide precursors in Biomphalaria glabrata, the major intermediate host for S. mansoni in the Western Hemisphere. Three transcripts that encode peptides belonging to the FMRF-NH
-related peptide (FaRP) family were identified in B. glabrata. One transcript encoded a precursor polypeptide (Bgl-FaRP1; 292 amino acids) that included eight copies of the tetrapeptide FMRF-NH
and single copies of FIRF-NH
, FLRF-NH
, and pQFYRI-NH
. The second transcript encoded a precursor (Bgl-FaRP2; 347 amino acids) that comprised 14 copies of the heptapeptide GDPFLRF-NH
and 1 copy of SKPYMRF-NH
. The precursor encoded by the third transcript (Bgl-FaRP3; 287 amino acids) recapitulated Bgl-FaRP2 but lacked the full SKPYMRF-NH
peptide. The three precursors shared a common signal peptide, suggesting a genomic organization described previously in gastropods. Immunohistochemical studies were performed on the nervous systems of B. glabrata and B. alexandrina, a major intermediate host for S. mansoni in Egypt. FMRF-NH
-like immunoreactive (FMRF-NH
-li) neurons were located in regions of the central nervous system associated with reproduction, feeding, and cardiorespiration. Antisera raised against non-FMRF-NH
peptides present in the tetrapeptide and heptapeptide precursors labeled independent subsets of the FMRF-NH
-li neurons. This study supports the participation of FMRF-NH
-related neuropeptides in the regulation of vital physiological and behavioral systems that are altered by parasitism in Biomphalaria.
Kids Save Lives by Learning through a Serious Game Mendoza López, Miriam; Alcaraz Artero, Petronila Mireia; Truque Díaz, Carlos ...
Multimodal technologies and interaction,
12/2023, Letnik:
7, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This study focuses on the development and assessment of a serious game for health (SGH) aimed at educating children about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A video game was created using the ...Berkeley Snap platform, which uses block programming. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to validate the graphic design. To assess the tool’s effectiveness, a pre-post analytical study was conducted with primary education children to measure the knowledge acquired. The study involved 52 participants with a mean age of 9 years. The results from a custom questionnaire used to measure their theoretical CPR knowledge showed significant improvements in CPR knowledge after the use of the videogame, and their emotional responses improved as well. The assessment of the knowledge acquired through the video game obtained an average score of 5.25 out of 6. Ten video segments consisting of 500 frames each (20 s of video per segment) were analyzed. Within these segments, specific areas that captured the most relevant interaction elements were selected to measure the child’s attention during game play. The average number of gaze fixations, indicating the points in which the child’s attention was placed within the area of interest, was 361.5 out of 500. In conclusion, the utilization of SGH may be an effective method for educating kids about CPR, to provide them with fundamental knowledge relevant to their age group.
Since work organizations became the subject of scientific research, how to operationalize and measure dimensions of work design has been an issue, mainly due to concerns about internal consistency ...and factor structure. In response, Morgeson and Humphrey (2006) built the Work Design Questionnaire -WDQ-, an instrument that identifies and measures these dimensions in different work and organizational contexts. This paper presents the instruent's adaptation into Spanish using reliability and validity analysis and drawing on a sample of 1035 Spanish workers who hold various jobs in an array of occupational categories. The total instrument's internal consistency was Cronbach's alpha of .92 and the various scales' reliability ranged from .70 to .96, except for three dimensions. There was initially a difference in the comparative fit of the two versions' factor structures, but the model with 21 work characteristics (motivational -task and knowledge-, social, and work context) showed the highest goodness of fit of the various models tested, confirming previous results from the U.S. version as well as adaptations into other languages and contexts. CFA results indicated goodness of fit of factor configurations corresponding to each of the four major categories of work characteristics, with CFI and TLI around .90, as well as SRMR and RMSEA below .08. Thus it brings to the table a reliable, valid measure of work design with clear potential applications in research as well as professional practice, applications that could improve working conditions, boost productivity, and generate more personal and professional development opportunities for workers.
Preliminary data suggests that spinal cord neural networks that contain intact sensory pathways, which include dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and thermal transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are ...more resilient to gradual temperature changes than isolated preparations. Moreover, how acute temperature changes affect mammalian CPG‐driven motor activity remains uncertain. We studied how acute and gradual temperature changes impact the stability of motor networks with or without sensory pathways. More specifically, we aim to investigate: 1. the difference between how acute temperature changes versus gradual temperature changes can have an impact on the stability and robustness of motor networks; 2. how sensory inputs and TRP channels affect the adaptation of spinal central pattern generator (CPG) networks to changes in temperature. We compared changes in motor neuron bursting activity between ventral L2 and L5 roots of neonatal mouse spinal cord preparations under acute (from 20℃ directly to 29℃) and gradual (gradually from 20℃, to 23℃, to 26℃, and to 29℃) temperature change conditions. Spinal cord preparations both with and without DRGs were compared. We found that the locomotor activities were increased as temperature increase under both chronic and acute changes; however, spinal cord preparations without intact DRG showed activities with less stable phasing and more overall motor bursting variability compared to those preparations with intact DRGs (on L3, L4, and L5 spinal levels). Our results suggest that the lumbar spinal locomotor CPG network activity shows more susceptibility and less adaptation to temperature changes in the absence of sensory feedback provided by DRG sensory afferents. Further studies will be conducted in the presence of TRP channel blockers to preparations with DRGs to confirm the potential compensatory role that sensory feedback afferents convey to spinal CPG networks.
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