Isotopic values of two Caribbean sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon porosus litters (Poey, 1861) with two and three embryos and one litter of 11 smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus embryos showed ...enriched 15N and 13C compared to their mothers. In R. porosus, embryonic isotope values were 3.06 ± 0.07‰ and 0.69 ± 0.15‰ greater than their mothers' for δ15N and δ13C, respectively, whereas in C. porosus, δ15N and δ13C were 1.79 ± 0.09‰ and 1.31 ± 0.17‰ greater in embryos than their mothers.
Administration of in vitro expanded mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represents a promising therapy for regenerative medicine and autoimmunity. Both mouse and human MSCs ameliorate autoimmune disease ...in syn-, allo- and xenogeneic settings. However, MSC preparations are heterogeneous which impairs their therapeutic efficacy and endorses variability between experiments. This heterogeneity has also been a main hurdle in translating experimental MSC data from mouse models to human patients. The objective of the present manuscript has been to further characterize murine MSCs (mMSCs) with the aim of designing more efficient and specific MSC-based therapies. We have found that mMSCs are heterogeneous for endoglin (CD105) expression and that this heterogeneity is not due to different stages of MSC differentiation. CD105 is induced on a subpopulation of mMSCs early upon in vitro culture giving rise to CD105(+) and CD105(-) MSCs. CD105(+) and CD105(-) mMSCs represent independent subpopulations that maintain their properties upon several passages. CD105 expression on CD105(+) mMSCs was affected by passage number and cell confluency while CD105(-) mMSCs remained negative. The CD105(+) and CD105(-) mMSC subpopulations had similar growth potential and expressed almost identical mMSC markers (CD29(+)CD44(+)Sca1 (+) MHC-I(+) and CD45(-)CD11b(-)CD31(-)) but varied in their differentiation and immunoregulatory properties. Interestingly, CD105(-) mMSCs were more prone to differentiate into adipocytes and osteocytes and suppressed the proliferation of CD4(+) T cells more efficiently compared to CD105(+) mMSCs. Based on these studies we propose to redefine the phenotype of mMSCs based on CD105 expression.
Worldwide, many emerging porcine parvoviruses (PPVs) have been linked to porcine circovirus‐2 (PCV2) associated disease (PCVAD), which includes post‐weaning multi‐systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), ...PCV2‐related reproductive failure (PCV2‐RF), as well as other syndromes. To determine the DNA prevalence of PPVs and their relationship with PMWS and PCV2‐RF in Mexico, 170 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissues were selected from archival collections to detect PPVs using a nested polymerase chain reaction. The tissues were composed of 50 PMWS cases, 20 age‐matched tissues from healthy pigs, 56 PCV2‐related reproductive failure (PCV2+‐RF) cases, and 44 PCV2‐‐RF cases. Overall, PPV2 and PPV6 were the most prevalent species (90.0% and 74.7%, respectively). In 8–11 week old pigs, the highest prevalence was for PPV6 and PPV3. Concerning reproductive failure, the PCV2‐affected farms had a significantly higher prevalence for PPV6 (61.6%) and PPV5 (36.4%) than the PCV2‐unaffected farms (35.0% and 5.0%, respectively). The concurrent infection rate was high, being significant for PPV2/PPV4 and PPV1/PPV5 within the PMWS cases and for PPV6/PPV5 among the PCV2+‐RF tissues. PPV5 showed a significant relationship with PMWS, whereas PPV5 and PPV6 were significant for PCVAD. The prevalence and coinfection rate of PPVs in Mexico were markedly higher than that described in other countries, denoting that PPV5 and PPV6 might have a potential role in PCVAD in Mexico. It is concluded that it is likely that the density population of pigs in Mexico is contributing to high PPV inter‐species and PCV2 coinfections which might lead to a different pathogenic outcome.
•The major emergy flows interacting in the Island of Montreal were identified and quantified.•The most important emergy flows were the monetary ones and those corresponding to the building materials ...entering the island.•When compared to other selected cities, available space per inhabitant was correlated to empower density.•The findings may be used as a guide to propose a methodology for the determination of intensity of development from an environmental perspective.
Today, the sustainability of cities is a critical consideration in the development of modern societies. One important dimension of this concept is the influence of occupation intensity on resource consumption and its associated waste generation. Emergy analysis constitutes an appropriate methodology for evaluating the sustainability of cities, given that it integrates the different types of flows interacting in urban regions in a common basis of comparison, the solar emergy joule (seJ). In this study, emergy analysis was used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of the Island of Montreal, Canada, in 2005 and to compare its situation with that of other nine urban centers. Results indicate that the total emergy used in 2005 stood at 1.153×1023seJ, with renewable resources representing 3.2%, and a waste-to-emergy ratio of 0.09. In comparing the cities, it was observed that the empower density, an emergy measure for the intensity of activities, fell markedly when each inhabitant had about 300m2 or more of available land. Results for the Island of Montreal point to the need to improve the city's environmental performance. Particularly, the high empower density indicates that projects involving the re-development of recovered areas provide a significant opportunity for attaining this objective.
Abstract Purpose One out of five cancer survivors suffer from depression after oncology treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between depression and quality of life (QoL), ...cancer-related symptoms, physical activity level, health-related fitness, and salivary flow rate in breast cancer survivors. Method 108 breast cancer survivors in the year after the conclusion of treatment were included in this cross-sectional study. Demographic and clinically relevant information, cancer-related fatigue (Piper Fatigue Scale), QoL (QLQ-Br23 module), pain intensity VAS scale, salivary flow rate, physical activity level (Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire), and health-related fitness were assessed in all participants. Depressed mood was measured with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) Depression subscale. Results Significant positive correlations between depressed mood and fatigue, systemic side effects, perceived shoulder pain, and breast-arms symptoms ( r ranged between .57 and .28, P < .01) were found. In addition, significant negative correlations between depressed mood and body image, future perspective, force handgrip, and physical activity level ( r ranged between −.41 and −.19; p < .05) were found. Regression analyses revealed that cancer-related fatigue, physical activity level, systemic side effects, and body image were significant predictors of depressed mood, and when combined, they explained 39.6% of the variance in depressed mood. Conclusions Cancer-related fatigue, physical activity level, and QoL partially explain the variability of depressed mood in breast cancer survivors. This paper facilitates a better understanding of the relationship between depressed mood and possible factors associated with it.
This article compares field supervision in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to practices in a major city in England in order to contextualize the academic training of students. It considers practical ...dimensions and incorporates a qualitative study carried out in England exploring how the process of supervision in social work affects student learning and development from the supervisor’s perspective. In the study, particular attention is paid to field support provided to students and to practice educator qualifications. The results support the importance of placement supervision and the role of practice educators and supervisors in the overall social work education process.
An FQHC in Denver, Colorado developed and implemented an interprofessional care model to collaboratively manage type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Utilizing the 340B program, the team protocolized ADA ...Guidelines to promote the early adoption of first-line medications, glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonists (GLP1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) to improve patient outcomes.
To assess the impact of interprofessional collaborative management versus standard care on early initiation of a SGLT2i and/or GLP1 RA as first-line therapies to enhance (1) deprescribing of insulin, (2) reducing overbasalization of insulin through insulin de-escalation, and (3) effectively lowering A1C levels in adult primary care patients with T2DM.
This was a retrospective chart review of adult patients with T2DM who were initiated on a GLP1 RA and/or a SGLT2i. To determine the effects of initiating GLP1 RA and/or SGLT2i therapy on insulin usage and glycemic control, the total daily dose (TDD) of insulin before initiation was compared with the most recent TDD post-initiation to evaluate deprescribing. To determine the impact on overbasalization, pre-initiation and post-initiation insulin doses were evaluated. The effectiveness of GLP1 RA and/or SGLT2i in lowering A1C levels was determined by comparing the A1C prior to initiation with the A1C postinitiation. To evaluate the influence of interprofessional collaborative care on insulin deprescribing, overbasalization, and diabetes control, relevant measures were compared between patients receiving collaborative care versus standard care.
Of the 60 total patients treated with insulin, 46.6% were deprescribed insulin, with a majority in the interprofessional collaborative group (93.1%) compared to standard care (6.9%). A total of 78.3% of patients benefited from a reduction in A1C following the initiation of a GLP1 RA and/or SGLT2i. The greatest A1C reduction was -2.9% in the group receiving metformin in addition to a GLP1 RA and a SGLT2i. Patients who received interprofessional collaborative care had an average A1c reduction of -2.9% compared to-1.1% with standard care.
Most patients initially overbasalized on insulin experienced a reduction in overbasalization after initiating GLP1 RA and/or SGLT2i. There was a notable A1C reduction, de-escalation, and deprescribing of insulin in patients receiving interprofessional collaborative care.
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a promising tool for therapy in regenerative medicine, transplantation, and autoimmune disease due to their trophic and immunomodulatory activities. ...However, we are still far from understanding the mechanisms of action of MSCs in these processes. Transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in MSC migration, differentiation, and immunomodulation. Recently, glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) was shown to bind latency‐associated peptide (LAP)/TGF‐β1 to the cell surface of activated Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and megakaryocytes/platelets. In this manuscript, we show that human and mouse MSCs express GARP which presents LAP/TGF‐β1 on their cell surface. Silencing GARP expression in MSCs increased their secretion and activation of TGF‐β1 and reduced their proliferative capacity in a TGF‐β1‐independent manner. Importantly, we showed that GARP expression on MSCs contributed to their ability to inhibit T‐cell responses in vitro. In summary, we have found that GARP is an essential molecule for MSC biology, regulating their immunomodulatory and proliferative activities. We envision GARP as a new target for improving the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs and also as a novel MSC marker. Stem Cells 2015;33:183–195
The complex neuromuscular network that controls body movements is the target of severe diseases that result in paralysis and death. Here, we report the development of a robust and efficient ...self-organizing neuromuscular junction (soNMJ) model from human pluripotent stem cells that can be maintained long-term in simple adherent conditions. The timely application of specific patterning signals instructs the simultaneous development and differentiation of position-specific brachial spinal neurons, skeletal muscles, and terminal Schwann cells. High-content imaging reveals self-organized bundles of aligned muscle fibers surrounded by innervating motor neurons that form functional neuromuscular junctions. Optogenetic activation and pharmacological interventions show that the spinal neurons actively instruct the synchronous skeletal muscle contraction. The generation of a soNMJ model from spinal muscular atrophy patient-specific iPSCs reveals that the number of NMJs and muscle contraction is severely affected, resembling the patient's pathology. In the future, the soNMJ model could be used for high-throughput studies in disease modeling and drug development. Thus, this model will allow us to address unmet needs in the neuromuscular disease field.
Ansell's mole-rats (Fukomys anselli) are subterranean rodents living in families composed of about 20 members with a single breeding pair and their non-breeding offspring. Most of them remain with ...their parents for their lifetime and help to maintain and defend the natal burrow system, forage, and care for younger siblings. Since incest avoidance is based on individual recognition (and not on social suppression) we expect that non-breeders produce viable sperm spontaneously. We compared the sperm of breeding and non-breeding males, obtained by electroejaculation and found no significant differences in sperm parameters between both groups. Here, we used electroejaculation to obtain semen for the first time in a subterranean mammal. Spermiogram analysis revealed no significant differences in sperm parameters between breeders and non-breeders. We found significantly larger testes (measured on autopsies and on living animals per ultrasonography) of breeders compared to non-breeders (with body mass having a significant effect). There were no marked histological differences between breeding and non-breeding males, and the relative area occupied by Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules on histological sections, respectively, was not significantly different between both groups. The seminiferous epithelium and to a lesser degree the interstitial testicular tissue are characterized by lesions (vacuolar degenerations), however, this feature does not hinder fertilization even in advanced stages of life. The continuous production of viable sperm also in sexually abstinent non-breeders might be best understood in light of the mating and social system of Fukomys anselli, and the potential to found a new family following an unpredictable and rare encounter with an unfamiliar female ("provoked or induced dispersal"). Apparently, the non-breeders do not reproduce because they do not copulate but not because they would be physiologically infertile. The significantly increased testes volume of breeding males (compared to non-breeders) is in agreement with previously found higher testosterone levels of breeders.
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