Mapping Dominican transnationalism: narrow and broad transnational practices

This article maps the structure for understanding the Dominican transnational field. By transnational field we refer to a web of linkages that affects the lives of Dominicans in their places of residence in every social field. We find that social boundaries of the nation do not coincide with political ones and the degree of participation in transnational exchanges varies. We suggest that the structure of the transnational social field is better understood by establishing and defining broad and narrow transnational social practices.     

Metabolism of biodiesel-derived glycerol in probiotic Lactobacillus strains

Three probiotic Lactobacillus strains, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii, were tested for their ability to assimilate and metabolize glycerol. Biodiesel-derived glycerol was used as the main carbon and energy source in batch microaerobic growth. Here, we show that the tested strains were able to assimilate glycerol, consuming between 38 and 48 % in approximately 24 h. L. acidophilus and L. delbrueckii showed a similar growth, higher than L. plantarum. The highest biomass reached was 2.11 g?L^?1 for L. acidophilus, with a cell mass yield (Y _X/S) of 0.37 g?g^?1. L. delbrueckii and L. plantarum reached a biomass of 2.06 and 1.36 g?L^?1. All strains catabolize glycerol mainly through glycerol kinase (EC 2.7.1.30). For these lactobacillus species, kinetic parameters for glycerol kinase showed Michaelis–Menten constant (K _m) ranging from 1.2 to 3.8 mM. The specific activities for glycerol kinase in these strains were in the range of 0.18 to 0.58 U?mg?protein^?1, with L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 showing the maximum specific activity after 24 h of cultivation. Glycerol dehydrogenase activity was also detected in all strains studied but only for the reduction of glyceraldehyde with NADPH (K _m for DL-glyceraldehyde ranging from 12.8 to 32.3 mM). This enzyme shows a very low oxidative activity with glycerol and NADP⁺ and, most likely, under physiological conditions, the oxidative reaction does not occur, supporting the assumption that the main metabolic flux concerning glycerol metabolism is through the glycerol kinase pathway.     

Diversity and abundance of climbers from the Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil

Climbing plant community composition and abundance was compared between the Alto da Serra de Paranapiacaba Biological Reserve (ASPRB) and the Nascentes de Paranapiacaba Municipal Natural Park (NPMNP), two protected areas in the largest Atlantic Forest remnant, southeastern Brazil. Climbing plants ≥1 cm in diameter were sampled in 52 quadrats of 10 × 20 m (1.04 ha). From these data we calculated the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, calculated abundance and importance values for families, performed a principal coordinate analysis, and created a similarity dendrogram (TWINSPAN). The composition and abundance of species between ASPRB and NPMNP differed significantly due to the successional state of the ASPRB forest, which was affected by more recent disturbance. There we found 34 species, while in the NPMNP, species richness was 72, with only 24 species in common. The two areas formed two groups corresponding to two distinct floristic subsets. These montane forests were characterized by a predominance of species of the Asteraceae. The high species richness, floristic composition, and community composition reflect the greater degree of conservation in the area of NPMNP. The high density and community composition of climbers in the more conserved area of rainforest may be due to the low intensity of disturbance.     

A Double-Blind,Randomised, Crossover Trial of Two Botulinum Toxin Type A in Patients with Spasticity

Background

Botulinum toxin type A (btxA) is one of the main treatment choices for patients with spasticity. Prosigne® a new released botulinum toxin serotype A may have the same effectiveness as Botox® in focal dystonia. However, there are no randomized clinical trials comparing these formulations in spasticity treatment. The aim of our study was to compare the efficacy and safety of Prosigne® with Botox® in the treatment of spasticity.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We performed a double-blind, randomized, crossover study consisting of 57 patients with clinically meaningful spasticity. The patients were assessed at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks after Prosigne® or Botox® administration. The main outcomes were changes in the patients’ Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) scores and adverse effects related to the botulinum toxin. Both of the toxins were significantly effective in relieving the level of spasticity in adults and children. There were no significant differences found between the Prosigne® and Botox® treatments regarding their MAS, FIM and PEDI scores. Likewise, the incidence of adverse effects was similar between the two groups.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that Prosigne® and Botox® are both efficient and comparable with respect to their efficacy and safety for the three month treatment of spasticity.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00819065","term_id":"NCT00819065"}}NCT00819065.     

Transport Inhibition of Digoxin Using Several Common P-gp Expressing Cell Lines Is Not Necessarily Reporting Only on Inhibitor Binding to P-gp

We have reported that the P-gp substrate digoxin required basolateral and apical uptake transport in excess of that allowed by digoxin passive permeability (as measured in the presence of GF120918) to achieve the observed efflux kinetics across MDCK-MDR1-NKI (The Netherlands Cancer Institute) confluent cell monolayers. That is, GF120918 inhibitable uptake transport was kinetically required. Therefore, IC₅₀ measurements using digoxin as a probe substrate in this cell line could be due to inhibition of P-gp, of digoxin uptake transport, or both. This kinetic analysis is now extended to include three additional cell lines: MDCK-MDR1-NIH (National Institute of Health), Caco-2 and CPT-B2 (Caco-2 cells with BCRP knockdown). These cells similarly exhibit GF120918 inhibitable uptake transport of digoxin. We demonstrate that inhibition of digoxin transport across these cell lines by GF120918, cyclosporine, ketoconazole and verapamil is greater than can be explained by inhibition of P-gp alone. We examined three hypotheses for this non-P-gp inhibition. The inhibitors can: (1) bind to a basolateral digoxin uptake transporter, thereby inhibiting digoxin''s cellular uptake; (2) partition into the basolateral membrane and directly reduce membrane permeability; (3) aggregate with digoxin in the donor chamber, thereby reducing the free concentration of digoxin, with concomitant reduction in digoxin uptake. Data and simulations show that hypothesis 1 was found to be uniformly acceptable. Hypothesis 2 was found to be uniformly unlikely. Hypothesis 3 was unlikely for GF120918 and cyclosporine, but further studies are needed to completely adjudicate whether hetero-dimerization contributes to the non-P-gp inhibition for ketoconazole and verapamil. We also find that P-gp substrates with relatively low passive permeability such as digoxin, loperamide and vinblastine kinetically require basolateral uptake transport over that allowed by +GF120918 passive permeability, while highly permeable P-gp substrates such as amprenavir, quinidine, ketoconazole and verapamil do not, regardless of whether they actually use the basolateral transporter.     

DMSO Represses Inflammatory Cytokine Production from Human Blood Cells and Reduces Autoimmune Arthritis

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is currently used as an alternative treatment for various inflammatory conditions as well as for cancer. Despite its widespread use, there is a paucity of data regarding its safety and efficacy as well as its mechanism of action in human cells. Herein, we demonstrate that DMSO has ex-vivo anti-inflammatory activity using Escherichia coli- (E. coli) and herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1)-stimulated whole human blood. Specifically, we found that between 0.5%– 2%, DMSO significantly suppressed the expression of many pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂). However, a significant reduction in monocyte viability was also observed at 2% DMSO, suggesting a narrow window of efficacy. Anti-inflammatory concentrations of DMSO suppressed E. coli-induced ERK1/2, p38, JNK and Akt phosphorylation, suggesting DMSO acts on these signaling pathways to suppress inflammatory cytokine/chemokine production. Although DMSO induces the differentiation of B16/F10 melanoma cells in vitro, topical administration of DMSO to mice subcutaneously implanted with B16 melanoma cells was ineffective at reducing tumor growth, DMSO was also found to block mouse macrophages from polarizing to either an M1- or an M2-phenotype, which may contribute to its inability to slow tumor growth. Topical administration of DMSO, however, significantly mitigated K/BxN serum-induced arthritis in mice, and this was associated with reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the joints and white blood cell levels in the blood. Thus, while we cannot confirm the efficacy of DMSO as an anti-cancer agent, the use of DMSO in arthritis warrants further investigation to ascertain its therapeutic potential.     

The Role of Geography in the Assessment of Quality: Evidence from the Medicare Advantage Program

The Affordable Care Act set in motion a renewed emphasis on quality of care evaluation. However, the evaluation strategies of quality by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services do not consider geography when comparisons are made among plans. Using an overall measure of a plan’s quality in the public sector—the Medicare Advantage (MA) star ratings—we explored the impact of geography in these ratings. We identified 2,872 U.S counties in 2010. The geographic factor predicted a larger fraction of the MA ratings’ compared to socio-demographic factors which explained less. Also, after the risk adjustments, almost half of the U.S. states changed their ranked position in the star ratings. Further, lower MA star ratings were identified in the Southeastern region. These findings suggest that the geographic component effect on the ratings is not trivial and should be considered in future adjustments of the metric, which may enhance the transparency, accountability, and importantly level the playing field more effectively when comparing quality across health plans.     

Differences in the Access to Sterilization between Women Living and Not Living with HIV: Results from the GENIH Study,Brazil

BackgroundIn many countries, young women of reproductive age have been especially affected by the HIV epidemic, which have fostered research to better understand how HIV infection influences and shapes women´s fertility and reproductive and sexual decisions. In Brazil, few studies have focused on the impact of the HIV epidemic on contraceptive choices among women living with HIV (WLHIV).ObjectiveThis study evaluates the impact HIV infection may have in the access to female sterilization in Brazil, using a time-to-event analysis.MethodsA cross-sectional quantitative study (GENIH study) was conducted between February 2013 and April 2014 in the city of São Paulo, comparing two probabilistic samples of 975 WLHIV and 1,003 women not living with HIV (WNLHIV) aged 18 to 49. Sexual and reproductive data was collected retrospectively in order to reconstruct women''s reproductive trajectories. Given the objectives of this study, the analysis was restricted to women with parity one or more and, in case of WLHIV, to those sterilized after HIV diagnosis and not infected through vertical transmission. The final sample analysis included 683 WNLHIV and 690 WLHIV. A series of multivariable-adjusted Cox models estimated the probability of being sterilized after HIV diagnosis, compared with WNLHIV. Models were adjusted for schooling, race/color, and stratified by parity at last delivery (1–2, 3+). Hazard ratios were calculated for female sterilization, and separately for interval and postpartum procedures (performed in conjunction with caesarean section or immediately after vaginal delivery). Additionally, information regarding unmet demand for female sterilization was also explored.FindingsNo statistical difference in the overall risk of sterilization between WLHIV and WNLHIV in the two parity-related groups is observed: HR = 0.88 (0.54–1.43) and 0.94 (0.69–1.29), respectively, among women with 1–2 children and those with three and more. However, significant differences regarding the impact of HIV infection at sterilization are observed depending on the timing and the type of sterilization procedure. The probability of obtaining an interval sterilization is significantly lower for WLHIV compared to those not living with HIV. The reverse occurs regarding postpartum sterilization. Although sterilization is mainly performed in conjunction with caesarean section in Brazil, it is evident that caesarean sections are not the sole factor increasing the risk of sterilization among WLHIV.ConclusionThe results indicate barriers in the access to services offering interval sterilization for WLHIV and certain facilitation in obtaining the procedure in conjunction with caesarean section. Health policy makers at local and national levels should promote institutional changes in order to facilitate access to interval sterilization and to confront the sensitive discussion of WLHIV’s eligibility for postpartum sterilization. It is also urgent to increase access to a wider range of contraceptive methods for WLHIV and promote dual method protection strategies. Moreover, since condom use may decrease in the future in the context of the preventive effect of antiretroviral therapy, promoting dual methods will expand the choices regarding the reproductive rights of women living with HIV.     

Visitation rate of pollinators and nectar robbers to the flowers and inflorescences of Tabebuia aurea (Bignoniaceae): effects of floral display size and habitat fragmentation

Large floral displays favour pollinator attraction and the import and export of pollen. However, large floral displays also have negative effects, such as increased geitonogamy, pollen discounting and nectar/pollen robber attraction. The size of the floral display can be measured at different scales (e.g. the flower, inflorescence or entire plant) and variations in one of these scales may affect the behaviour of flower visitors in different ways. Moreover, the fragmentation of natural forests may affect flower visitation rates and flower visitor behaviour. In the present study, video recordings of the inflorescences of a tree species (Tabebuia aurea) from the tropical savannah of central Brazil were used to examine the effect of floral display size at the inflorescence and tree scales on the visitation rate of pollinators and nectar robbers to the inflorescence, the number of flowers approached per visit, the number of visits per flower of potential pollinators and nectar robbers, and the interaction of these variables with the degree of landscape disturbance. Nectar production was quantified with respect to flower age. Although large bees are responsible for most of the pollination, a great diversity of flower insects visit the inflorescences of T. aurea. Other bee and hummingbird species are highly active nectar robbers. Increases in inflorescence size increase the visitation rate of pollinators to inflorescences, whereas increases in the number of inflorescences on the tree decrease visitation rates to inflorescences and flowers. This effect has been strongly correlated with urban environments in which trees with the largest floral displays are observed. Pollinating bees (and nectar robbers) visit few flowers per inflorescence and concentrate visits to a fraction of available flowers, generating an overdispersed distribution of the number of visits per inflorescence and per flower. This behaviour reflects preferential visits to young flowers (including flower buds) with a greater nectar supply.