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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most frequent functional gastrointestinal disorder, worldwide, with a high prevalence among Mestizo Latin Americans. Because several inflammatory disorders appear to affect this population, a further understanding of host genomic background variants, in conjunction with colonic mucosa dysbiosis, is necessary to determine IBS physiopathology and the effects of environmental pressures. Using a simple polygenic model, host single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the taxonomic compositions of microbiota were compared between IBS patients and healthy subjects. As proof of concept, five IBS-Rome III patients and five healthy controls (HCs) were systematically studied. The human and bacterial intestinal metagenome of each subject was taxonomically annotated and screened for previously annotated IBS, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease-associated SNPs or taxon abundance. Dietary data and fecal markers were collected and associated with the intestinal microbiome. However, more than 1,000 variants were found, and at least 76 SNPs differentiated IBS patients from HCs, as did associations with 4 phyla and 10 bacterial genera. In this study, we found elements supporting a polygenic background, with frequent variants, among the Mestizo population, and the colonic mucosal enrichment of Bacteroides, Alteromonas, Neisseria, Streptococcus, and Microbacterium, may serve as a hallmark for IBS.

Desde la publicación de la Reforma Integral en Educación Media Superior en 2008, en México ha sido divulgado un vasto número de documentos que refieren a la manera en que el enfoque por competencias en el que esta Reforma se inserta puede permitir mejores oportunidades a los estudiantes de Educación Media Superior, tanto a aquellos que pretenden continuar con estudios universitarios como a los que elijan insertarse al campo laboral una vez terminado bachillerato. Además de las conveniencias, diversos autores también han publicado acerca de retos que plantea tanto en estrategias de enseñanza como de evaluación desde este enfoque, algunos considerando esta última como la clave para establecer las líneas a seguir para la correcta formación de los estudiantes. El presente documento representa las principales dificultades que enfrentan los profesores de Bachilleratos Profesionales Técnicos para evaluar las competencias de sus estudiantes, partiendo de las experiencias comunes referidas por medio de entrevistas. La consideración de los argumentos aquí referidos puede permitir a cada actor educativo enfocar sus esfuerzos en lo pertinente, incrementando las posibilidades de una educación de mayor calidad a los estudiantes, con sus correspondientes beneficios en el futuro de cada uno.

El propósito de este estudio fue la detección de escuelas de alta y baja eficacia en educación media superior. Se emplearon puntuaciones obtenidas en una prueba censal aplicada al egreso de la educación media superior del 2012 al 2015. Se proponen cuatro criterios para determinar la eficacia de las escuelas: 1) las puntuaciones brutas extremas; 2) los residuos extremos estimados mediante modelos jerárquicos lineales; 3) el crecimiento (o decrecimiento) de puntuaciones y 4) el crecimiento de los residuos en las escuelas a lo largo del tiempo. Cuatro perspectivas distintas, pero complementarias, para abordar el nivel de eficacia (o ineficacia) de las escuelas. Se analizaron resultados de más de 10,000 estudiantes de 119 escuelas, y se identificaron 20 de alta eficacia y 24 de baja. El estudio muestra que se pueden utilizar múltiples criterios, lo cual permite hacer una selección robusta de las escuelas eficaces.

El Museo de Albacete, inaugurado en el año 1927 como Museo de la Comisión Provincial de Monumentos de Albacete, era el final de una larga trayectoria iniciada en el siglo xix. Desde entonces han transcurrido casi noventa años en los que ha habido cambios en las sedes, en las colecciones y en la relación con instituciones y público. Este artículo cuenta esa historia que nos ha permitido ser el Museo que hoy somos. Palabras clave: Comisión Provincial de Monumentos. Colecciones. Arqueología. Arte.

Abstract Dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD) is a carcinogenic and highly toxic industrial byproduct that persists in the environment and produces a pleiotropic toxicity syndrome across vertebrate species that includes wasting, hepatosteatosis, and thymus atrophy. Dioxin toxicities require binding and activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand activated transcription factor. However, after nearly 50 years of study, it remains unknown how AhR activation by dioxin produces toxic effects. Here, using the chick embryo close to hatching, a well-accepted model for dioxin toxicity, we identify NAD+ loss through PARP activation as a novel unifying mechanism for diverse effects of dioxin in vivo. We show that NAD+ loss is attributable to increased PARP activity in thymus and liver, as cotreatment with dioxin and the PARP inhibitor PJ34 increased NAD+ levels and prevented both thymus atrophy and hepatosteatosis. Our findings additionally support a role for decreased NAD+ dependent Sirt6 activity in mediating dioxin toxicity following PARP activation. Strikingly, treatment in vivo with the NAD+ repleting agent nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, prevented thymus atrophy and hepatosteatosis by dioxin and increased sirtuin activity, providing a therapeutic approach for preventing dioxin toxicities in vivo.

Las instituciones de educación superior están conscientes de la necesidad de promover la Formación Integral (FI) en sus estudiantes y desarrollan acciones para lograrlo; sin embargo, poco se sabe acerca de la manera como los alumnos perciben este tipo de formación. Escuchar la voz de los jóvenes puede ser una condición que mejore las posibilidades y el éxito de la educación integral. Este artículo refleja avances de una investigación con diseño fenomenológico que pretende explicitar las experiencias y elementos que los universitarios vinculan a los significados que han construido de formación integral. Los participantes son cinco alumnos de una universidad privada de Mérida pertenecientes a carreras que representan las diversas áreas del conocimiento. Los resultados de este trabajo apuntan a que la FI se construye desde: las dimensiones de la persona que impacta, los aspectos de la vida universitaria que involucra y las experiencias personales y académicas con que se relaciona. Recibido: 06 de julio de 2018 Aceptado: 10 de noviembre de 2018

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar la opinión que tienen profesores y directivos respecto del liderazgo escolar en instituciones de educación superior. El trabajo de campo se realizó en 3 IES ubicados en Yucatán, México; se recurrió a entre- vista, grupos de enfoque y análisis de contenido. Participaron los 3 directores de cada centro, así como 21 profesores. Los directivos conciben a un líder escolar como una persona con mucha apertura a críticas, que no le incomode la opinión de los demás, y que permita recibir propuestas de mejora para la organización; como una persona humana, con actitud de servicio para los demás. Las características son parecidas a las que los profesores desean de un líder, lo que parece ser una total paradoja, cuando los escenarios son opuestos.

Esta investigación fue realizada bajo una metodología cualitativa, empleando el estudio de caso colectivo. Se describen las experiencias académicas que han tenido los estudiantes universitarios mayas caracterizados con un desempeño académico sobresaliente, enfatizando en sus dificultades y las estrategias empleadas para sopesar tales situaciones. Los participantes fueron tres estudiantes universitarios mayas de una universidad pública en Yucatán, México. Se utilizó la entrevista semiestructurada y el diario de campo como técnicas de recolección. Al parecer, los tres casos se enfrentan al asunto económico como principal problema ante su formación profesional; la dificultad para emplear los equipos y recursos tecnológicos, la crítica a la imagen por parte de los demás, y la falta de apoyo y credibilidad por parte de los padres para formarse profesionalmente fueron otros obstáculos identificados. A pesar de ello, los estudiantes consideran que una correcta organización del tiempo, una adecuada comunicación con los profesores, una autogestión personal, así como el empleo frecuente de la tutoría institucional y los programas de becas a la excelencia, les permiten aminorar las dificultades y conseguir buenos resultados como universitarios. Mucho de los hallazgos fueron similares a la literatura que había sido reportada en años anteriores siendo lamentable observarlos en la actualidad.

Studies investigating the welfare of commercial-line broiler chickens raised in houses with outdoor access in the tropics are scarce, and none have investigated whether responses vary according to indoor conditions. Hence, we assessed the effects of providing outdoor access at two indoor stocking densities on broiler chickens’ growth, behaviour, stress responses and immunity in a tropical region of Mexico. One hundred and sixty chickens were assigned to one of four treatments in a factorial design: with or without outdoor access and low or high stocking density indoors. Ad libitum sampling was used to build a purpose-designed ethogram. Scan sampling was used to record the number of birds engaged in each activity of this ethogram, both indoors and outdoors. Heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and serum corticosterone levels were tested in weeks four and six of age. When the birds were 42 days old, they were slaughtered, and the bursa and spleen harvested and weighed. In an interaction between stocking density and outdoor access, birds at the high stocking density with no outdoor pens spent the least time walking and preening and more time lying (p < 0.05). Birds given outdoor access foraged more, but only at indoor low stocking densities (p < 0.05). Outdoor access reduced heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, indicating reduced stressor response. Birds with low stocking density indoors and outdoor access appeared more responsive to stressors, with elevated corticosterone and reduced spleen and bursa weights (p < 0.05). There were welfare benefits of outdoor access, principally in terms of increased activity, which were reflected in slower growth in the birds with outdoor access.

Brachial plexus is the plexus of nerves that supplies the upper limb. The anterior divisions of upper and middle trunks form lateral cord and that of the lower trunk form medial cord. Posterior divisions of all the three trunks form the posterior cord. Here we report a case of unilateral variation in the formation of medial cord of brachial plexus during dissection of a female perinatal cadaver of 34 weeks of gestation which was dissected as a part of Congenital Malformation Survey conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh with necessary ethical clearance. Medial cord was formed by the anterior division of lower trunk and this cord had a communication from the posterior division of middle trunk. It is very important to be aware of the variations of the cords of the brachial plexus during different invasive procedures in that region

Background: Opioid-related overdose is a leading cause of death for criminal legal-involved individuals and, although naloxone distribution and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are effective means for reducing post-release overdose death risk, jail-based availability is limited. This case report describes the challenges faced by three Ohio communities as they implemented evidence-based practices (EBPs) in jails to combat post-release opioid overdose deaths., Method: We present case examples of how barriers were overcome to implement jail-based EBPs in three Ohio communities (two urban and one rural) as part of the HEALing Communities Study (UM1DA049417; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04111939). Of the 18 participating Ohio HEALing Communities Study counties, we highlight 3 communities for the novelty of their EBPs implemented, the challenges that they faced, and their rural/urban status. We present descriptive data regarding the EBPs that they implemented and discuss the challenges identified by HEALing Communities Study staff with first-hand experience facilitating their implementation., Results: Newly implemented interventions included overdose education and direct provision of naloxone to incarcerated individuals upon release (2 of 3 communities), initiating MOUD prior to release (3 of 3), linkage to ongoing MOUD treatment in the community (2 of 3), peer support-facilitated treatment retention efforts (2 of 3) and emergency housing (1 of 3) in the immediate post-incarceration period. Common challenges that emerged included skepticism about the need and feasibility of implementing EBPs to reduce overdose and death, lack of knowledge about the options available and whether external agencies may assist, and difficulty engaging stakeholders to overcome inertia., Conclusions: Creative flexibility, calm persistence, technical facilitation, and collaboration with community service providers were assets that helped these Ohio jails implement evidence-based strategies that combat the opioid epidemic and reduce the likelihood of post-incarceration overdose and death in a high risk, formerly incarcerated population., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study protocol (Pro00038088) was approved by Advarra Inc., the HEALing Communities Study single Institutional Review Board. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Few studies have examined racial/ethnic differences in rates and correlates of insomnia among veterans. This study compared rates of insomnia and interest in sleep treatment among veterans of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Consistent with the 3P model, we tested racial discrimination as a predictor of insomnia, with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and romantic partners as perpetuating and protective moderators of this association, respectively. A total of 325 veterans (N = 236 veterans of colour; 12% Asian, 36% Black, 14% Hispanic/Latine) completed questionnaires online from remote locations. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patterns across racial/ethnic groups. Linear regression was used to test moderators of the association between racial discrimination and insomnia severity. Overall, 68% of participants screened positive for insomnia: 90% of Asian; 79% of Hispanic/Latine; 65% of Black; and 58% of White participants. Of those, 74% reported interest in sleep treatment, and 76% of those with partners reported interest in including their partner in treatment. Racial discrimination and post-traumatic stress disorder were correlated with more severe insomnia, while romantic partners were correlated with less severe insomnia. Only post-traumatic stress disorder moderated the association between racial discrimination and insomnia severity. Rates of insomnia were highest among Asian and Hispanic/Latine participants, yet these groups were among the least likely to express interest in sleep treatment. Racial discrimination may exacerbate insomnia symptoms among veterans, but only among those who do not already have disturbed sleep in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder. Romantic partners may serve as a protective factor in insomnia, but do not seem to mitigate the impact of racial discrimination., (© 2023 European Sleep Research Society.)

Background: Alcohol-induced blackouts have been associated concurrently and prospectively with alcohol-related harm. Although rates of heavy drinking among military samples tend to be comparable or higher than rates among civilian samples, the prevalence and correlates of blackout in the military population are understudied., Methods: Veterans (N = 241, 29% female, 39% Black) reported on their alcohol consumption and mental health as part of a larger health-related study among veterans. In this secondary analysis, we tested theoretically and empirically informed predictors (gender, drinking quantity, and other drug use) and consequences [depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)] of alcohol-induced blackout. Given the diversity of the sample, potential roles of racial/ethnic discrimination and drinking to cope in alcohol-induced blackout were also tested., Results: Past-year prevalence of alcohol-induced blackout was 53% among veterans who drank alcohol and 68% among those who screened positive for hazardous drinking. Everyday experience of racial discrimination was the strongest concurrent predictor of alcohol-induced blackout. Drinking quantity and use of other drugs were significant correlates only in bivariate models. Controlling for gender, race, drinking quantity, other drug use, and discrimination, blackout frequency was significantly associated with symptoms of depression, but not symptoms of PTSD. Both blackout and racial discrimination were associated with drinking to cope., Conclusions: The prevalence and correlates of alcohol-induced blackout among veterans are largely consistent with those documented in civilian and young adult populations. Among racially diverse groups, racial discrimination may be more strongly associated with mental health symptoms than alcohol consumption or acute alcohol consequences such as blackout., (© 2022 Research Society on Alcohol.)

Circadian genes in the medial accumbal shell (mNAcSh) region regulate binge alcohol consumption. Here, we investigated if antisense-induced knockdown of major circadian genes (Per1, Per2, and NPAS2) in the mNAcSh of mice exposed to intermittent access two-bottle choice (IA2BC) paradigm modulates the expression of histone deacetylase-2 (HDAC-2) and CREB-binding protein (CBP), key epigenetic modifiers associated with withdrawal-associated behaviors such as anxiety. Adult male C57BL/6J mice (N = 28), surgically implanted with bilateral guide cannulas above the mNAcSh, were chronically (4 weeks) exposed to alcohol (20% v/v) or saccharin (0.03%) via IA2BC paradigm. In the fourth week, a mixture of antisense (AS-ODNs; N = 14/group) or nonsense (NS-ODNs; N = 14/group) oligodeoxynucleotides against circadian genes were bilaterally infused into the mNAcSh. Subsequently, alcohol/saccharin consumption and preference were measured followed by euthanization of animals and verification of microinjection sites by visual inspection and the expression of HDAC-2 and CBP by using RT-PCR along with the verification of antisense-induced downregulation of circadian genes in the mNAcSh. As compared with NS-ODNs, AS-ODNs infusion significantly attenuated the alcohol-induced increase in HDAC-2 and reduction in CBP expression in the mNAcSh along with a significant reduction in alcohol consumption and preference. No significant effect was observed on either saccharin consumption or preference. Our results suggest that circadian genes in the mNAcSh may have a causal to play in mediating epigenetic changes observed after chronic alcohol consumption., (© 2021 International Society for Neurochemistry.)

Background: Knowledge about longitudinal changes in epidemiological data at mass gathering events is sparse. The goal of this study was to determine and compare the type, severity and frequency of illnesses at a large music festival over 7 consecutive years (2011-2017)., Methods: Prospectively collected data from the rescue operation protocols of an Austrian music festival were retrieved and analyzed. Patient presentation rates (PPR) and transport to hospital rates (TTHR) were calculated and compared between years. Linear regression was used to investigate the association between (a) total number of visitors and number of patient presentations, and (b) environmental factors and temperature related medical emergencies. A descriptive analysis of pertinent medical logistics management was performed., Results: The median (minimum to maximum) PPR and TTHR were 12.01 (9.33 in 2016 to 20.86 in 2011) and 0.57 (0.40 in 2017 to 1.06 in 2013) per 1000 visitors, respectively. In linear regression models, no significant associations were found between the number of visitors and either the total number of patient presentations, NACA 1-2 or NACA 3-5 classified emergencies. Environmental temperature had a significant impact on heat related patient presentations (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: There were significant differences and a high variance in both PPR and TTHR over the years. Contrary to our expectations, the number of visitors did not predict the number of patient presentations. Ambient temperature was associated with the number of heat related emergencies but not with the number of cold related emergencies. Prevention strategies, such as the removal of insect nests, resulted in significantly fewer insect related emergencies., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Lead (Pb 2+ ) is a developmental neurotoxicant that disrupts the GABA-shift and subsequently causes alterations in the brain's excitation-to-inhibition (E/I) balance. Taurine is a well-established neuroprotective and inhibitory compound for regulating brain excitability. Since mechanistically taurine can facilitate neuronal inhibition through the GABA- AR , the present study examined the anxiolytic potential of taurine derivatives. Treatment groups consisted of the following developmental Pb 2+ -exposures: Control (0 ppm) and Perinatal (150 ppm or 1,000 ppm lead acetate in the drinking water). Rats were scheduled for behavioral tests between postnatal days (PND) 36-45 with random drug assignments to either saline, taurine, or taurine-derived compound (TD-101, TD-102, or TD-103) to assess the rats' responsivity to each drug in mitigating the developmental Pb 2+ -exposure and anxiety-like behaviors through the GABAergic system. Long-Evans hooded rats were assessed using an open field (OF) test for preliminary locomotor assessment. Twenty-four hours later, the same rats were exposed to the elevated plus maze (EPM) and were given an i.p. injection of 43 mg/Kg of the saline, taurine, or TD drugs 15 min prior to testing. Each rat was tested using the triple-blind random assignment method for each drug condition. The OF data revealed that Control female rats had increased locomotor activity over Control male rats, and the Pb 2+ -exposed males and females had increased locomotor activity when compared to the Control male and female rats. However, in the EPM, the Control female rats exhibited more anxiety-like behaviors over Control male rats, and the Pb 2+ -exposed male and female rats showed selective responsivity to TD drugs when compared to taurine. For Pb 2+ -exposed males, TD-101 showed consistent recovery of anxiety-like behaviors similar to that of taurine regardless of Pb 2+ dose, whereas in Pb 2+ -exposed females TD-101 and TD-103 showed greater anxiolytic responses in the EPM. The results from the present psychopharmacological study suggests that taurine and its derivatives are interesting drug candidates to explore sex-specific mechanisms and actions of taurine and the associated GABAergic receptor properties by which these compounds alleviate anxiety as a potential behavioral pharmacotherapy for neurodevelopmental Pb 2+ exposure., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Lead (Pb 2+ ) is a developmental neurotoxicant that causes alterations in the brain's excitation-to-inhibition (E/I) balance by disrupting the development of the GABAergic systems. These GABAergic disruptions have persistent neurobiological and neurobehavioral structure-function relationships that can be examined using animal models of Pb 2+ exposure. Further, taurine, a GABA- AR agonist, has been shown to offer neuroprotection against neurodevelopmental Pb 2+ exposure and senescence. The present study evaluated the effects of Pb 2+ exposure (i.e., at 150 ppm and 1,000 ppm doses) on Long Evans hooded rats during the perinatal period of development on locomotor activity in the open field (OF) and anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze (EPM). This was followed by an examination of brain mass using an encephalization quotient (EQ) and isotropic fractionation (ITF) of total cells and the number of neurons and non-neuronal cells in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and diencephalon. The results suggest that neurodevelopmental Pb 2+ exposure caused persistent anxiety-like behaviors in both the OF and EPM with associated changes in EQ, but not ITF-determined cell density. Further, taurine treatment was observed to compensate for Pb 2+ exposure in the behavioral assessments although precise neurobiological mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, more work is required to evaluate the role of taurine and other anxiolytic compounds in the alleviation of neurotoxicant-induced neurobehavioral syndromes and their associated neurobiological correlates., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Lead (Pb 2+ ) is a developmental neurotoxicant that causes lifelong cognitive dysfunctions. In particular, Pb 2+ -induced frontoexecutive dysfunctions emerge later in life when the cortex is fully myelinated, thereby permitting the ability to assess the extent to which Pb 2+ has developmentally impacted higher order cognitive and behavioral systems. The present study evaluated the effects of developmental Pb 2+ -exposure (150 ppm lead acetate in the drinking water) in Long Evans Hooded rats through the Attention Set-Shift Test (ASST) between postnatal days (PND) 60-90. Treatment groups were comprised of Control (0 ppm), Perinatal (150 ppm), and Perinatal+Taurine (150 ppm + 0.05% Taurine in the drinking water) rats (N = 36; n = 6 per treatment group for each sex). Frontoexecutive functions were evaluated based on trials-to-criterion (TTC) and errors-to-criterion (ETC) measures for simple and complex discriminations (SD & CD), intradimensional and extradimensional shifts (ID & ED), as well as reversals (Rev) of the CD, I-, and ED stages, respectively. Post-testing, the prelimbic (PrL), infralimbic (IL), orbital ventral frontal (OV), orbital ventro-lateral (OVL), and hippocampal (HP) brain regions were extracted and processed through Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrophotometry (LC/MS) for determining the GABA and Taurine ratios relative to Glutamate, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Epinephrine, and Serotonin. The ASST data revealed that Perinatal rats are negatively impacted by developmental Pb 2+ -exposures evidenced by increased TTC and ETC to learn the SD, ID, and ID-Rev with unique sex-based differences in frontoexecutive dysfunctions. Moreover, Perinatal+Taurine co-treated rats exhibited a recovery of the frontoexecutive dysfunctions observed in Perinatal rats to levels equivalent to Control rats across both sexes. The LC/MS data revealed altered brain sub-region specific patterns across the PrL, IL, OV, OVL, and HP in response to developmental Pb 2+ -exposure that produced an altered neurochemical signaling profile in a sex-dependent manner, which may underlie the observed frontoexecutive dysfunctions, cognitive inflexibility, and associated motivation deficits. When taurine co-treatment was administered concurrently for the duration of developmental Pb 2+ -exposure, the observed frontoexecutive dysfunctions were significantly reduced in both ASST task performance and neurochemical ratios that were comparable to Control levels for both sexes. Altogether, the data suggest that taurine co-treatment may facilitate neuroprotection, mitigate neurotransmitter excitability balancing, and perhaps ameliorate against neurotoxicant exposures in early development as a potential psychopharmacotherapy.

Lead (Pb 2+ ) is a developmental neurotoxicant that causes alterations in the brain's excitation-to-inhibition (E/I) balance. By increasing chloride concentration through GABA-ARs, taurine serves as an effective inhibitory compound for maintaining appropriate levels of brain excitability. Considering this pharmacological mechanism of taurine facilitated inhibition through the GABA-AR, the present pilot study sought to explore the anxiolytic potential of taurine derivatives. Treatment groups consisted of the following developmental Pb 2+ -exposures: Control (0 ppm) and Perinatal (150 ppm or 1000 ppm lead acetate in the drinking water). Rats were scheduled for behavioral tests between postnatal days (PND) 36-45 with random assignments to either solutions of Saline, Taurine, or Taurine Derived compounds (i.e., TD-101, TD-102, or TD-103) to assess the rats' responsiveness to each drug in mitigating the developmental Pb 2+ -exposure through the GABAergic system. Long Evans Hooded rats were assessed using an Open Field (OF) test for preliminary locomotor assessment. Approximately 24-h after the OF, the same rats were exposed to the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and were given an i.p. injection of 43 mg/Kg of the Saline, Taurine, or TD drugs 15-min prior to testing. Each rat was tested using the random assignment method for each pharmacological condition, which was conducted using a triple-blind procedure. The OF data revealed that locomotor activity was unaffected by Pb 2+ -exposure with no gender differences observed. However, Pb 2+ -exposure induced an anxiogenic response in the EPM, which interestingly, was ameliorated in a gender-specific manner in response to taurine and TD drugs. Female rats exhibited more anxiogenic behavior than the male rats; and as such, exhibited a greater degree of anxiety that were recovered in response to Taurine and its derivatives as a drug therapy. The results from the present psychopharmacological pilot study suggests that Taurine and its derivatives could provide useful data for further exploring the pharmacological mechanisms and actions of Taurine and the associated GABAergic receptor properties by which these compounds alleviate anxiety as a potential behavioral pharmacotherapy for treating anxiety and other associated mood disorders.

Background: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs) represent a prevalent cause of epileptogenic brain tumors, the natural evolution of which is much more benign than that of most gliomas. Previous studies have suggested that [(11)C]methionine positron emission tomography (MET-PET) could help to distinguish DNTs from other epileptogenic brain tumors, and hence optimize the management of patients. Here, we reassessed the diagnostic accuracy of MET-PET for the differentiation between DNT and other epileptogenic brain neoplasms in a larger population., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 77 patients with focal epilepsy related to a nonrapidly progressing brain tumor on MRI who underwent MET-PET, including 52 with a definite histopathology. MET-PET data were assessed by a structured visual analysis that distinguished normal, moderately abnormal, and markedly abnormal tumor methionine uptake and by semiquantitative ratio measurements., Results: Pathology showed 21 DNTs (40%), 10 gangliogliomas (19%), 19 low-grade gliomas (37%), and 2 high-grade gliomas (4%). MET-PET visual findings significantly differed among the various tumor types (P < .001), as confirmed by semiquantitative analyses (P < .001 for all calculated ratios), regardless of gadolinium enhancement on MRI. All gliomas and gangliogliomas were associated with moderately or markedly increased tumor methionine uptake, whereas 9/21 DNTs had normal methionine uptake. Receiver operating characteristics analysis of the semiquantitative ratios showed an optimal cutoff threshold that distinguished DNTs from other tumor types with 90% specificity and 89% sensitivity., Conclusions: Normal MET-PET findings in patients with an epileptogenic nonrapidly progressing brain tumor are highly suggestive of DNT, whereas a markedly increased tumor methionine uptake makes this diagnosis unlikely., (© The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The case of an infant who developed intestinal obstruction following ingestion of a pacifier is reported. Progression of this foreign body in the intestinal lumen was extremely slow because of the deformability of the material and laparotomy was required. The authors point out that this is a difficult diagnosis and that regulations on manufacturing standards should be enforced in order to avoid such accidents.