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Objective: The current study examined the change processes in three Animal Assisted Therapies (AATs) by assessing the relationship between the human-animal bond and the therapeutic alliance, depth of elaboration, and smoothness of treatment sessions. Methods: This was a retrospective study assessing videotaped AATs conducted with three children aged from 7 to 9 years old from the observer perspective. The AATs were based on the Federico II Model of Healthcare Zooanthropology, and each consisted in 8 sessions. A one-way analysis of variance and linear regression models was performed. Results: The human-animal bond, therapeutic alliance, depth of elaboration, and smoothness significantly improved during the sessions. Furthermore, the improvement in therapeutic dimensions proved to be a function of the increase in the human-animal bond. Conclusions: The findings have provided empirical evidence of the change processes occurring during AATs with children, offering some limited but specific insights into the interspecific relationship as a central axis of such treatments., Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 10, No 2 (2022)

The status of seagrass communities in Davao Gulf in terms of composition, seagrass cover and distribution were assessed. Maps of the distribution of seagrass species were generated. Species composition and seagrass cover as a measure of abundance were determined using the line transect quadrat method. Fourteen species of seagrasses were found. Among them, the most dominant species were Halophila, Thalassia, and Cymodocea. In general, higher mean percentage cover of Halophila species (31.67%) along New Argao, Thalassia species (20.87%) along Talicud Island and Cymodocea species (12.95%) in Governor Generoso were observed. Thirteen species of fish belonging to five families and twenty species of macroinvertebrates were identified along the seagrass beds in the sampling areas. The family with the most number of species caught was Pomacentridae (6 species), followed by Tetraodontidae (3 species), Lutjanidae (2 species) and Siganidae and Labridae both with one species identified. A total of twenty seagrass associated macroinvertebrate species were identified in Davao Gulf., March 8-9, 2011, BANGKOK, THAILAND

The study aimed to (a) provide record of dugong stranding and mortality, (b) conduct necropsy of dugong, (c) characterize the circumstantial causes of mortality and stranding and (d) determine the threats that impede dugong conservation.Secondary data available on strandings and mortality of dugong were utilized to confirm validity of data obtained from interview of fishfarmers. Record of logged and reported incidents of dugong strandings and mortality were also retrieved. Necropsy was done every time dugong mortality occurred. Information and data were kept in dugong data sheets. Preliminary results showed that from 2001 – 2008, six strandings of dugongs have been documented in Malita, Davao del Sur. All the six strandings occurred within an approximate 10 km stretch of coastline (from Brgy. Lacaron to Brgy. Tingolo) of Malita, Davao del Sur. One out of the six strandings was a female baby dugong. The other four were male adult dugong with a length of not less than 2m. The probable causes of death were mostly anthropogenic: victim of spear fishing, blasting, entangled in net and intentionally caught for food. Parasitism was also observed in one of the dugongs that was examined where the gut, stomach, intestine were heavily infested with round worms., February 23-25, 2010, Phuket, Thailand

Marine turtle stranding and nesting from April 9, 2004 to June 23, 2009 were the focus of the investigation. It involved recording and compilation of marine turtle stranding and nesting, conducting of tagging and participating in the stock enhancement through subsequent release of turtles to the sea. Seventeen adult marine turtles were tagged and released. A total of 296 hatchlings were also released. Four species of marine turtles were observed in the coastal waters of Malita, Davao del Sur, namely: olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). Hawksbill and the olive ridley obtained the highest recorded stranding followed by the green turtle. The rarest stranding was that of the leatherback. Higher strandings were observed during the warmer months of March, April, May and September. Strandings were low for the colder months of December, January and February. Lower hatching and survival rate were observed for turtle eggs that were transferred to drier areas., February 23-25, 2010, Phuket, Thailand

The rising incidence of multidrug resistance in Gram-positive pathogen bacteria represents one of the most significant challenge for scientific communities worldwide. Linezolid, an oxazolidinone antibiotic, is highly effective for treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens resistant to other antibiotics including meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and penicillin-resistant S. pneumonia. Linezolid has a unique mechanism of action which targets protein synthesis. Unfortunately, the emergence of Linezolid-resistant of MRSA and other bacteria has already been observed highlighting the need for finding novel oxazolidinone-type drugs with improved potency. In our study we describe the design, the synthesis and biological evaluation of previously unreported Linezolid analogues bearing the urea and thiourea functionality at the C-5 position. We used a computational approach in order to find new derivatives with improved activity. We have found a Linezolid analogoue showing good anti-microbial activity. This compound is effective against S. aureus, also meticillin-resistant, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and penicillin-resistant S. pneumonia. To understand the mechanism of action of this analogue, resistant mutants of S. aureus were generated. They contain mutations in the L3 gene coding for the L3 riboprotein.

Starting from the baffling relationship between satisfaction and importance in the evaluation of subjective well-being, this paper presents a new definition of satisfaction useful to build a composite index of subjective well-being. The index is proven on data from European Quality of Life Survey 2007 and compared with two of the standard literature approaches to measure satisfaction taking into account importance weighting.

International audience; Estrogens control a wide number of aspects of human physiology and play a key role in multiple diseases, including cancer. Estrogens act by binding to and activating the cognate receptor (ER), however numerous studies have revealed that the G protein-coupled receptor named GPR30/GPER mediates also estrogen signals. As ER and GPER share the ability to bind to same compounds, the use of GPER-selective ligands has allowed a better understanding of the biological responses mediated by GPER. In the present study, we designed and synthesized two novel carbazole derivatives and then investigated their ability to interact with and activate the GPER-mediated transduction pathway in breast cancer cells. Both compounds did not activate the classical ER in MCF7 cells, whereas one of the two compounds synthesized triggered through GPER the rapid ERK activation in ER-negative SkBr3 cells, demonstrating a good affinity for GPER in docking studies. The characterization of this novel selective GPER agonist could represent a potential useful tool to provide further insights into the physiopathological role exerted by GPER.

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an anti-inflammatory mediator that enhances the activation by anandamide (AEA) of cannabinoid receptors and transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1) channels, and directly activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha). In mice, 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced contact allergic dermatitis (CAD) in inflamed ears is partly mediated by the chemokine Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-2 (MCP-2) and accompanied by elevation of AEA levels. No datum is available on PEA regulation and role in CAD.We examined whether PEA is produced during DNFB-induced CAD, and if it has any direct protective action in keratinocytes in vitro.Eight- to ten-week-old female C57BL/6J wild-type and CB(1)/CB(2) double knock-out mice were used to measure PEA levels and the expression of TRPV1, PPAR-alpha receptors and enzymes responsible for PEA biosynthesis and degradation. Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells were stimulated with polyinosinic polycytidylic acid [poly-(I:C)], and the expression and release of MCP-2 were measured in the presence of PEA and antagonists of its proposed receptors.2,4-Dinitrofluorobenzene increased ear skin PEA levels and up-regulated TRPV1, PPAR-alpha and a PEA-biosynthesizing enzyme in ear keratinocytes. In HaCaT cells, stimulation with poly-(I:C) elevated the levels of both PEA and AEA, and exogenous PEA (10 microM) inhibited poly-(I:C)-induced expression and release of MCP-2 in a way reversed by antagonism at TRPV1, but not PPAR-alpha. PEA (5-10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) also inhibited DNFB-induced ear inflammation in mice in vivo, in a way attenuated by TRPV1 antagonism.We suggest that PEA is an endogenous protective agent against DNFB-induced keratinocyte inflammation and could be considered for therapeutic use against CAD.

The study investigated the possible incidence of fibropapillomatosis in marine turtle reared in captivity at the SPAMAST Marine Research Station in New Argao, Malita, Davao del Sur. Pinkish lesions similar to fibropapilloma described earlier by Jacobson et al. (1989) were observed at the orbital area of the eye of a five year old olive ridley, indicative of fibropapillomatosis. The pinkish lesion progressed to 2 mm in three months time. Although confirmatory tests have not been conducted, the lesion is indicative of the incidence of fibropapillomatosis in marine turtles reared in captivity in Southern Philippines., March 8-9, 2011, BANGKOK, THAILAND

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T15:34:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_6676_Dissertação_Christine Facco_2013.pdf: 1315436 bytes, checksum: 39ff1bc59d15b9b7a17e711efee2949b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-31 Ainda que muitas doenças contagiosas tenham sido efetivamente contidas, as infecções bacterianas permanecem como uma das maiores causas de morbidade e mortalidade. Os agentes antibacterianos contribuem significantemente para a redução dessas taxas, sendo essenciais para o tratamentos das doenças causadas por bactérias, no entanto, existe grande preocupação com a prevalência de bactérias resistentes a esses fármacos. Na tentativa de obter novas substâncias com atividade antibacteriana, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o potencial antibacteriano de quatro peptídeos sintetizados, dos quais dois possuem sequência derivada da fragmentação in silico do G-CSF, enquanto os outros dois foram planejados teoricamente, verificando, assim, seu interesse como novos agentes terapêuticos na saúde humana. A avaliação foi realizada em duas etapas: a análise in silico, a qual consistiu em predições de propriedades e parâmetros associados à ação antibacteriana, através de ferramentas computacionais; e o experimento in vitro da concentração inibitória mínima (MIC) dos peptídeos contra bactérias Gram positivas e negativas. A maioria das predições foi favorável para os quatro peptídeos, pois os resultados determinados para hidrofobicidade, anfipaticidade, tamanho, estrutura secundária, carga líquida, potencial de ligação em membrana, meia-vida e índice de Bowman encontram-se dentro dos valores desejados para o potencial antibacteriano. Na análise in silico, apenas a predição algorítmica da atividade antimicrobiana gerou resultados desfavoráveis para os peptídeos com sequências derivadas do G-CSF (peptídeos 1 e 2), porém essa mesma predição foi otimista para os outros dois. Já o ensaio in vitro demonstrou que as concentrações utilizadas dos quatro peptídeos foram insuficientes para a determinação de sua concentração inibitória mínima, porém observou-se considerável diminuição no crescimento de E. coli (58,7%) pelo peptídeo 4 e de E. fecalis (86,1%) e E. coli (54,9%) pelo peptídeo 3, em comparação com o controle de viabilidade. Esses valores indicam a presença de ação antibacteriana por parte dos peptídeos planejados teoricamente (peptídeos 3 e 4), corroborando com as predições computacionais. Dessa forma, é possível concluir que a análise in silico foi de suma importância para a seleção dos peptídeos a serem sintetizados, os quais apresentaram nos ensaios in vitro resultados em concordância com a predição computacional de atividade antimicrobiana. Palavras-chave: Peptídeos antibacterianos, atividade antimicrobiana do G-CSF, análise in silico.

Five new silver complexes having bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands were synthesized and characterized. Four of the ligands used are neutral, having an alcohol group on one of two nitrogen of the heterocycle [NHC-OH], the fifth, having a ligand alkoxide, is mono-anionic [NHC-O]. A study on the rate of hydrolysis of complexes synthesized, showed that they are stable to hydrolysis even after 24 hours. Probably, the pincer effect of both [NHC-OH] and [NHC-O] ligands stabilize these compounds. All the synthesized complexes do not show cytotoxicity, but they have a significant anti-microbial activity. They were tested on Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis and data obtained demonstrate that the synthesized Ag-complexes are very promising candidates to be used as antimicrobial compounds.

Among plants, the Lycopersicon esculentum (Solanaceae) is the most important for its beneficial effects on health. Several epidemiological studies have shown the benefits of tomato consumption in the cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention. Tomato products constitute the major source of lycopene, the most potent antioxidant among carotenoids in vitro. In tomatoes leaves are also present many secondary metabolites including phenolic compounds, phytoalexins, protease inhibitors and glycoalkaloids who protect against adverse effects of hosts including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects and are involved in host-plant resistance. In this work we evaluated the antiproliferative activity of tomato leaves extract (var. Paul Robenson) in vitro.

A group of ethyl 2-methylimidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine-3-carboxylates were prepared by reaction in anhydrous ethanol of some substituted 3-amino-pyridazines with ethyl 2-chloroacetoacetate. The corresponding carboxylic acids were obtained via alkaline or acid hydrolysis and then tested both in vivo to evaluate their antiinflammatory, analgesic and ulcerogenic actions and in vitro for their ability to inhibit the prostaglandin biosynthesis. The pharmacological results are discussed in terms of both structure-activity relationships and mechanism of action.