Effects of AM3 (Inmunoferon) on increased serum concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor receptors I and II in cyclists

The aims of this study were to examine the changes in plasma concentrations of inflammatory cytokines induced by training and competition in professional cyclists. We report the serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), tumour necrosis factor receptors I and II (TNFR-I and -II) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial involving the administration of AM3 (Inmunoferon), an oral booster immunomodulator, or placebo to 16 professional cyclists (n = 8 in each group) for 65 consecutive days. Serum was collected just before treatment began (baseline), at the end of pre-competition training, before the mountain stage of the competition (60 days), 4 h after finishing this stage (62 days), and 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition (65 days). To determine the normal levels of cytokines and soluble TNF receptors, individual samples from 14 moderately trained healthy controls were studied. After 60 days of training, the serum concentrations of IL-6 did not differ significantly from those at the beginning of the study for either group of cyclists (placebo and AM3). A significant rise was seen in IL-6 concentrations in both the AM3 and placebo groups at 62 days, 4 h after finishing the mountain stage. The increase was significantly greater in the placebo group than in the AM3 group. At 65 days of treatment, 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition, IL-6 concentrations were similar to those recorded at the end of the training, but were significantly higher in the placebo group than in the AM3 group. At the end of training, serum TNFR-I concentrations in both groups of cyclists were significantly lower than at baseline. The concentrations of serum TNFR-I and -II both 4 h after finishing the mountain stage and 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition were significantly higher than those recorded after training in both groups. Professional cycling competition is associated with increases in serum IL-6 and TNFR-I and -II concentrations. Inmunoferon treatment reduced significantly the concentrations of IL-6 but not those of TNFR-I and -II.     

La calidad en la educación abierta y a distancia en México

Abstract

Since 1947, distance education in Mexico has had an important role for nonconventional populations. Considering that distance education is a heterogeneous and dynamic field, it is important to reflect on the need to improve quality as measured by our own standards. With that perspective in mind, a national meeting was organized to start a self‐diagnosis in which quality and access were the main concerns. Five hundred and twenty specialists from fifty‐one institutions participated in a national interactive synchronous meeting held in four regions. As a result of the meeting, thirty‐five criteria and 230 parameters of quality were established. The main conclusion of the meeting refers to the need for the elaboration of our own indicators for open and distance education.     

Individual Differences in Childhood Behavior Disorders Associated With Epigenetic Modulation of the Cortisol Receptor Gene

Behavioral/emotional difficulties in children are the first sign of mental health problems. These problems are however, heterogeneous. A domain that may identify homogenous subgroups is hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal function. This study tested whether epigenetic regulation of glucocorticoid receptor gene could explain the co‐occurrence of anxiety problems in children with behavior problems. Four‐ to 16‐year‐old clinically referred children (N = 241) were measured for psychiatric symptoms, methylation of target CpG sites in blood or saliva, and morning cortisol levels in those who gave blood. Increased methylation of promoter 1F CpG sites was associated with higher vulnerability to co‐occurring internalizing symptoms and morning cortisol. The results support increasing optimism that epigenetic regulation of key neuroendocrine systems might help explain hitherto unfathomable individual differences in susceptibility to psychiatric symptom profiles.     

Knocking on employment’s door: internships and job attainment

Higher Education - Undergraduate internships have gained popularity among students, universities, governments and firms since the creation of the European Higher Education Area. However, empirical...     

Differential effects of psychological maltreatment on children of mothers exposed to intimate partner violence

Objective

Psychological maltreatment (PM) is the most prevalent form of child abuse, and is the core component of most of what is considered as child maltreatment. The aim of this work was to explore differential adverse outcomes of the different types of PM in the mental health and functioning of children living in homes in which they are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV).

Method

Participants were 168 children, aged between 4 and 17, whose mothers experienced IPV. They were assessed using different measures of psychopathology and functioning: Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-IV, Child Behavior Checklists and Child and Adolescent Functioning Assessment Scale. Furthermore, IPV was assessed with the Schedule for Assessment of Intimate Partner Violence Exposure in Children and the Index of Spouse Abuse. Statistical analyses were carried out with regression models adjusted by means of Generalized Estimating Equations.

Results

Spurning was the PM subtype with the greatest global effect on the children, as it was significantly associated with internalizing and externalizing problems. Denying emotional responsiveness specifically increased the risk of internalizing psychopathology and impairment in the emotional area. Terrorizing was not significantly associated with a greater number of negative outcomes in children's psychopathology or functioning in this population.

Implications

The results suggest the importance of taking PM types into account in order to fully understand the problems of children exposed to IPV at home, and for the design of effective treatment and prevention programs.     

Pheromone synthesis in a biomicroreactor coated with anti-adsorption polyelectrolyte multilayer

To prepare a biosynthetic module in an infochemical communication project, we designed a silicon/glass microreactor with anti-adsorption polyelectrolyte multilayer coating and immobilized alcohol acetyl transferase (atf), one of the key biosynthetic enzymes of the pheromone of Spodoptera littoralis, on agarose beads inside. The system reproduces the last step of the biosynthesis in which the precursor diene alcohol (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienol is transformed into the major component (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate. The scope of this study was to analyze and implement a multilayer, anti-adsorption coating based on layer-by-layer deposition of polyethylenimine/dextransulfate sodium salt (PEI/DSS). The multilayers were composed of two PEI with molecular weights 750 and 1.2 kDa at pH 9.2 or 6.0. Growth, morphology, and stability of the layers were analyzed by ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The anti-adsorption functionality of the multilayer inside the microreactor was validated. The activity of His(6)-(atf) was measured by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer (GC-MS).     

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Cultural Heritage Policy in Colombia: A Case Study

As Colombia began to develop its Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) policy, it signed an agreement with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to collaborate on a Smithsonian Folklife Festival of Colombia's national living traditions, to be shown on the National Mall in 2011. This essay addresses the role of the Smithsonian Folklife Center in advocating for a cultural heritage policy grounded in cultural democracy and intercultural dialogue, as well as its collaboration with UNESCO in crafting the 2003 convention for the protection of intangible cultural heritage. We focus on the Center's signature collaborative program, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and on our experience with the 2011 Festival program, Colombia: The Nature of Culture. We examine the relationship between the Festival and Colombia's intangible cultural heritage communities, policies, and practices, through intercultural dialogues that contribute to shaping Intangible Cultural Heritage policy from the bottom up.     

Evaluating multi-institutional partnership sustainability: a case study of collaborative workforce development in renewable energy assessment

Partnership evaluation typically occurs during the final stages either to assess why a collaborative effort did not work or to identify the indicators of success. Partnerships are rarely evaluated at their incipient stage, which is a critical time to assess their potential for long-term sustainability. In this paper, we present an early-stage evaluative framework for assessing multi-institutional academic partnerships’ sustainability based on 3 dimensions: decision processes, problem orientation, and social capital. We apply the evaluative framework using case study research to the Renewable Energy Assessment (REA) Program, a workforce enhancement academic partnership that focuses on facilities and lands viability assessment. Using the evaluative framework, we identified critical elements present within and missing from the REA Program that could influence the partnership's long-term sustainability. This study demonstrates the need to conduct incipient stage and ongoing evaluations to foster partnership sustainability, and provides a framework for conducting such assessments.     

Toward a Pedagogy of Transformation

An on-going challenge in teacher education programs is how best to support new teachers in connecting their university coursework with their professional identity development and pedagogical practice in the schools. The reading and writing of case studies is one promising strategy teacher educators have explored as a means of assisting teachers in developing and cultivating a self-reflective, theory and practice reflexive, style of learning in the teacher education classroom and beyond. In the present paper, I present a case study of my own journey as a developmental and educational psychologist responsible for co-teaching a secondary teacher education course called "Adolescent Development for Teachers", in which having student-teachers research and write-up a case study of a single adolescent became the focus of the course and our pedagogy. I describe events that brought about the use of the case study in the course, the influence the use of the case study had on myself as an instructor as well as the students, and what students say are the educational benefits and difficulties of completing the adolescent case study. Implications for infusing a developmental focus into teacher education programs are discussed.