Validation of the subtle and blatant prejudice scale towards indigenous people in Argentina Ungaretti, Joaquín; Etchezahar, Edgardo Daniel; Barreiro, Alicia Viviana The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the subtle and blatant prejudice scale toward indigenous people inArgentina and its relationship with right wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, tolerance for disagreement, ideologicalpoliticalself-positioning, sex and age.Asample of 304 participants from Buenos Aireswas selected using a non-probabilistic incidentalmethod. Participants were aged from 18 to 41 years and they were asked to fill a self-report questionnaire including an Argentineanversion of the subtle and blatant prejudice toward indigenous people scale together with right wing authoritarianism scale, socialdominance orientation scale, tolerance for disagreement scale, ideological-political self-positioning scale.We found adequate psychometricsproperties for the subtle and blatant prejudice scale, as well as significant and positive correlations with right wing authoritarianism,tolerance for disagreement, social dominance orientation and political self-placement. These findings may indicate thatprejudice towards indigenous people in Argentina is a complex problem that cannot be explained only by considering intergrouprelations, because different socio-psychological variables are related with its consolidation and maintenance.

Archaeological science in southern South America: An introduction Morales, Marcelo Raul; Tessone, Augusto; Barberena, Ramiro The approach that can be succinctly described as ‘archaeological science’ has grown beyond any predictions made during the last four decades. Recently published data helps to illustrate the magnitude of this evolution. In 1982 the Journal of Archaeological Science published four issues with 28 articles that occupied 409 pages, while in 2014 it published 12 issues containing 480 articles spanning 5128 pages (Torrence et al., 2015, 1–2). This is the historical context of the discipline where the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports emerged in 2015 as a sister publication aimed at disseminating the ever-growing “… results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates, as well as providing a forum for reviews and discussion of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject” (Hunt and Howard, 2015, 1).

Characterization and cancer risk assessment of VOCs in home and school environments in gran La Plata, Argentina Colman Lerner, Jorge Esteban; Gutierrez, María de Los Angeles; Mellado, Daniela; Giuliani, Daniela Silvana; Massolo, Laura Andrea; Sánchez, Érica Yanina; Porta, Atilio Andrés Three areas are highlighted in Gran La Plata, Argentina: industrial, urban, and residential. In this work, the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air of homes and schools in those areas were analyzed, through the use of passive monitors. The study period is between 2007 and 2010. Higher levels of VOCs were found in homes and schools in the industrial zone, higher than the levels corresponding to urban and residential. Taking into account the relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of VOCs, they have ratios (I/O) between 1.5 and 10 are evidenced contributions of emission sources of VOCs both indoor and outdoor. Complementarily, we estimated the life time cancer risk (LCR) for benzene, styrene, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene in children who spend their time mostly in such indoor environments. The results show high LCR values for benzene, which exceed acceptable values for the US EPA.

Severe plastic deformation by equal channel angular pressing and rolling: The influence of the deformation path on strain distribution Kliauga, Andrea M.; Sordi, Vitor L.; de Vincentis, Natalia Soledad; Bolmaro, Raul Eduardo; Schell, Norbert; Brokmeier, Heinz-Günter The present work compares two deformation techniques, rolling and Equal Channel Angular pressing (ECAP), and the response offered by three different materials that differ in Stacking Fault Energy (SFE): AA1010 Al, commercially pure Cu, and an austenitic stainless steel. The objective of this investigation is to study the effect of each deformation mode on tensile behavior, deformation mechanism, texture, and microstructure and to establish the influence of the stacking fault energy on said effects. The results show that the different strain paths of ECAP and rolling do not affect the strength, but rolling leads to an accentuated texture and thus to elastic and plastic anisotropy. This finding has practical relevance for micro manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, it is observed that lower SFE results in smaller domain size and higher dislocation density, which are microstructural details related to strength and to the work hardening capacity. Finally, both techniques are able to produce a high amount of high angle grain boundaries, a feature that characterizes refined microstructures. These processes operate at different strain rates; thus, in low SFE materials, a more effective grain fragmentation by deformation-induced twins is observed after the ECAP process.

Effect of structure, morphology and chemical composition of Zn-Al, Mg/Zn-Al and Cu/Zn-Al hydrotalcites on their antifungal activity against A. niger Velázquez Herrera, Franchescoli Didier; Fetter, Geolar; Rosato, Vilma Gabriela; Pereyra, Andrea Marisa; Basaldella, Elena Isabel Zn-Al, MgZn-Al and CuZn-Al hydrotalcites were prepared by the co-precipitation method, using the conventional hydrothermal crystallization or ultrasonic irradiation methods The samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and SEM, which confirmed the formation of a layered double hydroxide phase. Afterwards, the effects of composition and texture of the synthesized samples on their biocidal behavior against A. niger were evaluated by using traditional cultivation techniques. Among the different samples examined, hydrotalcites containing Zn, Zn-Mg and Zn-Cu showed an inhibitory effect on A. niger growth. Samples synthesized by the conventional method showed a greater inhibitory capacity than those synthesized by ultrasonication, but their biocidal activity was mainly determined by the presence of biocidal cations. The biocidal characteristics of zinc and/or copper in conjunction with the alkalinity of these materials were favorable for preventing fungal spread. The ZnAl hydrotalcite, the more eco-friendly material of the analyzed series, showed a good biocide performance, while the best antifungal behavior was observed for copper-containing hydrotalcites.

Generalized One-Band Model Based on Zhang-Rice Singlets for Tetragonal CuO Hamad, Ignacio Javier; Manuel, Luis Oscar; Aligia, Armando Ángel Tetragonal CuO (T-CuO) has attracted attention because of its structure similar to that of the cuprates. It has been recently proposed as a compound whose study can give an end to the long debate about the proper microscopic modeling for cuprates. In this work, we rigorously derive an effective one-band generalized t-J model for T-CuO, based on orthogonalized Zhang-Rice singlets, and make an estimative calculation of its parameters, based on previous ab initio calculations. By means of the self-consistent Born approximation, we then evaluate the spectral function and the quasiparticle dispersion for a single hole doped in antiferromagnetically ordered half filled T-CuO. Our predictions show very good agreement with angle-resolved photoemission spectra and with theoretical multiband results. We conclude that a generalized t-J model remains the minimal Hamiltonian for a correct description of single-hole dynamics in cuprates.

A DFT Approach for Methanol Synthesis via Hydrogenation of CO on Gallia, Ceria and ZnO surfaces Reimers, Walter Guillermo; Zubieta, Carolina Edith; Baltanas, Miguel Angel; Branda, Maria Marta A systematic theoretical study of the consecutive hydrogenation reactions of the CO molecule for the methanol synthesis catalyzed by different oxides of Zn, Ce and Ga is reported in this work. First, the CO hydrogenation with the formation of formyl species (HCO) was analyzed, followed by the successive hydrogenations that lead to formaldehyde (H2CO), methoxy (H3CO) and, finally, methanol (H3COH). The co-adsorption with H, in almost all the intermediate species, allows the corresponding hydrogenation reaction. Oxygen vacancies promote the reactivity in the generation of both formaldehyde and methoxy species. The formation of these species involves an important geometric difference between the initial and the final states, leading to high activation barriers. Comparing the surfaces studied in this work, we found that ZnO (0001)vacO has shown to be of a greater interest for methanol synthesis. However, the foregoing is not the most relevant of our results, but, instead, that the Brönsted Evans Polanyi (BEP) relationships between the initial or the final states and the transition states (TS) allowed to find a very good correlation between surface structure and reactivity.

Cambios en el Paisaje en un Valle del Oeste Catamarqueño durante el Holoceno Tardío. (Integrando Arqueología, Palinología y Geomorfologia); Late Holocene landscape changes in a western Catamarca Valley: integrating archaeology, palinology and geomorphology Meléndez, Ana Soledad; Kulemeyer, Julio José; Quesada, Marcos Nicolás; Lupo, Liliana Concepcion; Korstanje, María Alejandra El Valle de El Bolsón (Belén, Catamarca) se ubica entre dos áreas geográficas y culturales de gran interés en la arqueología del NOA. Por su ubicación, entre la Puna y los valles bajos, se presenta como un lugar desde donde estudiar los cambios ambientales a nivel local y su relación a las secuencias paleoambientales conocidas en la región.Estudios de polen fósil contenido en la secuencia sedimentaria de Laguna Cotaguainforman sobre los cambios en la vegetación a partir de los 5581 años cal AP. El estudio sedimentológico del mismo y de terrazas fluviales con materiales arqueológicos en estratigrafía evidencian abruptos cambios en la geomorfología del valle desde ca. 3000 años AP. El estudio geoarqueológico de los mismos aportó información para ordenar cronológicamente eventos de erosión y deposición de sedimentos que en alguna medida tuvieron impacto en las formas en que las poblaciones prehispánicas habitaron el valle.La finalidad de este trabajo es presentar la integración de estos datos a la información arqueológica disponible y aportar al corpus de datos paleoambientales del NOA.; The El Bolsón Valley (Belén, Catamarca Province) is located between two geographical and cultural areas of great interest for the region’s (Northwest Argentina - NOA) archaeology. Given its location – helmed by the Puna and the lower valleys – it constitutes an ideal place in which to study environmental changes at a local scale, elucidating its relationship with known paleoenvironmental sequences of the wider NOA region. Studies on fossilized pollen extracted from a Laguna Cotagua sedimentary sequence, identified changes in local vegetation dating to 5581 ± 40 years BP. Sedimentology studies of these sequences, as well as others from fluvial terraces containing archaeological material, show abrupt geomorphological changes in the valley from ca. 3,000 years BP, onwards. Geoarchaeological studies on these records, contributed data that allowed us to chronologically arrange sediment erosion and deposition events that impacted on the local Prehispanic population’s life-ways and settlement of the valley. The aim of this article is to integrate this data, with the available archaeological information, thereby contributing to the corpus of paleoenvironmental data for the NOA region.

Dietary fish oil ameliorates adipose tissue dysfunction in insulin-resistant rats fed a sucrose-rich diet improving oxidative stress, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and uncoupling protein 2 Selenscig, Dante Alejandro; Ferreira Cordoneda, Maria del Rosario; Chicco, Adriana Graciela; Bolzon, Yolanda Ana Rosa This work aimed to assess the possible beneficial effects of dietary fish oil (FO) on the preexisting adipose tissue dysfunction through the improvement or reversion of the mechanisms underlying oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines in dyslipemic insulin-resistant rats. Wistar rats were fed a sucrose rich diet (SRD) for 6 months. After that half of the animals continued with the SRD until month 8 while in the other half corn oil was replaced by FO for 2 months (SRD+FO). A reference group consumed a control diet all the time. In epididymal fat pad we analyzed: antioxidant and oxidant enzymes activities; ROS content and glutathione redox state; the protein level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and the expression and protein levels of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) as well as oxidative stress biomarkers and TNF-α and IL-6 plasma levels. Besides, insulin sensitivity and the composition of fatty acid phospholipids of adipose tissue were measured. Compared with the SRD the SRD+FO fed group showed a decrease of fat pad weight and the antioxidant and oxidant enzyme activities and ROS content returned to control values as well as plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels. FO normalized both the decrease of PPARγ protein and the increase of protein and expression of UCP2. Furthermore, FO increased n-3/n-6 fatty acids ratio in the adipose tissue phospholipids and normalized dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. Finally, these findings reinforce the view that dietary FO may exert a beneficial effect in ameliorating the dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in this animal model.

Importance of the brain corticosteroid receptor balance in metaplasticity, cognitive performance and neuro-inflammation de Kloet, J. E. R.; Meijer, Onno C.; de Nicola, Alejandro Federico; de Rijk, Roel H.; Joëls, Marian Bruce McEwen's discovery of receptors for corticosterone in the rat hippocampus introduced higher brain circuits in the neuroendocrinology of stress. Subsequently, these receptors were identified as mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) that are involved in appraisal processes, choice of coping style, encoding and retrieval. The MR-mediated actions on cognition are complemented by slower actions via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) on contextualization, rationalization and memory storage of the experience. These sequential phases in cognitive performance depend on synaptic metaplasticity that is regulated by coordinate MR- and GR activation. The receptor activation includes recruitment of coregulators and transcription factors as determinants of context-dependent specificity in steroid action; they can be modulated by genetic variation and (early) experience. Interestingly, inflammatory responses to damage seem to be governed by a similarly balanced MR:GR-mediated action as the initiating, terminating and priming mechanisms involved in stress-adaptation. We conclude with five questions challenging the MR:GR balance hypothesis.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone and Testicular Function in Prepubertal Boys With Cryptorchidism Grinspon, Romina; Gottlieb, Silvia Elisa; Bedecarras, Patricia Gladys; Rey, Rodolfo Alberto Introduction: The functional capacity of the testes in prepubertal boys with cryptorchidism before treatment has received very little attention. The assessment of testicular function at diagnosis could be helpful in the understanding of the pathophysiology of cryptorchidism and in the evaluation of the effect of treatment. Anti-Müllerian hormone is a well-accepted Sertoli cell biomarker to evaluate testicular function during childhood without the need for stimulation tests. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess testicular function in prepubertal children with cryptorchidism before orchiopexy, by determining serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). We also evaluated serum gonadotropins and testosterone and looked for associations between testicular function and the clinical characteristics of cryptorchidism. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, analytical study at a tertiary pediatric public hospital. All clinical charts of patients admitted at the outpatient clinic, and recorded in our database with the diagnosis of cryptorchidism, were eligible. The main outcome measure of the study was the serum concentration of AMH. Secondary outcome measures were serum LH, FSH, and testosterone. For comparison, serum hormone levels from a normal population of 179 apparently normal prepubertal boys were used. Results: Out of 1,557 patients eligible in our database, 186 with bilateral and 124 with unilateral cryptorchidism were selected using a randomization software. Median AMH standard deviation score was below 0 in both the bilaterally and the unilaterally cryptorchid groups, indicating that testicular function was overall decreased in patients with cryptorchidism. Serum AMH was significantly lower in boys with bilateral cryptorchidism as compared with controls and unilaterally cryptorchid patients between 6 months and 1.9 years and between 2 and 8.9 years of age. Serum AMH below the normal range reflected testicular dysfunction in 9.5-36.5% of patients according to the age group in bilaterally cryptorchid boys and 6.3-16.7% in unilaterally cryptorchid boys. FSH was elevated in 8.1% and LH in 9.1% of boys with bilateral cryptorchidism, most of whom were anorchid. In patients with present testes, gonadotropins were only mildly elevated in less than 5% of the cases. Basal testosterone was mildly decreased in patients younger than 6 months old, and uninformative during childhood. Conclusion: Prepubertal boys with cryptorchidism, especially those with bilaterally undescended gonads, have decreased AMH production. Although serum AMH may fall within the normal range, there is a considerable prevalence of testicular dysfunction during childhood in this frequent condition.

Bending Lipid Bilayers: A Closed-Form Collective Variable for Effective Free-Energy Landscapes in Quantitative Biology Masone, Diego Fernando; Uhart, Marina; Bustos, Diego Martin Curvature-related processes are of major importance during protein-membrane interactions. The illusive simplicity of membrane reshaping masks a complex molecular process crucial for a wide range of biological functions like fusion, endo- and exocytosis, cell division, cytokinesis, and autophagy. To date, no functional expression of a reaction coordinate capable of biasing molecular dynamics simulations to produce membrane curvature has been reported. This represents a major drawback given that the adequate identification of proper collective variables to enhance sampling is fundamental for restrained dynamics techniques. In this work, we present a closed-form equation of a collective variable that induces bending in lipid bilayers in a controlled manner, allowing for straightforward calculation of free energy landscapes of important curvature-related events, using standard methods such as umbrella sampling and metadynamics. As a direct application of the collective variable, we calculate the bending free energies of a ternary lipid bilayer in the presence and the absence of a Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs domain with an N-terminal amphipathic helix (N-BAR), a well-known peripheral membrane protein that induces curvature.

CpxR-dependent thermoregulation of Serratia marcescens PrtA metalloprotease expression and its contribution to bacterial biofilm formation Bruna, Roberto Emanuel; Molino, María Victoria; Lazzaro, Martina; Mariscotti, Javier Fernando; Garcia Vescovi, Eleonora PrtA is the major secreted metalloprotease of Serratia marcescens. Previous reports implicate PrtA in the pathogenic capacity of this bacterium. PrtA is also clinically used as a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug, and its catalytic properties attract industrial interest. Comparatively, there is scarce knowledge about the mechanisms that physiologically govern PrtA expression in Serratia. In this work, we demonstrate that PrtA production is derepressed when the bacterial growth temperature decreases from 37°C to 30°C. We show that this thermoregulation occurs at the transcriptional level. We determined that upstream of prtA, there is a conserved motif that is directly recognized by the CpxR transcriptional regulator. This feature is found along Serratia strains irrespective of their isolation source, suggesting an evolutionary conservation of CpxR-dependent regulation of PrtA expression. We found that in S. marcescens, the CpxAR system is more active at 37°C than at 30°C. In good agreement with these results, in a cpxR mutant background, prtA is derepressed at 37°C, while overexpression of the NlpE lipoprotein, a well-known CpxAR-inducing condition, inhibits PrtA expression, suggesting that the levels of the activated form of CpxR are increased at 37°C over those at 30°C. In addition, we establish that PrtA is involved in the ability of S. marcescens to develop biofilm. In accordance, CpxR influences the biofilm phenotype only when bacteria are grown at 37°C. In sum, our findings shed light on regulatory mechanisms that fine-tune PrtA expression and reveal a novel role for PrtA in the lifestyle of S. marcescens.

The monotypic Brazilian genus Diacrodon is a synonym of Borreria (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae): Morphological and molecular evidences Miguel, Laila Mabel; Sobrado, Sandra Virginia; Janssens, Steven; Dessein, Steven; Cabral, Elsa Leonor Diacrodon is a monotypic genus of the tribe Spermacoceae (Rubiaceae), endemic to northeastern Brazil. Diacrodon compressus is frequently misidentified with a two lobed calyx species of Borreria, B. verticillata. Traditionally, in Spermacoceae the fruit type was considered a diagnostic character among the genera. In this sense, D. compressus presents a strongly compressed, one seeded and indehiscent fruit (vs. globose, two seeded and dehiscent fruit in B. verticillata). In this work, we address two objectives: evaluate the systematic position and determine the identity of Diacrodon in respect to other taxa. Molecular analyses using ITS and ETS indicate that D. compressus is strongly related to other species of Borreria. The morphological results revealed that D. compressus, despite of its type of fruit, is identical to Borreria in floral and palynological features. As conclusion, the new combination Borreria diacrodonta is made and a lectotype is designated. An updated description of the species and a key to the Borreria species with a two lobed calyx are provided. The distribution of B. diacrodonta is extended to Brazilian states Goiás and Minas Gerais, and Paraguay. By this taxonomical change it has become clear that the dehiscence of the fruits lack taxonomic value in the delimitation of Borreria.

Shifts in Zooplankton Behavior Caused by a Mixture of Pesticides Andrade, Victoria Soledad; Gutierrez, Marìa Florencia; Fantón, Noelia Isabel; Gagneten, Ana María Behavioral changes have been considered as appropriate to evaluate sublethal effects of pollutants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mixture of pesticides, with glyphosate and 2,4-D (Gly + 2,4-D) as active ingredients, on the zooplankton evasion behavior from the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus. An increase in the evasion behavior was observed for copepods at two different concentrations of the Gly + 2,4-D mixture, for cladocerans at the lowest pesticide concentration, and for rotifers at the highest pesticide concentration. The response time to the fish signals also differed, being copepods faster than cladocerans and rotifers. All the exposed organisms showed higher variability in their distribution over time than those of controls (without pesticides). Our results suggest that the Gly + 2,4-D mixture formulations may have a mimetic effect with the fish alarm signals. The potential consequences of maladaptive responses triggered by pesticides, as well as the increased swimming activity, are discussed.

Signos de identidad femenina e identidad manuscrita medieval en las historias de reinas acusadas del Ms. Esc. h-I-13; Signs of female identity and medieval manuscript identity in the stories of accused queens of the Ms h-I-13 Zubillaga, Carina Alejandra El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar los signos tanto físicos como verbales que asume la identidad femenina en las tres últimas historias de reinas acusadas del Ms. Esc. h-I-13, definiendo una heroicidad que es respuesta a la crisis del siglo XIV castellano, tanto identitaria como socio-cultural general, además de dar cuenta de las señales de la identidad manuscrita que caracterizan a esta singular antología medieval.; The objective of the present study is to analyze both physical and verbal signs that assumes the female identity in the three latest stories of accused queens of the MS h-I-13, defining a heroism which is response to the crisis of the 14th Century Castilian, both identity as socio-cultural general, in addition to account of the signals of the handwritten identity that characterize this unique medieval anthology.

Phosphatidyl-Inositol-3 kinase inhibitors regulate peptidoglycan-induced myeloid leukocyte recruitment, inflammation, and neurotoxicity in mouse brain Arroyo, Daniela Soledad; Gaviglio, Emilia Andrea; Peralta Ramos, Javier María; Bussi, Claudio; Avalos, Maria Paula; Cancela, Liliana Marina; Iribarren, Pablo Acute brain injury leads to the recruitment and activation of immune cells including resident microglia and infiltrating peripheral myeloid cells (MC), which contribute to the inflammatory response involved in neuronal damage. We previously reported that TLR2 stimulation by peptidoglycan (PGN) from Staphylococcus aureus, in vitro and in vivo, induced microglial cell activation followed by autophagy induction. In this report, we evaluated if phosphatidyl-inositol-3 kinase (PI3K) pharmacological inhibitors LY294200 and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) can modulate the innate immune response to PGN in the central nervous system. We found that injection of PGN into the mouse brain parenchyma (caudate putamen) triggered an inflammatory reaction, which involved activation of microglial cells, recruitment of infiltrating MC to injection site, production of pro-inflammatory mediators, and neuronal injury. In addition, we observed the accumulation of LC3B+ CD45+ cells and colocalization of LC3B and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 in brain cells. Besides, we found that pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K, including the classical autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, reduced the recruitment of MC, microglial cell activation, and neurotoxicity induced by brain PGN injection. Collectively, our results suggest that PI3K pathways and autophagic response may participate in the PGN-induced microglial activation and MC recruitment to the brain. Thus, inhibition of these pathways could be therapeutically targeted to control acute brain inflammatory conditions.

Formulation and assessment of Wash-Primer containing lanthanum tannate for steel temporary protection D'alessandro, Oriana; Selmi, Gonzalo Julian; Deya, Marta Cecilia; Di Sarli, Alejandro Ramón; Romagnoli, Roberto Tannins are polyphenols synthesized by plants and useful for the coating industry as corrosion inhibitors. In addition, lanthanum salts have a great inhibitory effect on steel corrosion. The aim of this study was to obtain lanthanum ‘‘tannate’’ with adequate solubility to be incorporated as the corrosion inhibitor in a wash-primer. The ‘‘tannate’’ was obtained from commercial ‘‘Quebracho’’ tannin and 0.1 M La(NO3)3. The soluble tannin was determined by the Folin–Denis reagent, while the concentration of Lanthanum was obtained by a gravimetric procedure. The protective action of ‘‘tannate’’ on SAE 1010 steel was evaluated by linear polarization curves and corrosion potential measurements. Lanthanum ‘‘tannate’’ was incorporated in a wash-primer formulation and tested by corrosion potential and ionic resistance measurements. The corrosion rate was also determined by the polarization resistance technique. Besides, the primer was incorporated in an alkyd paint system and its anticorrosion performance assessed in the salt spray cabinet and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results showed that lanthanum ‘‘tannate’’ primer inhibits the development of deleterious iron oxyhydroxides on the steel substrate and incorporated into a paint system had a similar behavior to the primer formulated with zinc tetroxychromate.

Age-related and photoperiodic variation of the DAZ gene family in the testis of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) González, Candela Rocío; Moverer, Luciana Mónica; Calandra, Ricardo Saul; Gonzalez de Calvar, Silvia Ines; Vitullo, Alfredo Daniel The Deleted in AZoospermia (DAZ) gene family regulates the development, maturation andmaintenance of germ cells and spermatogenesis in mammals. The DAZ family consists of two autosomalgenes, Boule and Dazl (Daz-like), and the Daz gene on chromosome Y. The aim of this study was toanalyze the localization of DAZL and BOULE during testicular ontogeny of the seasonal-breedingSyrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus. We also evaluated the testicular expression of DAZ family genesunder short- or long-photoperiod conditions. In the pre-pubertal and adult testis, DAZL proteinwas found mainly in spermatogonia. BOULE was found in the spermatogonia from 20 days of ageand during the pre-pubertal and adult period it was also detected in spermatocytes and roundspermatids. DAZL and BOULE expression in spermatogonia was strictly nuclear only in 20-dayoldhamsters. We also detected the novel mRNA and protein expression of BOULE in Leydig cells.In adult hamsters, Dazl expression was increased in regressed testis compared with non-regressedtestis and DAZL protein expression was restricted to primary spermatocytes in regressed testis. Theseresults show that DAZL and BOULE are expressed in spermatogonia at early stages in the Syrianhamster, then both proteins translocate to the cytoplasm when meiosis starts. In the adult regressedtestis, the absence of DAZL in spermatogonia might be related to the decrease in germ cell number,suggesting that DAZ gene family expression is involved in changes in seminiferous epithelium during photoregression.

Aquaporins as targets of dietary bioactive phytocompounds Tesse, Angela; Grossini, Elena; Tamma, Grazia; Brenner, Catherine; Portincasa, Piero; Marinelli, Raul Alberto; Calamita, Giuseppe Plant-derived bioactive compounds have protective role for plants but may also modulate several physiological processes of plant consumers. In the last years, a wide spectrum of phytochemicals have been found to be beneficial to health interacting with molecular signaling pathways underlying critical functions such as cell growth and differentiation, apoptosis, autophagy, inflammation, redox balance, cell volume regulation, metabolic homeostasis, and energy balance. Hence, a large number of biologically active phytocompounds of foods have been isolated, characterized, and eventually modified representing a natural source of novel molecules to prevent, delay or cure several human diseases. Aquaporins (AQPs), a family of membrane channel proteins involved in many body functions, are emerging among the targets of bioactive phytochemicals in imparting their beneficial actions. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of this fast growing topic focusing especially on what it is known on the modulatory effects played by several edible plant and herbal compounds on AQPs, both in health and disease. Phytochemical modulation of AQP expression may provide new medical treatment options to improve the prognosis of several diseases.