La Argentina y el problema de las drogas: Una propuesta para repensar el debate público Colombo Sierra, Agustín; Comini, Nicolás Matías; Del Percio, Enrique; Diamint, Rut; Fohrig, Alberto; López, Ernesto; López Chorne, Juan Estanislao; Martínez, Pablo; Paradiso, José; Sánchez Antelo, Raúl; Tibiletti, Luis; Tibiletti, María de la Paz; Tokatlian, Juan Gabriel; Ugarte, José Manuel; Vázquez Ocampo, José María La Argentina no puede ni debe asumir ante sí y el mundo la lógica fútil y fracasada de la "guerra contra las drogas". Los argentinos no estamos en guerra entre nosotros y no deberíamos aceptar pelear la guerra de otros.No es admisible ni conveniente reducir una problemática polifacética y compleja a una contienda bélica, por más que el cuadro que se enfrenta a este nivel y en este momento parezca acuciante. Hablar de guerra implica la administración de una fuerza armada aplicada de manera sistemática a alcanzar un resultado: vencer al enemigo mediante la aplicación de violencia militar. Desde luego, las narco actividades y sus consecuencias tienen una dimensión peligrosamente violenta que no es del caso minimizar. Pero reducir el abordaje y el tratamiento del problema meramente a esto es simplificarlo y unilateralizarlo, lo que probablemente no conduce al éxito, como se ha demostrado ya, entre otros, en los casos de Colombia y México.

La valoración de la vida, la subjetivación del embrión y el debate sobre el aborto: aportes desde una perspectiva crítica; The value of life, the embryo subjectivity and the debate about abortion: contributions from a critical perspective; A valoração da vida, a subjetivação do embrião e o debate sobre o aborto: aportes a partir de uma perspectiva crítica Moran Faundes, Jose Manuel Ferrucio El artículo analiza críticamente la forma en la que se planteado el debate ético y jurídico en torno al aborto, como un conflicto de derechos entre el embrión y la mujer, mostrando los modos en los que se ha construido la figura del embrión, como un sujeto susceptible de valoración moral y protección jurídica. En particular, se discute la posición que asume al cigoto indefectiblemente como un sujeto moral, por el hecho de poseer un genoma distinto del de sus progenitores, otorgándole un estatuto jurídico equivalente al de las mujeres. Así, se establece una crítica en torno al modo como esta posición, a través del uso de un lenguaje científico que se presenta como objetivo, ha tendido a invisibilizar las formas sociales y culturales que construyen la valoración de la vida.; This paper analyzes critically the way in which the ethical and legal debate about abortion is posed, as a conflict of rights between the embryo and the woman, showing the ways in which the figure of the embryo is built, as a subject susceptible of moral value and legal protection. In particular, the view sustaining the zygote as unfailing moral subject is discussed, by the fact of having a specific genome, different from progenitors, giving it a legal statute equivalent to women. Thus, a critique is stablished towards the way this view, through scientific language, presented as objective, has hold out to make invisible the cultural and social ways in which the value of life is built.; O artigo analisa criticamente a forma com a qual se propõe o debate ético e jurídico em torno do aborto, como um conflito de direitos entre o embrião e a mulher, mostrando os modos em que foi construída a figura do embrião, como um sujeito suscetível de valoração moral e proteção jurídica. Em particular, se discute a posição que assume o zigoto incontestavelmente como um sujeito moral, pelo fato de possuir um genoma distinto de seus progenitores, outorgando-lhe um estatuto jurídico equivalente ao das mulheres. Assim, se estabelece uma crítica em torno do modo como esta posição, por meio do uso de uma linguagem científica que se apresenta como objetivo, tendeu a tornar invisível as formas sociais e culturais que constroem a valoração da vida.

Experiencias y trayectorias educativas en la transferencia de conocimientos Díaz Ledesma, Lucas Gabriel; Mutuverria, Marcos Damián; Palazzolo, Fernando; Allegretti, Silvina Alicia Este artículo dialoga con el proyecto de investigacióna partir del cual consideramos pertinente analizar las experiencias de transferencia y las diferentes percepciones que tienen sobre ellas los y las jóvenes que se han graduado, en tanto investigadores/productores de conocimiento, en el marco de la realización de su tesis de grado para la finalización de carrera como proceso educativo, para enriquecer la mirada sobre cuáles son los vínculos comunicacionales, procesos de transferencia y aprendizajes significativos en los espacios educativos.

Senescence-Associated Vacuoles, a Specific Lytic Compartment for Degradation of Chloroplast Proteins? Carrión, Cristian Antonio; Martinez, Dana Ethel; Costa, M.lorenza; Guiamet, Juan José Degradation of chloroplasts and chloroplast components is a distinctive feature of leaf senescence. In spite of its importance in the nutrient economy of plants, knowledge about the mechanism(s) involved in the breakdown of chloroplast proteins is incomplete. A novel class of vacuoles, “senescence-associated vacuoles” (SAVs), characterized by intense proteolytic activity appear during senescence in chloroplast-containing cells of leaves. Since SAVs contain some chloroplast proteins, they are candidate organelles to participate in chloroplast breakdown. In this review we discuss the characteristics of SAVs, and their possible involvement in the degradation of Rubisco, the most abundant chloroplast protein. Finally, SAVs are compared with other extra-plastidial protein degradation pathways operating in senescing leaves.

Presence of c-kit positive cells in fetal and adult bovine forestomachs Marquez, Silvia Graciela; Galotta, Jorge Miguel; Gálvez, G. A.; Portiansky, Enrique Leo; Barbeito, Claudio Gustavo The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) have been reported to regulate gastrointestinal motility. We investigated the distribution and the morphological and morphometric characteristics of the immunohistochemical reaction against c-kit in the forestomachs of fetal, newborn and adult cows. The anti-c-kit reaction revealed different populations of ICC among age groups and organs. ICC were more numerous and smaller in fetuses. Larger ICC were identified in newborns, except for those in the rumen. During the earliest stages of development, ICC were abundant in the inner layer of the muscularis and were consistently associated with this layer. In all samples, ICC were found in the outer layer of the tunica muscularis. ICC were found between the two muscle layers in the omasum at all ages; however, they were identified only in the rumen of the adult. Our study demonstrated that ICC are present in the forestomach of bovines.

Paleo-Antarctic rainforest into the modern Old World tropics: The rich past and threatened future of the “southern wet forest survivors” Kooyman, Robert M.; Wilf, Peter; Barreda, Viviana Dora; Carpenter, Raymond J.; Jordan, Gregory J.; Sniderman, J. M. Kale; Allen, Andrew; Brodribb, Timothy J.; Crayn, Darren; Feild, Taylor S.; Laffan, Shawn W.; Lusk, Christopher H.; Rossetto, Maurizio; Weston, Peter H. Premise of study: Have Gondwanan rainforest floral associations survived? Where do they occur today? Have they survived continuously in particular locations? How significant is their living floristic signal? We revisit these classic questions in light of significant recent increases in relevant paleobotanical data. Methods: We traced the extinction and persistence of lineages and associations through the past across four now separated regions—Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Antarctica—using fossil occurrence data from 63 well-dated Gondwanan rainforest sites and 396 constituent taxa. Fossil sites were allocated to four age groups: Cretaceous, Paleocene–Eocene, Neogene plus Oligocene, and Pleistocene. We compared the modern and ancient distributions of lineages represented in the fossil record to see if dissimilarity increased with time. We quantified similarity–dissimilarity of composition and taxonomic structure among fossil assemblages, and between fossil and modern assemblages. Key results: Strong similarities between ancient Patagonia and Australia confirmed shared Gondwanan rainforest history, but more of the lineages persisted in Australia. Samples of ancient Australia grouped with the extant floras of Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Mt. Kinabalu. Decreasing similarity through time among the regional floras of Antarctica, Patagonia, New Zealand, and southern Australia reflects multiple extinction events. Conclusions: Gondwanan rainforest lineages contribute significantly to modern rainforest community assembly and often co-occur in widely separated assemblages far from their early fossil records. Understanding how and where lineages from ancient Gondwanan assemblages co-occur today has implications for the conservation of global rainforest vegetation, including in the Old World tropics.

Phenotypic evolution of an Atlantic Forest passerine (Xiphorhynchus fuscus): biogeographic and systematic implications Cabanne, Gustavo Sebastián; Trujillo Arias, Natalia; Calderón, Pablo Luciano Sebastian; d'Horta, Fernando M.; Miyaki, Cristina Y. We studied the phenotypic variation of the Atlantic Forest passerine Xiphorhynchus fuscus (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae) with the broad aim of addressing whether the history and type of forest affected the evolution of endemic taxa. We also tested whether the different subspecies and genetic lineages of X. fuscus could be considered full species. We collected plumage and body size measurements and, in combination with genetic data, used multivariate tests to evaluate the working hypotheses. Our results, combined with previous biogeographic analyses, indicate that vicariant events have been important determinants in the evolution of phenotypic characters of X. fuscus, once genetic isolation was complete. Our analysis also suggests that forest heterogeneity and ecotones are important factors in the early evolution of Atlantic Forest taxa, perhaps via divergent selection. Forest instability during the Pleistocene was critical in the evolution of phenotypic traits. We confirm that the subspecies atlanticus should be considered a full species. Other lineages or populations are also phenotypically differentiated but we do not suggest considering them as full species. They share high levels of gene flow and are part of a continuous latitudinal cline of phenotypic variation. Our study suggests that not all the historic events in the Atlantic Forest that affected the evolution of genetic lineages also influenced the evolution of phenotypic characters in the same direction and intensity. Undoubtedly, natural selection played a major role in the evolution of Atlantic Forest organisms.

Information retrieved from specimens at Natural History Collections can improve the quality of field-based ecological networks González Vaquero, Rocío Ana; Gravel, A. I.; Devoto, Mariano Numerous studies analyze the interactions between plants and their pollinators in ecological communities using a network approach. However, field studies rarely record all the interactions occurring in the field. In this sense Natural History Collections (NHCs) can provide information on interactions that may have been missed by field sampling. In this study we compare a network based on field sampling with a network based on data retrieved from specimens at NHCs, and we assess the degree to which these two sources of data are complementary. For this we used data available from a bee biodiversity study conducted in Southern Argentina for the South American bee genus Corynura (Halictidae: Augochlorini). Data on the floral associations of the specimens at NHCs were retrieved from the specimens’ labels, as the name of the plant species on which a given bee was captured is often recorded for many specimens at NHCs. Although field sampling recorded an unusually high number of insect-plant interactions, it misses some unique interactions present in the NHCs networks. Some structural properties of these networks are briefly analyzed, and usefulness and limitations of using NHCs data are discussed. We conclude that the information about insect-plant interactions extracted from NHCs could complement field-based data, especially in poorly sampled communities.

Testosterone cycle and regulation of reproductive events in the lizard Phymaturus punae (Liolaemidae) from the highlands of the Andes, Argentina. Boretto, Jorgelina Mariela; Fornes, Miguel Walter; Jahn, Graciela Alma; Acosta, Juan Carlos; Ibarguengoytía, Nora The genus Phymaturus, entirely viviparous and mostly herbivorous, inhabits the cold and 25 harsh environments of the Andean highlands of Argentina and Chile, and the Patagonian 26 steppe of Argentina. Phymaturus punae is a vulnerable lizard endemic to the Biosphere 27 Reserve San Guillermo (National Park and Provincial Reserve) in San Juan (Argentina) that 28 inhabits high altitudes of 3,100 to 4,200 m. The reproductive cycles of males and females of 29 P. punae have been described previously. Males perform a prenuptial and annual cycle, and 30 females reproduce once every two years. As a consequence, the adjustment in the timing of 31 males to the reproductive cycles of females must be very precise to ensure reproductive 32 success. We elucidate the time of mating and the asynchrony of males and females 33 reproductive events in P. punae based on endocrine and ultrastructural studies. Present 34 hormonal results support the idea that copulation in P. punae occurs at the end of the activity 35 season. Ultrastructural features observed in Sertoli and Leydig cells indicate that both types of 36 cells have the potential to synthesize steroid hormones, to support the spermatogenic cycle 37 and the mating period, respectively. In P. punae the cases of temporal asynchrony in steroid 38 activity, suggest that this mechanism must be important to start the spermatogenesis in spring, 39 supported by the steroid activity of Sertoli cells, since Leydig cells are inactive. Nevertheless 40 the asynchronic steroid mechanism seems to be more necessary in Phymaturus species with 41 continuous or postnuptial cycles, than in species with prenuptial cycles, like P. punae.

Una revisita al artículo 41 de la Constitución Nacional en diálogo con algunos debates contemporáneos del derecho ambiental Berros, María Valeria A veinte años de la última reforma constitucional se presenta la oportunidad para volver sobre el contenido del artículo 41 de la Constitución Nacional, incorporado dentro de los "Nuevos Derechos y Garantías". Esta revisita toma como punto de partida la construcción de una serie de reflexiones en torno a debates medulares y complejos, que exigen de aportes creativos al interior del derecho ambiental contemporáneo. Por un lado, se focaliza en elucidar la postura ética que subyace al contenido del artículo 41 y las nutridas discusiones que, en la actualidad, se desarrollan desde éticas que se desmarcan del antropocentrismo a partir de aportes del bio-centrismo y del eco-centrismo. Por el otro, el acento se coloca sobre el reciente proceso de consolidación del principio de no regresión en el derecho ambiental que, en nuestro ordenamiento jurídico, encuentra fundamento constitucional a partir del legado que debemos transmitir a las generaciones futuras.///La Revista de Derecho Ambiental constituye la más difundida publicación en Argentina, de carácter doctrinario e interdisciplinario, dedicada exclusivamente al derecho ambiental. Su comité consultivo nacional e internacional se encuentra compuesto por prestigiosos profesores e investigadores del área.

Condicionantes para la formación de capital productivo: Un análisis a partir de las pymes industriales de una economía regional; Productive capital formation constraints: an analysis based on regional economy SMEs Canafoglia, Eliana Celeste La dinámica industrial de los últimos años en la Argentina ha despertado un intenso debate en torno a los factores que explican (potencian y limitan) el desarrollo productivo. Es de interés en este trabajo discurrir por el sendero de la formación de capital como elemento clave en el proceso de reconstrucción del tejido industrial. Ahora bien, distinguir dicho proceso en agentes productivos pymes de subsectores industriales característicos de una economía regional contribuye a la definición de las restricciones presentes en términos de los medios disponibles y dificultades para afianzar dicho desarrollo.; The industrial dynamics of recent years in Argentina has aroused an intense debate about the factors that explain (enhance and limit) productive development. In this work we propose to go through the path of capital formation as a key element in the process of rebuilding the industrial base. However, distinguish this process in productive SME agents from characteristic industrial subsectors of a regional economy contributes to the definition of present constraints in terms of means available and difficulties in strengthen that development.

Effects of Larval Density and Habitat Drying on Developmental Success of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Urban Rain Pools: Evidence From Field and Experimental Studies Fischer, Sylvia Cristina; Sy, Victoria Elena; Campos, Raul Ernesto; Otero, Marcelo Javier Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Macquart) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae develop synchronously after rainfall events in ephemeral or temporary pools, where they occasionally attain very high abundance. The aims of the current study were to analyze the response of life history parameters such as daily larval mortality, time to pupation, and adult size of Oc. albifasciatus to increasing larval density under controlled conditions, and to analyze the relationships of daily larval mortality with density and environmental variables (drying rate, temperature, and season) in urban rain pools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An exponential increase in mortality was observed at high larval densities under controlled conditions. Development times and adult size (wing length) differed between males and females, and were also affected by density. Development times extended for 0.36 d for each order of magnitude of increase in larval density, and wing length decreased 0.0021 mm per additional larva in 600 cm2. Larval density in the field varied from <1 larva per square meter to nearly 1100 larvae per square meter. Daily larval mortality values in the field were variable (0.02–0.91), positively related to the drying rate, and exhibited seasonal differences. No significant relation with larval density or temperature was found in the field. It remains to be established whether the density-independent mortality observed in this study is a generalized pattern of Oc. albifasciatus populations in Buenos Aires Province or a pattern restricted only to urban habitats.

DNA repair kinetic of hydrogen peroxide and UVA/B induced lesions in peripheral blood leucocytes from xeroderma pigmentosum patients and healthy subjects Prieto Gonzalez, Elio A.; Mudry, Marta Dolores; Palermo, Ana María The objective of the present work was to study the fine kinetics of DNA repair in xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) syndrome, a complex disorder linked to a deficiency in repair that increases cancer susceptibility. The repair process was evaluated by the comet assay (CA) in cells from 2 XP patients and 9 controls exposed to UVA/B (UVA 366/UVB 280 nm) and H2 O2 (150 µM) at temperatures of 4, 15, and 37°C. Samples were taken at 2-min intervals during the first 10 min to analyze the “fine kinetics” repair during the initial phase of the curve, and then at 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60, and 120 min. CA evaluation of DNA repair activity points to BER/NER initiation in the first 30 min with both inductors at 37°C and 15°C, but final comet length showed differences according to treatment. Repair kinetics during 120 min showed a good correlation with clinical features in both XP patients. Differences in final comet length were less pronounced in XP cells treated with H2 O2 than with UVA/B, probably because the peroxide produces mainly base oxidation but less bulky lesions; UVA/B generates a mixture of both. These findings reinforce the value of CA in testing in DNA repair ability or exposure monitoring

Probing the µνSSM with light scalars, pseudoscalars and neutralinos from the decay of a SM-like Higgs boson at the LHC Ghosh, Pradipta; Lopez, Daniel Elbio; Mitsou, Vasiliki A.; Muñoz, Carlos; Ruiz de Austri, Roberto The “µ from ν” supersymmetric standard model (µνSSM) can accommodate the newly discovered Higgs-like scalar boson with a mass around 125 GeV. This model provides a solution to the µ-problem and simultaneously reproduces correct neutrino physics by the simple use of right-handed neutrino superfields. These new superfields together with the introduced R-parity violation can produce novel and characteristic signatures of the µνSSM at the LHC. We explore the signatures produced through two-body Higgs decays into the new states, provided that these states lie below in the mass spectrum. For example, a pair produced light neutralinos depending on the associated decay length can give rise to displaced multi-leptons/taus/jets/photons with small/moderate missing transverse energy. In the same spirit, a Higgs-like scalar decaying to a pair of scalars/pseudoscalars can produce final states with prompt multi-leptons/taus/jets/photons.

Traveling planetary wave activity from mesopause region airglow temperatures determined by the Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change (NDMC) Reisin, Esteban Rodolfo; Scheer, Jurgen; Dyrland, M. E.; Sigernes, F.; Deehr, C. S.; Schmidt, C.; Höppner, K.; Bittner, M.; Ammosov, P. P.; Gavrilyeva, G. A.; Stegman, J.; Perminov, V. I.; Semenov, A. I.; Knieling, P.; Koppmann, R.; Shiokawa, K.; Lowe, R. P.; López González, M. J.; Rodríguez, E.; Zhao, Y.; Taylor, M. J.; Buriti, R. A.; Espy, P. J.; French, W. J. R.; Eichmann, K. U.; Burrows, J. P.; von Savigny, C. The global distribution of  traveling planetary wave (PW)  activity in the mesopause region is estimated for the first time from ground-based airglow measurements. Monthly and total mean climatologies of  PW power are determined from rotational temperatures measured at 19 sites from 78ºN to 76°S which contribute to the Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change (NDMC). Wave power is expressed as the standard deviation of nocturnal mean temperature around the seasonal temperature variation. The results from 20ºN confirm the SABER traveling PW proxy by Offermann et al. (2009) at two altitudes. Most sites between 69°S and 69°N show total mean traveling PW activity of about 6 K, and only some high latitude sites have considerably higher activity levels. At the two tropical sites, there is practically no seasonal variation of PW activity. At 70% of the midlatitude sites, the seasonal variation is moderate for most of the year, but it is quite appreciable at all high latitude sites. Results about traveling PW activity at 87 km and 95 km available from several sites signal similar behavior at both altitudes. The total mean climatological results here obtained have further been used to separate the traveling PW contribution from the superposition of wave types contained in OH rotational temperature fluctuations measured by the SCIAMACHY instrument on Envisat. A narrow equatorial wave activity maximum is probably caused by gravity waves, while a tendency towards greater activity at higher northern latitudes may be due to stationary planetary waves.

How Can Active Region Plasma Escape into the Solar Wind from Below a Closed Helmet Streamer? Mandrini, Cristina Hemilse; Nuevo, Federico Alberto; Vasquez, Alberto Marcos; Démoulin. P.; Van Driel Gesztelyi, L.; Baker, D.; Culhane, J. l.; Cristiani, Germán Diego; Pick, M. Recent studies show that active-region (AR) upflowing plasma, ob- served by the EUV-Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), onboard Hinode, can gain access to open field-lines and be released into the solar wind (SW) via magnetic- interchange reconnection at magnetic null-points in pseudo-streamer configu- rations. When only one bipolar AR is present on the Sun and it is fully covered by the separatrix of a streamer, such as AR 10978 in December 2007, it seems unlikely that the upflowing AR plasma can find its way into the slow SW. However, signatures of plasma with AR composition have been found at 1 AU by Culhane et al. (2014) apparently originating from the West of AR 10978. We present a detailed topology analysis of AR 10978 and the surrounding large-scale corona based on a potential-field source-surface (PFSS) model. Our study shows that it is possible for the AR plasma to get around the streamer separatrix and be released into the SW via magnetic reconnection, occurring in at least two main steps. We analyse data from the Nan ̧cay Radioheliograph (NRH) searching for evidence of the chain of magnetic reconnections proposed. We find a noise storm above the AR and several varying sources at 150.9 MHz. Their locations suggest that they could be associated with particles accelerated during the first- step reconnection process and at a null point well outside of the AR. However, we find no evidence of the second-step reconnection in the radio data. Our results demonstrate that even when it appears highly improbable for the AR plasma to reach the SW, indirect channels involving a sequence of reconnections can make it possible.

Linking Up to Development? Global Value Chains and the Making of a Post-Washington Consensus Werner, Marion; Bair, Jennifer; Fernández, Víctor Ramiro Over the last decade, the global value chain (GVC) approach, with its associated notions of chain governance and firm upgrading, has proliferated as a mode of analysis and of intervention amongst development institutions. This article examines the adoption and adaptation of GVCs at four multilateral agencies in order to understand the purchase of value chain approaches within the development field. Mixing GVC perspectives with other theoretical influences and applied practices, these institutions deploy value chain frameworks to signal a new generation of policies that promise both to consolidate, and to advance beyond, the market fundamentalism of the Washington Consensus. To achieve this, value chain development frameworks craft interventions directed toward various constellations of firm and non-firm actors as a ‘third way’ between state-minimalist and state-coordinated approaches. The authors identify key adaptations of the GVC framework including an emphasis on value chain governance as an instrument to correct market failure in partnership with state and development agencies, and upgrading as a de facto tool for poverty reduction. They find that efforts are ongoing to construct a ‘post’ to the Washington Consensus and that the global value chain is enabling this process by providing a new language and new object of development intervention: ‘the chain’ and the local–global linkages that comprise it.

Treatment with LPS plus INF-γ induces the expression and function of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, modulating NIH3T3 cell proliferation: participation of NOS and COX Español, Alejandro Javier; Maddaleno, M. O.; Lombardi, Maria Gabriela; Cella, Maximiliano; Martinez Pulido, Paola; Sales, Maria Elena BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: LPS and IFN-γ are potent stimuli of inflammation, a process in which fibroblasts are frequently involved. We analysed the effect of treatment with LPS plus IFN-γ on the expression and function of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in NIH3T3 fibroblasts with regards to proliferation of these cells. We also investigated the participation of NOS and COX, and the role of NF-κB in this process. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: NIH3T3 cells were treated with LPS (10 ng·mL(-1)) plus IFN-γ (0.5 ng·mL(-1)) for 72 h (iNIH3T3 cells). Cell proliferation was evaluated with MTT and protein expression by Western blot analysis. NOS and COX activities were measured by the Griess method and radioimmunoassay respectively. KEY RESULTS: The cholinoceptor agonist carbachol was more effective at stimulating proliferation in iNIH3T3 than in NIH3T3 cells, probably due to the de novo induction of M3 and M5 muscarinic receptors independently of NF-κB activation. iNIH3T3 cells produced higher amounts of NO and PGE2 than NIH3T3 cells, concomitantly with an up-regulation of NOS1 and COX-2, and with the de novo induction of NOS2/3 in inflamed cells. We also found a positive feedback between NOS and COX that could potentiate inflammation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Inflammation induced the expression of muscarinic receptors and, therefore,stimulated carbachol-induced proliferation of fibroblasts. Inflammation also up-regulated the expression of NOS and COX-2, thus potentiating the effect of carbachol on NO and PGE2 production. A positive crosstalk between NOS and COX triggered by carbachol in inflamed cells points to muscarinic receptors as potential therapeutic targets in inflammation.

Available Chlorine in household bleaches by using a new and easy spectrophotometric method Caucino, Florencia ; Calderón, Ruth ; Montes Spinsanti, Gimena ; Ciolino, Andrés Eduardo In this communication, an alternative method to determine the "available chlorine" in household bleach, based on the reaction of a known quantity of bleach with a standardized CuSO4.5H2O aqueous solution is proposed. The alkaline media of the bleach can promote the formation of both hydroxyl cupric sulfate and cupric hydroxide, which form a solid mixture that can be separated by filtration. Since the [Cu(H2O)6]2+(aq) complex has a maximum of absorbance at 815 nm, the remaining [Cu(H2O)6]2+(aq) complex in solution after the addition of thebleach can be obtained by spectrophotometric analysis. By using these measurements and the stoichiometry of the process, the "available chlorine" concentration in the household bleach can be easily estimated, in a fast and reliable fashion. The values obtained for different samples of commercial household bleaches by using this methodology were compared with those obtained with the standard sodium thiosulfate titration method. The differences between the values obtained, considering the titration method as the true value, were less than 2 %. Consequently, the spectrophotometric method presented in this communication offers the possibility of comparing the results with other well-established methods, and combines elegantly stoichiometry calculations and spectrophotometry measurements in one laboratory activity.

Morphological comparison of wild, farmed and hybrid specimens of two South American silversides, Odontesthes bonariensis and Odontesthes hatcheri Crichigno, Sonia Alejandra; Shohei Hattori, Ricardo; Strussmann, Carlos Augusto; Cussac, Victor Enrique In this study, body shape of hybrid and presumptive introgressed South American silversides was studied. Body shape of O. bonariensis and O. hatcheri from wild populations and farmed stocks was compared to provide basic information on the effects of fish farming on morphometric parameters. Subsequently, wild presumptive introgressed individuals and artificially hybridized farmed individuals were morphologically analysed to assess the effects of hybridization on the same parameters. Most farmed purebred individuals were shorter and higher than their wild counterparts, which is probably due to the favourable growth conditions compared to the wild habitat. However, the results evidenced that purebred individuals were more slender than both hybrid (farmed) fish and introgressed (wild) fish. Further studies on the growth performance of hybrid Odontesthes will be required in order to assess whether the combination of hybridization and sterilization could produce, under farming conditions, growth performances which satisfy the requirements of aquaculture.