DNA Repair Activity of Ilex paraguariensis in Human Cells In Vitro Erben, Melina; Poletta, Gisela Laura; Simoniello, Maria Fernanda Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) has been consumed as popular infusions in South America for centuries, with potential beneficial effects on health. The aim of this study was to evaluate yerba mate antioxidant properties in human leucocytes exposed in vitro to oxidative damage, using the Comet assay. Human cells were exposed to 10 μM H2O2 and then allowed to repair with increasing concentrations of two different yerba mate infusions: 10 μl/mL, 100 μl/mL and 1000 μl/mL. Damage Index (DI) and the percentage of damage reduction (%DR) were calculated. DI showed that both infusions produced similar protective effects (p > 0.05) and the %DR indicated a decreased in oxidative damage as infusion concentration increases (p < 0.05). The greatest protective effects were found using the highest concentration of mate (1000 μl/mL). Thus, we conclude that the regular ingestion of Ilex paraguariensis infusions could contribute to antioxidant defense on humans.; La yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) se consume como infusión popular en América del Sur desde hace siglos, con potenciales efectos beneficiosos sobre la salud. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar las propiedades antioxidantes de la yerba mate en leucocitos humanos expuestos in vitro a un daño oxidativo, utilizando el ensayo cometa. Células humanas fueron expuestas a 10 μM de H2O2 y luego reparadas con concentraciones crecientes de dos diferentes infusiones de yerba mate: 10, 100 y 1.000 μL/mL. Se calculó el índice de daño (DI) y el porcentaje de reducción de daño (% DR). El DI mostro que ambas infusiones producen efectos protectores similares (p > 0,05) y el % DR indicó una disminución en el daño oxidativo al aumentar la concentración de la infusión (p < 0,05). Los mayores efectos protectores fueron encontrados con la concentración más alta de mate (1.000 μl/mL). Por lo tanto, concluimos que la ingestión regular de infusiones de Ilex paraguariensis podría contribuir a la defensa antioxidante en seres humanos.

Predictive value of direct nitrate reductase assay and its clinical performance in the detection of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis Imperiale, Belén Rocío; Morcillo, Nora Susana; Palomino, Juan Carlos; Vandamme, Peter; Martin, Anandi Conventional culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST) methods for Mycobacterium tuberculosis are laborious and time consuming. For this reason alternative rapid culture and DST techniques are urgently needed to shorten the time for drug-resistance detection. A total of 222 smear-positive sputum samples were evaluated by the direct nitrate reductase assay (D-NRA) on Lowenstein-Jensen medium, for the rapid and simultaneous detection of resistance to isoniazid, rifampicin, kanamycin and ofloxacin. p-Nitrobenzoic acid was also included for identification of the M. tuberculosis complex. Results were compared with the BACTEC MGIT 960 as gold standard. The general performance of the D-NRA was very good, reaching a global value of 97 %. D-NRA had a turn-around time of 16.9 days to obtain results while that of the indirect MGIT 960 system was 29 days. D-NRA is a low-cost technology, easy to set up in clinical laboratories and suitable to be used for DST of M. tuberculosis in all smear-positive samples. © 2014 SGM.

Comprehensive database on Induan (Lower Triassic) to Sinemurian (Lower Jurassic) marine bivalve genera and their paleobiogeographic record Ros Franch, Sonia; Márquez Aliaga, Ana; Damborenea, Susana Ester Marine bivalve genera that were described or mentioned for Triassic and Lower Jurassic deposits worldwide are reviewed in terms of their validity, stratigraphic range, paleogeographic distribution, paleoautoecology and shell mineralogy. Data were originally compiled at species level and are arranged systematically. A brief discussion for each genus includes synonymy, taxonomic status and included subgenera, as well as current uncertainties about their validity and range. The distribution of each genus is also shown on paleogeographic maps. Type species and first and last appearances of each genus are also mentioned. We recognize as valid 280 genera and their included subgenera, and we further discurss 148 genera (arranged alphabetically) which were mentioned for the study interval but are not included for different reasons. The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated critical assessment of all available basic information for each genus, in order to obtain a sound database to study the generic paleodiversity of marine bivalves in the time interval from Induan (Early Triassic) to Sinemurian (Early Jurassic). This was a critical time for bivalve evolution and diversification, which began with the recovery from the Permian-Triassic extinction and ended with the recovery from the Triassic-Jurassic extinction.

Biocatalysed acidification and metal leaching processes in sediments of polluted urban streams Porzionato, Natalia Florencia; Candal, Roberto Jorge; Curutchet, Gustavo Andres Sediments of fluvial streams are a sink for pollutants such as heavy metals and organic recalcitrant compounds. In anoxic conditions, sulphide generation and alkalinisation cause precipitation of heavy metals. The redox potential of the system could change to higher values, mainly owing to oxygen exposition generated by anthropogenic disturbances of the sediment such as dredging operations. Knowledge about the mechanisms involved is fundamental to assess the risk of acid generation and rise in heavy metals bioavailability. In this paper, the characterisation and assessment of acidification risk of sediments of a contaminated stream near Buenos Aires was carried out by static and kinetic assays. Speciation of heavy metals was determined after metal sequential extraction procedure. Also, re-suspension of sediments assay in batch mode, with and without Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans inoculum, was carried out to assess the chemical changes that occur at oxygen exposure, verifying the acidification and heavy metal release processes.

Taphonomic analysis of archaeomalacological assemblages: shell middens on the northern coast of Santa Cruz (Patagonia, Argentina); Análisis tafonómicos de conjuntos arqueomalacológicos: concheros en la costa norte de Santa Cruz (Patagonia, Argentina) Hammond, Heidi En este trabajo se presenta una propuesta metodológica para el estudio de conjuntos arqueomalacológicos de concheros y su aplicación en el análisis de restos recuperados a partir de excavaciones sistemáticas en sitios ubicados al sur de la ría Deseado, en la costa norte de Santa Cruz, Patagonia argentina. Esta metodología se focaliza en el estudio de diferentes variables tafonómicas que afectan el registro arqueomalacológico para avanzar en la interpretación de los agentes y procesos involucrados en la formación de las estructuras de concheros y sobre las actividades humanas desarrolladas en los sitios. Además estos análisis son significativos para realizar interpretaciones paleoambientales, paleoecológicas, así como para evaluar la integridad de los conjuntos, interpretar las características estructurales y la variabilidad de los sitios.; This paper proposes a method of studying archaeomalacological assemblages from shell middens, and describes an application of this method in the analysis of remains recovered from systematic excavations at sites located south of the Ría Deseado estuary (northern coast of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina). This methodology aims to isolate taphonomic variables affecting archaeomalacological records to aid identification of the agents and processes involved in shell midden formation and to improve interpretations of the human activities performed at the sites. These analyses are also relevant to paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstructions, and to interpretations of site variability through assessments of assemblage integrity and structure.

La cuestión del Interior en el juego político provincial Campos, Hernán El federalismo Argentino con sus tres niveles de gobierno (nacional, provincial y municipal) y las disputas políticas que se suceden en cada uno de los niveles es complejo y con una rica gradación de escenarios empíricos posibles de ser analizados (1). Un elemento a distinguir del proceso abierto en Santiago del Estero después de la Intervención Federal del 2004 y del ascenso del Frente Cívico es que la coalición provincial de gobierno en la disputa política al interior de la provincia tiende a comportarse como un sistema político en sí mismo, es decir, a actuar simultáneamente como oficialismo y oposición. Hay que advertir como elemento para el análisis, que los gobiernos locales en la provincia son altamente dependientes de las transferencias del gobierno provincial, ya que en promedio, sus ingresos municipales propios representan el 14%, que está muy por debajo de la media nacional que se ubica en el 48% (2). A partir de esto, aparece una de las principales hipótesis en relación a lo político: los actores juegan dentro del Frente Cívico sabiendo que su principal competidor se encuentra dentro del mismo espacio. El Interior de la provincia se presenta para el Frente Cívico como una sólida base de organización territorial, de movilización instituyente y de legitimidad a la autoridad política. Lejos de una postura racionalista y de un “yo acuso”, las reflexiones y estas primeras aproximaciones giran en torno a cómo se construyen sólidas bases de mayorías electorales en el Interior santiagueño.

Building a Fab on a Chip Imboden, Matthias; Han, Han; Stark, Thomas; Lowell, Evan; Chang, Jackson; Pardo, Flavio; Bolle, Cristian; del Corro, Pablo Guillermo; Bishop, David J. Semiconductor fabs are large, complex industrial sites with costs for a single facility approaching $10B. In this paper we discuss the possibility of putting the entire functionality of such a fab onto a single silicon chip. We demonstrate a path forward where, for certain applications, especially at the nanometer scale, one can consider using a single chip approach for building devices with significant potential cost savings. In our approach, we build micro versions of the macro machines one typically finds in a fab, and integrating all the components together. We argue that the technology now exists to allow one to build a Fab on a Chip.

Crime as social excess: Reconstructing Gabriel Tarde’s criminal sociology Tonkonoff, Sergio Esteban Gabriel Tarde, along with Durkheim and others, set the foundations for what is today a common-sense statement in social science: crime is a social phenomenon. However, the questions about what social is and what kind of social phenomenon crime is remain alive. Tarde’s writings have answers for both of these capital and interdependent problems and serve to renew our view of them. The aim of this article is to reconstruct Tarde’s definition of crime in terms of genus and specific difference, exploring his criminology as a case of his general sociology. This procedure shows that Tarde succeeded in creating a comprehensive theory of crime and criminals founded not only on his most well-known concept, imitation, but also on his equally important concepts of invention, opposition, social logic and social teleology. For Tarde, crime is a complex phenomenon related to criminal inventions, criminal propagations, the production of penal laws, the execution of controls and punishments, and the collective reactions to all these.

Scaleup of Batch Reactors Using Phenomenological-Based Models Monsalve Bravo, Gloria Milena; Moscoso Vásquez, Hilda Marcela; Alvarez Zapata, Hernán This work presents a methodology for scaling up Batch Processes (BPs). First, a review of the most popular scale-up methods differentiating batch from continuous processing is made, finding that traditional scale-up approaches do not consider BPs characteristics and that many particular successful cases are reported, but no formal procedure has been developed for scaling up these processes. Considering these facts, a novel scale-up procedure is presented, in which a process Phenomenological-Based Semiphysical Model PBSM and its Hankel matrix are used for computing the State Impactability Index (SII) that allows to determine: (i) the process main dynamics at each stage of the batch and (ii) the critical point of the Operating Trajectory (OT) at which the batch must be scaled-up. Finally, the methodology is applied to a batch suspension polymerization reactor, comparing the scaled unit design when using this approximation and a traditional method.

Natamycin and nisin supported on starch edible films for controlling mixed culture growth on model systems and Port Salut cheese Ollé Resa, Carolina Patricia; Gerschenson, Lia Noemi; Jagus, Rosa Juana Consumer demand for natural food additives has increased and, as a consequence, the use of natural antimicrobials like natamycin and nisin is being investigated. In the case of cheese, surface colonization by microorganisms constitutes a significant risk to consumer's health. In this study, the effectiveness of natamycin and nisin supported in tapioca starch films against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Listeria innocua in a mixed culture present on the surface of a model system and of Port Salut cheese was evaluated. It was observed that the preservatives incorporated in starch films, controlled growth of both microorganisms present together on the surface of the cheese during storage. Additionally, the joint presence of nisin and natamycin was effective as a barrier against a mixed culture preventing an external contamination of cheese and of a model system, during storage. Hence, this film has great potential to be used as antimicrobial edible packaging.

Stellar scattering and the formation of hot Jupiters in binary systems Marti, Javier Guillermo; Beauge, Cristian Hot Jupiters (HJs) are usually defined as giant Jovian-size planets with orbital periods P⩽10 days. Although they lie close to the star, several have finite eccentricities and significant misalignment angle with respect to the stellar equator, leading to ~20% of HJs in retrograde orbits. More than half, however, seem consistent with near-circular and planar orbits. In recent years, two mechanisms have been proposed to explain the excited and misaligned subpopulation of HJs: Lidov–Kozai migration and planet–planet scattering. Although both are based on completely different dynamical phenomena, at first hand they appear to be equally effective in generating hot planets. Nevertheless, there has been no detailed analysis comparing the predictions of both mechanisms, especially with respect to the final distribution of orbital characteristics. In this paper, we present a series of numerical simulations of Lidov–Kozai trapping of single planets in compact binary systems that suffered a close fly-by of a background star. Both the planet and the binary component are initially placed in coplanar orbits, although the inclination of the impactor is assumed random. After the passage of the third star, we follow the orbital and spin evolution of the planet using analytical models based on the octupole expansion of the secular Hamiltonian. We also include tidal effects, stellar oblateness and post-Newtonian perturbations. The present work aims at the comparison of the two mechanisms (Lidov–Kozai and planet–planet scattering) as an explanation for the excited and inclined HJs in binary systems. We compare the results obtained through this paper with results in Beaugé & Nesvorný (2012), where the authors analyse how the planet–planet scattering mechanisms works in order to form this hot Jovian-size planets. We find that several of the orbital characteristics of the simulated HJs are caused by tidal trapping from quasi-parabolic orbits, independent of the driving mechanism (planet–planet scattering or Lidov–Kozai migration). These include both the 3-day pile-up and the distribution in the eccentricity versus semimajor axis plane. However, the distribution of the inclinations shows significant differences. While Lidov–Kozai trapping favours a more random distribution (or even a preference for near polar orbits), planet–planet scattering shows a large portion of bodies nearly aligned with the equator of the central star. This is more consistent with the distribution of known hot planets, perhaps indicating that scattering may be a more efficient mechanism for producing these bodies.

Histological Changes in the Retina Provoked by Lithium Treatment in a Nocturnal Rodent (Lagostomus maximus maximus) Calderón, Claudia Patricia; Filippa, Veronica Palmira; Fogal, Teresa Hilda; Piezzi, Ramon Salvador; Pelzer, Lilian Eugenia; Mohamed, Fabian Heber Daily morphological variations have been previously described in the viscacha (Lagostomus maximus maximus) retina. The aim of this work was to determine the effects of lithium administration on the histology of retinas from this nocturnal rodent since lithium is a drug that has been shown to affect different parameters of circadian rhythms. Adult male viscachas were divided into 2 groups, injected daily with lithium chloride or vehicle for 35 days, and sacrificed at 08:00, 16:00, and 24:00 h for light and electron microscopy studies. The following morphometric parameters were analyzed: the thickness of the photoreceptor layer, the rod outer and inner segments, and the outer nuclear layer. The control group displayed a true daily cycle of photoreceptor renewal similar to that previously reported by us for (untreated) viscachas in their normal habitat. In all lithium-treated groups, we did not observe histological changes in the thickness measurement of the retinal layers. In these groups, the retinas presented ultrastructural characteristics similar to those observed in control animals sacrificed at 24:00 h. In conclusion, chronic lithium administration abolished the daily histological rhythm in the viscacha retina, probably via inhibition of the phagocytosis process in pigment epithelial cells.

A Window into the Intoxicated Mind? : speech as an Index of Psychoactive Drug Effects Bedi, Gillinder; Cecchi, Guillermo Alberto; Fernandez Slezak, Diego; Carrillo, Facundo; Sigman, Mariano; de Wit, Harriet Abused drugs can profoundly alter mental states in ways that may motivate drug use. These effects are usually assessed with self-report, an approach that is vulnerable to biases. Analyzing speech during intoxication may present a more direct, objective measure, offering a unique ‘window’ into the mind. Here, we employed computational analyses of speech semantic and topological structure after ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) and methamphetamine in 13 ecstasy users. In 4 sessions, participants completed a 10-min speech task after MDMA (0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg), methamphetamine (20 mg), or placebo. Latent Semantic Analyses identified the semantic proximity between speech content and concepts relevant to drug effects. Graph-based analyses identified topological speech characteristics. Group-level drug effects on semantic distances and topology were assessed. Machine-learning analyses (with leave-one-out cross-validation) assessed whether speech characteristics could predict drug condition in the individual subject. Speech after MDMA (1.5 mg/kg) had greater semantic proximity than placebo to the concepts friend, support, intimacy, and rapport. Speech on MDMA (0.75 mg/kg) had greater proximity to empathy than placebo. Conversely, speech on methamphetamine was further from compassion than placebo. Classifiers discriminated between MDMA (1.5 mg/kg) and placebo with 88% accuracy, and MDMA (1.5 mg/kg) and methamphetamine with 84% accuracy. For the two MDMA doses, the classifier performed at chance. These data suggest that automated semantic speech analyses can capture subtle alterations in mental state, accurately discriminating between drugs. The findings also illustrate the potential for automated speech-based approaches to characterize clinically relevant alterations to mental state, including those occurring in psychiatric illness.

Revision of Old World species of Setaria (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) Morrone, Osvaldo; Aliscioni, Sandra Silvina; Veldkamp, Jan Frits; Pensiero, Jose Francisco; Zuloaga, Fernando Omar; Kellogg, Elizabeth Anne Setaria (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) in the Old World is revised, providing identification tools for a group that includes many important forage grasses and several widespread weeds. Setaria includes annual and perennial species of open and dry places, with membranous-ciliate ligules, lanceolate to filiform leaves, lax to spiciform inflorescences, and solitary or paired spikelets subtended by one to several setae. The spikelets in Setaria are obovoid to long-ellipsoid, glabrous, with the lower glume usually one-half the length of the spikelet or shorter, the upper glume and lower lemma subequal, the lower palea as long as the upper anthecium to reduced or absent, the lower flower absent or present and then staminate, and the upper anthecium indurate and smooth to transversely rugose. Base chromosome number in the genus is x = 9. A key to all 66 Setaria species occurring in the Old World is presented, followed by morphological descriptions, synonymy, typifications, distribution maps, notes, and illustrations of selected species. Two new combinations are proposed: Setaria desertorum (A. Richard) Morrone and Setaria obtusifolia (Delile) Morrone.

New alginic acid-atenolol microparticles for inhalatory drug targeting Ceschan, Nazareth Eliana; Bucala, Veronica; Ramírez Rigo, María Veronica The inhalatory route allows drug delivery for local or systemic treatments in a noninvasively way. The current tendency of inhalable systems is oriented to dry powder inhalers due to their advantages in terms of stability and efficiency. In this work, microparticles of atenolol (AT, basic antihypertensive drug) and alginic acid (AA, acid biocompatible polyelectrolyte) were obtained by spray drying. Several formulations, varying the relative composition AT/AA and the total solid content of the atomized dispersions, were tested. The powders were characterized by: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Powder X-ray Diffraction, while also the following properties were measured: drug load efficiency, flow properties,particles size and density, moisture content, hygroscopicity and morphology. The ionic interaction between AA and AT was demonstrated, then the new chemical entity could improve the drug targeting to the respiratory membrane and increase its time residence due to the mucoadhesive properties of the AA polymeric chains. Powders exhibited high load efficiencies, low moisture contents, adequate mean aerodynamic diameters and high cumulative fraction of respirable particles (lower than 10 μm).

Optimization of antitrypanosomatid agents: identification of nonmutagenic drug candidates with in vivo activity Guzmán Álvarez, Javier Varela; Varela, Javier; Márquez, Pablo; Gabay, Martín; Arias Rivas, Carmen Elena; Cuchilla, Karina; Echeverría, Gustavo Alberto; Piro, Oscar Enrique; Chorilli, Marlus; Leal, Sandra M.; Escobar, Patricia; Serna, Elva; Torres, Susana; Yaluff, Gloria; Vera de Bilbao, Ninfa I.; González, Mercedes; Cerecetto, Hugo Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, was described thousands of years ago. Currently, it affects millions of people, mostly in Latin America, and there are not suitable drugs for treating it. As an attempt to find appropriate drugs to deal with this problem, we report here on the design, synthesis and characterization of eighty-two new compounds. Trypanosomicidal behavior in vitro showed more than twenty outstanding derivatives with anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity. Furthermore, we studied the nonspecific toxicity against mammalian cells determining their selectivity and also performed mutagenicity studies. Proof of concept, in vivo studies, was conducted with two of the most promising derivatives (77 and 80). They were identified as candidates because they have: (i) very simple and cost-effective syntheses; (ii) activity against different stages and strains of the parasite showing excellent in vivo behavior during the acute phase of Chagas disease; (iii) neither nonspecific toxicity nor mutagenic activity.

Dynamics of entanglement between two harmonic modes in stable and unstable regimes Rebón, Lorena; Canosa, Norma Beatriz; Rossignoli, Raúl Dante The exact dynamics of the entanglement between two harmonic modes generated by an angular momentum coupling is examined. Such a system arises when considering a particle in a rotating anisotropic harmonic trap or a charged particle in a fixed harmonic potential in a magnetic field, and it exhibits a rich dynamical structure, with stable, unstable, and critical regimes according to the values of the rotational frequency or field and trap parameters. Consequently, it is shown that the entanglement generated from an initially separable Gaussian state can exhibit quite distinct evolutions, ranging from quasiperiodic behavior in stable sectors to different types of unbounded increase in critical and unstable regions. The latter lead, respectively, to logarithmic and linear growth of the entanglement entropy with time. It is also shown that entanglement can be controlled by tuning the frequency, such that it can be increased, kept constant, or returned to a vanishing value with just stepwise frequency variations. Exact asymptotic expressions for the entanglement entropy in the different dynamical regimes are provided.

Movimientos Sociales y conflicto: la experiencia de Argentina (1993-2012) Fernández, Paula Daniela; Romero, Fernando Gabriel El conflicto social es un fenómeno que caracteriza la historia de la Argentina reciente y que se profundizó con el avance de las políticas neoliberales. Si bien la represión de la última dictadura cívico-militar (1976-1983) significó un duro golpe para los movimientos sociales de larga tradición -como el movimiento obrero y el movimiento estudiantil-, el retorno de la democracia demostró que estos actores seguían en pie. Con el final del último gobierno de facto se extendió el accionar público de nuevos sujetos ?en muchos casos de fuerte activismo en el contexto de terrorismo de Estado- que se relacionaban no sólo con los derechos humanos y el reclamo de derechos civiles sino también con las consecuencias generadas por el establecimiento progresivo del programa neoliberal.El presente texto se propone hacer un recorrido por las situaciones de conflicto social y acción colectiva más destacadas del período 1993-2012, considerando una breve reflexión teórica sobre el concepto de movimientos sociales y analizando la evolución de los modelos de acumulación por los que atraviesa el país a partir de 1976. Estos puntos resultan claves para comprender la experiencia de los sujetos y el conflicto social en la Argentina reciente.

La mirada etnográfica sobre lo político: al gunas consideraciones teórico-metodológicas Alucin, Silvia Vanesa; González, Gabriela En este trabajo nos proponemos realizar un recorrido por una parte de la historia de la disciplina antropológica y las formas en que la misma abordó y aborda el análisis de la política y lo político en el mundo moderno. Nos interesa puntualizar en el surgimiento y trayectoria que la denominada Antropología “Política” tuvo en gran parte del siglo XX y las nuevas perspectivas que fueron retomadas a partir de allí, con el surgimiento de la Antropología “de la Política”. Tanto en uno como en el otro encontramos un elemento en común, el estudio de la política desde una mirada etnográfica, el cual quisiéramos destacar en tanto posee una riqueza analítica particular.; In this paper we propose to take a tour of a part of the history of the discipline of anthropology and the ways in which it addressed and discusses the analysis of policy and politics in the modern world. We want to point out in the emergence and trayectory of which has been called “Politic Anthropology” in much of the twentieth century and the new perspectives that were taken over from there, with the emergence of Anthropology “of Policy”. Both in one as in the other find a common element, the study of politics from an ethnographic view, which we would like to highlight as it has a particular analytical richness.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of corticospinal tract using one-photon confocal microscopy acquisition allows detection of axonal disruption in spinal cord injury Quintá, Héctor Ramiro; Pasquini, Laura Andrea; Pasquini, Juana Maria The principal motor tract involved in mammalian locomotor activities is known as the corticospinal tract (CST), which starts in the brain motor cortex (upper motor neuron), extends its axons across the brain to brainstem and finally reaches different regions of spinal cord, contacting the lower motor neurons. Visualization of the CST is essential to carry out studies in different kinds of pathologies such as spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis. At present, most studies of axon structure and/or integrity that involve histological tissue sectioning present the problem of finding the region where the CST is predominant. To solve this problem, one could use a novel technique to make the tissues transparent and observe them directly without histological sectioning. However, the disadvantage of this procedure is the need of costly and non-conventional equipment, such as two-photon fluorescence microscopy or ultramicroscopy to perform the image acquisition. Here, we show that labeling the CST with FluoroRuby in the motor cortex and then performing the clearing technique, the z-acquisition of the entire CST in unsectioned tissue followed by three-dimensional reconstruction can be carried out by standard one-photon confocal microscopy, with yields similar to those obtained by two-photon microscopy. In addition, we present an example of the application of this method in a spinal cord injury model, where the disruption of CST is shown at the lesion site.