פרסומים

המטרה: לבחון דרכים פדגוגיות לשיפור הכשרתם הבין-תרבותית של עובדים סוציאליים.   עיקרי הדברים: המאמר מציע את שיטת הראיון האתנוגרפי ככלי פדגוגי לשיפור הפרקטיקה הבין-תרבותית של סטודנטים לעבודה סוציאלית, לאור ההתגברות המתמדת בגיוון התרבותי של הפונים לשירותי הרווחה. בגישה המוצעת, סטודנטים עורכים ראיונות אתנוגרפיים עם אדם מקבוצת תרבות לא מוכרת ושונה, ויוצר בכך מפגש עם האחר. לאחר מכן, הם מנתחים את הראיונות ומשלימים מטלת כתיבה רפלקטיבית. מטלת הכתיבה שואפת לאפשר לסטודנטים לבחון בעין ביקורתית כיצד דימויו של האחר נבנה מבחינה חברתית ולחקור את השפעות יחסי הכוחות החברתיים והמעמדיים בהבניית האחר, העצמי ומערכת היחסים שבין השניים. הצגת השיטה הפדגוגית מלווה בסקירת ספרות מחקרית בנושא החינוך לעבודה סוציאלית רגישת תרבות.   המאמר מבסס גישת הוראה חלופית ומשלימה התומכת בהתפתחות המקצועית של עובדים סוציאליים מתחילים, ברמת רגישותם התרבותית.   הסבר מושג: אתנוגרפיה – מחקר המתאר באופן איכותי תופעות בחברה האנושית, על-סמך עבודת שדה.  

Chronic energy insufficiency resulting from inadequate feed intake or increased nutrient demand reduces plasma leptin in ruminants. Treatment of energy-deficient ruminants with exogenous leptin has identified some physiological consequences of reduced plasma leptin, but their full complement remains unknown. Additional leptin-dependent responses could be identified by using strategies that interfere with leptin signaling such as administration of leptin mutants that act as competitive antagonists. The effectiveness of these antagonists depends on their fold excess over endogenous leptin, and this condition can be achieved under in vivo conditions by extending the half-life (t1/2) of the antagonist by addition of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecule (pegylation). Use of this approach in ruminants, however, is limited by the lack of information on the t1/2 of native and pegylated leptin and on the most effective route of administration. To answer these questions, newborn lambs (n = 3) were injected with an intravenous (i.v.) bolus of 150 µg of human leptin followed by blood sampling over the next 12 h. Analysis of the semilog plasma leptin concentration over time yielded a t1/2 of 43 ± 4.9 min; an i.v. bolus of 276 µg of bovine leptin yielded a comparable t1/2 (P > 0.05). Next, newborn lambs (n = 4) received a single dose of 229 μg/ kg of metabolic body weight (BW0.75) of pegylated super human leptin antagonist (PEG-SHLA) via the i.v. or subcutaneous (s.c.) route. Plasma PEG-SHLA concentration reached a peak of 1,528 ± 78 ng/mL after 1 min and a nadir of 71 ± 9 ng/mL after 24 h with the i.v. route versus a peak of 423 ± 43 ng/mL after 300 min and a nadir of 146 ± 22 ng/mL after 24 h for the s.c. route; the t1/2 of PEG-SHLA was 394 ± 29 min for the i.v. route and 433 ± 58 min for the s.c. route. Finally, plasma concentration of PEG-SHLA was modeled when given either i.v. or s.c. at a dose of 229 μg/kg BW0.75 every 12 h. Once a steady state was reached, peak and lowest concentrations PEG-SHLA over the 12-h windows were 2,269 and 403 ng/mL for the i.v. route and 814 and 555 ng/mL for the s.c. route. Weighted PEG-SHLA concentrations over the 12-h period were 1,455 and 713 ng/mL for the i.v. and s.c. route, translating into 364- and 178-fold excess over endogenous plasma leptin. These data confirm the effectiveness of pegylation in extending the t1/2 of leptin antagonists in newborn lambs and in increasing their circulation in fold excess over endogenous leptin. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIVES: The anticonvulsant valproic acid (VPA) has a known teratogenic effect capable of inducing major congenital malformations and developmental disorders. A comparative teratogenicity study of VPA and its analog valnoctamide (VCD), which is a new generation candidate antiepileptic drug, was carried out using Swiss Vancouver (SWV) mice. METHODS: Pregnant SWV dams were treated with either a single intraperitoneal injection of VPA (1.8 and 2.7 mmol/kg), VCD (1.8 and 2.7 mmol/kg), or vehicle on E8:12 (gestational day:hour). The numbers of implantation and resorption, viable and dead fetuses, and the presence of gross fetal visceral and skeletal abnormalities were determined (E18). Real-time Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) arrays were used to analyze the expression of 84 genes related to the processes of neurogenesis and neural stem cell differentiation. RESULTS: Significant decreases in pregnancy weight gain and the number of live fetuses were observed when VPA was administered at the high dose, whereas the percentage of exencephalic fetuses was significantly increased in VPA treated compared with an equivalent VCD dosage group. There was a dose-related increase in visceral defects in the VPA-exposed fetuses. Missing skull bones and fused vertebrae in fetuses occurred at the high dose of VPA. Three genes (Mtap2, Bmp8b, and Stat3) were significantly upregulated and one (Heyl) was downregulated in samples from VPA-treated dams. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that the teratogenicity of VPA was significantly greater than that of an equimolar dose of VCD. Four genes (Mtap2, Bmp8b, Stat3, and Heyl) represent candidate target genes for the underlying teratogenic mechanism responsible for VPA-induced malformations.

: TSLP is a promising target for T2-high and perhaps some patients with T2-low asthma. The results of preliminary clinical trials are encouraging. Several unanswered questions concerning basic pathophysiological aspects of TSLP variants, the long-term safety and efficacy of tezepelumab with different phenotypes/endotypes of asthma should be addressed.

Source of உவமை Difference between உவமை and பொருள் There are so many things to be employed as உவமை by the virtue of sharing some common feature with பொருள். But not anything that has ஒப்புமை could be உவமை. Similarity is a necessary condition to make உவமை, but not a sufficient one. There are other conditions to be met whose awareness will help the readers or listeners of poetry to know the full significance of உவமை. Source is used in two senses, viz., the materials available for choice and the basis of the motivation for choice. The latter is called நிலக்களன் ‘ground, vantage point’ to make உவமை in Tolkappiyam (S 4). The former does not have a name (S 1) and it is termed in English here as ‘site of meaning’ for உவமை.

Iron is a key element for every single living process. On a fundamental level, targeting iron is a valuable approach for the treatment of disorders caused by iron overload. Utilizing iron chelators as therapeutic agents has received expanding consideration in chelation therapy. Approved low molecular weight (MW) iron chelators to treat iron overload may experience short half-lives and toxicities prompting moderately high adverse effects. In recent years, polymeric/macromolecular iron chelators have received attention as therapeutic agents. Polymeric iron chelators show unique pharmaceutical properties that are different to their conventional small molecule counterparts. These polymeric iron chelators possess longer plasma half-lives and reduced toxicities, thus exhibiting a significant supplement to currently using low MW iron chelator therapy. In this review, we have briefly discussed polymeric iron chelators and factors to be considered when designing clinically valuable iron chelators. We have also discussed applications of polymeric iron chelators in the diseases caused by iron overload associated with transfusional hemosiderosis, neurodegenerative disorders, malaria and cancer. With this, research findings for new polymeric iron chelators are also covered. © 2019 Bentham Science Publishers.

Leaves of the spiny winter annual Silybum marianum express white patches (variegation) that can cover significant surface areas, the outcome of air spaces formed between the epidermis and the green chlorenchyma. We asked: (1) what characterizes the white patches in S. marianum and what differs them from green patches? (2) Do white patches differ from green patches in photosynthetic efficiency under lower temperatures? We predicted that the air spaces in white patches have physiological benefits, elevating photosynthetic rates under low temperatures. To test our hypotheses we used both a variegated wild type and entirely green mutants. We grew the plants under moderate temperatures (20°C/10°C d/n) and compared them to plants grown under lower temperatures (15°C/5°C d/n). The developed plants were exposed to different temperatures for 1 h and their photosynthetic activity was measured. In addition, we compared in green vs. white patches, the reflectance spectra, patch structure, chlorophyll and dehydrin content, stomatal structure, plant growth, and leaf temperature. White patches were not significantly different from green patches in their biochemistry and photosynthesis. However, under lower temperatures, variegated wild-type leaves were significantly warmer than all-green mutants – possible explanations for that are discussed These findings support our hypothesis, that white variegation of S. marianum leaves has a physiological role, elevating leaf temperature during cold winter days. © 2019 Shelef, Summerfield, Lev-Yadun, Villamarin-Cortez, Sadeh, Herrmann and Rachmilevitch.