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Data collected for refugee registration and to target humanitarian assistance include information about household composition and demographics that can be used to identify gender-based vulnerabilities. This paper combines the microdata collected by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to register refugees with data from its Home Visit surveys to analyze income poverty rates among refugees with a gender lens. It finds distinguishing between different types of male and female principal applicant (PA) households is important in the setting of Syrian refugees in Jordan. Poverty rates for couples with children do not differ by gender of the PA but for other household types poverty rates are higher for those with female PAs. Households formed because of the unpredictable dynamics of forced displacement, such as sibling households, unaccompanied children, and single caregivers, are extremely vulnerable, especially if the principal applicant is a woman or a girl.

Introducción: La Facultad de Medicina de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana ha venido implementando un plan curricular basado en competencias para garantizar la formación holística de los médicos generales a partir de una estrategia pedagógica denominada actividad integradora (AI), que busca incentivar conocimientos, habilidades y destrezas para el desarrollo de competencias de los médicos en formación. Objetivo: Explorar las percepciones y experiencias de estudiantes, docentes y directivos en el desarrollo de competencias a partir de la implementación de la AI. Método: Estudio cualitativo, descriptivo e interpretativo que se hizo a partir de entrevistas y grupos focales con estudiantes, docentes y personal directivo. Resultados: Se encontró que la AI se constituye como una estrategia de aprendizaje que permite el desarrollo de competencias a través de una didáctica específica que trasforma el escenario pedagógico en un espacio de construcción conjunta de saberes a partir del trabajo en grupo. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran que, a pesar de que la definición de competencias no es unánime entre los actores, la implementación de la AI ha favorecido que los estudiantes desarrollen conocimientos, habilidades y destrezas desde los saberes propuestos por Miller en el marco de un currículo basado en competencias.

Angiogenesis, the main mechanism that allows vascular expansion for tissue regeneration or disease progression, is often triggered by an imbalance between oxygen consumption and demand. Here, by analyzing changes in the transcriptomic profile of endothelial cells (ECs) under hypoxia we uncovered that the repression of cell cycle entry and DNA replication stand as central responses in the early adaptation of ECs to low oxygen tension. Accordingly, hypoxia imposed a restriction in S‐phase in ECs that is mediated by Hypoxia‐Inducible Factors. Our results indicate that the induction of angiogenesis by hypoxia in Embryoid Bodies generated from murine Stem Cells is accomplished by the compensation of decreased S‐phase entry in mature ECs and differentiation of progenitor cells. This conditioning most likely allows an optimum remodeling of the vascular network. Identification of the molecular underpinnings of cell cycle arrest by hypoxia would be relevant for the design of improved strategies aimed to suppress angiogenesis in pathological contexts where hypoxia is a driver of neovascularization., This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, MICINN) SAF2014‐53819‐R to Luis del Peso and Benilde Jimenez; SAF2017‐ 88771‐R to Luis del Peso and Benilde Jimenez and SAF2015‐71381‐R to Maria C. Marin and by Junta de Castilla y Leon LE021P17 to Maria C. Marin. Laura Maeso‐Alonso is supported by a predoctoral scholarship from the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (AECC).

BACKGROUND The retinoic acid (RA)–catabolizing enzyme Cyp26a1 plays an important role in protecting tailbud tissues from inappropriate exposure to RA. Cyp26a1-null animals exhibit caudal agenesis and spina bifida, imperforate anus, agenesis of the caudal portions of the digestive and urogenital tracts, and malformed lumbosacral skeletal elements. This phenotype closely resembles the most severe form of caudal agenesis in humans. In view of these findings, we investigated a potential involvement of the human CYP26A1 gene in the pathogenesis of caudal regression syndrome (CRS). METHODS Mutational screening of 49 CRS patients and 132 controls was performed using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing. Differences in the genotype and allele frequency of each SNP were evaluated by χ2 analysis. The biological significance of the intronic variants was investigated by transfection assays of mutant constructs and by analysis of the splicing patterns with RT-PCR. RESULTS Mutational screening allowed us to identify 6 SNPs, 4 of which (447C>G, 1134G>A, IVS1+10G>C, and IVS4+8AG>GA) are new. In addition, we describe a novel 2-site haplotype consisting of the 2 intronic SNPs. Both single-locus and haplotype analyses revealed no association with increased risk for CRS. The consequences of the 2 intronic polymorphisms on the mRNA splicing process were also investigated. Moreover, using functional and computational methods we demonstrated that both of these intronic polymorphisms affect the intron splicing efficiency. CONCLUSIONS Our research did not provide evidence that CYP26A1 has implications for the pathogenesis of human CRS. However, the relationship between CRS risk and the CYP26A1 genotype requires further study with a larger number of genotyped subjects. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

BACKGROUND: Placental Plasmodium falciparum infection modulates neonatal cell-mediated immune responses and is associated with increased susceptibility of infants to malaria. METHODS: By flow-cytometric analysis of maternal peripheral and cord blood samples collected at delivery, we measured and compared the activation status and proinflammatory cytokine activity of T cells from women segregated into groups according to malaria status. RESULTS: Stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate/ionomycin resulted in the highest percentages of tumor necrosis factor-alpha- and interferon-gamma-positive gamma delta T cells in peripheral blood samples and in corresponding cord blood samples from those treated for malaria during pregnancy. Cord blood samples from this group also contained significantly higher percentages of CD69(+) and CD25(+) gamma delta T cells and CD3(+) T cells, compared with samples from either the group with active placental P. falciparum infection at delivery or the group with no infection. Proinflammatory cytokine activity of cells from the group with placental P. falciparum infection at delivery was either similar to or lower than that of cells from the group with no infection. CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply that treatment of P. falciparum malaria during pregnancy leads to enhanced innate immune T cell activation and proinflammatory cytokine responses in both maternal and fetal compartments. Ongoing placental P. falciparum infection, conversely, is associated with an absence of such activity.

Item does not contain fulltext Higher susceptibility of newborns to infections has been attributed to the hypo-responsiveness of their cellular immune system. Here we compared the activation status and expression of cytokines and cytotoxic molecules of cord versus maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells in an African population. Human leucocyte antigen-DR was expressed on a lower percentage of cord compared to maternal gammadelta and CD3(+) T cells. Similarly, a lower proportion of cord versus maternal gammadelta and CD3(+) T cells displayed perforin, granzyme B and cytokine activity either ex vivo or following non-specific stimulation in vitro. In contrast, comparable proportions of cord and maternal CD94(+) CD3(-) natural killer (NK) cells showed perforin and granzyme B expression ex vivo. We conclude that cord blood gammadelta and CD3(+) T cells are functionally hypo-responsive as reflected by reduced numbers of such cells expressing either an activation marker, T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines or cytotoxic effector molecules. The similarity in numbers of cord and maternal CD94(+) CD3(-) cells expressing cytotoxic effector molecules suggests that neonatal Africans' NK cells may be functionally mature.

Placental Plasmodium falciparum infection modulates neonatal cell-mediated immune responses and is associated with increased susceptibility of infants to malaria.By flow-cytometric analysis of maternal peripheral and cord blood samples collected at delivery, we measured and compared the activation status and proinflammatory cytokine activity of T cells from women segregated into groups according to malaria status.Stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate/ionomycin resulted in the highest percentages of tumor necrosis factor-alpha- and interferon-gamma-positive gamma delta T cells in peripheral blood samples and in corresponding cord blood samples from those treated for malaria during pregnancy. Cord blood samples from this group also contained significantly higher percentages of CD69(+) and CD25(+) gamma delta T cells and CD3(+) T cells, compared with samples from either the group with active placental P. falciparum infection at delivery or the group with no infection. Proinflammatory cytokine activity of cells from the group with placental P. falciparum infection at delivery was either similar to or lower than that of cells from the group with no infection.The findings imply that treatment of P. falciparum malaria during pregnancy leads to enhanced innate immune T cell activation and proinflammatory cytokine responses in both maternal and fetal compartments. Ongoing placental P. falciparum infection, conversely, is associated with an absence of such activity.