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The placenta is a highly specialized organ that is formed during human gestation for conferring protection and generating an optimal microenvironment to maintain the equilibrium between immunological and biochemical factors for fetal development. Diverse pathogens, including viruses, can infect several cellular components of the placenta, such as trophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts and other hematopoietic cells. Viral infections during pregnancy have been associated with fetal malformation and pregnancy complications such as preterm labor. In this minireview, we describe the most recent findings regarding virus-host interactions at the placental interface and investigate the mechanisms through which viruses may access trophoblasts and the pathogenic processes involved in viral dissemination at the maternal-fetal interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional explanation of brain lateralization is that it avoids costly duplication of neural circuitry with the same function as well as decreasing the interference between different functions. This advantage could have important ecological implications in terms of predator–prey interactions. If species are lateralized in escape behavior at an individual level, any predator is facing individually asymmetric prey. On the other hand, if species are lateralized at a higher hierarchical level, such as at the population or species level, the predator can learn from experience arising from earlier encounters. In the present study, we investigate patterns of lateralization in 5 lizard populations of the Podarcis hispanica species complex, with the aim of analyzing the occurrence of lateralization at different hierarchical levels. Our results show that refuge selection during escape behavior is not universal in the P. hispanica species complex at different hierarchical levels, some individuals and populations are lateralized, with a consistent bias toward the refuge on the right. However, 2 populations showed no refuge preference, with lack of lateralization mainly arising due to the dominance of individuals with no preference rather than from a mix of right- and left-biased individuals. When considered at the P. hispanica species complex level, a pattern for right-refuge preference was found. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Orobanche ictericaPau, frequently regarded as a synonym forO. elatiorSutton, is lectotypified on Pau's original material from the herbarium of the Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid (MA 115079!). Its morphology is described with special emphasis on those characters which distinguish it fromO. elatior. O. ictericais mainly found in the east of the Iberian Peninsula and sporadically in the south and north-west. It is considered to be close toO. elatiorbut deserving recognition at specific level. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005,148, 117–124. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Adjusting to chronic disease is a complex process and one that, in the case of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), has received very little attention. The objectives of this study were to identify coping strategies used by patients with IBD and to explore how these strategies are related to psychological characteristics. Methods: A transversal study was designed in which 875 patients with IBD were prospectively enrolled. Independent variables were evaluated using a sociodemographic questionnaire and a clinical questionnaire—the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); dependent variables were evaluated using the COPE Inventory (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced), a multidimensional scale for evaluating general coping styles. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the variables associated with the type of coping used. Results: The participation rate was 91.3%. The most common coping strategy was emotion-focused coping (; 95% CI=2.61–2.69), with no differences in relation to type of disease. The highest scores for anxiety were associated with emotion-focused coping (β=0.164, p=0.001) whereas, for depression, the highest scores were associated with escape–avoidance (β=0.108, p=0.044). No correlation was found between stress levels and type of coping. Conclusions: Patients with IBD have a tendency to focus on emotions in their coping process, and this process appears to be related not only to sociodemographic characteristics or features of the disease itself but also to psychological factors—anxiety and depression, primarily. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]