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Abstract Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa including Cameroon. Pharmacogenetic variants could serve as predictors of drug-induced hepatotoxicity (DIH), in patients with TB co-infected with HIV. We evaluated the occurrence of DIH and pharmacogenetic variants in Cameroonian patients. Methods Treatment-naïve patients with HIV, TB or TB/HIV co-infection were recruited at three hospitals in Cameroon, between September 2018 and November 2019. Appropriate treatment was initiated, and patients followed up for 12 weeks to assess DIH. Pharmacogenetic variants were assessed by allele discrimination TaqMan SNP assays. Results Of the 141 treatment naïve patients, the overall incidence of DIH was 38% (53/141). The highest incidence of DIH, 52% (32/61), was observed among HIV patients. Of 32 pharmacogenetic variants, the slow acetylation variants NAT2*5 was associated with a decreased risk of DIH (OR: 0.4; 95%CI: 0.17–0.96; p = 0.038), while NAT2*6 was found to be associated with an increased risk of DIH (OR: 4.2; 95%CI: 1.1–15.2; p = 0.017) among patients treated for TB. Up to 15 SNPs differed in ≥ 5% of allele frequencies among African populations, while 25 SNPs differed in ≥ 5% of the allele frequencies among non-African populations, respectively. Conclusions DIH is an important clinical problem in African patients with TB and HIV. The NAT2*5 and NAT2*6 variants were found to be associated with DIH in the Cameroonian population. Prior screening for the slow acetylation variants NAT2*5 and NAT2*6 may prevent DIH in TB and HIV-coinfected patients.

Las almejas del género Panopea pertenecen a la familia Hiatellidae, se distribuyen en los mares templados y son recursos pesqueros en la mayoría de las regiones donde habitan. Estos bivalvos suelen agruparse en sustratos arenosos o fangosos, presentando variaciones temporales en su abundancia, o más precisamente, en su detectabilidad. Tradicionalmente, los bancos de estos organismos son monitoreados mediante buceo autónomo, lo que plantea limitaciones de seguridad en profundidad y de tiempo de buceo. En este estudio se evaluó el desempeño del método de vídeo remoto de bajo costo denominado ‘Toki’ para evaluar y monitorear Panopea abbreviata en el Golfo San Matías. Las observaciones de abundancia fueron analizadas mediante modelos aditivos generalizados mixtos, usando temperatura, profundidad, fecha de muestreo y calidad de imagen como covariables. Observamos un patrón diferencial de abundancia de P. abbreviata, con picos en los meses de octubre y mayo, en contraste con lo reportado para otras especies del mismo género. La variación de abundancia fue más alta en comparación con informes previos para la región. En concordancia con esos informes, P. abbreviata presentó una abundancia significativamente más alta en sustratos de arena. El método ‘Toki’ resultó eficaz, cubriendo áreas extensas de forma sencilla y en poco tiempo. Entre las principales ventajas de la técnica están la accesibilidad a mayores profundidades y menores limitaciones de tiempo de muestreo que en el buceo; sobre todo, a profundidades >25 m. Asimismo, con esta técnica se logra un registro permanente que se puede usar luego con nuevos objetivos. Es necesario destacar que todo el procedimiento se realizó desde una embarcación pequeña y de forma manual, lo cual implicó costos relativamente bajos y facilitó el trabajo. Sin embargo, el buceo puede ser una técnica complementaria a tareas intensivas en áreas pequeñas.

Temperate soft corals are found in many estuaries around the world and often form large habitats in these environments, yet the functional ecology of soft corals is poorly understood. To understand the functional role of a soft coral in temperate ecosystems, we examined the role of the endangered Dendronepthya australis cauliflower coral as habitat for fishes and invertebrates, and whether associated species used the soft coral as a food source. Using Bayesian stable isotope mixing models of d13C and d15N values of soft corals and a suite of potential invertebrate consumers, we found that five of eight soft-coral-associated invertebrates were all likely to be feeding almost exclusively on the soft corals. In situ feeding experiments conducted using baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) with soft coral cuttings as 'bait' did not identify any larger species as consumers. Fish assemblages studied using remote underwater video systems (RUVS) were diverse in the soft coral habitat and overlapped with assemblages of both sediment and seagrass environments. These results highlighted that these soft corals have a valuable trophic role in estuarine food webs through trophic transfer of nutrients via invertebrate consumers, and that soft coral habitats are used by commercially and recreationally important fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health, particularly in underserved settings can benefit immensely from well-trained community health workers (CHWs) supporting primary healthcare interventions. They can reduce morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases like malaria. Disease control programs can particularly benefit from a tight link between CHWs and communities and several studies have shown the benefit of the participation of non-facility-based CHWs in malaria control program activities for reducing malaria-related mortality in children. Because CHWs are often part of and trusted by served communities, they can also be an important resource to address challenges faced by their communities. Where post-marketing surveillance systems are underserved, they can relay important information about suspected safety signals and factors affecting therapeutic effectiveness in their communities. The CANTAM-Pyramax® trial was a phase IIIb/ IV cohort event monitoring study conducted at six centers in five African countries. To assess real-world effectiveness and safety of the anti-malarial pyronaridine-artesunate in 8560 malaria episodes, follow-up was not primarily conducted by medical staff but by specifically trained CHWs. This perspective paper discusses how the participation of a CHW workforce can be of benefit for effectiveness trials in limited-resource settings, using the example of the CANTAM-Pyramax trial.

Tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy (TPT) reduces the incidence of TB among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). However, despite an increase in TPT uptake, TB/HIV coinfection remains stagnant in Uganda especially in areas of increasing HIV incidence such as the Bunyoro sub-region. This study was a retrospective review records (antiretroviral therapy [ART] files) of PLHIV who were active on ART and completed TPT in 2019/2020 at three major hospitals in the Bunyoro sub-region, Uganda: Masindi General Hospital, Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, and Kiryandongo General Hospital. The sample size (987) for each facility was determined using a proportionate sampling method to ensure the study's power and precision. Factors independently associated with acquiring TB disease post TPT were determined using modified Poisson regression analysis. An adjusted prevalence risk ratio (aPRR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were reported. The participants' mean age was 38.23 (±11.70) and the majority were female (64.94%). Overall, 9.63% developed active TB disease post TPT completion. In the adjusted analysis, factors associated with active TB disease were a history of an unsuppressed viral load after TPT (aPRR 4.64 (2.85-7.56), p

Abstract The mechanisms underlying the bone disease induced by diabetes are complex and not fully understood; and antiresorptive agents, the current standard of care, do not restore the weakened bone architecture. Herein, we reveal the diabetic bone signature in mice at the tissue, cell, and transcriptome levels and demonstrate that three FDA-approved bone-anabolic agents correct it. Diabetes decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and bone formation, damaged microarchitecture, increased porosity of cortical bone, and compromised bone strength. Teriparatide (PTH), abaloparatide (ABL), and romosozumab/anti-sclerostin antibody (Scl-Ab) all restored BMD and corrected the deteriorated bone architecture. Mechanistically, PTH and more potently ABL induced similar responses at the tissue and gene signature levels, increasing both formation and resorption with positive balance towards bone gain. In contrast, Scl-Ab increased formation but decreased resorption. All agents restored bone architecture, corrected cortical porosity, and improved mechanical properties of diabetic bone; and ABL and Scl-Ab increased toughness, a fracture resistance index. Remarkably, all agents increased bone strength over the healthy controls even in the presence of severe hyperglycemia. These findings demonstrate the therapeutic value of bone anabolic agents to treat diabetes-induced bone disease and suggest the need for revisiting the approaches for the treatment of bone fragility in diabetes.

Ante la crisis global de pérdida de biodiversidad y deterioro de los ecosistemas, las áreas naturales protegidas tienen un rol preponderante como herramienta de manejo. Sin embargo, la mayoría se basa sobre criterios terrestres, mientras que los organismos de agua dulce son los más amenazados en cuanto a su conservación. En este trabajo se analiza el efecto de protección del Parque Nacional El Rey y de una crecida estival del río Popayán, de la cuenca del río Bermejito, sobre las poblaciones de peces de interés pesquero (el dorado [Salminus brasiliensis], el sábalo [Prochilodus lineatus] y la boga [Megaleporinus spp.]). Se realizaron estimaciones de abundancia y de talla mediante censos visuales antes y después al evento de crecida, y también dentro y en los límites del área protegida, en un contexto de presión de pesca por parte de pescadores furtivos. No se registró un efecto significativo de la crecida sobre las especies en estudio, pero sí del efecto del área protegida: en su interior se registró que las tres especies eran muy abundantes y que el dorado poseía tallas mucho mayores. Los resultados muestran que el área protegida cumple un rol esencial como sostén de las especies en estudio, sobre todo en el caso del dorado.

The 10th and largest Ebola virus disease epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was declared in North Kivu Province in August 2018 and ended in June 2020. We describe and evaluate an Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) implemented in the Beni health zone of DRC during August 5, 2018–June 30, 2020. During this period, 194,768 alerts were received, of which 30,728 (15.8%) were validated as suspected cases. From these, 801 confirmed and 3 probable cases were detected. EWARS showed an overall good performance: sensitivity and specificity >80%, nearly all (97%) of alerts investigated within 2 hours of notification, and good demographic representativeness. The average cost of the system was US $438/case detected and US $1.8/alert received. The system was stable, despite occasional disruptions caused by political insecurity. Our results demonstrate that EWARS was a cost-effective component of the Ebola surveillance strategy in this setting.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected all activities. In the university environment, the areas where practical activity is essential were very difficult to compensate for the training deficit. Within the basic subjects of Health Sciences, Anatomy students suffered from the impossibility of accessing cadaveric material, but also many other resources. The objective of this study was to assess the opinion of the students regarding the changes imposed by the pandemic and their attitude towards donating their own bodies. Material and Method: A voluntary survey was carried out to the students who attended in 2020 and 2021, with different levels of restrictions and information regarding donation. The questions referred to demographic data, importance that is assigned to the bodies for the learning of Anatomy, if they were student assistants in that period, if the pandemic affected their training, if they know that the body can be donated and that the Faculty has a program, if they would like to obtain more information, collaborate and / or donate their own body. The results showed great similarity, except that Group 2 had less knowledge of the possibility of donating and the existence of a program, without affecting the will to donate. Also the reasons for not donating were a bit more ambiguous in that group. In addition, some results were compared with similar groups from 2018, showing that the study groups valued cadaveric material less but had a more positive attitude towards donation.

El sistema olfatorio es aquel encargado de la recepción de estímulos sensitivos vinculados al olor de las sustancias. Su vía comienza en las células bipolares de “Schultze” en la mucosa olfatoria y finaliza en la corteza olfativa primaria, que abarca corteza piriforme, y a la corteza orbitofrontal. Las demás estructuras cerebrales olfativas incluyen la corteza entorrinal, el hipocampo, corteza parahipocampal, el tálamo, el hipotálamo, la corteza orbitofrontal, la corteza insular y su extensión hacia la región frontal lateral inferior. El tálamo es un núcleo encefálico que cumple una vital función de regulación sensitiva del organismo interviniendo en una gran cantidad de procesos mentales que dan forma a la manera de percibir y actuar en el entorno. Durante mucho tiempo se pensaba que el tracto olfatorio no guardaba relación con el tálamo, esto se debió al concepto del bulbo olfatorio como su propio equivalente talámico. Sin embargo, las aseveraciones más vigentes demuestran que el núcleo mediodorsal del tálamo presenta numerosas conexiones con las diferentes estructuras olfatorias que participan en la discriminacion y aprendizaje del olfato. Si bien estas interacciones implican una función clara del tálamo, no se trata de una proyección esencial para esta vía. El equivalente talámico, las interconexiones de las interneuronas granulares y periglomerulares del bulbo olfatorio acompañada de su conexión cortical son más que suficientes para el correcto funcionamiento de la vía olfatoria.

BackgroundIn Phase II/III randomized controlled clinical trials for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria, pyronaridine-artesunate demonstrated high efficacy and a safety profile consistent with that of comparators, except that asymptomatic, mainly mild-to-moderate transient increases in liver aminotransferases were reported for some patients. Hepatic safety, tolerability, and effectiveness have not been previously assessed under real-world conditions in Africa.Methods and findingsThis single-arm, open-label, cohort event monitoring study was conducted at 6 health centers in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Republic of Congo between June 2017 and April 2019. The trial protocol as closely as possible resembled real-world clinical practice for the treatment of malaria at the centers. Eligible patients were adults or children of either sex, weighing at least 5 kg, with acute uncomplicated malaria who did not have contraindications for pyronaridine-artesunate treatment as per the summary of product characteristics. Patients received fixed-dose pyronaridine-artesunate once daily for 3 days, dosed by body weight, without regard to food intake. A tablet formulation was used in adults and adolescents and a pediatric granule formulation in children and infants under 20 kg body weight. The primary outcome was the hepatic event incidence, defined as the appearance of the clinical signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity confirmed by a >2× rise in alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) versus baseline in patients with baseline ALT/AST >2× the upper limit of normal (ULN). As a secondary outcome, this was assessed in patients with ALT/AST >2× ULN prior to treatment versus a matched cohort of patients with normal baseline ALT/AST. The safety population comprised 7,154 patients, of mean age 13.9 years (standard deviation (SD) 14.6), around half of whom were male (3,569 [49.9%]). Patients experienced 8,560 malaria episodes; 158 occurred in patients with baseline ALT/AST elevations >2×ULN. No protocol-defined hepatic events occurred following pyronaridine-artesunate treatment of malaria patients with or without baseline hepatic dysfunction. Thus, no cohort comparison could be undertaken. Also, as postbaseline clinical chemistry was only performed where clinically indicated, postbaseline ALT/AST levels were not systematically assessed for all patients. Adverse events of any cause occurred in 20.8% (1,490/7,154) of patients, most frequently pyrexia (5.1% [366/7,154]) and vomiting (4.2% [303/7,154]). Adjusting for Plasmodium falciparum reinfection, clinical effectiveness at day 28 was 98.6% ([7,369/7,746] 95% confidence interval (CI) 98.3 to 98.9) in the per-protocol population. There was no indication that comorbidities or malnutrition adversely affected outcomes. The key study limitation was that postbaseline clinical biochemistry was only evaluated when clinically indicated.ConclusionsPyronaridine-artesunate had good tolerability and effectiveness in a representative African population under conditions similar to everyday clinical practice. These findings support pyronaridine-artesunate as an operationally useful addition to the management of acute uncomplicated malaria.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03201770.

Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) complemented with fishing methods were used to describe the fish assemblage and its seasonal pattern in two marine inlets from Patagonia. The combined results for BRUVS and fishing sessions identified 13 fish species. Our results agree with the biogeographic schemes proposed for the southern Southwest Atlantic. The fish species belonging to the Argentine Biogeographic Province presented a seasonal pattern with a peak of maximum abundance (Notorynchus cepedianus and Galeorhinus galeus) or were recorded during warm months only (Mustelus schmitti, Myliobatis goodei, and M. ridens), coinciding with the general latitudinal pattern expected for fish species richness. The use of BRUVS in this study allowed for the assessment of different fish species and wide range of sizes, from large sharks (N. cepedianus) to small cryptic species (Patagonotothem sp.). However, three of 13 species were only recorded by fishing methods, like it was the case for M. ridens. The record of M. ridens is the first in Patagonian waters, extending its distribution for c. 180 km south of the previously known southern limit. This study contributes to filling large data gaps along the Southwest Atlantic regarding the description and understanding of the temporal dynamics of fish assemblages in particular environments within protected areas.

Implementation of pharmacovigilance (PV) systems in resource-limited countries is a real endeavor. Despite country- and continent-specific challenges, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been able to develop one of the most active PV systems in the sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) regional Office identified the DRC experience to set up a PV system for antimalarial drugs safety monitoring as a ‘best practice’ that needed to be documented in order to help DRC improve its PV system and to be scaled up in other African countries. In response to the WHO request, a best practices and bottlenecks analysis was conducted in 2015. This analysis was updated in 2018 in the light of the minimum requirements of the WHO to set up a PV system taking into account other guidance for PV systems. The following themes were retained for analysis: (1) creation of the national PV center; (2) implementation of PV in the health system; (3) data collection and analysis; (4) collaboration with public health programs; (5) collaboration with the National Regulatory Authority. Lessons learnt from the DRC experience show that it is possible to implement PV systems in order to promote patients’ safety in resource limited sub-Saharan African countries with no guaranteed funding. The ability of national PV centers to collaborate with Public health stakeholders, including public health authorities at all levels as well as public health programs, and to use existing health information systems are considered the main key to success and may substantially reduce the cost of PV activities.

IntroductionArtemisinin-based combination therapy is currently the best option for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Quinine is recommended as a rescue treatment. Safety information during repeated treatment with the same drug is scarce. We report safety data from the Quinact randomized clinical trial (RCT) that was designed to assess efficacy and safety of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ), artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and quinine+clindamycin (QnC).MethodologyMales and females aged 12 to 59 months with uncomplicated malaria were treated with ASAQ and followed up during 42 days (preRCT). Clinical failures were randomized to one of the 3 treatments and followed up for 28 days (RCT). Subsequent failures were repeatedly treated with ASAQ several times as needed (postRCT1, postRCT2 and so on) until a 28-days follow up period without parasitaemia.ResultsEight hundred and sixty-five, 242 and 64 patients were recruited respectively in preRCT, RCT and postRCTs. In preRCT, 433 (50.0%) patients experienced at least one drug-related adverse event (AE). The most reported AEs were anorexia (22.9%), asthenia (19.4%), and abnormal behavior (14.6%). Twenty-nine AEs (3.5%) were reported to be severe. In RCT, at least one drug-related AE was reported in 54.7%, 21.5% and 40.0% of patient randomized respectively to ASAQ, AL and QnC (pConclusionThe proportion of AEs did not increase over the treatment courses with ASAQ. However, continuous monitoring is important.

Ten infants and children suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis were submitted to lung puncture in an effort to recover tubercle bacilli. From eight infants the organisms were recovered on culture or guinea pig inoculation, and were identified on smear in seven of the eight immediately. Bronchial aspirates, performed in five of these eight patients, were positive in four. Gastric washings from the eight patients positive by lung puncture were negative in all but two. No complications consequent to lung puncture were seen. This preliminary study suggests that lung puncture may be a safe diagnostic procedure which offers increased likelihood of recovering the organism. In addition, a more rapid diagnosis may be made because of a high rate of positive stained smears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conocer los patrones de movimiento de una especie tiene implicancias sustanciales para su manejo y conservación, en particular en aquellas que realizan migraciones de gran escala. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar los patrones estacionales de abundancia de cazones y gatopardos en el Golfo Nuevo, provincia de Chubut, y sus patrones migratorios a lo largo de la plataforma argentina, por medio de un plan de marcado y recaptura convencional. Se capturaron y marcaron un total de 13 gatopardos y 228 cazones a lo largo de un ciclo anual completo. A partir del análisis de datos de captura por unidad de esfuerzo (CPUE) se encontró que el cazón presentó un patrón estacional marcado, con una abundancia mayor desde mediados del verano y durante el otoño; la abundancia fue mínima en primavera, cuando se registraron dos recapturas de cazones al norte del sitio de marcado (38º y 40º S). Estos resultados constituyen la primera evidencia directa que apoya la hipótesis de que existe una población única de cazones en el Atlántico Sur. Sin embargo, la detección de cazones machos en el sitio de estudio durante todo el año indica que al menos una parte de la población podría pasar los meses fríos del año en el sur del área de distribución. En el caso del gatopardo, si bien fue muy bajo el número de ejemplares capturados, la ausencia de la especie durante los meses fríos del año indica que podría tener una estacionalidad similar a la del cazón.

We analyzed 1,093 Vibrio cholerae isolates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo during 1997–2012 and found increasing antimicrobial drug resistance over time. Our study also demonstrated that the 2011–2012 epidemic was caused by an El Tor variant clonal complex with a single antimicrobial drug susceptibility profile.

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of chondrichthyans is critical for their effective management. In this study we report and analyze a large-scale latitudinal migration (~ 1,425 km) of a female school shark in the Southwestern Atlantic shelf where it is currently classified as Critically Endangered. During the austral summer (February 15, 2015), ninety-four school sharks were captured (75 females and 19 males) and tagged with fin tags in Nuevo Gulf (~ 42°43’S, 64°53’W, Argentina). A female of 112 cm total length was recaptured in Uruguayan shelf waters in the austral winter (August 17, 2015). This long displacement represents the first direct evidence to support Vooren and Lucifora’s hypothesis of a single transnational population of Galeorhinus galeus in the Southwestern Atlantic. The good agreement found between the school shark habitat conditions (salinity 33-34, temperature 12-17°C) and the warmer member of Subantarctic Shelf Waters suggests that the seasonal variation in school shark abundance within this region could be related to water masses movements.

Underwater visual census (UVC) is the most common approach for estimating diversity, abundance and size of reef fishes in shallow and clear waters. Abundance estimation through UVC is particularly problematic in species occurring at low densities and/or highly aggregated because of their high variability at both spatial and temporal scales. The statistical power of experiments involving UVC techniques may be increased by augmenting the number of replicates or the area surveyed. In this work we present and test the efficiency of an UVC method based on diver towed GPS, the Tracked Roaming Transect (TRT), designed to maximize transect length (and thus the surveyed area) with respect to diving time invested in monitoring, as compared to Conventional Strip Transects (CST). Additionally, we analyze the effect of increasing transect width and length on the precision of density estimates by comparing TRT vs. CST methods using different fixed widths of 6 and 20 m (FW3 and FW10, respectively) and the Distance Sampling (DS) method, in which perpendicular distance of each fish or group of fishes to the transect line is estimated by divers up to 20 m from the transect line. The TRT was 74% more time and cost efficient than the CST (all transect widths considered together) and, for a given time, the use of TRT and/or increasing the transect width increased the precision of density estimates. In addition, since with the DS method distances of fishes to the transect line have to be estimated, and not measured directly as in terrestrial environments, errors in estimations of perpendicular distances can seriously affect DS density estimations. To assess the occurrence of distance estimation errors and their dependence on the observer's experience, a field experiment using wooden fish models was performed. We tested the precision and accuracy of density estimators based on fixed widths and the DS method. The accuracy of the estimates was measured comparing the actual total abundance with those estimated by divers using FW3, FW10, and DS estimators. Density estimates differed by 13% (range 0.1-31%) from the actual values (average = 13.09%; median = 14.16%). Based on our results we encourage the use of the Tracked Roaming Transect with Distance Sampling (TRT+DS) method for improving density estimates of species occurring at low densities and/or highly aggregated, as well as for exploratory rapid-assessment surveys in which divers could gather spatial ecological and ecosystem information on large areas during UVC.

El objetivo del presente artículo se enmarca en un proyecto de investigación cuyo eje es la relación entre infancia, medios de comunicación y consumo. En este texto nos proponemos explorar las estrategias simbólicas que las empresas de telefonía despliegan para incorporar a los niños como nuevo sector de consumo. En este caso, abordaremos como fuente la campaña “Mi primer Claro” por su extensión temporal –lleva más de tres años– y geográfica–abarca toda América Latina–. Nos centraremos, en los modos a través de los cuales se presenta la posibilidad de tener un teléfono móvil durante la infancia, los supuestos beneficios simbólicos de poseerlo, el impacto en los marcos de socialización y en el núcleo familiar. En el corpus seleccionado pretendemos advertir el modo en que son narrados los niños, los adultos y sus vínculos.

El lugar que ocupan las redes sociales en la vida cotidiana de las grandes ciudades está siendo analizado por diversos investigadores a la luz de la cantidad de usuarios que poseen y por el peso significativo que tienen en un nuevo tipo de prácticas. Ahora bien, más allá de los usos generales de este fenómeno de la llamada Web 2.0, identificamos –en el marco de un proyecto de investigación– un espacio en y desde el cual se producían interacciones dables de ser analizadas en profundidad: los videojuegos en las redes sociales. Los millones de usuarios que juegan diariamente a pasatiempos electrónicos –específicamente en Facebook– ubican estas nuevas interacciones lúdicas como significativas para la cultura lúdica contemporánea y, por extensión, para la cultura contemporánea en términos generales. En este sentido, nos proponemos realizar aquí un análisis de los principales videojuegos de la red social Facebook. Buscaremos, de este modo, esbozar qué significados, temas e interacciones se favorecen (y obturan) en estos videojuegos. Jugar es una actividad profunda y para nada trivial: de allí la necesidad de analizar las representaciones y transformaciones que se dan y han dado en la cultura lúdica contemporánea a la luz de las nuevas tecnologías disponibles.

Si el juego se relaciona habitualmente a características vinculadas a la satisfacción y el regocijo, los videojuegos –por el contrario– no han tenido la misma suerte. En los discursos educativos, políticos y mediáticos, los entretenimientos digitales suelen aparecer ligados a conductas adictivas, sexistas y racistas. Las investigaciones específicas sobre este tema subrayan, sin embargo, que no se ha podido establecer una vinculación sólida entre estos rasgos dañinos y la práctica video-lúdica. La mayor parte de los autores destacan que hasta el momento se ha pensado los juegos electrónicos como un terreno de descalificaciones más que de oportunidades. Si hasta el momento las indagaciones han hecho mayor hincapié en las rupturas que se producen entre los esparcimientos “tradicionales” y los electrónicos, un examen cabal supone también prestarle atención a las continuidades entre unos y otros. Focalizándonos en la dimensión lúdica, sugerimos en este artículo que en el campo general del juego se produce un proceso que denominamos ludomorfosis. Este modo de pensar la historia de los juegos tiende a percibir procesos dinámicos allí donde se suelen ver substituciones lineales. A partir de este modelo analítico, plantearemos que los entretenimientos electrónicos no pueden ser descalificados per se sino que sus implicancias dependen de la dinámica que facilite cada esparcimiento específico. Resulta llamativo, entonces, que haya una falta de sistematicidad en las políticas culturales y educativas orientadas a fomentar el desarrollo de videojuegos que propicien sentidos alternativos a los que establece el sector privado.

Con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de la estrategia de implantación con zeranol sobre la maduración de la carne, se utilizaron 32 corderos de pelo mestizos asignados aleatoriamente a uno de cuatro tratamientos (n=8): C, grupo control sin implante; Z12, implantados con 12 mg de zeranol; Z24, implantados con 24 mg de zeranol; y RZ12, implantados en dos ocasiones con 12 mg de zeranol. Una vez sacrificados se obtuvo el músculo Longissimus dorsi (LD) y se evaluó durante el almacenamiento a 4°C (0; 7 y 14 días) la pérdida de peso por cocción (PPC), resistencia al corte (RC) e índice de fragmentación miofibrilar (IFM). Se realizó un análisis de varianza para un diseño en parcelas divididas, siendo la parcela principal la implantación (IMP), y la subparcela días de maduración (MAD). Todas las variables fueron afectadas por la IMP y MAD (P

Le vacuum dont nous parlons découle directement de l’implosion du Canada français, c’est-à-dire du mouvement de repli qui, à la fin des années soixante, amène les Canadiens-Français à délimiter pour la première fois leurs frontières nationales. C’est en quelque sorte une conversion au réel, aussi bien pour les Québécois qui tentent alors de prendre possession de leur territoire, que pour les Franco-Ontariens qui doivent faire le deuil de leurs institutions nationales.