Regulation and activity of CaTrk1, CaAcu1 and CaHak1, the three plasma membrane potassium transporters in Candida albicans.

Wild-type cells of Candida albicans, the most common human fungal pathogen, are able to grow at very low micromolar concentrations of potassium in the external milieu. One of the reasons behind that behaviour is the existence of three different types of K+ transporters in their plasma membrane: Trk1, Acu1 and Hak1. This work shows that the transporters are very differently regulated at the transcriptional level upon exposure to saline stress, pH alterations or K+ starvation. We propose that different transporters take the lead in the diverse environmental conditions, Trk1 being the "house-keeping" one, and Acu1/Hak1 dominating upon K+ limiting conditions. Heterologous expression of the genes coding for the three transporters in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain lacking its endogenous potassium transporters showed that all of them mediated cation transport but with very different efficiencies. Moreover, expression of the transporters in S. cerevisiae also affected other physiological characteristics such as sodium and lithium tolerance, membrane potential or intracellular pH, being, in general, CaTrk1 the most effective in keeping these parameters close to the usual wild-type physiological levels.

Trk1, the sole potassium-specific transporter in Candida glabrata, contributes to the proper functioning of various cell processes.

Candida glabrata is a haploid yeast that is considered to be an emergent pathogen since it is the second most prevalent cause of candidiasis. Contrary to most yeasts, this species carries only one plasma membrane potassium transporter named CgTrk1. We show in this work that the activity of this transporter is regulated at the posttranslational level, and thus Trk1 contributes to potassium uptake under very different external cation concentrations. In addition to its function in potassium uptake, we report a diversity of physiological effects related to this transporter. CgTRK1 contributes to proper cell size, intracellular pH and membrane-potential homeostasis when expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Moreover, lithium influx experiments performed both in C. glabrata and S. cerevisiae indicate that the salt tolerance phenotype linked to CgTrk1 can be related to a high capacity to discriminate between potassium and lithium (or sodium) during the transport process. In summary, we show that CgTRK1 exerts a diversity of pleiotropic physiological roles and we propose that the corresponding protein may be an attractive pharmacological target for the development of new antifungal drugs.

Adherence to international anatomical terminology by a government-implemented high school biology science education curriculum / Uso de la terminología anatómica internacional en el currículo nacional de biología en enseñanza media

Chilean science education curriculum is standardized and issued by the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). This study contributes to science education analyzing a government implemented high school biology curriculum and its adherence to the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology (FIPAT). The purpose of this study was to assess the use of International anatomical terminology (IAT) in Chilean national biology education programs. The sample consisted of biology programs for 9th to 12th grades obtained from the MINEDUC website, in force since 2009. An analysis of terms used in MINEDUC high school programs (9th to 12th grade) was carried out. Terms were identified using Atlas.ti text analysis software. Subsequently, the identified terms were tabulated as follows: frequency, Latin term, Spanish translation, use of the term according to FIPAT and type of error. Our results showed that 11.43 % of the terminology used in the high school biology curriculum did not adhere to the IAT in FIPAT. 11th grade's biology education curriculum showed the highest use of FIPAT terminology and also the same grade showed the highest prevalence of misused terms. These results can serve as an important basic resource for the revision and standardization of terminology used in biomedical fields. Collaboration between anatomists, biologists and high school teachers is a requirement necessary to make changes in the curricula in order to improve the use of IAT in teacher training and in Biology and Natural sciences classes.

Prenatal stress caused by movement restriction induces changes in the development of skull bone in CF-1 mice progeny / El estrés prenatal causado por restricción de movimiento induce cambios en la anatomía ósea de cráneo en la progenie de ratones CF-1

Prenatal stress is associated with changes in body weight and size, and with disorders of the skeletal bone development process. However, there is a lack of documentation on the impact of prenatal stress on skull bone anatomy during the gestation period. Therefore, this research focuses on the short-term effects of prenatal stress on the skull bone anatomy of CF-1 mice on the day of birth. Methodology: Gestating females were divided at random into two groups (control and stressed). The experimental group was subjected to the stress of movement restriction during the final week of gestation. Upon birth the body weight of the progeny was evaluated (control group, n=34; stressed group, n=29). They were then cleaned and stained with alizarin red in order to evaluate the length, width and suture spaces of the skull bone anatomy from superior and inferior views. Results: Gestational stress significantly altered the skull bone anatomy (p<0.05) of the offspring at birth in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: Prenatal stress alters the skull bone anatomy of the CF-1 mouse at birth.

El estrés prenatal se ha asociado con alteraciones en el peso y tamaño corporal, además de trastornos en el proceso de osificación del esqueleto en desarrollo. Sin embargo, existen escasos antecedentes acerca del impacto del estrés prenatal sobre la anatomía ósea craneal durante el periodo de gestación. Por lo tanto, la presente investigación estudió los efectos a corto plazo del estrés prenatal sobre la anatomía ósea craneal del ratón CF-1 en el día de nacimiento. Las hembras gestantes fueron divididas aleatoriamente en dos grupos (control y estresado), el grupo experimental fue sometido a estrés por restricción de movimiento durante la última semana de gestación. Al nacimiento se evaluó el peso corporal de la progenie (grupo control n:34; grupo estresado n:29), para posteriormente diafanizar y teñir con alizarina roja, evaluando dimensiones longitudinales, anchos y espacios suturales de la anatomía de los huesos de cráneo por la vista superior e inferior. El estrés gestacional alteró significativamente la anatomía de los huesos de cabeza ósea (p<0,05) de las crías en el momento del nacimiento con respecto a los controles. El estrés prenatal altera la anatomía de los huesos craneales del ratón CF-1 evaluado al nacer.

The epidemiology of psychiatric disorders among repeat DUI offenders accepting a treatment-sentencing option.

Psychiatric comorbidity likely contributes to driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol among repeat offenders. This study presents one of the first descriptions of the prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among repeat DUI offenders in treatment. Participants included all consenting eligible admissions (N = 729) to a 2-week inpatient treatment facility for court-sentenced repeat DUI offenders (i.e., offenders electing treatment in place of prison time) from April 17, 2005, to April 23, 2006. Participants completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, which assessed the following disorders using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994): alcohol use and drug use, bipolar, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress, intermittent explosive, conduct, attention deficit, nicotine dependence, pathological gambling, and major depressive. Repeat DUI offenders evidenced higher lifetime and 12-month prevalence of alcohol use and drug use disorders, conduct disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder compared with the general population. Almost half qualified for lifetime diagnoses of both addiction (i.e., alcohol, drug, nicotine, and/or gambling) and a psychiatric disorder. Lifetime and past-year comorbidity rates were higher among participants than in the general population. These results suggest that clinicians should consider multimorbidity within DUI treatment protocols.

Implementation of a computerized psychiatric assessment tool at a DUI treatment facility: a case example.

Psychiatric comorbidity is common among patients in a variety of treatment settings, yet treatment providers seldom use standardized mental health assessments to identify these problems. Using standardized assessment tools gives practitioners and clients the opportunity to tailor treatment and aftercare efforts to a potential problem, and trains practitioners to provide valid and reliable measurements of mental health. Despite the benefits, there are barriers to implementing formal assessment tools. This paper discusses the barriers the authors encountered and the strategies they used to implement a standardized mental health assessment at a state-licensed Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offender treatment program.

Missouri casino self-excluders: distributions across time and space.

According to public health research, exposure to casinos is a risk factor for disordered gambling. Consequently, casino self-exclusion programs, which provide gamblers with the opportunity to voluntarily seek limits on their access to gambling venues, can serve as a barometer of the concentration of disordered gambling in an area. This study reports on the distribution, both temporally and geographically, of 6,599 people who applied to exclude themselves from Missouri casinos between November, 1996 and February, 2004. Analyses used Microsoft MapPoint to plot the location of casinos and self-excluders (SEs) across Missouri and its constituent counties. These regional exposure analyses showed that the Western region around Kansas City is an epicenter of disordered gambling as, to a lesser extent, is the Eastern region around St. Louis. The annual number of SE enrollments increased during the first few years of the Missouri self-exclusion program and then leveled off during the later years. These findings have important implications for public health and the development of public health interventions for disordered gamblers.