Rafael Gutiérrez

Intranasal, rectal and intraperitoneal immunization with protoxin Cry1Ac from Bacillus thuringiensis induces compartmentalized serum, intestinal, vaginal and pulmonary immune responses in Balb/c mice

Recently we discovered that the Cry1Ac protoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis administered to Balb/c mice intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intragastrically is a systemic and intestinal immunogen as potent as cholera toxin. To further characterize the mucosal immunogenicity of Cry1Ac we additionally tried the intranasal (i.n.) and rectal routes and used enzyme-linked immunoassays to determine anti-Cry1Ac antibody responses in the serum as well as in vaginal and tracheobronchial washes and in the fluids of the large and the small intestine. Immunization by the i.p., i.n. and rectal routes induced IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies in all the mucosal surfaces analyzed, but the magnitude and predominant isotype of each response depended on the route used and the mucosal site analyzed. These data extend our findings on the striking mucosal immunogencity of Cry1Ac and provide additional evidence on the compartmentalization of the mucosal immune system.

What Happened to Street Kids? An Analysis of the Mexican Experience

This paper documents some possible reasons of failure of programs for street children in Mexico, and provides background information on demographic and socioeconomic trends that underlay self-employment as well as a historical perspective of the social context of street children. It also describes the strategies used to survive in the streets, trends in drug use/misuse, the felt needs of children and the social responses to this problem. It documents how underlying failure there are unrealistic goals, a fragmented perception of the problem and consequently, a fragmented response to it. It also refers to the great pressure on institutions for results, lack of continuity of the programs and disregard of the perception and felt needs of working children who should benefit from these programs.

EEG frequency and time domain mapping study of the cortical projections of temporal lobe amygdala afterdischarge during kindling in the cat.

EEG frequency and time domain color maps were computed during amygdala kindling in cats. The pattern of the amygdala afterdischarge (AM/AD) propagation to the cortex was assessed as kindling evolved. Our results show that the AM/AD has 4 components that coincide with the activation of certain cortical areas during specific behavioral stages. The pattern of the cortical projection follows an asymmetrical temporo-fronto-occipital direction, the ipsilateral temporal lobe being the first activated zone, followed by the ipsilateral and contralateral prefrontal areas. The contralateral temporal activation is a late phenomenon. We conclude that the electrographic and behavioral manifestations of this model of complex partial epilepsy are asymmetrical during the whole process, including the convulsive stage.

Epileptogenesis and muscular hypertonic postictal phenomena induced by naloxone in intact cats.

Summary: Epileptogenesis produced by repeated i.p. administration of naloxone chloride and sensory stimulation (photoacoustic stimulation at 1,3, 10, and 15 Hz) every 15 min was studied in freely moving cats. The repeated administration of naloxone provoked some behavioral manifestations that resemble those produced by electrical amygdaloid kindling. Photoacoustic stimulation accentuated the manifestations. All the animals presented generalized behavioral seizures when total naloxone administration reached 80 mg/kg. None of the animals demonstrated postictal depression. These results suggest an inhibitory role of endogenous opioids and/or GABA in epileptogenesis.

La violencia simbólica de la explotación sexual de mujeres en una celebración estudiantil

SUMMARY The article analyzes a wild students’ party that is part of a twentyfive-year old tradition of helping to finance students’ graduation and other activities, in which young men and women participate in a theatrical re-enactment of sexual exploitation. The aim is to describe how symbolic violence can reproduce sexual exploitation in an emotionally gratifying way and how this transmutation is experienced by victims. The information reported is based on field work conducted in a student community at a higher education school in the conurbated area of Mexico City. Observations of the preparation, implementation and wild post-celebration were carried out in this community. In this context, several students between the ages of 17 and 23, including five women, participated in a focus group (two sessions) and in-depth interviews (three sessions) to describe the most significant dimensions of the celebration. The five students were invited to participate through an explanatory letter requesting their voluntary consent. A content analysis of the observation records and a literal transcription of the focus groups and interviews were conducted. The results indicate that the celebration, which includes a theatrical representation of sexual exploitation, includes some real components: concealment, abduction, auction, erotic dancing and sexual harassment. These elements are experienced with displeasure but relived by the informants and other participants as an exciting, rewarding moment. These results are explained by Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic violence. We conclude that the celebration is a gratifying affirmation of the sexist beliefs and practices that legitimize the sexual exploitation of women and tacit acceptance of their abuse, which are often concealed, but recognized as a venerable tradition.

Violencia en el entorno laboral del trabajo sexual y consumo de sustancias en mujeres mexicanas

Objetivo. Conocer la violencia que viven las trabajadoras sexuales en el ejercicio de su actividad y si esta se asocia con su consumo de alcohol y otras sustancias. Metodo. Es un estudio de campo tipo no experimental, descriptivo, con una muestra no probabilistica de 103 trabajadoras sexuales seleccionadas por conveniencia. Se utilizo un instrumento disenado ex profeso, consistente en una entrevista semi-estructurada. Resultados. El 50.8% trabajaba en un bar, el 39.0% en la calle y el 10.2% en un cabaret. Mas de la mitad (52.4%) refirio haber vivido experiencias violentas en el lugar de trabajo; de estas, el 95.8% sufrio violencia fisica, el 26.0% violencia sexual y el 24.0% violencia emocional. Respecto a los actores involucrados en episodios violentos, en el 97.9% de los casos fueron companeras de trabajo, en el 77.2%, clientes; en el 30.2%, propietarios o empleados de los bares y en el 25.0%, la policia. El 98% de las trabajadoras sexuales reportaron haber consumido alcohol en el ultimo mes, el 23.3% cocaina y el 11.7% mariguana. Cabe senalar que 40% fuma tabaco. El 75% de las trabajadoras sexuales se reporta como bebedora alta. El 97% informo que generalmente los clientes las presionan para beber alcohol y un porcentaje similar refirio que consumen por las exigencias de los encargados de los lugares de trabajo. Las experiencias de violencia en el trabajo se asociaron con el consumo de cocaina [?2= 6.417, (100, 1) gl p<.05] y de tabaco [2=7.486 (100,1) gl p<.01]. Esta asociacion se mantuvo si la violencia habia ocurrido en el ultimo mes. El consumo de alcohol se relaciono con las experiencias de violencia fisica [?2=5.180 (100,1)gl p<.05], y de violencia emocional [?2=4.514 (100,1)gl p<.05]. Discusion. Los resultados muestran que la violencia es una experiencia frecuente en su ambiente de trabajo, y es ejercida por multiples actores; destaca el que se mencione a otras trabajadoras sexuales como quienes la ejercen, lo que no se reporta en la bibliografia. El consumo de alcohol y otras drogas se asocia con esta violencia, por lo que debe explorarse mas este vinculo en futuros estudios. Se discuten los hallazgos, haciendo recomendaciones para la atencion de esta problematica en las mujeres.

Usos de la Internet y teléfono celular asociados a situaciones de riesgo de explotación sexual de adolescentes

SUMMARY This paper reports on a research project designed to identify the uses of the Internet and cellular telephony that could place children at risk of contact with situations associated with sexual exploitation: hooking up on line, consumption of pornography and the production of humiliating, sexualized images. The questionnaires were administered to 147 adolescents with an average age of 13 years and 3 months. Results A total of 66.2% of the boys and 71.4% of the girls reported having Facebook, followed by Hi5 (69%) and My Space (43.3%). Teenagers were observed to provide their real names (64.7% of boys and 78% of girls) and actual ages in social networks. A total of 79.6% of the respondents reported that they liked to talk on Chat or Messenger, while a significant percentage (64.1%) had done so with strangers. A total of 53.1% of the population reported having met a friend with a sexualized image of their person through a cell phone (28.6 of boys and 11.6% of girls). These images were usually shared with friends (reported by 77.1% of boys and 62.8% of girls). But others were uploaded onto the Internet (34.3% of boys and 37.2% of women) and a minority were sold (8.6% of boys and 2.3% of girls). The paper indicates that true information on the person provided with no restrictions whatsoever by adolescents in social networks and their interaction with strangers in chats are indicators of unsafe Web browsing. Qualitative research results indicate that these acts occur when teenagers are seeking popularity. The paper also discusses teenagers’ consumption of pornography as a type of manhood that is “hot” by nature and shows that the production of sexualized images occurs in contexts where amusement is combined with sexual transgression.

Frequency- and Time-Domain EEG Topographic Analysis of the Amygdala Kindling Evolution in the Cat

The kindling process has well studied short term (e.g. the amygdaloidafter-discharge; AM/AD) and long lasting effects, that have been more difficult to evaluate. A great number of kindling experiments are performed in the rat, recording only the amygdaline or hippocampal ADs, with few if any, cortical recordings (a notorious exception are the works of Wada and his associates in sub-human primates), and correlating the ADs’ duration (rarely the frequency) with the behavioral stages. Very often, this correlation fails to explain the dramatic motor and vegetative display of the tardive behavioral stages (4, 5 and 6) of kindling.

El consumo de inhalables en las prácticas de socialidad de dos grupos de estudiantes de secundarias públicas

Introduction. Inhalant use among various populations in Mexico occurs within the context of its legality, inadequate health regulation and supervision of its production and sales, high availability and low cost, combined with the pleasurable effects of inhaling, which vary according to the context and users. Objective. This paper describes the social practices involved in the co-construction of inhalant use contexts of two groups of Mexican middle school students and their reported effects. Method. Photo elicitation methodology was used, with two videotapes produced by students on school sociality practices where inhalants we are used and then analyzed in discussion groups. Results. The theoretical categorization of the data was performed using Atlas.ti software. It was found that although the students inhaled toluene, only one of the students experienced dizziness and headaches, while another classmate felt sleepy. The other video was different; students got high, experiencing euphoria, emotional disinhibition and hallucinations. Dizziness, pain and drowsiness seem largely determined by toluene and alcohol use, whereas the different effects appear to be caused by the sociality of the contexts of inhalant use, students’ subjectivity and their length of consumption. Discussion and conclusion. It is argued that students enjoy inhalant use because getting high reinforces their sociality. The article concludes that inhalant use should be discouraged by incorporating the agency and subjectivity of youth, without neglecting the macro-social factors involved in the production, marketing and regulation of inhalants.