Detection And Characterization Of A Volatile Compound As A Response To Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Feeding In Maize (Zea Mays)

Maize (Zea mays) is an important agricultural crop frequently targeted by pests that pose a threat to plant development and survival. To deal with this problem, maize generates a wide variety of responses to attack by pests, from activation of woundresponse pathways to the release of volatile compounds. Several maize lines have been developed that show resistance to one common pest, the larvae of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). Analysis of the volatiles released by the resistant and susceptible lines in the presence and absence of the fall armyworm was conducted using SPME coupled to GC/MS. Caryophyllene, a commonly released plant volatile, was identified in the resistant line. In the susceptible line, caryophyllene was detected in smaller quantities or not at all. The results of a preference study demonstrated that fall armyworm larvae show a statistically significant preference for yellow-green whorl tissue from the susceptible over the resistant line

Detection And Characterization Of A Volatile Compound As A Response To Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Feeding In Maize (Zea Mays)

Maize (Zea mays) is an important agricultural crop frequently targeted by pests that pose a threat to plant development and survival. To deal with this problem, maize generates a wide variety of responses to attack by pests, from activation of woundresponse pathways to the release of volatile compounds. Several maize lines have been developed that show resistance to one common pest, the larvae of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). Analysis of the volatiles released by the resistant and susceptible lines in the presence and absence of the fall armyworm was conducted using SPME coupled to GC/MS. Caryophyllene, a commonly released plant volatile, was identified in the resistant line. In the susceptible line, caryophyllene was detected in smaller quantities or not at all. The results of a preference study demonstrated that fall armyworm larvae show a statistically significant preference for yellow-green whorl tissue from the susceptible over the resistant line

Correlación ente mutaciones en el exón 15 del oncogén BRAF con distintas características histopatológicas y la evolución clínica de pacientes con melanoma cutáneo en diferentes estadios

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the skin cancer with the higher increase in incidence. CM presents a high mutation rate, the most relevant nucleotide mutation is T1799A, resulting in the amino acid substitution V600E, in the BRAF oncogene. The serine-threonine protein kinase BRAFV600E is a constitutively active variant associated with cell proliferation involving the MAPK pathway. Among CM cell lines established in our laboratory there are BRAFV600E (8/16), BRAFV600K (4/16) and BRAFWT (4/16) variants. BRAFV600E cell lines present greater proliferative and clonogenic index in vitro. Recent studies performed in patients with regional metastases (AJCC stage III) reported a correlation between the presence of mutated BRAFV600 and a worse prognosis. The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence and status of BRAF mutations in tumor biopsies from a population of patients with CM in different stages (II, III, IV), all treated at the Instituto Alexander Fleming (n = 44), and their possible link with other clinico-pathological parameters. To do this, a methodology was established; DNA isolation from tumor biopsies fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin; followed by the amplification of the region of interest and subsequent sequence analysis by the method of Sanger. Finally, BRAF mutational status of each biopsy was correlated to tumor clinico-pathologic characteristics.\nThe analyzed CM population presented a BRAFV600 oncogene mutation frequency of 77%, higher than that reported in bibliography which varies in the range 17-72%. We observed prevalence of BRAFV600E (98 %) mutation, followed by BRAFV600K (2%). The results obtained in the study population indicate that the mutated BRAF oncogene presents an association with some clinico-pathological parameters related to tumor progression, such as a Breslow thickness >2 mm in primary tumors (p=0,012), the presence of lymph node metastasis (p = 0,0036); and the proliferative index of metastatic tumors (p = 0,0353). No significant associations neither with other clinico-pathological characteristics nor with the clinical evolution were found. These results open the possibility of considering the BRAF oncogene mutational status as a prognostic factor, in order to improve staging of CM patients.Fil: Yepez Crow, Michelle Elizabeth. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaEl melanoma cutáneo (MC) es el cáncer de piel con mayor incremento en su incidencia. Presenta alta tasa de mutaciones, siendo la más relevante la mutación nucleotídica T1799A, sustitución aminoacídica (V600E) en el oncogén BRAF. La proteína serina-treonina quinasa BRAFV600E es una variante constitutivamente activa asociada a la proliferación celular por la vía MAPK. Entre las líneas celulares de MC establecidas en nuestro laboratorio hay variantes BRAFV600E (8/16), BRAFV600K (4/16) y BRAFWT (4/16); presentando las líneas BRAFV600E mayor índice proliferativo y clonogénico in vitro. Trabajos recientes en pacientes con metástasis regionales de MC (estadio III AJCC) reportaron una correlación entre la presencia de BRAFV600 mutado y un peor pronóstico. Este trabajo de investigación tiene el objetivo de determinar la prevalencia del status mutacional del oncogén BRAFV600 en biopsias tumorales en una población de pacientes con MC en diferentes estadios clínico (II, III, IV), procedentes del Instituto Alexander Fleming (n=44), y su posible relación con otros parámetros clínico-patológicos. Para ello, se estableció una metodología de trabajo; desde la extracción de ADN tumoral a partir de biopsias fijadas en formol y embebidas en parafina; hasta la amplificación de la región de interés y posterior análisis de su secuencia por el método de Sanger. Luego se determinó el status mutacional de BRAF en cada biopsia, y su relación con las características clínico-patológicas del tumor.\nLa población de pacientes con MC analizada presentó una frecuencia del oncogén BRAFV600 mutado del 77%, mayor a lo reportado en bibliografía que oscila en un rango de 17-72%. De los pacientes con tumores BRAFV600 mutado, se observó una prevalencia de la mutación BRAFV600E (98%), seguida de BRAFV600K (2%). Los resultados obtenidos en la población del estudio, indican que el status mutacional del oncogén BRAF presenta una asociación con parámetros clínico-patológicos relacionados a la progresión tumoral, como el índice de Breslow mayor a 2mm en tumores primarios (p=0,012), la presencia de metástasis en ganglios linfáticos (p = 0,0036) y el índice proliferativo de los tumores metastásicos (p = 0,0353). No se encontraron asociaciones significativas con otras características clínico-patológicas ni con la evolución clínica en la población de estudio. Los resultados obtenidos abren la posibilidad de considerar el status mutacional del oncogén BRAF como factor pronóstico, con el fin de mejorar la estadificación del MC

Reactive oxygen species induce virus-independent MAVS-oligomerization in systemic lupus erythematosus

The increased expression of genes induced by type I interferon (IFN) is characteristic of viral infections and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We showed that mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein, which normally forms a complex with retinoic acid gene I (RIG-I)–like helicases during viral infection, was activated by oxidative stress independently of RIG-I helicases. We found that chemically generated oxidative stress stimulated the formation of MAVS oligomers, which led to mitochondrial hyperpolarization and decreased adenosine triphosphate production and spare respiratory capacity, responses that were not observed in similarly treated cells lacking MAVS. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of SLE patients also showed spontaneous MAVS oligomerization that correlated with the increased secretion of type I IFN and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Furthermore, inhibition of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ prevented MAVS oligomerization and type I IFN production. ROS-dependent MAVS oligomerization and type I IFN production were reduced in cells expressing the MAVS-C79F variant, which occurs in 30% of sub-Saharan Africans and is linked with reduced type I IFN secretion and milder disease in SLE patients. Patients expressing the MAVS-C79F variant also had reduced amounts of oligomerized MAVS in their plasma compared to healthy controls. Together, our findings suggest that oxidative stress–induced MAVS oligomerization in SLE patients may contribute to the type I IFN signature that is characteristic of this syndrome

Intraseasonal periodicity in the Southern Hemisphere circulation on regional spatial scales

Wave activity in the Southern Hemisphere extratropical atmosphere exhibits robust periodicity on time scales of ~20–25 days. Previous studies have demonstrated the robustness of the periodicity in hemispheric averages of various eddy quantities. Here the authors explore the signature of the periodicity on regional spatial scales. Intraseasonal periodicity in the Southern Hemisphere circulation derives from out-of-phase anomalies in wave activity that form in association with extratropical wave packets as they propagate to the east. In the upper troposphere, the out-of-phase anomalies in wave activity form not along the path of extratropical wave packets, but in their wake. The out-of-phase anomalies in wave activity give rise to periodicity not only on hemispheric scales, but also on synoptic scales when the circulation is sampled along an eastward path between ~5 and 15 m s−1. It is argued that 1) periodicity in extratropical wave activity derives from two-way interactions between the heat fluxes and baroclinicity in the lower troposphere and 2) the unique longitude–time structure of the periodicity in upper-tropospheric wave activity derives from the contrasting eastward speeds of the source of the periodicity in the lower troposphere (~10 m s−1) and wave packets in the upper troposphere (~25 m s−1)

Multicenter Breast Cancer Collaborative Registry

The Breast Cancer Collaborative Registry (BCCR) is a multicenter web-based system that efficiently collects and manages a variety of data on breast cancer (BC) patients and BC survivors. This registry is designed as a multi-tier web application that utilizes Java Servlet/JSP technology and has an Oracle 11g database as a back-end. The BCCR questionnaire has accommodated standards accepted in breast cancer research and healthcare. By harmonizing the controlled vocabulary with the NCI Thesaurus (NCIt) or Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT), the BCCR provides a standardized approach to data collection and reporting. The BCCR has been recently certified by the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (NCI CBIIT) as a cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®) Bronze Compatible product

Orbitofrontal cortex, emotional decision-making and response to cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis

Grey matter volume (GMV) in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) may relate to better response to cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) because of the region's role in emotional decision-making and cognitive flexibility. This study aimed to determine the relation between pre-therapy OFC GMV or asymmetry and CBTp responsiveness and emotional decision-making as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Thirty patients received CBTp + standard care (CBTp+SC; 25 completers) for 6-8 months. All patients (before receiving CBTp) and 25 healthy participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and performed the IGT. Patients' symptoms were assessed before and after therapy. Pre-therapy OFC GMV, measured using a region-of-interest approach, and IGT performance, measured as overall learning, attention to reward, memory for past outcomes and choice consistency, were comparable between patient and healthy groups. In the CBTp+SC group, greater OFC GMV was correlated with positive symptom improvement, specifically hallucinations and persecution. Greater rightward OFC asymmetry correlated with improvement in several negative and general psychopathology symptoms. Greater left OFC GMV was associated with lower IGT attention to reward. The findings suggest that greater OFC volume and rightward asymmetry, which maintain the OFC's function in emotional decision-making and cognitive flexibility, are beneficial for CBTp responsiveness

Project Re•center dot Vision: disability at the edges of representation

The representational history of disabled people can largely be characterized as one of being put on display or hidden away. Self-representations have been a powerful part of the disability rights and culture movement, but recently scholars have analysed the ways in which these run the risk of creating a ‘single story’ that centres the experiences of white, western, physically disabled men. Here we introduce and theorize with Project Re•Vision, our arts-based research project that resists this singularity by creating and centring, without normalizing, representations that have previously been relegated to the margins. We draw from body becoming and new materialist theory to explore the dynamic ways in which positionality illuminates bodies of difference and open into a discussion about what is at stake when these stories are let loose into the world