Confirmation of involvement of new variants at CDKN2A/B in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia susceptibility in the Spanish population

The locus CDKN2A/B (9p21.3), which comprises the tumor suppressors genes CDKN2A and CDKN2B and the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) known as ANRIL (or CDKN2B-AS), was associated with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptibility in several genome wide association studies (GWAS). However, the variants associated in the diverse studies were different. Recently, new and independent SNPs deregulating the locus function were also identified in association with ALL risk. This diversity in the results may be explained because different variants in each population could alter CDKN2A/B locus function through diverse mechanisms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the annotated risk variants in the CDKN2A/B locus affect the susceptibility of B cell precursor ALL (B-ALL) in our Spanish population and explore if other SNPs altering additional regulatory mechanisms could be also involved. We analyzed the four SNPs proposed by GWAs and two additional SNPs in miRNA binding sites in 217 pediatric patients with B-ALL and 330 healthy controls. The SNPs rs2811712, rs3731249, rs3217992 and rs2811709 were associated with B-ALL susceptibility in our Spanish population. ALL subtypes analyses showed that rs2811712 was associated with B-hyperdiploid ALL. These results provide evidence for the influence of genetic variants at CDKN2A/B locus with the risk of developing B-ALL

Involvement of SNPs in miR-3117 and miR-3689d2 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. Numerous studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) could play a role in this disease. Nowadays, more than 2500 miRNAs have been described, that regulate more than 50% of genes, including those involved in B-cell maturation, differentiation and proliferation. Genetic variants in miRNAs can alter their own levels or function, affecting their target gene expression, and then, may affect ALL risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the role of miRNA genetic variants in B-ALL susceptibility. We analyzed all variants in pre-miRNAs (MAF > 1%) in two independent cohorts from Spain and Slovenia and inferred their functional effect by in silico analysis. SNPs rs12402181 in miR-3117 and rs62571442 in miR-3689d2 were associated with ALL risk in both cohorts, possibly through their effect on MAPK signalling pathway. These SNPs could be novel markers for ALL susceptibility

A 21 m Operation Range RFID Tag for “Pick to Light” Applications with a Photovoltaic Harvester

In this paper, a novel Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for “pick to light” applications is presented. The proposed tag architecture shows the implementation of a novel voltage limiter and a supply voltage (VDD) monitoring circuit to guarantee a correct operation between the tag and the reader for the “pick to light” application. The feasibility to power the tag with different photovoltaic cells is also analyzed, showing the influence of the illuminance level (lx), type of source light (fluorescent, LED or halogen) and type of photovoltaic cell (photodiode or solar cell) on the amount of harvested energy. Measurements show that the photodiodes present a power per unit package area for low illuminance levels (500 lx) of around 0.08 µW/mm2 , which is slightly higher than the measured one for a solar cell of 0.06 µW/mm2 . However, solar cells present a more compact design for the same absolute harvested power due to the large number of required photodiodes in parallel. Finally, an RFID tag prototype for “pick to light” applications is implemented, showing an operation range of 3.7 m in fully passive mode. This operation range can be significantly increased to 21 m when the tag is powered by a solar cell with an illuminance level as low as 100 lx and a halogen bulb as source light

Different ratio of soluble and insoluble fiber in the pig diet

Se evaluó la inclusión progresiva de dos forrajes con diferente contenido en fibra soluble (FS), en dietas de cerdos desde la recría a la terminación. Los tratamientos fueron: dieta base testigo (T0) formulada en base a maíz y harina de soja; dieta base con alfalfa (T1) (Medicago sativa var. Chaná) o con achicoria (T2) (Cichorium intibus var. Lacerta) para las fases (F) de recría I (F1, 40-60 kg de PV), recría II (F2, 60-80 kg de PV) y terminación (F3, 80 a 100 kg de PV). Se utilizaron 27 animales con un peso inicial de 42 kg (± 2.3), en un diseño de parcelas al azar en tres tratamientos con nueve repeticiones. El peso final y la ganancia diaria no difirieron entre tratamientos. El consumo de Fibra Dietaria fue mayor en los tratamientos con forraje (P<0.05), mientras el consumo de FS fue mayor en la dieta con achicoria que en la dieta con alfalfa (P<0.05). Este mayor consumo de Fibra Dietaria estuvo asociado a un mayor peso de los componentes del tracto gastrointestinal de los cerdos, en particular el colon en T2 (P<0.05). Como consecuencia, T2 presentó el menor rendimiento de carcasa (77.4%, P<0.05), respecto a T0 y T1, los que fueron similares entre si (80.0 y 78.9% respectivamente, P=0.303). La inclusión progresiva de forraje posibilitó una adaptación física del tracto, mediante el aumento del estómago y colón, pero dicha adaptación afectó el rendimiento de carcasa.The progressive inclusion of two forages with different soluble fibre (FS) content, in diets from growing and finishing pig was evaluated. The treatments were: control diet (T0) formulated based on corn and soybean meal; base diet with alfalfa (T1) (Medicago sativa var. Chaná) or with chicory (T2) (Cichorium intibus var. Lacerta) for stages (F) of growing I (F1, 40-60 kg of PV), growing II (F2, 60-80 kg of PV) and finishing (F3, 80 to 100 kg of PV). 27 animals with an initial weight of 42 kg (± 2.3) were used in a random plot design in three treatments, with nine repetitions. The final weight and daily gain did not differ among treatments. Dietary Fiber consumption was higher in forage treatments (P<0.05), while FS consumption was higher in the chicory diet than the alfalfa diet (P <0.05). This higher consumption of Dietary Fiber was associated with a higher weight of the components of the pigs’ gastrointestinal tract, particularly the colon in T2 (P<0.05). As a consequence, T2 presented the lowest carcass yield (77.4%, P<0.05), compared to T0 and T1, which were similar to each other (80.0 and 78.9% respectively, P=0.303).The progressive inclusion of forage allowed a physical adaptation of the tract, by increasing the stomach and colon but such adaptation affected the carcass yield

Recent increase in tree damage and mortality and their spatial dependence on drought intensity in Mediterranean forests

Resumen de la comunicación oral presentada en XVI Congreso Nacional de la AEET, 16 al 20 de octubre de 2023, Universidad de AlmeríaLand-use and climate change are leading to more frequent and intense tree damage and mortality events. Drought-induced tree mortality is occurring worldwide leading to broad-scale events, but the spatial patterns of tree damage and mortality, their underlying drivers and their variation over time is largely unknown. We investigated the spatial patterns of tree damage and mortality across Mediterranean forests of the Iberian Peninsula, the underlying effects of competition and climate, and how the spatial patterns and relationships with underlying drivers changed over time. We used the Spanish Forest Inventory to analyse the autocorrelation in tree damage and mortality across forest types, hurdle-gamma models to quantify the effect of competition and climate on tree damage and mortality, and cross-correlograms to assess their spatial dependence and its change over time. We observed a greater magnitude and a stronger autocorrelation in tree damage than mortality, with positive aggregation up to 20 kilometres. There was a spatial dependence between tree damage and mortality with their drivers, with spatial aggregation increasing with water availability, drought intensity and competition. The spatial dependence of tree damage and mortality with the underlying drivers increased over time, particularly for drought intensity. Our results suggest that the combined effect of intense competition and drought could favour more extensive die-off and tree mortality events, providing key information for identifying vulnerable areas and the planning of adaptation measures

Treatment dilemmas in asymptomatic children with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Asymptomatic carriers (ACs) of pathogenic biallelic mutations in causative genes for primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) are at high risk of developing life-threatening HLH, which requires allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to be cured. There are no guidelines on the management of these asymptomatic patients. We analyzed the outcomes of pairs of index cases (ICs) and subsequently diagnosed asymptomatic family members carrying the same genetic defect. We collected data from 22 HSCT centers worldwide. Sixty-four children were evaluable. ICs presented with HLH at a median age of 16 months. Seven of 32 ICs died during first-line therapy, and 2 are alive after chemotherapy only. In all, 23/32 underwent HSCT, and 16 of them are alive. At a median follow-up of 36 months from diagnosis, 18/32 ICs are alive. Median age of ACs at diagnosis was 5 months. Ten of 32 ACs activated HLH while being observed, and all underwent HSCT: 6/10 are alive and in complete remission (CR). 22/32 ACs remained asymptomatic, and 6/22 have received no treatment and are in CR at a median follow-up of 39 months. Sixteen of 22 underwent preemptive HSCT: 15/16 are alive and in CR. Eight-year probability of overall survival (pOS) in ACs who did not have activated HLH was significantly higher than that in ICs (95% vs 45%; P = .02), and pOS in ACs receiving HSCT before disease activation was significantly higher than in ACs receiving HSCT after HLH activation (93% vs 64%; P = .03). Preemptive HSCT in ACs proved to be safe and should be considered