Draft Genome Sequences of 29 Helicobacter pylori Strains Isolated from Colombia

Here, we present the draft genome sequences of 29 Colombian Helicobacter pylori strains. These strains were isolated in Bogotá, Colombia, from patients diagnosed with chronic gastritis. The genomic characterization of these strains will provide more information on the genetic composition of H. pylori strains from Colombia.We thank the entities that financially supported the development of this work. A.B.M. is a recipient of a scholarship from the Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios Básicos y Aplicados (CEIBA) Foundation, Colombia; and A.B.M., C.A., J.S., and A.A.T.-R. are recipients of a project grant (120380763025/2018) from MinCiencias, Colombia. The work is partially supported by Research Vice-Rectory, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PPTA_7676) and F.P.I.T. BanRepCultural (project 3956). F.F.V. is financed by national funds from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through an assistant researcher grant (CEECIND/03023/2017), a project grant (PTDC/BTM-SAL/28978/2017), and projects UIDB/04138/2020 and UIDP/04138/2020; these funds partially supported this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Catalan virgin olive oil Protected Designations of Origin: physicochemical and major sensory attributes

Catalonia, located in the northeast of Spain, comprises five extra virgin oliveoil (EVOO) protected designations of origin (PDOs). Despite the proximitybetween them, these PDOs represent unique pedoclimatic conditions andtraditional olive cultivars that are briefly reviewed in the present manuscript.In addition to the compliance with quality standards fixed by productspecifications, EVOOs show singular and distinctive composition and sensoryprofiles. With the aim to describe the characteristics of Catalan EVOOs, theirsensory and analytical traits are reviewed with the support of data collectedbetween 2009 and 2017 in more than 42 milling facilities from the fiveCatalan PDOs, within the frame of official surveys launched by the CatalanGovernment.Practical Applications: A detailed knowledge of the characteristics ofdifferentiated-quality productions will favor their valorization and protection,improving their image and increasing the consumer confidence. For thisreason, studies to objectively define the characteristics of PDO EVOOs areuseful tools to promote this sector

Reflection Seismic Imaging for Mineral Exploration in the Sotiel-Coronada Area, Southwest Spain

Near Surface Geoscience Conference & Exhibition Online 2020This work explores the first results of the seismic data acquired in the Sotiel-Coronada mine as part of the SIT4ME (Seismic Imaging Techniques for Mineral Exploration) project. In this experiment, a multi-source seismic data-set was acquired at the end of 2018 in the Sotiel- Coronada area of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) (southwest Spain). In the seismic experiment presented, 653 seismic receivers were deployed distributed in a pseudo 3D grid and six crooked lines across the study area. The sensors recorded c. 900 vibration points produced by a 32 Tn vibrotruck. Here, we present the stack results of the 2D seismic sections. Data from over 100 wells have been incorporating to aid in the structural interpretation. The preliminary interpretation reveals the complexity of this highly faulted ore-bearing area. Correlations between well log data information and 2D seismic profiles, suggest the location of a potentially mineralized area. The SIT4ME project has been funded by EIT Raw Materials (17024)

Cerebrovascular events and outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: The SVIN COVID-19 Multinational Registry

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with a significant risk of thrombotic events in critically ill patients. Aim To summarize the findings of a multinational observational cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2 and cerebrovascular disease. Methods Retrospective observational cohort of consecutive adults evaluated in the emergency department and/or admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across 31 hospitals in four countries (1 February 2020–16 June 2020). The primary outcome was the incidence rate of cerebrovascular events, inclusive of acute ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), and cortical vein and/or sinus thrombosis (CVST). Results Of the 14,483 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, 172 were diagnosed with an acute cerebrovascular event (1.13% of cohort; 1130/100,000 patients, 95%CI 970–1320/100,000), 68/171 (40.5%) were female and 96/172 (55.8%) were between the ages 60 and 79 years. Of these, 156 had acute ischemic stroke (1.08%; 1080/100,000 95%CI 920–1260/100,000), 28 ICH (0.19%; 190/100,000 95%CI 130–280/100,000), and 3 with CVST (0.02%; 20/100,000, 95%CI 4–60/100,000). The in-hospital mortality rate for SARS-CoV-2-associated stroke was 38.1% and for ICH 58.3%. After adjusting for clustering by site and age, baseline stroke severity, and all predictors of in-hospital mortality found in univariate regression (p \u3c 0.1: male sex, tobacco use, arrival by emergency medical services, lower platelet and lymphocyte counts, and intracranial occlusion), cryptogenic stroke mechanism (aOR 5.01, 95%CI 1.63–15.44, p \u3c 0.01), older age (aOR 1.78, 95%CI 1.07–2.94, p = 0.03), and lower lymphocyte count on admission (aOR 0.58, 95%CI 0.34–0.98, p = 0.04) were the only independent predictors of mortality among patients with stroke and COVID-19. Conclusions COVID-19 is associated with a small but significant risk of clinically relevant cerebrovascular events, particularly ischemic stroke. The mortality rate is high for COVID-19-associated cerebrovascular complications; therefore, aggressive monitoring and early intervention should be pursued to mitigate poor outcomes

Phytohormone cytokinin guides microtubule dynamics during cell progression from proliferative to differentiated stage

Cell production and differentiation for the acquisition of specific functions are key features of living systems. The dynamic network of cellular microtubules provides the necessary platform to accommodate processes associated with the transition of cells through the individual phases of cytogenesis. Here, we show that the plant hormone cytokinin fine‐tunes the activity of the microtubular cytoskeleton during cell differentiation and counteracts microtubular rearrangements driven by the hormone auxin. The endogenous upward gradient of cytokinin activity along the longitudinal growth axis in Arabidopsis thaliana roots correlates with robust rearrangements of the microtubule cytoskeleton in epidermal cells progressing from the proliferative to the differentiation stage. Controlled increases in cytokinin activity result in premature re‐organization of the microtubule network from transversal to an oblique disposition in cells prior to their differentiation, whereas attenuated hormone perception delays cytoskeleton conversion into a configuration typical for differentiated cells. Intriguingly, cytokinin can interfere with microtubules also in animal cells, such as leukocytes, suggesting that a cytokinin‐sensitive control pathway for the microtubular cytoskeleton may be at least partially conserved between plant and animal cells

SIT4ME: Multidisciplinary techniques for mining exploration in Sotiel (SW-Spain).

X Congreso Geológico de España, 5-7 Julio 2021, Vitoria - GasteizLa necesidad de satisfacer la creciente demanda de materia prima de forma segura, sostenible y a bajo coste, es la principal motivación del proyecto SIT4ME, financiado por el programa EIT-Raw Materials. El objetivo principal de SIT4ME es desarrollar una metodología efectiva y eficiente para la exploración de recursos minerales mediante métodos sísmicos. Este proyecto se centra en la adquisición, procesado e interpretación de datos sísmicos (fuente activa y pasiva) en un entorno real: Sotiel-Coronada, ubicada al SO de la Faja Pirítica Ibérica. Estos datos permitirán obtener imágenes de las principales estructuras y de los niveles mineralizados a profundidades de entre 300-500 m. El procesado de los datos sísmicos 2D incluye correcciones estáticas, deconvolución, ecualización de la amplitud, filtro de frecuencia y análisis de velocidad. La correlación entre las imágenes sísmicas, la geología de superficie y los sondeos existentes ha permitido identificar las principales estructuras. Los resultados muestran buena reflectividad hasta los 2000 ms two-way traveltime (TWT), con estructuras buzando al norte. En la zona central del perfil se identifica una zona de alta reflectividad de 385 m de longitud a 130 ms TWT, correspondiente a un nivel mineralizado. En el futuro se incluirán procesos de migración pre-stack, procesado sísmico de los datos en 3D y tomografía de primeras llegadas para obtener un modelo robusto incrementando la probabilidad de éxito en la exploración.The need to satisfy the increasing demand for raw materials in a safe, sustainable and cost-effective manner, is the main motivation of the SIT4ME project, financed by the EIT-Raw Materials program. The main objective of SIT4ME is to develop an effective and efficient methodology to apply seismic techniques in the search of mineral resources. This project focuses on the acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data (controlled and natural sources) in a real environment: Sotiel-Coronada, located at the SW of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. These data will allow us to obtain images of the principal structures and mineralized levels at depths of 300-500 m. The 2D seismic data process flow includes static corrections, deconvolution, amplitude equalization, frequency filters and velocity analysis. The correlation between seismic images, surface geology and existing drill cores allowed identifying the main deep structures. The results show good, north-dipping reflectivity up to 2000 ms TWT. A high reflectivity zone, c. 380m long, exists in the center of the profile at 130 ms TWT, related to one of the mineralized areas. Future work will include the pre-stack depth migration, processing of 3D seismic data and first arrivals tomography to obtain a robust model that increases the probability of success in the exploration

DNA Methylation Profiles and Their Relationship with Cytogenetic Status in Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Background: Aberrant promoter DNA methylation has been shown to play a role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) pathophysiology. However, further studies to discuss the prognostic value and the relationship of the epigenetic signatures with defined genomic rearrangements in acute myeloid leukemia are required. Methodology/Principal Findings: We carried out high-throughput methylation profiling on 116 de novo AML cases and we validated the significant biomarkers in an independent cohort of 244 AML cases. Methylation signatures were associated with the presence of a specific cytogenetic status. In normal karyotype cases, aberrant methylation of the promoter of DBC1 was validated as a predictor of the disease-free and overall survival. Furthermore, DBC1 expression was significantly silenced in the aberrantly methylated samples. Patients with chromosome rearrangements showed distinct methylation signatures. To establish the role of fusion proteins in the epigenetic profiles, 20 additional samples of human hematopoietic stem/ progenitor cells (HSPC) transduced with common fusion genes were studied and compared with patient samples carrying the same rearrangements. The presence of MLL rearrangements in HSPC induced the methylation profile observed in the MLL-positive primary samples. In contrast, fusion genes such as AML1/ETO or CBFB/MYH11 failed to reproduce the epigenetic signature observed in the patients. Conclusions/Significance: Our study provides a comprehensive epigenetic profiling of AML, identifies new clinical markers for cases with a normal karyotype, and reveals relevant biological information related to the role of fusion proteins on the methylation signatur

MAPPING COMMUNITY INTEREST HABITATS IN THE COLUMBRETES ARCHIPELAGO, AN EXTRAORDINARY HOT SPOT OF BIODIVERSITY

The Columbretes Archipelago and their submerged surroundings are part of an unusual, Pleistocene volcanic field located in the Western Mediterranean designated as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) of the Natura 2000 Network. In the present study, 4 benthic habitats of community interest (1110, 1170, 1180 and 8330) have been identified by analyzing several sources of information. Generalized additive models (GAMs) have been used to model the potential distribution of reefs (1170) and maërl beds (1110). Our results highlight the diversity and extent of these habitats and allow comparisons to other marine SCIs of Spain. This can be attributed to the variability of the environment of this site. The Columbretes Islands combine a relatively shallow environment with volcanic structures, hydrothermalism with active degassing, current-driven sedimentary lobes and the influence of inland flows. Understanding high biodiversity spots is crucial as they offer natural laboratories to describe how ecosystems respond to the effects of global change. The knowledge obtained will be of paramount importance for the conservation of species and habitats. Furthermore, it will establish a baseline for future monitoring and assist in the development of effective management plans

The dominant ethnic moment: towards the abolition of 'whiteness'?

International audienc

Metagenomics of the Deep Mediterranean, a Warm Bathypelagic Habitat

BACKGROUND: Metagenomics is emerging as a powerful method to study the function and physiology of the unexplored microbial biosphere, and is causing us to re-evaluate basic precepts of microbial ecology and evolution. Most marine metagenomic analyses have been nearly exclusively devoted to photic waters. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We constructed a metagenomic fosmid library from 3,000 m-deep Mediterranean plankton, which is much warmer (approximately 14 degrees C) than waters of similar depth in open oceans (approximately 2 degrees C). We analyzed the library both by phylogenetic screening based on 16S rRNA gene amplification from clone pools and by sequencing both insert extremities of ca. 5,000 fosmids. Genome recruitment strategies showed that the majority of high scoring pairs corresponded to genomes from Rhizobiales within the Alphaproteobacteria, Cenarchaeum symbiosum, Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Gammaproteobacteria. We have found a community structure similar to that found in the aphotic zone of the Pacific. However, the similarities were significantly higher to the mesopelagic (500-700 m deep) in the Pacific than to the single 4000 m deep sample studied at this location. Metabolic genes were mostly related to catabolism, transport and degradation of complex organic molecules, in agreement with a prevalent heterotrophic lifestyle for deep-sea microbes. However, we observed a high percentage of genes encoding dehydrogenases and, among them, cox genes, suggesting that aerobic carbon monoxide oxidation may be important in the deep ocean as an additional energy source. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The comparison of metagenomic libraries from the deep Mediterranean and the Pacific ALOHA water column showed that bathypelagic Mediterranean communities resemble more mesopelagic communities in the Pacific, and suggests that, in the absence of light, temperature is a major stratifying factor in the oceanic water column, overriding pressure at least over 4000 m deep. Several chemolithotrophic metabolic pathways could supplement organic matter degradation in this most depleted habitat