The histone binding capacity of SPT2 controls chromatin structure and function in Metazoa

Histone chaperones control nucleosome density and chromatin structure. In yeast, the H3-H4 chaperone Spt2 controls histone deposition at active genes but its roles in metazoan chromatin structure and organismal physiology are not known. Here we identify the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of SPT2 (CeSPT-2) and show that its ability to bind histones H3-H4 is important for germline development and transgenerational epigenetic gene silencing, and that spt-2 null mutants display signatures of a global stress response. Genome-wide profiling showed that CeSPT-2 binds to a range of highly expressed genes, and we find that spt-2 mutants have increased chromatin accessibility at a subset of these loci. We also show that SPT2 influences chromatin structure and controls the levels of soluble and chromatin-bound H3.3 in human cells. Our work reveals roles for SPT2 in controlling chromatin structure and function in Metazoa.</p

An Objective Scatter Index Based on Double-Pass Retinal Images of a Point Source to Classify Cataracts

PURPOSE: To propose a new objective scatter index (OSI) based in the analysis of double-pass images of a point source to rank and classify cataract patients. This classification scheme is compared with a current subjective system. METHODS: We selected a population including a group of normal young eyes as control and patients diagnosed with cataract (grades NO2, NO3 and NO4) according to the Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS III). For each eye, we recorded double-pass retinal images of a point source. In each patient, we determined an objective scatter index (OSI) as the ratio of the intensity at an eccentric location in the image and the central part. This index provides information on the relevant forward scatter affecting vision. Since the double-pass retinal images are affected by both ocular aberrations and intraocular scattering, an analysis was performed to show the ranges of contributions of aberrations to the OSI. RESULTS: We used the OSI values to classify each eye according to the degree of scatter. The young normal eyes of the control group had OSI values below 1, while the OSI for subjects in LOCS grade II were around 1 to 2. The use of the objective index showed some of the weakness of subjective classification schemes. In particular, several subjects initially classified independently as grade NO2 or NO3 had similar OSI values, and in some cases even higher than subjects classified as grade NO4. A new classification scheme based in OSI is proposed. CONCLUSIONS: We introduced an objective index based in the analysis of double-pass retinal images to classify cataract patients. The method is robust and fully based in objective measurements; i.e., not depending on subjective decisions. This procedure could be used in combination with standard current methods to improve cataract patient surgery scheduling

Transcriptional Changes Common to Human Cocaine, Cannabis and Phencyclidine Abuse

A major goal of drug abuse research is to identify and understand drug-induced changes in brain function that are common to many or all drugs of abuse. As these may underlie drug dependence and addiction, the purpose of the present study was to examine if different drugs of abuse effect changes in gene expression that converge in common molecular pathways. Microarray analysis was employed to assay brain gene expression in postmortem anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) from 42 human cocaine, cannabis and/or phencyclidine abuse cases and 30 control cases, which were characterized by toxicology and drug abuse history. Common transcriptional changes were demonstrated for a majority of drug abuse cases (N = 34), representing a number of consistently changed functional classes: Calmodulin-related transcripts (CALM1, CALM2, CAMK2B) were decreased, while transcripts related to cholesterol biosynthesis and trafficking (FDFT1, APOL2, SCARB1), and Golgi/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions (SEMA3B, GCC1) were all increased. Quantitative PCR validated decreases in calmodulin 2 (CALM2) mRNA and increases in apolipoprotein L, 2 (APOL2) and semaphorin 3B (SEMA3B) mRNA for individual cases. A comparison between control cases with and without cardiovascular disease and elevated body mass index indicated that these changes were not due to general cellular and metabolic stress, but appeared specific to the use of drugs. Therefore, humans who abused cocaine, cannabis and/or phencyclidine share a decrease in transcription of calmodulin-related genes and increased transcription related to lipid/cholesterol and Golgi/ER function. These changes represent common molecular features of drug abuse, which may underlie changes in synaptic function and plasticity that could have important ramifications for decision-making capabilities in drug abusers

Materials characterisation and software tools as key enablers in Industry 5.0 and wider acceptance of new methods and products

Recently, the NMBP-35 Horizon 2020 projects - NanoMECommons, CHARISMA, and Easi-stress - organised a collaborative workshop to increase awareness of their contributions to the industry “commons” in terms of characterisation and digital transformation. They have established interoperability standards for knowledge management in characterisation and introduced new solutions for materials testing, aided by the standardisation of faster and more accurate assessment methods. The lessons learned from these projects and the discussions during the joint workshop emphasised the impact of recent developments and emerging needs in the field of characterisation. Specifically, the focus was on enhancing data quality through harmonisation and standardisation, as well as making advanced technologies and instruments accessible to a broader community with the goal of fostering increased trust in new products and a more skilled society. Experts also highlighted how characterisation and the corresponding experimental data can drive future innovation agendas towards technological breakthroughs. The focus of the discussion revolved around the characterisation and standardisation processes, along with the collection of modelling and characterisation tools, as well as protocols for data exchange. The broader context of materials characterisation and modelling within the materials community was explored, drawing insights from the Materials 2030 Roadmap and the experiences gained from NMBP-35 projects. This whitepaper has the objective of addressing common challenges encountered by the materials community, illuminating emerging trends and evolving techniques, and presenting the industry's perspective on emerging requirements and past success stories. It accomplishes this by providing specific examples and highlighting how these experiences can create fresh opportunities and strategies for newcomers entering the market. These advancements are anticipated to facilitate a more efficient transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 during the industrial revolution. © 2023The Workshop was supported by EU H2020 project NanoMECommons, GA 952869, CHARISMA, GA 952921, EASI-STRESS, GA 953219, and EsSENce COST ACTION CA19118. This article/publication is based upon work from COST Action EsSENce COST ACTION CA19118, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). Miguel A. Bañares, Raquel Portela, Nina Jeliazkova, Enrique Lozano, Bastian Barton and Iván Moya have received financial support from the EU H2020 project CHARISMA, GA n. 952921, Bojan Boskovic, Ennio Capria, Costas Charitidis, Donna Dykeman, Spyros Diplas, Gerhard Goldbeck, Marco Sebastiani, Elias Koumoulos, Silvia Giovanna Avataneo, Miguel A. Bañares, Raquel Portela, Anastasia Alexandratou, Athanasios Katsavrias, Fotis Mystakopoulos have received financial support from the EU H2020 project NanoMECommons, GA n. 952869, Nikolaj Zangernberg and Ennio Capria have received financial support from the EU H2020 project EASI-STRESS, GA n. 953219, Natalia Konchakova has received financial support from the EU H2020 project VIPCOAT, GA n. 952903, Costas Charitidis, Elias Koumoulos, and Spyros Diplas have received financial support from the EsSENce COST ACTION CA19118. All authors would like to specially acknowledge Anastasia Alexandratou, Athanasios Katsavrias and Fotis Mystakopoulos for their support in NMBP-35 joint Workshop organisation and documentation, and Steffen Neumann for his insights during the NMBP-35 joint Workshop discussions.Peer reviewe

Development of Proteomics-Based Fungicides: New Strategies for Environmentally Friendly Control of Fungal Plant Diseases

Proteomics has become one of the most relevant high-throughput technologies. Several approaches have been used for studying, for example, tumor development, biomarker discovery, or microbiology. In this “post-genomic” era, the relevance of these studies has been highlighted as the phenotypes determined by the proteins and not by the genotypes encoding them that is responsible for the final phenotypes. One of the most interesting outcomes of these technologies is the design of new drugs, due to the discovery of new disease factors that may be candidates for new therapeutic targets. To our knowledge, no commercial fungicides have been developed from targeted molecular research, this review will shed some light on future prospects. We will summarize previous research efforts and discuss future innovations, focused on the fight against one of the main agents causing a devastating crops disease, fungal phytopathogens

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services

Computational Methods for Pigmented Skin Lesion Classification in Images: Review and Future Trends

Skin cancer is considered as one of the most common types of cancer in several countries, and its incidence rate has increased in recent years. Melanoma cases have caused an increasing number of deaths worldwide, since this type of skin cancer is the most aggressive compared to other types. Computational methods have been developed to assist dermatologists in early diagnosis of skin cancer. An overview of the main and current computational methods that have been proposed for pattern analysis and pigmented skin lesion classification is addressed in this review. In addition, a discussion about the application of such methods, as well as future trends, is also provided. Several methods for feature extraction from both macroscopic and dermoscopic images and models for feature selection are introduced and discussed. Furthermore, classification algorithms and evaluation procedures are described, and performance results for lesion classification and pattern analysis are given

La colección de lapidarios de mármol almeriense del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

[EN]: Upon speaking of lapidary not only it is referred to the hard stone engravers but to their works. During the centuries XVII and XIX lapidary industry was for exclusive use of the King, being considered as "real quaries" the zones of extraction. These was sealed and its access were found, therefore, restricted.[ES]: Los lapidarios de mármol del M.N.C.N. constituyen el 38% de las 636 piezas históricas que consta esta colección específica. En conjunto, todos los ejemplares presentan una gran variedad de colores y procedencias, siendo la mayoría placas cuadradas de 21 cm. de lado y 1 a 2 cm. de espesor. Únicamnete 19 piezas pertenecen a la provincia de Almería.17 páginas, 2 tablas.-- Editores: Luis García-Rossell y Andrés Navarro Flores.Peer reviewe