Changes in the feeding habits of the bat ray Myliobatis californica (Gill 1865) during climatic anomalies off the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

The Mexican Pacific was influenced by “La Mancha” and “El Niño”, from 2014 and until 2016. The increase in sea surface temperature influenced the feeding habits of the bat ray (Myliobatis californica) in the northwest of Baja California Sur, Mexico. To evaluate possible changes in the diet, stomach content analysis and analysis of stable isotopes of carbon (δC) and nitrogen (δN) in muscle was performed during normal (2012 and 2013) and anomalous years (2014, 2015, and 2016). During the normal years, the main prey was the crab Dynomene spp. (% Prey Specific Relative Importance Index (PSIRI) = 29.3) and the stomatopod Hemisquilla californiensis (% PSIRI = 10.6). In contrast, during the anomalous years, these preys were replaced by the pelagic red crab Pleuroncodes planipes (% PSIRI = 28.5) and peanut worms Sipunculus spp. (% PSIRI = 7.9). During normal years the median isotopic values recorded were: δC = −16.2‰ and δN = 15.2‰. During the anomalous years, δC was −16.3‰ and δN was 15.1‰. Between the different periods no trophic (p (probability) > 0.05) or isotopic overlaps (p > 0.3) were found. The change in the diet of M. californica during the anomalous years is an adaptive response to the increase in water temperature caused by “La Mancha” and “El Niño”. The massive presence of P. planipes on the northwest coast of Baja California Sur is associated with the increase in water temperature, which makes P. planipes a food source for M. californica.To Instituto Politécnico Nacional by fellowships (COFAA, EDI). Also to CONACYT by the grant 253700 and IPN-SIP20160084 and 2017056

Transiciones, conflictos y democracia : estudios de coyuntura

México ha vivido un largo proceso de transición que ha desencadenado dinamismos económicos, culturales y políticos. En la actual coyuntura, estos dinamismos muestran toda su complejidad, su inevitable articulación y la tensión entre las fuerzas que intentan sostener un viejo modelo de gobernar y decidir el rumbo del país, y aquellas que buscan abrirse a un espectro mucho más amplio y diversificado de actores. En ellos se conjuntan las aspiraciones más legítimas de los mexicanos por avanzar en el reconocimiento y respeto de la pluralidad étnica, de género y entre generaciones, y por impulsar una dinámica en la que —en medio de los procesos de mundialización— los distintos grupos e intereses de los mexicanos puedan ser incluidos. La transición mexicana tiende a centrarse en la dimensión política. La intensidad que cobran los procesos políticos y el énfasis que importantes analistas ponen en dichos procesos, contribuyen a que esta asociación vaya cobrandoíuerza. En este sentido, es necesario advertir que en las transiciones la tendencia privatizadora, la reducción del gasto social, así como la necesidad de pactos sociales que sean respetados, la participación creciente de la sociedad civil, etc. son factores importantes que, en medio de contradicciones, van generando nuevos esquemas de relación entre gobierno y sociedad.ITESO, A.C

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe

Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19 : time for research to develop adaptation strategies

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPAR gamma:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NF kappa B: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2 alpha:Elongation initiation factor 2 alpha). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT(1)R axis (AT(1)R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity

Expression of MALT1 oncogene in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells recapitulates the pathogenesis of human lymphoma in mice

Chromosomal translocations involving the MALT1 gene are hallmarks of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. To date, targeting these translocations to mouse B cells has failed to reproduce human disease. Here, we induced MALT1 expression in mouse Sca1(+)Lin(-) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, which showed NF-κB activation and early lymphoid priming, being selectively skewed toward B-cell differentiation. These cells accumulated in extranodal tissues and gave rise to clonal tumors recapitulating the principal clinical, biological, and molecular genetic features of MALT lymphoma. Deletion of p53 gene accelerated tumor onset and induced transformation of MALT lymphoma to activated B-cell diffuse large-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). Treatment of MALT1-induced lymphomas with a specific inhibitor of MALT1 proteolytic activity decreased cell viability, indicating that endogenous Malt1 signaling was required for tumor cell survival. Our study shows that human-like lymphomas can be modeled in mice by targeting MALT1 expression to hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, demonstrating the oncogenic role of MALT1 in lymphomagenesis. Furthermore, this work establishes a molecular link between MALT lymphoma and ABC-DLBCL, and provides mouse models to test MALT1 inhibitors. Finally, our results suggest that hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of human mature B-cell lymphomas

Search for the doubly charmed baryon Ω cc +

Abstract: A search for the doubly charmed baryon Ωcc+ with the decay mode Ωcc+ → Ξc+K−π+ is performed using proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment from 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb−1. No significant signal is observed within the invariant mass range of 3.6 to 4.0GeV/c2. Upper limits are set on the ratio R of the production cross-section times the total branching fraction of the Ωcc+ → Ξc+K−π+ decay with respect to the Ξcc++→Λc+K−π+π+ decay. Upper limits at 95% credibility level for R in the range 0.005 to 0.11 are obtained for different hypotheses on the Ωcc+ mass and lifetime in the rapidity range from 2.0 to 4.5 and transverse momentum range from 4 to 15 GeV/c