Contribución al conocimiento de la flora de Andalucía: citas novedosas e interesantes de la provincia de Almería

Contribution to the knowledge about Andalusian flora: new and interesting cites of the Almería province.Palabras clave. Corología, Isla de Alborán, sureste ibérico, xenófitas.Key words. Corology, Alborán Island, South-Eastern Iberian Peninsula, xenophytes

EFFECT OF TIME OF INCUBATION ON NUCLEAR MATURATION AND CLEAVAGE POST IN VITRO FERTILIZATION OF ALPACA OOCYTES

Se evaluó el efecto del tiempo de cultivo sobre la tasa de maduración nuclear y tasa de división post-fecundación a 72 horas de ovocitos de alpacas. Complejos Cumulus-Ovocitos (CCOs) fueron obtenidos de ovarios procedentes de animales beneficiados en el camal y transportados a 35 °C en solución salina 0.9% suplementada con antibiótico antimicótico. Los CCOs fueron aspirados de folículos de 2 a 6 mm. Experimento 1: 502 ovocitos fueron distribuidos en cuatro tiempos de maduración (30, 34, 38 y 42 horas) y madurados en TCM-199 suplementado con 10% suero fetal bovino (SFB), 0.5 µg/mL de FSH, 10 µg/mL de hCG, 0.2 mM de piruvato de sodio, 50 µg/mL de gentamicina y 1 µg/mL de E2, y cultivados a 39 ºC bajo una atmósfera de 5% de CO2 y alta humedad. Posteriormente, los ovocitos fueron removidos, lavados con PBS suplementado con 10% de SFB y 1 mg/ml de hialuronidasa y fijados en solución de etanol y ácido acético (3:1). Los ovocitos fueron colocados en portaobjetos, teñidos con 1% de orceína y examinados bajo un microscopio a 400x para determinar la maduración nuclear. Experimento 2: 533 ovocitos fueron cultivados bajo las mismas condiciones del experimento 1 y fecundados con espermatozoides obtenidos de epidídimos. Los espermatozoides fueron centrifugados a 700 g en una gradiente de Percoll discontinua (22.5:45%) por 25 minutos. El sobrenadante fue removido y el pellet (con espermatozoides viables) reconstituido con TL-Stock. Los gametos fueron co-cultivados por 18 horas a 39 ºC con 5% de CO2 en KSOM suplementado con 10% de SFB, 2 mM de piruvato de sodio y 50 µg/mL gentamicina, y evaluados a las 72 horas. En el Experimento 1 se obtuvo el 26.3±5.4, 52.6±6.7, 68.5±10.6 y 75.3±11.9% de ovocitos en Metafase-II para 30, 34, 38 y 42 h de cultivo, respectivamente, con diferencia estadística entre 30 y 34 h respecto a 38 y 42 h (p<0.05). En el Experimento 2, la tasa de división fue 9.5±4.8, 8.1±5.8, 15.6±9.2 y 19.8±8.0% para 30, 34, 38 y 42 h, sin diferencia estadística entre grupos. Los resultados sugieren que los ovocitos de alpacas requieren 38 a 42 h de maduración para obtener estadios de Metafase-II.The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of incubation time on nuclear maturation and cleavage rate of alpaca oocytes after 72 hours post-fertilization. Cumulusoocyte complexes (CCOs) were collected from ovaries collected at slaughterhouse and transported in saline solution 0.9% with antibiotic antimycotic at 35 ºC. CCOs were aspirated from 2-6 mm follicles. Experiment 1: 502 oocytes were distributed in four maturation times (30, 34, 38, 42 hours), matured in TCM-199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) (v:v), 0.5 μg/mL FSH, 10 μg/mL hCG, 0.2 mM sodium pyruvate, 50 μg/mL gentamicine and 1 μg/mL oestradiol, and cultivated at 39 ºC in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and high humidity. After maturation, CCOs were removed from maturation medium and washed with PBS supplemented with 10% FCS and 1 mg/ml of hyaluronidase, and fixed in ethanol and acetic acid (3:1). Oocytes were placed on a glass slide, stained with 1% orcein and examined under microscope at 400x to evaluate nuclear maturation status. Experiment 2: 533 CCOs were culture under similar maturation protocols than experiment 1 and fertilized with epididymal spermatozoa. These were obtained by centrifugation at 700 g on a Percoll discontinuous gradient (22.5:45%) for 25 min. The supernatant was removed by aspiration and the pellet (containing viable spermatozoa) was re-suspended in TL Stock. Gametes were co-incubated for 18 h at 39 °C with 5% CO2 and cultivated in KSOM supplemented with 10% FCS (v:v), 0.2 mM sodium pyruvate and 50 μg/ml gentamicine, and evaluated in 72 hours. In experiment 1, 26.3±5.4, 52.6±6.7, 68.5±10.6 and 75.3±11.9% of oocytes were in M-II stage for the 30, 34, 38, and 42 h of culture respectively, with significant difference between 30 and 34 with respect to 38 and 42 h (p<0.05). In experiment 2, the cleavage rate was 9.5±4.8, 8.1±5.8, 15.6±9.2 and 19.8±8.0% for 30, 34, 38, and 42 h after culture, and without statistical difference between groups. These results indicate that is required 38-42 h for the maturation of alpaca oocytes

Characterization of Plasmodium vivax Proteins in Plasma-Derived Exosomes From Malaria-Infected Liver-Chimeric Humanized Mice

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles of endocytic origin containing molecular signatures implying the cell of origin; thus, they offer a unique opportunity to discover biomarkers of disease. Plasmodium vivax, responsible for more than half of all malaria cases outside Africa, is a major obstacle in the goal of malaria elimination due to the presence of dormant liver stages (hypnozoites), which after the initial infection may reactivate to cause disease. Hypnozoite infection is asymptomatic and there are currently no diagnostic tools to detect their presence. The human liver-chimeric (FRG huHep) mouse is a robust P. vivax infection model for exo-erythrocytic development of liver stages, including hypnozoites. We studied the proteome of plasma-derived exosomes isolated from P. vivax infected FRG huHep mice with the objective of identifying liver-stage expressed parasite proteins indicative of infection. Proteomic analysis of these exosomes showed the presence of 290 and 234 proteins from mouse and human origin, respectively, including canonical exosomal markers. Human proteins include proteins previously detected in liver-derived exosomes, highlighting the potential of this chimeric mouse model to study plasma exosomes derived unequivocally from human hepatocytes. Noticeably, we identified 17 parasite proteins including enzymes, surface proteins, components of the endocytic pathway and translation machinery, as well as uncharacterized proteins. Western blot analysis validated the presence of human arginase-I and an uncharacterized P. vivax protein in plasma-derived exosomes. This study represents a proof-of-principle that plasma-derived exosomes from P. vivax infected FRG-huHep mice contain human hepatocyte and P. vivax proteins with the potential to unveil biological features of liver infection and identify biomarkers of hypnozoite infection

An evaluation of the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospital food

Los artículos que componen este libro ilustran desde múltiples puntos de vista el concepto de patrimonio biocultural. El contenido de la publicación se estructura en tres espacios sintetizados en las problemáticas asociadas al patrimonio biológico y cultural, el territorio y las disputas territoriales, la construcción identitaria y los problema de carácter socio-históricos de las comunidades afro indoamericanas. Ello permite, por un lado, obtener una aproximación contrastante, holística y compleja de la realidad latinoamericana y por otra lado sumar aportes a un concepto en construcción que no esconde su intencionalidad emancipadora.Agradecimientos; Introducción; PATRIMONIO BIOCULTURAL: Juan Pohlenz Córdova / La disputa por el patrimonio biocultural. Un acercamiento desde Mesoamérica; León Enrique Ávila Romero / La disputa por el patrimonio biocultural, la economía verde y sus impactos en los pueblos indígenas; Bernardo Javier Tobar / Lugares de vida y registros de la memoria biocultural en el Pacífico sur-colombiano; Iskra García Vázquez, Rocío Becerra Montané y Gimena Pérez Ortega / Uso, aprovechamiento social y conservación de las plantas medicinales en México; Kelly Giovanna Muñoz Balcázar / Transformaciones del territorio y el patrimonio biocultural a partir del proceso de industrialización. Recuperación de la finca tradicional en el municipio de Corinto, vereda La Paila; TERRITORIO: Johnny L. Ledezma Rivera / Reflexiones sobre las concepciones y visiones de lo que se entiende por territorio; Sindy Hernández Bonilla / ¿Justicia o legalidad para los q’eqchi’es? Agustín Ávila Romero / Turismo y pueblos indígenas de México: despojo y veredas de apropiación comunitaria; SOCIEDADES AFROINDOAMERICANAS EN MOVIMIENTO Johnny L. Ledezma Rivera / Construcción e implementación de las autonomías indígenas en Bolivia: avances y retrocesos; Stefano Claudio Sartorello / Educar para el arraigo sociocultural. El perfil de egreso de alumn@s indígenas en una propuesta educativa intercultural y bilingüe en Chiapas; Elena Pareja y Virginia Cornalino / La cultura afrodescendiente en la constitución del Estado-nación (1870-1900). La reconstrucción de los mapas de identidad en la frontera uruguayo-brasileña; Karla Chagas y Natalia Stalla / Mano de obra negra en el Estado Oriental: una mirada del trabajo esclavo y libre a través del análisis de casos; Diego E. Piñeiro y Joaquín Cardeillac / Los afro-descendientes en el campo uruguayo; Soledad Figueredo y Matías Carámbula Pareja / Puntos en el mapa: ensayo sobre identidad, inmovilidad y cultura de la población afrodescendiente en el medio rural uruguayo

APORTACIONES AL CATÁLOGO XENOFÍTICO DE LA PROVINCIA DE ALMERÍA (SURESTE IBÉRICO, ESPAÑA)

Se presentan 48 citas de 27 taxones asilvestrados en la provincia de Almería, entre las que se incluyen 9 novedades y 8 confirmaciones para la flora de la provincia de Almería, y que aportan nuevos datos interesantes sobre su potencial invasor (sobre la cual se discute)

PEST sequences from a cactus dehydrin regulate its proteolytic degradation

Dehydrins (DHNs) are intrinsically disordered proteins expressed under cellular dehydration-related stresses. In this study, we identified potential proteolytic PEST sequences located at the central and C-terminal regions from the Opuntia streptacantha OpsDHN1 protein. In order to evaluate these PEST sequences as proteolytic tags, we generated a translational fusion with the GUS reporter protein and OpsDHN1 coding sequence. We found a GUS degradation effect in tobacco agro-infiltrated leaves and Arabidopsis transgenic lines that expressed the fusion GUS::OpsDHN1 full-length. Also, two additional translational fusions between OpsDHN1 protein fragments that include the central (GUS::PEST-1) or the C-terminal (GUS::PEST-2) PEST sequences were able to decrease the GUS activity, with PEST-2 showing the greatest reduction in GUS activity. GUS signal was abated when the OpsDHN1 fragment that includes both PEST sequences (GUS::PEST-1-2) were fused to GUS. Treatment with the MG132 proteasome inhibitor attenuated the PEST-mediated GUS degradation. Point mutations of phosphorylatable residues in PEST sequences reestablished GUS signal, hence these sequences are important during protein degradation. Finally, in silico analysis identified potential PEST sequences in other plant DHNs. This is the first study reporting presence of PEST motifs in dehydrins

p38γ is essential for cell cycle progression and liver tumorigenesis

The cell cycle is a tightly regulated process that is controlled by the conserved cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)–cyclin protein complex1. However, control of the G0-to-G1 transition is not completely understood. Here we demonstrate that p38 MAPK gamma (p38γ) acts as a CDK-like kinase and thus cooperates with CDKs, regulating entry into the cell cycle. p38γ shares high sequence homology, inhibition sensitivity and substrate specificity with CDK family members. In mouse hepatocytes, p38γ induces proliferation after partial hepatectomy by promoting the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma tumour suppressor protein at known CDK target residues. Lack of p38γ or treatment with the p38γ inhibitor pirfenidone protects against the chemically induced formation of liver tumours. Furthermore, biopsies of human hepatocellular carcinoma show high expression of p38γ, suggesting that p38γ could be a therapeutic target in the treatment of this disease

Weight Variation over Time and Its Association with Tuberculosis Treatment Outcome: A Longitudinal Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Weight variation during therapy has been described as a useful marker to predict TB treatment outcome. No previous study has used longitudinal analysis to corroborate this finding. The goal of this study was to evaluate change and trends of patients' bodyweight over time depending on TB treatment outcome. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A retrospective cohort study with all TB cases diagnosed from 2000 to 2006 was carried out. Information from 5 public tuberculosis treatment facilities at Pampas de San Juan de Miraflores, Lima, Peru was analyzed. Poor outcome was defined as failure or death during TB therapy, and compared to good outcome defined as cured. Longitudinal analysis with a pre-specified marginal model was fitted using Generalized Estimating Equations to compare weight trends for patients with good and poor outcome adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 460 patients (55.4% males, mean age: 31.6 years) were included in the analysis: 42 (9.1%) had a poor outcome (17 failed and 25 died). Weight at baseline was not different comparing outcome groups (p = 0.17). After adjusting for age, gender, type of TB, scheme of treatment, HIV status and sputum variation during follow-up, after the first month of treatment, patients with good outcome gained, on average, almost 1 kg compared to their baseline weight (p<0.001), whereas those with poor outcome lost 1 kg (p = 0.003). Similarly, after 4 months, a patient with good outcome increased 3 kg on average (p<0.001), while those with poor outcome only gained 0.2 kg (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Weight variation during tuberculosis therapy follow-up can predict treatment outcome. Patients losing weight during TB treatment, especially in the first month, should be more closely followed as they are at risk of failure or death

Isotemporal substitution of inactive time with physical activity and time in bed: cross-sectional associations with cardiometabolic health in the PREDIMEDPlus study

Background: This study explored the association between inactive time and measures of adiposity, clinical parameters, obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome components. It further examined the impact of reallocating inactive time to time in bed, light physical activity (LPA) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on cardio-metabolic risk factors, including measures of adiposity and body composition, biochemical parameters and blood pressure in older adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2189 Caucasian men and women (age 55-75 years, BMI 27-40 Kg/m2) from the PREDIMED-Plus study (http://www.predimedplus.com/). All participants had ≥3 components of the metabolic syndrome. Inactive time, physical activity and time in bed were objectively determined using triaxial accelerometers GENEActiv during 7 days (ActivInsights Ltd., Kimbolton, United Kingdom). Multiple adjusted linear and logistic regression models were used. Isotemporal substitution regression modelling was performed to assess the relationship of replacing the amount of time spent in one activity for another, on each outcome, including measures of adiposity and body composition, biochemical parameters and blood pressure in older adults. Results: Inactive time was associated with indicators of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Reallocating 30 min per day of inactive time to 30 min per day of time in bed was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (all p-values < 0.05). Reallocating 30 min per day of inactive time with 30 min per day of LPA or MVPA was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, total fat, visceral adipose tissue, HbA1c, glucose, triglycerides, and higher body muscle mass and HDL cholesterol (all p-values < 0.05). Conclusions: Inactive time was associated with a poor cardio-metabolic profile. Isotemporal substitution of inactive time with MVPA and LPA or time in bed could have beneficial impact on cardio-metabolic health

Total and Subtypes of Dietary Fat Intake and Its Association with Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Mediterranean Population at High Cardiovascular Risk

Background: The effect of dietary fat intake on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in turn on cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear in individuals at high CVD risk. Objective: To assess the association between fat intake and MetS components in an adult Mediterranean population at high CVD risk. Design: Baseline assessment of nutritional adequacy in participants (n = 6560, men and women, 55-75 years old, with overweight/obesity and MetS) in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Plus randomized trial. Methods: Assessment of fat intake (total fat, monounsatured fatty acids: MUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids: PUFA, saturated fatty acids: SFA, trans-fatty acids: trans-FA, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and ω-3 FA) using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality using 17-item Mediterranean dietary questionnaire and fat quality index (FQI). Results: Participants in the highest quintile of total dietary fat intake showed lower intake of energy, carbohydrates, protein and fiber, but higher intake of PUFA, MUFA, SFA, TFA, LA, ALA and ω-3 FA. Differences in MetS components were found according to fat intake. Odds (5th vs. 1st quintile): hyperglycemia: 1.3-1.6 times higher for total fat, MUFA, SFA and ω-3 FA intake; low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c): 1.2 higher for LA; hypertriglyceridemia: 0.7 lower for SFA and ω-3 FA intake. Conclusions: Dietary fats played different role on MetS components of high CVD risk patients. Dietary fat intake was associated with higher risk of hyperglycemia