Crescimento e qualidade química de frutos de Mangueira kent sob secamento parcial de raiz.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o crescimento e a qualidade de frutos da mangueira ?Kent? sob secamento parcial de raiz (PRD) em condições do semiárido baiano. O estudo foi conduzido na área experimental em 0,48 ha da fazenda Boa Vista, no município de Iaçu, BA entre agosto e novembro de 2009 com 144 plantas. Os tratamentos com PRD foram baseados no percentual da lâmina bruta aplicada (LBA) pela fazenda, estimada pela evapotranspiração da cultura para irrigação localizada (ETc). O gotejamento foi o sistema de irrigação utilizado, com duas linhas laterais por fileira de plantas, entretanto, para a aplicação do PRD foi utilizada uma linha alternadamente com três emissores. O delineamento foi em blocos casualizados com três repetições, sendo oito tratamentos: T1, T2 e T3 (PRD 50% com alternância aos 7, 14 e 21 dias); T4, T5 e T6 (100% na fase de floração e 50% nas fases frutificação e estabilidade de frutos, com mesma ordem de alternância); T7 (50% fixo) e T8-testemunha (100% da LBA nos dois lados). Foram avaliados parâmetros físicos (taxa de pegamento e crescimento dos frutos) que não sofreram influência do PRD e químicos (sólidos solúveis e acidez total) que sob lâminas menores tiveram aumentos significantes

Analysis of intact prophages in genomes of paenibacillus larvae, an important pathogen for bees

Paenibacillus larvae is a highly contagious spore-forming bacteria, responsible for the American Foulbrood (AFB) disease, lethal to honeybee brood. Integrated in bacterial genomes, prophages are often able to provide new genes or to alter phenotypic characteristics of bacteria. The potential role of prophages in the performance of P. larvae has been studied. A total of 55 intact prophage genomes from 11 P. larvae strains were annotated and analysed. The main focus was to infer the influence of their genes with some type of virulence trait (e.g.: toxins), or functions such as antibiotic resistance, metabolic function, germination/sporulation or transporter of nutrients, which could improve bacterial fitness. We also aimed at understanding if specific traits were provided to a given genotype (ERIC I-V). A total of 67 putative genes with different functions were identified. Some were present in all genotypes, as for example, genes encoding phosphomannomutase, HicB and MazE antitoxins, while others were exclusive from a specific genotype. In ERIC I, were found genes encoding a DNA internalization protein or an enhancin-like toxin, in ERIC II, genes responsible for a SocA antitoxin or a DNA mismatch repair protein, in ERIC III, a gene for a lipid phosphatase, in ERIC IV, genes encoding proteins associated to ironsulfur uptake and nitrogen fixation and in ERIC V, genes for an aromatic acid exporter family protein, for an epsilon-toxin type B or for an epithelial and chitin-binding protein. Although several prophage-derived genes are closely linked to metabolic processes, only ERIC V strains appear to have a competitive advantage since prophages contained multiple genes that could contribute to a more aggressive infection. Despite the low representativeness on P. larvae strains diversity, we definitely contribute to leveraging studies in a subject with recent and short knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of intact prophages in genomes of Paenibacillus larvae: An important pathogen for bees

The Supplementary materials for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.903861/full#supplementary-materialPaenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), a highly contagious and worldwide spread bacterial disease that affects honeybee brood. In this study, all complete P. larvae genomes available on the NCBI database were analyzed in order to detect presence of prophages using the PHASTER software. A total of 55 intact prophages were identified in 11 P. larvae genomes (5.0±2.3 per genome) and were further investigated for the presence of genes encoding relevant traits related to P. larvae. A closer look at the prophage genomes revealed the presence of several putative genes such as metabolic and antimicrobial resistance genes, toxins or bacteriocins, potentially influencing host performance. Some of the coding DNA sequences (CDS) were present in all ERIC-genotypes, while others were only found in a specific genotype. While CDS encoding toxins and antitoxins such as HicB and MazE were found in prophages of all bacterial genotypes, others, from the same category, were provided by prophages particularly to ERIC I (enhancin-like toxin), ERIC II (antitoxin SocA) and ERIC V strains (subunit of Panton-Valentine leukocidin system (PVL) LukF-PV). This is the first in-depth analysis of P. larvae prophages. It provides better knowledge on their impact in the evolution of virulence and fitness of P. larvae, by discovering new features assigned by the viruses.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. HR was supported by FCT through the grant SFRH/BD/128859/2017 and COVID/BD/151856/2021.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelação da qualidade da Água do Rio Ferreira : avaliação preliminar de riscos ambientais

A presente comunicação apresenta os resultados da aplicação de um modelo de qualidade da água no rio Ferreira. O estudo foi desenvolvido com base na plataforma AQUASIM e, após um processo de calibração com dados experimentais, foram simulados cenários prospectivos para analisar o impacte de condições hidrológicas extremas, designadamente períodos de estiagem. O modelo mostrou-se adequado perante esse tipo de fenómenos e permitiu avaliar, nessas condições, os riscos ambientais resultantes de descargas de águas residuais. Efectuou-se, ainda, uma análise de sensibilidade do modelo.Compagnie Générale des Eaux - Portugal.Câmara Municipal de Valongo

Validation of meteorological and ground-level ozone WRF-CHIMERE simulations in a mountainous grapevine growing area for phytotoxic risk assessment

Ozone is the most damaging phytotoxic air pollutant to crop yield quantity and quality. This study presents the validation of a simulation with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system in order to assess the risk of phytotoxicity by tropospheric ozone for an important and characteristic Mediterranean crop, i.e. the grapevine. The study region was the Douro wine region in Portugal, which is characterized by a rugged relief and a Mediterranean climate. The simulation covered a reference grapevine growing season in the Northern Hemisphere (from April to September 2017), during which a particular measuring campaign was also carried out. The validation of the meteorological simulations on a daily and hourly time resolution was performed based on data from three weather stations, namely on temperature, global solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed and direction values. The ozone phytotoxicity was assessed with data from two measuring stations. A specific grapevine growth parameter based on monitored phenological observations was introduced for ozone stomatal uptake assessment. Concerning meteorology, validation statistics were acceptable and within the range of what has been found in other regional climate modelling simulations. Ground-level ozone-based values were calculated for a better assessment of the phytotoxic risk, in particular cumulative standards for vegetation protection. Stomatal flux estimates were within the range of those measured for the local cultivars in the field campaign when there was not severe water stress limitation. Both field and statistically adjusted model values indicate that considerable areas in the Demarcated Douro Region of Portugal can exceed the critical exposure values for vegetation according to current European legislation standards. Moreover, measured and simulated results indicate an ozone impact on grapevine yield and quality in the target region because the exposure- and flux-based indices exceed the criteria based on current open-top-chamber experimental knowledge.The authors acknowledge the national funds from FCT-Science and Technology Portuguese Foundation for the doctoral grant of D. Blanco- Ward (SFRH/BD/139193/2018). Thanks are also due for the financial support to CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020), to FCT/ MEC through national funds, and the co-funding by FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. The authors also wish to thank the DOUROZONE project (PTDC/AAG-MAA/3335/2014; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016778) for financial support through Project 3599 – Promoting the Scientific Production and the Technological Development, and Thematic Networks (3599-PPCDT) – and through FEDER. Thanks are also given to SOGRAPE VINHOS S.A. for facilitating the collection of surface O3 data and sharing meteorological data at one of their vineyard fields.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ticks, Ixodes scapularis, Feed Repeatedly on White-Footed Mice despite Strong Inflammatory Response: An Expanding Paradigm for Understanding Tick-Host Interactions

Ticks transmit infectious agents including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. However, their transmission may be compromised by host resistance to repeated tick feeding. Increasing host resistance to repeated tick bites is well known in laboratory animals, including intense inflammation at the bite sites. However, it is not known whether this also occurs in wild rodents such as white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, and other wildlife, or if it occurs at all. According to the host immune incompetence hypothesis, if these mice do not have a strong inflammatory response, they would not reject repeated tick bites by Ixodes scapularis. To test this hypothesis, histopathological studies were done comparing dermal inflammation in P. leucopus versus guinea pigs, Cavia porcellus, repeatedly infested with I. scapularis. In P. leucopus, the immune cell composition was like that seen in laboratory mouse models, with some differences. However, there was a broad sessile lesion with intact dermal architecture, likely enabling the ticks to continue feeding unimpeded. In contrast, in C. porcellus, there was a relatively similar mixed cellular profile, but there also was a large, leukocyte-filled cavitary lesion and scab-like hyperkeratotic changes to the epidermal layer, along with itching and apparent pain. Ticks attached to sensitized C. porcellus fed poorly or were dislodged, presumably due to the weakened anchoring of the tick\u27s mouthparts cemented in the heavily inflamed and disintegrating dermal tissues. This is the first time that the architecture of the skin lesions has been recognized as a major factor in understanding tick-host tolerance versus tick bite rejection. These findings broadly strengthen previous work done on lab animal models but also help explain why I. scapularis can repeatedly parasitize whitefooted mice, supporting the immune evasion theory but cannot repeatedly parasitize other, non-permissive hosts such as guinea pigs

Clinical-grade peptide-based inhibition of CK2 blocks viability and proliferation of T-ALL cells and counteracts IL-7 stimulation and stromal support

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Despite remarkable advances in the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), relapsed cases are still a major challenge. Moreover, even successful cases often face long-term treatment-associated toxicities. Targeted therapeutics may overcome these limitations. We have previously demonstrated that casein kinase 2 (CK2)-mediated phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) posttranslational inactivation, and consequent phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling hyperactivation, leads to increased T-ALL cell survival and proliferation. We also revealed the existence of a crosstalk between CK2 activity and the signaling mediated by interleukin 7 (IL-7), a critical leukemia-supportive cytokine. Here, we evaluated the impact of CIGB-300, a the clinical-grade peptide-based CK2 inhibitor CIGB-300 on T-ALL biology. We demonstrate that CIGB-300 decreases the viability and proliferation of T-ALL cell lines and diagnostic patient samples. Moreover, CIGB-300 overcomes IL-7-mediated T-ALL cell growth and viability, while preventing the positive effects of OP9-delta-like 1 (DL1) stromal support on leukemia cells. Signaling and pull-down experiments indicate that the CK2 substrate nucleophosmin 1 (B23/NPM1) and CK2 itself are the molecular targets for CIGB-300 in T-ALL cells. However, B23/NPM1 silencing only partially recapitulates the anti-leukemia effects of the peptide, suggesting that CIGB-300-mediated direct binding to CK2, and consequent CK2 inactivation, is the mechanism by which CIGB-300 downregulates PTEN S380 phosphorylation and inhibits PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In the context of IL-7 stimulation, CIGB-300 blocks janus kinase / signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway in T-ALL cells. Altogether, our results strengthen the case for anti-CK2 therapeutic intervention in T-ALL, demonstrating that CIGB-300 (given its ability to circumvent the effects of pro-leukemic microenvironmental cues) may be a valid tool for clinical intervention in this aggressive malignancy.This work was supported by the consolidator grant ERC CoG-648455 from the European Research Council, under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, and FAPESP/20015/2014 and PTDC/MEC-HEM/31588/2017 grants from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), to JTB.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inspiratory resistance decreases limb blood flow in COPD patients with heart failure

Hosp Clin Porto Alegre, Exercise Pathophysiol Res Lab, BR-90035007 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHosp Clin Porto Alegre, Div Cardiol, BR-90035007 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilSerra Gaucha Coll, Phys Therapy Dept, Caxias Do Sul, RS, BrazilHosp Clin Porto Alegre, Pulmonary Div, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilFed Univ Rio Grande, Fac Med, Dept Med, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Resp Dis, Pulmonary Funct & Clin Exercise Physiol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilQueens Univ, Dept Med, Div Respirol, LACEP, Kingston, ON, CanadaKingston Gen Hosp, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Resp Dis, Pulmonary Funct & Clin Exercise Physiol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc