Factors associated with postharvest ripening heterogeneity of "Hass" avocados (Persea americana Mill)

Indexación: Web of ScienceIntroduction. 'Hass' is the main avocado cultivar commercialized worldwide. The extended flowering period, very low percentage of fruit set and inability to ripen on the tree renders the fruit heterogeneous and unpredictable during postharvest management. The "triggered" and "ready-to-eat" growing markets for 'Hass' avocados are affected by the variable postharvest ripening or ripening heterogeneity which creates severe logistical problems for marketers and inconsistent quality delivery to consumers. Synthesis. The dry matter content, the current avocado harvest index that correlates very well with oil content, has been extensively used to harvest 'Hass' avocados to comply with the minimum standards to guarantee consumer satisfaction. However, previous work and empirical experience demonstrate that dry matter does not correlate on a fruit-to-fruit basis with time to reach edible ripeness. Thus, avocados of very different ages are harvested from individual trees, resulting in heterogeneous postharvest ripening of fruit within a specific batch. Several preharvest factors related to environmental and growing conditions and crop management as well as postharvest technology strategies influence the observed variability of postharvest ripening. Conclusion. Modern approaches based on studying the composition of individual fruits displaying contrasting postharvest ripening behavior, combined with non-destructive phenotyping techniques, seem to offer practical solutions for the fresh supply chain of avocados to sort fruit based on their ripening capacity.http://www.pubhort.org/fruits/2016/5/fruits160045.ht

(Z)-3-(4-Bromo­anilino)-1-ferrocenylbut-2-en-1-one

In the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C15H13BrNO)], formed from the reaction of ferrocenoylacetone and 4-bromo­aniline, the mol­ecular structure is stabilized by an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond between the amine and carbonyl groups

Immunohistochemical and molecular detection of equine herpesvirus 1 in Uruguay

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of epidemic abortion, neonatal mortality, respiratory disease and neurological disorders in horses. In South America, the virus has been isolated in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. In Chile pathological findings from one aborted foetus have been reported, and in Uruguay only serological data about EHV-1 activity have been found. Some pathological findings were reported in Uruguay several years ago, but these data have never been officially confirmed. The present work describes the relevant findings of a study of EHV-1 infections in the Uruguayan equine population using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histological and immunohistochemical analysis techniques. The sequence analysis of a portion of the glycoprotein C gene amplified by PCR confirmed EHV-1 activity. The real-time PCR revealed the association of the virus with the non-neuropathogenic genotype. This study describes for the first time the immunohistochemical and molecular detection of EHV-1 in Uruguay.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Mad Is Required for Wingless Signaling in Wing Development and Segment Patterning in Drosophila

A key question in developmental biology is how growth factor signals are integrated to generate pattern. In this study we investigated the integration of the Drosophila BMP and Wingless/GSK3 signaling pathways via phosphorylations of the transcription factor Mad. Wingless was found to regulate the phosphorylation of Mad by GSK3 in vivo. In epistatic experiments, the effects of Wingless on wing disc molecular markers (senseless, distalless and vestigial) were suppressed by depletion of Mad with RNAi. Wingless overexpression phenotypes, such as formation of ectopic wing margins, were induced by Mad GSK3 phosphorylation-resistant mutant protein. Unexpectedly, we found that Mad phosphorylation by GSK3 and MAPK occurred in segmental patterns. Mad depletion or overexpression produced Wingless-like embryonic segmentation phenotypes. In Xenopus embryos, segmental border formation was disrupted by Smad8 depletion. The results show that Mad is required for Wingless signaling and for the integration of gradients of positional information

VO2 indirect maximum and fitness age of sedentary and non-sedentary

El objetivo es: comparar la edad cronológica con la edad fitness obtenida por medio del VO2 máximo indirecto, de un grupo de personas sedentarias y no sedentarias. Método: 253 personas fueron evaluadas respecto a masa corporal, estatura, perímetro de cintura, frecuencia cardiaca basal y un cuestionario del modelo web "Fitness Calculator". Los resultados demostraron diferencias significativas en las variables antropométricas y fisiológicas entre personas sedentarias y no sedentarias (P<,001). Las personas no sedentarias tienen un mayor VO2máx en comparación con las personas sedentarias. Las personas sedentarias indican que presentan una edad fitness que se encuentra sobre 12 años cronológicos promedio de lo esperado. Conclusión: Las personas sedentarias tienen una mayor edad fitness, esto permite establecer que su cuerpo se deteriora más rápido que los no sedentarios. El bajo VO2 máx es un potente predictor de la capacidad cardiorrespiratoria y se establece como un predictor de enfermedades cardiovascularesThe purpose was to compare chronological age with fitness age obtained through indirect VO2max in a group of sedentary and non-sedentary people. Method: 253 people were evaluated for body mass, height, waist circumference, basal heart rate and a web model questionnaire "Fitness Calculator". The results: showed significant differences in anthropometric and physiological variables between sedentary and non-sedentary people (P <.001). Non- Sedentary people have a greater higher VO2máx group compared to sedentary people. This indicates that sedentary people have a fitness age 12 years over their expected chronological average age. Conclusion: Sedentary people have a higher fitness age; therefore your body deteriorates faster than the nonsedentary people. A low level of VO2máx is a powerful predictor of cardiorespiratory capacity and of cardiovascular diseasesEl estudio fue financiado por la Escuela de Kinesiología de la Universidad Bernardo O`higgin

Neuroprotective effects of EpoL against oxidative stress induced by soluble oligomers of Aβ peptide

Erythropoietin is a glycoproteic hormone that regulates hematopoiesis by acting on its specific receptor (EpoR). The expression of EpoR in the central nervous system (CNS) suggests a role for this hormone in the brain. Recently, we developed a new Epo variant without hematopoietic activity called EpoL, which showed marked neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress in brain ischemia related models. In this study, we have evaluated the neuroprotective effects of EpoL against oxidative stress induced by chronic treatment with Aβ. Our results show that EpoL was neuroprotective against Aβ-induced toxicity by a mechanism that implicates EpoR, reduction in reactive oxygen species, and reduction in astrogliosis. Furthermore, EpoL treatment improved calcium handling and SV2 levels. Interestingly, the neuroprotective effect of EpoL against oxidative stress induced by chronic Aβ treatment was achieved at a concentration 10 times lower than that of Epo. In conclusion, EpoL, a new variant of Epo without hematopoietic activity, is of potential interest for the treatment of diseases related to oxidative stress in the CNS such as Alzheimer disease.Grant Innova-Corfo “13IDL2-18688”; Conicyt Grant “Beca Doctorado Nacional no. 21130386”; Fondecyt Grant “1161078

Cyrhetrenylaniline and new organometallic phenylimines derived from 4- and 5-nitrothiophene: Synthesis, characterization, X-Ray structures, electrochemistry and in vitro anti-T. brucei activity

A novel series of cyrhetrenyl (3a-4a) and ferrocenyl (3b-4b) Schiff bases were synthesized through a condensation reaction, between the known 4-ferrocenylaniline (2b) or the unreported 4-cyhretrenylaniline (2a) with 4- or 5-nitrothiophenecarboxaldehyde. The structure of 2a and the new Schiff bases have been elucidated using conventional spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR), mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of compounds 2a, 4a and 3b. Cyclic voltammetry of organometallic phenylimines derived from 5-nitrothiophene showed NO2 group reduction potentials (E1/2z 0.575 V) that were more anodic than those registered for their 4-nitro analogues (E1/2z 0.981 V). All organometallic imines were tested against the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei. Evaluation indicated that the most active complexes are the 5-nitrothiophene derivatives, 4a, which were remarkably more active than nifurtimox. In addition, complex 4b resulted in less toxicity to host L6 cells than nifurtimox. The results revealed that the electronic effects of cyrhetrene and ferrocene are not an influential factor in E1/2 and anti-Trypanosoma brucei activity for these new imines, which is probably due to the non-coplanarity of the [(h5-C5H4)-C6H4-N=CH-(C4H2S)] system