pH, drip loss, colour, lipids and protein oxidation of meat from Pampa-Rocha and crossbreed pigs produced outdoor in Uruguay

Pampa-Rocha (PP) is a local rustic pig reared on pasture in Uruguay to produce meat, mainly in a familiar scale system. Meat quality parameters for Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Psoas major (PM) muscles from PP and its crossbreeding with Duroc (PD) and Large White (PL) genetic type were determined. The pH showed no genetic type main effect. Values of pHu (24 hours Post-mortem) fail within advised values for pig meat and ranged for LD 5.48-5.69 and for PM 5.52-5.69. The drip loss for fresh meat, at 24 hours Post-mortem, showed relatively low levels with values ranged 2.23-4.50 for LD and 1.25-2.51 for PM. After five days the drip loss showed values ranged 5.21-9.33 for LD and 3.96-6.65 for PM. After ageing (1-2°C in vacuum) drip loss, at 24 hours Post-mortem, ranged between 1.43-2.47 for LD and 1.62-1.77 for PM while after five days, drip loss showed values ranged 3.73-3.97 for LD, and 3.31-4.12 for PM. Drip loss showed a significant main effect with PP having a lower level than PD and similar to PL. For colour study, PP showed a darker meat than PD and PL, and no main effect of ageing. The lipids oxidation level was similar for the three genetic types and no main effect was observed. The protein oxidation showed a similar level for the three genetic types and fresh meat showed more protein oxidation than aged meat

Anatomía de hoja, tallo y raíz de Phenax laevigatus (Urticaceae) en la provincia de Tucumán, Argentina

Cabrera, Cecilia N.; Patricia N. Asesor; Patricia L. Albornoz; Marta E. Arias. 2010. “Anatomía de hoja, tallo y raíz de Phenax laevigatus (Urticaceae) en la provincia de Tucumán, Argentina”. Lilloa 47 (1-2). P. laevigatus es un arbusto con un alto valor forrajero y forma par te de la dieta de herbívoros que habitan en Las Yungas, Tucumán. El objetivo del trabajo fue estudiar la anatomía de hoja, tallo y raíz. Se trabajó con material colectado en la Sierra de San Javier y el Parque Percy Hills. Para el estudio anatómico se emplearon técnicas histológicas convencionales. La lámina es dorsiventral, venación acródoma, hipostomática, con estomas anomocítico y anisocítico. Los tricomas son simples unicelulares y glandulares; se observan cistolitos y drusas. El pecíolo presenta estomas en columna y cinco haces vasculares colaterales. El tallo con crecimiento secundario temprano y secundario típico presenta fibras mucilaginosas asociadas al floema y bandas discontinuas de tejido parenquimático en el xilema. La raíz con estructura primaria tiene estela diarca y la estructura secundaria contiene granos de almidón en el parénquima xilemático. Los caracteres anatómicos descriptos son de valor diagnóstico relevante para posteriores estudios relacionados con la dieta de herbívoro

Anatomía foliar de Ficus maroma (Moraceae) y análisis de hojas expuestas a la polución atmosférica en la provincia de Tucumán (Argentina)

Cabrera, Cecilia N.; Graciela A. Gelsi; Patricia L. Albornoz; Marta E. Arias, 2009. “Anatomía foliar de Ficus maroma (Moraceae) y análisis de hojas expuestas a la polución atmosférica en la provincia de Tucumán (Argentina)”. Lilloa 46 (1-2). El objetivo del trabajo fue estudiar la anatomía foliar y analizar los caracteres histológicos en hojas expuestas y no expuestas a la polución atmosférica. Las muestras fueron colectadas de ejemplares del Jardín Botánico de Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán. Para el estudio anatómico se emplearon técnicas histológicas convencionales en hojas frescas y fijadas en FAA. La epidermis adaxial es pluriestratificada y la abaxial uniestratificada; los tricomas son glandulares con pie bicelular y cabeza pluricelular. Lámina dorsiventral, hipostomática, estomas tipo actinocíticos y ciclocíticos. Presencia de cistolitos, drusas y cristales cúbicos. Pecíolo subcircular con tricomas simples, colénquima subepidérmico y tres haces vasculares bicolaterales en porción media. Según el análisis estadístico los caracteres que mostraron cambios significativos fueron: aumento del grosor de la cutícula en epidermis adaxial, espesor del tejido en empalizada y mayor densidad estomática, en hojas expuestas a la polución. Se caracteriza la anatomía foliar de F. maroma y podría considerarse a esta especie como bioindicadora de la polución atmosféric

Anatomía foliar de Boehmeria caudata (Urticaceae) en la provincia de Tucumán, Argentina

Fernandez, Romina D.; Cecilia N. Cabrera; Patricia L. Albornoz; Marta E. Arias. 2011. “Anatomía foliar de Boehmeria caudata (Urticaceae) en la provincia de Tucumán, Argentina”. Lilloa 48 (1). B. caudata Sw. es una especie nativa, arbórea, con hojas enteras, opuestas, elípticas, trinervadas. El pecíolo y la lámina son pubescentes. Esta especie posee importancia medicinal y alto valor forrajero. El objetivo del trabajo fue analizar la anatomía foliar de B. caudata en la provincia de Tucumán. Se utilizó material fresco y fijado en FAA al que se aplicaron técnicas histológicas convencionales. Se calculó densidad estomática, valor promedio del tamaño de estomas y rango de longitud de tricomas. Los resultados muestran que la lámina es dorsiventral, hipostomática con venación acródroma. Ambas epidermis son unistratas, con cutícula lisa. Cistolitos esféricos en superficie adaxial. Estomas anomocíticos y anisocíticos. Nervios 1º con haz vascular colateral. Tricomas simples y glandulares. Pecíolo circular a subcircular con 5 haces vasculares colaterales; tricomas similares a la lámina. Cristales de oxalato de calcio en lámina y pecíolo. Los caracteres anatómicos foliares de valor diagnóstico para la identificación de B. caudata son: arquitectura foliar; tipos de estomas y tricomas

IFT74 variants cause skeletal ciliopathy and motile cilia defects in mice and humans

Motile and non-motile cilia play critical roles in mammalian development and health. These organelles are composed of a 1000 or more unique proteins, but their assembly depends entirely on proteins synthesized in the cell body and transported into the cilium by intraflagellar transport (IFT). In mammals, malfunction of non-motile cilia due to IFT dysfunction results in complex developmental phenotypes that affect most organs. In contrast, disruption of motile cilia function causes subfertility, disruption of the left-right body axis, and recurrent airway infections with progressive lung damage. In this work, we characterize allele specific phenotypes resulting from IFT74 dysfunction in human and mice. We identified two families carrying a deletion encompassing IFT74 exon 2, the first coding exon, resulting in a protein lacking the first 40 amino acids and two individuals carrying biallelic splice site mutations. Homozygous exon 2 deletion cases presented a ciliary chondrodysplasia with narrow thorax and progressive growth retardation along with a mucociliary clearance disorder phenotype with severely shorted cilia. Splice site variants resulted in a lethal skeletal chondrodysplasia phenotype. In mice, removal of the first 40 amino acids likewise results in a motile cilia phenotype but with little effect on primary cilia structure. Mice carrying this allele are born alive but are growth restricted and developed hydrocephaly in the first month of life. In contrast, a strong, likely null, allele of Ift74 in mouse completely blocks ciliary assembly and causes severe heart defects and midgestational lethality. In vitro studies suggest that the first 40 amino acids of IFT74 are dispensable for binding of other IFT subunits but are important for tubulin binding. Higher demands on tubulin transport in motile cilia compared to primary cilia resulting from increased mechanical stress and repair needs could account for the motile cilia phenotype observed in human and mice

IFT74 variants cause skeletal ciliopathy and motile cilia defects in mice and humans

Motile and non-motile cilia play critical roles in mammalian development and health. These organelles are composed of a 1000 or more unique proteins, but their assembly depends entirely on proteins synthesized in the cell body and transported into the cilium by intraflagellar transport (IFT). In mammals, malfunction of non-motile cilia due to IFT dysfunction results in complex developmental phenotypes that affect most organs. In contrast, disruption of motile cilia function causes subfertility, disruption of the left-right body axis, and recurrent airway infections with progressive lung damage. In this work, we characterize allele specific phenotypes resulting from IFT74 dysfunction in human and mice. We identified two families carrying a deletion encompassing IFT74 exon 2, the first coding exon, resulting in a protein lacking the first 40 amino acids and two individuals carrying biallelic splice site mutations. Homozygous exon 2 deletion cases presented a ciliary chondrodysplasia with narrow thorax and progressive growth retardation along with a mucociliary clearance disorder phenotype with severely shorted cilia. Splice site variants resulted in a lethal skeletal chondrodysplasia phenotype. In mice, removal of the first 40 amino acids likewise results in a motile cilia phenotype but with little effect on primary cilia structure. Mice carrying this allele are born alive but are growth restricted and developed hydrocephaly in the first month of life. In contrast, a strong, likely null, allele of Ift74 in mouse completely blocks ciliary assembly and causes severe heart defects and midgestational lethality. In vitro studies suggest that the first 40 amino acids of IFT74 are dispensable for binding of other IFT subunits but are important for tubulin binding. Higher demands on tubulin transport in motile cilia compared to primary cilia resulting from increased mechanical stress and repair needs could account for the motile cilia phenotype observed in human and mice

Large-scale patterns of turnover and basal area change in Andean forests

General patterns of forest dynamics and productivity in the Andes Mountains are poorly characterized. Here we present the first large-scale study of Andean forest dynamics using a set of 63 permanent forest plots assembled over the past two decades. In the North-Central Andes tree turnover (mortality and recruitment) and tree growth declined with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature. In addition, basal area increased in Lower Montane Moist Forests but did not change in Higher Montane Humid Forests. However, at higher elevations the lack of net basal area change and excess of mortality over recruitment suggests negative environmental impacts. In North-Western Argentina, forest dynamics appear to be influenced by land use history in addition to environmental variation. Taken together, our results indicate that combinations of abiotic and biotic factors that vary across elevation gradients are important determinants of tree turnover and productivity in the Andes. More extensive and longer-term monitoring and analyses of forest dynamics in permanent plots will be necessary to understand how demographic processes and woody biomass are responding to changing environmental conditions along elevation gradients through this century

Women for science and science for women: Gaps, challenges and opportunities towards optimizing pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV-1 prevention

Preventing new HIV infections remains a global challenge. Young women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of infection. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), offers a novel women-initiated prevention technology and PrEP trials completed to date underscore the importance of their inclusion early in trials evaluating new HIV PrEP technologies. Data from completed topical and systemic PrEP trials highlight the role of gender specific physiological and social factors that impact PrEP uptake, adherence and efficacy. Here we review the past and current developments of HIV-1 prevention options for women with special focus on PrEP considering the diverse factors that can impact PrEP efficacy. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of inclusion of female scientists, clinicians, and community advocates in scientific efforts to further improve HIV prevention strategies

Susceptibility of Human Lymphoid Tissue Cultured ex vivo to Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus (XMRV) Infection

BACKGROUND: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was generated after a recombination event between two endogenous murine leukemia viruses during the production of a prostate cancer cell line. Although the associations of the XMRV infection with human diseases appear unlikely, the XMRV is a retrovirus of undefined pathogenic potential, able to replicate in human cells in vitro. Since recent studies using animal models for infection have yielded conflicting results, we set out an ex vivo model for XMRV infection of human tonsillar tissue to determine whether XMRV produced by 22Rv1 cells is able to replicate in human lymphoid organs. Tonsil blocks were infected and infection kinetics and its pathogenic effects were monitored RESULTS: XMRV, though restricted by APOBEC, enters and integrates into the tissue cells. The infection did not result in changes of T or B-cells, immune activation, nor inflammatory chemokines. Infectious viruses could be recovered from supernatants of infected tonsils by reinfecting DERSE XMRV indicator cell line, although these supernatants could not establish a new infection in fresh tonsil culture, indicating that in our model, the viral replication is controlled by innate antiviral restriction factors. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the replication-competent retrovirus XMRV, present in a high number of laboratories, is able to infect human lymphoid tissue and produce infectious viruses, even though they were unable to establish a new infection in fresh tonsillar tissue. Hereby, laboratories working with cell lines producing XMRV should have knowledge and understanding of the potential biological biohazardous risks of this virus

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially