Systematics of Hypocrea citrina and related taxa

Morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from three genomic regions – the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal gene repeat, a partial sequence of RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2), and a partial sequence of translation elongation factor (tef1) – were used to investigate the systematics of Hypocrea citrina and related species. A neotype specimen is designated for H. citrina that conforms to Persoon's description of a yellow effuse fungus occurring on leaf litter. Historical information and results obtained in this study provide the foundation for selection of a lectotype specimen from Fries's herbarium for H. lactea. The results indicate that (1) Hypocrea citrina and H. pulvinata are distinct species; (2) H. lactea sensu Fries is a synonym of the older name H. citrina; (3) H. pulvinata, H. protopulvinata, and H. americana are phylogenetically distinct species that form a well-supported polyporicolous clade; (4) H. citrina is situated in a clade closely related to H. pulvinata; and (5) H. microcitrina and H. pseudostraminea reside in a highly supported clade phylogenetically distinct from H. citrina. Hypocrea protopulvinata, H. microcitrina, H. megalocitrina, H. pseudostraminea, and a new species, H. aurantiistroma, are reported and described from North America. Variation in rpb2 and tef1 gene sequences suggests geographical subgroupings between European and North American isolates of H. pulvinata. The phylogenies inferred from ITS, rpb2, and tef1 gene sequences are concordant. Hypocrea citrina var. americana is elevated to species status, Hypocrea americana

Trophic ecology of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in golfo dulce, costa rica: Integrating esophageal lavage and stable isotope (δ13c, δ15n) analysis

Indexación: Scopus.Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), considered Critically Endangered, have several small populations in the Eastern Pacific (EP). Knowledge about their diet and habitat use can aid in developing conservation strategies and promoting population recovery in the region. Although considered a spongivore in the Caribbean, data from the EP region indicate that hawksbills consume a wide array of prey species, including angiosperms. We used two approaches to study the diet of hawksbills at Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica: oesophageal lavage and stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) analysis of bulk skin tissue and blood plasma. Lavage samples collected from 41 turtles revealed macroalgae as the predominant diet item (Rw = 20.22), followed by sea snails and excavating worms. Stable isotope values for blood plasma from 44 turtles ranged from-23.0‰ to-15.7‰ for δ13C and 6.9‰ to 10.4‰ for δ15N, whereas values for skin tissue were-20.4‰ to-13.9‰ and 9.3‰ to 11.0‰ for δ13C and δ15N, respectively. We compared these isotope values with those of five potential prey groups (sponge, sea snail, excavating worm, mangrove, macroalgae) using a multisource stable isotope mixing model analysis in R (SIAR). Our results indicated that multiple prey resources are important for hawksbills in Golfo Dulce, where sea snails, sponges and excavating worms contributed up to 63% of the assimilated diet per individual, and mangrove and macroalgae up to 50%. These data show that hawksbills in Golfo Dulce, and perhaps the wider EP region, are omnivorous, underscoring the importance for considering alternative habitats, aside of coral reefs, for its management and restoration.http://lajar.ucv.cl/index.php/rlajar/article/view/vol48-issue1-fulltext-223

Soil fungal community composition correlates with site-specific abiotic factors, tree community structure, and forest age in regenerating tropical rainforests

Simple Summary:& nbsp;Regenerating forests represent over half of all tropical forests. While regeneration processes of trees and animal groups have been studied, there is surprisingly little information about how the diversity and community composition of fungi and other microorganisms change and what ecological roles play in tropical forest regeneration. In this study, we compared the diversity and community composition of trees and soil fungi among primary forests and regenerating forests of different ages in two sampling areas in southern Costa Rica. Our study shows that while forest age has a significant influence, environmental factors, such as mesoclimate and soil chemistry, have stronger effects on both fungal and tree communities. Moreover, we observed that the more dissimilar tree communities are between any two sites, the more dissimilar the composition of fungal communities. The results presented here contribute to a better understanding of the successional processes of tropical forests in different regions and inform land use and forest management strategies, including, but not limited to, conservation, restoration, and sustainable use.Successional dynamics of plants and animals during tropical forest regeneration have been thoroughly studied, while fungal compositional dynamics during tropical forest succession remain unknown, despite the crucial roles of fungi in ecological processes. We combined tree data and soil fungal DNA metabarcoding data to compare richness and community composition along secondary forest succession in Costa Rica and assessed the potential roles of abiotic factors influencing them. We found a strong coupling of tree and soil fungal community structure in wet tropical primary and regenerating secondary forests. Forest age, edaphic variables, and regional differences in climatic conditions all had significant effects on tree and fungal richness and community composition in all functional groups. Furthermore, we observed larger site-to-site compositional differences and greater influence of edaphic and climatic factors in secondary than in primary forests. The results suggest greater environmental heterogeneity and greater stochasticity in community assembly in the early stages of secondary forest succession and a certain convergence on a set of taxa with a competitive advantage in the more persisting environmental conditions in old-growth forests. Our work provides unprecedented insights into the successional dynamics of fungal communities during secondary tropical forest succession.Plant science

Hypothyroidism attenuates protein tyrosine nitration, oxidative stress and renal damage induced by ischemia and reperfusion: effect unrelated to antioxidant enzymes activities

BACKGROUND: It has been established that hypothyroidism protects rats against renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) oxidative damage. However, it is not clear if hypothyroidism is able to prevent protein tyrosine nitration, an index of nitrosative stress, induced by IR or if antioxidant enzymes have involved in this protective effect. In this work it was explored if hypothyroidism is able to prevent the increase in nitrosative and oxidative stress induced by IR. In addition the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase was studied. Control and thyroidectomized (HTX) rats were studied 24 h of reperfusion after 60 min ischemia. METHODS: Male Wistar rats weighing 380 ± 22 g were subjected to surgical thyroidectomy. Rats were studied 15 days after surgery. Euthyroid sham-operated rats were used as controls (CT). Both groups of rats underwent a right kidney nephrectomy and suffered a 60 min left renal ischemia with 24 h of reperfusion. Rats were divided in four groups: CT, HTX, IR and HTX+IR. Rats were sacrificed and samples of plasma and kidney were obtained. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were measured in blood plasma. Kidney damage was evaluated by histological analysis. Oxidative stress was measured by immunohistochemical localization of protein carbonyls and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified proteins. The protein carbonyl content was measured using antibodies against dinitrophenol (DNP)-modified proteins. Nitrosative stress was measured by immunohistochemical analysis of 3-nitrotyrosine modified proteins. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase was measured by spectrophotometric methods. Multiple comparisons were performed with ANOVA followed by Bonferroni t test. RESULTS: The histological damage and the rise in plasma creatinine and BUN induced by IR were significantly lower in HTX+IR group. The increase in protein carbonyls and in 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified proteins was prevented in HTX+IR group. IR-induced decrease in renal antioxidant enzymes was essentially not prevented by HTX in HTX+IR group. CONCLUSION: Hypothyroidism was able to prevent not only oxidative but also nitrosative stress induced by IR. In addition, the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase seem not to play a protective role in this experimental model

The role of the gut microbiota in the dietary niche expansion of fishing bats

This is the final version. Available from BMC via the DOI in this record. Availability of data and materials: The raw data have been deposited at the NCBI SRA database under the project accession number PRJEB47836. Bioinformatics pipelines used to process the sequence data and generate count tables are available at https://github. com/ostaizka/fishing- bats.Background: Due to its central role in animal nutrition, the gut microbiota is likely a relevant factor shaping dietary niche shifts. We analysed both the impact and contribution of the gut microbiota to the dietary niche expansion of the only four bat species that have incorporated fish into their primarily arthropodophage diet. Results: We first compared the taxonomic and functional features of the gut microbiota of the four piscivorous bats to that of 11 strictly arthropodophagous species using 16S rRNA targeted amplicon sequencing. Second, we increased the resolution of our analyses for one of the piscivorous bat species, namely Myotis capaccinii, and analysed multiple populations combining targeted approaches with shotgun sequencing. To better understand the origin of gut microorganisms, we also analysed the gut microbiota of their fish prey (Gambusia holbrooki). Our analyses showed that piscivorous bats carry a characteristic gut microbiota that differs from that of their strict arthropodophagous counterparts, in which the most relevant bacteria have been directly acquired from their fish prey. This characteristic microbiota exhibits enrichment of genes involved in vitamin biosynthesis, as well as complex carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, likely providing their hosts with an enhanced capacity to metabolise the glycosphingolipids and longchain fatty acids that are particularly abundant in fish. Conclusions: Our results depict the gut microbiota as a relevant element in facilitating the dietary transition from arthropodophagy to piscivory.The Carlsberg Foundation’s Distinguished Postdoctoral FellowshipDanish National Research FoundationVillum Fonden GrantLundbeckfonden GrantDanish Council for Independent Research GrantConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí

Garlic's ability to prevent in vitro Cu(2+)-induced lipoprotein oxidation in human serum is preserved in heated garlic: effect unrelated to Cu(2+)-chelation

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that several extracts and compounds derived from garlic are able to inhibit Cu(2+)-induced low density lipoprotein oxidation. In this work we explored if the ability of aqueous garlic extract to prevent in vitro Cu(2+)-induced lipoprotein oxidation in human serum is affected by heating (a) aqueous garlic extracts or (b) garlic cloves. In the first case, aqueous extract of raw garlic and garlic powder were studied. In the second case, aqueous extract of boiled garlic cloves, microwave-treated garlic cloves, and pickled garlic were studied. It was also studied if the above mentioned preparations were able to chelate Cu(2+). METHODS: Cu(2+)-induced lipoprotein oxidation in human serum was followed by the formation of conjugated dienes at 234 nm and 37°C by 240 min in a phosphate buffer 20 mM, pH 7.4. Blood serum and CuSO(4 )were added to a final concentration of 0.67% and 0.0125 mM, respectively. The lag time and the area under the curve from the oxidation curves were obtained. The Cu(2+)-chelating properties of garlic extracts were assessed using an approach based upon restoring the activity of xanthine oxidase inhibited in the presence of 0.050 mM Cu(2+). The activity of xanthine oxidase was assessed by monitoring the production of superoxide anion at 560 nm and the formation of uric acid at 295 nm. Data were compared by parametric or non-parametric analysis of variance followed by a post hoc test. RESULTS: Extracts from garlic powder and raw garlic inhibited in a dose-dependent way Cu(2+)-induced lipoprotein oxidation. The heating of garlic extracts or garlic cloves was unable to alter significantly the increase in lag time and the decrease in the area under the curve observed with the unheated garlic extracts or raw garlic. In addition, it was found that the garlic extracts were unable to chelate Cu(2+). CONCLUSIONS: (a) the heating of aqueous extracts of raw garlic or garlic powder or the heating of garlic cloves by boiling, microwave or pickling do not affect garlic's ability to inhibit Cu(2+)-induced lipoprotein oxidation in human serum, and (b) this ability is not secondary to Cu(2+)-chelation

Evaluación comparativa del proceso de conciliación medicamentosa realizado por el departamento de Enfermería y el de Farmacia en un hospital privado de Costa Rica

Introducción: Los errores de medicación generan riesgos en el paciente hospitalizado y constituyen una de las principales causas del incremento en la morbi-mortalidad y costos económicos; por tanto la conciliación de medicamentos constituye una solución para reforzar la seguridad de los pacientes en los procesos de transición asistencial. Objetivos: Determinar la magnitud de los errores de conciliación en los servicios del ámbito hospitalario descrito y su impacto en el paciente. Métodos: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, con una muestra de pacientes ingresados a los servicios de internamiento del Hospital, que cumplieran con los criterios de inclusión; la información necesaria para comparar los resultados de la conciliación de medicamentos fue tomada de una entrevista, la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería y el expediente clínico. Resultados: Nueve de cada diez pacientes presentó al menos una discrepancia en su medicación. Entre el promedio de medicamentos conciliados por el departamento de Farmacia y mediante la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0.00001, IC 95%). La mayor discrepancia se presentó con medicamentos del sistema cardiovascular, tracto gastrointestinal y metabolismo, y sistema nervioso central. Se presentaron 151 casos de error tipo B, 376 de tipo C, y 138 de tipo D.Conclusiones:Sí existen discrepancias significativas entre la conciliación de medicamentos realizada por el servicio de Enfermería y por el de Farmacia, tanto en cantidad como en tipo. Se recomienda que la conciliación se dirija prioritariamente a pacientes mayores de 65 años, con pluripatologías y en tratamiento con fármacos que actúan sobre los sistemas fisiológicos mencionados

Evaluación comparativa del proceso de conciliación medicamentosa realizado por el departamento de Enfermería y el de Farmacia en un hospital privado de Costa Rica

Introducción: Los errores de medicación generan riesgos en el paciente hospitalizado y constituyen una de las principales causas del incremento en la morbi-mortalidad y costos económicos; por tanto la conciliación de medicamentos constituye una solución para reforzar la seguridad de los pacientes en los procesos de transición asistencial. Objetivos: Determinar la magnitud de los errores de conciliación en los servicios del ámbito hospitalario descrito y su impacto en el paciente. Métodos: Estudio observacional, prospectivo, con una muestra de pacientes ingresados a los servicios de internamiento del Hospital, que cumplieran con los criterios de inclusión; la información necesaria para comparar los resultados de la conciliación de medicamentos fue tomada de una entrevista, la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería y el expediente clínico. Resultados: Nueve de cada diez pacientes presentó al menos una discrepancia en su medicación. Entre el promedio de medicamentos conciliados por el departamento de Farmacia y mediante la Valoración Inicial de Enfermería existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0.00001, IC 95%). La mayor discrepancia se presentó con medicamentos del sistema cardiovascular, tracto gastrointestinal y metabolismo, y sistema nervioso central. Se presentaron 151 casos de error tipo B, 376 de tipo C, y 138 de tipo D.Conclusiones:Sí existen discrepancias significativas entre la conciliación de medicamentos realizada por el servicio de Enfermería y por el de Farmacia, tanto en cantidad como en tipo. Se recomienda que la conciliación se dirija prioritariamente a pacientes mayores de 65 años, con pluripatologías y en tratamiento con fármacos que actúan sobre los sistemas fisiológicos mencionados

Molecular mechanism of edema formation in nephrotic syndrome: therapeutic implications

Sodium retention and edema are common features of nephrotic syndrome that are classically attributed to hypovolemia and activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. However, numbers of clinical and experimental findings argue against this underfill theory. In this review we analyze data from the literature in both nephrotic patients and experimental models of nephrotic syndrome that converge to demonstrate that sodium retention is not related to the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone status and that fluid leakage from capillary to the interstitium does not result from an imbalance of Starling forces, but from changes of the intrinsic properties of the capillary endothelial filtration barrier. We also discuss how most recent findings on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of sodium retention has allowed the development of an efficient treatment of edema in nephrotic patients

Phenylpropanoid Glycoside Analogues: Enzymatic Synthesis, Antioxidant Activity and Theoretical Study of Their Free Radical Scavenger Mechanism

Phenylpropanoid glycosides (PPGs) are natural compounds present in several medicinal plants that have high antioxidant power and diverse biological activities. Because of their low content in plants (less than 5% w/w), several chemical synthetic routes to produce PPGs have been developed, but their synthesis is a time consuming process and the achieved yields are often low. In this study, an alternative and efficient two-step biosynthetic route to obtain natural PPG analogues is reported for the first time. Two galactosides were initially synthesized from vanillyl alcohol and homovanillyl alcohol by a transgalactosylation reaction catalyzed by Kluyveromyces lactis β-galactosidase in saturated lactose solutions with a 30%–35% yield. To synthesize PPGs, the galactoconjugates were esterified with saturated and unsaturated hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives using Candida antarctica Lipase B (CaL-B) as a biocatalyst with 40%–60% yields. The scavenging ability of the phenolic raw materials, intermediates and PPGs was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) method. It was found that the biosynthesized PPGs had higher scavenging abilities when compared to ascorbic acid, the reference compound, while their antioxidant activities were found similar to that of natural PPGs. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to determine that the PPGs antioxidant mechanism proceeds through a sequential proton loss single electron transfer (SPLET). The enzymatic process reported in this study is an efficient and versatile route to obtain PPGs from different phenylpropanoid acids, sugars and phenolic alcohols