Field assays for chalkbrood infection in colonies of Apis mellifera iberica

"Poster"Colonies with naturally mated queens and instrumentally inseminated queens from a hygienic line of Iberian honey bees (A pis mellifera iberica) were compared to colonies from a line of Iberian bees not selected for hygienic behaviour

Hílido o microhílido? No hay evidencia de la presencia de Trachycephalus mesophaeus (Anura, Hylidae) en Argentina

Una publicación reciente reportó al hílido endémico del Bosque Atlántico Trachycephalus mesophaeus para la ecoregión Chaqueña en Argentina. En este trabajo, analizamos el espécimen de referencia y demostramos que se trata de un ejemplar incorrectamente determinado del microhílido asiático Kaloula pulchra, una especie comercializada a nivel mundial. De esta forma, no existe evidencia para considerar que T. mesophaeus esté presente en ArgentinaA recent publication reported the Atlantic Forest endemic hylid Trachycephalus mesophaeus for the Chacoan ecoregion in Argentina. In this paper, we analyzed the voucher specimen and showed that it is a misidentified specimen of the Asiatic microhylid Kaloula pulchra, a species commonly commercialized in the pet trade worldwide. Therefore, there is no evidence for the occurrence of T. mesophaeus in ArgentinaFil: Faivovich, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Elías Costa, Agustín Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentin

Análisis de la situación actual de la regularización urbana en América latina: la cuestión de la tenencia segura de los asentamientos informales en tres realidades distintas: Brasil, Colombia y Perú

Este artículo es producto del trabajo de investigación que fue desarrollado en el segundo año del doctorado Periferias, Sostenibilidad y Vitalidad Urbana de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Su objetivo principal es el análisis de la tenencia segura relacionada específi camente con los asentamientos humanos informales presentes en la mayoría de las ciudades de América Latina, buscando contestar la siguiente pregunta de investigación planteada: ¿Los instrumentos implementados en estos países pueden garantizar la tenencia segura de la población que vive en los asentamientos informales? Para alcanzar ese objetivo se realizó un estudio comparado de instrumentos utilizados en tres distintos países de América Latina: Brasil, Colombia y Per

Study of some methods used for proving the hygienic behaviour of Portuguese local bee ecotypes

O comportamento higiénico em colónias da espécie Apis mellifera L., de origem Portuguesa foi examinado no sentido de avaliar se estas demonstram um forte instinto de limpeza. Para tal foram aplicadas duas técnicas de campo em 20 colmeias existentes num apiário experimental pertencente à Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança e situada no Nordeste de Portugal. Em ambos os ensaios, interessou a rapidez com que as abelhas detectaram, desopercularam e removeram a criação dos alvéolos. Em ambos os testes controlou-se e registou-se a proporção de criação que foi desoperculada e extraida de ambos os lados de cada quadro, em cada colmeia, às 24 horas, às 48 horas e às 120 horas. O tempo total necessário para a extracção completa de todos os alvéolos com criação morta por congelação foi menor, uma vez que, todas as colónias apresentavam uma remoção completa às 48 horas. Enquanto que o tempo total necessário para a remoção da totalidade da criação morta por puncção variou entre 24 horas, com remoção completa, e mais de 72 horas, com extracção incompleta. No entanto, demonstrou-se a eficácia da técnica de morte por puncção para a avaliação do comportamento higiénico às 24 horas, dado que, na maioria das colónias estudadas obtivemos um χ2 significativo (p<0,001)

Ancient Leishmaniasis in a Highland Desert of Northern Chile

BACKGROUND:Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease endemic today in many areas of South America. METHODOLOGY:We discovered morphologic and molecular evidence of ancient infections in 4 female skulls in the archaeological cemetery of Coyo Oriente, in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, Northern Chile. The boney facial lesions visible in the skulls could have been caused by a number of chronic infections including chronic Leishmaniasis. This diagnosis was confirmed using PCR-sequenced analyses of bone fragments from the skulls of the affected individuals.Leishmaniasis is not normally found in the high-altitude desert of Northern Chile; where the harsh climate does not allow the parasite to complete its life cycle. The presence of Leishmaniasis in ancient skulls from the region implies infection by the protozoan in an endemic area-likely, in our subjects, to have been the lowlands of North-Eastern Argentina or in Southern Bolivia. CONCLUSIONS:We propose that the presence of the disease in ancient times in the high altitude desert of San Pedro de Atacama is the result of an exogamic system of patrilocal marriages, where women from different cultures followed their husbands to their ancestral homes, allowing immigrant women, infected early in life, to be incorporated in the Atacama desert society before they became disfigured by the disease. The present globalization of goods and services and the extraordinary facile movement of people across borders and continents have lead to a resurgence of infectious diseases and re-emergence of infections such as Leishmaniasis. We show here that such factors were already present millennia ago, shaping demographic trends and the epidemiology of infections just as they do today

Comparative histology of the vocal sac in three species of hylid frogs with comments on its functional correlates

The vocal sacs of frogs are elastic structures responsible for the circulation of air during vocalization, amplifying the sounds produced by these animals during multimodal communication. Vocal sacs present a wide array of morphologies among species and may be single, paired, or absent in adult males. Most studies on vocal sacs in Anura deal with their external morphology, and not with their internal structure, which has been explored in only a handful of species. The aim of this study was to assess vocal sac structure in three hylid species, Dendropsophus haddadi, D. elegans, and Scinax fuscovarius, using histological techniques. These species differ greatly in the degree of development and histological properties of the gular skin and submandibular musculature. In particular, elastic fibers are abundant in the thick m. interhyoideus and the relatively tight gular skin of S. fuscovarius. In contrast, in both species of Dendropsophus (although more evident in D. elegans), the m. interhyoideus is extremely thin and expanded, with a negligible number of elastic fibers that appear as a loose, pleated sheet when deflated. We analyzed videos of calling males of the three species and their close relatives, which show two different patterns of inflation/deflation. These patterns are strongly correlated with the histological properties of the vocal sac wall. The three species have different vocal sac shapes and rely differently on elasticity for vocal sac function.Os sacos vocais dos anuros são estruturas elásticas responsáveis pela circulação do ar durante a vocalização, amplificando os sons produzidos por esses animais durante a comunicação multimodal. Os sacos vocais apresentam uma ampla gama de morfologias entre as espécies, podendo ser únicos, pareados ou ausentes em machos adultos. A maioria dos estudos sobre sacos vocais em Anura trata de sua morfologia externa, não incluindo dados sobre sua estrutura interna, que foi explorada em apenas algumas espécies. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a estrutura do saco vocal de três espécies de hilídeos, Dendropsophus haddadi, D. elegans e Scinax fuscovarius, por meio de técnicas histológicas. Essas espécies diferem muito no grau de desenvolvimento e nas propriedades histológicas da pele gular e da musculatura submandibular. Em particular, as fibras elásticas são abundantes no músculo interioidal espesso e pele gular relativamente esticada de S. fuscovarius. Ao contrário, em ambas as espécies de Dendropsophus (embora mais evidente em D. elegans), o músculo interioidal é extremamente fino e expandido, com conteúdo não-significativo de fibras elásticas, aparecendo como uma folha solta e pregueada quando desinflado. Analisamos vídeos de vocalizações de machos das três espécies e parentes próximos, que mostram dois padrões bem diferentes de inflação/deflação. Além disso, estes estão fortemente correlacionados com as propriedades histológicas da parede do saco vocal, uma vez que as três espécies têm diferentes formatos de saco vocal e dependem diferentemente da elasticidade para a função do saco vocal

Voltammetric immunosensor for the simultaneous analysis of the breast cancer biomarkers CA 15-3 and HER2-ECD

Cancer Antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) and the extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-ECD) are independent breast cancer biomarkers. The combination of their profiles (presence and concentration) could provide an important contribution to diagnostics and patient follow-up. Therefore, a disposable electrochemical immunosensor for the simultaneous detection of CA 15-3 and HER2-ECD was developed in this work. The immunosensor was constructed on a customized dual screen-printed carbon electrode. The carbon working electrodes' surfaces were first modified with in situ electrodeposited gold nanoparticles and then individually coated with either a monoclonal anti-human CA 15-3 or a monoclonal anti-human HER2-ECD antibody. After incubation with the biomarkers and monoclonal biotin-labelled detection antibodies, the antigen-antibody interactions were detected by linear sweep voltammetric analysis of enzymatically (alkaline phosphatase) generated metallic silver. The immunosensor’s limits of detection for the selected biomarkers were 5.0 U mL−1 for CA 15-3 and 2.9 ng mL−1 for HER2-ECD. These values could allow the use of the sensor in the non-invasive control of these biomarkers in breast cancer patients.This work received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) through projects PTDC/SAU-ENB/114786/2009 and UID/QUI/50006/2013. Estefanía Costa Rama thanks the Government of Principado de Asturias for the award of a Severo Ochoa predoctoral grant (BP11-097).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Early Cambrian U-Pb zircon age and Hf-isotope data from the Guasayán pluton, Sierras Pampeanas, Argentina: implications for the northwestern boundary of the Pampean arc

An Early Cambrian pluton, known as the Guasayán pluton, has been identified in the central area of Sierra de Guasayán, northwestern Argentina. A U?Pb zircon Concordia age of 533 ± 4 Ma was obtained by LA-MC-ICP-MS and represents the first report of robustly dated Early Cambrian magmatism for the northwestern Sierras Pampeanas. The pluton was emplaced in low-grade metasedimentary rocks and its magmatic assemblage consists of K-feldspar (phenocrysts) + plagioclase + quartz + biotite, with zircon, apatite, ilmenite, magnetite and monazite as accessory minerals. Geochemically, the granitic rock is a metaluminous subalkaline felsic granodiorite with SiO2 = 69.24%, Na2O+ K2O = 7.08%, CaO = 2.45%, Na2O/ K2O = 0.71 and FeO/MgO = 3.58%. Rare earth element patterns show moderate slope (LaN/YbN = 8.05) with a slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.76). We report the first in situ Hf isotopes data (εHft = -0.12 to -4.76) from crystallized zircons in the Early Cambrian granites of the Sierras Pampeanas, helping to constrain the magma source and enabling comparison with other Pampean granites. The Guasayán pluton might provide a link between Early Cambrian magmatism of the central Sierras Pampeanas and that of the Eastern Cordillera, contributing to define the western boundary of the Pampean paleo-arc.Fil: Dahlquist, Juan Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Verdecchia, Sebastián Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Baldo, Edgardo Gaspar Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Basei, Miguel A. S.. Universidade Do Brasilia. Instituto de Geociencias; BrasilFil: Alasino, Pablo Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Uran, Gimena Mariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Rapela, Carlos Washington. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: da Costa Campos Neto, Mario. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Zandomeni, Priscila Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; Argentin

Competitive electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of unfolded p53 protein in blood as biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia nowadays, and its prevalence increases over time. Because of this and the difficulty of its diagnosis, accurate methods for the analysis of specific biomarkers for an early diagnosis of this disease are much needed. Recently, the levels of unfolded isoform of the multifunctional protein p53 in plasma have been proved to increase selectively in Alzheimer's Disease patients in comparison with healthy subjects, thus entering the list of biomarkers that can be used for the diagnosis of this illness. We present here the development of an electrochemical immunosensor based on nanostructured screen-printed carbon electrodes for the quantification of unfolded p53 in plasma samples. The sensor shows a suitable linear range (from 2 to 50 nM) for its application in real blood samples and a very low limit of detection (0.05 nM). The concentration of unfolded p53 has been accurately detected in plasma of elderly people in healthy conditions, subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) subjects, obtaining results with no significant differences to those provided by an ELISA assay. These results support the possibility of measuring unfolded p53 levels with a cheap, simple and miniaturized device with a promising future for point-of-care applications in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia.This work has been supported by the FC-15-GRUPIN14-021 project from the Asturias Regional Government and the CTQ2014-58826-R and MINECO-18-CTQ2017-86994-R projects from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). O. Amor-Gutiérrez thanks Vicerrectorado de Investigación from University of Oviedo for the award of a grant “Ayudas para la realización de tesis doctorales” (PAPI-18-PF-13) through Plan de Apoyo y Promoción de la Investigación.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Celiac disease detection using a transglutaminase electrochemical immunosensor fabricated on nanohybrid screen-printed carbon electrodes

Celiac disease is a gluten-induced autoimmune enteropathy characterized by the presence of tissue tranglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies. A disposable electrochemical immunosensor (EI) for the detection of IgA and IgG type anti-tTG autoantibodies in real patient’s samples is presented. Screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) nanostructurized with carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles were used as the transducer surface. This transducer exhibits the excellent characteristics of carbon–metal nanoparticle hybrid conjugation and led to the amplification of the immunological interaction. The immunosensing strategy consisted of the immobilization of tTG on the nanostructured electrode surface followed by the electrochemical detection of the autoantibodies present in the samples using an alkaline phosphatase (AP) labelled anti-human IgA or IgG antibody. The analytical signal was based on the anodic redissolution of enzymatically generated silver by cyclic voltammetry. The results obtained were corroborated with a commercial ELISA kit indicating that the electrochemical immunosensor is a trustful analytical screening tool