Holistic assessment of the microbiome dynamics in the substrates used for commercial champignon (Agaricus bisporus) cultivation

Microorganisms strongly influence and are required to generate the selective substrate that provides nutrients and support for fungal growth, and ultimately to induce mushroom fructification under controlled environmental conditions. In this work, the fungal and bacterial microbiota living in the different substrates employed in a commercial crop (compost phase I, II and III, flush 1 and 2, and casing material on day 1, 6 and 8 after compost casing and during flush 1 and 2) have been characterized along the different stages of cultivation by metataxonomic analysis (16S rRNA and ITS2), analysis of phospholipid fatty acid content (PLFAs) and RT-qPCR. Additionally, laccase activity and the content of lignin and complex carbohydrates in compost and casing have been quantified. The bacterial diversity in compost and casing increased throughout the crop cycle boosted by the connection of both substrates. As reflected by the PLFAs, the total living bacterial biomass appears to be negatively correlated with the mycelium of the crop. Agaricus bisporus was the dominant fungal species in colonized substrates, displacing the pre-eminent Ascomycota, accompanied by a sustained increase in laccase activity, which is considered to be a major product of protein synthesis during the mycelial growth of champignon. From phase II onwards, the metabolic machinery of the fungal crop degrades lignin and carbohydrates in compost, while these components are hardly degraded in casing, which reflects the minor role of the casing for nourishing the crop. The techniques employed in this study provide a holistic and detailed characterization of the changing microbial composition in commercial champignon substrates. The knowledge generated will contribute to improve compost formulations (selection of base materials) and accelerate compost production, for instance, through biotechnological interventions in the form of tailored biostimulants and to design environmentally sustainable bio-based casing materialsThe project was funded by the H2020 programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 742966 and also funded by the ADER project grant no. 2016-IDD-00013. [Correction added on 07 August 2020 after first online publication: Figures 3 and 5 have been corrected in this version

El índice de legibilidad y el factor de impacto en artículos recientes sobre covid-19

Scientific articles are one of the main sources of research information, to be published in an appropriate medium (journal) they must go through a well-structured process. However, the recent health crisis by COVID-19 has caused these writings to be approved in less time than they were subject to. Here, we analyzed already published papers on COVID-19, through the Readability index (“Flesch Reading Ease” score formula) and its relationship with the impact factor to know the readability status of the new information. We found a relationship between the Readability index and the impact factor, which should be corroborated by more studies. A low score is also observed in the papers; however, this was already expected. What made us concerned was that, as specialized scientific information, information for the general public tends to have low scores. This indicates that we should look for a more appropriate way to communicate new information in the medical literature to the general public.Los artículos científicos son una de las principales fuentes de información en materia de investigación, para ser publicados en un medio adecuado (revista) deben pasar por un proceso estructurado. Sin embargo, la reciente crisis sanitaria a causa de la COVID-19 ha provocado que estos escritos hayan sido aprobados en un tiempo menor al que estaban sujetos. Aquí, analizamos artículos científicos ya publicados sobre la COVID-19, a través del índice de Legibilidad “Flesch Reading Ease” (FRE) y su relación con el factor de impacto para conocer el estado de legibilidad de la nueva información. Encontramos una relación entre el índice de Legibilidad y el factor de impacto, la cual debe ser corroborada con más estudios. También, observamos una puntuación baja en los escritos; aunque, esto ya se esperaba. Lo que nos hizo preocuparnos fue que, al igual la información científica especializada, la información para el público en general tiende a un bajo puntaje. Esto indica que debemos buscar una forma más adecuada de comunicar la nueva información de la literatura médica al público en general

Exploring Dietary Behavior Changes Due to the COVID-19 Confinement in Colombia: A National and Regional Survey Study

The authors would like to extend their gratitude and acknowledgments to all study participants and to all Foundations, Institutions, and Societies that supported the survey, helping in the process of dissemination: Asociacion Colombiana de Dietistas y Nutricionistas, ACODIN, Asociacion Colombiana de Facultades de Nutricion y Dietetica (ACOFANUD), Asociacion de Egresados de Nutricion y Dietetica de la Universidad Nacional (ANDUN), Colegio colombiano de nutricionistas Dietistas-COLNUD, Observatorio de Soberania y Seguridad alimentaria y Nutricional de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (OBSSAN UN). The authors are also thankful to Gloria Esperanza Prada Gomez from Universidad Industrial de Santander (Facultad de Salud, Escuela de Nutricion y Dietetica), who also supported the dissemination of the survey in the Eastern region of Colombia. Sonia Liliana Pertuz Cruz is thankful to Fundacion Carolina, for a doctoral scholarship award.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of coronavirus SARS-Cov2 (COVID-19) confinement measures in Colombia on the dietary behaviors of a large population sample, at national and regional levels. A survey was conducted to assess dietary behaviors during the COVID-19 confinement. The survey involved 2,745 participants, aged 18 years or older, from six regions of the country (Atlantica, Bogota, Central, Oriental, Orinoquia and Amazonia, and Pacifica). Dietary intake of foods and foods groups in grams per day before and during the confinement was estimated by considering standard serving sizes of foods. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze differences between the regions with regard to dietary behavior changes during the confinement. Differences were deemed significant at p-value < 0.05. Dietary patterns (DPs) before and during the confinement were derived from principal component analysis. Certain dietary habits were adopted by the study population during the confinement (e.g., higher frequency of snacking and home cooking), with significant differences by regions with regard to these habits, as well as regarding culinary processes. The levels of consumption of several foods also changed during the confinement, nationally and regionally. We identified three DPs before the confinement (protein-rich, carbohydrate-rich, and sugar foods patterns) and four DPs during the confinement (westernized, carbohydrate-rich, protein-rich, fish and fruits-vegetable patterns), with an explained total variance of 33 and 45%, respectively. The profile of these DPs varied to some extent between the regions; their adherence to each DP also varied (p-value < 0.001). Our results show that there were marked differences by regions in the dietary behaviors of this population during the confinement, with an overall trend toward unhealthier DPs. These results may help to shape public health nutrition interventions in Colombia during the COVID-19 pandemic and in a post-COVID stage.Fundacion CarolinaAsociacion Colombiana de Dietistas y Nutricionistas, ACODINAsociacion Colombiana de Facultades de Nutricion y Dietetica (ACOFANUD)Asociacion de Egresados de Nutricion y Dietetica de la Universidad Nacional (ANDUN)Colegio colombiano de nutricionistas Dietistas-COLNUDObservatorio de Soberania y Seguridad alimentaria y Nutricional de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (OBSSAN UN

Influence of SO2 and NOx on atmospheric corrosion of steel

Significant damages have been caused by sulfur and nitrogen pollutants produced by man activity to buildings and constructions including those linked to the cultural heritage in industrialized countries during the last century. These damages caused a substantial cost. It is considered that at present the figure I about nine thousand million US dollars each year. It has been very well established, that sulfur compounds, particularly sulfur dioxide, accelerate the degradation processes of many materials. More recent studies have also shown that the importance of other pollutants, such as O3, nitrogen oxides and organic acids on the degradation of materials. Salinity and sulfur compounds were determined every month by using accumulative methods at two test stations. Gaseous pollutants were also determined at two test stations by the use of volumetric methods. The corrosion of carbon steel was evaluated by weight loss. Data for pollutants and steel weight loss were processed. The results show that among the aerochemical factors, the most influential ones on the explanation for the variations of the corrosive activity of the atmosphere in the tested stations were nitrogen monoxide and ammonia, and that the interaction between chloride ions and NO causes an increase in AISI 1020 steel corrosion. It explains its great incidence detected at the Casablanca station, while SO2 influence is not significant on the steel corrosion changes

Expansion of different subpopulations of CD26 −/low T cells in allergic and non-allergic asthmatics

CD26 displays variable levels between effector (TH ≫ TH > TH > Treg) and naïve/memory (memory > naïve) CD4 T lymphocytes. Besides, IL-6/IL 6R is associated with TH -differentiation and asthma severity. Allergic/atopic asthma (AA) is dominated by TH responses, while TH immunity might either modulate the TH -dependent inflammation in AA or be an important mechanism boosting non-allergic asthma (NAA). Therefore, in this work we have compared the expression of CD26 and CD126 (IL-6Rα) in lymphocytes from different groups of donors: allergic (AA) and non-allergic (NAA) asthma, rhinitis, and healthy subjects. For this purpose, flow cytometry, haematological/biochemical, and in vitro proliferation assays were performed. Our results show a strong CD26-CD126 correlation and an over-representation of CD26 subsets with a highly-differentiated effector phenotype in AA (CD4 CD26 T cells) and NAA (CD4 CD26 γδ-T cells). In addition, we found that circulating levels of CD26 (sCD26) were reduced in both AA and NAA, while loss of CD126 expression on different leukocytes correlated with higher disease severity. Finally, selective inhibition of CD26-mRNA translation led to enhanced T cell proliferation in vitro. These findings support that CD26 down-modulation could play a role in facilitating the expansion of highly-differentiated effector T cell subsets in asthma

Secondary organic aerosol origin in an urban environment: Influence of biogenic and fuel combustion precursors

Source contributions of organic aerosol (OA) are still not fully understood, especially in terms of quantitative distinction between secondary OA formed from anthropogenic precursors vs. that formed from natural precursors. In order to investigate the OA origin, a field campaign was carried out in Barcelona in summer 2013, including two periods characterized by low and high traffic conditions. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were higher during the second period, especially aromatic hydrocarbons related to traffic emissions, which showed a marked daily cycle peaking during traffic rush hours, similarly to black carbon (BC) concentrations. Biogenic VOC (BVOC) concentrations showed only minor changes from the low to the high traffic period, and their intra-day variability was related to temperature and solar radiation cycles, although a decrease was observed for monoterpenes during the day. The organic carbon (OC) concentrations increased from the first to the second period, and the fraction of non-fossil OC as determined by C analysis increased from 43% to 54% of the total OC. The combination of C analysis and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) OA source apportionment showed that the fossil OC was mainly secondary (>70%) except for the last sample, when the fossil secondary OC only represented 51% of the total fossil OC. The fraction of non-fossil secondary OC increased from 37% of total secondary OC for the first sample to 60% for the last sample. This enhanced formation of non-fossil secondary OA (SOA) could be attributed to the reaction of BVOC precursors with NO emitted from road traffic (or from its nocturnal derivative nitrate that enhances night-time semi-volatile oxygenated OA (SV-OOA)), since NO concentrations increased from 19 to 42 μg m from the first to the last sample

Ectopic overexpression of the cell wall invertase gene CIN1 leads to dehydration avoidance in tomato

Drought stress conditions modify source–sink relations, thereby influencing plant growth, adaptive responses, and consequently crop yield. Invertases are key metabolic enzymes regulating sink activity through the hydrolytic cleavage of sucrose into hexose monomers, thus playing a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the physiological role of invertases during adaptation to abiotic stress conditions is not yet fully understood. Here it is shown that plant adaptation to drought stress can be markedly improved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by overexpression of the cell wall invertase (cwInv) gene CIN1 from Chenopodium rubrum. CIN1 overexpression limited stomatal conductance under normal watering regimes, leading to reduced water consumption during the drought period, while photosynthetic activity was maintained. This caused a strong increase in water use efficiency (up to 50%), markedly improving water stress adaptation through an efficient physiological strategy of dehydration avoidance. Drought stress strongly reduced cwInv activity and induced its proteinaceous inhibitor in the leaves of the wild-type plants. However, the CIN1-overexpressing plants registered 3- to 6-fold higher cwInv activity in all analysed conditions. Surprisingly, the enhanced invertase activity did not result in increased hexose concentrations due to the activation of the metabolic carbohydrate fluxes, as reflected by the maintenance of the activity of key enzymes of primary metabolism and increased levels of sugar-phosphate intermediates under water deprivation. The induced sink metabolism in the leaves explained the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, delayed senescence, and increased source activity under drought stress. Moreover, CIN1 plants also presented a better control of production of reactive oxygen species and sustained membrane protection. Those metabolic changes conferred by CIN1 overexpression were accompanied by increases in the concentrations of the senescence-delaying hormone trans-zeatin and decreases in the senescence-inducing ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the leaves. Thus, cwInv critically functions at the integration point of metabolic, hormonal, and stress signals, providing a novel strategy to overcome drought-induced limitations to crop yield, without negatively affecting plant fitness under optimal growth conditions.FPA and co-workers are funded by the Spanish MICINN-FEDER (projects AT2009-0038 and AGL2011-27996) and the European Commission (ROOTOPOWER Contract # 289365). TR and FPA were jointly funded by the Spanish–Austrian bilateral project AT2009-0038. AA was supported by post-doctoral fellowships from the Fundación Séneca (Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) and the FWF (Austrian Science Fund), and currently by the JAE DOC Programme

Impacto del estrés por calor en la producción de ovinos de pelo. Revisión

Frente al problema del calentamiento global y cambio climático, los pequeños rumiantes serán clave para mantener la producción de proteína de origen animal, ya que tienen superioridad en la tolerancia al calor en comparación con otros animales domésticos. Los ovinos de pelo han demostrado ampliamente su habilidad para crecer y reproducirse en escenarios naturales de altas temperaturas y baja disponibilidad de nutrientes. La adaptación que presentan estos ovinos al estrés calórico está dada por una compleja interacción entre los mecanismos de termorregulación y la presencia de factores genéticos, lo cual les confiere una plasticidad fisiológica para tolerar climas calientes sin afectar drásticamente la productividad. Bajo condiciones de México, los ovinos de pelo se encuentran distribuidos en los diferentes climas debido a que no presentan una estacionalidad reproductiva, y esta característica permite a la industria ovina mantener una producción de carne constante a través del año; sin embargo, poca atención se ha puesto sobre su habilidad para producir en condiciones de estrés calórico. En este sentido, la presente revisión tiene como objetivo hacer una descripción de los efectos del estrés calórico sobre el comportamiento reproductivo, el crecimiento de corderos y la termorregulación de ovinos de pelo.  

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) registry in spain for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Nadya-SENPE group)

Objetivo: Comunicar los datos del registro de Nutrición Parenteral Domiciliaria (NPD) del grupo de trabajo NADYA-SENPE de los años 2007, 2008 y 2009. Material y métodos: Recopilación de los datos del registro “on-line” introducidos por las Unidades responsables del seguimiento de la NPD desde el 1 de enero de 2007 al 31 de diciembre de 2009 dividido por años naturales. Resultados: Año 2007: Se registraron 133 pacientes con NPD (61 hombres y 72 mujeres), de 21 hospitales. La edad media de los 119 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 53,7 ± 14,9 años, y de 3,6 ± 3,6 años la de los 14 pacientes que no los superaban. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (24%) seguida de las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal y la enteritis posradiación (ambas 14%). En el 43% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción (27%) y obstrucción intestinal (23%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (69%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (27%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,92 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 50% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 71,4% de los pacientes; la muerte fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (57,5%). El 26% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos al trasplante intestinal. Año 2008: Se registraron 143 pacientes con NPD (62 hombres y 81mujeres), de 24 hospitales. La edad media de los 133 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 54,7 ± 13,9 años, y de 3,7 ± 0,6 años la de los 10 pacientes que no los superaban. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (20%) seguida de la enteritis rádica (14%) y las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal (13%). En el 44% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción (28%) y obstrucción Nutriintestinal (20%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (60%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (29%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,50 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 67% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 71,6% de los pacientes; la muerte fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (52,4%). El 29% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos al trasplante intestinal. Año 2009: Se registraron 158 pacientes con NPD (62 hombres y 96 mujeres), de 24 hospitales. La edad media de los 149 pacientes mayores de 13 años fue de 55,2 ± 13,0 años. La patología más frecuente fue la neoplasia (25%) seguida de la enteritis rádica (12%) y las alteraciones de la motilidad intestinal (11%). En el 42% de los casos el motivo de indicación fue el síndrome de intestino corto, seguido de malabsorción y obstrucción intestinal (ambas 23%). Los catéteres más utilizados fueron los tunelizados (60%) y los reservorios subcutáneos (36%). Las complicaciones mas frecuentes fueron las sépticas relacionadas con el catéter con una tasa de 0,67 infecciones por cada mil días de NPD. La duración de la NPD fue superior a los dos años en el 58% de los casos. Al acabar el año seguía en activo el 79,2% de los pacientes; el paso a alimentación oral fue la principal causa de la finalización de la NPD (48%). El 23% de los pacientes se consideraron candidatos a trasplante intestinal. Conclusiones: Se observa un aumento progresivo de los pacientes registrados respecto a años anteriores con una prevalencia muy variable según comunidades autónomas. La principal patología sigue siendo la neoplasia, que ocupa el primer lugar desde 2003. Se aprecia una disminución de las complicaciones sépticas relacionadas con el catéter en los dos últimos años, siendo la tasa de 2008 la más baja desde la creación del registroObjective: To report the data of the Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) registry of the NADYA-SENPE working group for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. Methodology: We compiled the data from the on-line registry introduced by the responsible Units for the monitoring of HPN from January 1st 2007 to December 31st 2009. Included fields were: age, sex, diagnosis and reason for HPN, access path, complications, beginning and end dates, complementary oral or enteral nutrition, activity level, autonomy degree, product and fungible material supply, withdrawal reason and intestinal transplant indication. Results: 2007: 133 patients with HPN were registered (61 males and 72 females), belonging to 21 hospitals. Average age for the 119 patients older than 13 years old was 53.7 ± 14.9 years, and 3.6 ± 3.6 y. for the 14 patients under 14 years old. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (24%), followed by intestinal motility disorders and actinic enteritis (14% both). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (43%), malabsorption (27%), and intestinal obstruction (23%). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (69%), followed by implanted port-catheters (27%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.92 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 50% of the cases. By the end of 2007, 71.4% of the patients remained active; exitus was the most frequent reason to end HPN (57.5%). 26% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. 2008: 143 patients with HPN were registered (62 males and 81 females), belonging to 24 hospitals. Average age for the 133 patients older than 13 years old was 54.7 ± 13.9 years, and 3.7 ± 0.6 y. for the 10 patients under 14 years old. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (20%), followed by actinic enteritis (14%) and intestinal motility disorders (13% ). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (44%), malabsorption (28%), and intestinal obstruction (20%). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (60%), followed by implanted port-catheters (29%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.50 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 67% of the cases. By the end of 2008, 71.6% of the patients remained active; exitus was the most frequent reason to end HPN (52.4%). 29% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. 2009: 158 patients with HPN were registered (62 males and 96 females), belonging to 24 hospitals. Average age for the 149 patients older than 13 years old was 55.2 ± 13.0 years. Most frequent pathology was neoplasm (25%), followed by actinic enteritis (12%) and intestinal motility disorders (11%). The reason for HPN provision was short bowel syndrome (42%), malabsorption, and intestinal obstruction (23% both). Tunnelled catheters were mostly used (60%), followed by implanted port-catheters (36%). Catheter related infections were the most frequent complications, with a rate of 0.67 episodes/103 HPN days. HPN was provided for more than two years in 58% of the cases. By the end of 2009, 79.2% of the patients remained active; full oral nutrition was the most frequent reason to end HPN (48%). 23% of the patients were eligible for intestinal transplant. Conclusions: We observe an increase in registered patients with respect to previous years, with a very different prevalence among regions. Neoplasia remains as the main pathology since 2003. We observe a decrease in catheter-related infections in the last two years, being the 2008 rate the smallest since the register’s beginning