Asociación de espermatozoides en el epidídimo de rata. Expresión de Serpina 1F, una proteína involucrada en este proceso madurativo.

La asociación epididimaria de espermatozoides es un fenómenoobservado en numerosas especies de mamíferos. Cuando los espermatozoides madurosalcanzan la cola del epidídimo pueden asociarse entre sí mediante sus cabezasformando estructuras características, cuya morfología depende de cada especie. Entrelas cabezas asociadas se describió la presencia de un material electron denso denaturaleza proteica. En la rata estas asociaciones se denominan ”rosetas“. De estemodo, los espermatozoides permanecen almacenados hasta la eyaculación. Una vezdepositados en el tracto reproductor femenino o bien liberados a un medio de cultivo seactiva la movilidad espermática. Esto produce que uno a uno los espermatozoides sedesprendan originando una suspensión de células móviles y aisladas. En las especiesde mamíferos estudiadas, este proceso de asociación reversible se relaciona con elgrado de maduración alcanzado por los espermatozoides. En cuanto a la funciónbiológica se ha propuesto tanto la protección de las gametas frente a una reacciónacrosomal anticipada como la adquisición de una una mayor velocidad dedesplazamiento de las asociaciones lo que supondría ventaja en caso de competenciaespermática. En trabajos previos nuestro grupo aisló e identifico en el fluido epididimariode la región caudal de rata la proteína Serpina 1 F que pertenece a la familia de lasSerpinas (inhibidores de serin proteasas). Luego demostramos que Serpina 1Fparticipaba en la asociación epididimaria de espermatozoides en esta especie medianteensayos de re asociación in vitro

Improving the detection of infectious diseases in at-risk migrants with an innovative integrated multi-infection screening digital decision support tool (IS-MiHealth) in primary care : a pilot cluster-randomized-controlled trial

There are major shortfalls in the identification and screening of at-risk migrant groups. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new digital tool (IS-MiHealth) integrated into the electronic patient record system of primary care centres in detecting prevalent migrant infections. IS-MiHealth provides targeted recommendations to health professionals for screening multiple infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C, active tuberculosis (TB), Chagas disease, strongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis, based on patient characteristics (including variables of country of origin, age and sex). A pragmatic pilot cluster-randomized-controlled trial was deployed from March to December 2018. Eight primary care centres in Catalonia, Spain, were randomly allocated 1:1 to use of the digital tool for screening, or to routine care. The primary outcome was the monthly diagnostic yield of all aggregated infections. Intervention and control sites were compared before and after implementation with respect to their monthly diagnostic yield using regression models. This study is registered on international standard randomised controlled trial number (ISRCTN) (ISRCTN14795012). A total of 15 780 migrants registered across the eight centres had at least one visit during the intervention period (March-December 2018), of which 14 598 (92.51%) fulfilled the criteria to be screened for at least one infection. There were 210 (2.57%) individuals from the intervention group with new diagnoses compared with 113 (1.49%) from the control group [odds ratio: 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.63-2.64, P < 0.001]. The intervention centres raised their overall monthly diagnosis rate to 5.80 (95% CI 1.23-10.38, P = 0.013) extra diagnoses compared with the control centres. This monthly increase in diagnosis in intervention centres was also observed if we consider all cases together of HIV, hepatitis B and C, and active TB cases [2.72 (95% CI 0.43-5.00); P = 0.02] and was observed as well for the parasitic infections' group (Chagas disease, strongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis) 2.58 (95% CI 1.60-3.57; P < 0.001). The IS-MiHealth increased screening rate and diagnostic yield for key infections in migrants in a population-based primary care setting. Further testing and development of this new tool is warranted in larger trials and in other countries

Vector capabilities in GRASS GIS

Vector capabilities in GRASS GIS: an overview of vector topology and its application in network analysi

Sperm parameters and epididymis function in transgenic rats overexpressing the Ca-2-binding protein regucalcin: a hidden role for Ca-2 in sperm maturation?

Sperm undergo maturation acquiring progressive motility and the ability to fertilize oocytes through exposure to the components of the epididymal fluid (EF). Although the establishment of a calcium (Ca-2) gradient along the epididymis has been described, its direct effects on epididymal function remain poorly explored. Regucalcin (RGN) is a Ca-2-binding protein, regulating the activity of Ca-2-channels and Ca-2-ATPase, for which a role in male reproductive function has been suggested. This study aimed at comparing the morphology, assessed by histological analysis, and function of epididymis, by analysis of sperm parameters, antioxidant potential and Ca-2 fluxes, between transgenic rats overexpressing RGN (Tg-RGN) and their wild-type littermates. Tg-RGN animals displayed an altered morphology of epididymis and lower sperm counts and motility. Tissue incubation with Ca-45(2) showed also that epididymis of Tg-RGN displayed a diminished rate of Ca-2-influx, indicating unbalanced Ca-2 concentrations in the epididymal lumen. Sperm viability and the frequency of normal sperm, determined by the one-step eosin-nigrosin staining technique and the Diff-Quik staining method, respectively, were higher in Tg-RGN. Moreover, sperm of Tg-RGN rats showed a diminished incidence of tail defects. Western blot analysis demonstrated the presence of RGN in EF as well as its higher expression in the corpus region. The results presented herein demonstrated the importance of maintaining Ca-2-levels in the epididymal lumen and suggest a role for RGN in sperm maturation. Overall, a new insight into the molecular mechanisms driving epididymal sperm maturation was obtained, which could be relevant to development of better approaches in male infertility treatment and contraception.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under Program COMPETE [PEst-C/SAU/UI0709/2011]; FCT; FCT fellowships [SFRH/BD/60945/2009, SRFH/BPD/80451/2011]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efecto del aceite de oliva sobre el metabolismo del colesterol en conejos hipercolesterolémicos.

El aceite de oliva, componente esencial de la Dieta Mediterránea, posee efectosbeneficiosos sobre la hipercolesterolemia, principal factor de riesgo de enfermedadescardiovasculares. La administración de una dieta grasa en conejos provoca laacumulación de colesterol en la membrana celular del espermatozoide y se correlacionacon defectos en la biogénesis del acrosoma y de la cabeza en general. Este incrementode colesterol interfiere con el normal funcionamiento de la gameta masculina y podría sercausa de infertilidad masculina. Interesantemente, la administración de aceite de oliva aestos animales mejoró los parámetros alterados por la ingesta grasa.Nuestro interés reside en estudiar la vía intracelular de colesterol en testículo deconejos bajo diferentes dietas experimentales. El efecto beneficioso del aceite de oliva anivel celular no ha sido estudiado a nivel celular/molecular

Determining leaf area index and leafy tree roughness using terrestrial laser scanning

Vegetation roughness, and more specifically forest roughness, is a necessary component in better defining flood dynamics both in the sense of changes in river catchment characteristics and the dynamics of forest changes and management. Extracting roughness parameters from riparian forests can be a complicated process involving different components for different required scales and flow depths. For flow depths that enter a forest canopy, roughness at both the woody branch and foliage level is necessary. This study attempts to extract roughness for this leafy component using a relatively new remote sensing technique in the form of terrestrial laser scanning. Terrestrial laser scanning is used in this study due to its ability to obtain millions of points within relatively small forest stands. This form of lidar can be used to determine the gaps present in foliaged canopies in order to determine the leaf area index. The leaf area index can then be directly input into resistance equations to determine the flow resistance at different flow depths. Leaf area indices created using ground scanning are compared in this study to indices calculated using simple regression equations. The dominant riparian forests investigated in this study are planted and natural poplar forests over a lowland section of the Garonne River in Southern France. Final foliage roughness values were added to woody branch roughness from a previous study, resulting in total planted riparian forest roughness values of around Manning's n = 0.170–0.195 and around n = 0.245–330 for in-canopy flow of 6 and 8 m, respectively, and around n = 0.590 and around n = 0.750 for a natural forest stand at the same flow depths

Hypercholesterolemia Impaired Sperm Functionality in Rabbits

Hypercholesterolemia represents a high risk factor for frequent diseases and it has also been associated with poor semen quality that may lead to male infertility. The aim of this study was to analyze semen and sperm function in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Twelve adult White New Zealand male rabbits were fed ad libitum a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.05% cholesterol. Rabbits under cholesterol-enriched diet significantly increased total cholesterol level in the serum. Semen examination revealed a significant reduction in semen volume and sperm motility in hypercholesterolemic rabbits (HCR). Sperm cell morphology was seriously affected, displaying primarily a “folded head”-head fold along the major axe-, and the presence of cytoplasmic droplet on sperm flagellum. Cholesterol was particularly increased in acrosomal region when detected by filipin probe. The rise in cholesterol concentration in sperm cells was determined quantitatively by Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses. We also found a reduction of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in sperm incubated under capacitating conditions from HCR. Interestingly, the addition of Protein Kinase A pathway activators -dibutyryl-cyclic AMP and iso-butylmethylxanthine- to the medium restored sperm capacitation. Finally, it was also reported a significant decrease in the percentage of reacted sperm in the presence of progesterone. In conclusion, our data showed that diet-induced hypercholesterolemia adversely affects semen quality and sperm motility, capacitation and acrosomal reaction in rabbits; probably due to an increase in cellular cholesterol content that alters membrane related events

Improving the detection of infectious diseases in at-risk migrants with an innovative integrated multi-infection screening digital decision support tool (IS-MiHealth) in primary care: A pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There are major shortfalls in the identification and screening of at-risk migrant groups. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new digital tool (IS-MiHealth) integrated into the electronic patient record system of primary care centres in detecting prevalent migrant infections. IS-MiHealth provides targeted recommendations to health professionals for screening multiple infections, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, active tuberculosis, Chagas disease, strongyloidiasis, and schistosomiasis, based on patient characteristics (including variables of country of origin, age, sex). METHODS: A pragmatic pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial was deployed from March to December 2018. Eight primary care centres in Catalonia, Spain, were randomly allocated 1:1 to use of the digital tool for screening, or to routine care. The primary outcome was the monthly diagnostic yield of all aggregated infections. Intervention and control sites were compared before and after implementation with respect to their monthly diagnostic yield using regression models. This study is registered on ISRCTN (ISRCTN14795012). RESULTS: 15780 migrants registered across the 8 centres had at least one visit during the intervention period (March to December 2018), of which 14 598 (92.51%) fulfilled the criteria to be screened for at least one infection. There were 210 (2.57%) individuals from the intervention group with new diagnoses compared with 113 (1.49%) from the control group (OR:2.08 95%CI 1.63-2.64, p < 0.001). The intervention centres raised their overall monthly diagnosis rate to 5.80 (95%CI 1.23-10.38, p = 0.013) extra diagnoses compared to the control centres. This monthly increase in diagnosis in intervention centres was also observed if we consider all cases together of HIV, hepatitis B and C, and active TB cases (2.72,[95%CI 0.43-5.00]; p = 0.02) and was observed as well for the parasitic infections´ group (Chagas disease, strongyloidiasis, and schistosomiasis) 2.58 (95%CI 1.60-3.57; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The IS-MiHealth increased screening rate and diagnostic yield for key infections in migrants in a population-based primary care setting. Further testing and development of this new tool is warranted in larger trials and in other countries

Poplar GTL1 Is a Ca2+/Calmodulin-Binding Transcription Factor that Functions in Plant Water Use Efficiency and Drought Tolerance

Diminishing global fresh water availability has focused research to elucidate mechanisms of water use in poplar, an economically important species. A GT-2 family trihelix transcription factor that is a determinant of water use efficiency (WUE), PtaGTL1 (GT-2 like 1), was identified in Populus tremula × P. alba (clone 717-IB4). Like other GT-2 family members, PtaGTL1 contains both N- and C-terminal trihelix DNA binding domains. PtaGTL1 expression, driven by the Arabidopsis thaliana AtGTL1 promoter, suppressed the higher WUE and drought tolerance phenotypes of an Arabidopsis GTL1 loss-of-function mutation (gtl1-4). Genetic suppression of gtl1-4 was associated with increased stomatal density due to repression of Arabidopsis STOMATAL DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION1 (AtSDD1), a negative regulator of stomatal development. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) indicated that a PtaGTL1 C-terminal DNA trihelix binding fragment (PtaGTL1-C) interacted with an AtSDD1 promoter fragment containing the GT3 box (GGTAAA), and this GT3 box was necessary for binding. PtaGTL1-C also interacted with a PtaSDD1 promoter fragment via the GT2 box (GGTAAT). PtaSDD1 encodes a protein with 60% primary sequence identity with AtSDD1. In vitro molecular interaction assays were used to determine that Ca2+-loaded calmodulin (CaM) binds to PtaGTL1-C, which was predicted to have a CaM-interaction domain in the first helix of the C-terminal trihelix DNA binding domain. These results indicate that, in Arabidopsis and poplar, GTL1 and SDD1 are fundamental components of stomatal lineage. In addition, PtaGTL1 is a Ca2+-CaM binding protein, which infers a mechanism by which environmental stimuli can induce Ca2+ signatures that would modulate stomatal development and regulate plant water use

Comparative transcriptomics of drought responses in Populus: a meta-analysis of genome-wide expression profiling in mature leaves and root apices across two genotypes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Comparative genomics has emerged as a promising means of unravelling the molecular networks underlying complex traits such as drought tolerance. Here we assess the genotype-dependent component of the drought-induced transcriptome response in two poplar genotypes differing in drought tolerance. Drought-induced responses were analysed in leaves and root apices and were compared with available transcriptome data from other <it>Populus </it>species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using a multi-species designed microarray, a genomic DNA-based selection of probesets provided an unambiguous between-genotype comparison. Analyses of functional group enrichment enabled the extraction of processes physiologically relevant to drought response. The drought-driven changes in gene expression occurring in root apices were consistent across treatments and genotypes. For mature leaves, the transcriptome response varied weakly but in accordance with the duration of water deficit. A differential clustering algorithm revealed similar and divergent gene co-expression patterns among the two genotypes. Since moderate stress levels induced similar physiological responses in both genotypes, the genotype-dependent transcriptional responses could be considered as intrinsic divergences in genome functioning. Our meta-analysis detected several candidate genes and processes that are differentially regulated in root and leaf, potentially under developmental control, and preferentially involved in early and long-term responses to drought.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In poplar, the well-known drought-induced activation of sensing and signalling cascades was specific to the early response in leaves but was found to be general in root apices. Comparing our results to what is known in arabidopsis, we found that transcriptional remodelling included signalling and a response to energy deficit in roots in parallel with transcriptional indices of hampered assimilation in leaves, particularly in the drought-sensitive poplar genotype.</p