Superficial water resources

El presente capitulo pretende mejorar el conocimiento de la oferta hídrica superficial a partir del análisis de distintas variables de caudal en la cuenca del río San Juan y Jáchal. El primero, es el río más importante de la cuenca del Desaguadero y el segundo, el afluente más importante del río Bermejo que proviene de la provincia de La Rioja y ha perdido su conexión con el sistema Desaguadero. Ambos, drenan un significativo sector cordillerano del centro oeste argentino y se desarrollan íntegramente en San Juan. Además, se realiza la detección de cambios graduales o abruptos en el régimen de escurrimientos debidos a la variabilidad climática o cambios en las condiciones de la circulación atmosférica regional. Por otra parte, se realiza una cuantificación de la producción de sedimentos en la cuenca a partir de medidas de aforos sólidos y condiciones hidráulicas.Fil: Vich, Alberto Ismael Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Estudios del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Lauro, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Bizzotto, F.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Estudios del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Vaccarino, E.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Estudios del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Manduca, F.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Estudios del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales; Argentin

Characteristics and Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiome in Renal Transplant Recipients

Renal transplantation is life-changing in many aspects. This includes changes to the gut microbiome likely due to exposure to immunosuppressive drugs and antibiotics. As a consequence, renal transplant recipients (RTRs) might suffer from intestinal dysbiosis. We aimed to investigate the gut microbiome of RTRs and compare it with healthy controls and to identify determinants of the gut microbiome of RTRs. Therefore, RTRs and healthy controls participating in the TransplantLines Biobank and Cohort Study (NCT03272841) were included. We analyzed the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing and compared the composition of the gut microbiome of RTRs to healthy controls using multivariate association with linear models (MaAsLin). Fecal samples of 139 RTRs (50% male, mean age: 58.3 ± 12.8 years) and 105 healthy controls (57% male, mean age: 59.2 ± 10.6 years) were collected. Median time after transplantation of RTRs was 6.0 (1.5-12.5)years. The microbiome composition of RTRs was significantly different from that of healthy controls, and RTRs had a lower diversity of the gut microbiome (p < 0.01). Proton-pump inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are significant determinants of the gut microbiome of RTRs (p < 0.05). Use of mycophenolate mofetil correlated to a lower diversity (p < 0.01). Moreover, significant alterations were found in multiple bacterial taxa between RTRs and healthy controls. The gut microbiome of RTRs contained more Proteobacteria and less Actinobacteria, and there was a loss of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut microbiome of RTRs. By comparing the gut microbiome of RTRs to healthy controls we have shown that RTRs suffer from dysbiosis, a disruption in the balance of the gut microbiome

Dinámica de las tierras irrigadas en el centro-oeste de Argentina durante el período 1986-2018: análisis a partir de la anomalía del índice de vegetación mejorado

Los cambios en las áreas de riego de zonas áridas tienen fuertes implicancias para la producción de alimentos, la demanda de agua, la sustentabilidad de los cultivos y los acuíferos subterráneos. Los oasis del Centro-Oeste de Argentina constituyen una de las mayores áreas de riego en zonas áridas de Sudamérica. El objetivo del presente trabajo es estudiar la dinámica espacial y temporal de las áreas irrigadas del Centro-Oeste de Argentina en el período 1986-2018, su relación con la evolución del sistema agrícola-productivo y los factores impulsores de cambio en los usos de la tierra. Para el análisis de las áreas de riego se utilizó un modelo empírico que permite estimar las anomalías de evapotranspiración a partir del índice EVI, implementado en la plataforma Google Earth Engine. El área irrigada se incrementó un 17%, impulsada por el crecimiento en las cuencas de los ríos Tunuyán Superior (36%), San Juan (19%) y Mendoza (10,4%). El crecimiento de las áreas irrigadas comprende, principalmente, la expansión hacia el pedemonte mediante el aprovechamiento de aguas subterráneas y nuevas zonas de reúso de efluentes cloacales. El abandono de sitios de riego se asocia al avance urbano sobre áreas irrigadas y el abandono en áreas marginales, donde se produce una profunda transformación en el uso de la tierra y del agua. Los resultados encontrados sugieren un aporte sostenido de agua de riego en sitios abandonados para la producción agrícola y una disminución del área irrigada y cultivada durante la última década. Las transformaciones encontradas en los patrones de riego, tipo de cultivos y el área irrigada total tienen fuertes implicancias para los balances hídricos, por lo que deben ser consideradas para la planificación territorial y la gestión sustentable del agua en las cuencas del Centro-Oeste de Argentina.Irrigated cropland changes in arid regions have strong implications for food production, water demand, crop and groundwater sustainability. The oases of Central-Western Argentina constitute one of the largest irrigated areas across South America. The aim of this paper is to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of the irrigated lands in Central-Western Argentina in the period 1986-2018, their relationship with the evolution of the agricultural-productive system and the drivers of land use change. For the analysis of irrigated areas, an empirical model was used to estimate evapotranspiration anomalies based on the EVI index, implemented in the Google Earth Engine cloud-computing platform. The irrigated area increased by 17%, driven by growth in the Upper Tunuyán (36%), San Juan (19%) and Mendoza (10.4%) river basins. The growth of irrigated areas mainly includes expansion into the foothills through the use of groundwater and new sewage effluent reuse areas. The abandonment of irrigated plots is associated with urban sprawling over irrigated croplands and abandonment in marginal areas, where a deep transformation in land and water use occurs. The results suggest an irrigation water supply sustained in plots abandoned for agricultural production and a decrease in irrigated and cultivated area during the last decade. The transformations found in irrigation patterns, crop choices and total irrigated area have strong implications for water balances and should be considered for territorial planning and sustainable water management in the Central-Western Argentina basins.Asociación Argentina de Geofísicos y Geodesta

A combination of fecal calprotectin and human beta-defensin 2 facilitates diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) show a large overlap in clinical presentation, which presents diagnostic challenges. As a consequence, invasive and burdensome endoscopies are often used to distinguish between IBD and IBS. Here, we aimed to develop a noninvasive fecal test that can distinguish between IBD and IBS and reduce the number of endoscopies. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze the composition and function of gut microbiota of 169 IBS patients, 447 IBD patients and 1044 population controls and measured fecal Calprotectin (FCal), human beta defensin 2 (HBD2), and chromogranin A (CgA) in these samples. These measurements were used to construct training sets (75% of data) for logistic regression and machine learning models to differentiate IBS from IBD and inactive from active IBD. The results were replicated on test sets (remaining 25% of the data) and microbiome data obtained using 16S sequencing. Fecal HBD2 showed high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating between IBD and IBS (sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.76), while the inclusion of microbiome data with biomarkers (HBD2 and FCal) showed a potential for improvement in predictive power (optimal sensitivity = 0.87, specificity = 0.93). Shotgun sequencing-based models produced comparable results using 16S-sequencing data. HBD2 and FCal were found to have predictive power for IBD disease activity (AUC approximate to 0.7). HBD2 is a novel biomarker for IBD in patients with gastro-intestinal complaints, especially when used in combination with FCal and potentially in combination with gut microbiome data

Anaerobic co-digestion of sugarcane vinasse and elephant grass juice for biomethan production.

In the present study, biogas production was investigated by co-digesting elephant grass juice (EGJ) and sugarcane vinasse using batch reactor. Some factors that influence biomethane production were observed, including initial pH, inoculum concentration and proportions of each substrate. Two tests were carried out. In Experiment I, the following proportions (%v/v sugarcane vinasse/elephant grass juice) were tested: A - 25/75, B - 50/50, C - 75/25, D - 100/0, E - 0/100. In Experiment II, the effect of adding alkalizer to the condition that showed the highest methane production (in Experiment I) was also evaluated. In the Experiment I, the highest accumulated production was observed for the proportion 1:1 corresponding to 50% of EGJ and 50% of vinasse (370.94 mLCH4/gVS). Experiment II showed the higher values of accumulated methane production of 1,364.1 mLCH4/gVS. Regarding addition of alkalizing, a maximum production of 836.18 mLCH4/gVS was obtained in the experimental condition with 50% EGJ and 50% vinasse, but with the lowest addition of alkalizer tested (0.05 g HCO3/gCOD). In general, the use of elephant grass caused the acidification of the reactors and was unfavorable for biogas production

Effect of host genetics on the gut microbiome in 7,738 participants of the Dutch Microbiome Project

Host genetics are known to influence the gut microbiome, yet their role remains poorly understood. To robustly characterize these effects, we performed a genome-wide association study of 207 taxa and 205 pathways representing microbial composition and function in 7,738 participants of the Dutch Microbiome Project. Two robust, study-wide significant (P < 1.89 × 10-10) signals near the LCT and ABO genes were found to be associated with multiple microbial taxa and pathways and were replicated in two independent cohorts. The LCT locus associations seemed modulated by lactose intake, whereas those at ABO could be explained by participant secretor status determined by their FUT2 genotype. Twenty-two other loci showed suggestive evidence (P < 5 × 10-8) of association with microbial taxa and pathways. At a more lenient threshold, the number of loci we identified strongly correlated with trait heritability, suggesting that much larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the remaining effects of host genetics on the gut microbiome

Cancer data quality and harmonization in Europe: the experience of the BENCHISTA Project – international benchmarking of childhood cancer survival by stage

IntroductionVariation in stage at diagnosis of childhood cancers (CC) may explain differences in survival rates observed across geographical regions. The BENCHISTA project aims to understand these differences and to encourage the application of the Toronto Staging Guidelines (TG) by Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs) to the most common solid paediatric cancers.MethodsPBCRs within and outside Europe were invited to participate and identify all cases of Neuroblastoma, Wilms Tumour, Medulloblastoma, Ewing Sarcoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma and Osteosarcoma diagnosed in a consecutive three-year period (2014-2017) and apply TG at diagnosis. Other non-stage prognostic factors, treatment, progression/recurrence, and cause of death information were collected as optional variables. A minimum of three-year follow-up was required. To standardise TG application by PBCRs, on-line workshops led by six tumour-specific clinical experts were held. To understand the role of data availability and quality, a survey focused on data collection/sharing processes and a quality assurance exercise were generated. To support data harmonization and query resolution a dedicated email and a question-and-answers bank were created.Results67 PBCRs from 28 countries participated and provided a maximally de-personalized, patient-level dataset. For 26 PBCRs, data format and ethical approval obtained by the two sponsoring institutions (UCL and INT) was sufficient for data sharing. 41 participating PBCRs required a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA) to comply with data protection regulations. Due to heterogeneity found in legal aspects, 18 months were spent on finalizing the DTA. The data collection survey was answered by 68 respondents from 63 PBCRs; 44% of them confirmed the ability to re-consult a clinician in cases where stage ascertainment was difficult/uncertain. Of the total participating PBCRs, 75% completed the staging quality assurance exercise, with a median correct answer proportion of 92% [range: 70% (rhabdomyosarcoma) to 100% (Wilms tumour)].ConclusionDifferences in interpretation and processes required to harmonize general data protection regulations across countries were encountered causing delays in data transfer. Despite challenges, the BENCHISTA Project has established a large collaboration between PBCRs and clinicians to collect detailed and standardised TG at a population-level enhancing the understanding of the reasons for variation in overall survival rates for CC, stimulate research and improve national/regional child health plans