Spatial and trophic niche of an assemblage of native and non-native herbivores of arid Argentina

La coexistencia de especies ecológicamente similares es facilitada por el uso diferencial de recursos como el hábitat, la dieta y/o los gradientes temporales. Utilizamos heces de las especies no nativa conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus), liebre (Lepus europaeus), cabra (Capra hircus), y de la especie vizcacha nativa de las llanuras (Lagostomus maximus), para comparar la utilización de recursos espaciales y tróficos en un ecosistema árido de Argentina. Esperábamos que los herbívoros presentaran diferentes respuestas en el uso de al menos uno de los dos ejes de nicho (hábitat y/o trófico) asociados con cambios estacionales en la disponibilidad de recursos y de acuerdo con el origen de la especie (nativa, no nativa). Evaluamos el uso y selección de hábitat con la prueba de bondad de ajuste Chi-cuadrado e intervalos de confianza de Bonferroni; y factores que influyen en la selección de habitat (components paticulares del tipo de habitat) utilizando modelos lineales generalizados mixtos. Analizamos la estacionalidad de la composición de las dietas, la amplitud de los nichos tróficos y el sobrelape de dietas. El ensamble de herbívoros no se segregó marcadamente en cuanto el uso de recursos especiales, mostrando que las liebres y las cabras fueron más generalistas que los conejos y las vizcachas de llanuras en el uso de diferentes tipos de hábitats. Los herbívoros nativos y no nativos se solaparon en la dimensión del nicho trófico, pero se segregaron en el uso de los componentes del hábitat durante estaciones de lluvia y sequia. Los cuatro herbívoros compartieron la composición de la dieta, consumiendo principalmente gramíneas durante la estación húmeda. En condiciones de limitación de recursos (estación seca), la vizcacha native de llanuras difirieron en la estrategia de alimentación en comparación con los hervíboros no nativos. Los resultados amplían nuestra comprensión de los mecanismos subyacentes que permiten la coexistencia de herbívoros nativos y no nativos en un ecosistema árido.The coexistence of ecologically similar species is facilitated by differential use of resources along habitat, diet, and/or temporal niche axes. We used feces of non-native rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), hare (Lepus europaeus), goat (Capra hircus), and the native plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) to compare the utilization of spatial and trophic resources in an arid ecosystem of Argentina. We expected herbivores to present differential responses in the use of at least one of the niche axes (habitat and/or trophic) associated with seasonal changes in resource availability and according to the origin of the species (native, non-native). We evaluated habitat use and selection through Chi-squared goodness-of-fit tests and Bonferroni confidence intervals, and factors shaping habitat selection (particular components of the habitat type) using generalized linear mixed-effects models. We analyzed the seasonal compositions of diets, breadth of trophic niches, and dietary overlaps. The assemblage of herbivores did not segregate markedly in spatial resource use, showing that hares and goats were more generalist than rabbits and plains viscacha in the utilization of different habitat types. Native and non-native herbivores overlapped markedly in the trophic niche dimension but segregated to some degree in the use of space during wet and dry seasons. The four herbivores shared a similar diet composition. Among dietary items, grasses contributed high percentages during the wet season. Under conditions of resource limitation (dry season), the native plains viscacha differed in feeding strategy from the non-native herbivores. These results deepen our understanding of likely underlying mechanisms that allow coexistence of native and non-native herbivores in an arid ecosystem.Fil: Bobadilla, Sabrina Yasmin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Dacar, María Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Jaksic, Fabian. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Ojeda, Ricardo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Cuevas, Maria Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

Formation of DNA Adducts by 1-Methoxy-3-indolylmethylalcohol, a Breakdown Product of a Glucosinolate, in the Mouse: Impact of the SULT1A1 Status - Wild-Type, Knockout or Humanised

We previously found that feeding rats with broccoli or cauliflower leads to the formation of characteristic DNA adducts in the liver, intestine and various other tissues. We identified the critical substances in the plants as 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl (1-MIM) glucosinolate and its degradation product 1-MIM-OH. DNA adduct formation and the mutagenicity of 1-MIM-OH in cell models were drastically enhanced when human sulfotransferase (SULT) 1A1 was expressed. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of SULT1A1 in DNA adduct formation by 1-MIM-OH in mouse tissues in vivo. Furthermore, we compared the endogenous mouse Sult1a1 and transgenic human SULT1A1 in the activation of 1-MIM-OH using genetically modified mouse strains. We orally treated male wild-type (wt) and Sult1a1-knockout (ko) mice, as well as corresponding lines carrying the human SULT1A1-SULT1A2 gene cluster (tg and ko-tg), with 1-MIM-OH. N2-(1-MIM)-dG and N6-(1-MIM)-dA adducts in DNA were analysed using isotope-dilution UPLC-MS/MS. In the liver, caecum and colon adducts were abundant in mice expressing mouse and/or human SULT1A1, but were drastically reduced in ko mice (1.2–10.6% of wt). In the kidney and small intestine, adduct levels were high in mice carrying human SULT1A1-SULT1A2 genes, but low in wt and ko mice (1.8–6.3% of tg-ko). In bone marrow, adduct levels were very low, independently of the SULT1A1 status. In the stomach, they were high in all four lines. Thus, adduct formation was primarily controlled by SULT1A1 in five out of seven tissues studied, with a strong impact of differences in the tissue distribution of mouse and human SULT1A1. The behaviour of 1-MIM-OH in these models (levels and tissue distribution of DNA adducts; impact of SULTs) was similar to that of methyleugenol, classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Thus, there is a need to test 1-MIM-OH for carcinogenicity in animal models and to study its adduct formation in humans consuming brassicaceous foodstuff

Mucosal associated invariant T cells are differentially impaired in tolerant and immunosuppressed liver transplant recipients

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT-) cells represent a semi-invariant T cell population responsive to microbial vitamin B metabolite and innate cytokine stimulation, executing border tissue protection and particularly contributing to human liver immunity. The impact of immunosuppressants on MAIT cell biology alone and in context with solid organ transplantation has not been thoroughly examined. Here, we demonstrate that in vitro cytokine activation of peripheral MAIT cells from healthy individuals was impaired by glucocorticoids, whereas antigen-specific stimulation was additionally sensitive to calcineurin inhibitors. In liver transplant (LTx) recipients, significant depletion of peripheral MAIT cells was observed that was largely independent of the type and dosage of immunosuppression, equally applied to tolerant patients, and was reproducible in kidney transplant recipients. However, MAIT cells from tolerant LTx patients exhibited a markedly diminished ex vivo activation signature, associated with individual regain of functional competence toward antigenic and cytokine stimulation. Still, MAIT cells from tolerant and treated liver recipients exhibited high levels of PD1, accompanied by functional impairment particularly toward bacterial stimulation that also affected polyfunctionality. Our data suggest interlinked effects of primary liver pathology and immunosuppressive treatment on overall MAIT cell fitness after transplantation and propose their monitoring in context with tolerance induction protocols

Mikroplastik in sächsischen Gewässern: 2020 -2021

Mikroplastikgehalte in Gewässersedimenten wurden erfolgreich mit einem neuen Analysenverfahren bestimmt. Erfahrungen bei der Probenahme, Aufbereitung und Analytik werden beschrieben. Erste Ergebnisse für sächsische Gewässer sind aufgeführt. Die Studie richtet sich in erster Linie an ein interessiertes Fachpublikum aus dem Bereich der Gewässeranalytik. Die Ergebnisse sächsischer Gewässer sind auch für die allgemeine Öffentlichkeit von Interesse. Redaktionsschluss: 30.09.202

Impact of Nutrition on Academic Performance: A Narrative Review

Las personas al momento de elegir los alimentos que consumirán durante su día a día son influenciados por los medios de comunicación y entorno cercano, por lo cual, es relevante tener una alimentación saludable para que influya de manera positiva en los diversos aspectos de la vida como el desempeño académico. El objetivo del presente estudio es conocer el impacto de la nutrición en el rendimiento académico. El presente trabajo tuvo un enfoque cualitativo con carácter narrativo e interpretativo.  Las fuentes seleccionadas fueron artículos científicos de diversas bases de datos, principalmente de Scopus. La nutrición es mucho más que solo comer, es un proceso complejo en el que inciden múltiples factores que impactan en la persona física y cognitivamente y, por consiguiente, en nuestro desenvolvimiento en diversos aspectos de nuestras vidas, en el cual resaltamos el rendimiento académico, ya que será más beneficioso en la medida que sigamos recomendaciones dietéticas, no solamente con la finalidad de tener un mejor desempeño en cuanto a los estudios sino también para prevenir los diferentes trastornos alimenticios que una falta de hábitos dietéticos saludables generan, en ese sentido, promover con profesionales capacitados una concientización sobre comportamientos alimenticios saludables acordes a los entornos socioeconómicos en el que se encuentran los estudiantes es recomendable y prioritario con la finalidad de difundir su importancia y asociación con el bienestar de las personas, el cual se verá potenciado si se siguen otros hábitos saludables como el ejercicio físico, el cual será materia de una próxima investigación.When people choose the foods they will consume during their daily lives, they are influenced by the media and their immediate environment, which is why it is important to have a healthy diet so that it has a positive influence on the various aspects of life such as academic performance. The objective of this study is to know the impact of nutrition on academic performance. This work had a qualitative approach with a narrative and interpretive nature. The selected sources were scientific articles from various databases, mainly from Scopus. Nutrition is much more than just eating, it is a complex process that is influenced by multiple factors that impact the person physically and cognitively and, consequently, on our development in various aspects of our lives, in which we highlight academic performance, since it will be more beneficial to the extent that we follow dietary recommendations, not only with the purpose of having better performance in terms of studies but also to prevent the different eating disorders that a lack of healthy dietary habits generate, in that sense, promote With trained professionals, raising awareness about healthy eating behaviors in accordance with the socioeconomic environments in which students find themselves is recommended and a priority in order to spread its importance and association with people's well-being, which will be enhanced if other methods are followed. healthy habits such as physical exercise, which will be the subject of future research

Sequestration and Scavenging of Iron in Infection

The proliferative capability of many invasive pathogens is limited by the bioavailability of iron. Pathogens have thus developed strategies to obtain iron from their host organisms. In turn, host defense strategies have evolved to sequester iron from invasive pathogens. This review explores the mechanisms employed by bacterial pathogens to gain access to host iron sources, the role of iron in bacterial virulence, and iron-related genes required for the establishment or maintenance of infection. Host defenses to limit iron availability for bacterial growth during the acute-phase response and the consequences of iron overload conditions on susceptibility to bacterial infection are also examined. The evidence summarized herein demonstrates the importance of iron bioavailability in influencing the risk of infection and the ability of the host to clear the pathogen

The descriptive epidemiology of DSM-IV Adult ADHD in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys

We previously reported on the cross-national epidemiology of ADHD from the first 10 countries in the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys. The current report expands those previous findings to the 20 nationally or regionally representative WMH surveys that have now collected data on adult ADHD. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was administered to 26,744 respondents in these surveys in high-, upper-middle-, and low-/lower-middle-income countries (68.5% mean response rate). Current DSM-IV/CIDI adult ADHD prevalence averaged 2.8% across surveys and was higher in high (3.6%)- and upper-middle (3.0%)- than low-/lower-middle (1.4%)-income countries. Conditional prevalence of current ADHD averaged 57.0% among childhood cases and 41.1% among childhood subthreshold cases. Adult ADHD was significantly related to being male, previously married, and low education. Adult ADHD was highly comorbid with DSM-IV/CIDI anxiety, mood, behavior, and substance disorders and significantly associated with role impairments (days out of role, impaired cognition, and social interactions) when controlling for comorbidities. Treatment seeking was low in all countries and targeted largely to comorbid conditions rather than to ADHD. These results show that adult ADHD is prevalent, seriously impairing, and highly comorbid but vastly under-recognized and undertreated across countries and cultures