Toxigenic Alternaria species from Argentinean blueberries

Blueberries are traditionally consumed in North America, some European countries and Japan. In Argentina, the blueberry crop is profitable because production starts in November, when the northern hemisphere lacks fresh fruit. Fungal contaminants can grow and produce mycotoxins in fresh fruit. The aims of this work were to identify the main genera of the mycobiota of blueberries grown in Argentina and to determine the toxicogenic potential, pathogenicity and host specificity of the species isolated. The genus Alternaria was the main component of the blueberry mycobiota (95%); minor proportions of Phoma spp. (4%) and Penicillium spp. (1%) were also isolated. According to their sporulation patterns, 127 Alternaria isolates belonged to the Alternaria tenuissima species-group, 5 to the Alternaria alternata species-group and 2 to the Alternaria arborescens species-group. The last mentioned species-group was not isolated at 5. °C. Of the 134 isolates, 61% were toxicogenic in autoclaved rice; 97% of these produced alternariol (AOH) in a range from 0.14 to 119.18. mg/kg, 95% produced alternariol methylether (AME) in a range from 1.23 to 901.74. mg/kg and 65% produced tenuazonic acid (TA) in a range from 0.13 to 2778. mg/kg. Fifty two isolates co-produced the three mycotoxins. According to the size of the lesion that they caused on blueberries, the isolates were classified as slightly pathogenic, moderately pathogenic and very pathogenic. No significant differences in pathogenicity were found on different blueberry varieties.In this work, high incidence and toxicogenic potential of the Alternaria isolates from blueberries were demonstrated. Thus, more studies should be done to evaluate the health risk posed by the presence of the Alternaria toxins in blueberries and in the manufactured by-products.Fil: Greco, Mariana Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Área Ingeniería en Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Patriarca, A.. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologia. Area Ingenieria en Alimentos. Laboratorio de Microbiologia de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Terminiello, Laura Adriana. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologia. Area Ingenieria en Alimentos. Laboratorio de Microbiologia de Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnologia. Area Ingenieria en Alimentos. Laboratorio de Microbiologia de Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pose, Graciela Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Área Ingeniería en Alimentos; Argentin

Effects of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium poae on disease parameters, grain quality and mycotoxins contamination in bread wheat (Part I)

BACKGROUND: Wheat is the most important winter crop in the world, being affected by the presence of fungal, mainly those belonging to the Fusarium genus. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a serious disease that causes important economic damage and quantitative/qualitative losses, with Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium poae being two of the most isolated species worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the interaction between F. graminearum and F. poae and the effects on disease parameters, grain quality and mycotoxin contamination on five wheat genotypes under field conditions during three growing seasons. RESULTS: Statistical differences between Fusarium treatments were found for disease parameters, grain quality and mycotoxin contamination during the 2014/2015 growing season. High values of incidence (58.00 ± 8.00%), severity (6.28 ± 1.51%) and FHB index (4.72 ± 1.35) were observed for F. graminearum  + F. poae treatment. Regarding grain quality, the results showed that the degradation of different protein fractions depends on each Fusarium species: glutenins were degraded preferably by F. graminearum (−70.82%), gliadins were degraded preferably by F. poae (−29.42%), whereas both protein fractions were degraded when both Fusarium species were present (−60.91% and −16.51%, respectively). Significant differences were observed for mycotoxin contamination between genotypes, with Proteo being the most affected (DON = 12.01 ± 3.67 μg g−1). In addition, we report that 3‐ADON predominated over 15‐ADON in the three seasons evaluated. CONCLUSION: Variations in plant–pathogen interaction (Fusarium– wheat pathosystem) should be considered at least in years with favorable climatic conditions for FHB development, as a result of the potential impact of this disease on grain quality and mycotoxin contamination.Fil: Martínez, Mauro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez Albuquerque, Lady Diana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Arata, Agustin Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Biganzoli, Fernando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Stenglein, Sebastian Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnolológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología. Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología; Argentin

AFLP variability, toxin production, and pathogenicity of Alternaria species from Argentinean tomato fruits and puree

Large amounts of tomato fruits and derived products are produced in Argentina and may be contaminated by Alternaria toxins. Limited information is available on the genetic variability, toxigenicity, and pathogenicity of Alternaria strains occurring on tomato. We analyzed 65 Alternaria strains isolated in Argentina from tomato fruits affected by black mould and from tomato puree, using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) technique. AFLP analysis resolved the set of strains in 3 main clusters (DICE similarity values of 58 and 60%) corresponding to A. alternata/tenuissima (44 strains), A. arborescens (15 strains) and to an unknown group (6 strains). Most of the representative strains, belonging to each AFLP cluster, when cultured on rice, produced tenuazonic acid (up to 46,760. mg/kg), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME, up to 1860. mg/kg), and alternariol (up to 70. mg/kg). The toxin profile related to the strains was not related to any AFLP cluster, except for AME which was produced at lower level by A. arborescens. Most of strains were pathogenic on two types of commonly cultivated tomato fruits. These findings provide new information on the variability within the Alternaria species complex associated with tomato disease.Fil: Somma, Stefania. Institute of Sciences of Food Production; ItaliaFil: Pose, Graciela Noemi. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pardo, Alejandro Guillermo. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mulè, Giuseppina. Institute of Sciences of Food Production; ItaliaFil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Moretti, Antonio. Institute of Sciences of Food Production; ItaliaFil: Logrieco, Antonio Francesco. Institute of Sciences of Food Production; Itali

Predictive Power of the "Trigger Tool" for the detection of adverse events in general surgery: a multicenter observational validation study

Background In spite of the global implementation of standardized surgical safety checklists and evidence-based practices, general surgery remains associated with a high residual risk of preventable perioperative complications and adverse events. This study was designed to validate the hypothesis that a new “Trigger Tool” represents a sensitive predictor of adverse events in general surgery. Methods An observational multicenter validation study was performed among 31 hospitals in Spain. The previously described “Trigger Tool” based on 40 specific triggers was applied to validate the predictive power of predicting adverse events in the perioperative care of surgical patients. A prediction model was used by means of a binary logistic regression analysis. Results The prevalence of adverse events among a total of 1,132 surgical cases included in this study was 31.53%. The “Trigger Tool” had a sensitivity and specificity of 86.27% and 79.55% respectively for predicting these adverse events. A total of 12 selected triggers of overall 40 triggers were identified for optimizing the predictive power of the “Trigger Tool”. Conclusions The “Trigger Tool” has a high predictive capacity for predicting adverse events in surgical procedures. We recommend a revision of the original 40 triggers to 12 selected triggers to optimize the predictive power of this tool, which will have to be validated in future studies

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad

Acta de congresoLa conmemoración de los cien años de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918 se presentó como una ocasión propicia para debatir el rol de la historia, la teoría y la crítica en la formación y en la práctica profesional de diseñadores, arquitectos y urbanistas. En ese marco el VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad constituyó un espacio de intercambio y reflexión cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a la colaboración entre Facultades de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño de la Universidad Nacional y la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, contando además con la activa participación de mayoría de las Facultades, Centros e Institutos de Historia de la Arquitectura del país y la región. Orientado en su convocatoria tanto a docentes como a estudiantes de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial de todos los niveles de la FAUD-UNC promovió el debate de ideas a partir de experiencias concretas en instancias tales como mesas temáticas de carácter interdisciplinario, que adoptaron la modalidad de presentación de ponencias, entre otras actividades. En el ámbito de VIII Encuentro, desarrollado en la sede Ciudad Universitaria de Córdoba, se desplegaron numerosas posiciones sobre la enseñanza, la investigación y la formación en historia, teoría y crítica del diseño, la arquitectura y la ciudad; sumándose el aporte realizado a través de sus respectivas conferencias de Ana Clarisa Agüero, Bibiana Cicutti, Fernando Aliata y Alberto Petrina. El conjunto de ponencias que se publican en este Repositorio de la UNC son el resultado de dos intensas jornadas de exposiciones, cuyos contenidos han posibilitado actualizar viejos dilemas y promover nuevos debates. El evento recibió el apoyo de las autoridades de la FAUD-UNC, en especial de la Secretaría de Investigación y de la Biblioteca de nuestra casa, como así también de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la UCC; va para todos ellos un especial agradecimiento

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Fungal spoilage of bottled mineral water

The occurrence of filamentous fungi together with bacteriological parameters was assessed in 126 samples of still bottled mineral water of eight different commercial brands in Argentina. In spoiled samples with visible mycelium growth, the most frequently isolated fungal species were Penicillium citrinum, P. glabrum, other Penicillium species, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Alternaria alternata. In unspoiled samples, the genera found were Penicillium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, Aspergillus and Phoma. Only three of the 126 samples failed to meet the required microbiological standards because they were found to contain faecal streptococci. Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.Fil: Cabral, Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Alternaria Species and Their Associated Mycotoxins

The genus Alternaria includes more than 250 species. The traditional methods for identification of Alternaria species are based on morphological characteristics of the reproductive structures and sporulation patterns under controlled culture conditions. Cladistics analyses of “housekeeping genes” commonly used for other genera, failed to discriminate among the small-spored Alternaria species. The development of molecular methods achieving a better agreement with morphological differences is still needed. The production of secondary metabolites has also been used as a means of classification and identification. Alternaria spp. can produce a wide variety of toxic metabolites. These metabolites belong principally to three different structural groups: (1) the dibenzopyrone derivatives, alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and altenuene (ALT); (2) the perylene derivative altertoxins (ATX-I, ATX-II, and ATX II); and (3) the tetramic acid derivative, tenuazonic acid (TeA). TeA, AOH, AME, ALT, and ATX-I are the main. Certain species in the genus Alternaria produce host-specific toxins (HSTs) that contribute to their pathogenicity and virulence. Alternaria species are plant pathogens that cause spoilage of agricultural commodities with consequent mycotoxin accumulation and economic losses. Vegetable foods infected by Alternaria rot could introduce high amounts of these toxins to the human diet. More investigations on the toxic potential of these toxins and their hazard for human consumption are needed to make a reliable risk assessment of dietary exposure.Fil: Fernández Pinto, Virginia Elena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; ArgentinaFil: Patriarca, Andrea Rosana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentin