Folliculostellate cells in pituitary pars distalis of male viscacha: immunohistochemical, morphometric and ultrastructural study

Folliculostellate cells (FSC) have been reported in pituitary of several mammalian species. FSC morphology and secreted substances have been instrumental to the understanding of their function. The purpose of this work was to perform an immunohistochemical, morphometric and ultrastructural study of the pituitary pars distalis FSC in adult male viscacha and to analyze their relation with hormone secreting cells. Immunohistochemistry and image analysis were carried out in different sectors of the gland, from the middle (sector 1) to the glandular periphery (sector 5). Transmission electron microscopy with lanthanum as electrodense tracer was used. FSC formed follicles with PAS-positive colloid inside. They expressed S-100 protein mainly in both nucleus and cytoplasm. FSC were stellate-like in shape and exhibited short cytoplasmic processes that contacted with blood vessels and endocrine cells. In addition, some follicular colloids were immunostained with anti-S-100 protein. A few FSC were immunostained with anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti-vimentin. The morphometric parameters analyzed (percentages of S-100-positive total, cellular and colloidal areas) increased from sector 1 to sector 3 and then decreased to sector 5. Hormone secreting cells, mainly lactotrophs, gonadotrophs and corticotrophs were associated with FSC and follicles. The ultrastructural study demonstrated that FSC developed junctional complexes and desmosomes between their lateral membranes. Lanthanum freely penetrated the spaces between granulated cells and FSC, but did not penetrate into the follicular lumen. In conclusion: 1) the differential expression of S-100 protein, GFAP and vimentin may indicate different physiological stages of FSC; 2) the expression of these proteins suggests a neuroectodermic origin of these cells; 3) FSC spatial distribution, association with endocrine cells, and the generation of an intercellular communication network suggest that FSC are involved in the pituitary pars distalis paracrine regulation of the viscacha

Solar UV irradiance in a changing climate: Trends in europe and the significance of spectral monitoring in Italy

Review of the existing bibliography shows that the direction and magnitude of the long-term trends of UV irradiance, and their main drivers, vary significantly throughout Europe. Analysis of total ozone and spectral UV data recorded at four European stations during 1996–2017 reveals that long-term changes in UV are mainly driven by changes in aerosols, cloudiness, and surface albedo, while changes in total ozone play a less significant role. The variability of UV irradiance is large throughout Italy due to the complex topography and large latitudinal extension of the country. Analysis of the spectral UV records of the urban site of Rome, and the alpine site of Aosta reveals that differences between the two sites follow the annual cycle of the differences in cloudiness and surface albedo. Comparisons between the noon UV index measured at the ground at the same stations and the corresponding estimates from the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) forecast model and the ozone monitoring instrument (OMI)/Aura observations reveal differences of up to 6 units between individual measurements, which are likely due to the different spatial resolution of the different datasets, and average differences of 0.5–1 unit, possibly related to the use of climatological surface albedo and aerosol optical properties in the retrieval algorithms

Saharan dust events in the European Alps: role in snowmelt and geochemical characterization

The input of mineral dust from arid regions impacts snow optical properties. The induced albedo reduction generally alters the melting dynamics of the snowpack, resulting in earlier snowmelt. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of dust depositions on the melting dynamics of snowpack at a high-elevation site (2160&thinsp;m) in the European Alps (Torgnon, Aosta Valley, Italy) during three hydrological years (2013–2016). These years were characterized by several Saharan dust events that deposited significant amounts of mineral dust in the European Alps. We quantify the shortening of the snow season due to dust deposition by comparing observed snow depths and those simulated with the Crocus model accounting, or not, for the impact of impurities. The model was run and tested using meteorological data from an automated weather station. We propose the use of repeated digital images for tracking dust deposition and resurfacing in the snowpack. The good agreement between model prediction and digital images allowed us to propose the use of an RGB index (i.e. snow darkening index – SDI) for monitoring dust on snow using images from a digital camera. We also present a geochemical characterization of dust reaching the Alpine chain during spring in 2014. Elements found in dust were classified as a function of their origin and compared with Saharan sources. A strong enrichment in Fe was observed in snow containing Saharan dust. In our case study, the comparison between modelling results and observations showed that impurities deposited in snow anticipated the disappearance of snow up to 38&thinsp;d a out of a total 7 months of typical snow duration. This happened for the season 2015–2016 that was characterized by a strong dust deposition event. During the other seasons considered here (2013–2014 and 2014–2015), the snow melt-out date was 18 and 11&thinsp;d earlier, respectively. We conclude that the effect of the Saharan dust is expected to reduce snow cover duration through the snow-albedo feedback. This process is known to have a series of further hydrological and phenological feedback effects that should be characterized in future research.</p

Author Correction: The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

The following authors were omitted from the original version of this Data Descriptor: Markus Reichstein and Nicolas Vuichard. Both contributed to the code development and N. Vuichard contributed to the processing of the ERA-Interim data downscaling. Furthermore, the contribution of the co-author Frank Tiedemann was re-evaluated relative to the colleague Corinna Rebmann, both working at the same sites, and based on this re-evaluation a substitution in the co-author list is implemented (with Rebmann replacing Tiedemann). Finally, two affiliations were listed incorrectly and are corrected here (entries 190 and 193). The author list and affiliations have been amended to address these omissions in both the HTML and PDF versions

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data.

The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.Peer reviewe

Dicing the disease with dicer: The implications of dicer ribonuclease in human pathologies

Gene expression dictates fundamental cellular processes and its de-regulation leads to pathological conditions. A key contributor to the fine-tuning of gene expression is Dicer, an RNA-binding protein (RBPs) that forms complexes and affects transcription by acting at the post-transcriptional level via the targeting of mRNAs by Dicer-produced small non-coding RNAs. This review aims to present the contribution of Dicer protein in a wide spectrum of human pathological conditions, including cancer, neurological, autoimmune, reproductive and cardiovascular diseases, as well as viral infections. Germline mutations of Dicer have been linked to Dicer1 syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that predisposes to the development of both benign and malignant tumors, but the exact correlation of Dicer protein expression within the different cancer types is unclear, and there are contradictions in the data. Downregulation of Dicer is related to Geographic atrophy (GA), a severe eye-disease that is a leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries, as well as to psychiatric and neurological diseases such as depression and Parkinson’s disease, respectively. Both loss and upregulation of Dicer protein expression is implicated in severe autoimmune disorders, including psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune thyroid diseases. Loss of Dicer contributes to cardiovascular diseases and causes defective germ cell differentiation and reproductive system abnormalities in both sexes. Dicer can also act as a strong antiviral with a crucial role in RNA-based antiviral immunity. In conclusion, Dicer is an essential enzyme for the maintenance of physiology due to its pivotal role in several cellular processes, and its loss or aberrant expression contributes to the development of severe human diseases. Further exploitation is required for the development of novel, more effective Dicer-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, with the goal of new clinical benefits and better quality of life for patients. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Abordar la asignatura Anatomía Humana desde el marco de la enseñanza para la comprensión

La asignatura Anatomía Humana, forma parte de plan de estudio de la carrera Licenciatura en Bioquímica, comprende el estudio de los distintos órganos de los sistemas del cuerpo humano. El método de aprendizaje adoptado tradicionalmente en la asignatura siguió una concepción unidireccional de la comunicación pedagógica, bajo la noción de que los conocimientos deben ser transmitidos, escuchados, observados y así adquiridos por los estudiantes. A diferencia de este método, la propuesta de la Enseñanza para la Comprensión (EpC) amparada en el modelo de las ciencias cognitivas se caracteriza en que los estudiantes van construyendo la comprensión de una manera reflexiva. El objetivo fue analizar y visibilizar los procesos de aprendizajes de los estudiantes con la metodología tradicional (grupo 1) respecto del aprendizaje logrado utilizando los aportes de la EpC (grupo 2). Los estudiantes de ambos grupos recibieron clases teóricas expositivas de los contenidos del programa y resolvieron las mismas evaluaciones parciales. Sin embargo, se diferenciaron en el desarrollo de las clases prácticas de laboratorio y tareas posteriores a las mismas. En el grupo 1 se realizaron exposiciones teóricas y muestras de preparaciones anatómicas. En el grupo 2 se trabajó con una programación didáctica que incluía diferentes desempeños para la comprensión (actividades) para alcanzar las metas de comprensión deseadas en base a tópicos generativos. Las actividades propuestas se fueron desarrollando durante las clases de laboratorio y posteriormente a ellas. Esto permitió realizar una evaluación diagnóstica continua de las cualidades de la comprensión. Comparando los desempeños de ambos grupos, se encontró que en general los estudiantes del grupo 2 lograron expresar con mayor claridad y vocabulario adecuado los contenidos teóricos más importantes, establecieron mejores relaciones con otros sistemas de órganos, participaron activamente en las tareas del aula virtual, consultaron bibliografía diversa y pertinente, relacionaron desde la perspectiva bioquímica los conocimientos adquiridos con algunos cuadros clínicos frecuentes. De este modo, fue posible reconocer que los procesos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes utilizado los aportes de la EpC, se enriquecieron y se vieron favorecidos a través del desarrollo de la comprensión en vistas de alcanzar un aprendizaje profundo y significativo durante su formación profesional.Fil: Filippa, Veronica Palmira. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Diaz Guevara, María C.. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Moncho Quiroga, María V.. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Airasca, Oscar Osvaldo. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Edith. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina1° Jornadas Nacionales de Enseñanza de Farmacia y BioquímicaCórdobaArgentinaUniversidad Católica de Córdob