Superior fruit total soluble solid content of red x pink F1 hybrids over nearly-isogenic parental lines

Comunicación realizada en el congresoPink-coloured tomatoes are reputed as good flavoured and are very popular in local markets. Pink tomatoes show a transparent, colourless fruit cuticle in contrast to the naringenin-chalcone flavonoid-rich, orange-yellow cuticle of normal, red tomatoes due to the y (colourless epidermis) recessive mutation in MYB12 gene located in chromosome 1. In order to investigate the basis of the alleged higher quality of pink vs. red tomatoes and, especially, our previous observations of good flavour in hybrids between red and pink tomato varieties, two red x pink F1 crosses between pairs of tomato near-isogenic lines were obtained, namely ‘Ailsa Craig’ wt/wt x ‘Ailsa Craig’ y/y and ‘Ponderosa Red’ wt/wt x ‘Ponderosa Red’ y/y, being the latter a pink tomato line in which y allele was introgressed from its closely related ‘Ponderosa Pink’ cultivar. The parental lines and the two F1 hybrids were grown to harvest in a greenhouse and total soluble solids (°Brix) and titratable acidity (TA) were measured in red ripe fruits. While no differences for °Brix were observed between the parents of each cross, significantly higher °Brix was measured in the two red x pink F1’s compared to their corresponding parental lines. No clear differences between parental lines and F1 crosses were shown for TA. The experiment was repeated but including also the pink x red, reciprocal F1 crosses. The overdominance for °Brix but not for TA was confirmed in the red x pink hybrids while the pink x red hybrids produced °Brix values similar to those of their parents.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Systematic approach for high piezoelectric AlN deposition

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a wide band gap semiconductor with interesting piezoelectric properties for many applications, including micromechanical systems (MEMS), acoustic wave sensors or energy harvesting devices. The influence of DC reactive magnetron sputtering (DCRMS) deposition parameters on the structural, crystalline, and piezoelectric properties of AlN thin films are presented. The systematic approach of Design of Experiments (DoE) has been used to evaluate the role of magnetron power, nitrogen and argon flows on the deposition process and the film properties. Magnetron power and argon flow have resulted to be the parameters causing the most significant effects on the deposition rate. AlN films have been deposited with a high crystal quality, showing low values of FWHM (0.28) and c-axis orientation parallel oriented respect to the growth direction, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). These samples also showed a high piezoelectric coefficient (d33) of 5 pC/N for AlN thin films. This work highlights the importance of deposition parameters on the properties of the film and the important role that DoE play for its optimization with a minimum number of depositions

Análisis de expresión de genes potencialmente implicados en la deposición de la cutícula del fruto en líneas de introgresión de tomate

La cutícula vegetal es la capa más externa que cubre los órganos aéreos de las plantas y los protege de la pérdida de agua y del ataque de patógenos, además de determinar rasgos de calidad de fruto como el agrietado o la vida post cosecha. Recientemente identificamos dos regiones QTL en el cromosoma 3 asociadas a la cantidad de cutícula del fruto (cm3.1 y cm3.2) en una población RIL de un cruzamiento de la especie cultivada con el silvestre Solanum pimpinellifolium acc. TO-937. Además, una IL con una introgresión de TO-937 que contiene cm3.1 y cm3.2 (sp3-3) presentaba menor cantidad de cutícula que la línea parental de tomate cultivado ‘Moneymaker’ (MM). Con el objetivo de identificar genes candidatos para estos QTLs, la expresión de genes situados en las regiones próximas a los picos de los QTLs fue analizada mediante RT-qPCR a partir de extracciones de ARN de piel de frutos en cuatro estadios de desarrollo en las líneas sp3-3 y en MM. Se estudió la anotación de los genes en las regiones genómicas de ambos QTLs y se analizó la expresión de 42 de ellos. Los genes que presentaban mayores diferencias en sus perfiles de expresión entre las líneas sp3-3 y MM fueron analizados de nuevo empleando dos subILs obtenidas por selección asistida por marcadores que presentaban introgresiones acortadas de cm3.1 y cm3.2 e individualizadas, permitiendo así aislar los efectos de los dos QTLs y evitando posibles interferencias para la deposición de cutícula de otros QTLs conocidos que se sitúan en una región próxima a cm3.2 que también está presente en sp3-3. Los resultados obtenidos de este segundo análisis fueron consistentes con los anteriores y permitieron plantear 2-3 genes candidatos para cada uno de los dos QTLs, que serán estudiados próximamente mediante análisis funcional y que arrojarán luz sobre los mecanismos genéticos que subyacen a las diferencias observadas en la deposición de cutícula en diferentes cultivares de tomate.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Identification of tissue microRNAs predictive of sunitinib activity in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

PURPOSE: To identify tissue microRNAs predictive of sunitinib activity in patients with metastatic renal-cell-carcinoma (MRCC) and to evaluate in vitro their mechanism of action in sunitinib resistance. METHODS: We screened 673 microRNAs using TaqMan Low-density-Arrays (TLDAs) in tumors from MRCC patients with extreme phenotypes of marked efficacy and resistance to sunitinib, selected from an identification cohort (n = 41). The most relevant differentially expressed microRNAs were selected using bioinformatics-based target prediction analysis and quantified by qRT-PCR in tumors from patients presenting similar phenotypes selected from an independent cohort (n = 101). In vitro experiments were conducted to study the role of miR-942 in sunitinib resistance. RESULTS: TLDAs identified 64 microRNAs differentially expressed in the identification cohort. Seven candidates were quantified by qRT-PCR in the independent series. MiR-942 was the most accurate predictor of sunitinib efficacy (p = 0.0074). High expression of miR-942, miR-628-5p, miR-133a, and miR-484 was significantly associated with decreased time to progression and overall survival. These microRNAs were also overexpressed in the sunitinib resistant cell line Caki-2 in comparison with the sensitive cell line. MiR-942 overexpression in Caki-2 up-regulates MMP-9 and VEGF secretion which, in turn, promote HBMEC endothelial migration and sunitinib resistance. CONCLUSIONS: We identified differentially expressed microRNAs in MRCC patients presenting marked sensitivity or resistance to sunitinib. MiR-942 was the best predictor of efficacy. We describe a novel paracrine mechanism through which high miR-942 levels in MRCC cells up-regulates MMP-9 and VEGF secretion to enhance endothelial migration and sunitinib resistance. Our results support further validation of these miRNA in clinical confirmatory studies

Patient preferences and treatment safety for uncomplicated vulvovaginal candidiasis in primary health care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vaginitis is a common complaint in primary care. In uncomplicated candidal vaginitis, there are no differences in effectiveness between oral or vaginal treatment. Some studies describe that the preferred treatment is the oral one, but a Cochrane's review points out inconsistencies associated with the report of the preferred way that limit the use of such data. Risk factors associated with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis still remain controversial.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This work describes a protocol of a multicentric prospective observational study with one year follow up, to describe the women's reasons and preferences to choose the way of administration (oral vs topical) in the treatment of not complicated candidal vaginitis. The number of women required is 765, they are chosen by consecutive sampling. All of whom are aged 16 and over with vaginal discharge and/or vaginal pruritus, diagnosed with not complicated vulvovaginitis in Primary Care in Madrid.</p> <p>The main outcome variable is the preferences of the patients in treatment choice; secondary outcome variables are time to symptoms relief and adverse reactions and the frequency of recurrent vulvovaginitis and the risk factors. In the statistical analysis, for the main objective will be descriptive for each of the variables, bivariant analysis and multivariate analysis (logistic regression).. The dependent variable being the type of treatment chosen (oral or topical) and the independent, the variables that after bivariant analysis, have been associated to the treatment preference.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Clinical decisions, recommendations, and practice guidelines must not only attend to the best available evidence, but also to the values and preferences of the informed patient.</p

La ciudad como experiencia de conocimiento: nuevas metodologías de aprendizaje, iniciación a la investigación y extensión universitaria a partir de la historia urbana

Memoria que recoge las actividades desarolladas en el proyecto de Innovación docente 327 de 2020 con título La ciudad como experiencia de conocimiento: nuevas metodologías de aprendizaje, iniciación a la investigación y extensión universitaria a partir de la historia urbana y dirigido por Rubén Pallol Trigueros

La ciudad como experiencia de conocimiento: Nuevas metodologías de aprendizaje, iniciación de la investigación y extensión universitaria a partir de la historia urbana

Depto. de GeografíaDepto. de Historia Moderna y ContemporáneaDepto. de Historia del ArteFac. de Geografía e HistoriaFALSEsubmitte

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI