Desempeño productivo de Arapaima gigas en estanques de clima templado

The study monitored the productive performance of the paiche (Arapaima gigas) for 30 months under temperate climate conditions on the Central Coast of Peru. After 40 days of acclimatization and with 80% survival, the fish (n: 32, weight: 44 ± 34 g, length: 17.6 ± 4.9 cm) were transferred to a greenhouse pool (8 fish/m3) and fed at 5 % of their body weight with a diet of 60% balanced trout food and 40% deboned and gutted fresh fish. After 15 months under a greenhouse and with 62% survival, the fish (n: 20, weight: 4.3 ± 1.0 kg, length: 77.3 cm) were transferred to an open-air excavated earth pond (6.9 fish/m3) and fed fresh fish at 5% of body weight. The water temperature fluctuated between 23.2 and 26.0 °C in the greenhouse, and between 23.0 and 24.6 °C in the environmental pond, being up to 18% lower in temperature with respect to the minimum water temperature in its natural habitat. At 32 months of age, the paiche reached 1.23 m in length and 16.89 kg in weight. Weight gains fluctuated between 3.4 and 20.9 g/d in the greenhouse and 8.4 and 74.6 g/d in the environmental pond. In the cold season, fish were characterized by showing higher feed consumption, but lower weight gains, reflected in poor feed conversion rates. Mortality of 38% was recorded only in the greenhouse stage. The productive parameters of the paiche in temperate climate conditions were lower than those achieved in its tropical climate habitat; however, the less variable weight gain in the greenhouse and the more efficient feed conversion in warm seasons suggest that its cultivation would be viable under greenhouse conditions.El estudio monitoreó el desempeño productivo del paiche (Arapaima gigas) durante 30 meses en condiciones de clima templado de la Costa Central del Perú. Tras 40 días de aclimatación y con 80% de sobrevivencia, los peces (n: 32, peso: 44 ± 34 g, longitud: 17.6 ± 4.9 cm) fueron transferidos a una piscina en invernadero (8 peces/m3) y alimentados al 5% de su peso corporal con una dieta de 60% de alimento balanceado para truchas y 40% de pescado fresco deshuesado y eviscerado. Después de 15 meses bajo invernadero y con el 62% de sobrevivencia, los peces (n: 20, peso: 4.3 ± 1.0 kg, longitud: 77.3 cm) fueron transferidos hacia un estanque de tierra excavada al aire libre (6.9 peces/m3), y alimentados con pescado fresco al 5% del peso corporal. La temperatura de agua fluctuó entre 23.2 y 26.0 °C en invernadero, y entre 23.0 y 24.6 °C en estanque al medio ambiente, siendo hasta 18% menos de temperatura con respecto a la mínima del agua en su hábitat natural. A los 32 meses de edad, el paiche alcanzó 1.23 m de longitud y 16.89 kg de peso. Las ganancias de peso fluctuaron entre 3.4 y 20.9 g/d en invernadero y 8.4 y 74.6 g/d en estanque al medio ambiente. En las estaciones frías, los peces se caracterizaron por mostrar mayores consumos de alimento, pero menores ganancias de peso, reflejándose en pobres índices de conversión alimenticia. Se registró mortalidad de 38% solo en la etapa de invernadero. Los parámetros productivos del paiche en condiciones de clima templado fueron inferiores a los alcanzado en su hábitat de clima tropical; sin embargo, la ganancia de peso menos variable en invernadero y la conversión alimenticia más eficiente en estaciones cálidas sugieren que su cultivo sería viable en condiciones de invernadero

Identification of Interleukin-27 (IL-27)/IL-27 Receptor Subunit Alpha as a Critical Immune Axis for In Vivo HIV Control

Intact and broad immune cell effector functions and specific individual cytokines have been linked to HIV disease outcome, but their relative contribution to HIV control remains unclear. We asked whether the proteome of secreted cytokines and signaling factors in peripheral blood can be used to discover specific pathways critical for host viral control. A custom glass-based microarray, able to measure >600 plasma proteins involved in cell-to-cell communication, was used to measure plasma protein profiles in 96 HIV-infected, treatment-naive individuals with high (>50,000) or low (600 soluble proteins, our data highlight the importance of Th17 cells and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HIV control and especially identify the IL-27/IL-27 receptor subunit alpha (IL-27RA) axis as a predictor of plasma viral load and proviral copy number in the peripheral blood. These data may provide important guidance to therapeutic approaches in the HIV cure agenda

Identification of interleukin-27 (IL-27)/IL-27 receptor subunit alpha as a critical immune axis for in vivo hiv control

Intact and broad immune cell effector functions and specific individual cytokines have been linked to HIV disease outcome, but their relative contribution to HIV control remains unclear. We asked whether the proteome of secreted cytokines and signaling factors in peripheral blood can be used to discover specific pathways critical for host viral control. A custom glass-based microarray, able to measure >600 plasma proteins involved in cell-to-cell communication, was used to measure plasma protein profiles in 96 HIV-infected, treatment-naive individuals with high (> 50,000) or low (<10,000 HIV RNA copies/ml) viral loads. Univariate and regression model analysis demonstrate that plasma levels of soluble interleukin-27 (IL-27) are significantly elevated in individuals with high plasma viremia (P < 0.0001) and are positively correlated with proviral HIV-DNA copy numbers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (Rho = 0.4011; P = 0.0027). Moreover, soluble IL-27 plasma levels are negatively associated with the breadth and magnitude of the total virus-specific T-cell responses and directly with plasma levels of molecules involved in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. In addition to IL-27, gene expression levels of the specific IL-27 receptor (IL27RA) in PBMC correlated directly with both plasma viral load (Rho = 0.3531; P = 0.0218) and the proviral copy number in the peripheral blood as an indirect measure of partial viral reservoir (Rho = 0.4580; P = 0.0030). These results were validated in unrelated cohorts of early infected subjects as well as subjects before and after initiation of antiretroviral treatment, and they identify IL-27 and its specific receptor as a critical immune axis for the antiviral immune response and as robust correlates of viral load and proviral reservoir size in PBMC. IMPORTANCE The detailed knowledge of immune mechanisms that contribute to HIV control is a prerequisite for the design of effective treatment strategies to achieve HIV cure. Cells communicate with each other by secreting signaling proteins, and the blood is a key conduit for transporting such factors. Investigating the communication factors promoting effective immune responses and having potentially antiviral functions against HIV using a novel focused omics approach (Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Methylation regulation of Antiviral host factors, Interferon Stimulated Genes (ISGs) and T-cell responses associated with natural HIV control

GWAS, immune analyses and biomarker screenings have identified host factors associated with in vivo HIV-1 control. However, there is a gap in the knowledge about the mechanisms that regulate the expression of such host factors. Here, we aimed to assess DNA methylation impact on host genome in natural HIV-1 control. To this end, whole DNA methylome in 70 untreated HIV-1 infected individuals with either high (>50,000 HIV-1-RNA copies/ml, n = 29) or low (<10,000 HIV-1-RNA copies/ml, n = 41) plasma viral load (pVL) levels were compared and identified 2,649 differentially methylated positions (DMPs). Of these, a classification random forest model selected 55 DMPs that correlated with virologic (pVL and proviral levels) and HIV-1 specific adaptive immunity parameters (IFNg-T cell responses and neutralizing antibodies capacity). Then, cluster and functional analyses identified two DMP clusters: cluster 1 contained hypo-methylated genes involved in antiviral and interferon response (e.g. PARP9, MX1, and USP18) in individuals with high viral loads while in cluster 2, genes related to T follicular helper cell (Tfh) commitment (e.g. CXCR5 and TCF7) were hyper-methylated in the same group of individuals with uncontrolled infection. For selected genes, mRNA levels negatively correlated with DNA methylation, confirming an epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Further, these gene expression signatures were also confirmed in early and chronic stages of infection, including untreated, cART treated and elite controllers HIV-1 infected individuals (n = 37). These data provide the first evidence that host genes critically involved in immune control of the virus are under methylation regulation in HIV-1 infection. These insights may offer new opportunities to identify novel mechanisms of in vivo virus control and may prove crucial for the development of future therapeutic interventions aimed at HIV-1 cure

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with the Satisfaction Level of Peruvian Dental Students with Virtual Classes During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Bicentric Study

Ericka Albornoz-Palacios,1 Marysela Ladera-Castañeda,2 Gissela Briceño-Vergel,1 Nancy Córdova-Limaylla,1 Rosa Aroste-Andía,3 Emily Hernández-Huamaní,3 Percy Gavilán-Chávez,3 Miriam Castro-Rojas,2 Luis Cervantes-Ganoza,4 César Cayo-Rojas1 1School of Stomatology, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Lima, Peru; 2Faculty of Dentistry and Postgraduate School, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Peru; 3School of Stomatology, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Ica, Peru; 4Faculty of Stomatology, Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Lima, PeruCorrespondence: César Cayo-Rojas, Av. Jose Antonio Lavalle Avenue 302-304, (Ex Hacienda Villa), Chorrillos, Lima, Peru, Email [email protected]: The pandemic caused by Covid-19 impacted all areas of social, economic and educational activity. When there is a high risk of spreading highly infectious diseases, education is usually the first service to be suspended. The objective was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with the satisfaction level of Peruvian dental students with virtual classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, analytical study evaluated 237 dental students from the capital city and one Peruvian province using a validated 13-item questionnaire to measure the level of satisfaction with virtual classes. Pearson’s chi-square test and a logit model were used to evaluate the associated factors such as age group, sex, marital status, monthly family income, area of residence, place of origin, occupation and computer use, considering a significance level of p< 0.05.Results: Of all students, 50.6%, 40.1% and 9.3% presented a good, average and poor level of satisfaction, respectively, with the virtual classes received. In addition, those with a monthly family income of less than 500 US dollars were 3.15 times more likely to have poor satisfaction compared to those with a monthly family income of more than 1000 US dollars (AOR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.23– 8.05). The rest of the variables evaluated were not considered influential factors in the levels of satisfaction with the virtual classes received.Conclusión: Of all students, 50.6% and 9.3% reported good and poor satisfaction with virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Monthly family income of less than 500 US dollars was an influential factor. In addition, the variables age group, sex, marital status, area of residence, place of origin, occupation and computer use were not found to be influential factors.Keywords: e-learning, online learning, sociodemographic factors, satisfaction level, virtual classrooms, dentistry, Covid − 1

Determining Risk for Severe Leptospirosis by Molecular Analysis of Environmental Surface Waters for Pathogenic Leptospira

BACKGROUND: Although previous data indicate that the overall incidence of human leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon is similar in urban and rural sites, severe leptospirosis has been observed only in the urban context. As a potential explanation for this epidemiological observation, we tested the hypothesis that concentrations of more virulent Leptospira would be higher in urban than in rural environmental surface waters. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A quantitative real-time PCR assay was used to compare levels of Leptospira in urban and rural environmental surface waters in sites in the Peruvian Amazon region of Iquitos. Molecular taxonomic analysis of a 1,200-bp segment of the leptospiral 16S ribosomal RNA gene was used to identify Leptospira to the species level. Pathogenic Leptospira species were found only in urban slum water sources (Fisher's exact test; p = 0.013). The concentration of pathogen-related Leptospira was higher in urban than rural water sources (~10(3) leptospires/ml versus 0.5 × 10(2) leptospires/ml; F = 8.406, p < 0.05). Identical 16S rRNA gene sequences from Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae were found in urban slum market area gutter water and in human isolates, suggesting a specific mode of transmission from rats to humans. In a prospective, population-based study of patients presenting with acute febrile illness, isolation of L. interrogans-related leptospires from humans was significantly associated with urban acquisition (75% of urban isolates); human isolates of other leptospiral species were associated with rural acquisition (78% of rural isolates) (chi-square analysis; p < 0.01). This distribution of human leptospiral isolates mirrored the distribution of leptospiral 16S ribosomal gene sequences in urban and rural water sources. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings data support the hypothesis that urban severe leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon is associated with higher concentrations of more pathogenic leptospires at sites of exposure and transmission. This combined quantitative and molecular taxonomical risk assessment of environmental surface waters is globally applicable for assessing risk for leptospiral infection and severe disease in leptospirosis-endemic regions