Role of Thrips Omnivory and Their Aggregation Pheromone on Multitrophic Interactions Between Sweet Pepper Plants, Aphids, and Hoverflies

In complex food webs, plants are commonly attacked by multiple herbivorous species, affecting the preference and performance of other herbivores and natural enemies. The role of omnivorous insects in ecosystems may be more complex because of the consumption of both plant and animal organisms. However, the effect of omnivorous insects on herbivores and natural enemies, has received little attention so far. The main goal of this study was to investigate whether the dual herbivore interaction between aphids and thrips, an omnivorous pest, on a sweet pepper system, may affect different trophic levels, from plant and aphid performance until the third trophic level, i.e., preference and performance of the predatory hoverfly Sphaerophoria rueppellii. Additionally, we tested whether the aggregation pheromone of the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, could disturb the oviposition behavior of the predatory hoverfly. Our results show that the presence of thrips decreases host plant and aphid performance. Furthermore, despite not affecting syrphid larval performance, thrips presence reduces fecundity of the adults that emerge from those larvae. Additionally, we observed that syrphids avoid ovipositing on plants with either thrips or thrips aggregation pheromone. The present study reveals how the presence of thrips or a semiochemical compound related to thrips, can impact the behavior and performance of an aphidophagous predator.This work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (CGL2016-79054)

Acetaminofen vs ibuprofen for the pain from episiotomy in the 42 hours of postpartum care

Objetivo: Evaluación de la eficacia analgésica para el dolor de la episiotomía entre el paracetamol y el Ibuprofeno, en las primeras 42 horas postparto. Método: Estudio cuasi-experimental (prospectivo y simple ciego) en mujeres que dieron a luz en el HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARIO CENTRAL DE ASTURIAS (OVIEDO), excluyendo alérgicas, patologías asociadas ó aquellas que el idioma impidiese un correcto entendimiento. Dos grupos: 1) Paracetamol 1 gr; 2) Ibuprofeno 600 mg. Tamaño de muestra: 110 por grupo para alcanzar mínimo de 80. Variable principal: grado de dolor según puntuación de escala (0 a 3). Otras variables: edad de paciente, semanas de gestación, peso neonatal, paridad, inicio del parto, anestesia epidural, tipo de parto, desgarro, inflamación y enrojecimiento, hematoma, hemorroides, necesidad de sondaje evacuador, aplicación de hielo y solicitud de analgesia. Tamaño final de la muestra: 88 grupo paracetamol y 97 grupo ibuprofeno. La escala de dolor se midió a las 2 horas postparto (previo al tratamiento) y, posteriormente, cada 8 hasta 42 horas. Se realizó análisis descriptivo y comparación entre grupos. Resultados: No encontramos diferencias significativas en la escala de dolor entre ambos fármacos, ni en los subgrupos analizados, salvo en el subgrupo de partos eutócicos, donde el ibuprofeno fue superior al paracetamol. En el global de la serie, el grupo de paracetamol solicitó hielo y otra medicación con mayor frecuencia que el grupo de ibuprofeno. Conclusiones: El ibuprofeno 600 mg y el paracetamol de 1 gr obtienen una respuesta similar en las primeras 42 horas postparto, si bien el ibuprofeno parece tener algunas ventajas adicionales.Objective: Assessment of the analgesic effectiveness of acetaminofen and ibuprofen in cases of epsiotomy, within the first 42 hours pospartum. Methods: Quasi-experimental research (prospective,singel-blind trial) on women who gave birth at the HUCA (Oviedo), excluding those who suffered from allergies or associated pathologies and the ones whose language skills in Spanish led to misunderstanding. Two groups: 1) Acetaminofen 1 gr; 2) Ibuprofen 600mg. Sample size: 110 per group to amount to a minimum of 80. Main variable: The degree of pain, which was marked on a rating scale (0 to 3). Other variables: The age of the patient, gestational age, neonatal weight, parity, onset of labour, epidural anesthesia, type of delivery, inflammation and reddening, tears, hematoma or hemorrhoids, need for catheter evacuation, application of ice and request for analgesia. Final sample size: 88 group acetaminofen and 97 group ibuprofen. Pain levels were measured through the scale 2 hours after delivery (previous to the treatment), afterwards, every 8 within the first 42 hours postpartum. A descriptive research was carried out and there was a comparison drawn between both groups. Results: The pain scale did not reveal any significant difference between both drugs. The result was the same in the analized subgroups; except for that of eutocic deliveries, where ibuprofen was superior to acetaminofen. The overall series results show that the request for ice and additional medication was more frequent among group acetaminofen. Conclusions: Ibuprofen 600 mg and acetaminofen 1gr get a similar response within the first 42 hours after delivery, even though ibuprofen seems to have some extra advantages

Equilibrium and kinetics studies on bibrachial lariat aza-crown/Cu(II) systems reveal different behavior associated with small changes in the structure

The high-yield synthesis of a new bibrachial lariat azacrown constituted by two tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren) units functionalized in one of its arms with a 4-methylquinoline group linked by dimethylene pyridine spacers (L2) is reported for the first time. The speciation studies show formation of mono- and binuclear Cu2+ complexes of similar stability. Comparisons are established with the complexes formed by the precursor tren-quinoline derivative (L4) and with the previously reported ligands containing naphthalene instead of quinoline as the fluorophore (L1, L3). The kinetics of formation and decomposition of Cu2+ complexes with L1 and L2 has been studied. For L1, the acid-promoted decomposition of mono and dinuclear complexes occurs in all cases with a rapid step within the stopped-flow mixing time that leads to the formation of an intermediate that decomposes in two additional steps. In the dinuclear complexes, both metal ions dissociate from the ligand with statistically-controlled kinetics. Complex formation with L1 occurs through the same intermediate observed during the decomposition. For L2, only the formation and decomposition of binuclear complexes could be studied, and the kinetic data show that the metal ion can coordinate both in square pyramidal sp and trigonal bipyramidal (tbp) geometries, coordination being faster in the sp environment and dissociation being faster from tbp. DFT and TD-DFT have been also carried out to determine the geometries with both coordination environments as well as their electronic spectra. The results of calculations indicate that the appearance or not of a mixture of coordination geometries does not necessarily require the participation of the quinoline ring

Disección del metabolismo de la baya de vid durante el desarrollo mediante las técnicas de Proteómica cuantitativa DIGE e iTRAQ

Comunicaciones a congreso

Highly functionalized 2-oxopiperazine-based peptidomimetics: An approach to PAR1 antagonists

A series of pseudodipeptide-based chiral 1,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted-2- oxopiperazines has been designed and synthesized as potential PAR1 antagonists. These highly functionalized piperazines were synthesized from aromatic and basic amino acid derived Ψ[CH(CN)NH]pseudodipeptides through a four step pathway that involves reduction of the cyano group to build the 2-oxopiperazine ring, followed by selective functionalization at the N4-, N 1-positions, and at the exocyclic moiety at position C5. This regioselective functionalization required the fine tuning of reaction conditions. All new compounds were screened as inhibitors of human platelet aggregation induced by the PAR1 agonist SFLLRN and as cytotoxic agents in human cancer cell lines. Some of the compounds displayed moderate PAR1 antagonist activity, while, others were cytotoxic at μM concentration. No correlation was observed between both types of activities.Peer Reviewe

Phosphoprotein enrichment from soluble and microsomal fractions of grapevine (vitis vinifera cv. gamay) cell culture using metal oxide affinity chromatography (MOAC)

Comunicaciones a congreso

Modulation of plant-mediated interactions between herbivores of different feeding guilds: Effects of parasitism and belowground interactions

Herbivory affects subsequent herbivores, mainly regulated by the phytohormones jasmonic (JA) and salicylic acid (SA). Additionally, organisms such as soil microbes belowground or parasitoids that develop inside their herbivorous hosts aboveground, can change plant responses to herbivory. However, it is not yet well known how organisms of trophic levels other than herbivores, below- and above-ground, alter the interactions between insect species sharing a host plant. Here, we investigated whether the parasitoid Aphidius colemani and different soil microbial communities (created through plant-soil feedbacks) affect the JA and SA signalling pathways in response to the aphid Myzus persicae and the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, as well as subsequent thrips performance. Our results show that the expression of the JA-responsive gene CaPINII in sweet pepper was more suppressed by aphids than by parasitised aphids. However, parasitism did not affect the expression of CaPAL1, a biosynthetic gene of SA. Furthermore, aphid feeding enhanced thrips performance compared with uninfested plants, but this was not observed when aphids were parasitised. Soils where different plant species were previously grown, did not affect plant responses or the interaction between herbivores. Our study shows that members of the third trophic level can modify herbivore interactions by altering plant physiology.This work and T.V.’s activities were supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, (CGL2016-79054), the Open Technology Program of NWO (TTW-13848), and the STSM Cost Action FA1405 funded by the European Union. A.P. research activities were supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, project no. 870.15.080)

Single-molecule conductance of a chemically modified, {\pi}-extended tetrathiafulvalene and its charge-transfer complex with F4TCNQ

We describe the synthesis and single molecule electrical transport properties of a molecular wire containing a ${\pi}$-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) group and its charge-transfer complex with F4TCNQ. We form single molecule junctions using the in-situ break junction technique using a home-built scanning tunneling microscope with a range of conductance between 10 G$_{0}$ down to 10$^{-7}$ G$_{0}$. Within this range we do not observe a clear conductance signature of the neutral parent molecule, suggesting either that its conductance is too low or that it does not form stable junctions. Conversely, we do find a clear conductance signature in the experiments carried out on the charge-transfer complex. Due to the fact we expected this species to have a higher conductance than the neutral molecule, we believe this supports the idea that the conductance of the neutral molecule is very low, below our measurement sensitivity. This is further supported by our theoretical calculations. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported single molecule conductance measurements on a molecular charge-transfer species

Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 Trauma on Developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Emergency Medical Workers in Spain

Producción CientíficaThe early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic presented the characteristics of a traumatic event that could trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. Emergency Medical Services workers are already a high-risk group due to their professional development. The research project aimed to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on EMS professionals in terms of their mental health. For this purpose, we present a descriptive crosssectional study with survey methodology. A total of 317 EMS workers (doctors, nurses, and emergency medical technicians) were recruited voluntarily. Psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia were assessed. The instruments were the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS-8), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS-8). We found that 36% of respondents had psychological distress, 30.9% potentially had PTSD, and 60.9% experienced insomnia. Years of work experience were found to be positively correlated, albeit with low effect, with the PTSD score (r = 0.133). Finally, it can be stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatic event for EMS workers. The number of professionals presenting psychological distress, possible PTSD, or insomnia increased dramatically during the early phases of the pandemic. This study highlights the need for mental health disorder prevention programmes for EMS workers in the face of a pandemic.Departamento de Enfermería de la Universidad de Valladoli

Diverse Large HIV-1 Non-subtype B Clusters Are Spreading Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Spain

In Western Europe, the HIV-1 epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) is dominated by subtype B. However, recently, other genetic forms have been reported to circulate in this population, as evidenced by their grouping in clusters predominantly comprising European individuals. Here we describe four large HIV-1 non-subtype B clusters spreading among MSM in Spain. Samples were collected in 9 regions. A pol fragment was amplified from plasma RNA or blood-extracted DNA. Phylogenetic analyses were performed via maximum likelihood, including database sequences of the same genetic forms as the identified clusters. Times and locations of the most recent common ancestors (MRCA) of clusters were estimated with a Bayesian method. Five large non-subtype B clusters associated with MSM were identified. The largest one, of F1 subtype, was reported previously. The other four were of CRF02_AG (CRF02_1; n = 115) and subtypes A1 (A1_1; n = 66), F1 (F1_3; n = 36), and C (C_7; n = 17). Most individuals belonging to them had been diagnosed of HIV-1 infection in the last 10 years. Each cluster comprised viruses from 3 to 8 Spanish regions and also comprised or was related to viruses from other countries: CRF02_1 comprised a Japanese subcluster and viruses from 8 other countries from Western Europe, Asia, and South America; A1_1 comprised viruses from Portugal, United Kingom, and United States, and was related to the A1 strain circulating in Greece, Albania and Cyprus; F1_3 was related to viruses from Romania; and C_7 comprised viruses from Portugal and was related to a virus from Mozambique. A subcluster within CRF02_1 was associated with heterosexual transmission. Near full-length genomes of each cluster were of uniform genetic form. Times of MRCAs of CRF02_1, A1_1, F1_3, and C_7 were estimated around 1986, 1989, 2013, and 1983, respectively. MRCA locations for CRF02_1 and A1_1 were uncertain (however initial expansions in Spain in Madrid and Vigo, respectively, were estimated) and were most probable in Bilbao, Spain, for F1_3 and Portugal for C_7. These results show that the HIV-1 epidemic among MSM in Spain is becoming increasingly diverse through the expansion of diverse non-subtype B clusters, comprising or related to viruses circulating in other countries.This work was funded through Acción Estratégica en Salud Intramural (AESI), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, project “Estudios sobre vigilancia epidemiológica molecular del VIH-1 en España,” PI16CIII/00033; Red de Investigación en SIDA (RIS), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Plan Nacional I+D+I, project RD16ISCIII/0002/0004; scientific agreements with Consellería de Sanidade, Government of Galicia (MVI 1004/16) and Osakidetza-Servicio Vasco de Salud, Government of Basque Country (MVI 1001/16); European Research Infrastructures for Poverty Related Diseases (EURIPRED). Seventh Framework Program: FP7-Capacities-infrastructures-2012-1, grant agreement 312661; and Dirección General de Farmacia, Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, Government of Spain (grant EC11-272).S