Algunos hongos hipogeos de Andorra

Some hipogeous fungi from Andorra. The hypogean mycoflora of Andorra is studied for the first time. In this work, five especies of hypogeous fungi are studied; three of them are new records for the Iberian Peninsule flora: Endogone pisiformis, - Tuber rapaeodorum and Leucophlebs aculeatispora, a rare species from Europe

Algunos hongos hipogeos de Andorra

Some hipogeous fungi from Andorra. The hypogean mycoflora of Andorra is studied for the first time. In this work, five especies of hypogeous fungi are studied; three of them are new records for the Iberian Peninsule flora: Endogone pisiformis, - Tuber rapaeodorum and Leucophlebs aculeatispora, a rare species from Europe

Gene delivery into mouse retinal ganglion cells by in utero electroporation

10 páginas, 5 figuras.[Background] The neural retina is a highly structured tissue of the central nervous system that is formed by seven different cell types that are arranged in layers. Despite much effort, the genetic mechanisms that underlie retinal development are still poorly understood. In recent years, largescale genomic analyses have identified candidate genes that may play a role in retinal neurogenesis, axon guidance and other key processes during the development of the visual system. Thus, new and rapid techniques are now required to carry out high-throughput analyses of all these candidate genes in mammals. Gene delivery techniques have been described to express exogenous proteins in the retina of newborn mice but these approaches do not efficiently introduce genes into the only retinal cell type that transmits visual information to the brain, the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs).[Results] Here we show that RGCs can be targeted for gene expression by in utero electroporation of the eye of mouse embryos. Accordingly, using this technique we have monitored the morphology of electroporated RGCs expressing reporter genes at different developmental stages, as well as their projection to higher visual targets.[Conclusion] Our method to deliver ectopic genes into mouse embryonic retinas enables us to follow the course of the entire retinofugal pathway by visualizing RGC bodies and axons. Thus, this technique will permit to perform functional studies in vivo focusing on neurogenesis, axon guidance, axon projection patterning or neural connectivity in mammals.This work was supported by grants to E. H. from Human Frontiers Science Program (CDA-0023) and from the Spanish Government (BFU-2004-0058). E.H. is a Ramón y Cajal Investigator from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).Peer reviewe

Algunos hongos hipogeos de Castilla-León (España): Youngiomyces multiplex y Genea thaxterii, primeras citas para Europa

Some hypogeous fungi frorn Castilla-León (Spain): Youngiomyces múltiplex and Genea thaxterii, first records in Europe. Eighteen species of hypogeous fungi collected by the autors in the community of Castilla-León have been studied. They stand out by their interest: Youngiomyces múltiplex (Thaxt.) Y.J. Yao, Elaphomyces maculatus Vitt., Genea sphaerica Tul. et C. Tul., G. Thaxterii Gilkey, Pachyphloeus cilrinus Berk. et Br., Gaulieria graveolens Vitt., Hymenogasler griseus Vitt., H. niveus Vitt., H. thwailesii Berk. et Br.,H. vulgaris Tul. apud Berk. et Br. and Rhizopogon corsicus Demoulin et Moyersoen. Amoung them, Youngiomyces Mulliplex and Genea thaxlerii are the first records in Europe.Se estudian 18 especies de hongos hipogeos recolectados por los autores en la Comunidad de Castilla-León. Destacan por su interés: Youngiomyces múltiplex (Thaxt.) Y.J. Yao, Elaphomyces maculatus Vitt., Genea sphaerica Tul. et C. Tul., G. Thaxterii Gilkey, Pachyphloeus cilrinus Berk. et Br., Gaulieria graveolens Vitt., Hymenogasler griseus Vitt., H. niveus Vitt., H. thwailesii Berk. et Br.,H. vulgaris Tul. apud Berk. et Br. and Rhizopogon corsicus Demoulin et Moyersoen. De entre ellos, Youngiomyces Mulliplex y Genea thaxlerii son primeras citas para Europa

Algunos hongos hipogeos de Castilla-León (España): Youngiomyces multiplex y Genea thaxterii, primeras citas para Europa

Se estudian 18 especies de hongos hipogeos recolectados por los autores en la Comunidad de Castilla-León. Destacan por su interés: Youngiomyces múltiplex (Thaxt.) Y.J. Yao, Elaphomyces maculatus Vitt., Genea sphaerica Tul. et C. Tul., G. Thaxterii Gilkey, Pachyphloeus cilrinus Berk. et Br., Gaulieria graveolens Vitt., Hymenogasler griseus Vitt., H. niveus Vitt., H. thwailesii Berk. et Br.,H. vulgaris Tul. apud Berk. et Br. and Rhizopogon corsicus Demoulin et Moyersoen. De entre ellos, Youngiomyces Mulliplex y Genea thaxlerii son primeras citas para Europa.Some hypogeous fungi frorn Castilla-León (Spain): Youngiomyces múltiplex and Genea thaxterii, first records in Europe. Eighteen species of hypogeous fungi collected by the autors in the community of Castilla-León have been studied. They stand out by their interest: Youngiomyces múltiplex (Thaxt.) Y.J. Yao, Elaphomyces maculatus Vitt., Genea sphaerica Tul. et C. Tul., G. Thaxterii Gilkey, Pachyphloeus cilrinus Berk. et Br., Gaulieria graveolens Vitt., Hymenogasler griseus Vitt., H. niveus Vitt., H. thwailesii Berk. et Br.,H. vulgaris Tul. apud Berk. et Br. and Rhizopogon corsicus Demoulin et Moyersoen. Amoung them, Youngiomyces Mulliplex and Genea thaxlerii are the first records in Europe

Holocene humidity changes in southern Iberia inferred from the geochemical signature of marine sediments

The Mediterranean region is particularly sensitive to global climate variability that critically reflects on its hydrological conditions. A recently published high resolution reconstruction of Holocene Sea Surface Temperature (SST) based on Globigerina bulloides Mg/Ca ratios, set the basis to explore, within a warm climatic period, the impact of North Atlantic oceanographic conditions shaping the properties of the inflowing waters into the Mediterranean Sea. Here we go a step further in establishing the potential links between these oceanographical changes with the hydrological conditions on the southern Iberian Peninsula.This study combines XRF-core-scanner analyses with the radiogenic isotopes characterization (Sr, Nd and Pb) of the terrigenous fraction in core ALB-2 from the Alboran Sea. Results indicate that the most humid conditions developed during the early to middle Holocene with a transition towards drier conditions and colder SST that occurred by the late Holocene. The radiogenic Sr, Nd and Pb records do not show any covariance with the millennial scale oscillations shown in the Zr and K XRF records interpreted as humidity changes. This could suggest that inputs of African dust are not the main controlling factor in the XRF records. In contrast, the Sr isotope record shows a significant transition around the middle Holocene while SSTs show a cooling trend. For an accurate interpretation of that feature, this study also targets a novel approach by characterizing the radiogenic isotope composition of settling particles recovered by moored sediment traps under well characterized meteorological conditions

Ultrasound-guided in utero injections allow studies of the development and function of the eye

Ultrasound-guided in utero injections into the brain of murine embryos has been shown to facilitate gene delivery. We investigated whether these methods would allow gene transfer into ocular structures. Gene transfer using retroviral vectors or electroporation was found to be quite effective. We determined the window of time, as well as compared several strains of mice, that yield a high degree of survival and successful gene transfer. Several retroviral constructs were tested for expression and coexpresssion of two genes in retinal cell types. In addition, a retroviral vector was engineered to give cone photoreceptor-enriched expression, and a retroviral vector was demonstrated to provide RNAi-mediated loss-of-function. These methods enable access to early ocular structures and provide a more rapid method of assessment of gene and promoter function than possible using genetically engineered mice

Eastern Mediterranean water outflow during the Younger Dryas was twice that of the present day

Eastern Mediterranean deep-intermediate convection was highly sensitive to varying inputs of fresh water fluxes associated with increased rainfall during the African Humid period (15-6 kyr Before Present). Here we investigate changes in the water-outflow from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea since the last deglaciation using neodymium isotope ratios. Our results indicate enhanced outflow during the Younger Dryas, two times higher than present-day outflow and about three times higher than during the last Sapropel. We propose that the increased outflow into the western Mediterranean over the Younger Dryas was the result of the combined effect of 1) enhanced climate-driven convection in the Aegean Sea and 2) reduced convection of western deep water during this period. Our results provide solid evidence for an enhanced Younger Dryas westward flow of Eastern Mediterranean sourced waters in consonance with an intensification of Mediterranean water-outflow during a weakened state of the Atlantic circulatio

A User-Centered Chatbot (Wakamola) to Collect Linked Data in Population Networks to Support Studies of Overweight and Obesity Causes: Design and Pilot Study

[EN] Background: Obesity and overweight are a serious health problem worldwide with multiple and connected causes. Simultaneously, chatbots are becoming increasingly popular as a way to interact with users in mobile health apps. Objective: This study reports the user-centered design and feasibility study of a chatbot to collect linked data to support the study of individual and social overweight and obesity causes in populations. Methods: We first studied the users' needs and gathered users' graphical preferences through an open survey on 52 wireframes designed by 150 design students; it also included questions about sociodemographics, diet and activity habits, the need for overweight and obesity apps, and desired functionality. We also interviewed an expert panel. We then designed and developed a chatbot. Finally, we conducted a pilot study to test feasibility. Results: We collected 452 answers to the survey and interviewed 4 specialists. Based on this research, we developed a Telegram chatbot named Wakamola structured in six sections: personal, diet, physical activity, social network, user's status score, and project information. We defined a user's status score as a normalized sum (0-100) of scores about diet (frequency of eating 50 foods), physical activity, BMI, and social network. We performed a pilot to evaluate the chatbot implementation among 85 healthy volunteers. Of 74 participants who completed all sections, we found 8 underweight people (11%), 5 overweight people (7%), and no obesity cases. The mean BMI was 21.4 kg/m(2) (normal weight). The most consumed foods were olive oil, milk and derivatives, cereals, vegetables, and fruits. People walked 10 minutes on 5.8 days per week, slept 7.02 hours per day, and were sitting 30.57 hours per week. Moreover, we were able to create a social network with 74 users, 178 relations, and 12 communities. Conclusions: The Telegram chatbot Wakamola is a feasible tool to collect data from a population about sociodemographics, diet patterns, physical activity, BMI, and specific diseases. Besides, the chatbot allows the connection of users in a social network to study overweight and obesity causes from both individual and social perspectives.Moreover, the authors acknowledge the funding support for this study provided by the CrowdHealth Project (Collective Wisdom Driving Public Health Policies, 727560).Asensio-Cuesta, S.; Blanes-Selva, V.; Conejero, JA.; Frigola, A.; Portolés, MG.; Merino-Torres, JF.; Rubio Almanza, M.... (2021). A User-Centered Chatbot (Wakamola) to Collect Linked Data in Population Networks to Support Studies of Overweight and Obesity Causes: Design and Pilot Study. JMIR Medical Informatics. 9(4):1-14. https://doi.org/10.2196/17503S1149

Transient ipsilateral retinal ganglion cell projections to the brain: Extent, targeting, and disappearance

Author ManuscriptDuring development of the mammalian eye, the first retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) that extend to the brain are located in the dorsocentral (DC) retina. These RGCs extend to either ipsilateral or contralateral targets, but the ipsilateral projections do not survive into postnatal periods. The function and means of disappearance of the transient ipsilateral projection are not known. We have followed the course of this transient early ipsilateral cohort of RGCs, paying attention to how far they extend, whether they enter targets and if so, which ones, and the time course of their disappearance. The DC ipsilateral RGC axons were traced using DiI labeling at E13.5 and E15.5 to compare the proportion of ipsi- versus contralateral projections during the first period of growth. In utero electroporation of E12.5 retina with GFP constructs was used to label axons that could be visualized at succeeding time points into postnatal ages. Our results show that the earliest ipsilateral axons grow along the cellular border of the brain, and are segregated from the laterally positioned contralateral axons from the same retinal origin. In agreement with previous reports, although many early RGCs extend ipsilaterally, after E16 their number rapidly declines. Nonetheless, some ipsilateral axons from the DC retina enter the superior colliculus and arborize minimally, but very few enter the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and those that do extend only short branches. While the mechanism of selective axonal disappearance remains elusive, these data give further insight into establishment of the visual pathways.Contract grant sponsor: NIH (C.A.M.); contract grant number: R01 EY012736 and P30 EY019007.Contract grant sponsors: Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology fellowship SFRH/BD/74926/2010; Luso-American Development Foundation; MD-PhD Program, University of Minho (C.A.S.)