Informe DRIS (Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System)

Obtención de normas para el análisis foliar del olivo en Jaén según “Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System” (DRIS) partiendo de la base de datos de FERTIBERIA. El DRIS es un ventajoso sistema de diagnostico del estado nutricional de las plantas y si se corrobora la eficacia de desarrollar este sistema para el olivo, a partir de la base de datos de FERTIBERIA, podría ser aplicado a otros cultivos en sus respectivas zonas. Con los resultados obtenidos en el desarrollo del DRIS para el olivar en Jaén se puede valorar esta utilidad de la base de datos

The course of posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve: Anatomical and sonographic study with a clinical implication

The course of the posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve (PACN) was studied via ultrasound (US) and dissection. The aim of this study was to reveal the anatomical relationships of PACN with the surrounding structures along its pathway to identify possible critical points of compression. Nineteen cryopreserved cadaver body donor upper extremities were explored via US and further dissected. During US exploration, two reference points, in relation with the compression of the nerve, were marked using dye injection: (1) the point where the RN pierces the lateral intermuscular septum (LIMS) and (2) the point where the PACN pierces the deep fascia. Anatomical measurements referred to the lateral epicondyle (LE) were taken at these two points. Dissection confirmed the correct site of US-guided dye injection at 100% of points where the RN crossed the LIMS (10.5 cm from the LE) and was correctly injected at 74% of points where the PACN pierce the deep fascia (7.4 cm from the LE). There were variations in the course of the PACN, but it always divided from the RN as an only branch. Either ran close and parallel to the LIMS until the RN crossed the LIMS (84%) or clearly separated from the RN, 1 cm before it crossed the LIMS (16%). In 21% of cases, the PACN crossed the LIMS with the RN, while in the rest of the cases it always followed in the posterior compartment. A close relationship between PACN and LIMS, as well as triceps brachii muscle and deep fascia was observed. The US and anatomical study showed that the course of PACN maintains a close relationship with the LIMS and other connective tissues (such as the fascia and subcutaneous tissue) to be present in its pathology and treatment

Physics of the Muon Spectrometer of the ALICE Experiment

The main goal of the Muon spectrometer of the ALICE experiment at LHC is the measurement of heavy quark production in p+p, p+A and A+A collisions at LHC energies, via the muonic channel. Physics motivations and expected performances have been presented in this talk.Comment: 10 pages and 4 figures. Talk presented in the ICPAQGP Conference, February 8-12, 2005, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, India. Web page of the conference : http://www.veccal.ernet.in/~icpaqgp

Nutritional innovations in superior European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) genotypes: implications on fish performance and feed utilization.

The sustainable development of the aquaculture industry relies on the use of alternative conventional and emergent raw materials that contributes to a circular economy and to reduce the dependency on fish meals and fish oils coming from oceanic fish populations. Additionally, the genetic selection of farmed fish that can display higher growth and feed utilization when fed alternative feeds, is pointed out to be a complementary valuable tool to facilitate the implementation of circular economy approaches. The main purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of genetic selection for growth in European sea bass, in response to a challenge with an alternative diet that aimed to partially replaced fishmeal (FM) by poultry meal (PM) and totally replace fish oil (FO) by a blend of poultry oil (PO) with a novel microalgae oil. The two families of fish juveniles were obtained by in vitro fertilization of selected for a multi-trait including high growth (genetically selected, GS) or nonselected (wild type, WT) broodstocks and then were nutritionally challenged with a control diet that mirrored a standard commercial diet with fishmeal (20%) and fish oil (7%), or a Future diet that partially replaced the FM by PM and totally replaced the FO by a blend of rapeseed oil, PO, and a novel DHA rich-algal oil. From the second month of feeding until the end of the trial, European sea bass that was selected since for 7 generations performed better in terms of growth than the wild-type genotype, possibly related with an apparent favored feed and nutrient utilization. Furthermore, selection decreased the perivisceral fat and increased the nutritional value of flesh by increasing DHA (in g/ 100 g flesh) and ARA contents. In contrast, the dietary treatment showed little effect on fish growth performance, denoting the successful partial replacement of FM by PM and the total replacement of FO by a blend of poultry oil and an emergent microalgal oil. However, Future diet tended to reduce the ADCs of some amino acids, as well as showed an additive effect to genotype in increasing the n-3 PUFA of flesh. Altogether, our data demonstrate that multi-trait genetic selection of European sea bass improve fish plasticity to cope with the variations of ingredients in alternative feeds with low FM/FO

A selective inhibitor of histone deacetylase 3 prevents cognitive deficits and suppresses striatal CAG repeat expansions in Huntington's disease mice

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder whose major symptoms include progressive motor and cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive decline is a critical quality of life concern for HD patients and families. The enzyme histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) appears to be important in HD pathology by negatively regulating genes involved in cognitive functions. Furthermore, HDAC3 has been implicated in the aberrant transcriptional patterns that help cause disease symptoms in HD mice. HDAC3 also helps fuel CAG repeat expansions in human cells, suggesting that HDAC3 may power striatal expansions in the HTT gene thought to drive disease progression. This multifaceted role suggests that early HDAC3 inhibition offers an attractive mechanism to prevent HD cognitive decline and to suppress striatal expansions. This hypothesis was investigated by treating HdhQ111 knock-in mice with the HDAC3-selective inhibitor RGFP966. Chronic early treatment prevented long-term memory impairments and normalized specific memory-related gene expression in hippocampus. Additionally, RGFP966 prevented corticostriatal-dependent motor learning deficits, significantly suppressed striatal CAG repeat expansions, partially rescued striatal protein marker expression and reduced accumulation of mutant huntingtin oligomeric forms. These novel results highlight RGFP966 as an appealing multiple-benefit therapy in HD that concurrently prevents cognitive decline and suppresses striatal CAG repeat expansions

A comparative analysis of lung function and spirometry parameters in genotype-controlled natives living at low and high altitude

Background: The reference values for lung function are associated to anatomical and lung morphology parameters, but anthropometry it is not the only influencing factor: altitude and genetics are two important agents affecting respiratory physiology. Altitude and its influence on respiratory function has been studied independently of genetics, considering early and long-term acclimatization. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate lung function through a spirometry study in autochthonous Kichwas permanently living at low and high-altitude. Methodology: A cross-sectional study of spirometry differences between genetically matched lowland Kichwas from Limoncocha (230 m) at Amazonian basin and high-altitude Kichwas from Oyacachi (3,180 m) in Andean highlands. Chi-square method was used to analyze association or independence of categorical variables, while Student's t test was applied to comparison of means within quantitative variables. ANOVA, or in the case that the variables didn't meet the criteria of normality, Kruskal Wallis test were used to compare more than two groups. Results: People from Oyacachi (high altitude) showed a higher predicted values than those from Limonocha (low altitude). The FVC and the FEV1 were significantly greater among highlanders than lowlanders (p value < 0.001). The FEV1/FVC was significantly higher among lowlanders than highlanders for men and women. A restrictive pattern was found in 12.9% of the participants. Conclusion: Residents of Oyacachi had greater lung capacity than their peers from Limoncocha, a finding physiologically plausible according to published literature. When analyzing the spirometric patterns obtained in these populations, it was evident that no person had an obstructive pattern, while on the other hand, the restrictive pattern appeared in Limoncocha and Oyacachi populations in 12.9% although it is clear that there is a predominance of this in the individuals belonging to Limoncocha

Exercise alters liver mitochondria phospholipidomic profile and mitochondrial activity in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Mitochondrial membrane lipid composition is a critical factor in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Exercise is the most prescribed therapeutic strategy against NASH and a potential modulator of lipidmembrane. Thus, we aimed to analyze whether physical exercise exerted preventive (voluntary physical activity - VPA) and therapeutic (endurance training - ET) effect on NASH-induced mitochondrial membrane changes. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 36) were divided into standard-diet sedentary (SS, n = 12),standard-diet VPA (SVPA, n = 6), high-fat diet sedentary (HS, n = 12) and high-fat diet VPA (HVPA, n = 6). After 9 weeks of diet-specific feeding, half of SS and HS group were engaged in an ET program for 8 weeks/5 day/week/1 h/day (SET, HET). Liver mitochondria were isolated for oxygen consumption and transmembrane-electric potential (Δψ) assays. Mitochondrial phospholipid classes and fatty acids were quantified through thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography, respectively, while cardiolipin(CL), phosphatidylcholine (PC) phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) molecular profile was determined by electrospray mass spectrometry. In parallel with histological signs of NASH,high-fat diet decreased PI, CL and PC/PE ratio, whereas PE and phosphatidic acid content increased insedentary animals (HS vs. SS). Moreover, a decrease in linolelaidic, monounsaturated fatty acids content and an increase in saturated fatty acids (SFAS) were observed. Along with phospholipidomic alterations,HS animals showed a decrease in respiratory control ratio (RCR), Δψ and FCCP-induced uncoupling respiration (HS vs. SS). Both phospholipidomic (PC/PE, SFAS) and mitochondrial respiratory alterations were counteracted by exercise interventions. Exercise used as preventive (VPA) or therapeutic (ET) strategies preserved liver mitochondrial phospholipidomic profile and maintained mitochondrial function in a model of NASH

Long COVID at different altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis

Background: Several reports from around the world have reported that some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have experienced a range of persistent or new clinical symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. These symptoms can last from weeks to months, impacting everyday functioning to a significant number of patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022. Participants were invited by social media, radio, and TV to voluntarily participate in our study. A total of 2103 surveys were included in this study. We compared socio-demographic variables and long-term persisting symptoms at low (2500 m). Results: Overall, 1100 (52.3%) responders claimed to have Long-COVID symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of these were reported by women (64.0%); the most affected group was young adults between 21 to 40 years (68.5%), and most long-haulers were mestizos (91.6%). We found that high altitude residents were more likely to report persisting symptoms (71.7%) versus those living at lower altitudes (29.3%). The most common symptoms were fatigue or tiredness (8.4%), hair loss (5.1%) and difficulty concentrating (5.0%). The highest proportion of symptoms was observed in the group that received less than 2 doses. Conclusions: This is the first study describing post-COVID symptoms' persistence in low and high-altitude residents. Our findings demonstrate that women, especially those aging between 21-40, are more likely to describe Long-COVID. We also found that living at a high altitude was associated with higher reports of mood changes, tachycardia, decreased libido, insomnia, and palpitations compared to lowlanders. Finally, we found a greater risk to report Long-COVID symptoms among women, those with previous comorbidities and those who had a severer acute SARS-CoV-2 infection

Hematological parameters, lipid profile and cardiovascular risk analysis among genotype-controlled indigenous Kichwa men and women living at low and high altitudes

Introduction: Human adaptation to high-altitude is due to characteristic adjustments at every physiological level. Differences in lipid profile and cardiovascular risk factors in altitude dwellers have been previously explored, nevertheless there are no reports available on genotype-controlled matches among different altitude adapted indigenous populations. Objective: To explore the possible differences in plasma lipid profile and cardiovascular risk among autochthonous Kiwcha people inhabitants of low and high-altitude locations. Methodology: A cross-sectional analysis of plasmatic lipid profiles and cardiovascular risk factors in lowland Kiwchas from Limoncocha (230 m) and high-altitude Kiwchas from Oyacachi (3,800 m). Results: In the low altitude group, 66% were women (n=78) and 34% (n=40) were men, while at high altitude, 59% (n=56) were women and 41% (n=41%) were men. We found the proportion of overweight and obese individuals to be higher among low altitude dwellers (p<0.05). Red blood cells (RBC), Hemoglobin concentration and SpO2% were higher among high altitude dwellers and erythrocyte's size was found to be smaller at high altitude .The group located at low altitude showed also lower levels of plasma cholesterol, LDL and HDL but most of these differences are not influenced by gender or elevation. Conclusions: Living at altitude elicits well-known adaptive physiological changes such as erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and serum glucose. We report also clinical differences in the plasma lipid profile, with higher levels of cholesterol and high density and low-density lipoproteins in Andes Mountain inhabitants versus their Amazonian basin peers. Despite we found altered underlying physiological pathways between the populations, this does not allow in a different cardiovascular risk