Controle da produção de aflatoxinas no amendoim em casca úmido com ortofenilfenato de sódio: III. Testes no armazém

The present experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of sodium ortho-phenylphenate (SOP) application to in-shell moist peanuts for the control of aflatoxin production. Previous studies showed the need to improve the SOP solution distribution on peanut pods to evaluate the product. Thus, in this experiment the place of the spray system was the bag filler pipe of the pre-cleaning machine in the warehouse. In the 1989 rainy season two lots of 120 bags of in-shell moist peanuts were sprayed with 0.5 and 1% SOP solutions and aflatoxin production was not controlled. In the dry season of 1989 and in the rainy season of 1990, in-shell moist peanuts were sprayed with 5% SOP solution. The coverage of pods with the solution was efficient, allowing a uniform distribution of SOP solution on the pods. The results showed that only the 5.0% concentration of SOP solution utilized controlled the external fungal growth when a naked eye observation was made, however did not control aflatoxin production when applied to in-shell moist peanuts, probably due to the internal presence of Aspergillus flavus and because the fungicide could not penetrate inside to reach the kernels.O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a eficiência da solução de ortofenilfenato de sódio (OFS), no controle da produção de aflatoxinas quando aplicada no amendoim em casca, úmido. Trabalhos anteriormente realizados, em condições de campo, indicaram a necessidade de otimizar a aplicação da solução, para se poder avaliar a real eficiência dessa substância. Assim, neste experimento, o sistema de pulverização foi adaptado na bica de saída da máquina de pré-limpeza, no armazém. Na safra das águas de 1989, dois lotes de 120 sacos de amendoim em casca úmido foram pulverizados com solução de OFS em concentrações de 0,5 e 1,0 % e verificou-se que não houve controle da produção de aflatoxinas em ambas as concentrações utilizadas. Nas safras da seca de 1989 e das águas de 1990 o amendoim em casca úmido foi pulverizado com solução de OFS na concentração de 5,0%. A cobertura das vagens com a solução foi eficiente, permitindo uma distribuição uniforme da solução de OFS sobre as vagens. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que nenhuma das concentrações utilizadas controlou a produção de aflatoxinas, quando aplicadas no amendoim em casca, embora, aparentemente, tenham controlado o crescimento fúngico da parte externa das vagens de amendoim. Provavelmente os fungos aflatoxigênicos já poderiam estar presentes dentro de vagens sadias e desse modo a casca do amendoim poderia ser uma barreira à penetração do fungicida dentro da vagem e atingir as amêndoas

Contrasting evolutionary demography induced by fishing: the role of adaptive phenotypic plasticity

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A novel genetic variant of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 11A discovered in Fiji.

OBJECTIVES: As part of annual cross-sectional Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage surveys in Fiji (2012-2015), we detected pneumococci in over 100 nasopharyngeal swabs that serotyped as '11F-like' by microarray. We examined the genetic basis of this divergence in the 11F-like capsular polysaccharide (cps) locus compared to the reference 11F cps sequence. The impact of this diversity on capsule phenotype, and serotype results using genetic and serologic methods were determined. METHODS: Genomic DNA from representative 11F-like S. pneumoniae isolates obtained from the nasopharynx of Fijian children was extracted and subject to whole genome sequencing. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses were used to identify genetic changes in the cps locus. Capsular phenotypes were evaluated using the Quellung reaction and latex agglutination. RESULTS: Compared to published 11F sequences, the wcwC and wcrL genes of the 11F-like cps locus are phylogenetically divergent, and the gct gene contains a single nucleotide insertion within a homopolymeric region. These changes within the DNA sequence of the 11F-like cps locus have modified the antigenic properties of the capsule, such that 11F-like isolates serotype as 11A by Quellung reaction and latex agglutination. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the ability of molecular serotyping by microarray to identify genetic variants of S. pneumoniae and highlights the potential for discrepant results between phenotypic and genotypic serotyping methods. We propose that 11F-like isolates are not a new serotype but rather are a novel genetic variant of serotype 11A. These findings have implications for invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance as well as studies investigating vaccine impact

Considerations on equity in management of end-stage kidney disease in low- and middle-income countries

Achievement of equity in health requires development of a health system in which everyone has a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential. The current, large country-level variation in the reported incidence and prevalence of treated end-stage kidney disease indicates the existence of system-level inequities. Equitable implementation of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) programs must address issues of availability, affordability, and acceptability. The major structural factors that impact equity in KRT in different countries are the organization of health systems, overall health care spending, funding and delivery models, and nature of KRT prioritization (transplantation, hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, and conservative care). Implementation of KRT programs has the potential to exacerbate inequity unless equity is deliberately addressed. In this review, we summarize discussions on equitable provision of KRT in low- and middle-income countries and suggest areas for future research

HNF4A and GATA6 loss reveals therapeutically actionable subtypes in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can be divided into transcriptomic subtypes with two broad lineages referred to as classical (pancreatic) and squamous. We find that these two subtypes are driven by distinct metabolic phenotypes. Loss of genes that drive endodermal lineage specification, HNF4A and GATA6, switch metabolic profiles from classical (pancreatic) to predominantly squamous, with glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) a key regulator of glycolysis. Pharmacological inhibition of GSK3β results in selective sensitivity in the squamous subtype; however, a subset of these squamous patient-derived cell lines (PDCLs) acquires rapid drug tolerance. Using chromatin accessibility maps, we demonstrate that the squamous subtype can be further classified using chromatin accessibility to predict responsiveness and tolerance to GSK3β inhibitors. Our findings demonstrate that distinct patterns of chromatin accessibility can be used to identify patient subgroups that are indistinguishable by gene expression profiles, highlighting the utility of chromatin-based biomarkers for patient selection in the treatment of PDAC

Genetic variants for head size share genes and pathways with cancer

The size of the human head is highly heritable, but genetic drivers of its variation within the general population remain unmapped. We perform a genome-wide association study on head size (N = 80,890) and identify 67 genetic loci, of which 50 are novel. Neuroimaging studies show that 17 variants affect specific brain areas, but most have widespread effects. Gene set enrichment is observed for various cancers and the p53, Wnt, and ErbB signaling pathways. Genes harboring lead variants are enriched for macrocephaly syndrome genes (37-fold) and high-fidelity cancer genes (9-fold), which is not seen for human height variants. Head size variants are also near genes preferentially expressed in intermediate progenitor cells, neural cells linked to evolutionary brain expansion. Our results indicate that genes regulating early brain and cranial growth incline to neoplasia later in life, irrespective of height. This warrants investigation of clinical implications of the link between head size and cancer.</p

Reduced SLIT2 is associated with increased cell proliferation and arsenic trioxide resistance in acute promyelocytic Leukemia

The SLIT-ROBO axis plays an important role in normal stem-cell biology, with possible repercussions on cancer stem cell emergence. Although the Promyelocytic Leukemia (PML) protein can regulate SLIT2 expression in the central nervous system, little is known about SLIT2 in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Hence, we aimed to investigate the levels of SLIT2 in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and assess its biological activity in vitro and in vivo. Our analysis indicated that blasts with SLIT2high transcript levels were associated with cell cycle arrest, while SLIT2low APL blasts displayed a more stem-cell like phenotype. In a retrospective analysis using a cohort of patients treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and anthracyclines, high SLIT2 expression was correlated with reduced leukocyte count (p = 0.024), and independently associated with improved overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.92–0.97; p < 0.001). Functionally, SLIT2-knockdown in primary APL blasts and cell lines led to increased cell proliferation and resistance to arsenic trioxide induced apoptosis. Finally, in vivo transplant of Slit2-silenced primary APL blasts promoted increased leukocyte count (p = 0.001) and decreased overall survival (p = 0.002) compared with the control. In summary, our data highlight the tumor suppressive function of SLIT2 in APL and its deteriorating effects on disease progression when downregulated