Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Agriculture in Brazil is booming. Brazil has the world’s second largest cattle herd and is the second largest producer of soybeans, with the production of beef, soybeans, and bioethanol forecast to increase further. Questions remain, however, about how Brazil can reconcile increases in agricultural production with protection of its remaining natural vegetation. While high hopes have been placed on the potential for intensification of low-productivity cattle ranching to spare land for other agricultural uses, cattle productivity in the Amazon biome (29% of the Brazilian cattle herd) remains stubbornly low, and it is not clear how to realize theoretical productivity gains in practice. We provide results from six initiatives in the Brazilian Amazon, which are successfully improving cattle productivity in beef and dairy production on more than 500,000 hectares of pastureland, while supporting compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code. Spread across diverse geographies, and using a wide range of technologies, participating farms have improved productivity by 30-490%. High-productivity cattle ranching requires some initial investment (R$1300-6900/ha or US$410-2180/ha), with average pay-back times of 2.5-8.5 years. We conclude by reflecting on the challenges that must be overcome to scale up these young initiatives, avoid rebound increases in deforestation, and mainstream sustainable cattle ranching in the Amazon.E.K.H.J.zE was funded by BBSRC grant BB/J014540/1 and the Tim Whitmore 215 Trust Fund

Cd44v6 high membranous expression is a predictive marker of therapy response in gastric cancer patients

In gastric cancer (GC), biomarkers that define prognosis and predict treatment response remain scarce. We hypothesized that the extent of CD44v6 membranous tumor expression could predict prognosis and therapy response in GC patients. Two GC surgical cohorts, from Portugal and South Korea (n = 964), were characterized for the extension of CD44v6 membranous immuno-expression, clinicopathological features, patient survival, and therapy response. The value of CD44v6 expression in predicting response to treatment and its impact on prognosis was determined. High CD44v6 expression was associated with invasive features (perineural invasion and depth of invasion) in both cohorts and with worse survival in the Portuguese GC cohort (HR 1.461; 95% confidence interval 1.002–2.131). Patients with high CD44v6 tumor expression benefited from conventional chemotherapy in addition to surgery (p < 0.05), particularly those with heterogeneous CD44v6-positive and-negative populations (CD44v6_3+) (p < 0.007 and p < 0.009). Our study is the first to identify CD44v6 high membranous expression as a potential predictive marker of response to conventional treatment, but it does not clarify CD44v6 prognostic value in GC. Importantly, our data support selection of GC patients with high CD44v6-expressing tumors for conventional chemotherapy in addition to surgery. These findings will allow better stratification of GC patients for treatment, potentially improving their overall survival.This work was funded by FEDER-Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020–Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT–Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação in the framework of the project “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274). This work was also financed by the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000003 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029, supported by the Norte Portugal Regional Programme (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016390 and SAICTPAC/0022/2015, funded by ERDF, POCI, and FCT; project PTDC/CTM-NAN/120958/2010, from FCT; and by project PTDC/BTM-TEC/30164/2017 funded by ERDF funds through the COMPETE 2020–POCI, Portugal 2020, and by FCT. Salary support to G.M.A. by PTDC/BTM-TEC/30164/2017 project; C.P. was supported by the grant SFRH/BD/113031/2015 from FCT

Bias in the prediction of genetic gain due to mass and half-sib selection in random mating populations

The prediction of gains from selection allows the comparison of breeding methods and selection strategies, although these estimates may be biased. The objective of this study was to investigate the extent of such bias in predicting genetic gain. For this, we simulated 10 cycles of a hypothetical breeding program that involved seven traits, three population classes, three experimental conditions and two breeding methods (mass and half-sib selection). Each combination of trait, population, heritability, method and cycle was repeated 10 times. The predicted gains were biased, even when the genetic parameters were estimated without error. Gain from selection in both genders is twice the gain from selection in a single gender only in the absence of dominance. The use of genotypic variance or broad sense heritability in the predictions represented an additional source of bias. Predictions based on additive variance and narrow sense heritability were equivalent, as were predictions based on genotypic variance and broad sense heritability. The predictions based on mass and family selection were suitable for comparing selection strategies, whereas those based on selection within progenies showed the largest bias and lower association with the realized gain

Association between intra-radicular posts and periapical lesions in endodontically treated teeth

Introduction: A significant number of endodontically treated teeth restored with posts have associated periapical lesions, and several authors have discussed the probable causes of the development of these. Attention has been focused on restorative procedures performed after endodontic treatment and their association with the prognosis of endodontic therapy because a number of root-filled teeth will require post- and core-retained restorations. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, by examination of periapical radiographs, whether the placement of intra-radicular posts in endodontically treated teeth may act as a risk factor for development of periapical lesions. Material and Methods: This case-control study analyzed periapical radiographs of 72 endodontically treated teeth with coronal restorations. All radiographs were obtained from a single private practice. Specimens were assigned to 2 groups: Group 1 (control) was composed of teeth without periapical lesions and Group 2 (case) was composed of teeth with periapical lesions. The number of teeth with and without posts in each group was recorded. Three calibrated examiners analyzed the radiographs visually under X4 magnification. Results: In Group 1, 28 (65.1%) out of 43 teeth were restored with posts. In Group 2, 24 (82.8%) out of 29 teeth had intra-radicular posts. The interpretation of chi-square test showed that these percentages were not significantly different (x²=2.687; p=0.101). Odds ratio was 2.571 (0.815-8.118), which indicates that there was no statistically significant association between periapical lesions and posts. Conclusion: Intra-radicular posts placed in endodontically treated teeth were not a significant risk factor for development of periapical lesions in the practice where the cohort of patients was treated

Posterior cortical atrophy and Alzheimer’s disease : a meta-analytic review of neuropsychological and brain morphometry studies

This paper presents the first systematic review and meta-analysis of neuropsychological and brain morphometry studies comparing posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) to typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD). Literature searches were conducted for brain morphometry and neuropsychological studies including a PCA and a tAD group. Compared to healthy controls (HC), PCA patients exhibited significant decreases in temporal, occipital and parietal gray matter (GM) volumes, whereas tAD patients showed extensive left temporal atrophy. Compared to tAD patients, participants with PCA showed greater GM volume reduction in the right occipital gyrus extending to the posterior lobule. In addition, PCA patients showed less GM volume loss in the left parahippocampal gyrus and left hippocampus than tAD patients. PCA patients exhibit significantly greater impairment in Immediate Visuospatial Memory as well as Visuoperceptual and Visuospatial Abilities than patients with tAD. However, tAD patients showed greater impairment in Delayed Auditory/Verbal Memory than patients with PCA. PCA is characterized by significant atrophy of the occipital and parietal regions and severe impairments in visuospatial functioning.JA is funded by a doctoral grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT (SFRH/BD/64457/2009, co-funded by FSE/POPH). JA and AS are funded by project PIC/IC/83290/2007, which is supported by FEDER (POFC-COMPETE) and FCT. JMS is supported by a fellowship of the project SwitchBox-FP7-HEALTH-2010-grant 259772-2. These organizations had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication