3,039 research outputs found
Early embryogenesis and organogenesis in the annelid Owenia fusiformis
Annelids are a diverse group of segmented worms within Spiralia, whose embryos exhibit spiral cleavage and a variety of larval forms. While most modern embryological studies focus on species with unequal spiral cleavage nested in Pleistoannelida (Sedentaria + Errantia), a few recent studies looked into Owenia fusiformis, a member of the sister group to all remaining annelids and thus a key lineage to understand annelid and spiralian evolution and development. However, the timing of early cleavage and detailed morphogenetic events leading to the formation of the idiosyncratic mitraria larva of O. fusiformis remain largely unexplored
ERK1/2 is an ancestral organising signal in spiral cleavage
Animal development is classified as conditional or autonomous based on whether cell fates are specified through inductive signals or maternal determinants, respectively. Yet how these two major developmental modes evolved remains unclear. During spiral cleavage—a stereotypic embryogenesis ancestral to 15 invertebrate groups, including molluscs and annelids—most lineages specify cell fates conditionally, while some define the primary axial fates autonomously. To identify the mechanisms driving this change, we study Owenia fusiformis, an early-branching, conditional annelid. In Owenia, ERK1/2-mediated FGF receptor signalling specifies the endomesodermal progenitor. This cell likely acts as an organiser, inducing mesodermal and posterodorsal fates in neighbouring cells and repressing anteriorising signals. The organising role of ERK1/2 in Owenia is shared with molluscs, but not with autonomous annelids. Together, these findings suggest that conditional specification of an ERK1/2(+) embryonic organiser is ancestral in spiral cleavage and was repeatedly lost in annelid lineages with autonomous development
Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ribes-Moya, A.M., Adalid, A.M., Raigón, M.D., Hellín, P., Fita, A. and Rodríguez-Burruezo, A. (2020), Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system. J Sci Food Agric, 100: 2208-2223, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10245. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] BACKGROUND In recent years, the acreage used for organic agriculture and the demand for organic fruit and vegetables have increased considerably. Given this scenario, landraces, such as Capsicum landraces, can provide valuable germplasm. Capsicum peppers are very interesting because of their high phenolic content, and particularly their flavonoid content, which provides a high added value. Moreover, the broad genetic diversity in local varieties expands the opportunities for adaptation to organic production and for exploiting genotype x environment interactions to select peppers with the highest phenolic content. RESULTS In this work, the main flavonoids of peppers were exhaustively evaluated over 2 years in a wide collection of heirlooms, both unripe and fully ripe, under organic and conventional cultivation. The genotype and ripening stage contributed to a high degree to the variation in flavonoids. The growing system influenced this variation to a lesser extent. Luteolin and quercetin showed the highest contributions to total phenolic content (70% and > 20%, respectively) at both ripening stages, while myricetin, apigenin, and kaempferol showed lower contributrions. The average flavonoid content was higher in ripe fruits, and organic management significantly increased the accumulation of total flavonoids and luteolin. Positive correlations between flavonoids were found at both ripening stages, especially between main flavonoids luteolin and quercetin and between kaempferol and quercetin (rho > 0.7). CONCLUSION Genotype x environment interaction enabled the identification of accessions with high flavonoid content grown under organic conditions at both ripening stages, particularly total flavonoids and luteolin at the fully ripe stage. Our results reinforce the importance of a wide genetic variation and of considering different ripening stages and growing conditions for breeding high-quality peppers.This work has been funded by the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) project RTA2014-00041-C02-02, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) funds. A.M. Ribes-Moya expresses her gratitude to the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) for her scholarship FPI-UPV-2017 (PAID-01-17). The authors also thank the farmers' association Unio de Llauradors i Ramaders (LA UNI) for the arrangement and management of fields - specifically Manuel Figueroa, Rafael Hurtado, Ricard Ballester, and Antonio Munoz, and seed providers P.W. Bosland, S. Lanteri, Francois Jourdan, Santiago Larregla, and the Regulatory Boards of the PDOs and PGIs included in this work. The authors are also grateful for the support of Professor Jaime Prohens with statistical methods.Ribes Moya, AM.; Adalid-Martinez, AM.; Raigón Jiménez, MD.; Hellín, P.; Fita, A.; Rodríguez Burruezo, A. (2020). Variation in flavonoids in a collection of peppers (Capsicum sp.) under organic and conventional cultivation: effect of the genotype, ripening stage, and growing system. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 100(5):2208-2223. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10245S220822231005WillerH European organic market grew by double digits and organic area reached 13.5 million hectares in2016 [Online]. FiBL‐Media release (2018). Available:https://www.fibl.org/en/media/media-archive/media-archive18/media-release18/article/bio-in-europa-legt-weiter-zu-biomarkt-waechst-zweistellig-bioflaeche-steigt-auf-fast-14-millionen-h.html[8 August 2019]BENGTSSON, J., AHNSTRÖM, J., & WEIBULL, A.-C. (2005). The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42(2), 261-269. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01005.xHunter, D., Foster, M., McArthur, J. O., Ojha, R., Petocz, P., & Samman, S. (2011). Evaluation of the Micronutrient Composition of Plant Foods Produced by Organic and Conventional Agricultural Methods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 51(6), 571-582. doi:10.1080/10408391003721701Fita, A., Rodríguez-Burruezo, A., Boscaiu, M., Prohens, J., & Vicente, O. (2015). Breeding and Domesticating Crops Adapted to Drought and Salinity: A New Paradigm for Increasing Food Production. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6. doi:10.3389/fpls.2015.00978FAOSTAT Data[Online]. FAOSTAT (2019). Available:http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC[17 January 2019]Denominaciones de Origen e Indicaciones Geográficas Protegidas. [Online]. MAPAMA. (2019). Available:https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-agroalimentaria/calidad-diferenciada/dop/default.aspx[6 February 2019]Hill, T. A., Ashrafi, H., Reyes-Chin-Wo, S., Yao, J., Stoffel, K., Truco, M.-J., … Van Deynze, A. (2013). Characterization of Capsicum annuum Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Based on Parallel Polymorphism Discovery with a 30K Unigene Pepper GeneChip. PLoS ONE, 8(2), e56200. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056200Kumar, S., Kumar, R., & Singh, J. (2006). Cayenne/American pepper. Handbook of Herbs and Spices, 299-312. doi:10.1533/9781845691717.3.299Bosland, P. W., & Votava, E. J. (Eds.). (2012). Peppers: vegetable and spice capsicums. doi:10.1079/9781845938253.0000Pellegrini, N., Serafini, M., Colombi, B., Del Rio, D., Salvatore, S., Bianchi, M., & Brighenti, F. (2003). Total Antioxidant Capacity of Plant Foods, Beverages and Oils Consumed in Italy Assessed by Three Different In Vitro Assays. The Journal of Nutrition, 133(9), 2812-2819. doi:10.1093/jn/133.9.2812Zimmer, A. R., Leonardi, B., Miron, D., Schapoval, E., Oliveira, J. R. de, & Gosmann, G. (2012). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Capsicum baccatum: From traditional use to scientific approach. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 139(1), 228-233. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.11.005Morales-Soto, A., García-Salas, P., Rodríguez-Pérez, C., Jiménez-Sánchez, C., Cádiz-Gurrea, M. de la L., Segura-Carretero, A., & Fernández-Gutiérrez, A. (2014). Antioxidant capacity of 44 cultivars of fruits and vegetables grown in Andalusia (Spain). Food Research International, 58, 35-46. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2014.01.050BHATTACHARYA, A., SOOD, P., & CITOVSKY, V. (2010). The roles of plant phenolics in defence and communication during Agrobacterium and Rhizobium infection. Molecular Plant Pathology, no-no. doi:10.1111/j.1364-3703.2010.00625.xBlum, U., Shafer, S. R., & Lehman, M. E. (1999). Evidence for Inhibitory Allelopathic Interactions Involving Phenolic Acids in Field Soils: Concepts vs. an Experimental Model. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 18(5), 673-693. doi:10.1080/07352689991309441Alasalvar, C., Grigor, J. M., Zhang, D., Quantick, P. C., & Shahidi, F. (2001). Comparison of Volatiles, Phenolics, Sugars, Antioxidant Vitamins, and Sensory Quality of Different Colored Carrot Varieties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49(3), 1410-1416. doi:10.1021/jf000595hRomero, N., Saavedra, J., Tapia, F., Sepúlveda, B., & Aparicio, R. (2015). Influence of agroclimatic parameters on phenolic and volatile compounds of Chilean virgin olive oils and characterization based on geographical origin, cultivar and ripening stage. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 96(2), 583-592. doi:10.1002/jsfa.7127Ferrer-Gallego, R., Hernández-Hierro, J. M., Rivas-Gonzalo, J. C., & Escribano-Bailón, M. T. (2012). Influence of climatic conditions on the phenolic composition of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Graciano. Analytica Chimica Acta, 732, 73-77. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2011.12.072Tomás-Barberán, F. A., & Espín, J. C. (2001). Phenolic compounds and related enzymes as determinants of quality in fruits and vegetables. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 81(9), 853-876. doi:10.1002/jsfa.885Sun, J., Chu, Y.-F., Wu, X., & Liu, R. H. (2002). Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Common Fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(25), 7449-7454. doi:10.1021/jf0207530Sala, A., Recio, M. del C., Giner, R. M., Máñez, S., Tournier, H., Schinella, G., & Ríos, J.-L. (2002). Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Helichrysum italicum. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 54(3), 365-371. doi:10.1211/0022357021778600Cai, Y., Luo, Q., Sun, M., & Corke, H. (2004). Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of 112 traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer. Life Sciences, 74(17), 2157-2184. doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2003.09.047WOJDYLO, A., OSZMIANSKI, J., & CZEMERYS, R. (2007). Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in 32 selected herbs. Food Chemistry, 105(3), 940-949. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.04.038Bae, H., Jayaprakasha, G. K., Jifon, J., & Patil, B. S. (2012). Extraction efficiency and validation of an HPLC method for flavonoid analysis in peppers. Food Chemistry, 130(3), 751-758. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.07.041Jeong, W. Y., Jin, J. S., Cho, Y. A., Lee, J. H., Park, S., Jeong, S. W., … Shin, S. C. (2011). Determination of polyphenols in three Capsicum annuum L. (bell pepper) varieties using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Their contribution to overall antioxidant and anticancer activity. Journal of Separation Science, 34(21), 2967-2974. doi:10.1002/jssc.201100524Materska, M. (2014). Bioactive phenolics of fresh and freeze-dried sweet and semi-spicy pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L.). Journal of Functional Foods, 7, 269-277. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2014.02.002Plazas, M., Prohens, J., Cuñat, A., Vilanova, S., Gramazio, P., Herraiz, F., & Andújar, I. (2014). Reducing Capacity, Chlorogenic Acid Content and Biological Activity in a Collection of Scarlet (Solanum aethiopicum) and Gboma (S. macrocarpon) Eggplants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 15(10), 17221-17241. doi:10.3390/ijms151017221Wickham, H. (2011). ggplot2. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, 3(2), 180-185. doi:10.1002/wics.147Ribes-Moya, A. M., Raigón, M. D., Moreno-Peris, E., Fita, A., & Rodríguez-Burruezo, A. (2018). Response to organic cultivation of heirloom Capsicum peppers: Variation in the level of bioactive compounds and effect of ripening. PLOS ONE, 13(11), e0207888. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207888Rodríguez-Burruezo, A., Prohens, J., & Nuez, F. (2002). Genetic Analysis of Quantitative Traits in Pepino (Solanum muricatum) in Two Growing Seasons. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 127(2), 271-278. doi:10.21273/jashs.127.2.271Metsalu, T., & Vilo, J. (2015). ClustVis: a web tool for visualizing clustering of multivariate data using Principal Component Analysis and heatmap. Nucleic Acids Research, 43(W1), W566-W570. doi:10.1093/nar/gkv468Bhandari, S. R., Jung, B.-D., Baek, H.-Y., & Lee, Y.-S. (2013). Ripening-dependent Changes in Phytonutrients and Antioxidant Activity of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruits Cultivated under Open-field Conditions. HortScience, 48(10), 1275-1282. doi:10.21273/hortsci.48.10.1275Howard, L. R., Talcott, S. T., Brenes, C. H., & Villalon, B. (2000). Changes in Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Pepper Cultivars (Capsicum Species) As Influenced by Maturity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48(5), 1713-1720. doi:10.1021/jf990916tBae, H., Jayaprakasha, G. K., Crosby, K., Yoo, K. S., Leskovar, D. I., Jifon, J., & Patil, B. S. (2014). Ascorbic acid, capsaicinoid, and flavonoid aglycone concentrations as a function of fruit maturity stage in greenhouse-grown peppers. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 33(2), 195-202. doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2013.11.009Ghasemnezhad, M., Sherafati, M., & Payvast, G. A. (2011). Variation in phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity of five coloured bell pepper (Capsicum annum) fruits at two different harvest times. Journal of Functional Foods, 3(1), 44-49. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2011.02.002Hallmann, E., & Rembiałkowska, E. (2012). Characterisation of antioxidant compounds in sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annuum
L.) under organic and conventional growing systems. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 92(12), 2409-2415. doi:10.1002/jsfa.5624Slimestad, R., & Verheul, M. (2009). Review of flavonoids and other phenolics from fruits of different tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum
Mill.) cultivars. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 89(8), 1255-1270. doi:10.1002/jsfa.3605NAVARRO, J., FLORES, P., GARRIDO, C., & MARTINEZ, V. (2006). Changes in the contents of antioxidant compounds in pepper fruits at different ripening stages, as affected by salinity. Food Chemistry, 96(1), 66-73. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.01.057Martí, M. C., Camejo, D., Vallejo, F., Romojaro, F., Bacarizo, S., Palma, J. M., … Jiménez, A. (2011). Influence of Fruit Ripening Stage and Harvest Period on the Antioxidant Content of Sweet Pepper Cultivars. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 66(4), 416-423. doi:10.1007/s11130-011-0249-xLEE, Y., HOWARD, L. ., & VILLALÓN, B. (1995). Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activity of Fresh Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Cultivars. Journal of Food Science, 60(3), 473-476. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.1995.tb09806.xSerrano, M., Zapata, P. J., Castillo, S., Guillén, F., Martínez-Romero, D., & Valero, D. (2010). Antioxidant and nutritive constituents during sweet pepper development and ripening are enhanced by nitrophenolate treatments. Food Chemistry, 118(3), 497-503. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.05.006Pérez-López, A. J., del Amor, F. M., Serrano-Martínez, A., Fortea, M. I., & Núñez-Delicado, E. (2007). Influence of agricultural practices on the quality of sweet pepper fruits as affected by the maturity stage. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 87(11), 2075-2080. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2966Kim, J. K., Lee, S. Y., Chu, S. M., Lim, S. H., Suh, S.-C., Lee, Y.-T., … Ha, S.-H. (2010). Variation and Correlation Analysis of Flavonoids and Carotenoids in Korean Pigmented Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(24), 12804-12809. doi:10.1021/jf103277gMoriguchi, T., Kita, M., Tomono, Y., Endo-Inagaki, T., & Omura, M. (2001). Gene expression in flavonoid biosynthesis: Correlation with flavonoid accumulation in developing citrus fruit. Physiologia Plantarum, 111(1), 66-74. doi:10.1034/j.1399-3054.2001.1110109.
Methods for peptide identification by spectral comparison
BACKGROUND: Tandem mass spectrometry followed by database search is currently the predominant technology for peptide sequencing in shotgun proteomics experiments. Most methods compare experimentally observed spectra to the theoretical spectra predicted from the sequences in protein databases. There is a growing interest, however, in comparing unknown experimental spectra to a library of previously identified spectra. This approach has the advantage of taking into account instrument-dependent factors and peptide-specific differences in fragmentation probabilities. It is also computationally more efficient for high-throughput proteomics studies. RESULTS: This paper investigates computational issues related to this spectral comparison approach. Different methods have been empirically evaluated over several large sets of spectra. First, we illustrate that the peak intensities follow a Poisson distribution. This implies that applying a square root transform will optimally stabilize the peak intensity variance. Our results show that the square root did indeed outperform other transforms, resulting in improved accuracy of spectral matching. Second, different measures of spectral similarity were compared, and the results illustrated that the correlation coefficient was most robust. Finally, we examine how to assemble multiple spectra associated with the same peptide to generate a synthetic reference spectrum. Ensemble averaging is shown to provide the best combination of accuracy and efficiency. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that when combined, these methods can boost the sensitivity and specificity of spectral comparison. Therefore they are capable of enhancing and complementing existing tools for consistent and accurate peptide identification
New insights into atypical Alzheimer's disease in the era of biomarkers
Most patients with Alzheimer's disease present with amnestic problems; however, a substantial proportion, over-represented in young-onset cases, have atypical phenotypes including predominant visual, language, executive, behavioural, or motor dysfunction. In the past, these individuals often received a late diagnosis; however, availability of CSF and PET biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease pathologies and incorporation of atypical forms of Alzheimer's disease into new diagnostic criteria increasingly allows them to be more confidently diagnosed early in their illness. This early diagnosis in turn allows patients to be offered tailored information, appropriate care and support, and individualised treatment plans. These advances will provide improved access to clinical trials, which often exclude atypical phenotypes. Research into atypical Alzheimer's disease has revealed previously unrecognised neuropathological heterogeneity across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum. Neuroimaging, genetic, biomarker, and basic science studies are providing key insights into the factors that might drive selective vulnerability of differing brain networks, with potential mechanistic implications for understanding typical late-onset Alzheimer's disease
Transport coefficients for inelastic Maxwell mixtures
The Boltzmann equation for inelastic Maxwell models is used to determine the
Navier-Stokes transport coefficients of a granular binary mixture in
dimensions. The Chapman-Enskog method is applied to solve the Boltzmann
equation for states near the (local) homogeneous cooling state. The mass, heat,
and momentum fluxes are obtained to first order in the spatial gradients of the
hydrodynamic fields, and the corresponding transport coefficients are
identified. There are seven relevant transport coefficients: the mutual
diffusion, the pressure diffusion, the thermal diffusion, the shear viscosity,
the Dufour coefficient, the pressure energy coefficient, and the thermal
conductivity. All these coefficients are {\em exactly} obtained in terms of the
coefficients of restitution and the ratios of mass, concentration, and particle
sizes. The results are compared with known transport coefficients of inelastic
hard spheres obtained analytically in the leading Sonine approximation and by
means of Monte Carlo simulations. The comparison shows a reasonably good
agreement between both interaction models for not too strong dissipation,
especially in the case of the transport coefficients associated with the mass
flux.Comment: 9 figures, to be published in J. Stat. Phy
Rising nutrient-pulse frequency and high UVR strengthen microbial interactions
Solar radiation and nutrient pulses regulate the ecosystem’s functioning. However, little is known about how a greater frequency of pulsed nutrients under high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) levels, as expected in the near future, could alter the responses and interaction between primary producers and decomposers. In this report, we demonstrate through a mesocosm study in lake La Caldera (Spain) that a repeated (press) compared to a one-time (pulse) schedule under UVR prompted higher increases in primary (PP) than in bacterial production (BP) coupled with a replacement of photoautotrophs by mixotrophic nanoflagellates (MNFs). The mechanism underlying these amplified phytoplanktonic responses was a dual control by MNFs on bacteria through the excretion of organic carbon and an increased top-down control by bacterivory. We also show across a 6-year whole-lake study that the changes from photoautotrophs to MNFs were related mainly to the frequency of pulsed nutrients (e.g. desert dust inputs). Our results underscore how an improved understanding of the interaction between chronic and stochastic environmental factors is critical for predicting ongoing changes in ecosystem functioning and its responses to climatically driven changes.This study was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (CGL2011-23681 and CGL2015-67682-R to PC), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Rural, y Marino (PN2009/067 to PC) and Junta de Andalucía (Excelencia projects P09-RNM-5376 and P12-RNM-327 to PC and JMMS, respectively). M.J.C. was supported by the Spanish Government “Formación de Profesorado Universitario” PhD grant (FPU12/01243) and I.D.-G. by the Junta de Andalucía “Personal Investigador en Formación” PhD grant (FPI RNM-5376). This work is in partial fulfillment of the Ph. D. thesis of M.J.C
Effectiveness of individualized inhaler technique training on low adherence (LowAd) in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma
© 2022. This document is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by /4.0/
This document is the published version of a published work that appeared in final form in npj primary care respiratory medicineTo analyze whether there is improvement in adherence to inhaled treatment in patients with COPD and asthma after an educational intervention based on the teach-to-goal method. This is a prospective, non-randomized, single-group study, with intervention and before-after evaluation. The study population included 120 patients (67 females and 53 males) diagnosed with asthma (70.8%) and COPD (29.1%). The level of adherence (low and optimal) and the noncompliance behavior pattern (erratic, deliberate and unwitting) were determined by the Test of the adherence to Inhalers (TAI). This questionnaire allows you to determine the level of adherence and the types of noncompliance. Low Adherence (LowAd) was defined as a score less than 49 points. All patients received individualized educational inhaler technique intervention (IEITI). Before the IEITI, 67.5% of the patients had LowAd. Following IEITI, on week 24, LowAd was 55% (p = 0.024). Each patient can present one or more types of noncompliance. The most frequent type was forgetting to use the inhaler (erratic), 65.8%. The other types were deliberate: 43.3%, and unwitting: 57.5%. All of them had decreased on the final visit: 51.7% (p = 0.009), 25.8% (p = 0.002), 39.2% (p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in adherence between asthma and COPD patients at the start of the study. The only predicting factor of LowAd was the female gender. An individualized educational intervention, in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma, in real-world clinical practice conditions, improves adherence to the inhaled treatment
Nature and nurture. Genetic and environmental factors on the relationship between back pain and sleep quality.
BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NP), and sleep quality (SQ) are genetically influenced. All three conditions frequently co-occur and shared genetic aetiology on a pairwise base has been reported. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet investigated if these three conditions are influenced by the same genetic and environmental factors and the extent and pattern of genetic overlap between them, hence the current research. METHODS: The sample included 2134 participants. Lifetime prevalence of NP and LBP were assessed through a dichotomous self-reported question derived from the Spanish National Health Survey. SQ was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire. A common pathway model with sleep quality and back pain as latent factors was fitted. RESULTS: Our results highlight that a latent back pain factor, including both NP and LBP, is explained by both genetic (41%) and environmental (59%) factors. There are also significant unique environmental factors for NP (33%) and LBP (37%) respectively. Yet, specific genetic factors were scant (9%) for NP and negligible for LBP (0%). Genetic and environmental factors affecting SQ only contribute with 3% and 5% of the variance, respectively, to the common latent back pain variable. CONCLUSIONS: NP and LBP share most of their genetic variance, while environmental effects show greater specificity for each of the back pain locations. Associations with SQ were of a limited magnitude. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results confirm a significant association between both chronic NP and LBP and sleep quality. Such relationship comprises both genetic and environmental factors, with a greater relative weight of the latter. A large part of the individual variance for chronic LBP and chronic NP can be accounted for by a latent common factor of 'back pain'. Genetic influences for LBP and NP were mainly shared. However, environmental influences were common for both problems and specific for each of them in similar magnitudes
Maximum in the Middle: Nonlinear Response of Microbial Plankton to Ultraviolet Radiation and Phosphorus
The responses of heterotrophic microbial food webs (HMFW) to the joint action of abiotic stressors related to global change have been studied in an oligotrophic high-mountain lake. A 2×5 factorial design field experiment performed with large mesocosms for >2 months was used to quantify the dynamics of the entire HMFW (bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliates, and viruses) after an experimental P-enrichment gradient which approximated or surpassed current atmospheric P pulses in the presence vs. absence of ultraviolet radiation. HMFW underwent a mid-term (<20 days) acute development following a noticeable unimodal response to P enrichment, which peaked at intermediate P-enrichment levels and, unexpectedly, was more accentuated under ultraviolet radiation. However, after depletion of dissolved inorganic P, the HMFW collapsed and was outcompeted by a low-diversity autotrophic compartment, which constrained the development of HMFW and caused a significant loss of functional biodiversity. The dynamics and relationships among variables, and the response patterns found, suggest the importance of biotic interactions (predation/parasitism and competition) in restricting HMFW development, in contrast to the role of abiotic factors as main drivers of autotrophic compartment. The response of HMFW may contribute to ecosystem resilience by favoring the maintenance of the peculiar paths of energy and nutrient-mobilization in these pristine ecosystems, which are vulnerable to threats by the joint action of abiotic stressors related to global change.This research was supported by Junta de Andalucía (Excelencia P07-CVI-02598 to PC, and P09-RNM-5376 to JMMS), the Spanish Ministries of Medio Ambiente, Rural y Marino (PN2009/067 to PC) and Ciencia e Innovación (GLC2008-01127/BOS and CGL2011-23681 to PC), the ERC Advanced Grant project number 250254 “MINOS” (to GB), and two Spanish government grants (to JADM and FJB)
- …