Sitotroga cerealella-resistant mexican maize races (Zea mays L.), new sources of resistance for commercial maize breeding

Sitotroga cerealella (Oliv.) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most important post-harvest pests of maize Zea mays L. Some Mexican maize races (Z. mays) could be a novel source of resistance against S. cerealella to improve commercial maize varieties, lines and hybrids. We studied the resistance of Mexican maize races, recollected at Chihuahua State to S. cerealella. We focused on antibiosis and tolerance of maize to S. cerealella. Cristalino-079 maize race shows low level of consumption in grams and percentage, increased larvae mortality before to entering the seed. In addition, Cristalino-079 reduced first adult’s generation and show the largest biological cycle. Due to the small number of emerged adults, there was very little grain weight loss in resistant maize race. The compound that causes high mortality of larvae before to entering the grain is in the pericarp of resistant maize races. The compound that causes longest development time is in the endosperm and embryo. Cristalino-079 show the better level of resistance to S. cerealella infestation in almost all traits studied and this can be used as source of resistance for maize breeding

Historia geológica y reconstrucción paleobiológica de los depósitos paleontológicos de la playa de El Confital (Gran Canaria, islas Canarias)

XXXIV Jornadas de Paleontología y IV Congreso Ibérico de Paleontología (Vila Real, Portugal. Sep 2018) p. 491-499El archipiélago canario está situado cerca de la costa NO de África y es de naturaleza volcánica. Fuerteventura y Lanzarote son las islas más antiguas del archipiélago (23 y 15 Ma aproximadamente) seguidas por Gran Canaria (14 Ma), siendo en estas tres islas solamente donde vamos a encontrar depósitos fosilíferos pertenecientes a las series Mioceno y Plioceno (Meco et al., 2015). El episodio MIS5e (Eemiense), por el contrario, podemos encontrarlo en todas las islas (Meco et al., 2002; Zazo et al., 2003; Martín-González et al., 2016). Este trabajo se centra en el estudio de los depósitos fosilíferos asociados a ambos periodos que aparecen en la playa de El Confital, en la isla de Gran Canaria Los afloramientos se encuentran al suroeste de La Isleta, un islote eminentemente volcánico situado en el extremo NE de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria unido al edificio insular principal por un tómbolo de arena, el istmo de Guanarteme. Se trata de una plataforma litoral activa modelada sobre piroclastos de origen hidromagmático (Hansen, 2008), que ha sido alterada antrópicamente en tiempos recientes. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria constituye uno de los escasos ejemplos en los que se pueden observar yacimientos paleontológicos de diferentes edades. En la parte alta de la ciudad se encuentra la Formación Detrítica de Las Palmas, de edad Mio-Plioceno, que contiene una importante asociación fosilífera estudiada por diferentes autores (Rothpletz & Simonelli, 1890; Meco et al., 2007; Betancort, 2012; Martín-González et al., 2018); mientras que en la zona baja se encuentran los afloramientos pertenecientes al episodio transgresivo marino MIS5e (Meco et al., 2002). En la playa de El Confital podemos encontrar, en ambos extremos, los yacimientos del Eemiense, al sur, cuyo estudio paleontológico y estratigráfico preliminar fue realizado por Cabrera (1987) y del Mioceno, al noroeste, donde Meco et al. (2015) citan por primera vez la existencia del nivel con Ostrea offretti Linnaeus. En este trabajo realizamos un análisis volcano-estratigráfico y paleontológico integral de la playa de El Confital con el fin de reconstruir la evolución temporal de la fauna fosilizada en esta zona.Museo de Ciencias Naturales (MCN). OAMCÁrea de Paleontología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La LagunaDpto. de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de LisboaCIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos AçoresInstituto Dom Luiz, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de LisboaUnidad Territorial de Canarias, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME)IOCAG. Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran CanariaTELLUS. Arqueología y Prehistoria en el Sur de Iberia. HUM-949Department of Geosciences, Williams CollegeDpto. de Geografía. Universidad de La LagunaÁrea de Patrimonio Geológico y Minero, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME).Área de Geología. Universidad Rey Juan Carlo

Investigations of the Mars Upper Atmosphere with ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

The Martian mesosphere and thermosphere, the region above about 60 km, is not the primary target of the ExoMars 2016 mission but its Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) can explore it and address many interesting issues, either in-situ during the aerobraking period or remotely during the regular mission. In the aerobraking phase TGO peeks into thermospheric densities and temperatures, in a broad range of latitudes and during a long continuous period. TGO carries two instruments designed for the detection of trace species, NOMAD and ACS, which will use the solar occultation technique. Their regular sounding at the terminator up to very high altitudes in many different molecular bands will represent the first time that an extensive and precise dataset of densities and hopefully temperatures are obtained at those altitudes and local times on Mars. But there are additional capabilities in TGO for studying the upper atmosphere of Mars, and we review them briefly. Our simulations suggest that airglow emissions from the UV to the IR might be observed outside the terminator. If eventually confirmed from orbit, they would supply new information about atmospheric dynamics and variability. However, their optimal exploitation requires a special spacecraft pointing, currently not considered in the regular operations but feasible in our opinion. We discuss the synergy between the TGO instruments, specially the wide spectral range achieved by combining them. We also encourage coordinated operations with other Mars-observing missions capable of supplying simultaneous measurements of its upper atmosphere

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

EDUCACIÓN AMBIENTAL Y SOCIEDAD. SABERES LOCALES PARA EL DESARROLLO Y LA SUSTENTABILIDAD

Este texto contribuye al análisis científico de varias áreas del conocimiento como la filosofía social, la patología, la educación para el cuidado del medio ambiente y la sustentabilidad que inciden en diversas unidades de aprendizaje de la Licenciatura en Educación para la Salud y de la Maestría en Sociología de la SaludLas comunidades indígenas de la sierra norte de Oaxaca México, habitan un territorio extenso de biodiversidad. Sin que sea una área protegida y sustentable, la propia naturaleza de la región ofrece a sus visitantes la riqueza de la vegetación caracterizada por sus especies endémicas que componen un paisaje de suma belleza

Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for maize cell wall hydroxycinnamates using a multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population

Higher hydroxycinnamate content makes maize tissues more recalcitrant to damage by insects, less digestible by ruminants, and less suitable for biofuel production. In a Genome Wide Association Analysis (GWAS) study carried out in a maize MAGIC population, we identified 24 SNPs associated with esterified cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamates, that represented 15 Quantitative Traic Loci (QTL). We identified new genomic regions associated to cell wall bound hydroxycinnamates in maize stover that could have an impact on their content across different genetic backgrounds. The high resolution QTL described in this study could be valuable for addressing positional mapping of genes involved in hydroxycinnamate biosynthesis and could uncover genes implicated in the esterification of hydroxycinnamic acids to the arabinoxylan chains that are poorly understood. However, we found that genetic correlation coefficients between hydroxycinnamate content and economical important traits such as saccharification efficiency, animal digestibility andi pest resistance were low to moderate, so modify specific hydroxycinnamates to indirectly improve cultivar performance will be unsuitable.This research has been developed in the frame of the “Agri-Food Research and Transfer Centre of the Water Campus (CITACA)” at the University of Vigo (Spain), which is economically supported by the Galician Government, and in the Mision ´ Biologica ´ de Galicia (CSIC). It was funded by the “Plan Estatal de Ciencia y Tecnología de Espana˜ ” (projects RTI2018–096776-B-C21, and RTI2018–096776-B-C22 cofinanced with European Union funds under the FEDER program). A. Lopez-Malvar ´ ’s scholarship for the PhD fulfilment has been granted by University of Vigo and by a contract charged to the project RTI2018–096776-B-C22. The funding body played no role in study design, data analysis and manuscript preparation

Global gene expression analysis in skin biopsies of European red deer experimentally infected with bluetongue virus serotypes 1 and 8

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a double-stranded RNA virus transmitted by blood-feeding biting midges of the genus Culicoides to wild and domestic ruminants, causing high morbidity and variable mortality. The aim of this study was to characterize differential gene expression in skin biopsies of red deer (Cervus elaphus) hinds experimentally infected with BTV serotypes 1 and 8. Skin biopsies were collected from BTV-1 and BTV-8 experimentally infected and control hinds at 14 and 98 days post-infection (dpi). Global gene expression profile in response to BTV infection was characterized at 14. dpi using a bovine microarray together with real-time RT-PCR analysis of differentially expressed genes at 14 and 98. dpi. Eighteen genes were upregulated and three were downregulated in response to virus infection, with no significant differences between BTV-1 and BTV-8 infected hinds. Seven unique genes, six upregulated (ISG15, PSMB8, PSMB9, BOLA, C1qA, C4) and one downregulated (FOS) were over-represented after conditional test for biological process gene ontology, which affected five molecular pathways (RIG-1, proteasome, MHC-1, complement, TLR) implicated in host immune response. BTV infection had a minor and transient effect on gene expression in hinds, as shown by the very few genes that were differentially expressed in response to infection at 14. dpi, most of which had similar expression levels between infected and uninfected animals at 98. dpi. These results suggested that red deer could control BTV infection with little effect on host molecular pathways.This work was supported by JCCM PAI08-0287-8502 and INIA-MARM CC08-020. R.C. Galindo was funded by MEC, Spain.Peer Reviewe

Does expert opinion match the definition of lupus low disease activity state? Prospective analysis of 500 patients from a Spanish multicentre cohort.

To apply the lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) definition within a large cohort of patients and to assess the agreement between the LLDAS and the physician's subjective evaluation of lupus activity. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective multicentre study of SLE patients. We applied the LLDAS and assessed whether there was agreement with the clinical status according to the physician's opinion. A total of 508 patients [92% women; mean age 50.4 years (s.d. 3.7)] were recruited and 304 (62.7%) patients were in the LLDAS. According to physician assessment, 430 (86.1%) patients were classified as remission or low activity. Overall agreement between both evaluations was 71.4% (95% CI: 70.1, 70.5) with a Cohen's κ of 0.3 [interquartile range (IQR) 0.22-0.37]. Most cases (96.1%) in the LLDAS were classified as remission or low activity by the expert. Of the patients who did not fulfil the LLDAS, 126 (70.4%) were classified as having remission/low disease activity. The main reasons for these discrepancies were the presence of new manifestations compared with the previous visit and a SLEDAI 2K score >4, mainly based on serological activity. Almost two-thirds of SLE patients were in the LLDAS. There was a fair correlation between the LLDAS and the physician's evaluation. This agreement improves for patients fulfilling the LLDAS criteria. The discordance between both at defining lupus low activity, the demonstrated association of the LLDAS with better outcomes and the fact that the LLDAS is more stringent than the physician's opinion imply that we should use the LLDAS as a treat-to-target goal

Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR

The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with peg-IFNα + ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to perform neutralization assays against five JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2 from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those titers declined soon after SVR