Identification of new sources of resistance to RHBV- rice hoja blanca virus

With the aim to find new sources of resistance to rice hoja blanca (white leaf) disease, transmitted by the insect Tagosodes orizicolus, 660 genotypes were evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions. Seven resistant genotypes were identified, and genomic studies were performed to demonstrate that the resistance in these sources is genetically different from that of Fedearroz 2000, which is currently the variety with the most resistance to hoja blanca. These new resistance sources constitute a resource that can be used to sustainably extend hoja blanca disease management throughout all of the rice-growing regions of tropical America. This is the first report of hoja blanca resistance in indica rice and different from that of Fedearroz 2000.Con el objetivo de encontrar nuevas fuentes de resistencia a la enfermedad de la hoja blanca del arroz, transmitida por el insecto Tagosodes orizicolus, se evaluaron 660 genotipos en condiciones de invernadero y campo. Se identificaron siete genotipos con resistencia a la enfermedad y se realizaron estudios del genoma para evidenciar que eran genéticamente diferentes a Fedearroz 2000, la variedad de mejor comportamiento ante el virus, en el momento. Estas nuevas fuentes de resistencia constituyen un recurso que puede utilizarse para extender un manejo sostenible de la enfermedad, en todas las regiones productoras de arroz en América tropical. Este es el primer reporte de fuentes de resistencia, tipo indica, diferentes a Fedearroz 2000

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and adherence to Mediterranean diet in an adult population: the Mediterranean diet index as a pollution level index

Background Research related to sustainable diets is is highly relevant to provide better understanding of the impact of dietary intake on the health and the environment. Aim To assess the association between the adherence to an energy-restricted Mediterranean diet and the amount of CO2 emitted in an older adult population. Design and population Using a cross-sectional design, the association between the adherence to an energy-reduced Mediterranean Diet (erMedDiet) score and dietary CO2 emissions in 6646 participants was assessed. Methods Food intake and adherence to the erMedDiet was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaire and 17-item Mediterranean questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics were documented. Environmental impact was calculated through greenhouse gas emissions estimations, specifically CO2 emissions of each participant diet per day, using a European database. Participants were distributed in quartiles according to their estimated CO2 emissions expressed in kg/day: Q1 (= 2.80 kg CO2). Results More men than women induced higher dietary levels of CO2 emissions. Participants reporting higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole cereals, preferring white meat, and having less consumption of red meat were mostly emitting less kg of CO2 through diet. Participants with higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet showed lower odds for dietary CO2 emissions: Q2 (OR 0.87; 95%CI: 0.76-1.00), Q3 (OR 0.69; 95%CI: 0.69-0.79) and Q4 (OR 0.48; 95%CI: 0.42-0.55) vs Q1 (reference). Conclusions The Mediterranean diet can be environmentally protective since the higher the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the lower total dietary CO2 emissions. Mediterranean Diet index may be used as a pollution level index

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

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

The Long-HER Study: Clinical and Molecular Analysis of Patients with HER2+ Advanced Breast Cancer Who Become Long-Term Survivors with Trastuzumab-Based Therapy

<div><p>Background</p><p>Trastuzumab improves survival outcomes in patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. The Long-Her study was designed to identify clinical and molecular markers that could differentiate long-term survivors from patients having early progression after trastuzumab treatment.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Data were collected from women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab that experienced a response or stable disease during at least 3 years. Patients having a progression in the first year of therapy with trastuzumab were used as a control. Genes related with trastuzumab resistance were identified and investigated for network and gene functional interrelation. Models predicting poor response to trastuzumab were constructed and evaluated. Finally, a mutational status analysis of selected genes was performed in HER2 positive breast cancer samples.</p><p>Results</p><p>103 patients were registered in the Long-HER study, of whom 71 had obtained a durable complete response. Median age was 58 years. Metastatic disease was diagnosed after a median of 24.7 months since primary diagnosis. Metastases were present in the liver (25%), lungs (25%), bones (23%) and soft tissues (23%), with 20% of patients having multiple locations of metastases. Median duration of response was 55 months. The molecular analysis included 35 patients from the group with complete response and 18 patients in a control poor-response group. Absence of trastuzumab as part of adjuvant therapy was the only clinical factor associated with long-term survival. Gene ontology analysis demonstrated that PI3K pathway was associated with poor response to trastuzumab-based therapy: tumours in the control group usually had four or five alterations in this pathway, whereas tumours in the Long-HER group had two alterations at most.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Trastuzumab may provide a substantial long-term survival benefit in a selected group of patients. Whole genome expression analysis comparing long-term survivors vs. a control group predicted early progression after trastuzumab-based therapy. Multiple alterations in genes related to the PI3K-mTOR pathway seem to be required to confer resistance to this therapy.</p></div

Premios Nacionales a la Innovación Educativa : 2002-2003 : experiencias del Principado de Asturias

Resumen basado en la publicaciónEste CD-Rom recoge cuatro trabajos realizados por profesorado asturiano presentados y premiados en la convocatoria de Premios Nacionales a la Innovación Educativa en los años 2002 y 2003: 1) 'El Agua'. Desarrollado en el IES de Cerdeño es el producto del trabajo realizado con el objetivo de trabajar de forma interdisciplinar sobre un tema común, intercambiando ideas y materiales para llegar a la elaboración de un manual didáctico interdisciplinar. Como tema central se selecciona 'El agua'. El producto final de la experiencia es el citado manual didáctico en formato CD-Rom con formato web y que consta de los siguientes apartados: cuatro unidades didácticas y un apartado de diccionario. 2) 'Introducción temprana del inglés como segunda lengua en clases multinivel de Educación Infantil en un Colegio Rural Agrupado'. El trabajo se lleva a cabo en el CRA del Alto Aller. Este apartado recoge la recopilación y creación de materiales específicos para trabajar las clases multinivel de Educación Infantil, con el fin de elaborar un proyecto más cómodo para desarrollar las clases en el nivel señalado. El trabajo se estructura en tres apartados: Proyecto, unidades didácticas y bibliografía. 3) 'Mi biografía-yo y mis circunstancias, para que no se pierda en mi memoria'. Esta experiencia se lleva a cabo en el IES Río Nora de Pola de Siero. Mediante la exposición del proyecto y el material 'Preguntas guía para la realización del trabajo', se presenta esta experiencia didáctica innovadora que trata de facilitar al alumnado que la realiza un conjunto variado de 'items - preguntas guía' pautadas, que le sirvan de orientación para el encuentro consigo mismo evolucionando hacia su autonomía vital en medio de un mundo con otros semejantes. 4) 'Por una escuela intercultural'. Presenta el proyecto intercultural llevado a cabo en el Colegio Nazaret de Oviedo. El proyecto se presenta con tres objetivos básicos: a) Conocer y analizar las diferentes culturas presentes en el centro, con el fin de descubrir lo que tienen de enriquecedor para todos. b) Conseguir la participación de las familias en actividades que favorezcan tanto la interrelación entre culturas como el respeto y la convivencia pacífica. c) Facilitar la integración de los niños inmigrantes en la comunidad respetando y conservando su propia identidad. Se continua haciendo una exposición detallada de las actividades desarrolladas en clase y distribuidas en tres niveles diferentes. Posteriormente se presenta como actividad final 'La semana Intercultural' y por último se realiza una evaluación de la experiencia.AsturiasUniversidad de Oviedo. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación; Calle Aniceto Sela s. n.; 33005 Oviedo; +34985103215; +34985103214;ES

Supervised hierarchical clustering for all samples using 1052 differentially expressed probesets identified using SAM.

<p>Each row represents a probeset and each column a sample. Green bars indicate samples from patients in Long-HER group, red bars indicate samples from short-term responders. There are two samples duplicated, * account for metastasis samples.</p

Signaling pathway annotation enrichment analysis for 858 genes related with trastuzumab resistance.

<p>This analysis was performed using SPEED software. PI3K pathway appeared as the most relevant pathway in relation with trastuzumab resistance.</p

PI3K-mTOR pathway analyses.

<p>A) Supervised hierarchical clustering for all samples using five genes from the PI3K-mTOR pathway that are differentially expressed between Long-HER and short-term responders to trastuzumab samples. B) Distribution of the normalized expression of these genes.</p

Proposed model of trastuzumab resistance in short-term responders due to Akt/mTOR activation and apoptosis inhibition.

<p>Genes in blue are downregulated, genes in orange are upregulated, genes in red favour Akt/mTOR pathway activation and genes in green decrease Akt/mTOR pathway activation. Red signs are new disrupting elements identified. Green arrow indicates the step regulated by trastuzumab.</p