Untangling Biocultural and Socioeconomical Drivers of African Plum Tree (Dacryodes edulis) Local Nomenclature Along a Rural-Urban Gradient in Central Cameroon

In Cameroon, the African plum tree (Dacryodes edulis [G. Don] H. J. Lam) is widely cultivated for its fruits, which contribute significantly to household food security and economy. In order to analyze the links between the social and ecological systems that result in the remarkable fruit diversity, we focused on how the important varietal diversity of African plums was perceived and named by tree owners. We conducted semi‑structured interviews in Center-Cameroon with 142 people belonging to the Beti ethnic group, in urban (Yaoundé), peri-urban and rural areas, and analyzed the data qualitatively and quantitatively. Along this urbanization gradient linking production to consumption regions, 158 different translated names were recorded. Most names (80%) were cited once, but some names based on fruit size and taste were common across the gradient. Although the highest total number of names was recorded in the rural site, many different names were also found along the urban–rural gradient. We did not detect difference in the number of named African plums between respondents with different characteristics. The local classification of African plums among the Beti was structured predominantly according to morphological and organoleptic criteria, but also to symbolic and practical criteria. African plums’ names were based on people’s fruit preferences, that favor large, oily, and blue to black fruits, and disregard pink-colored watery plums. This study is an entry point to explore the rising trade and thus ongoing domestication of the African plum tree from an often neglected perspective, that of local nomenclature

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Mineral medium design based on macro and trace element requirements for high cell density cultures of Priestia megaterium DSM 509

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Industrial Cd-Contaminated Soil Bioaugmented with Absidia cylindrospora : Influence on the Mineralogical Speciation of Cadmium

International audienceNowadays, trace metal contamination of soils is a worldwide concern. In the soil, the trace metals are distributed within different mineralogical fractions, which influence the transfers and the bioavailability, then the associated toxic risk. This study aims to investigate how the development of selected fungal mycelium influences the mineralogical speciation of cadmium. In a microcosm experiment with an industrial soil contaminated by various metal, including Cd, bioaugmentation experiments with the fungus Abisdia cylindrospora were conducted. A. cylindrospora showed a good development in the microcosm. Sequential extraction procedure highlighted the decrease of the potentially available fraction (5%) after 20 days of incubation. Most of the variations occur in the reducible and the oxidable fractions

JrSUT1, a putative xylem sucrose transporter, could mediate sucrose influx into xylem parenchyma cells and be specifically up-regulated by freezing temperature over the autumn-winter period in walnut tree (Juglans regia L.)

Sucrose has been reported to play multiple roles in the winter biology of temperate woody species. However, no report on the molecular basis of sucrose transport in xylem tissue has yet been made. In the walnut tree, it is demonstrated that during the autumn-winter period, active absorption of sucrose from xylem vessels to parenchyma cells (sucrose influx) is much higher when samplings were taken shortly after a period of freezing temperatures. Here, the question of whether this increased sucrose influx mirrors a regulation of sucrose transporters in xylem tissue was tested. A putative sucrose transporter cDNA (JrSUT1: Juglans regia sucrose transporter 1) was isolated. Over the autumn-winter period, JrSUT1 transcripts and respective proteins were present in xylem parenchyma cells and highly detected when samplings were performed shortly after a freeze-thaw cycle. This up-regulation of JrSUT1 level was confirmed in controlled conditions and was not obtained in bark. Immunolocalization studies showed that JrSUT1 and plasma membrane H+-ATPase (JrAHA) were colocalized to vessel-associated cells (VACs), which control solute exchanges between parenchyma cells and xylem vessels. We propose that JrSUT1 could be involved in the retrieval of sucrose from xylem vessel. All these data are discussed with respect to the winter biology of the walnut tree

Comparison of tolerance and biosorption of three trace metals (Cd, Cu, Pb) by the soil fungus Absidia cylindrospora

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Effects of an Intensive 6-Week Rehabilitation Program with the HUBER Platform in the Treatment of Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

Non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) is defined as a complex disorder involving structural, biomechanical, cognitive, psychological, social, and lifestyle factors. Non-pharmacological approaches such as exercise and physical therapy have been proposed in first-line treatments, along with psychological follow-up and pain medication if needed. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive rehabilitation program with HUBER (a multi-axis motorized platform equipped with force sensors, allowing patients to perform physical exercises in an isometric mode) on the spine flexion-to-extension ratio at 60 and 120°/s, pain, and trunk flexibility in individuals with NSCLBP. Twelve participants underwent a clinical evaluation including isokinetic spine strength and participated in a 6-week rehabilitation program with HUBER 360 Evolution. The main findings of this pilot study show that the flexor/extensor ratios at 60°, the flexibility of the hamstring and quadriceps, and muscular endurance of the trunk, disability, and quality of life were significantly improved at the end of the rehabilitation program (p < 0.05). Low back pain and analgesic medication were also reduced. Exercising with the HUBER Platform seems to be effective in managing NSCLBP but a randomized study with a larger sample size and a control group is necessary

Both the Jasmonic Acid and the Salicylic Acid Pathways Contribute to Resistance to the Biotrophic Clubroot Agent [i]Plasmodiophora brassicae[/i] in Arabidopsis.

International audienceThe role of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling in resistance to root pathogens has been poorly documented. We assessed the contribution of SA and JA to basal and partial resistance of Arabidopsis to the biotrophic clubroot agent Plasmodiophora brassicae. SA and JA levels as well as the expression of the SA-responsive genes PR2 and PR5 and the JA-responsive genes ARGAH2 and THI2.1 were monitored in infected roots of the accessions Col-0 (susceptible) and Bur-0 (partially resistant). SA signaling was activated in Bur-0 but not in Col-0. The JA pathway was weakly activated in Bur-0 but was strongly induced in Col-0. The contribution of both pathways to clubroot resistance was then assessed using exogenous phytohormone application and mutants affected in SA or JA signaling. Exogenous SA treatment decreased clubroot symptoms in the two Arabidopsis accessions, whereas JA treatment reduced clubroot symptoms only in Col-0. The cpr5-2 mutant, in which SA responses are constitutively induced, was more resistant to clubroot than the corresponding wild type, and the JA signaling-deficient mutant jar1 was more susceptible. Finally, we showed that the JA-mediated induction of NATA1 drove N(δ)-acetylornithine biosynthesis in infected Col-0 roots. The 35S::NATA1 and nata1 lines displayed reduced or enhanced clubroot symptoms, respectively, thus suggesting that in Col-0 this pathway was involved in the JA-mediated basal clubroot resistance. Overall, our data support the idea that, depending on the Arabidopsis accession, both SA and JA signaling can play a role in partial inhibition of clubroot development in compatible interactions with P. brassicae