Latin American drylands: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable development

Las zonas áridas de Latinoamérica sostienen la economía de sus países. Sin embargo, la gobernanza y los modelos económicos enfocados en el corto plazo y la exportación han resultado en injusticia ambiental, desarrollo no sostenible y promoción de la desertificación. Enfrentar los desafíos de desarrollo en ecosistemas donde el agua es limitante requiere un entendimiento profundo de las complejas interacciones socioambientales. En este artículo examinamos dos de las actividades económicas más importantes en zonas áridas de Latinoamérica: agricultura y minería, con casos representativos en Argentina, Bolivia, Chile y México, donde se aprecia la complejidad de las interacciones socioambientales, y donde además el cambio climático impacta en la disponibilidad del recurso hídrico y resulta en luchas de poder. Exponemos también cómo el enfoque de los servicios ecosistémicos y la investigación transdisciplinaria pueden resultar en modelos de desarrollo que beneficien y protejan las comunidades ancestrales y los ecosistemas que hacen únicos a estos territorios.; Les zones àrides de Llatinoamèrica sostenen l’economia dels seus països. No obstant això, la governança i els models econòmics enfocats al curt termini i l’exportació han resultat en injustícia ambiental, desenvolupament no sostenible i promoció de la desertificació. Fer front als desafiaments de desenvolupament en ecosistemes on l’aigua és limitant requereix un enteniment profund de les complexes interaccions socioambientals. En aquest article examinem dues de les activitats econòmiques més importants en zones àrides de Llatinoamèrica: agricultura i mineria, amb casos representatius a l’Argentina, Bolívia, Xile i Mèxic, on s’aprecia la complexitat de les interaccions socioambientals, i on a més el canvi climàtic impacta en la disponibilitat del recurs hídric i resulta en lluites de poder. Exposem també que l’enfocament dels serveis ecosistèmics i la investigació transdisciplinària poden produir models de desenvolupament que beneficien i protegisquen les comunitats ancestrals i els ecosistemes que fan únics aquests territoris.; The drylands of Latin America sustain their countries’ economies. However, governance and economic models focused on exports and the short term have resulted in environmental injustice, unsustainable development, and the promotion of desertification. Addressing development challenges in water-limited ecosystems requires a thorough understanding of their complex socio-environmental interactions. In this document, we examine two of the most important economic activities in Latin American drylands: agriculture and mining. We use representative cases from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Mexico to illustrate the complexity of socio-environmental interactions in which climate change affects the availability of water resources and results in power struggles. We also discuss how the approach to ecosystem services and transdisciplinary research can result in development models that benefit and protect ancestral communities and the ecosystems that make these territories unique

Ecosistema lacustre: el caso laguna campestre: modelo valorativo simple para jerarquizar componentes morfológicos

Peer Reviewe

Characterization of inositol lipid metabolism in gut-associated Bacteroidetes

Inositol lipids are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and have finely tuned roles in cellular signalling and membrane homoeostasis. In Bacteria, however, inositol lipid production is relatively rare. Recently, the prominent human gut bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BT) was reported to produce inositol lipids and sphingolipids, but the pathways remain ambiguous and their prevalence unclear. Here, using genomic and biochemical approaches, we investigated the gene cluster for inositol lipid synthesis in BT using a previously undescribed strain with inducible control of sphingolipid synthesis. We characterized the biosynthetic pathway from myo-inositol-phosphate (MIP) synthesis to phosphoinositol dihydroceramide, determined the crystal structure of the recombinant BT MIP synthase enzyme and identified the phosphatase responsible for the conversion of bacterially-derived phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP-DAG) to phosphatidylinositol (PI-DAG). In vitro, loss of inositol lipid production altered BT capsule expression and antimicrobial peptide resistance. In vivo, loss of inositol lipids decreased bacterial fitness in a gnotobiotic mouse model. We identified a second putative, previously undescribed pathway for bacterial PI-DAG synthesis without a PIP-DAG intermediate, common in Prevotella. Our results indicate that inositol sphingolipid production is widespread in host-associated Bacteroidetes and has implications for symbiosis

OBSERVATÓRIO FRANCO-BRASILEIRO DE CIDADES DA PERIFERIA

Universidade Luterana Brasil- ULBR

Ecosistema lacustre: el caso laguna campestre: modelo valorativo simple para jerarquizar componentes morfológicos

Peer Reviewe

Platelet Serotonin Aggravates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Neutrophil Degranulation

Background: Platelets store large amounts of serotonin that they release during thrombus formation or acute inflammation. This facilitates hemostasis and modulates the inflammatory response. Methods: Infarct size, heart function, and inflammatory cell composition were analyzed in mouse models of myocardial reperfusion injury with genetic and pharmacological depletion of platelet serotonin. These studies were complemented by in vitro serotonin stimulation assays of platelets and leukocytes in mice and men, and by measuring plasma serotonin levels and leukocyte activation in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Results: Platelet-derived serotonin induced neutrophil degranulation with release of myeloperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and increased expression of membrane-bound leukocyte adhesion molecule CD11b, leading to enhanced inflammation in the infarct area and reduced myocardial salvage. In patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome, plasmatic serotonin levels correlated with CD11b expression on neutrophils and myeloperoxidase plasma levels. Long-term serotonin reuptake inhibition - reported to protect patients with depression from cardiovascular events - resulted in the depletion of platelet serotonin stores in mice. These mice displayed a reduction in neutrophil degranulation and preserved cardiac function. In line, patients with depression using serotonin reuptake inhibition, presented with suppressed levels of CD11b surface expression on neutrophils and lower myeloperoxidase levels in blood. Conclusions: Taken together, we identify serotonin as a potent therapeutic target in neutrophil-dependent thromboinflammation during myocardial reperfusion injury.Fil: Mauler, Maximilian. No especifíca;Fil: Herr, Nadine. No especifíca;Fil: Schoenichen, Claudia. No especifíca;Fil: Witsch, Thilo. No especifíca;Fil: Marchini, Timoteo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Härdtner, Carmen. No especifíca;Fil: Koentges, Christoph. No especifíca;Fil: Kienle, Korbinian. Max Planck Institute Of Immunobiology And Epigenetics; AlemaniaFil: Ollivier, Véronique. Inserm; FranciaFil: Schell, Maximilian. No especifíca;Fil: Dorner, Ludwig. No especifíca;Fil: Wippel, Christopher. No especifíca;Fil: Stallmann, Daniela. No especifíca;Fil: Normann, Claus. No especifíca;Fil: Bugger, Heiko. No especifíca;Fil: Walther, Paul. Universitat Ulm; AlemaniaFil: Wolf, Dennis. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Ahrens, Ingo. No especifíca;Fil: Lämmermann, Tim. Max Planck Institute Of Immunobiology And Epigenetics; AlemaniaFil: Ho-Tin-Noé, Benoît. Inserm; FranciaFil: Ley, Klaus. La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology; Estados UnidosFil: Bode, Christoph. No especifíca;Fil: Hilgendorf, Ingo. No especifíca;Fil: Duerschmied, Daniel. No especifíca

Mystery of fatal 'staggering disease' unravelled: novel rustrela virus causes severe meningoencephalomyelitis in domestic cats

‘Staggering disease’ is a neurological disease entity considered a threat to European domestic cats (Felis catus) for almost five decades. However, its aetiology has remained obscure. Rustrela virus (RusV), a relative of rubella virus, has recently been shown to be associated with encephalitis in a broad range of mammalian hosts. Here, we report the detection of RusV RNA and antigen by metagenomic sequencing, RT-qPCR, in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in brain tissues of 27 out of 29 cats with non-suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis and clinical signs compatible with’staggering disease’ from Sweden, Austria, and Germany, but not in non-affected control cats. Screening of possible reservoir hosts in Sweden revealed RusV infection in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Our work indicates that RusV is the long-sought cause of feline ‘staggering disease’. Given its reported broad host spectrum and considerable geographic range, RusV may be the aetiological agent of neuropathologies in further mammals, possibly even including humans

Disease Severity in Patients Infected with Leishmania mexicana Relates to IL-1β

Leishmania mexicana can cause both localized (LCL) and diffuse (DCL) cutaneous leishmaniasis, yet little is known about factors regulating disease severity in these patients. We analyzed if the disease was associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-1β (−511), CXCL8 (−251) and/or the inhibitor IL-1RA (+2018) in 58 Mexican mestizo patients with LCL, 6 with DCL and 123 control cases. Additionally, we analyzed the in vitro production of IL-1β by monocytes, the expression of this cytokine in sera of these patients, as well as the tissue distribution of IL-1β and the number of parasites in lesions of LCL and DCL patients. Our results show a significant difference in the distribution of IL-1β (−511 C/T) genotypes between patients and controls (heterozygous OR), with respect to the reference group CC, which was estimated with a value of 3.23, 95% CI = (1.2, 8.7) and p-value = 0.0167), indicating that IL-1β (−511 C/T) represents a variable influencing the risk to develop the disease in patients infected with Leishmania mexicana. Additionally, an increased in vitro production of IL-1β by monocytes and an increased serum expression of the cytokine correlated with the severity of the disease, since it was significantly higher in DCL patients heavily infected with Leishmania mexicana. The distribution of IL-1β in lesions also varied according to the number of parasites harbored in the tissues: in heavily infected LCL patients and in all DCL patients, the cytokine was scattered diffusely throughout the lesion. In contrast, in LCL patients with lower numbers of parasites in the lesions, IL-1β was confined to the cells. These data suggest that IL-1β possibly is a key player determining the severity of the disease in DCL patients. The analysis of polymorphisms in CXCL8 and IL-1RA showed no differences between patients with different disease severities or between patients and controls