Genetic Changes Over Breeding Generations of \u3cem\u3eFestulolium\u3c/em\u3e

Festulolium hybrids are a valuable breeding source for tolerance to abiotic stress and to make grass more persistent under drought and in cold environments. In 2004, the EU Commission enlarged the definition of Festulolium which may now include all hybrids between Lolium sp. and Festuca sp. and not only those between L. multiflorum and F. pratensis. We here report allele frequencies at two unlinked PCR-based marker loci in populations derived from tetraploid (2n=4x=28) L. multiflorum x F. glaucescens hybrids where breeding history enables us to test the effects of selection vs that of genetic drift

Short-Term Thermal Acclimation Modifies the Metabolic Condition of the Coral Holobiont

The nutritional symbiosis between coral hosts and photosynthetic dinoflagellates is fundamental to the functioning of coral reefs. Rising seawater temperatures destabilize this relationship, resulting in drastic declines in world-wide coral cover. Thermal history is thought to play an important role in shaping a coral\u27s response to subsequent thermal stress. Here, we exposed Pocillopora damicornis to two thermal acclimation regimes (ambient vs. warm) and compared the effect that acclimation had on the coral holobiont\u27s response to a subsequent seven day heat stress event. We conducted daily physiological measurements at the holobiont level (gross photosynthesis, respiration, host protein content, symbiont density and chlorophyll content) throughout the heating event, as well as cellular-level imaging of 13C-bicarbonate and 15N-nitrate assimilation (using NanoSIMS) at the end of the heat stress event. Thermal acclimation history had a negligible effect on the measurements conducted at the holobiont level during the heat stress event. No differences were observed in the O2-budget between ambient and warm-acclimated corals and only small fluctuations in host protein, symbiont density and chlorophyll content were detected. In contrast, this lack of differential response, was not mirrored at the cellular level. Warm-acclimated corals had substantially higher 13C enrichment in the host gastrodermis and lipid bodies, but significantly lower 15N-nitrate assimilation in the symbionts and the host tissue layers, relative to the ambient-acclimated corals. We discuss potential reasons for the disconnect that occurred between symbiont bicarbonate and nitrate assimilation (in the absence of photosynthetic breakdown) in the warm-acclimated corals. We suggest this represents either a shift in nitrogen utilization, or supply limitation by the host. Our findings raise several interesting hypotheses regarding the role that nitrogen metabolism plays in thermal stress, which will warrant further investigation if we are to understand the acclimatization capacity of the coral holobiont

QTL mapping of carrot resistance to leaf blight with connected populations: stability across years and consequences for breeding

Combining biparental and multiparental connected population analyses was useful for the identification of 11 QTLs in two new genetic backgrounds of carrot resistance to Alternaria dauci and for breeding recommendations. Leaf blight due to the fungus Alternaria dauci is the major carrot foliar disease worldwide. Some resistance QTLs have been previously identified in one population, but the evaluation of additional genetic backgrounds with higher level of resistance would give opportunities for breeders to combine them by pyramiding. For this purpose, two segregating populations were evaluated twice across 4 years in the same environment (1) to compare the efficiency of the single vs. the connected populations approach for characterizing the new sources of carrot resistance to Alternaria dauci; (2) to evaluate the stability of QTLs over the years; and (3) to give recommendations to breeders for marker-assisted selection. Single and connected analyses were complementary; their combination allowed the detection of 11 QTLs. Connected analyses allowed the identification of common and specific QTLs among the two populations and the most favorable allele at each QTL. Important contrasts between allelic effects were observed with four and five most favorable alleles coming from the two resistant parental lines, whereas two other favorable alleles came from the susceptible parental line. While four QTLs were consistent across years, seven were detected within a single year. The heritabilities for both populations PC2 and PC3 were high (75 and 78 %, respectively), suggesting that the resistance of carrot to A. dauci was little affected by these environmental conditions, but the instability of QTL over years may be due to changing environmental conditions. The complementarity between these parental lines in terms of interesting allelic combinations is also discussed

Causal effects of closing businesses in a pandemic

We study whether state-level mandatory business closures implemented in response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 causally affect economic and health outcomes. Using plausibly exogenous variations in exposure to these restrictions, we find that they impose substantial losses to firms and workers, the former bearing approximately two thirds of the cost, consistent with firms partially insuring their workers. We show that mandatory business closures have a significant negative causal effect on mortality rates, particularly in areas featuring contact-intensive occupations. We discuss the assumptions under which the health benefits of business closures exceed their associated economic costs

Are Neurotrophin Genes Involved in the Pathophysiology of Gambling Disorder?

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Comparison of different vascular risk engines in the identification of type 2 diabetes patients with high cardiovascular risk

Background: Some authors consider that secondary prevention should be conducted for all DM2 patients, while others suggest that the drug preventive treatment should start or be increased depending on each patient''s individual CVR, estimated using cardiovascular or coronary risk functions to identify the patients with a higher CVR. The principal objective of this study was to assess three different cardiovascular risk prediction models in type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: Multicentre, cross-sectional descriptive study of 3, 041 patients with type 2 diabetes and no history of cardiovascular disease. The demographic, clinical, analytical, and cardiovascular risk factor variables associated with type 2 diabetes were analysed. The risk function and probability that a cardiovascular disease could occur were estimated using three risk engines: REGICOR, UKPDS and ADVANCE. A patient was considered to have a high cardiovascular risk when REGICOR = 10 % or UKPDS = 15 % in 10 years or when ADVANCE = 8 % in 4 years. Results: The ADVANCE and UKPDS risk engines identified a higher number of diabetic patients with a high cardiovascular risk (24.2 % and 22.7 %, respectively) compared to the REGICOR risk engine (10.2 %). The correlation using the REGICOR risk engine was low compared to UKPDS and ADVANCE (r = 0.288 and r = 0.153, respectively//p < 0.0001). The agreement values in the allocation of a particular patient to the high risk group was low between the REGICOR engine and the UKPDS and ADVANCE engines (k = 0.205 and k = 0.123, respectively//p < 0.0001) and acceptable between the ADVANCE and UKPDS risk engines (k = 0.608). Conclusions: There are discrepancies between the general population and the type 2 diabetic patient-specific risk engines. The results of this study indicate the need for a prospective study which validates specific equations for diabetic patients in the Spanish population, as well as research on new models for cardiovascular risk prediction in these patients

Excretion of hexachlorobenzene and metabolites in feces in a highly exposed human population.

A set of 53 individuals from a population highly exposed to airborne hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were selected to study the elimination kinetics of this chemical in humans. The volunteers provided blood, 24-hr urine, and feces samples for analysis of HCB and metabolites. The serum HCB concentrations ranged from 2.4 to 1,485 ng/mL (mean +/- SD, 124 +/- 278), confirming that this human population has the highest HCB blood levels ever reported. All analyzed feces samples contained unchanged HCB (range, 11-3,025 ng/g dry weight; mean +/- SD, 395 +/- 629). The HCB concentration in feces strongly correlated with HCB in serum (r = 0.85; p < 0.001), suggesting an equilibrium in feces/serum that is compatible with a main pulmonary entrance of the chemical and low intestinal excretion of nonabsorbed foodborne HCB. The equilibrium is also compatible with a nonbiliary passive transfer of the chemical to the intestinal lumen. Two HCB main metabolites, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and pentachlorobenzenethiol (PCBT), were detected in 51% and 54% of feces samples, respectively. All urine samples contained PCP and PCBT, confirming the conclusions of a previous study [Environ Health Perspect 105:78-83 (1997)]. The comparison between feces and urine showed that whereas daily urinary elimination of metabolites may account for 3% of total HCB in blood, intestinal excretion of unchanged HCB may account for about 6%, thus showing the importance of metabolism in the overall elimination of HCB. The elimination of HCB and metabolites by both routes, however, appears to be very small (< 0.05%/day) as compared to the estimated HCB adipose depots. Features of HCB kinetics that we present in this study, i.e., nonsaturated intestinal elimination of HCB and excretion in feces and urine of inert glutathione derivatives, may explain, in part, the absence of porphyria cutanea in this human population heavily exposed to HCB

Metabolism of hexachlorobenzene in humans: association between serum levels and urinary metabolites in a highly exposed population.

Serum and urine from 100 subjects of a general population highly exposed to airborne hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were analyzed to obtain new insights into the metabolism of this ubiquitous compound. HCB was detected in all serum samples with concentrations ranging between 1.1 and 953 ng/ml. The major known metabolites of HCB were investigated in urine collected over 24 hr. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was detected in all urines with values ranging between 0.58 and 13.9 micrograms excreted in 24 hr [mean +/- standard deviation (SD), 2.52 +/- 2.05; geometric mean, 2.05]. A sulfur derivative that, after hydrolysis, yielded pentachlorobenzenethiol (PCBT) could also be identified and quantified in all the urines with values ranging between 0.18 and 84.0 micrograms of PCBT excreted in 24 hr (mean +/- SD, 3.47 +/- 10.8; geometric mean, 1.39). The sulfur derivative assessed as PCBT appeared to be the main metabolite, with urinary concentrations surpassing those of PCP in the subjects with higher HCB accumulation (HCB in serum > 32 ng/ml). PCBT concentration in urine collected over 24 hr showed a very strong association with HCB concentration in serum; the association was stronger in males than in females. An increase of 1 ng/ml of HCB in serum led to an increase of 2.12 micrograms of PCBT excreted in urine collected over 24 hr in males (95% CI, 1.82-2.44) and to an increase of 0.67 microgram of PCBT in females (CI, 0.33-1.09). A weaker association was found between PCP in urine and HCB in serum, which was only statistically significant in males (an increase of 1 ng/ml of HCB in serum led to an increase of 0.63 microgram of PCP excreted in urine collected over 24 hr; (CI, 0.34-0.95). These results show that the formation of the cysteine conjugate is a quantitatively more important metabolic pathway in humans than the formation of PCP. Moreover, the association found suggests that PCBT is a good urinary marker of HCB internal dose and glutathione-mediated metabolism