Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity associated to peri-urban living places in pregnant women in a rural area of Buenos Aires province, Argentina

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is very common in humans throughout the world, the intake of raw or undercooked meat with tissue cysts and fruits, vegetables and water contaminated with parasite oocysts being the main routes of infection. Here, we analyzed the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies in pregnant females (age 13–44 years; n = 920) between April 2014 and December 2017 from Chascomús (Argentina), a city immersed in a rural area. Altogether 320 tested positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies, yielding an overall seroprevalence of 34.8% (CI 95%: 31.7–37.9). No association was observed between seropositivity and age. In addition, by using the QGIS 3.2.1 software we analyzed the geographical distribution of 769 (83.6%) pregnant females in two main areas of the city: Urban (n = 157) and Peri-urban (n = 612) with a seroprevalence of 26.8% (CI 95%: 19.8–33.7) and 36.4% (CI 95%: 32.6–40.3) respectively, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.023). Furthermore, we assessed through a questionnaire survey, between April 2016 to December 2017, possible risk factors such as activity (urban and rural), home water supply, animal husbandry, presence of cats as pets, gardening and consumption of meat and its derivatives (pork, sheep meat and sausages) and their frequencies (consumption per week), not finding significant association with seropositivity. Significant differences was found when the seroprevalence was analyzed between the urban and peri-urban neighborhoods of the city of Chascomús. The higher seroprevalence in peri-urban neighborhoods could be due to an unfavorable socioeconomic situation and/or to undeveloped peri-urban environments, which is a risk factor that should be taken into account when planning the health care of pregnant females.Fil: Rivera, Elias Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); ArgentinaFil: Lavayén, Silvina N.. Dirección Nacional del Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr.C.G.Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Epidemiologia; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, Paola. Hospital Municipal de Chascomus San Vicente de Paul; ArgentinaFil: Martins, Carlos M. A.. Hospital Municipal de Chascomus San Vicente de Paul; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Etelvina. Hospital Municipal de Chascomus San Vicente de Paul; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, Jorge P.. Hospital Municipal de Chascomus San Vicente de Paul; ArgentinaFil: Arias, Marcela E.. Secretaría de Salud. Municipalidad de Chascomús; ArgentinaFil: Silva, Andrea Paula. Dirección Nacional del Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud "Dr.C.G.Malbran". Instituto Nacional de Epidemiologia; ArgentinaFil: Ángel, Sergio Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús). Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Raúl Alfonsín" (sede Chascomús); Argentin

First Jurassic brittlestar from Neuquén Basin, Argentina

Articulated fossil ophiuroids from South America were reported for the Devonian, Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene. Here we report the first Jurassic record of an articulated ophiuroid from the Sierra Chacaicó Formation (early Pliensbachian– Sinemurian) in Neuquén Basin, Argentina, and discuss the taphonomic processes that allowed its preservation. The Sierra Chacaicó Formation represents the onset of the Early Jurassic extensive marine transgression in the basin. The basal section comprises shoreface and offshore Gilbert-type delta system, which was affected by hyperpycnal discharges. The middle and upper sections are represented by offshore deposits, affected by storms and eroded by hyperpycnal channel-levee systems. The ophiuroid specimen was found in levels of massive, fine, tuffaceous sandstone beds and covered by coarse sandstone containing a large amount of plant debris and organic matter. It was preserved articulated, with a complete disc and almost complete arms. Based on the microstructure of the spine-bearing lateral arm plates, the ophiuroid is assigned to Sinosura, an extinct genus of the family Ophioleucidae, widespread in the Lower Jurassic deposits of Europe but previously unknown from other parts of the world. The posture of the ophiuroid, with one arm curved distally and extended in one direction and the other four arms symmetrically oriented in the opposite direction, suggests a walking or escape movement frozen in time. This implies that the ophiuroid was buried alive by sediment thick enough to prevent successful escape. The taphonomic and sedimentologic evidence indicates that the fossil material was found in hyperpycnal deposits accumulated in offshore positions, which carried a high concentration of sediment in suspension

Human genetic selection on the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of genotypes of the 677C>T polymorphism for the MTHFR gene varies among humans. In previous studies, we found changes in the genotypic frequencies of this polymorphism in populations of different ages, suggesting that this could be caused by an increase in the intake of folate and multivitamins by women during the periconceptional period. The aim was to analyze changes in the allelic frequencies of this polymorphism in a Spanish population, including samples from spontaneous abortions (SA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1305 subjects born in the 20th century were genotyped for the 677C>T polymorphism using allele specific real-time PCR with Taqman^®probes. A section of our population (n = 276) born in 1980–1989 was compared with fetal samples (n = 344) from SA of unknown etiology from the same period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An increase in the frequency of the T allele (0.38 vs 0.47; p < 0.001) and of the TT genotype (0.14 vs 0.24; p < 0.001) in subjects born in the last quarter of the century was observed. In the 1980–1989 period, the results show that the frequency of the wild type genotype (CC) is about tenfold lower in the SA samples than in the controls (0.03 vs 0.33; p < 0.001) and that the frequency of the TT genotype increases in the controls (0.19 to 0.27) and in the SA samples (0.20 to 0.33 (p < 0.01)); r = 0.98.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Selection in favor of the T allele has been detected. This selection could be due to the increased fetal viability in early stages of embryonic development, as is deduced by the increase of mutants in both living and SA populations.</p

Garbage in, garbage out: how reliable training data improved a virtual screening approach against SARS-CoV-2 MPro

Introduction: The identification of chemical compounds that interfere with SARS-CoV-2 replication continues to be a priority in several academic and pharmaceutical laboratories. Computational tools and approaches have the power to integrate, process and analyze multiple data in a short time. However, these initiatives may yield unrealistic results if the applied models are not inferred from reliable data and the resulting predictions are not confirmed by experimental evidence.Methods: We undertook a drug discovery campaign against the essential major protease (MPro) from SARS-CoV-2, which relied on an in silico search strategy –performed in a large and diverse chemolibrary– complemented by experimental validation. The computational method comprises a recently reported ligand-based approach developed upon refinement/learning cycles, and structure-based approximations. Search models were applied to both retrospective (in silico) and prospective (experimentally confirmed) screening.Results: The first generation of ligand-based models were fed by data, which to a great extent, had not been published in peer-reviewed articles. The first screening campaign performed with 188 compounds (46 in silico hits and 100 analogues, and 40 unrelated compounds: flavonols and pyrazoles) yielded three hits against MPro (IC50 ≤ 25 μM): two analogues of in silico hits (one glycoside and one benzo-thiazol) and one flavonol. A second generation of ligand-based models was developed based on this negative information and newly published peer-reviewed data for MPro inhibitors. This led to 43 new hit candidates belonging to different chemical families. From 45 compounds (28 in silico hits and 17 related analogues) tested in the second screening campaign, eight inhibited MPro with IC50 = 0.12–20 μM and five of them also impaired the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells (EC50 7–45 μM).Discussion: Our study provides an example of a virtuous loop between computational and experimental approaches applied to target-focused drug discovery against a major and global pathogen, reaffirming the well-known “garbage in, garbage out” machine learning principle

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Experiencias educativas en el marco de un proyecto de extensión

La presente comunicación describe el modo de trabajo del Proyecto de extensión "La Facultad va a la Escuela", perteneciente a la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, y las experiencias interactivas entre diferentes niveles educativos que éste ofrece. En particular se exponen tres situaciones educativas: el taller "Uso y Aplicaciones del Microscopio"; una Jornada de Evaluación Conjunta entre les extensionistas y destinataries y una Jornada de Talleres realizada en el edificio Karakachoff. A partir de ellas concluimos que es necesario no solo generar propuestas centradas en espacios presenciales de trabajo conjunto, sino también ampliar el alcance de las intervenciones, permitiendo una interacción continua entre docentes de escuela primaria y extensionistas en pos de fortalecer la articulación entre estes. Frente a esto proponemos la implementación de tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TICs), de acuerdo a lo impulsado desde la Dirección General de Cultura y Educación de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Fil: Rodríguez, Calén. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abad, Jimena. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abrego, Adrián Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Marzetti, Celeste Yamil. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Villarreal, Luisina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina

Experiencias educativas en el marco de un proyecto de extensión

La presente comunicación describe el modo de trabajo del Proyecto de extensión "La Facultad va a la Escuela", perteneciente a la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, y las experiencias interactivas entre diferentes niveles educativos que éste ofrece. En particular se exponen tres situaciones educativas: el taller "Uso y Aplicaciones del Microscopio"; una Jornada de Evaluación Conjunta entre les extensionistas y destinataries y una Jornada de Talleres realizada en el edificio Karakachoff. A partir de ellas concluimos que es necesario no solo generar propuestas centradas en espacios presenciales de trabajo conjunto, sino también ampliar el alcance de las intervenciones, permitiendo una interacción continua entre docentes de escuela primaria y extensionistas en pos de fortalecer la articulación entre estes. Frente a esto proponemos la implementación de tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TICs), de acuerdo a lo impulsado desde la Dirección General de Cultura y Educación de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Fil: Rodríguez, Calén. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abad, Jimena. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abrego, Adrián Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Marzetti, Celeste Yamil. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Villarreal, Luisina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina

Experiencias educativas en el marco de un proyecto de extensión

La presente comunicación describe el modo de trabajo del Proyecto de extensión "La Facultad va a la Escuela", perteneciente a la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, y las experiencias interactivas entre diferentes niveles educativos que éste ofrece. En particular se exponen tres situaciones educativas: el taller "Uso y Aplicaciones del Microscopio"; una Jornada de Evaluación Conjunta entre les extensionistas y destinataries y una Jornada de Talleres realizada en el edificio Karakachoff. A partir de ellas concluimos que es necesario no solo generar propuestas centradas en espacios presenciales de trabajo conjunto, sino también ampliar el alcance de las intervenciones, permitiendo una interacción continua entre docentes de escuela primaria y extensionistas en pos de fortalecer la articulación entre estes. Frente a esto proponemos la implementación de tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TICs), de acuerdo a lo impulsado desde la Dirección General de Cultura y Educación de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Fil: Rodríguez, Calén. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abad, Jimena. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Abrego, Adrián Mauricio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Marzetti, Celeste Yamil. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.Fil: Villarreal, Luisina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina