Hepatitis C virus quasispecies in chronically infected children subjected to interferon–ribavirin therapy

Accumulating evidence suggests that certain features of hepatitis C virus (HCV), especially its high genetic variability, might be responsible for the low efficiency of anti-HCV treatment. Here, we present a bioinformatic analysis of HCV-1a populations isolated from 23 children with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) subjected to interferon–ribavirin therapy. The structures of the viral quasispecies were established based on a 132-amino-acid sequence derived from E1/E2 protein, including hypervariable region 1 (HVR1). Two types of HCV populations were identified. The first type, found in non-responders, contained a small number of closely related variants. The second type, characteristic for sustained responders, was composed of a large number of distantly associated equal-rank variants. Comparison of 445 HVR1 sequences showed that a significant number of variants present in non-responding patients are closely related, suggesting that certain, still unidentified properties of the pathogen may be key factors determining the result of CHC treatment

Parasite-insecticide interactions: a case study of Nosema ceranae and fipronil synergy on honeybee

In ecosystems, a variety of biological, chemical and physical stressors may act in combination to induce illness in populations of living organisms. While recent surveys reported that parasite-insecticide interactions can synergistically and negatively affect honeybee survival, the importance of sequence in exposure to stressors has hardly received any attention. In this work, Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) were sequentially or simultaneously infected by the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae and chronically exposed to a sublethal dose of the insecticide fipronil, respectively chosen as biological and chemical stressors. Interestingly, every combination tested led to a synergistic effect on honeybee survival, with the most significant impacts when stressors were applied at the emergence of honeybees. Our study presents significant outcomes on beekeeping management but also points out the potential risks incurred by any living organism frequently exposed to both pathogens and insecticides in their habitat

The desirability of transitions in demand: Incorporating behavioural and societal transformations into energy modelling

Quantitative systems modelling in support of climate policy has tended to focus more on the supply side in assessing interactions among technology, economy, environment, policy and society. By contrast, the demand side is usually underrepresented, often emphasising technological options for energy efficiency improvements. In this perspective, we argue that scientific support to climate action is not only about exploring capacity of "what", in terms of policy and outcome, but also about assessing feasibility and desirability, in terms of "when", "where" and especially for "whom". Without the necessary behavioural and societal transformations, the world faces an inadequate response to the climate crisis challenge. This could result from poor uptake of low-carbon technologies, continued high-carbon intensive lifestyles, or economy-wide rebound effects. For this reason, we propose a framing for a holistic and transdisciplinary perspective on the role of human choices and behaviours in influencing the low-carbon transition, starting from the desires of individuals and communities, and analysing how these interact with the energy and economic landscape, leading to systemic change at the macro-level. In making a case for a political ecology agenda, we expand our scope, from comprehending the role of societal acceptance and uptake of end-use technologies, to co-developing knowledge with citizens from non-mainstream and marginalised communities, and to defining the modelling requirements to assess the decarbonisation potential of shifting lifestyle patterns in climate change and action

Phenotype-Genotype correlations in an extended family with adenomatous coli and an unusual APC gene mutation

ISSN 0012-370

Genetic characterization of Iranian grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) and their relationships with Italian ecotypes

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the oldest and most important fruit crops in the world. Iran is considered as one of the regions where grapevine plants have been used and taken into cultivation. In the present study, 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity among Iranian grape cultivars and their relationships with Italian ones. The observed number of alleles (N) per locus varied from 6 to 20 and also the number of effective alleles (Ne) ranged from 1.34 to 2.00 among cultivars, indicating that the SSRs were highly informative. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.49 to 0.87 and classified the six loci as highly informative markers (PIC > 0.70). The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) was higher (0.85) than the mean expected heterozygosity (He) (0.43), demonstrating a random union of gametes in the population. Genetic similarity among cultivars ranged from 0.14 to 0.93, indicating high genetic variation among them. UPGMA and Bayesian clustering analyses revealed high genetic variation among studied cultivars and grouped them into two main clusters. The present findings might render striking information in breeding management strategies for genetic conservation and cultivar improvement