Combining object-based image analysis with topographic data for landform mapping: a case study in the semi-arid Chaco ecosystem, Argentina

This paper presents an object-based approach to mapping a set of landforms located in the fluvio-eolian plain of Rio Dulce and alluvial plain of Rio Salado (Dry Chaco, Argentina), with two Landsat 8 images collected in summer and winter combined with topographic data. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage focused on basic-spectral landform classifications where both pixel- and object-based image analyses were tested with five classification algorithms: Mahalanobis Distance (MD), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree (DT). The results obtained indicate that object-based analyses clearly outperform pixel-based classifications, with an increase in accuracy of up to 35%. The second stage focused on advanced object-based derived variables with topographic ancillary data classifications. The combinations of variables were tested in order to obtain the most accurate map of landforms based on the most successful classifiers identified in the previous stage (ML, SVM and DT). The results indicate that DT is the most accurate classifier, exhibiting the highest overall accuracies with values greater than 72% in both the winter and summer images. Future work could combine both, the most appropriate methodologies and combinations of variables obtained in this study, with physico-chemical variables sampled to improve the classification of landforms and even of types of soil.EEA Santiago del EsteroFil: Castillejo González, Isabel Luisa. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; EspañaFil: Angueira, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: García Ferrer, Alfonso. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; EspañaFil: Sánchez de la Orden, Manuel. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; Españ

Determinants of HDL Cholesterol Efflux Capacity after Virgin Olive Oil Ingestion: Interrelationships with Fluidity of HDL Monolayer

Scope: Cholesterol efflux capacity of HDL (CEC) is inversely associated with cardiovascular risk. HDL composition, fluidity, oxidation, and size are related with CEC. We aimed to assess which HDL parameters were CEC determinants after virgin olive oil (VOO) ingestion. Methods and results: Post‐hoc analyses from the VOHF study, a crossover intervention with three types of VOO. We assessed the relationship of 3‐week changes in HDL‐related variables after intervention periods with independence of the type of VOO. After univariate analyses, mixed linear models were fitted with variables related with CEC and fluidity. Fluidity and Apolipoprotein (Apo)A‐I content in HDL was directly associated, and HDL oxidative status inversely, with CEC. A reduction in free cholesterol, an increase in triglycerides in HDL, and a decrease in small HDL particle number or an increase in HDL mean size, were associated to HDL fluidity. Conclusions: HDL fluidity, ApoA‐I concentration, and oxidative status are major determinants for CEC after VOO. The impact on CEC of changes in free cholesterol and triglycerides in HDL, and those of small HDL or HDL mean size, could be mechanistically linked through HDL fluidity. Our work points out novel therapeutic targets to improve HDL functionality in humans through nutritional or pharmacological interventions.Fil: Fernández Castillejo, Sara. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; EspañaFil: Rubió, Laura. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; España. Universidad de Lleida; EspañaFil: Hernáez, Álvaro. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición; EspañaFil: Catalán, Úrsula. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; EspañaFil: Pedret, Anna. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; EspañaFil: Valls, Rosa M.. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; EspañaFil: Mosse, Juana Inés. Universidad de Lleida; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Covas, Maria Isabel. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición; EspañaFil: Remaley, Alan T.. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Castañer, Olga. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición; EspañaFil: Motilva, Maria José. Universidad de Lleida; EspañaFil: Solá, Rosa. Universitat Rovira I Virgili; Españ

Phosphoproteomic analysis and protein-protein interaction of rat aorta GJA1 and rat heart FKBP1A after secoiridoids consumption from virgin olive oil: A functional proteomics approach

Protein functional interactions could explain the biological response of secoiridoids (SECs), main phenolic compounds in virgin olive oil (VOO). The aim was to assess protein¿protein interactions (PPIs) of the aorta gap junction alpha-1 (GJA1) and the heart peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (FKBP1A), plus the phosphorylated heart proteome, to describe new molecular pathways in the cardiovascular system in rats using nanoliquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. PPIs modified by SECs and associated with GJA1 in aorta rat tissue were calpain, TUBA1A, and HSPB1. Those associated with FKBP1A in rat heart tissue included SUCLG1, HSPE1, and TNNI3. In the heart, SECs modulated the phosphoproteome through the main canonical pathways PI3K/mTOR signaling (AKT1S1 and GAB2) and gap junction signaling (GAB2 and GJA1). PPIs associated with GJA1 and with FKBP1A, the phosphorylation of GAB2, and the dephosphorylation of GJA1 and AKT1S1 in rat tissues are promising protein targets promoting cardiovascular protection to explain the health benefits of VOO.The work summarized in this paper was supported in part by grants (grant nos. MEFOPC Project, AGL2012-40144-C03-02 and AGL2012-40144-C03-03, and AppleCOR Project, AGL2016-76943-C2-2-R) from the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). L.R. is supported by a Sara Borrell postdoctoral grant (CD14/00275; Spain), A.P. is supported by a postdoctoral grant (PTQ-15-08068; Spain), and Ú.C. is supported by a Pla Estratègic de Recerca i Innovació en Salut (PERIS) postdoctoral grant (SLT002/16/00239; Catalunya, Spain)

The impact of human breast milk components on the infant metabolism

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Virgin olive oil phenolic compounds modulate the HDL lipidome in hypercholesterolaemic subjects: a lipidomic analysis of the VOHF study

The lipidomic analysis of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) could be useful to identify new biomarkers of HDL function. Methods and results: A randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover trial (33 hypercholesterolaemic subjects) is performed with a control virgin olive oil (VOO), VOO enriched with its own phenolic compounds (FVOO), or VOO enriched with additional phenolic compounds from thyme (FVOOT) for 3 weeks. HDL lipidomic analyses are performed using the Lipidyzer platform. VOO and FVOO intake increase monounsaturated-fatty acids (FAs) and decrease saturated and polyunsaturated FAs in triacylglyceride (TAG) species, among others species. In contrast, FVOOT intake does not induce these FAs changes. The decrease in TAG52:3(FA16:0) after VOO intake and the decrease in TAG52:5(FA18:2) after FVOO intake are inversely associated with changes in HDL resistance to oxidation. After FVOO intake, the decrease in TAG54:6(FA18:2) in HDL is inversely associated with changes in HDL cholesterol efflux capacity. Conclusion: VOO and FVOO consumption has an impact on the HDL lipidome, in particular TAG species. Although TAGs are minor components of HDL mass, the observed changes in TAG modulated HDL functionality towards a cardioprotective mode. The assessment of the HDL lipidome is a valuable approach to identify and characterize new biomarkers of HDL function.The VOHF project (AGL2009-13517-457 C03-01) and the AppleCOR Project (AGL2016-76943-C2) were made possible with the support of the Ministerio de Economía, Indústria y Competitividad, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and the European Regional Development Fund. U.C. has a Pla Estratègic de Recerca i Innovació en Salut (PERIS) postdoctoral grant (no. SLT002/16/00239; Catalunya, Spain) from the Generalitat de Catalunya. A.P. has a Torres Quevedo postdoctoral grant with the Subprograma Estatal de Incorporación, Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica Técnica y de Innovación. M.F. has a Sara Borrell postdoctoral contract (CD17/00233 to M.F.-St.Pau). O.C. has a JR17/00022 contract from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM) is a project of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid, Spain). The NFOC-Salut group is a consolidated research group of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain (reference no. 2017 SGR 522)

TGFBR1 Intralocus Epistatic Interaction as a Risk Factor for Colorectal Cancer

In colorectal cancer (CRC), an inherited susceptibility risk affects about 35% of patients, whereas high-penetrance germline mutations account for <6% of cases. A considerable proportion of sporadic tumors could be explained by the coinheritance of multiple low-penetrance variants, some of which are common. We assessed the susceptibility to CRC conferred by genetic variants at the TGFBR1 locus. We analyzed 14 polymorphisms and the allele-specific expression (ASE) of TGFBR1 in 1025 individuals from the Spanish population. A case-control study was undertaken with 504 controls and 521 patients with sporadic CRC. Fourteen polymorphisms located at the TGFBR1 locus were genotyped with the iPLEX Gold (MassARRAY-Sequenom) technology. Descriptive analyses of the polymorphisms and haplotypes and association studies were performed with the SNPator workpackage. No relevant associations were detected between individual polymorphisms or haplotypes and the risk of CRC. The TGFBR1*9A/6A polymorphism was used for the ASE analysis. Heterozygous individuals were analyzed for ASE by fragment analysis using cDNA from normal tissue. The relative level of allelic expression was extrapolated from a standard curve. The cutoff value was calculated with Youden's index. ASE was found in 25.4% of patients and 16.4% of controls. Considering both bimodal and continuous types of distribution, no significant differences between the ASE values of patients and controls were identified. Interestingly, a combined analysis of the polymorphisms and ASE for the association with CRC occurrence revealed that ASE-positive individuals carrying one of the most common haplotypes (H2: 20.7%) showed remarkable susceptibility to CRC (RR: 5.25; 95% CI: 2.547–5.250; p<0.001) with a synergy factor of 3.7. In our study, 54.1% of sporadic CRC cases were attributable to the coinheritance of the H2 haplotype and TGFBR1 ASE. These results support the hypothesis that the allelic architecture of cancer genes, rather than individual polymorphisms, more accurately defines the CRC risk

The impact of human breast milk components on the infant metabolism

Background & aims Breastfeeding is beneficial for mothers and infants. Underlying mechanisms and biochemical mediators thus need to be investigated to develop and support improved infant nutrition practices promoting the child health. We analysed the relation between maternal breast milk composition and infant metabolism. Methods 196 pairs of mothers and infants from a European research project (PreventCD) were studied. Maternal milk samples collected at month 1 and month 4 after birth were analysed for macronutrient classes, hormone, and fatty acid (FA) content. Phospholipids, acylcarnitines, and amino acids were measured in serum samples of 4-month old infants. Associations between milk components and infant metabolites were analysed with spearman correlation and linear mixed effect models (LME). P-values were corrected for multiple testing (P-LME). Results Month 1 milk protein content was strongly associated with infant serum lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) 14: 0 (P-LME = 0.009). Month 1 milk insulin was associated to infant acetylcarnitine (P-LME = 0.01). There were no associations between milk protein content and serum amino acids and milk total fat content and serum polar lipids. Middle- and odd-chain FA% in breast milk at both ages were significantly related to serum LPC and sphingomyelins (SM) species in infant serum (all P-LME < 0.05), while FA% 20: 5n(-3) and 22: 6n(-3) percentages were significantly associated to serum LPC 22:6 (P-LME = 1.91x10(-4)/7.93x10(-5)) in milk only at month 4. Other polyunsaturated fatty acids and hormones in milk showed only weak associations with infant serum metabolites. Conclusions Infant serum LPC are influenced by breast milk FA composition and, intriguingly, milk protein content in early but not late lactation. LPC 14:0, previously found positively associated with obesity risk, was the serum metabolite which was the most strongly associated to milk protein content. Thus, LPC 14:0 might be a key metabolite not only reflecting milk protein intake in infants, but also relating high protein content in milk or infant formula to childhood obesity risk

Evidence for classification of c.1852_1853AA>GC in MLH1 as a neutral variant for Lynch syndrome

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant inherited cancer syndrome characterized by early onset cancers of the colorectum, endometrium and other tumours. A significant proportion of DNA variants in LS patients are unclassified. Reports on the pathogenicity of the c.1852_1853AA>GC (p.Lys618Ala) variant of the MLH1 gene are conflicting. In this study, we provide new evidence indicating that this variant has no significant implications for LS. Methods: The following approach was used to assess the clinical significance of the p.Lys618Ala variant: frequency in a control population, case-control comparison, co-occurrence of the p.Lys618Ala variant with a pathogenic mutation, co-segregation with the disease and microsatellite instability in tumours from carriers of the variant. We genotyped p.Lys618Ala in 1034 individuals (373 sporadic colorectal cancer [CRC] patients, 250 index subjects from families suspected of having LS [revised Bethesda guidelines] and 411 controls). Three well-characterized LS families that fulfilled the Amsterdam II Criteria and consisted of members with the p.Lys618Ala variant were included to assess co-occurrence and co-segregation. A subset of colorectal tumour DNA samples from 17 patients carrying the p.Lys618Ala variant was screened for microsatellite instability using five mononucleotide markers. Results: Twenty-seven individuals were heterozygous for the p.Lys618Ala variant; nine had sporadic CRC (2.41%), seven were suspected of having hereditary CRC (2.8%) and 11 were controls (2.68%). There were no significant associations in the case-control and case-case studies. The p.Lys618Ala variant was co-existent with pathogenic mutations in two unrelated LS families. In one family, the allele distribution of the pathogenic and unclassified variant was in trans, in the other family the pathogenic variant was detected in the MSH6 gene and only the deleterious variant co-segregated with the disease in both families. Only two positive cases of microsatellite instability (2/17, 11.8%) were detected in tumours from p.Lys618Ala carriers, indicating that this variant does not play a role in functional inactivation of MLH1 in CRC patients. Conclusions: The p.Lys618Ala variant should be considered a neutral variant for LS. These findings have implications for the clinical management of CRC probands and their relatives.Generalitat Valenciana in Spain (AP140/08) and the Biomedical Research Foundation from the Hospital of Elche, Spain (FIBElx0902). Conselleria de Educació (Generalitat Valenciana); Fundacion Juan Peran-Pikolinos; Fundacion Carolina-BBVA and Fondo Investigación Sanitaria (FI07/00303). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (INT09/208)

Soil mapping based on landscape classification in the semiarid Chaco, Argentina

The semiarid Chaco is an ecosystem shared by Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil where land use changes from forest to commercial agriculture and social conflicts have been intensive during the last decade. These changes and the lack of reliable soil information at suitable scales are threatening the sustainable development of the region. In Santiago del Estero province, Argentina, a soil survey was carried out with the objective of reducing the knowledge gap. Due to the large area, geomorphology diversity, limited funding, and high demand of information, a geopedologic survey using remote sensing and GIS was considered an appropriate approach. Map units were determined based on the integration of geoforms and soils, knowledge of landscape and soil forming factors, field observations, and laboratory determinations. Three main landscape units were recognized: (1) a fluvio-eolian Chaco plain including a megafan with Haplustolls and Torripsamments, (2) the Rio Dulce valley with Torripsamments, and (3) the alluvial migratory plain of Río Salado with Torripsamments, Ustifluvents, and Natraqualfs. The used approach helped speed up the soil information collection at appropriate scale for land use planningInst.de SuelosFil: Angueira, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: Cruzate, Gustavo Adolfo. INTA, Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Zamora, Eduardo Maximo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Olmedo, Guillermo Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Sayago, J.M. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Castillejo González, I. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; Españ