Morpho-physiological characteristics by sweet potato cultivars as function of irrigation depth

Abstract The sweet potato is an alternative energy source, but its sustainability depends on efficient water use. The objective of this study was to evaluate sweet potato morpho-physiological characteristics, and water use efficiency (WUE). Irrigation depths of 50, 75, 100, and 125% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) were applied. The morpho-physiological indicators, WUE, leaf area index (LAI), leaf water potential, leaf temperature, and leaf chlorophyll index (ICF), were evaluated. The WUE of the sweet potato cultivars increased until the 75% water depth of the ETc. The LAI of these cultivars increased with irrigation depth, with higher values at 100% of the ETc. The leaf water potential of the two sweet potato cultivars was lowest with the lower irrigation depth. Leaf temperature was closer to that of ambient temperatures in treatments with greater irrigation depth. The increase of the WUE with the greater accumulation of dry biomass is due to greater CO2 diffusion by stomata. The reduction in the growth of these plants is due to water stress limiting stomatal conductance, transpiration, leaf growth (LAI) and chlorophyll concentration, proportional to soil moisture conditions. The functional relationship between soil moisture and growth is essential to optimize irrigation management at different growth stages

Genetic analysis of complement C1s deficiency associated with systemic lupus erythernatosus highlights alternative splicing of normal C1s gene

Deficiencies of complement proteins of the classical pathway are strongly associated with the development of autoimmune diseases. Deficiency of Clr has been observed to occur concomitantly with deficiency in Cls and 9 out of 15 reported cases presented systemic lupus erythernatosus (SLE). Here, we describe a family in which all four children are deficient in Cls but only two of them developed SLE. Hemolytic activity mediated by the alternative and the lectin pathways were normal, but classical pathway activation was absent in all children`s sera. Cls was undetectable, while in the parents` sera it was lower than in the normal controls. The levels of Clr observed in the siblings and parents sera were lower than in the control, while the concentrations of other complement proteins (C3, C4, MBL and MASP-2) were normal in all family members. Impairment of Cls synthesis was observed in the patients` fibroblasts when analyzed by confocal microscopy. We show that all four siblings are homozygous for a mutation at position 938 in exon 6 of the Cls cDNA that creates a premature stop codon. Our investigations led us to reveal the presence of previously uncharacterized splice variants of Cls mRNA transcripts in normal human cells. These variants are derived from the skipping of exon 3 and from the use of an alternative 3` splice site within intron I which increases the size of exon 2 by 87 nucleotides. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Increased expression of CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells correlates with Epstein-Barr virus and has no impact on survival in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma in Brazil

The tumor microenvironment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is clearly responsible for the maintenance of the malignant Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been shown to play a role in this immune evasion. EBV can increase the migration of CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) lymphocytes, named regulatory T cells (Tregs). in this study, we assessed the distribution and biological significance of Tregs in patients with cHL. Tissue microarrays were constructed using diagnostic biopsies available in 130 cHL patients and stained with CD4, CD8, CD25, and FOXP3 antibodies. for the present study, only cHL patients whose histology could be confirmed and EBV association established were studied. From the 130 cHL patients selected for this study, 56 were classified as EBV-related and 74 EBV non-related cHL. There were no association between clinical characteristics and the expression of Tregs. However, higher levels of Tregs correlated with EBV presence on HRS cells (p = 0.02), although it did not influence event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (p = 0.98 and p = 0.59, respectively). This study demonstrates that Tregs expression correlates with EBV presence in HRS cells and has no impact on survival of patients with cHL. Further studies investigating the mechanisms in which EBV recruits Tregs to the tumor microenvironment will contribute not only to our understanding on the pathogenesis of cHL but also to the development of new therapeutic strategies.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Oncol Clin & Expt, Disciplina Hematol & Hemoterapia, BR-04023060 São Paulo, BrazilHosp AC Camargo Fund Antonio Prudente, Dept Patol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Oncol Clin & Expt, Disciplina Hematol & Hemoterapia, BR-04023060 São Paulo, BrazilCNPq: 563010/2008-8Web of Scienc

Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, ventilation management, and outcomes in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a pooled analysis of four observational studies

Background: Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, the practice of ventilation, and outcome in invasively ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unexplored. In this analysis we aim to address these gaps using individual patient data of four large observational studies. Methods: In this pooled analysis we harmonised individual patient data from the ERICC, LUNG SAFE, PRoVENT, and PRoVENT-iMiC prospective observational studies, which were conducted from June, 2011, to December, 2018, in 534 ICUs in 54 countries. We used the 2016 World Bank classification to define two geoeconomic regions: middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs). ARDS was defined according to the Berlin criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients in MICs versus HICs. The primary outcome was the use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for the first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were key ventilation parameters (tidal volume size, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, peak pressure, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory rate), patient characteristics, the risk for and actual development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after the first day of ventilation, duration of ventilation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality. Findings: Of the 7608 patients included in the original studies, this analysis included 3852 patients without ARDS, of whom 2345 were from MICs and 1507 were from HICs. Patients in MICs were younger, shorter and with a slightly lower body-mass index, more often had diabetes and active cancer, but less often chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure than patients from HICs. Sequential organ failure assessment scores were similar in MICs and HICs. Use of LTVV in MICs and HICs was comparable (42·4% vs 44·2%; absolute difference -1·69 [-9·58 to 6·11] p=0·67; data available in 3174 [82%] of 3852 patients). The median applied positive end expiratory pressure was lower in MICs than in HICs (5 [IQR 5-8] vs 6 [5-8] cm H2O; p=0·0011). ICU mortality was higher in MICs than in HICs (30·5% vs 19·9%; p=0·0004; adjusted effect 16·41% [95% CI 9·52-23·52]; p<0·0001) and was inversely associated with gross domestic product (adjusted odds ratio for a US$10 000 increase per capita 0·80 [95% CI 0·75-0·86]; p<0·0001). Interpretation: Despite similar disease severity and ventilation management, ICU mortality in patients without ARDS is higher in MICs than in HICs, with a strong association with country-level economic status

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data