Global Research on Plant Nematodes

Background: The more than 4100 species of phytoparasitic nematodes are responsible for an estimated economic loss in the agricultural sector of nearly $125 billion annually. Knowing the main lines of research and concerns about nematodes that affect plants is fundamental. Methods: For this reason, an analysis using bibliometric data has been carried out, with the aim of tracing the state of world research in this field, as well as knowing the main lines of work, their priorities, and their evolution. Results: This will allow us to establish strategic lines for the future development of this research. Conclusions: The analysis has allowed us to detect that the interest in nematodes affecting plants has not stopped growing in the last decades, and that tomato, soybean, and potato crops are the ones that generate the most interest, as well as nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne and Globodera. Likewise, we have detected that the main lines of research in this field are focused on biological control and host–parasite interaction

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Plasmodium vivax Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen Polymorphism at Exon-1 Shows Recombination and Signatures of Balancing Selection

Plasmodium vivax Cysteine-Rich Protective Antigen (CyRPA) is a merozoite protein participating in the parasite invasion of human reticulocytes. During natural P. vivax infection, antibody responses against PvCyRPA have been detected. In children, low anti-CyRPA antibody titers correlated with clinical protection, which suggests this protein as a potential vaccine candidate. This work analyzed the genetic and amino acid diversity of pvcyrpa in Mexican and global parasites. Consensus coding sequences of pvcyrpa were obtained from seven isolates. Other sequences were extracted from a repository. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees, genetic diversity parameters, linkage disequilibrium (LD), and neutrality tests were analyzed, and the potential amino acid polymorphism participation in B-cell epitopes was investigated. In 22 sequences from Southern Mexico, two synonymous and 21 nonsynonymous mutations defined nine private haplotypes. These parasites had the highest LD-R2 index and the lowest nucleotide diversity compared to isolates from South America or Asia. The nucleotide diversity and Tajima&rsquo;s D values varied across the coding gene. The exon-1 sequence had greater diversity and Rm values than those of exon-2. Exon-1 had significant positive values for Tajima&rsquo;s D, &beta;-&alpha; values, and for the Z (HA: dN &gt; dS) and MK tests. These patterns were similar for parasites of different origin. The polymorphic amino acid residues at PvCyRPA resembled the conformational B-cell peptides reported in PfCyRPA. Diversity at pvcyrpa exon-1 is caused by mutation and recombination. This seems to be maintained by balancing selection, likely due to selective immune pressure, all of which merit further study

Enseñar y aprender en época de cambios : XXVI Premios Francisco Giner de los Ríos a la Mejora de la Calidad Educativa

En esta edición de los Premios Giner de los Ríos se ha reconocido con el Premio Especial el trabajo llevado a cabo a lo largo de quince años por el profesorado del área de ciencias, junto a sus alumnos, en el estudio de la calidad de las aguas del río Guadalquivir a su paso por Sevilla. En Educación Infantil se ha premiado una webquest basada en la metodología constructivista que consigue el desarrollo de todas las competencias del alumnado e investiga cómo es la vida en la sabana, tundra-polo, selva y desierto. La primera experiencia premiada en Educación Primaria reconoce el esfuerzo de una comunidad educativa en la elaboración de un largometraje sobre Astronomía. La segunda es la creación y puesta en práctica del programa ELIGe©, que ayuda a los alumnos con TEA a la elección de actividades cotidianas, y a la comprensión y expresión de emociones básicas. En Ciencia y Tecnología, se ha premiado el Proyecto bambú, bosquete con variedades de esta planta para trabajar. En Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales, se ha reconocido el valor de una experiencia que transmite al alumnado la idea de que la lengua es la herramienta que permite proyectar una imagen de lo que somos, queremos y anhelamos. En Otras Materias y Áreas Curriculares se ha galardonado un trabajo cuyo objetivo es la enseñanza al alumnado del trabajo autónomo y el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa. En la modalidad de Trabajos de Aplicación de Conocimientos en Distintos Ámbitos Personales o Sociales, se ha galardonado un proyecto de Formación Profesional que aborda tres objetivos: la integración curricular del desarrollo de proyectos de empresa y simulaciones de entornos reales de trabajo; el cambio en la dinámica del aula con el uso intensivo de la web 2.0; y el cambio en el rol del alumno, que pasa de receptor a creador de conocimiento.MECDES