Alternative Oxidase (AOX) Senses Stress Levels to Coordinate Auxin-Induced Reprogramming From Seed Germination to Somatic Embryogenesis—A Role Relevant for Seed Vigor Prediction and Plant Robustness

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is the most striking and prominent example of plant plasticity upon severe stress. Inducing immature carrot seeds perform SE as substitute to germination by auxin treatment can be seen as switch between stress levels associated to morphophysiological plasticity. This experimental system is highly powerful to explore stress response factors that mediate the metabolic switch between cell and tissue identities. Developmental plasticity per se is an emerging trait for in vitro systems and crop improvement. It is supposed to underlie multi-stress tolerance. High plasticity can protect plants throughout life cycles against variable abiotic and biotic conditions. We provide proof of concepts for the existing hypothesis that alternative oxidase (AOX) can be relevant for developmental plasticity and be associated to yield stability. Our perspective on AOX as relevant coordinator of cell reprogramming is supported by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses and gross metabolism data from calorespirometry complemented by SHAM-inhibitor studies on primed, elevated partial pressure of oxygen (EPPO)–stressed, and endophyte-treated seeds. In silico studies on public experimental data from diverse species strengthen generality of our insights. Finally, we highlight ready-to-use concepts for plant selection and optimizing in vivo and in vitro propagation that do not require further details on molecular physiology and metabolism. This is demonstrated by applying our research & technology concepts to pea genotypes with differential yield performance in multilocation fields and chickpea types known for differential robustness in the field. By using these concepts and tools appropriately, also other marker candidates than AOX and complex genomics data can be efficiently validated for prebreeding and seed vigor prediction.</p

Safety and Revisit Related to Discharge the Sixty-one Spanish Emergency Department Medical Centers Without Hospitalization in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia. A Prospective Cohort Study UMC-Pneumonia COVID-19

Background: Information is needed on the safety and efficacy of direct discharge from the emergency department (ED) of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to study the variables associated with discharge from the ED in patients presenting with COVID-19 pneumonia, and study ED revisits related to COVID-19 at 30 days (EDR30d). Methods: Multicenter study of the SIESTA cohort including 1198 randomly selected COVID patients in 61 EDs of Spanish medical centers from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2020. We collected baseline and related characteristics of the acute episode and calculated the adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for ED discharge. In addition, we analyzed the variables related to EDR30d in discharged patients. Results: We analyzed 859 patients presenting with COVID-19 pneumonia, 84 (9.8%) of whom were discharged from the ED. The variables independently associated with discharge were being a woman (aOR 1.890; 95%CI 1.176-3.037), age 1200/mm(3) (aOR 4.667; 95%CI 1.045-20.839). The EDR30d of the ED discharged group was 40.0%, being lower in women (aOR 0.368; 95%CI 0.142-0.953). A total of 130 hospitalized patients died (16.8%) as did two in the group discharged from the ED (2.4%) (OR 0.121; 95%CI 0.029-0.498). Conclusion: Discharge from the ED in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia was infrequent and was associated with few variables of the episode. The EDR30d was high, albeit with a low mortality

pilotSTRATEGY project 2021-2026: “CO2 Geological Pilots in Strategic Territories”

[EN] The pilotSTRATEGY (2021-2026) is investigating geological CO2 storage sites in industrial regions to support development of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is focused on deep saline aquifers–porous rock formations filled with brine several kilometres below ground – which promise a large capacity for storing captured CO2. The goal of the characterisation is to assess the site’s containment, injectivity, capacity, integrity, hydrodynamics, and monitorability in order to ensure safe and permanent storage of CO2. PilotSTRATEGY covers the initial stages of project development up to the pre-final investment decision (pre-FID), regulatory approval and permitting of storage, and applied on selected structures of Paris Basin in France, the Lusitanian Basin in Portugal and the Ebro Basin in Spain, and in lower detail, in West Macedonia in Greece and Upper Silesia in Poland.The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (10.1 million Euros, No. 101022664).Peer reviewe

Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α‐linolenic acid (ALA), a plant‐derived ω‐3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω‐3 fatty acids (long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9‐y follow‐up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.92) for all‐cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58–1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–1.05) for all‐cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39–0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29–0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22–1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all‐cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45–0.87]). Conclusions: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all‐cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish‐derived long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.Controlled-trials.com/. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639

El Caribe, entre bienales

Albeit considered an 19th century model on its way to exhaustion, the so called “biennial system” is currently active in over two hundred instances. A quick review of renowned biennials shows an even distribution of recurring events in different geocultural areas and regions, all with “underdeveloped” countries as protagonists. The Caribbean and Central America also take part of this trend through both well-established massive events and new ones. Some of them underline decolonizing stances defending creole expressions and operate as efficient thermometers assessing the artistic climate in a diversified region —for centuries subjected to fragmentation—, projecting their own voice with regard to visual contemporaneity.A pesar de considerarse un modelo decimonónico en franco agotamiento, en la actualidad el denominado “sistema bienal” supera las doscientas iniciativas de su tipo. Una simple ojeada a renombradas bienales nos muestra un equilibrado reparto de eventos periódicos por zonas geoculturales y regiones en el que los países “en vías de desarrollo” llevan la voz cantante. El Caribe y Centroamérica se insertan en este universo de actualidad con megaeventos establecidos a los que se incorporan nuevas citas. Algunos remarcan los posicionamientos decoloniales en defensa de las expresiones de la creolidad y examinan como un termómetro eficaz la topografía artística en una región diversa, sometida durante siglos a la fragmentación, y proyectan con voz propia la contemporaneidad visual

El código HYDROTHERM como herramienta de integración de la geofísica en prospección geotérmica

[EN] The use of numerical codes in simulating geothermal reservoirs is one of the most powerful tools for integrating geology, geochemistry, and geophysics in high enthalpy geothermal research processes. This paper summarizes some examples of USGS HYDROTHERM code application results on the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Tenerife, which are considered very different geothermal models. The first island has normal geothermal gradient, the second has magmatic bodies near the surface and Tenerife has a comparison between geophysical techniques to determine the recharge-discharge flows of the Cañadas-Teide system. In the first two islands there are boreholes that allow adjusting and validating the models, whereas Tenerife or La Palma have been studied using the same methodology but lack verification boreholes. Nevertheless, their model results are consistent with other geophysical techniques. This highlights the great potential of this code as an integrating tool for the different prospecting techniques to understand geothermal system operations and determine the most suitable location for deep exploration drilling. The significant benefit of this code is the capability to reproduce different evolutionary and casuistry models reliably using the same geological and thermal parameters for all islands.[ES] La utilización de códigos numéricos en la simulación de yacimientos geotérmicos constituye una de las herramientas actuales más potentes de integración de la geología, geoquímica y geofísica en los procesos de investigación geotérmica de alta entalpía. En el presente trabajo se resumen algunos ejemplos de los resultados de la aplicación del código HYDROTHERM del USGS en las islas de Gran Canaria, Lanzarote y Tenerife por considerarse modelos geotérmicos muy diferentes: la primera con gradiente geotérmico normal, la segunda con cuerpos magmáticos cercanos a la superficie y Tenerife con una comparativa entre técnicas geofísicas para determinar los flujos de recarga-descarga del sistema Cañadas-Teide. En las dos primeras islas existen sondeos que permiten ajustar y validar los modelos. Tenerife o La Palma, han sido también estudiadas con la misma metodología, pero carecemos de sondeos de comprobación, aunque los resultados del modelo resulten coincidentes con otras técnicas geofísicas. Se pone así de manifiesto su gran potencial como herramienta integradora de las diferentes técnicas prospectivas para comprender el funcionamiento del sistema geotérmico y determinar la ubicación más idónea de los sondeos de reconocimiento profundo. La mayor bondad de este código ha sido que, empleando los mismos parámetros geológicos y térmicos para todas las islas, se han logrado reproducir modelos evolutivos y casuísticas muy diferentes con excelentes resultados.Esta publicación ha sido posible gracias a dos programas RETOS: (a) ELECTROVOLCÁN. Proyecto RTC-2017-6628-3: Diseño y desarrollo experimental de prototipos para la generación de electricidad mediante efecto termoeléctrico en anomalías geotérmicas superficiales de origen volcánico: Aplicación en los sistemas volcánicos de Timanfaya (Lanzarote) y Teide (Tenerife). (b) TERMOVOLCÁN. Proyecto RTC-2017-66287-3: Diseño y desarrollo experimental de una metodología multiparamétrica para la exploración de recursos geotérmicos ocultos de alta entalpía en Canarias.Peer reviewe

Major Complex Trait for Early De Novo Programming ‘CoV-MAC-TED’ Detected in Human Nasal Epithelial Cells Infected by Two SARS-CoV-2 Variants Is Promising to Help in Designing Therapeutic Strategies

Background: Early metabolic reorganization was only recently recognized as an essentially integrated part of immunology. In this context, unbalanced ROS/RNS levels connected to increased aerobic fermentation, which is linked to alpha-tubulin-based cell restructuring and control of cell cycle progression, were identified as a major complex trait for early de novo programming (‘CoV-MAC-TED’) during SARS-CoV-2 infection. This trait was highlighted as a critical target for developing early anti-viral/anti-SARS-CoV-2 strategies. To obtain this result, analyses had been performed on transcriptome data from diverse experimental cell systems. A call was released for wide data collection of the defined set of genes for transcriptome analyses, named ‘ReprogVirus’, which should be based on strictly standardized protocols and data entry from diverse virus types and variants into the ‘ReprogVirus Platform’. This platform is currently under development. However, so far, an in vitro cell system from primary target cells for virus attacks that could ideally serve for standardizing the data collection of early SARS-CoV-2 infection responses has not been defined. Results: Here, we demonstrate transcriptome-level profiles of the most critical ‘ReprogVirus’ gene sets for identifying ‘CoV-MAC-TED’ in cultured human nasal epithelial cells infected by two SARS-CoV-2 variants differing in disease severity. Our results (a) validate ‘Cov-MAC-TED’ as a crucial trait for early SARS-CoV-2 reprogramming for the tested virus variants and (b) demonstrate its relevance in cultured human nasal epithelial cells. Conclusion: In vitro-cultured human nasal epithelial cells proved to be appropriate for standardized transcriptome data collection in the ‘ReprogVirus Platform’. Thus, this cell system is highly promising to advance integrative data analyses with the help of artificial intelligence methodologies for designing anti-SARS-CoV-2 strategies