Reply to Cleveland et al.’s “Detecting (trans)gene flow to landraces in centers of crop origin: lessons from the case of maize in Mexico”

Cleveland et al. (2005, Environ. Biosafety Res. 4: 197–208) offer useful suggestions for monitoring transgenes in landraces of maize, but we disagree with their statement that the scientific conclusions of our paper (Ortiz-García et al., 2005, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102: 12338–12343) are not justified. First, contrary to their perception, our survey was not designed to evaluate transgenes in the whole State of Oaxaca, but rather to monitor a specific portion of the District of Ixtlán de Juárez where the presence of transgenes had been reported previously by Quist and Chapela (2001, Nature 414: 541–543). Second, our paper described two methods for estimating frequencies of undetected transgenic seeds, while Cleveland et al. recommend a third approach that explicitly estimates effective population size. They argue that the effective population size of our seed samples is smaller than we assumed, leading to false claims about our detection accuracy. However, we employed a robust statistical approach to compensate for possible bias by using numbers of maternal plants, in addition to numbers of seeds, to provide a conservative estimate of the minimum number of independent samples. When we re-analyzed our 2004 data using effective population sizes, our conclusion that transgenic seeds were “absent or extremely rare” did not change, nor did the general range of possible frequencies of undetected transgenic seeds. Unlike Cleveland et al., we advocate using combined probability tests to analyze data across localities. Third, our critics argue that we accepted the null hypothesis that transgenes were absent. Actually, we assumed that transgenes were present in local landraces, and we used parameter estimation methods to calculate the probability of failing to detect transgenic individuals at a range of frequencies. In agreement with Cleveland et al., we reiterate that there is a clear need for additional surveys with rigorous sampling methods to provide estimates of transgene frequencies over broad geographic areas in Mexico

Enhancing Night and Day Circadian Contrast through Sleep Education in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Evidence supports a causal relationship between circadian disturbance and impaired glucose homeostasis. Methods: To determine the effect of an educational intervention delivered by primary care nurses to improve sleep hygiene, a parallel, open-label clinical trial in subjects aged 18 and older with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was performed. Study variables were sex, age, fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleep duration and efficiency, body mass index, antidiabetic treatment, diet and physical exercise. An individual informative educational intervention was carried out following a bidirectional feedback method. The intervention aimed to develop skills to improve sleep through nine simple tips. An analysis of covariance was performed on all the mean centred outcome variables controlling for the respective baseline scores. Results: In the intervention group, PSQI dropped, the duration and quality of sleep increased, and a decrease in fasting glucose and in HbA1c levels was observed. Conclusion: The proposed intervention is effective for improving sleep quality, length and efficiency, and for decreasing fasting glucose and HbA1c levels in only 3 months. These findings support the importance of sleep and circadian rhythm education focused on improving IFG and T2DM

Especies de picudos (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) asociados a limón persa en Tabasco, México

Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are one of the main pests in citrus production systems due to their distribution and way of feeding. The objective of this work was to morphologically identify the species of weevils associated with the cultivation of Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) in the citrus zone of the municipality of Huimanguillo, Tabasco, Mexico. The captures of weevils were made directly in the canopy, from September 2019 to February 2021, for a total of 17 collected in three Persian lemon plantations, two with conventional management and one with organic management, each one with useful plots of two hectares (624 plants). A total of 1,039 weevils corresponding to four morphospecies were collected, of which 240 were morphologically identified as Epicaerus sp. (1), 355 as Epicaerus sp. (2), 112 as Exophthalmus opulentus and 332 as Cleistolophus subfasciatus.Los picudos (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) son una de las principales plagas en los sistemas de producción citrícola debido a su distribución y forma de alimentación. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue identificar morfológicamente las especies de picudos asociados al cultivo de limón persa (Citrus latifolia Tanaka) en la zona citrícola del municipio de Huimanguillo, Tabasco, México. Las capturas de picudos se realizaron de manera directa en la copa de los árboles, de septiembre de 2019 a febrero de 2021, para un total de 17 muestreos en tres plantaciones de limón persa, dos con manejo convencional y una con manejo orgánico, cada una con parcelas útiles de dos hectáreas (624 plantas). Se colectaron 1,039 picudos correspondientes a cuatro morfoespecies, de las cuales 240 se identificaron morfológicamente como Epicaerus sp. (1), 355 como Epicaerus sp. (2), 112 como Exophthalmus opulentus y 332 como Cleistolophus subfasciatus

Sensory profile of beef meat of retinta breed from two livestock production system during ageing

The growing consumers’ interest in quality differentiated products, not only in terms of sensory and nutritional quality but also in terms of parameters such as animal welfare, product origin and production system, makes necessary to research the importance of autochthonous breeds, raised in more sustai-nable extensive systems, where welfare levels are often high. Additionally, it is well known that ageing is one of the main factors that has influence in the final quality of beef meat. Therefore, this work aimed to study the sensorial profile of organoleptic attributes of Retinta autochthonous breed from two livestock production systems (intensive and extensive) at 7 days and 14 days of ageing. Mo-reover, a consumer’s assessment was also carried out. Findings showed that the extensive production system improved the quality parameters (tenderness, juiciness and oiliness) of beef meat. The texture parameters were the first to change during the first days of ageing. Regarding the hedonic study, the consumers did not show a clear preference and/or acceptance for any sample, which could indicate that the production systems did not result in a differentiated quality at the organoleptic level by the con-sumers. It is necessary to promote higher knowledge about the organoleptic attributes which must be considered in the consumption of quality beef, so that the production system can be taken into account in the purchase decision by the consumers.Este trabajo fue financiado por el proyecto RTA 2014-00034-C04-00 (INIA-AEI) y fondos FEDERPeer reviewe

Impact of the pre-slaughter transport (mixing or no mixing with unfamiliar animals) of calves of Asturiana de los Valles and Retinta breeds on physicochemical and organoleptic attributes of the ageing meat. Consumers’ acceptability and preference

As ageing process is one of the main factors influencing the organoleptic characteristics of meat and its consumer acceptability, the objective of this research was to study the organoleptic attributes variation of meat from Asturiana de los Valles and Retinta breeds at two times of the ageing process (7 and 14 days) under different pre-slaughter transport conditions (mixing and non-mixing with unfamiliar animals). A descriptive sensory analysis was carried out with a trained panel and the acceptability and preference for ageing meat of these two breeds were analysed with 75 consumers, as well as a study on the factors that influence the purchase decision to this type of meat. The breed and mixing with unfamiliar animals before slaughter affected significantly at instrumental tenderness. The intensity of the attributes related to the texture showed significant differences among studied samples at 7 days of ageing, with an increase in tenderness, juiciness and fibrousness while at 14 days of ageing, odour, beef flavour, liver flavour and smoothness also showed significant differences. The results indicated that the organoleptic attributes changed in intensity during ageing time, therefore, we can conclude that the attributes of tenderness, juiciness, smoothness, fibrousness, odour, beef flavour and liver flavour showed significant differences among samples and could be considered sensory indicators of ageing. The type of pre-slaughter transport (with or without mixing with unknown animals) also influenced the intensity of the sensory attributes, but less markedly than the breed effect. It was also observed that consumers prefer the meat of the Asturiana de los Valles breed aged for 14 days, despite among the factors that most influence the meat purchase decision, the ageing time was not present. Regarding purchasing habits, a relationship was observed between the meat purchase format and sale point. Overall, it is necessary to promote greater knowledge among consumers about the importance of ageing in beef quality.Este trabajo fue financiado por el proyecto RTA 2014-00034-C00 (INIA-AEI) y fondos FE- DERPeer reviewe

Políticas públicas, autonomía y participación docente en contextos de transformación y cambio

Son muy escasos los organismos internacionales que se preocupan por la situación de los docentes: en América Latina la Red Estrado es uno de los contados colectivos que realiza estudios, investigaciones y propuestas por mejorar la condición humana y profesional de los educadores. En el Ecuador, en sus pocos años de funcionamiento, la Red Estrado ha tenido una presencia muy poco activa para denunciar los problemas y dificultades que afectan a los docentes, dar a conocer las fortalezas y cualidades de quienes educan a los ecuatorianos del presente y del futuro y proponer acciones concretas que aseguren el desarrollo de los integrantes del magisterio. Esta organización de la sociedad civil está integrada por un selecto grupo de académicos pertenecientes a varias universidades, quienes con una actitud totalmente desinteresada y altruista, con el apoyo de sus respectivos centros de educación superior, han organizado algunos eventos nacionales, han publicado varios libros sobre la situación docente y, de manera excepcional, han colocado este tema en el imaginario nacional, a fin de dar a conocer los aspectos relacionados con la formación inicial, el ejercicio de la carrera, las condiciones de salud y trabajo, la formación permanente, los problemas salariales, la evaluación y los demás asuntos que se relacionan con la trayectoria profesional de los educadores. El libro políticas públicas, autonomía y participación docente en contextos de transformación y cambio, que se pone a consideración de los lectores, contiene varios estudios e investigaciones llevados a cabo en estos años por algunos docentes de centros educativos ecuatorianos y otros países de América Latina

Genomic Instability Decreases in HIV Patient by Complementary Therapy with Rosmarinus officinalis Extracts

Genomic instability is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of intake of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Rosmarinus officinalis on genomic instability in HIV patients. We studied 67 HIV patients under pharmacological treatment with ATRIPLA who were divided into three groups: group 1, patients under ATRIPLA antiretroviral therapy; group 2, patients with ATRIPLA and rosemary aqueous extract (4 g/L per day); and group 3, patients with ATRIPLA and rosemary methanolic extract (400 mg/day). The genomic instability was evaluated through the buccal micronucleus cytome assay. Oral epithelial cells were taken at the beginning and 1 and 4 months later. The groups that received the pharmacological therapy with ATRIPLA and the complementary therapy with R. officinalis extracts showed a decrease in the number of cells with micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities compared with the group that only received ATRIPLA. The complementary therapy with R. officinalis decreased the genomic instability in HIV patients

Sobrevida, eficacia y seguridad de Golimumab en pacientes con Artritis Reumatoidea y Espondiloartritis: datos de una cohorte argentina

Objetivos: golimumab ha sido aprobado para el tratamiento de pacientes con artritis reumatoidea (AR), artritis psoriásica (APs) y espondiloartritis axial. Sin embargo, los datos provenientes de nuestra región son escasos. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia, seguridad y sobrevida acumulada de golimumab en pacientes de la vida real con AR, APs y espondilitis anquilosante (EA) de diferentes centros de Argentina. Material y métodos: se llevó a cabo un estudio longitudinal, en el que se incluyeron pacientes consecutivos mayores de 18 años con diagnóstico de AR (criterios ACR/EULAR 2010), APs (critertios CASPAR) y Espax (criterios ASAS 2009), que hayan iniciado tratamiento con golimumab de acuerdo a la indicación médica. Se obtuvieron los datos por revisión de historias clínicas. Se consignaron características sociodemográficas, clínicas, comorbilidades y tratamientos previos. Con respecto al golimumab, se registraron fecha de inicio, vía de administración y tratamientos concomitantes. Se determinó la actividad de la enfermedad mediante DAS28 en el caso de la AR, por DAPSA y MDA para APs y por BASDAI en el caso de Espax. Se consignó la presencia de eventos adversos (EA). En el caso de suspensión del tratamiento, se identificaron la fecha y motivo del mismo. Los pacientes fueron seguidos hasta la suspensión del golimumab, pérdida de seguimiento, muerte, o finalización del estudio (30 de noviembre de 2020). Resultados: se incluyeron 182 pacientes, 116 con diagnóstico de AR, 30 con APs y 36 con Espax. La mayoría de ellos (70.9%) eran mujeres con una edad mediana (m) de 55 años (RIC 43.8-64) y una duración de la enfermedad m de 7 años (RIC 4-12.7) al inicio del tratamiento. El 34.6% de los mismos habían recibido al menos una droga modificadora de la enfermedad (DME) biológica (-b) o sintética dirigida (-sd) previamente. El seguimiento total fue de 318.1 pacientes/año. El tratamiento con golimumab mostró mejoría clínica en los tres grupos de pacientes. La incidencia de eventos adversos fue de 6.6 por 100 pacientes/año, siendo las infecciones las más frecuentes. Durante el seguimiento, 50 pacientes (27.5%) suspendieron golimumab, la causa más frecuente fue el fracaso del tratamiento (68%), seguida de la falta de cobertura (16%) y el desarrollo de eventos adversos (10%). La persistencia de golimumab fue del 76% y 68% a los 12 y 24 meses, respectivamente. Se registró una sobrevida de 50.2 meses (IC 95% 44.4-55.9). Los pacientes que habían recibido tratamiento previo con DME-b y/o -sd mostraron una menor sobrevida (HR 2.4, IC 95% 1.3-4.4). Conclusiones: el tratamiento con golimumab en pacientes de la vida real en Argentina ha demostrado una buena eficacia y seguridad. La sobrevida del fármaco fue de más de 4 años y casi el 80% seguía usando golimumab después de un año. El tratamiento previo con otros DME-b o -sd se asoció con una menor sobrevida al tratamiento

Country-level gender inequality is associated with structural differences in the brains of women and men

Gender inequality across the world has been associated with a higher risk to mental health problems and lower academic achievement in women compared to men. We also know that the brain is shaped by nurturing and adverse socio-environmental experiences. Therefore, unequal exposure to harsher conditions for women compared to men in gender-unequal countries might be reflected in differences in their brain structure, and this could be the neural mechanism partly explaining women's worse outcomes in gender-unequal countries. We examined this through a random-effects meta-analysis on cortical thickness and surface area differences between adult healthy men and women, including a meta-regression in which country-level gender inequality acted as an explanatory variable for the observed differences. A total of 139 samples from 29 different countries, totaling 7,876 MRI scans, were included. Thickness of the right hemisphere, and particularly the right caudal anterior cingulate, right medial orbitofrontal, and left lateral occipital cortex, presented no differences or even thicker regional cortices in women compared to men in gender-equal countries, reversing to thinner cortices in countries with greater gender inequality. These results point to the potentially hazardous effect of gender inequality on women's brains and provide initial evidence for neuroscience-informed policies for gender equality