Relative Effects on Virulence of Mutations in the sap, pel, and hrp Loci of Erwinia chrysanthemi

We constructed strains of Erwinia chrysanthemi EC16 with múltiple mutations involving three virulence systems in this bacterium, namelypel (coding for the major pectate lyases pelABCE), hrp (hypersensitive response and pathogenicity), and sap (sensitivity to antimicrobial peptides). The relative effects on virulence of those mutations have been analyzed on potato tubers and chicory leaves. In potato tubers, the sap mutation (BT105) had a greater effect in the reduction of the virulence than the peí (CUCPB5006) and hrp (CUCPB5039) mutations. This reduction was similar to that observed in the pel-hrp double mutant (CUCPB5037). The analysis of the strains affected in Pel-Sap (BT106), Hrp-Sap (BT107), and Pel- Hrp-Sap (BT108) suggested that the effects of these mutations are additive. In chicory leaves, the mutation in the sap locus appeared to have a greater effect than in potato tubers. The competitive Índices of strains BT105, UM1005 (Peí"), CUCPB5039, and CUCPB5037 have been estimated in vivo and in vitro. These results indícate that the mutation in the hrp locus can be complemented in vivo by coinfection, whereas the mutations in peí and sap cannot

Evidence Against a Direct Antimicrobial Role of H2O2 in the Infection of Plants by Erwinia chrysanthemi

We have investigated the role of bacterial resistance to oxidative stress in pathogenesis. The oxyR gene from the pathogenic bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi has been characterized. It is closely related to that found in Escherichia coli (88% overall amino acid identity). An E. chrysanthemi oxyR mutant strain was constructed by marker exchange. After induction with a sublethal dose of H2O2, this mutant was more sensitive to H2O2 and showed reduced levels of catalase and glutathione reductase activities, compared with the wild type. The oxyR mutant was unable to form individual colonies on agar plates unless catalase was added exogenously. However, it retained full virulence in potato tubers and tobacco leaves. These results suggest that the host-produced H2O2 has no direct antimicrobial effect on the interaction of E. chrysanthemi with the two plant species

Response to comment on 'Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity'

Lambert et al. question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species

First characterization of toxic alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the cryptic dendrobatid Silverstoneia punctiventris

Background: Poison frogs are known for the outstanding diversity of alkaloid-based chemical defences with promising therapeutic applications. However, current knowledge about chemical defences in Dendrobatoidea superfamily has two sources of bias. First, cryptic, brown-colored species have been neglected in comparison to those conspicuously colored, and second, there has been little interest in characterizing metabolites other than alkaloids mediating defensive functions. In an effort to contribute to fill the gap of knowledge about cryptic species and broadening the spectrum of compounds analyzed we have applied head-space solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) for extracting amphibian alkaloids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Silverstoneia punctiventris. Results: Using the skin from 8 specimens in 4 biological replicates we have found 33 different compounds. Twenty of them were classified as VOCs into 15 chemical classes including alkanes, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, methylpyridines, benzothiazoles, N-alkylpyrrolidines, pyrazines, and sesquiterpenoids, some of which were previously reported as repellents, defence compounds or defence pheromones in other organisms, and as sex pheromones in a treefrog. Interestingly, six of the remaining compounds were identified as alkaloids previously reported in other toxic/unpalatable dendrobatid frogs. Conclusions: This is the first report of alkaloids and VOCs found in the Silverstoneia genus, which has been assumed for decades as non-chemically defended. This study establishes HS-SPME/GC-MS as a new application for a simultaneous approach to amphibian alkaloids and VOCs in poison frogs while opens up new research questions to assess the co-occurrence of both type of compounds and to investigate the evolutionary significance of a defence gradient that includes olfactory avoidance, unpalatability, and toxicity in dendrobatids. In addition, our results show that amphibian alkaloids could have a dual function (olfactory at distance, taste by contact) never explored before neither in Silverstonaeia nor in any other dendrobatid species.Fil: Gonzalez, Mabel. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Palacios Rodriguez, Pablo. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Hernandez Restrepo, Jack. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: González Santoro, Marco. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Amézquita, Adolfo. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Brunetti, Andrés Eduardo. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Carazzone, Chiara. Universidad de los Andes; Colombi

Rural-urban gradients and all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality in Spain using individual data

The literature reporting on rural-urban health status disparities remains inconclusive. We analyzed data from a longitudinal population-based study using individual observations. Our results show that the risks of all-cause and cancer mortality are greater in large cities than in other municipalities, with no clear urban-rural gradient. Not differences were found among territories in cardiovascular mortality.This work was supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministry of Science and Innovation [grant number PI19CIII/00021 and FI17CIII/00003].S

Técnica de Livani-Belangero (MIPO) en el tratamiento de las fracturas diafisarias de húmero. Experiencia latinoamericana en tres centros hospitalarios

Objetivo: Evaluar los datos demográficos, como edad, sexo, profesión, lado afectado, lesión única o múltiple, tipo de material utilizado, tiempo de cicatrización ósea y posibles complicaciones de los pacientes con fracturas diafisarias de húmero tratados mediante la técnica MIPO en tres centros hospitalarios de Ecuador, Paraguay y Brasil. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo, longitudinal, observacional de los datos de 133 pacientes recolectados en tres Servicios: de Quito (Ecuador), Asunción (Paraguay) y Passo Fundo (Brasil). Se compararon las distribuciones entre diferentes Servicios mediante la prueba x2 de Pearson. Resultados: La edad de los pacientes varió entre 17 y 76 años, con una media de 36 años. El tiempo promedio hasta la consolidación fue de 11 semanas (126 de 132 pacientes). Predominó el sexo masculino (70,45%), el lado derecho era el más afectado (55,3%), la mayoría de las fracturas eran únicas (85,61%), se logró la consolidación en el 95,45%. Solo el 9,09% tuvo complicaciones y el 6,82% fueron severas. El 87,12% no tuvo complicaciones; el 0,76% sufrió neuropraxia posquirúrgica; el 3,03%, infección y el 4,55%, seudoartrosis. Conclusión: Con la técnica MIPO para el tratamiento de las fracturas diafisarias de húmero, las tasas de complicaciones y de morbilidad son bajas, y la tasa de consolidación es buena

Modelling of the interaction between ELMs and fast-ions using MEGA

EUROfusion Consortium 63305

Secreted factors by Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells Induce Tumor-Promoting M2-like Macrophage Polarization through a TIM3-Dependent Mechanism

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a highly aggressive type of thyroid cancer (TC). Currently, no effective target treatments are available that can improve overall survival, with ATC representing a major clinical challenge because of its remarkable lethality. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most evident cells in ATCs, and their high density is correlated with a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms of how TAMs promote ATC progression remain poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrated that the treatment of human monocytes (THP-1 cells) with ATC cell-derived conditioned media (CM) promoted macrophage polarization, showing high levels of M2 markers. Furthermore, we found that STAT3 was activated, and this was correlated with an increased expression and secretion of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6. Remarkably, the M2-like macrophages obtained revealed tumor-promoting activity. A cytokine array analysis demonstrated that M2-like macrophage-derived CM contained high levels of TIM3, which is an important immune regulatory molecule. Consistently, TIM3 expression was up-regulated in THP-1 cells cultured with ATC cell-derived CM. Moreover, TIM3 blockade significantly reversed the polarization of THP-1 cells induced by ATC cell-secreted soluble factors. We validated the clinical significance of the TIM3 in human TC by analyzing public datasets and found that the expression of TIM3 and its ligand galectin 9 was significantly higher in human TC tissue samples than in normal thyroid tissues. Taken together, our findings identified a new mechanism by which TIM3 induces tumor-promoting M2-like macrophage polarization in TC. Furthermore, TIM3 interference might be a potential tool for treatment of patients with ATC.Fil: Stempin, Cinthia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Geysels, Romina Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Park, Sunmi. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Palacios, Luz María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Volpini, Ximena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Motran, Claudia Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Acosta Rodriguez, Eva Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Nicola, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Cheng, Sheue Yann. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Pellizas, Claudia Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Fozzatti, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentin

Implementation of synthetic fast-ion loss detector and imaging heavy ion beam probe diagnostics in the 3D hybrid kinetic-MHD code MEGA

A synthetic fast-ion loss (FIL) detector and an imaging Heavy Ion Beam Probe (i-HIBP) have been implemented in the 3D hybrid kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic code MEGA. First synthetic measurements from these two diagnostics have been obtained for neutral beam injection-driven Alfvén Eigenmode (AE) simulated with MEGA. The synthetic FILs show a strong correlation with the AE amplitude. This correlation is observed in the phase-space, represented in coordinates (Pϕ, E), being toroidal canonical momentum and energy, respectively. FILs and the energy exchange diagrams of the confined population are connected with lines of constant E′, a linear combination of E and Pϕ. First i-HIBP synthetic signals also have been computed for the simulated AE, showing displacements in the strike line of the order of ∼1 mm, above the expected resolution in the i-HIBP scintillator of ∼100 μm.European Starting Grant (ERC) from project 3D-FIREFLUCSpanish Ministry of Science under Grant No. FPU19/02267EUROfusion Consortium grant agreement No 63305

Non-linear hybrid kinetic-MHD simulations of ELMs in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

EUROfusion Consortium 63305