Differential mobilization of P in the maize rhizosphere by citric acid and potassium citrate.

Abstract The release of organic acid anions from plant roots into soil has been hypothesized to be a mechanism for enhancing phosphorus availability in the rhizosphere. Although these compounds are excreted from the cytoplasm as organic acid anions (e.g. citrate, malate), when the H C -ATPase is also upregulated there is evidence to suggest that they enter the soil as organic acids (e.g. citric acid, malic acid). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of citric acid (H-citrate) and potassium citrate (K-citrate) in the mobilization and plant uptake of P from two acid soils contrasting in their P availability. Our results indicated that the mobilization of P from a KH 33 2 PO 4 labelled patch of soil was soil type dependent, was controlled by its intrinsic P status, and that more P was made available by K-citrate than H-citrate. Similarly, the uptake of 33 P from the rhizosphere by Zea mays L. was greatest in the presence of K-citrate in comparison to H-citrate. However, a significant increase in shoot 33 P content was only observed in the more acidic soil with high P sorption potential (Haplic podzol) while no significant increase was observed in the less acidic soil with low P sorption potential (Eutric cambisol). We conclude that the chemical form of organic acid anion excretion may have a significant impact on its P mobilization capability. The contrasting results with the two acid soils indicate that organic acids may not provide a universal mechanism for enhancing P uptake from soil.

Understanding why women don’t choose engineering degrees

Despite the continuous efforts of governments and universities to avoid the underrepresentation of women entering engineering degrees, the trend has not reverted, and this is a general fact all over the world. This fact goes against the tendency of a growing ratio of women in tertiary education, so causes must be investigated. This research examines two main questions: Is it possible to break the invisible barriers that prevent girls from entering in engineering degrees by means of an engineering project or activity? And are there important misconceptions about the role of women in engineering professions and about engineering itself among high school girls? An extensive survey has been carried out between three groups of students: students of the last years of high school (834), students of the first year of engineering degrees (319), and students of the first year of sciences degrees (209). A set of visits to the high schools was developed and a contest of engineering projects was carried out too. The results show that there are important misconceptions in the knowledge that high school students have about engineering degrees and engineering. The visits and the project contest had a good impact that encouraged girls to take engineering activities in their curricula. The main finding is that even though girls see engineering professions as very well valued, they are convinced that engineering is not a profession for women, which suggests that there are educational barriers acquired during earlier stages of their lives

Mobile genetic elements related to the diffusion of plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases or carbapenemases from Enterobacteriaceae: findings from a multicenter study in Spain

We examined the genetic context of 74 acquired ampC genes and 17 carbapenemase genes from 85 out of 640 Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected in 2009. Using S1-PFGE and Southern hybridization, 37 out of 74 blaAmpC genes were located on large plasmids of different sizes belonging to six Inc groups. We used sequencing and PCR mapping to investigate the regions flanking the acquired ampC genes. The blaCMY-2like genes were associated with ISEcp1, the surrounding blaDHA genes were similar to Klebsiella pneumoniae plasmid pTN60013 associated with IS26 and the psp and sap operons, and blaACC-1 genes were associated with IS26 elements inserted into ISEcp1. All the carbapenemase genes (blaVIM-1, two blaIMP-22 and blaIMP-28) were located in class 1 integrons. Therefore, although plasmids are the main cause of the rapid dissemination of ampC genes among Enterobacteriaceae, we need to be aware that other mobile genetic elements, such as insertion sequences, transposons or integrons, can be involved in the mobilization of these genes of chromosomal origin. Additionally, three new integrons are described in this study (In846 to In848)

Bone Marrow Clonogenic Myeloid Progenitors from NPM1-Mutated AML Patients Do Not Harbor the NPM1 Mutation: Implication for the Cell-Of-Origin of NPM1+ AML

The cell-of-origin of NPM1- and FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still a matter of debate. Here, we combined in vitro clonogenic assays with targeted sequencing to gain further insights into the cell-of-origin of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD-mutated AML in diagnostic bone marrow (BM) from nine NPM1+/FLT3-ITD (+/-) AMLs. We reasoned that individually plucked colony forming units (CFUs) are clonal and reflect the progeny of a single stem/progenitor cell. NPM1 and FLT3-ITD mutations seen in the diagnostic blasts were found in only 2/95 and 1/57 individually plucked CFUs, suggesting that BM clonogenic myeloid progenitors in NPM1-mutated and NPM1/FLT3-ITD-mutated AML patients do not harbor such molecular lesions. This supports previous studies on NPM1 mutations as secondary mutations in AML, likely acquired in an expanded pool of committed myeloid progenitors, perhaps CD34-, in line with the CD34-/low phenotype of NPM1-mutated AMLs. This study has important implications on the cell-of-origin of NPM1+ AML, and reinforces that therapeutic targeting of either NPM1 or FLT3-ITD mutations might only have a transient clinical benefit in debulking the leukemia, but is unlikely to be curative since will not target the AML-initiating/preleukemic cells. The absence of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD mutations in normal clonogenic myeloid progenitors is in line with their absence in clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential.We thank CERCA/Generalitat de Catalunya and Fundació Josep Carreras-Obra Social la Caixa for their institutional support. Financial support for this work was obtained from the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR330) to P.M., the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2016-80481-R to P.M. and SAF2016-76758-R to I.V.), the Fundación Uno entre Cienmil, the Obra Social La Caixa (ID 100010434, under agreement LCF/PR/HR19/52160011), the Josep Carreras Foundation, the Leo Messi Foundation, and the Banco Santander Foundation to P.M.; and the Spanish Association against cancer (AECC-CI-2015) to C.B. E.A. acknowledges support form “Fundación Hay Esperanza”. P.M. is an investigator of the Spanish Cell Therapy cooperative network (TERCEL)

Ni Iguals ni Banals

Projecte: 2018PID-UB/026Ni iguals ni banals és un projecte col·laboratiu entre estudiants de diferents facultats i presentat com un mètode resolutiu per transmetre informació mèdica a la societat. La idea del projecte sorgeix a partir de l’observació de l’ús incorrecte dels fàrmacs de venda lliure i els riscos derivats del seu consum inadequat. L’ibuprofè i el paracetamol són un claríssim exemple, pel que es decideix fer una intervenció, en forma de campanya educativa, orientada a fomentar un consum responsable d’aquests fàrmacs que es poden adquirir sense recepta mèdica. Una anàlisi de l’entorn mostra que la població jove és la que té menys contacte amb el sistema de salut i, per tant, menys oportunitats de rebre indicacions sobre l’ús correcte dels medicaments. A més, els joves formen part del rang d’edat més propens a realitzar auto-consultes en línia. La forma com Ni iguals ni banals pretén donar resposta al problema del mal ús dels fàrmacs és amb la creació d’un producte audiovisual dirigit a la població jove on es defineixin les indicacions específiques del paracetamol i de l’ibuprofè, així com les conseqüències del seu ús incorrecte a causa de les seves similituds farmacològiques. El material audiovisual elaborat té dos propòsits: 1) seduir a la població diana a través de l’elecció del gènere audiovisual més adient, la síntesi de la informació científica i l’ajust del registre verbal divulgatiu i 2) facilitar la seva difusió a través de les xarxes socials. Així mateix, és un format tancat i revisable per professionals abans de la seva difusió i, per tant, factible per a estudiants de Medicina que encara no són facultatius. Ni iguals ni banals és un exemple clar sobre com es pot combinar la identificació d’un problema real mèdic, la recerca d’informació tant poblacional com bibliogràfica i la col·laboració interdisciplinària, per englobar-ho tot en una dinàmica didàctica, de forma que els estudiants adquireixen habilitats pràctiques a la vegada que es desenvolupen en un ambient transversal

Nomogram-based prediction of survival in patients with advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma receiving first-line chemotherapy: a multicenter prospective study in the era of trastuzumab

Background: To develop and validate a nomogram and web-based calculator to predict overall survival (OS) in Caucasian-advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma (AOA) patients undergoing first-line combination chemotherapy. Methods: Nine hundred twenty-four AOA patients treated at 28 Spanish teaching hospitals from January 2008 to September 2014 were used as derivation cohort. The result of an adjusted-Cox proportional hazards regression was represented as a nomogram and web-based calculator. The model was validated in 502 prospectively recruited patients treated between October 2014 and December 2016. Harrell's c-index was used to evaluate discrimination. Results: The nomogram includes seven predictors associated with OS: HER2-positive tumours treated with trastuzumab, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, number of metastatic sites, bone metastases, ascites, histological grade, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Median OS was 5.8 (95% confidence interval (CI), 4.5–6.6), 9.4 (95% CI, 8.5–10.6), and 14 months (95% CI, 11.8–16) for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups, respectively (P<0.001), in the derivation set and 4.6 (95% CI, 3.3–8.1), 12.7 (95% CI, 11.3–14.3), and 18.3 months (95% CI, 14.6–24.2) for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups, respectively (P<0.001), in the validation set. The nomogram is well-calibrated and reveals acceptable discriminatory capacity, with optimism-corrected c-indices of 0.618 (95% CI, 0.591–0.631) and 0.673 (95% CI, 0.636–0.709) in derivation and validation groups, respectively. The AGAMENON nomogram outperformed the Royal Marsden Hospital (c-index=0.583; P=0.00046) and Japan Clinical Oncology Group prognostic indices (c-index=0.611; P=0.03351). Conclusions: We developed and validated a straightforward model to predict survival in Caucasian AOA patients initiating first-line polychemotherapy. This model can contribute to inform clinical decision-making and optimise clinical trial design

Spanish guidelines for the use of targeted deep sequencing in myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia

The landscape of medical sequencing has rapidly changed with the evolution of next generation sequencing (NGS). These technologies have contributed to the molecular characterization of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML), through the identification of recurrent gene mutations, which are present in >80% of patients. These mutations contribute to a better classification and risk stratification of the patients. Currently, clinical laboratories include NGS genomic analyses in their routine clinical practice, in an effort to personalize the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of MDS and CMML. NGS technologies have reduced the cost of large-scale sequencing, but there are additional challenges involving the clinical validation of these technologies, as continuous advances are constantly being made. In this context, it is of major importance to standardize the generation, analysis, clinical interpretation and reporting of NGS data. To that end, the Spanish MDS Group (GESMD) has expanded the present set of guidelines, aiming to establish common quality standards for the adequate implementation of NGS and clinical interpretation of the results, hoping that this effort will ultimately contribute to the benefit of patients with myeloid malignancies

Quantification of inaccurate diagnosis of COPD in primary care medicine: an analysis of the COACH clinical audit

[Background] Inaccurate diagnosis in COPD is a current problem with relevant consequences in terms of inefficient health care, which has not been thoroughly studied in primary care medicine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the degree of inaccurate diagnosis in Primary Care in Spain and study the determinants associated with it.[Methods] The Community Assessment of COPD Health Care (COACH) study is a national, observational, randomized, non-interventional, national clinical audit aimed at evaluating clinical practice for patients with COPD in primary care medicine in Spain. For the present analysis, a correct diagnosis was evaluated based on previous exposure and airway obstruction with and without the presence of symptoms. The association of patient-level and center-level variables with inaccurate diagnosis was studied using multivariate multilevel binomial logistic regression models.[Results] During the study 4,307 cases from 63 centers were audited. The rate of inaccurate diagnosis was 82.4% (inter-regional range from 76.8% to 90.2%). Patient-related interventions associated with inaccurate diagnosis were related to active smoking, lung function evaluation, and specific therapeutic interventions. Center-level variables related to the availability of certain complementary tests and different aspects of the resources available were also associated with an inaccurate diagnosis.[Conclusions] The prevalence data for the inaccurate diagnosis of COPD in primary care medicine in Spain establishes a point of reference in the clinical management of COPD. The descriptors of the variables associated with this inaccurate diagnosis can be used to identify cases and centers in which inaccurate diagnosis is occurring considerably, thus allowing for improvement.Peer reviewe

Developing multiscale and integrative nature–people scenarios using the Nature Futures Framework

1. Scientists have repeatedly argued that transformative, multiscale global scenarios are needed as tools in the quest to halt the decline of biodiversity and achieve sustainability goals. 2. As a first step towards achieving this, the researchers who participated in the scenarios and models expert group of the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) entered into an iterative, participatory process that led to the development of the Nature Futures Framework (NFF). 3. The NFF is a heuristic tool that captures diverse, positive relationships of humans with nature in the form of a triangle. It can be used both as a boundary object for continuously opening up more plural perspectives in the creation of desirable nature scenarios and as an actionable framework for developing consistent nature scenarios across multiple scales. 4. Here we describe the methods employed to develop the NFF and how it fits into a longer term process to create transformative, multiscale scenarios for nature. We argue that the contribution of the NFF is twofold: (a) its ability to hold a plurality of perspectives on what is desirable, which enables the development of joint goals and visions and recognizes the possible convergence and synergies of measures to achieve these visions and (b), its multiscale functionality for elaborating scenarios and models that can inform decision‐making at relevant levels, making it applicable across specific places and perspectives on nature. 5. If humanity is to achieve its goal of a more sustainable and prosperous future rooted in a flourishing nature, it is critical to open up a space for more plural perspectives of human–nature relationships. As the global community sets out to develop new goals for biodiversity, the NFF can be used as a navigation tool helping to make diverse, desirable futures possible