Prevalence of Escherichia coli adhesion-related genes in neonatal calf diarrhea in Uruguay

Introduction: Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), one of the most important diseases of neonatal dairy and beef calves in Uruguay, has become relevant in association with intensive systems. This disease generates substantial economic losses everyyear worldwide as a result of increased morbidity and mortality. Escherichia coli, one of the pathogens associated with NCD, can express several fimbrial and afimbrial adhesins. The objective of this study was to assess the presence of clpG, f5, f17A, f17G(II), and f17G(I)genes that encode three important adhesins expressed in diarrheagenic E. coli: F5, F17 and CS31A, isolated from feces of calves in Uruguay.Methodology: Feces of 86 (70 diarrheic and 16 healthy) calves, from 15 animal facilities in Uruguay, were collected between 2012 and 2013. Biochemical and molecular identification were performed to finally obtain 298 E. coliisolates. Partial amplification of adhesion-related genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction.Results: The most prevalent gene was f17A(31.2%), followed by f17G(II), clpG, f17G(I)andf5 (25.8%, 17.5%, 3.7% and 0.7%, respectively). All genes were present in diarrheic and healthy animals except f5and f17G(I); these genes were present only in affected calves, although in low numbers.Conclusions: This is the first report of the presence of F5, F17, and CS31A genes in E. coli strains from NCD cases in Uruguay. Prevalence values of the genes, except f5, were in accordance with regional findings. It is expected that further characterization of locally transmitted strains will contribute to control a problem of regional and international magnitude.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

The GEOVIDE cruise in May-June 2014 reveals an intense Meridional Overturning Circulation over a cold and fresh subpolar North Atlantic

The GEOVIDE cruise was carried out in the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) along the OVIDE section and across the Labrador Sea in May-June 2014. It was planned to clarify the distribution of the trace elements and their isotopes in the SPNA as part of the GEOTRACES international program. This paper focuses on the state of the circulation and distribution of thermohaline properties during the cruise. In terms of circulation, the comparison with the 2002-2012 mean state shows a more intense Irminger Current and also a weaker North Atlantic Current, with a transfer of volume transport from its northern to its central branch. However, those anomalies are compatible with the variability already observed along the OVIDE section in the 2000s. In terms of properties, the surface waters of the eastern SPNA were much colder and fresher than the averages over 2002-2012. In spite of negative temperature anomalies in the surface waters, the heat transport across the OVIDE section estimated at 0.56±0.06PW was the largest measured since 2002. This relatively large value is related to the relatively strong Meridional Overturning Circulation measured across the OVIDE section during GEOVIDE (18.7±3.0Sv). By analyzing the air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes over the eastern SPNA in relation to the heat and freshwater content changes observed during 2013 and 2014, we concluded that on a short timescale these changes were mainly driven by air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes rather than by ocean circulation

Una red interinstitucional para una alimentación saludable y soberana

En este artículo presentamos un trabajo interinstitucional en localidades de la provincia de Río Negro que aborda la temática de la alimentación. Los problemas relacionados a la alimentación en la población son cada vez más graves, fundamentalmente los nutricionales asociados al sobrepeso y a la desnutrición. Distintas fuentes demuestran, en esta década, el excesivo consumo de grasas, especialmente saturadas y de azúcares libres, así como la falta de fibra en la alimentación. Por su parte, los principales resultados arrojados por la Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgo (4º EFNR, 2019) realizada durante el año 2018 indican que el tan sólo el 6% de la población consume al menos las 5 porciones recomendadas de frutas o verduras diarias y que el 66,1% padece sobrepeso (33,7%) u obesidad (32,4). La epidemia de exceso de peso a nivel nacional e internacional continúa aumentando desde 1980. Los datos son alarmantes si se tiene en cuenta que la obesidad entre adultos creció de un 20,8% (2013) a un 25,4% (2018) en tan solo 5 años en el país. En cuanto a datos locales, según la evaluación antropométrica realizada en niños/as en edad escolar durante 2018 en la Ciudad de General Roca, sobre un total de 3200 niños evaluados, un 33% posee problemas alimenticios, siendo un 18% por obesidad, 14,5% por sobrepeso y 0,5% por bajo peso (DAPA-Hospital Francisco López Lima).EEA Alto ValleFil: Catoira, Patricia Fernanda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural General Roca; ArgentinaFil: Zunino, Natalia Marina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural General Roca; ArgentinaFil: Quizama, Silvana Mariel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural Villa Regina; Argentin

Otra Alimentación es posible: una problemática que se vuelve campaña en el Alto Valle

En el año 2019 comenzó a funcionar la Red de Alimentación Saludable y Soberana (RASS) como espacio de trabajo interinstitucional, con dos nodos ubicados en las localidades de General Roca y Villa Regina de la provincia de Rio Negro. Organismos y entidades de diversas áreas de gobierno municipal, provincial y nacional, de salud, educación y de cultura de la región, fueron convocados a formar parte del mismo, para abordar la alimentación y sus problemáticas en el contexto actual, desde una mirada que incluyera distintas dimensiones: nutrición, cultura, acceso en relación a los ingresos, disponibilidad, entramado social, mercados locales, educación, intervención estatal y autoproducción de alimentos. Luego de realizar un diagnóstico de las problemáticas derivadas de la alimentación y sus especificidades en la región, se definieron ejes de intervención entre los cuales se elaboró una campaña comunicacional diseñada para redes virtuales, que viene difundiéndose desde hace 3 años y que ha tenido diversas repercusiones en los medios y actividades derivadas en eventos presenciales y espacios de formación. En esta ponencia presentamos y analizamos el contenido y desarrollo de dicha campaña y las propuestas sobre la misma para el presente año.EEA Alto ValleFil: Catoira, Patricia Fernanda. Instituto Nacional Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural General Roca; ArgentinaFil: Quizama, Silvana Mariel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural Villa Regina; ArgentinaFil: Zunino, Natalia Marina. Instituto Nacional Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural General Roca; Argentin

About the origin of the Mediterranean Waters warming during the twentieth century

En prens

Ocean acidification in the subpolar North Atlantic:Rates and mechanisms controlling pH changes

Repeated hydrographic sections provide critically needed data on and understanding of changes in basin-wide ocean CO2 chemistry over multi-decadal timescales. Here, high-quality measurements collected at twelve cruises carried out along the same track between 1991 and 2015 have been used to determine long-term changes in ocean CO2 chemistry and ocean acidification in the Irminger and Iceland basins of the North Atlantic Ocean. Trends were determined for each of the main water masses present and are discussed in the context of the basin-wide circulation. The pH has decreased in all water masses of the Irminger and Iceland basins over the past 25 years with the greatest changes in surface and intermediate waters (between -0.0010 ± 0.0001 and -0.0018 ± 0.0001 pH units yr-1). In order to disentangle the drivers of the pH changes, we decomposed the trends into their principal drivers: changes in temperature, salinity, total alkalinity (AT) and total dissolved inorganic carbon (both its natural and anthropogenic components). The increase in anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) was identified as the main agent of the pH decline, partially offset by AT increases. The acidification of intermediate waters caused by Cant uptake has been reinforced by the aging of the water masses over the period of our analysis. The pH decrease of the deep overflow waters in the Irminger basin was similar to that observed in the upper ocean and was mainly linked to the Cant increase, thus reflecting the recent contact of these deep waters with the atmosphere

Dissolved organic nitrogen production and export by meridional overturning in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic

Research articleDissolved organic matter (DOM) is produced in the surface and exported towards the deep ocean, adding ∼ 2 PgC/year to the global carbon export. Due to its central role in the Meridional Overturning Circulation, the eastern subpolar North Atlantic (eSPNA) contributes largely to this export. Here we quantify the transport and budget of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the eSPNA, in a box delimited by the OVIDE 2002 section and the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland sills. The Meridional Overturning Circulation exports >15.9 TgN/year of DON downward and, contrary to the extended view that these are materials of subtropical origin, up to 33% of the vertical flux derives from a net local DON production of 7.1 ± 2.6 TgN/year. The low C:N molar ratio of DOM production (7.4 ± 4.1) and the relatively short transit times in the eSPNA (3 ± 1 year) suggest that local biogeochemical transformations result in the injection of fresh bioavailable DOM to the deep ocean.Versión del editor3,79

Valoración de la calidad de ribera en un arroyo pampeano y su relación con las comunidades de macrófitas y peces

An Index of Riparian Quality was applied to a Pampean stream with moderate human impact (Las Flores stream, Luján river basin) to evaluate its degree of conservation. Aquatic macrophyte cover and diversity were also registered in 12 different reaches along the stream to analyze its relationship with the riparian index. In addition, the richness and diversity of the fish community were registered in two reaches with contrasting use of riparian zones and channel morphology. The results of the survey indicate that conservation of the riparian zones is difficult in the stream due to the increase of farming activities, the development of cropland near the margins, the invasion of an alien tree Gleditsia triacanthos (acacio negro) and the development of urban zones. Alteration of the riparian zone also modified the structure of the macrophyte communities and could be associated with a reduction in the richness and diversity of the fish community. We consider that the needs for conservation and recuperation of the riparian zones must be transmitted to the land owners. Activities should be coordinated to maintain the water quality and habitat diversity in order to enhance the basin health.Se aplicó un índice de calidad ribereña a un arroyo pampeano con impacto humano moderado (arroyo Las Flores, cuenca del río Luján) para evaluar su grado de conservación. La cobertura y la diversidad de macrófitas acuáticas también se registraron en 12 tramos diferentes a lo largo del arroyo para analizar su relación con el índice ripario. Además, la riqueza y la diversidad de la comunidad de peces se registraron en dos partes con el uso contrastante de las zonas ribereñas y la morfología del canal. Los resultados del estudio indican que la conservación de las zonas ribereñas es difícil en el arroyo debido al aumento de las actividades agrícolas, el desarrollo de tierras de cultivo cerca de los márgenes, la invasión de un árbol exótico Gleditsia triacanthos (acacio negro) y el desarrollo de zonas urbanas.  La alteración de la zona ribereña también modificó la estructura de las comunidades macrófitas y podría asociarse con una reducción de la riqueza y diversidad de la comunidad de peces. Consideramos que las necesidades de conservación y recuperación de las zonas ribereñas deben transmitirse a los propietarios de las tierras. Las actividades deben coordinarse para mantener la calidad del agua y la diversidad del hábitat para mejorar la salud de la cuenca

A novel cell-free mitochondrial fusion assay amenable for high-throughput screenings of fusion modulators

Abstract Background Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles whose morphology and position within the cell is tightly coupled to metabolic function. There is a limited list of essential proteins that regulate mitochondrial morphology and the mechanisms that govern mitochondrial dynamics are poorly understood. However, recent evidence indicates that the core machinery that governs mitochondrial dynamics is linked within complex intracellular signalling cascades, including apoptotic pathways, cell cycle transitions and nuclear factor kappa B activation. Given the emerging importance of mitochondrial plasticity in cell signalling pathways and metabolism, it is essential that we develop tools to quantitatively analyse the processes of fission and fusion. In terms of mitochondrial fusion, the field currently relies upon on semi-quantitative assays which, even under optimal conditions, are labour-intensive, low-throughput and require complex imaging techniques. Results In order to overcome these technical limitations, we have developed a new, highly quantitative cell-free assay for mitochondrial fusion in mammalian cells. This assay system has allowed us to establish the energetic requirements for mitochondrial fusion. In addition, our data reveal a dependence on active protein phosphorylation for mitochondrial fusion, confirming emerging evidence that mitochondrial fusion is tightly integrated within the global cellular response to signaling events. Indeed, we have shown that cytosol derived from cells stimulated with different triggers either enhance or inhibit the cell-free fusion reaction. Conclusions The adaptation of this system to high-throughput analysis will provide an unprecedented opportunity to identify and characterize novel regulatory factors. In addition, it provides a framework for a detailed mechanistic analysis of the process of mitochondrial fusion and the various axis of regulation that impinge upon this process in a wide range of cellular conditions. See Commentary: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/9

Causality and the Entropy-Complexity Plane: Robustness and Missing Ordinal Patterns

We deal here with the issue of determinism versus randomness in time series. One wishes to identify their relative weights in a given time series. Two different tools have been advanced in the literature to such effect, namely, i) the "causal" entropy-complexity plane [Rosso et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 (2007) 154102] and ii) the estimation of the decay rate of missing ordinal patterns [Amig\'o et al. Europhys. Lett. 79 (2007) 50001, and Carpi et al. Physica A 389 (2010) 2020-2029]. In this work we extend the use of these techniques to address the analysis of deterministic finite time series contaminated with additive noises of different degree of correlation. The chaotic series studied here was via the logistic map (r = 4) to which we added correlated noise (colored noise with f-k Power Spectrum, 0 {\leq} k {\leq} 2) of varying amplitudes. In such a fashion important insights pertaining to the deterministic component of the original time series can be gained. We find that in the entropy-complexity plane this goal can be achieved without additional computations.Comment: submitted to Physica