Chemical composition of phytoplankton and Particulate Organic Matter in the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain)

15 pages, 2 figures, 7 tables.Elemental (C, H, O, N, Si, P) and biochemical composition (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, phosphorus compounds, chlorophyll and opal) in particulate organic matter, diatoms, other autotrophs, heterotrophs and detritus from natural plankton were established simultaneously by measuring relatively few components. Using standard techniques in marine chemistry on board ship, it is possible to infer a great deal about the composition and condition of the plankton. In addition, the organic matter content in terms of cell volume was determined for each group of plankton. Variation of chemical composition with depth was also considered. The ratio carbohydrates/lipids (Cbh/Lip) was used as an indicator of the chemical quality of the plankton.This paper was supported by the Consellería de Educación of the Xunta de Galicia and Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) Grant No. MAR88-245.Peer reviewe

Gene discovery for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy by machine learning techniques

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a neuromuscular disorder that shows a preference for the facial, shoulder and upper arm muscles. FSHD affects about one in 20-400,000 people, and no effective therapeutic strategies are known to halt disease progression or reverse muscle weakness or atrophy. Many genes may be incorrectly regulated in affected muscle tissue, but the mechanisms responsible for the progressive muscle weakness remain largely unknown. Although machine learning (ML) has made significant inroads in biomedical disciplines such as cancer research, no reports have yet addressed FSHD analysis using ML techniques. This study explores a specific FSHD data set from a ML perspective. We report results showing a very promising small group of genes that clearly separates FSHD samples from healthy samples. In addition to numerical prediction figures, we show data visualizations and biological evidence illustrating the potential usefulness of these results.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Dissemination of blaIMP-8 among Enterobacteriaceae isolates from a Buenos Aires Hospital

Entre agosto de 2008 y diciembre de 2011 se detectaron en el Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos «Evita» de Lanús 6 aislamientos de enterobacterias productoras de metalo- β-lactamasas, distribuidos en tres especies: Enterobacter cloacae (4), Klebsiella oxytoca (1) y Citrobacter freundii (1). Los seis aislamientos presentaron un perfi l de multirresistencia y se confi rmó la presencia del gen blaIMP-8. Cinco aislamientos además expresaron la β-lactamasa de espectro extendido PER-2. El gen blaIMP-8 fue hallado como primer casete de un integrón de clase 1. Sin embargo, la secuencia 3´ conservada no pudo detectarse en tres aislamientos. En todos los casos, el gen blaIMP-8 fue transferido por conjugación a Escherichia coli resistente a azida. Mediante PFGE se observó que los cuatro aislamientos de E. cloacae no estuvieron genéticamente relacionados. Estos son los primeros hallazgos de metalo-β-lactamasas en la institución, que sugieren una posible diseminación horizontal del gen blaIMP-8 intra e interespecies.From August 2008 to December 2011, six metallo-β-lactamase-producing isolates, four Enterobacter cloacae, one Klebsiella oxytoca and one Citrobacter freundii, were detected at Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos “Evita” in Lanús. All six isolates showed multiresistant profi les and the presence of the blaIMP-8 gene. Five isolates also expressed PER-2 extended spectrum β-lactamase. The blaIMP-8 gene was found as the fi rst cassette in a class 1 integron. However, the 3´ conserved sequence could not be detected in three isolates. In all cases, blaIMP-8 was transferred by conjugation to azide-resistant Escherichia coli J53. PFGE analysis revealed that the four E. cloacae isolates were not genetically related. These are the fi rst metallo-β-lactamases detected in this institution and our results suggest a possible intra- and inter-species horizontal dissemination of blaIMP-8.Fil: Togneri, Ana M.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita. Laboratorio de Bacteriología; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Sonia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Podestá, Laura B.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita. Laboratorio de Bacteriología; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Marcela P.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita. Laboratorio de Bacteriología; ArgentinaFil: Faccone, Diego Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Ríos, Lidia E.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita. Laboratorio de Bacteriología; ArgentinaFil: Gañete, Marcelo A.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Evita. Laboratorio de Bacteriología; ArgentinaFil: Anchordoqui, María S. . Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Pasterán, Fernando G.. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Corso, Alejandra C.. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Effect of immunocastration on behaviour and blood parameters (cortisol and testosterone) of Holstein bulls

To evaluate the effect that immunocastration has on behaviour, testosterone and cortisol levels of feedlot Holstein bulls, 720 intact animals aged between 7 and 8 months, weighing 232±1.19 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments: immunocastration using the Bopriva vaccine and a placebo (360 animals per treatment). The bulls were slaughtered at day 239 of treatment. Animals were vaccinated on days 1, 21, 101, and 181, and on those same days testosterone levels were measured; while cortisol, glucose and creatin kinase measurements were done on day 181 and during exanguination at slaughter. Sexual, aggressive and social behaviours were evaluated and it was found that intact bulls showed a higher average of head butts, mounting, threats, flehmen sign and sniffing (P<0.05), no differences were found for vocalisations, lowering of the head and grooming (P>0.05). Testosterone levels in intact bulls remained at 0.47ng/mL throughout the study, however, by day 181 differences (P<0.05) were observed in immunised bulls, with values of 0.22ng/mL. At slaughter, testosterone levels were 0.21 ± 0.06 ng/mL in immunocastrated bulls and 0.54 ± 0.06 ng/mL in the placebo group. The use of immunocastration with Bopriva has shown to be effective to reduce testosterone, sexual and aggressive behaviours on Holstein bulls

Identificacion of transthyretin and β4 thymosin as potential biomarkers in aucte coronary syndrome by two independent methods, 2-DE/DIGE and SELDI/TOF

Comunicaciones a congreso

Predicción de las características de la canal en ovejas Pelibuey de desecho por medio de ultrasonido

The objective of present study was to predict the carcass characteristics of 28 discarded Pelibuey ewes (41.01 ± 8.43 kg) using ultrasonography. The ultrasonic measurements of fat thickness (FT), area, (LDA), depth (DLD) and width (WLD) of the Longissimus dorsi, between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra and between the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebra, were performed 24 h before slaughter. At the slaughter, hot carcass, internal organs and internal fat were weighed. The carcasses were divided in two half, refrigerated (1 °C; 24 h) and the chilled carcass were weighed. Then were dissected and weighed in the main tissues. With the data it was calculated the correlation coefficients between the variables and their relationships were estimated using regression models. It was observed that the ultrasonic measurements of thoracic and lumbar backfat thickness had a positive r2 that ranged from 0.51 to 0.66 (P<0.001) for prediction of the carcass weights; and an r2 from 0.44 to 0.57 (P<0.001) to predict the carcass muscle quantity. It is possible to use the measurements of ultrasound as a tool for the evaluation of carcass characteristics in discarded Pelibuey ewes and it is possible to predict the carcass weights and edible tissues.El objetivo fue predecir mediante ultrasonografía las características de la canal de 28 ovejas Pelibuey (41.01 ± 8.43 kg) de desecho alimentadas en sistema intensivo, clínicamente sanas, no gestantes y no lactantes. Las mediciones ultrasónicas de espesor de grasa dorsal (EGD), área, (ALD), profundidad (PLD) y ancho (ALD) del músculo Longissimus dorsi, entre la 12.a y 13.a vertebra torácica y entre la 3.a y 4.a vértebra lumbar, se realizaron 24 h antes del sacrificio. Al sacrificio se pesó la canal caliente, así como los órganos internos y la grasa interna. Las canales se dividieron a la mitad, se refrigeraron (1°C; 24 h) y se pesaron en canal frío. Luego fueron diseccionadas y pesadas en sus principales componentes. Con los datos se calcularon los coeficientes de correlación entre variables y las relaciones se estimaron mediante modelos de regresión. Se observó que las mediciones ultrasónicas de grasa dorsal, torácica y lumbar tuvieron un r2 positiva de entre 0.51 y 0.66 (P<0.001) en la predicción de los pesos de la canal; y un r2 de entre 0.44 a 0.57 (P<0.001) para predecir el tejido muscular en la canal. Es posible utilizar las mediciones de ultrasonido como una herramienta para la evaluación de características de la canal de ovejas Pelibuey de desecho, y es posible predecir el peso de la canal y los tejidos comestibles

3D Printed hydroponic system

Hydroponic systems have been around for many years and there is a large variety of designs. This project approaches the design of a stackable hydroponic system for domestic use aiming for high yield. The 3-D printed prototype consisted of cylindrical elements each with three entries for seeding. These elements can be stacked up and rotated around one another providing configuration flexibility. In addition, the cap of our system is a half cylindrical element. A preliminary test included the use of Rockwool to grow coriander for 14 days. Being a prototype, it is still necessary to optimize the design, fine-tune its operation beyond its initial feasibility to both, maximize yield and minimize cost, which implies compromising on these two conflicting objectives.Los sistemas hidropónicos existen desde hace ya varios años en una amplia variedad de diseños y configuraciones. El proyecto que aquí se describe comprende el diseño de un sistema hidropónico modular apilable para uso doméstico, con miras a que sea uno con alta productividad. Una impresora 3D se utilizó para desarrollar el prototipo que consta de elementos cilíndricos, cada uno con tres receptáculos. A los elementos cilíndricos apilables se les puede rotar con respecto de su eje, añadiendo así mayor flexibilidad de configuración. Convenientemente, la tapa del sistema está formada por medio elemento cilíndrico. Para la prueba preliminar que aquí se describe, se depositaron semillas de cilantro por un período de 14 días en Rockwool. En su fase prototípica, se determinó la factibilidad del sistema, aunque se reconoce que es aún necesario optimizar el diseño y afinar su operación. Esto implicará conciliar dos objetivos en conflicto: maximizar la productividad del sistema y minimizar su costo total

Reversal of SARS-CoV2-Induced Hypoxia by Nebulized Sodium Ibuprofenate in a Compassionate Use Program

Introduction: Sodium ibuprofenate in hypertonic saline (NaIHS) administered directly to the lungs by nebulization and inhalation has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, with the potential to deliver these benefits to hypoxic patients. We describe a compassionate use program that offered this therapy to hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: NaIHS (50 mg ibuprofen, tid) was provided in addition to standard of care (SOC) to hospitalized COVID-19 patients until oxygen saturation levels of > 94% were achieved on ambient air. Patients wore a containment hood to diminish aerosolization. Outcome data from participating patients treated at multiple hospitals in Argentina between April 4 and October 31, 2020, are summarized. Results were compared with a retrospective contemporaneous control (CC) group of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with SOC alone during the same time frame from a subset of participating hospitals from Córdoba and Buenos Aires. Results: The evolution of 383 patients treated with SOC + NaIHS [56 on mechanical ventilation (MV) at baseline] and 195 CC (21 on MV at baseline) are summarized. At baseline, NaIHS-treated patients had basal oxygen saturation of 90.7 ± 0.2% (74.3% were on supplemental oxygen at baseline) and a basal respiratory rate of 22.7 ± 0.3 breath/min. In the CC group, basal oxygen saturation was 92.6 ± 0.4% (52.1% were on oxygen supplementation at baseline) and respiratory rate was 19.3 ± 0.3 breath/min. Despite greater pulmonary compromise at baseline in the NaIHS-treated group, the length of treatment (LOT) was 9.1 ± 0.2 gs with an average length of stay (ALOS) of 11.5 ± 0.3 days, in comparison with an ALOS of 13.3 ± 0.9 days in the CC group. In patients on MV who received NaIHS, the ALOS was lower than in the CC group. In both NaIHS-treated groups, a rapid reversal of deterioration in oxygenation and NEWS2 scores was observed acutely after initiation of NaIHS therapy. No serious adverse events were considered related to ibuprofen therapy. Mortality was lower in both NaIHS groups compared with CC groups. Conclusions: Treatment of COVID-19 pneumonitis with inhalational nebulized NaIHS was associated with rapid improvement in hypoxia and vital signs, with no serious adverse events attributed to therapy. Nebulized NaIHS s worthy of further study in randomized, placebo-controlled trials (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04382768).Fil: Salva, Oscar. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Doreski, Pablo A.. Fundación Respirar; ArgentinaFil: Giler, Celia S.. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Quinodoz, Dario C.. Sanatorio de la Cañada; ArgentinaFil: Guzmán, Lucia G.. Sanatorio de la Cañada; ArgentinaFil: Muñoz, Sonia Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Carrillo, Mariana Norma del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Porta, Daniela Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Ambasch, Germán. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Coscia, Esteban. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Tambini Diaz, Jorge L.. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Bueno, Germán D.. Sanatorio Privado Mayo; ArgentinaFil: Fandi, Jorge O.. Clínica Independencia; ArgentinaFil: Maldonado, Miriam A.. Sanatorio San Roque; ArgentinaFil: Peña Chiappero, Leandro E.. Sanatori San Roque; ArgentinaFil: Fournier, Fernando. Clínica Francesa; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Hernán A.. Sanatorio Alive; Argentina. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Quiroga, Mauro A.. Instituto Modelo de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Sala Mercado, Javier Agustin. Instituto Modelo de Cardiología; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Picco, Carlos. Clínica del Sol; ArgentinaFil: Beltrán, Marcelo Alejandro. Hospital Dr. Alberto Duhau; ArgentinaFil: Castillo Argañarás, Luis Fernando. Hospital Dr. Alberto Duhau; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ríos, Nicolás Martínez. Quimica Luar Srl; ArgentinaFil: Kalayan, Galia I.. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Beltramo, Dante Miguel. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Nestor Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina. Provincia de Córdoba. Ministerio de Ciencia y Técnica. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos de Córdoba; Argentin