Inventario de aves del Barrio Centro de la ciudad de Luján, Buenos Aires, durante el poríodo no reproductivo

The conservation of biodiversity requires the knowledge of different habitats and the wild species that inhabit them. Knowing the ornithological diversity of cities allows preserving not only species that inhabit them but also their environment. The aim of this research is to present a preliminary richness inventory of birds that visit and inhabit the urban green spaces (UGS) of the downtown neighborhood of Luján city (Buenos Aires province) during winter. The fixed-radius point count method was used, standing 10 minutes in each point recording the observed species. Twenty eight point counts were placed within the eleven UGS and each point count was surveyed four times. Twenty nine species were recorded, distributed in 8 orders and 20 families. The most represented families were: Columbidae (5 species), Furnariidae (2 species), Tyrannidae (2 species), Turdidae (2 species) and Thraupidae (2 species). The most frequent species were: Milvago chimango, Zenaida auriculata, Furnarius rufus, Pitangus sulphhuratus, Turdus rufiventris, Mimus saturninus and Passer domesticus. Three exotic species were recorded: P. domesticus, Sturnus vulgaris and Columba livia. Greatest species richness and frequency were given at the largest urban green spaces. It is important to preserve cities large urban green spaces and to develop annual updates of bird species inventory through systematic monitoring programs. This way, collected data can be used as an indicator of urban ecosystems quality.La conservación de la biodiversidad requiere del conocimiento previo sobre la distribución de los hábitats y de las especies silvestres que habitan en ellos. Conocer la diversidad ornitológica de las ciudades permite no solo conservar a las especies que habitan en ellas sino también a su entorno. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un inventario de la riqueza de aves que visitan y habitan las áreas verdes urbanas (AVU) del barrio centro de la ciudad de Luján (provincia de Buenos Aires) durante el periodo invernal. Se empleó el método de conteo por puntos de radio fijo, con una duración de 10 minutos en cada uno registrándose las especies observadas. Entre las 11 AVU se muestrearon 28 puntos, con 4 repeticiones en cada uno. Se registraron 29 especies distribuidas en 8 órdenes y 20 familias. Las familias mayormente representadas fueron: Columbidae (5 especies), Furnariidae (2 especies), Tyrannidae (2 especies), Turdidae (2 especies) y Thraupidae (2 especies). La especies más frecuentes fueron: Milvago chimango, Zenaida auriculata, Furnarius rufus, Pitangus sulphhuratus, Turdus rufiventris, Mimus saturninus y Passer domesticus. Se registraron tres especies exóticas: P. domesticus, Sturnus vulgaris y Columba livia. La mayor riqueza y frecuencia de especies se dieron en las AVU de mayor tamaño. Se plantea la importancia de conservar espacios verdes de gran tamaño dentro de las ciudades y realizar actualizaciones anuales del inventario de aves a través de programas de monitoreo sistemáticos. De esta manera, los datos recabados pueden ser utilizados como indicadores de calidad de los ecosistemas urbanos

Cognitive function and mood at high altitude following acclimatization and use of supplemental oxygen and adaptive servoventilation sleep treatments.

Impairments in cognitive function, mood, and sleep quality occur following ascent to high altitude. Low oxygen (hypoxia) and poor sleep quality are both linked to impaired cognitive performance, but their independent contributions at high altitude remain unknown. Adaptive servoventilation (ASV) improves sleep quality by stabilizing breathing and preventing central apneas without supplemental oxygen. We compared the efficacy of ASV and supplemental oxygen sleep treatments for improving daytime cognitive function and mood in high-altitude visitors (N = 18) during acclimatization to 3,800 m. Each night, subjects were randomly provided with ASV, supplemental oxygen (SpO2 > 95%), or no treatment. Each morning subjects completed a series of cognitive function tests and questionnaires to assess mood and multiple aspects of cognitive performance. We found that both ASV and supplemental oxygen (O2) improved daytime feelings of confusion (ASV: p < 0.01; O2: p < 0.05) and fatigue (ASV: p < 0.01; O2: p < 0.01) but did not improve other measures of cognitive performance at high altitude. However, performance improved on the trail making tests (TMT) A and B (p < 0.001), the balloon analog risk test (p < 0.0001), and the psychomotor vigilance test (p < 0.01) over the course of three days at altitude after controlling for effects of sleep treatments. Compared to sea level, subjects reported higher levels of confusion (p < 0.01) and performed worse on the TMT A (p < 0.05) and the emotion recognition test (p < 0.05) on nights when they received no treatment at high altitude. These results suggest that stabilizing breathing (ASV) or increasing oxygenation (supplemental oxygen) during sleep can reduce feelings of fatigue and confusion, but that daytime hypoxia may play a larger role in other cognitive impairments reported at high altitude. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that some aspects of cognition (executive control, risk inhibition, sustained attention) improve with acclimatization

In vitro PGPR properties and osmotic tolerance of different Azospirillum native strains and their effects on growth of maize under drought stress

Osmotic variations in the soil can affect bacterial growth diminishing the number ofinoculated bacteria. In a scenario of water deficit having tolerant bacteria would bebeneficial to achieve a better response of the plant to stress. Thus, selection of moreresistant bacteria could be useful to design new inoculants to be used in arid zones. In thissense, a group of Azospirillum isolates deposited in INTA collection was characterized inorder to select strains tolerant to osmotic stress. The results obtained demonstrated that Az19 strain has similar in vitro PGPR characteristics to Az39, the most used strain inArgentina for inoculants industries, with the advantage of a better tolerance to osmotic andsalt stress. Inoculation of maize plants with this strain resulted in a better response againstwater deficit compared to Az39 strain, encouraging us to further study the behavior of thisstrain in greenhouse and field trials in view of developing new inoculants suitable for areaswith water deficit.Fil: García, Julia E.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Maroniche, Guillermo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; ArgentinaFil: Creus, Cecilia Mónica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; ArgentinaFil: Suarez Rodriguez, Ramón. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; MéxicoFil: Ramirez Trujillo, José Augusto. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; MéxicoFil: Groppa, María Daniela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Relationships Between Chemoreflex Responses, Sleep Quality, and Hematocrit in Andean Men and Women.

Andean highlanders are challenged by chronic hypoxia and many exhibit elevated hematocrit (Hct) and blunted ventilation compared to other high-altitude populations. While many Andeans develop Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) and excessive erythrocytosis, Hct varies markedly within Andean men and women and may be driven by individual differences in ventilatory control and/or sleep events which exacerbate hypoxemia. To test this hypothesis, we quantified relationships between resting ventilation and ventilatory chemoreflexes, sleep desaturation, breathing disturbance, and Hct in Andean men and women. Ventilatory measures were made in 109 individuals (n = 63 men; n = 46 women), and sleep measures in 45 of these participants (n = 22 men; n = 23 women). In both men and women, high Hct was associated with low daytime SpO2 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.002, respectively) and decreased sleep SpO2 (mean, nadir, and time <80%; all p < 0.02). In men, high Hct was also associated with increased end-tidal PCO2 (p < 0.009). While ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia did not predict Hct, decreased hypoxic ventilatory responses were associated with lower daytime SpO2 in men (p < 0.01) and women (p < 0.009) and with lower nadir sleep SpO2 in women (p < 0.02). Decreased ventilatory responses to CO2 were associated with more time below 80% SpO2 during sleep in men (p < 0.05). The obstructive apnea index and apnea-hypopnea index also predicted Hct and CMS scores in men after accounting for age, BMI, and SpO2 during sleep. Finally, heart rate response to hypoxia was lower in men with higher Hct (p < 0.0001). These data support the idea that hypoventilation and decreased ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia are associated with decreased day time and nighttime SpO2 levels that may exacerbate the stimulus for erythropoiesis in Andean men and women. However, interventional and longitudinal studies are required to establish the causal relationships between these associations

Acinetobacter baumannii response to cefiderocol challenge in human urine

Cefiderocol (CFDC) is a novel chlorocatechol-substituted siderophore antibiotic approved to treatcomplicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and hospital-acquired and ventilator-acquired pneumonia(HAP/VAP). Previous work determined that albumin-rich human fluids increase the minimuminhibitory concentration (MICs) of Acinetobacter baumannii against CFDC and reduce the expressionof genes related to iron uptake systems. This latter effect may contribute to the need for higherconcentrations of CFDC to inhibit growth. The presence of human urine (HU), which contains lowalbumin concentrations, did not modify MIC values of two carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. Levelsof resistance to CFDC were not modified by HU in strain AMA40 but were reduced in strain AB5075.Expanding the studies to other carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates showed that the presenceof HU resulted in unmodified or reduced MIC of CDFC values. The expression of piuA, pirA, bauA,and bfnH determined by qRT-PCR was enhanced in A. baumannii AMA40 and AB5075 by the presenceof HU in the culture medium. All four tested genes code for functions related to recognition andtransport of ferric-siderophore complexes. The effect of HU on expression of pbp1, pbp3, blaOXA-51-like, blaADC, and blaNDM-1, genes associated with resistance to β-lactams, as well as genes coding for efflux pumps and porins was variable, showing dependence with the strain analyzed. We conclude that the lack of significant concentrations of albumin and free iron in HU makes this fluid behave differently from others we tested. Unlike other albumin rich fluids, the presence of HU does not impact the antibacterial activity of CFDC when tested against A. baumannii.Fil: Nishimura, Brent. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Escalante, Jenny. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Tuttobene, Marisel Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Subils, Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Mezcord, Vyanka. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Pimentel, Camila. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Georgeos, Nardin. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Pasteran, Fernando. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Área de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Sieira, Rodrigo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Actis, Luis A.. Miami University; Estados UnidosFil: Tolmasky, Marcelo E.. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados UnidosFil: Bonomo, Robert A.. Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology; Estados Unidos. Case Western Reserve University; Estados UnidosFil: Ramirez, Maria Soledad. California State University. College Of Natural Science And Mathematics; Estados Unido

Cartografía digital de suelos a escala de predio.

La Cartografía Digital de Suelos (CDS) usando el entorno y lenguaje de programación R constituye una metodología de trabajo impulsada desde la FAO para realizar predicciones de propiedades del suelo a escala nacional. Esta realiza predicciones a partir de la interrelación entre las propiedades del suelo y datos ambientales mediante el uso de diferentes modelos geoestadísticos. En este trabajo empleamos el algoritmo de aprendizaje automático Quantile Regression Forests. El objetivo de esta contribución es probar esta metodología a escala de predio en el Campo Experimental de la UNLu. Las propiedades mapeadas fueron pH y carbono orgánico total (COT). Para ello se muestrearon 150 sitios a dos profundidades, de 0 a 10 cm y de 10 a 20 cm y se emplearon como predictores covariables ambientales derivados del Modelo Digital del Terreno externo del Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) de 5 metros de resolución espacial. Las predicciones de pH mostraron un R2 ajustado de 43% de 0 a 10 cm y de 54% de 0 a 20 cm, a diferencia de las de COT que estuvieron por debajo del 10%. Los resultados muestran que la CDS resultó una metodología válida que puede aplicarse a escala de predio con una densidad de observaciones de 2 por ha. y predictores de 5 metros de resolución espacial.Fil: Tenti Vuegen, LM Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Irigoin, Julieta. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Lujan. Departamento Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Montes Galban, E. Universidad Nacional de Luján, Departamento de Tecnología, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) ArgentinaFil: Trabichet, Florencia Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bulos, Laura. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología. Edafología; ArgentinaFil: Wagner, V. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología. Edafología; ArgentinaFil: Petrasek, M.R. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología. Edafología; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez, J.A. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología. Edafología; ArgentinaFil: Bonvecchi, Virginia B. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología. Edafología; Argentin

Dietary Supplementation with Probiotics Improves Hematopoiesis in Malnourished Mice

BACKGROUND: Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 (Lr) administered during the repletion of immunocompromised-malnourished mice improves the resistance against intestinal and respiratory infections. This effect is associated with an increase in the number and functionality of immune cells, indicating that Lr could have some influence on myeloid and lymphoid cell production and maturation. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the extent of the damage caused by malnutrition on myeloid and lymphoid cell development in the spleen and bone marrow (BM). We also evaluated the impact of immunobiotics on the recovery of hematopoiesis affected in malnourished mice. METHODS: Protein malnourished mice were fed on a balanced conventional diet for 7 or 14 consecutive d with or without supplemental Lr or fermented goat's milk (FGM). Malnourished mice and well-nourished mice were used as controls. Histological and flow cytometry studies were carried out in BM and spleen to study myeloid and lymphoid cells. RESULTS: Malnutrition induced quantitative alterations in spleen B and T cells; however, no alteration was observed in the ability of splenic B cells to produce immunoglobulins after challenge with LPS or CpG. The analysis of BM B cell subsets based on B220, CD24, IgM and IgD expression showed that malnutrition affected B cell development. In addition, BM myeloid cells decreased in malnourished mice. On the contrary, protein deprivation increased BM T cell number. These alterations were reverted with Lr or FGM repletion treatments since normal numbers of BM myeloid, T and B cells were observed in these groups. CONCLUSIONS: Protein malnutrition significantly alters B cell development in BM. The treatment of malnourished mice with L. rhamnosus CRL1505 was able to induce a recovery of B cells that would explain its ability to increase immunity against infections. This work highlights the possibility of using immunobiotics to accelerate the recovery of lymphopoyesis in immunocompromised-malnourished hosts

Functional EPAS1/ HIF2A Missense Variant Is Associated With Hematocrit in Andean Highlanders

Hypoxia-inducible factor pathway genes are linked to adaptation in both human and nonhuman highland species. EPAS1, a notable target of hypoxia adaptation, is associated with relatively lower hemoglobin concentration in Tibetans. We provide evidence for an association between an adaptive EPAS1 variant (rs570553380) and the same phenotype of relatively low hematocrit in Andean highlanders. This Andean-specific missense variant is present at a modest frequency in Andeans and absent in other human populations and vertebrate species except the coelacanth. CRISPR-base-edited human cells with this variant exhibit shifts in hypoxia-regulated gene expression, while metabolomic analyses reveal both genotype and phenotype associations and validation in a lowland population. Although this genocopy of relatively lower hematocrit in Andean highlanders parallels well-replicated findings in Tibetans, it likely involves distinct pathway responses based on a protein-coding versus noncoding variants, respectively. These findings illuminate how unique variants at EPAS1 contribute to the same phenotype in Tibetans and a subset of Andean highlanders despite distinct evolutionary trajectories

The Scaffolding Protein Dlg1 Is a Negative Regulator of Cell-Free Virus Infectivity but Not of Cell-to-Cell HIV-1 Transmission in T Cells

Background: Cell-to-cell virus transmission of Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is predominantly mediated by cellular structures such as the virological synapse (VS). The VS formed between an HIV-1-infected T cell and a target T cell shares features with the immunological synapse (IS). We have previously identified the human homologue of the Drosophila Discs Large (Dlg1) protein as a new cellular partner for the HIV-1 Gag protein and a negative regulator of HIV-1 infectivity. Dlg1, a scaffolding protein plays a key role in clustering protein complexes in the plasma membrane at cellular contacts. It is implicated in IS formation and T cell signaling, but its role in HIV-1 cell-to-cell transmission was not studied before. Methodology/Principal Findings: Kinetics of HIV-1 infection in Dlg1-depleted Jurkat T cells show that Dlg1 modulates the replication of HIV-1. Single-cycle infectivity tests show that this modulation does not take place during early steps of the HIV-1 life cycle. Immunofluorescence studies of Dlg1-depleted Jurkat T cells show that while Dlg1 depletion affects IS formation, it does not affect HIV-1-induced VS formation. Co-culture assays and quantitative cell-to-cell HIV-1 transfer analyses show that Dlg1 depletion does not modify transfer of HIV-1 material from infected to target T cells, or HIV-1 transmission leading to productive infection via cell contact. Dlg1 depletion results in increased virus yield and infectivity of the viral particles produced. Particles with increased infectivity present an increase in their cholesterol content and during the first hours of T cell infection these particles induce higher accumulation of total HIV-1 DNA