Characterization in Clonal Selections of Citrus X latifolia Tanaka ex Q. Jiménez: Español

Abstract Objective: To physically and chemically characterize clonal selections with Persian lemon potential. Design/methodology/approximation: A core component analysis was used, using a mixed data factor analysis model. The distribution of genotypes was plotted by major components through the K-medoid method, while cluster analysis it was determined by a Gower dissimilarity matrix. A dendogram was performed by Ward's method with a minimum variance grouping criteria. In the morphological characterization of the fruits which were considered trees of Citrus volkameriana, Citrus macrophylla, Citrus paradisi X Poncirus trifoliata, X Citroncirus spp., Citrus X aurantium. The diameter, length, weight, color and shape of the fruit was analyzed. Other variables to evaluate were the shape of the base, apex shape, surface texture, albedo adhesion, number of seeds, maturation rate, juice weight, juice yield, pH, Brix and tidable acidity. Data analysis was performed with R software and the factoextra and FactoMineR packages. Results: The physical and chemical characteristics of Persian lemon fruits varies due to the correlation between the different types of rootstock grown in the citrus area studied. Study limitations/implications: Producers are unaware of the clone or type of plant material they propagate, making selections of clones that show outstanding morphoagronomic characteristics. Findings/conclusions: The morphological diversity and quality fruit is closely related to the type of rootstock used for its spread. The internal and external characteristics in Citrus macrophylla stand out as the fruit.Objective: To physically and chemically characterize clonal selections of Persian lime(Citrus x latifolia Tanaka ex Q. Jiménez).Design/Methodology/Approach: The principal components analysis was employed,using a mixed data factorial analysis model. Genotype distribution was graphed usingprincipal components with the k-medoids method, while a Gower’s dissimilarity matrixwas determined for the conglomerate analysis and a dendrogram was developed usingWard’s minimum variance cluster method. For the morphological characterization of thefruits, the study considered the following trees: Citrus volkameriana, Citrus macrophylla,Citrus paradisi X Poncirus trifoliata, X Citroncirus spp., and Citrus X aurantium. Thefruit’s diameter, length, weight, color, and shape were analyzed, in addition to its baseshape, tip shape, surface texture, albedo adherence, number of seeds, ripening rate,juice weight, juice yield, pH, °Brix, and titratable acidity. Data were analyzed using Rsoftware and the factoextra and FactoMineR packages.Results: The physical and chemical traits of Persian lime fruit vary due to thecorrelations between the types of rootstock that are cultivated in the citrus zone studied. Study Limitations/Implications: Farmers do not know which clone or type of plantmaterial they propagate; they simply select clones that show outstanding morpho-agronomical traits.Findings/Conclusions: The morphological diversity and quality of the fruit is related tothe type of rootstock used in its propagation, in addition to internal and external traits inCitrus macrophylla standing out in fruit quality

How are we treating our systemic patients with primary Sjögren syndrome? Analysis of 1120 patients

Objective: To describe how systemic disease is treated in a large cohort of Spanish patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) in daily practice, focusing on the adequacy of therapies for the level of systemic activity measured by ESSDAI score. Patients and methods: By December 2014, our database included 1120 consecutive patients who fulfilled the 2002 classification criteria for SS. Therapeutic schedules were classified into 4 categories: no systemic therapies, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and/or low dose glucocorticoids (GCS) (20mg/day) and use of second-line therapies (immunosuppressive agents, intravenous immunoglobulins [IVIG] and/or rituximab [RTX]). Results: There were 1048 (94%) women and 72 (6%) men , with a mean age at diagnosis of 54 years. The main drug-based therapeutic approaches for systemic pSS during follow-up were HCQ in 282 (25%) patients, GCS in 475 (42%, at doses >20mg/day in 255-23%), immunosuppressive agents in 148 (13%), IVIG in 25 (2%) and RTX in 35 (3%) patients. HCQ was associated with a lower risk of death (adjusted HR of 0.57, 95% 0.34-0.95). We classified 16 (7%) of the 255 patients treated with >20mg GCS and 21/148 (14%) treated with immunosuppressive agents as patients inadequately treated, mainly associated with articular involvement of low/moderate activity. Conclusion: The management of pSS should be organ-specific, using low dose GCS in patients with moderate systemic activity, limiting the use of high dose GCS and second-line therapies to refractory or potentially severe scenarios. The use of systemic therapies for dryness, chronic pain or fatigue is not warranted

Incorporating Ecosystem Functional Diversity into Geographic Conservation Priorities Using Remotely Sensed Ecosystem Functional Types

Conservation biology must set geographic conservation priorities not only based on the compositional or structural but also on the functional dimensions of biodiversity. However, assessing functional diversity is challenging at the regional scale. We propose the use of satellite-derived Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs), defined here as patches of land surface that share similar primary production dynamics, to incorporate such aspects of ecosystem functional diversity into the selection of protected areas. We applied the EFT approach to the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, to characterize the regional heterogeneity of primary production dynamics in terms of EFTs; to set conservation priorities based on EFT richness and rarity; and to explore whether such EFT-based conservation priorities were consistent with and/or complementary to previous assessments focused on biodiversity composition and structure. EFTs were identified based on three ecosystem functional attributes derived from seasonal dynamics of the Enhanced Vegetation Index: the annual mean (proxy of primary production), the seasonal coefficient of variation (descriptor of seasonality), and the date of maximum (indicator of phenology). EFT-based priorities identified 26% of the peninsula as being of extreme or high priority and reinforced the value of the ecosystem functional diversity of areas already prioritized by traditional conservation assessments. In addition, our study revealed that biodiversity composition- and structure-based assessments had not identified the full range of important areas for EFT diversity and tended to better capture areas of high EFT rarity than those of high EFT richness. Our EFT-based assessment demonstrates how remotely sensed regional heterogeneity in ecosystem functions could reinforce and complement traditional conservation priority setting.European Union (EU)Spanish MINECO CGL2014-61610-EXPUniversity of Almeria (PhD contract: research training program)European Union (EU) 641762NASA 2016 GEOBON Work Programme Grant 80NSSC18K044

The contribution of transgenic plants to better health through improved nutrition : opportunities and constraints

Malnutrition is a prevalent and entrenched global socioeconomic challenge that reflects the combined impact of poverty, poor access to food, inefficient food distribution infrastructure, and an over-reliance on subsistence mono-agriculture. The dependence on staple cereals lacking many essential nutrients means that malnutrition is endemic in developing countries. Most individuals lack diverse diets and are therefore exposed to nutrient deficiencies. Plant biotechnology could play a major role in combating malnutrition through the engineering of nutritionally enhanced crops. In this article, we discuss different approaches that can enhance the nutritional content of staple crops by genetic engineering (GE) as well as the functionality and safety assessments required before nutritionally enhanced GE crops can be deployed in the field. We also consider major constraints that hinder the adoption of GE technology at different levels and suggest policies that could be adopted to accelerate the deployment of nutritionally enhanced GE crops within a multicomponent strategy to combat malnutrition

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease