Marine nematode taxonomy in the DNA age: the present and future of molecular tools to access their biodiversity

Molecular taxonomy is one of the most promising yet challenging fields of biology. Molecular markers such as nuclear and mitochondrial genes are being used in a variety of studies surveying marine nematode taxa. Sequences from more than 600 species have been deposited to date in online databases. These barcode sequences are assigned to 150 nominal species from 104 genera. There are 41 species assigned to Enoplea and 109 species to Chromadorea. Morphology-based surveys are greatly limited by processing speed, while barcoding approaches for nematodes are hampered by difficulties in matching sequence data with morphology-based taxonomy. DNA barcoding is a promising approach because some genes contain variable regions that are useful to discriminate species boundaries, discover cryptic species, quantify biodiversity and analyse phylogeny. We advocate a combination of several approaches in studies of molecular taxonomy, DNA barcoding and conventional taxonomy as a necessary step to enhance the knowledge of biodiversity of marine nematodes

Psychological assessment of parents of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and comparison with parents of people without psychological disorders

Background: To date, several evidence-based interventions have been created to help relatives of people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), but few studies have analyzed the clinical situation of the family members. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the clinical symptomatology in a sample of parents of people diagnosed with BPD and compare them with a sample of a sample of people without a relative with a personality disorder, (2) to explore whether the parents of people diagnosed with BPD have psychopathology related to personality disorders (PD) or meet the diagnostic criteria for PD. Method: Participants were 42 (39.6%) fathers and 64 (60.4%) were mothers and mothers (n = XX, −%) of people diagnosed with BPD, who were selected from a specialized PD unit for treatment. The sample of people without a relative with a PD was obtained from social network announcements. To test for differences between the two groups, Student’s t tests were performed for quantitative variables, and Chi-square tests were performed for categorical variables. Cohen’s d was calculated as a measure of the effect size. Results: Parents of people with BPD showed greater depressive and anxious symptomatology, higher levels of expressed emotion, and worse quality of life than the sample of people without a relative with a personality disorder. In addition, a high percentage of the parents of people diagnosed with BPD (50%) met the diagnostic criteria for different PD. Conclusion: Parents of people diagnosed with BPD may need psychological help in various aspects. Therapists are therefore advised to bear in mind the importance of carrying out a psychological assessment of family members and, if necessary, to offer psychological intervention. It is crucial to invite the family to be part of the treatment, since they can be part of the solution

Femtosecond two-photon absorption spectroscopy of poly(fluorene) derivatives containing benzoselenadiazole and benzothiadiazole

We have investigated the molecular structure and two-photon absorption (2PA) properties relationship of two push-pull poly(fluorene) derivatives containing benzoselenadiazole and benzothiadiazole units. For that, we have used the femtosecond wavelength-tunable Z-scan technique with a low repetition rate (1 kHz) and an energy per pulse on the order of nJ. Our results show that both 2PA spectra present a strong 2PA (around 600 GM (1 GM = 1×10-50 cm4 .s. photon-1)) band at around 720 nm (transition energy 3.45 eV) ascribed to the strongly 2PA-allowed 1Ag-like → mAg-like transition, characteristic of poly(fluorene) derivatives. Another 2PA band related to the intramolecular charge transfer was also observed at around 900 nm (transition energy 2.75 eV). In both 2PA bands, we found higher 2PA cross-section values for the poly(fluorene) containing benzothiadiazole unit. This outcome was explained through the higher charge redistribution at the excited state caused by the benzothiadiazole group as compared to the benzoselenadiazole and confirmed by means of solvatochromic Stokes shift measurements. To shed more light on these results, we employed the sum-over-states approach within the two-energy level model to estimate the maximum permanent dipole moment change related to the intramolecular charge transfer transition

El software ILCYM 4.0

La evidencia demuestra que la mayoría de tratamientos químicos realizados en la producción agrícola son innecesarios, ineficientes y, en un cierto porcentaje, tardíos. Para tomar mejores decisiones, el productor necesita más información sobre el estado real del desarrollo biológico de la plaga y el riesgo real que conlleva (Figura1). Hoy en día, el productor agrícola dispone de herramientas que lo ayudan a ser más eficiente en el manejo de plagas y enfermedades de sus cultivos, como el software ILCYM 4.0 (Insect Life Cycle Modeling), que permite determinar las zonas de alto riesgo de propagación de una plaga, y generar un sistema de alerta mediante los indicadores de riesgo diarios que genera este programa

Mapas de riesgo: herramienta para la toma de decisiones en el control de plagas frente al cambio climático

La herramienta ILCYM 4.0 permite el desarrollo de modelos fenológicos de insectos para predecir, evaluar y comprender la dinámica de las poblaciones en los ecosistemas; además, mediante el uso de SIG se generan mapas de riesgo de establecimiento de una plaga, siendo posible calcular el número de generaciones de la plaga en un año. Con esta información se realizan las predicciones de riesgo para determinar con exactitud el momento en el cual es necesario realizar un muestreo o un manejo adecuado de la plaga, y con ello la reducción del uso de pesticidas hasta en un 50%, comparado con un manejo calendarizado

What role does the LPA1 receptor play in regulating emotional-like behaviours?

The LPA1 receptor is one of the six characterized G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1–6) through which lysophosphatidic acid acts as an intercellular signalling molecule. It has been proposed that this receptor has a role in controlling anxiety-like behaviours and in the detrimental consequences of stress. In general, the neurobiological mechanism of fear extinction is strikingly similar to that of the adaptative stress response (distress regulation), sharing similar neuroanatomical, neuroendocrine, and neurochemical basis. Inadequate control of the stress response could precipitate or provoke anxiety disorders. In this context, we tried to elucidate the LPA1 receptor involvement in emotional regulation. For this purpose, we first examined fear extinction, a type of emotional regulation, in normal wild-type (wt) and maLPA1-null mice using two different extinction procedures (cued fear extinction and contextual fear extinction). Additionally, to study the role of the LPA1 receptor in the absence of developmental abnormalities induced by its permanent loss, the effect of the LPA1 antagonist Ki16425 administration was examined in contextual fear extinction on wild-type mice. Next, we studied the consequences of the absence of the LPA1 receptor in two key areas involved in emotional regulation, characterizing the structure and GABAergic composition of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala by immunohistochemical detection of neuron specific nuclear protein (NeuN), GABA-positive cells and calcium-binding proteins (calretinin (CR), parvalbumin (PV), and calbindin (CB)). Lastly, we examined the corticosterone response and the expression of a marker of neuronal activity, c-Fos protein, in the amygdala and the mPFC after acute stress. Our results revealed that lack of the LPA1-receptor induces exaggerated amygdala reactivity and endocrine responses to emotional stimuli (e.g., an acute episode of stress), revealing a role of the LPA1 receptor in regulating emotional-like behaviours. Considering that a reduction of GABAergic inhibitory control in the amygdala may be a common mechanism to generate a heightened emotional state, the abnormal emotional response reported in LPA1-null mice could be explained, at least in part, by a significant reduction of GABAérgic composition of the amygdala observed in these animals. Taking together, the LPA1 receptor is involved in emotional behaviours and in the anatomical integrity of the corticolimbic circuit, the deregulation of which may be a susceptibility factor for anxiety disorders and a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of these diseases.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Social avoidance and altered stress axis in a mouse model of anxious depression

Prevalence of stress-related disorders, such as depression, is raising in modern societies. Indeed, current neurobiological research aims to elucidate the link between deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis among vulnerable individuals and the onset of depressive symptoms, such as social withdrawal. Herein, we seek to determine the role of LPA1 receptor in social behaviour and the performance of maLPA1-null mice, a model of anxious depression, in the dexamethasone (DEX) suppression test. For that purpose, we used the three-chamber test for social preference. Also, we administered vehicle or DEX 0.1mg/kg to wild-type (WT) mice and maLPA1-null mice, analysed corticosterone (CORT) response by ELISA method and determine glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression and serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) in the hippocampus by Western-Blot analysis. We found that maLPA1-null mice lack preference for the social chamber as compared to WT animals. Additionally, mice lacking the LPA1 receptor did not suppress CORT after DEX treatment and increased significantly hippocampal SGK1 expression despite unaltered GR protein levels. These results provide further insight on the role of LPA1 receptors in depressive-like behavior and the pathological intracellular signals involved in stress regulation.Andalusian Regional Ministries of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (SEJ1863 to CP and CTS-643 to GE-T) and of Health (Nicolas Monardes Programme to GE-T). Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2013-44901-P to LJS and CP; and co-financed with Funds of the European Commission “FEDER” PSI2017-83408-P to CP). Author AN-Q and RDM-F hold Grants of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (FPU 16/05308; FPU14/01610, respectively). Author FJG-S held a Grant of the First Research and Transfer Plan of the University of Malaga. University of Malaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech, and I Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia of the University of Malaga

Stress coping behaviour, brain connectivity and LPA1 receptor: similarities and differences between the genetic and the pharmacological approach

LPA1 receptor is one of the six characterized G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1-6) through which lysophosphatidic acid acts as an intercellular signalling molecule. It has been recently proposed that this receptor has a key role in controlling depression-like behaviours and in the detrimental consequences of stress. Here, we sought to establish the involvement of the LPA1 receptor in brain activity after an acute stressor. To this end, we examined behavioural despair in mice with a constitutive depletion of the LPA1 receptor (maLPA1-null mice), wild-type mice and mice receiving one single icv dose of the LPA1 receptor antagonist Ki16425 or vehicle. Furthermore, the expression of c-Fos protein in stress-related brain areas and the corticosterone response following acute stress were examined. Our data indicated that, contrary to the knockout model, the antagonism of the LPA1 receptor significantly increased immobility in the Forced Swim Test. However, latency to first immobility was reduced in both experimental conditions. Immunohistochemistry studies revealed an increased in activity in key limbic structures such as medial prefrontal cortex in both the LPA1 antagonist-treated mice and maLPA1-null mice, with an interesting opposed effect on hippocampal activity. Following acute stress, the sole infusion of Ki16425 in the cerebral ventricle increased corticosterone levels. In conclusion, the alteration of LPA1 receptor function, through both genetic deletion or pharmacological antagonism, is involved in behavioural despair and hyperactivity of brain stress systems, thus contributing to explore specific susceptibility mechanisms of stress as targets for therapeutic recovery.Funding by the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (SEJ1863) and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports ( PSI2017 - 83408 - P). Authors RD. M-F and A. N-Q hold a Grant of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (FPU14/01610 and FPU16/05308, respectively). Author S.T. holds a Grant of the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment C. R. (FPDI 2016); Andalucía Tech. I Plan Propio de Investiga ción y Transferencia de la Universidad de Málaga. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Study of reactions induced by 6He on 9Be

We present the results of experiments using a 6He beam on a 9Be target at\ud energies 7 − 9 times the Coulomb barrier. Angular distributions of the elastic, inelastic\ud scattering (target breakup) and the -particle production in the 6He+9Be collision have\ud been analysed. Total reaction cross sections were obtained from the elastic scattering\ud analyses and a considerable enhancement has been observed by comparing to stable systems.FAPESPFundação Araucári