Cyclical cervical function in the mare involves remodelling of collagen content, which is correlated with modification of oestrogen

This study was conducted to elucidate mare cervical dilation mechanisms by testing two hypotheses: (i) the proportion of collagen staining in histological samples of mare cervices and (ii) the abundance of hormone receptors in the equine cervix differ with stage of the oestrous cycle and site within the cervix. Tissues and jugular vein blood samples were collected from 15 mares. Collagen content was assessed using Masson's Trichome staining. Receptor abundance was assessed using RT-PCR, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. In sub-epithelial stroma, there was less collagen during the follicular than luteal phase, in the caudal- (P =  0.029), mid- (P =  0.0000) and cranial (P =  0.001) cervical tissue. In the deep stroma, there was less collagen staining during the follicular stage in the mid- (P =  0.004) and cranial- (P =  0.041) cervical regions. There were PTGER2, PTGER3, PGR and ESR1 mRNA transcripts in the cervix. A greater proportion of cells were positive for ESR1 protein during the follicular phase in sub-epithelial (P =  0.019) and deep (P =  0.013) stroma. The abundance of ESR1 in the epithelium was negatively correlated with collagen staining in sub-epithelial (P =  0.007) and deep (P =  0.005) stroma. The results of the study provide new information about the cervical biology of mares by increasing the knowledge about collagen content and the relationship between collagen content and ESR1 protein abundance during the oestrous cycle which indicates the ESR1 receptor is a candidate for involvement in control of cervical dilation.</p

miR396-targeted AtGRF transcription factors are required for coordination of cell division and differentiation during leaf development in Arabidopsis

In plants, cell proliferation and polarized cell differentiation along the adaxial–abaxial axis in the primordium is critical for leaf morphogenesis, while the temporal–spatial relationships between these two processes remain largely unexplored. Here, it is reported that microRNA396 (miR396)-targeted Arabidopsis growth-regulating factors (AtGRFs) are required for leaf adaxial–abaxial polarity in Arabidopsis. Reduction of the expression of AtGRF genes by transgenic miR396 overexpression in leaf polarity mutants asymmetric leaves1 (as1) and as2 resulted in plants with enhanced leaf adaxial–abaxial defects, as a consequence of reduced cell proliferation. Moreover, transgenic miR396 overexpression markedly decreased the cell division activity and the expression of cell cycle-related genes, but resulted in an increased percentage of leaf cells with a higher ploidy level, indicating that miR396 negatively regulates cell proliferation by controlling entry into the mitotic cell cycle. miR396 is mainly expressed in the leaf cells arrested for cell division, coinciding with its roles in cell cycle regulation. These results together suggest that cell division activity mediated by miR396-targeted AtGRFs is important for polarized cell differentiation along the adaxial–abaxial axis during leaf morphogenesis in Arabidopsis

First Colombian Multicentric Newborn Screening for Congenital Toxoplasmosis

Congenital toxoplasmosis can result in permanent sequel as blindness or neurological damage in children and it seems to be more severe in South America than in other continents. There is a lack of information about this frequency in Colombia, where no control program is established, although it is a recognized cause of potentially preventable congenital blindness. We propose the first Colombian multicentric study to determine the frequency and impact of congenital toxoplasmosis. More than 15,000 newborns in seven cities were studied. Newborns were tested at birth by doing a cord blood test for toxoplasmosis. Additionally, children from mothers with history of toxoplasmosis acquired during pregnancy were recalled for a follow-up. The program identified fifteen children otherwise undiagnosed; three of these children died as consequence of congenital toxoplasmosis. The frequency of the congenital infection varied significantly between cities, being higher in Armenia and Florencia, intermediate in Bogota, Bucaramanga and Barranquilla and very low in western cities such as Cucuta and Riohacha. For the first time a significant correlation was found between mean rainfall at the city and the incidence of this congenital infection

Enhancing public transport utilisation through user behaviour clustering

In transportation, clustering the population based on different criteria has become a common practice for researchers and planners. This can help to understand the different types of users and potential users in order to improve the efficiency of the planning and managing of the transportation networks. This thesis aims to analyse two of the most common clustering methods in the transportation field, namely Hierarchical Clustering and K-Means. With the data of the HSL Travel Survey of 2018, the two clustering methods are applied to group the citizens of the Helsinki region based on their transport mode choice. The process concludes with a summary of the social demographic characteristics of the different clusters and the creation of personas that aim to put the user perspective in the centre. Based on the different results, the strengths and weaknesses of each method are described. No method proves to be better than the other, but each of them show different qualities in the technical aspect such as different degrees of robustness, computational complexity or cluster cohesion as well as in the interpretability of the results and potential use for planners and policy makers. It is as well highlighted the role that the data collection and the goal of the clustering plays when choosing one method over the other

lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 associated to ventricular fibrillation during acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Introduction Sudden death (SD) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of death in Western societies. However, the pathophysiology of the disease is not well defined. Recently, it has been proposed that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) may play a determinant role in the genesis of different diseases. In fact, alterations in the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with different types of arrhythmias and, also, with acute coronary syndrome. However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in VF in AMI. Purpose The aim of this preliminary study is to identify lncRNAs associated to VF in AMI. Methods This preliminary study included 24 patients with AMI, 12 with clinically proven VF and 12 without VF. Expression of 10 lncRNAs (CDKN2B-AS1, KCNQ1OT1, MT-LIPCAR, MALAT1, MIAT, NEAT1, SLC16A1-AS1, LNC-TK-2–4, TNFRSF14-AS1, UCA1) and 2 Housekeeping (ACTB and RPLP0) were analyzed using real-time PCR (qPCR). The Fold Change value with a logarithm transformation [log 2 (2–ΔΔCq)] was calculated. The D'Agostino &amp; Pearson and Shapiro-Wilk test and an unpaired t-test were performed in Graphpad-Prism and Qbase programs. Results The lncRNA “cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense noncoding RNA” (CDKN2B-AS1), also named as ANRIL, showed a significantly lower expression in patients that with VF during AMI (2–ΔΔCq (IQ): Control = 1.099 [0.634–1.583] vs FV=0.507 [0.221–1.022], P=0.018). It is important to note that this lncRNA has been previously associated to myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases as atherosclerosis and hypertension. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 could be related to the presence of VF during AMI. Most research must be done to clarify the role of lncRNA in the pathophysiology of VF during AMI. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): Sociedad Española de Cardiología </jats:sec

Determination of Sr-90 in milk samples from the study of statistical results

The determination of 90Sr in milk samples is the main objective of radiation monitoring laboratories because of its environmental importance. In this paper the concentration of activity of 39 milk samples was obtained through radiochemical separation based on selective retention of Sr in a cationic resin (Dowex 50WX8, 50-100 mesh) and subsequent determination by a low-level proportional gas counter. The results were checked by performing the measurement of the Sr concentration by using the flame atomic absorption spectroscopy technique, to finally obtain the mass of 90Sr. From the data obtained a statistical treatment was performed using linear regressions. A reliable estimate of the mass of 90Sr was obtained based on the gravimetric technique, and secondly, the counts per minute of the third measurement in the 90Sr and 90Y equilibrium, without having to perform the analysis. These estimates have been verified with 19 milk samples, obtaining overlapping results. The novelty of the manuscript is the possibility of determining the concentration of 90Sr in milk samples, without the need to perform the third measurement in the equilibrium.</jats:p