Genetic variability in wild and domestic populations of Inga edulis Mart. (Fabaceae) in Peruvian Amazon

Human activity in the Peruvian Amazon causes native vegetation fragmentation into smaller units resulting on the increase of agricultural systems. Understanding the level, the structure and the origin of morphologic within and among populations variation is essential for planning better management strategies aimed at sustainable use and conservation of Inga edulis Mart. species. We evaluated the genetic variability in wild and domestic population to unfold cultivation changes over the species genetic resources. We have studied 400 adult trees: 200 cultivated on arable land and 200 wild growing in untouched lowland rain forest. The individuals were randomly selected. Sampling sites were selected and defined on the basis of the geographical coordinates: longitude, latitude and altitude. Phenotypic variation was monitored using the proposed descriptor of qualitative and quantitative features (e.g., weight of hundred seeds). For each individual a voucher specimen was kept. The total genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves, conserved in silica gel, with INVITEK, Invisorb ®Spin Plant Mini Kit. Samples were then genotyped with five microsatellite (SSR) loci. One locus (Pel5) was cross-transferred, developed previously for Pithecellobium elegans. The remaining four loci (Inga03, 05, 08, 33) were previously developed for the species. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was made using a Biometra® T1 Thermocycler using the following profile: 95 °C for 2 min; 95°C for 15 s, 55/59 °C for 30 s, 72 °C for 30 s, 30 cycles; 72 °C for 15 min. The PCR products were fluorescently labelled. The visualization of fragments was carried out according to standard protocols on genetic analyser, ABI PRISM® 310 (Applied Biosystems), using ABI GENESCAN and GENOTYPER software. The phenotypic and genotypic results of wild versus domestic populations are under evaluation to verify if cultivation is altering the allelic variation considering that morphology is considerably changed.Czech Development Cooperation Project entitled “Sustainable use of natural resources in Peruvian Amazon” Project No. 23/MZe/B/07-10; The Academy of Science of The Czech Republic and the National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation, Peru, binational project entitled “Morphological and genetic diversity of indigenous tropical trees in the Amazon – model study of Inga edulis Mart. in Peruvian Amazon”; Foundation “Nadace Nadání Josefa, Marie a Zdeňky Hlávkových”, Czech Republi

The Color of Childhood: The Role of the Child/Human Binary in the Production of Anti-Black Racism

The binary between the figure of the child and the fully human being is invoked with regularity in analyses of race, yet its centrality to the conception of race has never been fully explored. For most commentators, the figure of the child operates as a metaphoric or rhetorical trope, a non-essential strategic tool in the perpetuation of White supremacy. As I show in the following, the child/human binary does not present a contingent or merely rhetorical construction but, rather, a central feature of racialization. Where Black peoples are situated as objects of violence it is often precisely because Blackness has been identified with childhood and childhood is historically identified as the archetypal site of naturalized violence and servitude. I proceed by offering a historical account of how Black peoples came to inherit the subordination and dehumanization of European childhood and how White youth were subsequently spared through their partial categorization as adults

Effect of Mouth Rinsing and Ingestion of Carbohydrate Solutions on Mood and Perceptual Responses During Exercise

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether mouth rinsing or ingesting carbohydrate (CHO) solutions impact on perceptual responses during exercise. Methods: Nine moderately trained male cyclists underwent a 90-min glycogen-reducing exercise, and consumed a low CHO meal, prior to completing an overnight fast. A 1-h cycle time trial was performed the following morning. Four trials, each separated by 7days, were conducted in a randomized, counterbalanced study design: 15% CHO mouth rinse (CHOR), 7.5% CHO ingestion (CHOI), placebo mouth rinse (PLAR) and placebo ingestion (PLAI). Solution volumes (1.5ml·g-1 ingestion trials and 0.33ml·kg-1 rinsing trials) were provided after every 12.5% of completed exercise. Perceptual scales were used to assess affective valence (feeling scale, FS), arousal (felt arousal scale, FAS), exertion (ratings of perceived exertion, RPE) and mood (profile of mood states, POMS) before, during and immediately after exercise. Results: There was no difference in RPE (CHOI, 14.0±9; CHOR, 14.2±.7; PLAI, 14.6±1.8; PLAR, 14.6±2.0; P=0.35), FS (CHOI, 0.0±1.7; CHOR, -0.2±1.5; PLAI, -0.8±1.4; PLAR, -0.8±1.6; P0.15), or FAS (CHOI, 3.6±1.1; CHOR, 3.5±1.0; PLAI, 3.4±1.4; PLAR, 3.3±1.3; P=725) scores between trials. While overall POMS score did not appear to differ between trials, the 'vigour' subscale indicated that CHOI may facilitate the maintenance of 'vigour' scores over time, in comparison to the steady decline witnessed in other trials (P=0.04). There was no difference in time trial performance between trials (CHOI, 65.3±4.8min; CHOR, 68.4±3.9min; PLAI, 68.7±5.3min; PLAR, 68.3±5.2min; P=0.21) but power output was higher in CHOI (231.0±33.2 W) relative to other trials (221-223.6 W; Plt0.01). Conclusions: In a CHO-reduced state, mouth rinsing with a CHO solution did not impact on perceptual responses during high-intensity exercise in trained cyclists and triathletes. On the other hand CHO ingestion improved perceived ratings of vigour and increased power output during exercise

Monitoring the EU protected Geomalacus maculosus (Kerry Slug): what are the factors affecting catch returns in open and forested habitats?

Geomalacus maculosus is a slug species protected under EU law with a distribution limited to the west of Ireland and north-west Iberia. The species, originally thought to be limited within Ireland to deciduous woodland and peatland, has been found in a number of commercial conifer plantations since 2010. While forest managers are now required to incorporate the protection of the species where it is present, no clear species monitoring protocols are currently available. This study examines the efficacy of De Sangosse refuge traps across three habitats frequently associated with commercial forest plantations in Ireland and compares them with hand searching, a commonly used method for slug monitoring. Catch data during different seasons and under different weather conditions are also presented. Results indicate that autumn is the optimal time for sampling G. maculosus but avoiding extremes of hot or cold weather. While refuge traps placed at 1.5 m on trees in mature conifer plantations and directly on exposed rock in blanket peatlands result in significantly greater catches, hand searching is the most successful approach for clear-fell areas. Hand searches in clear-fell preceded by rain are likely to result in greater numbers caught. The results of this study form, for the first time, the basis for G. maculosus monitoring guidelines for forestry managers. © 2016, The Ecological Society of Japa

Carbohydrate mouth rinse: does it improve endurance exercise performance?

It is well known that carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation can improve performance in endurance exercises through several mechanisms such as maintenance of glycemia and sparing endogenous glycogen as well as the possibility of a central nervous-system action. Some studies have emerged in recent years in order to test the hypothesis of ergogenic action via central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated that CHO mouth rinse can lead to improved performance of cyclists, and this may be associated with the activation of brain areas linked to motivation and reward. These findings have already been replicated in other endurance modalities, such as running. This alternative seems to be an attractive nutritional tool to improve endurance exercise performance

The role of acid-base imbalance in statin-induced myotoxicity

Disturbances in acid-base balance, such as acidosis and alkalosis, have potential to alter the pharmacological and toxicological outcomes of statin therapy. Statins are commonly prescribed for elderly patients who have multiple co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and renal diseases. These patients are at risk of developing acid-base imbalance. In the present study, the effect of disturbances in acid-base balance on the inter-conversion of simvastatin and pravastatin between lactone and hydroxy acid forms have been investigated in physiological buffers, human plasma and cell culture medium over pH ranging from 6.8 to 7.8. The effects of such inter-conversion on cellular uptake and myotoxicity of statins were assessed in vitro using C2C12 skeletal muscle cells under conditions relevant to acidosis, alkalosis and physiological pH. Results indicate that the conversion of the lactone forms of simvastatin and pravastatin to the corresponding hydroxy acid is strongly pH-dependent. At physiological and alkaline pH, substantial proportions of simvastatin lactone (~ 87% and 99%, respectively) and pravastatin lactone (~ 98% and 99%, respectively) were converted to the active hydroxy acid forms after 24 hours of incubation at 37 °C. At acidic pH, conversion occurs to a lower extent, resulting in greater proportion of statin remaining in the more lipophilic lactone form. However, pH alteration did not influence the conversion of the hydroxy acid forms of simvastatin and pravastatin to the corresponding lactones. Furthermore, acidosis has been shown to hinder the metabolism of the lactone form of statins by inhibiting hepatic microsomal enzyme activities. Lipophilic simvastatin lactone was found to be more cytotoxic to undifferentiated and differentiated skeletal muscle cells compared to more hydrophilic simvastatin hydroxy acid, pravastatin lactone and pravastatin hydroxy acid. Enhanced cytotoxicity of statins was observed under acidic conditions and is attributed to increased cellular uptake of the more lipophilic lactone or unionized hydroxy acid form. Consequently, our results suggest that co-morbidities associated with acid-base imbalance can play a substantial role in the development and potentiation of statin-induced myotoxicity

Antisense oligonucleotide therapy for KCNT1 encephalopathy

Published online: 22 November 2022Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are characterized by pharmacoresistant seizures with concomitant intellectual disability. Epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS) is one of the most severe of these syndromes. De novo variants in ion channels, including gain-of-function variants in KCNT1, have been found to play a major role in the etiology of EIMFS. Here, we test a potential precision therapeutic approach in KCNT1-associated DEE using a gene silencing antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) approach. We generated a mouse model carrying the KCNT1 p.P924L pathogenic variant; only the homozygous animals presented with the frequent, debilitating seizures and developmental compromise that are seen in patients. After a single intracerebroventricular bolus injection of a Kcnt1 gapmer ASO in symptomatic mice at postnatal day 40, seizure frequency was significantly reduced, behavioral abnormalities improved, and overall survival was extended compared to mice treated with a control ASO (non-hybridizing sequence). ASO administration at neonatal age was also well-tolerated and effective in controlling seizures and extending the lifespan of treated animals. The data presented here provide proof of concept for ASO-based gene silencing as a promising therapeutic approach in KCNT1-associated epilepsies.Lisseth Estefania Burbano, Melody Li, Nikola Jancovski, Paymaan Jafar-Nejad, Kay Richards, Alicia Sedo, Armand Soriano, Ben Rollo, Linghan Jia, Elena V. Gazina, Sandra Piltz, Fatwa Adikusuma, Paul Q. Thomas, Helen Kopsidas, Frank Rigo, Christopher A. Reid, Snezana Maljevic, Steven Petro