Scots pine trees react to drought by increasing xylem and phloem conductivities

Drought limits the long-distance transport of water in the xylem due to the reduced leaf-to-soil water potential difference and possible embolism-related losses of conductance, and of sugars in the phloem due to the higher viscosity of the dehydrated sugary solution. This condition can have cascading effects in water and carbon fluxes that may ultimately cause tree death. We hypothesize that the maintenance of xylem and phloem conductances is fundamental for survival also under reduced resource availability, when trees may produce effective and low C cost anatomical adjustments in the xylem and phloem close to the treetop where most of the hydraulic resistance is concentrated. We analyzed the treetop xylem and phloem anatomical characteristics in coexisting Scots pine trees symptomatic and non-symptomatic of drought-induced dieback. We selected the topmost 55 cm of the main stem and selected several sampling positions at different distances from the stem apex to test for differences in the axial patterns between the two groups of trees. We measured the annual ring area (RA), the tracheid hydraulic diameter (Dh) and cell wall thickness (CWT), the conductive phloem area (PAcond) and the average lumen diameter of the 20 largest phloem sieve cells (Dph). Declining trees grew less than the non-declining ones, and despite the similar axial scaling of anatomical traits, had larger Dh and lower CWT. Moreover, declining trees had wider Dph. Our results demonstrate that even under drought stress, maintenance of xylem and phloem efficiencies is of primary importance for survival, even if producing fewer larger tracheids may lead to a xylem more vulnerable to embolism formation

Los pactos secretos. Antología II, Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón

Ana Zaudit Muñoz (biografía): Se licenció en Publicidad mención Diseño Gráfico, en la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Su pasión por las letras le impulsa a pertenecer al Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de la Universidad APEC (Unapec), del cual es miembro activo. Ha participado en las lecturas realizadas en el Festival de la Montaña, de Jarabacoa; en el Congreso Internacional de Escritores y Grupos Literarios, de Sosúa; en el Encuentro Nacional de Narradores y Talleres Literarios y el Festival Nacional de Narrativa de San Francisco de Macorís, y en el Pabellón de Autores Dominicanos y Espacio Joven de la Feria Internacional del Libro Santo Domingo. “Siempre habrá alguien que dude de ti. Solo asegúrate que esa persona no seas tú”, en eso consiste la vida. ///Ángelo Martínez (biografía): Estudiante de las carreras Licenciatura en Publicidad, en Unapec y Creatividad publicitaria, en The Atomic Garden SD. Miembro del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, desde 2018; fue partícipe del Encuentro Nacional de Talleres Literarios, en la ciudad de San Francisco. Autores que han estado más cerca: Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa y Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. ///Carlos Muñoz (biografía): Es un joven escritor egresado de Universidad APEC (Unapec), en la carrera de Publicidad. Es antropólogo en formación por la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) y miembro activo de la Asociación de Estudiantes de Antropología (Asodea). Sus grandes pasiones son la historia, la antropología, la literatura, los patrimonios y la genética. Su vida ha estado vinculada a los espacios culturales y ha participado en los más importantes eventos literarios y culturales en todo el país. Es divulgador de temas históricos, genealógicos, genéticos,culturales y antropológicos. Se ha desempeñado en el ámbito cultural e investigativo; es gestor cultural y coordinador del Museo Fernando Peña Defilló y miembro fundador del Movimiento Cultural Francisco Tostado de la Peña. Actualmente coordina el Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de Unapec. Fue reconocido en la categoría narrativa, en Cuento Joven de la Feria del Libro de Santo Domingo, con una mención de su obra “Oscura Est” que fue publicada en 2018 con otros textos galardonados, en una antología del Ministerio de Cultura. En enero del 2019 fue reconocido como Joven Destacado por la circunscripción 01 del Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional, por su trabajo de divulgación cultural y su afán de incentivar la educación y la cultura en los jóvenes. ///Denisse Richard (biografía): Licenciada en Comunicación Social, de la Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago; tiene un blog llamado denissempolanco.wordpress.com. Es miembro del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de Unapec; escribe poesías, novelas y fragmentos. Participa en eventos como el Festival de Poesía en la Montaña, de Jarabacoa; el Congreso Internacional de Escritores y Grupos Literarios, y la Feria Internacional de Santo Domingo. Sus autores favoritos son: Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Thomas Hardy, Gabriel García Márquez, Jane Austen y Paul Auster. Estudió inglés en Unapec. /// Fabio Luis Pérez Candelier (biografía): Egresado del Instituto Tecnológico de Las Américas (ITLA), como Tecnólogo en Mecatrónica; y estudiante de Ingeniería de Software, en Unapec. Miembro del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón desde 2014; junto a los demás miembros participó en: Poesía en la Montaña, III Encuentro Nacional de Narradores y Talleres Literarios y en la Feria Internacional del Libro de Santo Domingo, entre otras actividades. Autores que han ensanchado su capacidad de comprensión de este mundo caótico y azaroso: José Saramago, Mario Vargas Llosa, Friedrich Nietzsche, Julio Cortázar, Ernesto Sábato, Juan Carlos Onetti, y más reciente, Yuval Noah Harari. En la comprensión de su país y su proceso histórico: Juan Bosch. /// Julio Sang: escritor, político y tecnólogo. /// Laura Paulino S. (biografía): Estudiante de comunicación social en la Universidad Católica Santo Domingo (UCSD). Ha tomado cursos de portugués en Unapec. Escritora de poesía y crítica. Impactos literarios en su vida: Milán Kundera, Arthur Rimbaud, Ernesto Sábato, Julio Cortázar, Jorge Luis Borges, Manuel del Cabral, Leonardo Padura./// Melissa Paulino-Sant (biografía): Licenciatura en Publicidad, en la Universidad APEC (Unapec), con posgrado en Industrias Creativas y Culturales, de la Universidad Nacional de Artes de Taiwan. Miembro fundador del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón. Perdida en los mundos fantásticos e infinitos de autores como Jorge Luis Borges, H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, Carson McCullers, Nan Chevalier y Álvaro Mutis./// Meredith Andújar (biografía): Publicista egresada de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD); Máster con doble titulación en Relaciones Internacionales, del Instituto Universitario de Investigación Ortega y Gasset (IUIOG), adscrito a la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, y el Instituto Global de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Sociales (Iglobal). Actual co-coordinadora del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de la Universidad APEC (Unapec). Ganadora del Premio al Mérito Estudiantil como miembro destacado del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de Unapec, 2016. Participa de eventos como el Festival de Poesía en la Montaña, en Jarabacoa; el Congreso Internacional de Escritores y Grupos Literarios Sosúa, en Puerto Plata; el Encuentro Nacional de Narradores y Talleres Literarios, en San Francisco de Macorís, y en la Feria Internacional de Santo Domingo, entre otros. Impactos literarios y posibles influencias: Edgar Allan Poe, Gabriel García Márquez, Jane Austen, Julio Cortázar, Oscar Wilde y Nan Chevalier, entre otros. /// Migsael Tatis Nieto: Primer premio del “Concurso de Cuento Joven” de la Feria Internacional del Libro 2015. Pueden leer mis ralladas mentales en mi blog “El Rey Cínico”. /// Rosandi Minyety (biografía): Miembro activo del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón, de la Universidad APEC (Unapec). Actualmente finaliza sus estudios en psicología clínica, en la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Participa en eventos como el Festival de Poesía en la Montaña, de Jarabacoa, y el Congreso Internacional de Escritores y Grupos Literarios. /// Sinny (biografía): Estudió japonés e italiano en la Escuela de Idiomas de la Universidad APEC (Unapec), también se desempeñó como maestra de inglés en la misma. Es políglota y escritora desde la temprana edad de 14 años, destacándose en poesía erótica como su género preferido. Ha publicado en revistas virtuales como Moñohecho y Dominican Writer’s Association. Entre sus influencias se encuentran: Julio Cortázar, Jaime Sabines, Julia Álvarez, Elizabeth Acevedo, Oliverio Girondo, Anaïs Nin y Haruki Murakami. /// Yeimy de Dios M. (biografía): Poeta, Licenciatura en Publicidad, Mención Diseño Gráfico, de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Estudió arte, pintura y bisutería en el Instituto Concepción Bona; Redacción y habilidades interpersonales, en Infotep, e Importancia de las Estadística para la Industria y el Comercio en República Dominicana, en la ONE. Es promotora de la Red Internacional de los ODS (Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible); estudió inglés en la Universidad APEC (Unapec) y forma parte del Taller Literario Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, de dicha universidad. Entre sus escritos están: “Alma solitaria”, “Frío mar”, “Mujer del campo mujer del viento”, ”Volando juntos”, “El parque comercializado”, “Tomando mate con el amor”, “La ausencia”, “Quién soy”, “Te busqué”, “Una voz”, “Pensar en ti”, “Tormentoso”, “Héroes”, “Inalcanzable”, “Escribiendo”, “Turbulencia”, “Poema I”, “Poema II”, “Poema III”, “Desenlace”, “Ojalá”, “Inefable” y “Olor a tierra”. El amanecer, más allá, entre otros

Epidural anesthesia and cancer outcomes in bladder cancer patients : is it the technique or the medication? A matched-cohort analysis from a tertiary referral center

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Patients with ClearCode34-identified molecular subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma represent unique populations with distinct comorbidities

The 34-gene classifier, ClearCode34, identifies prognostically distinct molecular subtypes of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) termed ccA and ccB. The primary objective of this study was to describe clinical characteristics and comorbidities of relevance in patients stratified by ClearCode34

Phase I dose escalation trial of stereotactic radiotherapy prior to robotic prostatectomy in high risk prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the safety of combining preoperative stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with robotic radical prostatectomy (RP) for high risk prostate cancer (HRCaP). Many patients with HRCaP will require adjuvant or salvage radiotherapy after RP. The addition of preoperative SBRT before RP may spare patients from subsequent prolonged courses of RT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had NCCN HRCaP and received a total of 25 Gy or 30 Gy in five daily fractions of SBRT to the prostate and seminal vesicles followed by robotic RP with pelvic lymphadenectomy 31-45 days later. The primary endpoint was prevalence of acute genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity. Secondary endpoints were patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and biochemical recurrence (BcR) RESULTS: Three patients received preoperative SBRT to 25 Gy and four received 30 Gy. Median follow-up was 18 months. Highest toxicity was grade 2 and 3 in six (85.7%) and one (14.3%) patients, respectively. All patients developed grade 2 erectile dysfunction and 4 of 7 (57%) developed grade 2 urinary incontinence (UI) within a month after surgery. One patient developed acute grade 3 UI, but there was no grade ≥ 4 toxicity. One patient experienced acute grade 2 hemorrhoidal bleeding. On QOL, acute GU complaints were common and peaked within 3 months. Bowel symptoms were mild. Two patients with pN+ experienced BcR. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative SBRT before robotic RP in HRCaP is feasible and safe.  The severity of acute GU toxicity with preoperative SBRT may be worse than RP alone, while bowel toxicity was mild

Intake patterns of specific alcoholic beverages by prostate cancer status

Background: Previous studies have shown that different alcoholic beverage types impact prostate cancer (PCa) clinical outcomes differently. However, intake patterns of specific alcoholic beverages for PCa status are understudied. The study?s objective is to evaluate intake patterns of total alcohol and the three types of beverage (beer, wine, and spirits) by the PCa risk and aggressiveness status. Method: This is a cross-sectional study using 10,029 men (4676 non-PCa men and 5353 PCa patients) with European ancestry from the PCa consortium. Associations between PCa status and alcohol intake patterns (infrequent, light/moderate, and heavy) were tested using multinomial logistic regressions. Results: Intake frequency patterns of total alcohol were similar for non-PCa men and PCa patients after adjusting for demographic and other factors. However, PCa patients were more likely to drink wine (light/moderate, OR = 1.11, p = 0.018) and spirits (light/moderate, OR = 1.14, p = 0.003; and heavy, OR = 1.34, p = 0.04) than non-PCa men. Patients with aggressive PCa drank more beer than patients with non-aggressive PCa (heavy, OR = 1.48, p = 0.013). Interestingly, heavy wine intake was inversely associated with PCa aggressiveness (OR = 0.56, p = 0.009). Conclusions: The intake patterns of some alcoholic beverage types differed by PCa status. Our findings can provide valuable information for developing custom alcohol interventions for PCa patients

Impact of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations on sustained virologic response in HCV-infected patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohort

BACKGROUND: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. METHODS: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the impact of sr-RD on SVR24 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) were conducted in 951 Caucasian, noncirrhotic genotype (G)1 patients assigned to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin for 48 weeks. The probability of SVR24 was identified by a baseline scoring system (range: 0-9 points) on which scores of 5 to 9 and <5 represent high and low probability of SVR24, respectively. RESULTS: SVR24 rates were 46.1% (754/1634), 77.1% (279/362), 68.0% (514/756), and 51.3% (203/396), respectively, in G1, 2, 3, and 4 patients. Overall, 16.9% and 21.8% patients experienced 651 sr-RD for peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, respectively. Among Caucasian noncirrhotic G1 patients: female sex, lower body mass index, pre-existing cardiovascular/pulmonary disease, and low hematological indices were prognostic factors of sr-RD; SVR24 was lower in patients with 651 vs. no sr-RD by Week 4 (37.9% vs. 54.4%; P = 0.0046) and Week 12 (41.7% vs. 55.3%; P = 0.0016); sr-RD by Week 4/12 significantly reduced SVR24 in patients with scores <5 but not 655. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, sr-RD to peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin significantly impacts on SVR24 rates in treatment-naive G1 noncirrhotic Caucasian patients. Baseline characteristics can help select patients with a high probability of SVR24 and a low probability of sr-RD with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin

AA9int: SNP interaction pattern search using non-hierarchical additive model set.

MOTIVATION: The use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) interactions to predict complex diseases is getting more attention during the past decade, but related statistical methods are still immature. We previously proposed the SNP Interaction Pattern Identifier (SIPI) approach to evaluate 45 SNP interaction patterns/patterns. SIPI is statistically powerful but suffers from a large computation burden. For large-scale studies, it is necessary to use a powerful and computation-efficient method. The objective of this study is to develop an evidence-based mini-version of SIPI as the screening tool or solitary use and to evaluate the impact of inheritance mode and model structure on detecting SNP-SNP interactions. RESULTS: We tested two candidate approaches: the 'Five-Full' and 'AA9int' method. The Five-Full approach is composed of the five full interaction models considering three inheritance modes (additive, dominant and recessive). The AA9int approach is composed of nine interaction models by considering non-hierarchical model structure and the additive mode. Our simulation results show that AA9int has similar statistical power compared to SIPI and is superior to the Five-Full approach, and the impact of the non-hierarchical model structure is greater than that of the inheritance mode in detecting SNP-SNP interactions. In summary, it is recommended that AA9int is a powerful tool to be used either alone or as the screening stage of a two-stage approach (AA9int+SIPI) for detecting SNP-SNP interactions in large-scale studies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The 'AA9int' and 'parAA9int' functions (standard and parallel computing version) are added in the SIPI R package, which is freely available at https://linhuiyi.github.io/LinHY_Software/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online

Analysis of Pools of Targeted Salmonella Deletion Mutants Identifies Novel Genes Affecting Fitness during Competitive Infection in Mice

Pools of mutants of minimal complexity but maximal coverage of genes of interest facilitate screening for genes under selection in a particular environment. We constructed individual deletion mutants in 1,023 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium genes, including almost all genes found in Salmonella but not in related genera. All mutations were confirmed simultaneously using a novel amplification strategy to produce labeled RNA from a T7 RNA polymerase promoter, introduced during the construction of each mutant, followed by hybridization of this labeled RNA to a Typhimurium genome tiling array. To demonstrate the ability to identify fitness phenotypes using our pool of mutants, the pool was subjected to selection by intraperitoneal injection into BALB/c mice and subsequent recovery from spleens. Changes in the representation of each mutant were monitored using T7 transcripts hybridized to a novel inexpensive minimal microarray. Among the top 120 statistically significant spleen colonization phenotypes, more than 40 were mutations in genes with no previously known role in this model. Fifteen phenotypes were tested using individual mutants in competitive assays of intraperitoneal infection in mice and eleven were confirmed, including the first two examples of attenuation for sRNA mutants in Salmonella. We refer to the method as Array-based analysis of cistrons under selection (ABACUS)