Soil P and cation availability and crop uptake in a forage rotation under conventional and reduced tillage

Long-term conservation tillage can modify vertical distribution of nutrients in soil profiles and alter nutrient availability and yields of crops

Impact of fire and post-fire management techniques on soil chemical properties

The effects of fire ( Control burned soil) and two emergency stabilisation techniques (grass Seeding and straw Mulching ) on 20 chemical characteristics were evaluated on 0 – 5 cm top-soils sampled 1, 90, 180 and 365 days after an experimental fi re in a steep shrubland of a temperate-humid region (NW Spain). Most part of pH (in H 2 O and KCl) variance was explained by the sampling date. No clear temporal trends were identi fi able for total soil C and N content, likely due to the large SOM pool in these soils; however, changes on soil δ 13 C were explained by the deposition of 13 C-depleted ashes, followed by its progressive erosion, while those on soil δ 15 N were a consequence of fi re induced N outputs. After the fi re, NH 4 + – N, P, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn and B concentrations increased, while those of NO 3 − – N, Al, Fe and Co did not vary significantly. Despite a significant decline with time, concentrations of Mg, Ca and Mn at the end of the study were still higher than in unburned soil, while those of K, Cu, Zn and B were similar to the pre-fire levels and those of NH 4 + – N, P and Na were below pre-fire values. Mulching and Seeding treatments for burned soil emergency stabilisation had significant effects on soil δ 15 N and extractable K, Mg and Ca, while data were inconclusive for their possible effects on the extractable Al, Fe and C

Reduction of Nutrient Losses with Eroded Sediments by Post-Fire Soil Stabilisation Techniques

After an experimental fire in steep shrub land in a temperate–humid region (north-west Spain), the effects of two post-fire stabilisation treatments (grass seeding and straw mulching) on the chemical properties of eroded sediments,and the amount of nutrients lost with them, we reevaluated relative to control burnt soil, over a period of 13 months. Total C and N concentrations, and d 13 C, indicated that sediments were mainly contributed by charred plant and litter material. The highest concentrations of extractable base cations in the sediments occurred during the first 3 months following fire, especially for Na and K. As treatments had little or no effect on nutrient concentration in sediments, differences in nutrient losses were due to the 10-fold lower sediment production in mulching compared with other treatments. In control and seeding treatments, the accumulated amounts of nutrients lost with sediments were 989–1028kgha 1 (C), 77kgha 1 (N), 1.9–2.4kgha 1 (Ca), 0.9–1.1kgha 1 (Mg), 0.48–0.55kgha 1 (NH 4 þ –N), 0.39–0.56kgha 1 (K), 0.19–0.34kgha 1 (Na) and , 0.1kgha 1 (P and NO 3 –N) . These values accounted for 22–25% (total C and N) and 5–12% (NH 4 þ –N, Ca, P and Mg) of available nutrients in ash, and 1.0–2.4% of those in ash þ topsoil. As nutrient and sediment losses were strongly correlated, the reduction of the latter by mulching application leads to an effective decrease of post-fire nutrient losses

POLITICAS DE GESTION DE TALENTO HUMANO PARA EL DESARROLLO DE COMPETENCIAS GERENCIALES EN EMPRESAS METALMECANICA.

El estudio se orientó en analizar las políticas de gestión de talento humano en el desarrollo de las competencias gerenciales del personal supervisorio en empresas metalmecánica. La teoría se sustentó en Alles (2011), Chiavenato (2009), Hay Group (2012), entre otros. La investigación fue descriptiva, de campo, diseño no experimental, transversal, un cuestionario dirigido a 35 supervisores, con 30 items, con escala likert. La confiabilidad de 0.84. Se obtuvo como resultado que en las empresas existen planes de captación de candidatos, y que estas políticas incluyen fuentes de reclutamiento, dentro y fuera de la organización, utilizando bases de datos, además, cuentan con políticas o programas de retención que permiten mantener a los buenos empleados; se establecen planes de incentivos salariales, la promoción del crecimiento profesional del supervisor. En cuanto a las competencias, se evidencia el trabajo en equipo, la cooperación y el liderazgo. Se concluyó que, en las organizaciones objeto de estudio están orientados a ejecutar los procesos de gestión de talento humano en forma coordinada, en virtud de promover el desarrollo de competencias. 

The biological age linked to oxidative stress modifies breast cancer aggressiveness

The incidence of breast cancer increases with age until menopause, and breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women. The existence of epidemiological links between breast cancer and aging indicates that both processes share some common mechanisms of development. Oxidative stress is associated with both cancer susceptibility and aging. Here we observed that ERBB2-positive breast cancer, which developed in genetically heterogeneous ERBB2-positive transgenic mice generated by a backcross, is more aggressive in chronologically younger than in older mice (differentiated by the median survival of the cohort that was 79 weeks), similar to what occurs in humans. In this cohort, we estimated the oxidative biological age using a mathematical model that integrated several subphenotypes directly or indirectly related to oxidative stress. The model selected the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and magnesium and total AKT1 and glutathione concentrations in the liver. The grade of aging was calculated as the difference between the predicted biological age and the chronological age. This comparison permitted the identification of biologically younger and older mice compared with their chronological age. Interestingly, biologically older mice developed more aggressive breast cancer than the biologically younger mice. Genomic regions on chromosomes 2 and 15 linked to the grade of oxidative aging were identified. The levels of expression of Zbp1 located on chromosome 2, a gene related to necroptosis and inflammation, positively correlated with the grade of aging and tumour aggressiveness. Moreover, the pattern of gene expression of genes linked to the inflammation and the response to infection pathways was enriched in the livers of biologically old mice. This study shows part of the complex interactions between breast cancer and aging.JPL was partially supported by FEDER and the MICINN (SAF2014-56989-R and SAF2017-88854R), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PIE14/00066), >Proyectos Integrados IBSAL 2015> (IBY15/00003), the Sandra Ibarra Foundation >de Solidaridad Frente al Cáncer> Foundation and >We can be heroes> Foundation. JHM was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a National Cancer Institute grant (R01 CA116481), and the Low-Dose Scientific Focus Area, Office of Biological & Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231).Peer Reviewe

Strategy for the identification of the tumor intrinsic QTL determining the response to treatment of ERBB2 breast cancer

Resumen del póster presentado al VII Simposium Bases Biológicas del Cáncer y Terapias Personalizadas, celebrado en el Centro de Investigación del Cáncer (CIC-IBMCC) del 21 al 22 de mayo de 2015.-- et al.Este póster ha ganado el 1er premio en el Concurso de Pósters de Oncología Básica y Traslacional en Oncología para Jóvenes Investigadores, celebrado durante el VII Simposium Bases Biológicas del Cáncer y Terapias Personalizadas.An essential aspect of breast cancer is its different evolution among patients with the same histopathological disease. Moreover, cancer is a tissue growing in the context of a complex organism, thus it can be identified two main sources of variability responsible for the disease behavior: intrinsic and extrinsic factors which act, respectively, mainly inside the tumor cells and outside them at local or systemic levels. Our aim is to identify intrinsic factors to the tumor cells responsible for the different responses of breast cancer to chemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Docetaxel. For this purpose, we collected tumors developed in a cohort of genetically heterogeneous mice from a backcross between a resistant strain to breast cancer (C57BL/6) and a susceptible one (FVB) which overexpress the cNeu/ErbB2 protooncogene controlled by the MMTV promoter. The backcross mice were genotyped by SNP analysis. To identify tumor intrinsic factors controlling the response to chemotherapy, we transplanted 125 tumors collected from the backcross mice into singenic F1-C57/FVB mice to remove variability coming from the host compartments. Each tumor was transplanted into two F1 recipient mice; each one was treated with Doxorubicin or Docetaxel, and we studied tumor response to treatment. Linkage analysis permits us to identify QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) controlling susceptibility to mammary cancer and evolution of the disease in the backcross population, and the specific intrinsic QTL associated with different chemotherapy responses in the F1 mice. Moreover, we are studying molecular and signalling pathways that control chemotherapy responses and the QTL associated with them. The identification of breast cancer susceptibility genes and their pathways associated with different response to chemotherapy will be important for the prediction of human breast cancer evolution during therapy, and to learn about the mechanisms involved in resistance to chemotherapy, thus it would help to develop new preventive and therapeutic strategies.Peer Reviewe

A new role of SNAI2 in postlactational involution of the mammary gland links it to luminal breast cancer development

PMCID: PMC4560637Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in women. The transcription factor SNAI2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer, including breast cancer of basal origin. Here we show that SNAI2 is also important in the development of breast cancer of luminal origin in MMTV-ErbB2 mice. SNAI2 deficiency leads to longer latency and fewer luminal tumors, both of these being characteristics of pretumoral origin. These effects were associated with reduced proliferation and a decreased ability to generate mammospheres in normal mammary glands. However, the capacity to metastasize was not modified. Under conditions of increased ERBB2 oncogenic activity after pregnancy plus SNAI2 deficiency, both pretumoral defects - latency and tumor load - were compensated. However, the incidence of lung metastases was dramatically reduced. Furthermore, SNAI2 was required for proper postlactational involution of the breast. At 3 days post lactational involution, the mammary glands of Snai2-deficient mice exhibited lower levels of pSTAT3 and higher levels of pAKT1, resulting in decreased apoptosis. Abundant noninvoluted ducts were still present at 30 days post lactation, with a greater number of residual ERBB2+ cells. These results suggest that this defect in involution leads to an increase in the number of susceptible target cells for transformation, to the recovery of the capacity to generate mammospheres and to an increase in the number of tumors. Our work demonstrates the participation of SNAI2 in the pathogenesis of luminal breast cancer, and reveals an unexpected connection between the processes of postlactational involution and breast tumorigenesis in Snai2-null mutant mice.JPL was partially supported by FEDER and MICINN (PLE2009-119, SAF2014-56989-R), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI07/0057, PI10/00328, PIE14/00066), Junta de Castilla y León (SAN673/SA26/08, SAN126/SA66/09, SA078A09, CSI034U13), the “Fundación Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual”, the “Fundación Inbiomed” (Instituto Oncológico Obra Social de la Caja Guipozcoa-San Sebastian, Kutxa), and the “Fundación Sandra Ibarra de Solidaridad frente al Cáncer”. AC was supported by FIS (PI07/0057) and MICINN (PLE2009-119). SCLL was funded by a JAEdoc Fellowship (CSIC)/FSE. MMSF and ABG are funded by fellowships from the Junta de Castilla y Leon. JHM was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a National Cancer Institute grant (R01 CA116481), and the Low-Dose Scientific Focus Area, Office of Biological & Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231).Peer Reviewe

El uso de metodologías ágiles en el aula como medio para fomentar la diversidad en contextos de ingeniería. Caso de estudio en el Grado de Ingeniería Informática

Memoria ID-011. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2019-2020

Unraveling heterogeneous susceptibility and the evolution of breast cancer using a systems biology approach

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.[Background]: An essential question in cancer is why individuals with the same disease have different clinical outcomes. Progress toward a more personalized medicine in cancer patients requires taking into account the underlying heterogeneity at different molecular levels. [Results]: Here, we present a model in which there are complex interactions at different cellular and systemic levels that account for the heterogeneity of susceptibility to and evolution of ERBB2-positive breast cancers. Our model is based on our analyses of a cohort of mice that are characterized by heterogeneous susceptibility to ERBB2-positive breast cancers. Our analysis reveals that there are similarities between ERBB2 tumors in humans and those of backcross mice at clinical, genomic, expression, and signaling levels. We also show that mice that have tumors with intrinsically high levels of active AKT and ERK are more resistant to tumor metastasis. Our findings suggest for the first time that a site-specific phosphorylation at the serine 473 residue of AKT1 modifies the capacity for tumors to disseminate. Finally, we present two predictive models that can explain the heterogeneous behavior of the disease in the mouse population when we consider simultaneously certain genetic markers, liver cell signaling and serum biomarkers that are identified before the onset of the disease. [Conclusions]: Considering simultaneously tumor pathophenotypes and several molecular levels, we show the heterogeneous behavior of ERBB2-positive breast cancer in terms of disease progression. This and similar studies should help to better understand disease variability in patient populations.JPL was partially supported by FEDER and MICINN (PLE2009-119), FIS (PI07/0057, PI10/00328, PIE14/00066), the Junta de Castilla y León (SAN673/SA26/08; SAN126/SA66/09, SA078A09, CSI034U13), the “Fundación Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual”, the Fundación Inbiomed (Instituto Oncológico Obra Social de la Caja Guipozcoa-San Sebastian, Kutxa), and the “Fundación Sandra Ibarra de Solidaridad frente al Cáncer”. AC was supported by MICINN (PLE2009-119). SCLL is funded by a JAEdoc Fellowship (CSIC)/FSE. MMSF and ABG are funded by fellowships from the Junta de Castilla y Leon. WR was supported by a Forschungsstipendium of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [RE 3108/1-1]. TN, BPB and DYL acknowledge support from the US Department of Energy Low-Dose SFA Program at Berkeley Lab [DE-AC02-05CH11231], the National Institutes of Health [RC1NS069177] and the California Breast Cancer Research Program [15IB-0063]. JHM was supported by the National Institutes of Health, a National Cancer Institute grant (R01 CA116481), and the Low-Dose Scientific Focus Area, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, US Department of Energy (DE-AC02-05CH11231).Peer Reviewe

A comprehensive systematic review of CSF proteins and peptides that defne Alzheimer’s disease

Background: During the last two decades, over 100 proteomics studies have identifed a variety of potential bio‑ markers in CSF of Alzheimer’s (AD) patients. Although several reviews have proposed specifc biomarkers, to date, the statistical relevance of these proteins has not been investigated and no peptidomic analyses have been generated on the basis of specifc up- or down- regulation. Herein, we perform an analysis of all unbiased explorative proteom‑ ics studies of CSF biomarkers in AD to critically evaluate whether proteins and peptides identifed in each study are consistent in distribution; direction change; and signifcance, which would strengthen their potential use in studies of AD pathology and progression. Methods: We generated a database containing all CSF proteins whose levels are known to be signifcantly altered in human AD from 47 independent, validated, proteomics studies. Using this database, which contains 2022 AD and 2562 control human samples, we examined whether each protein is consistently present on the basis of reliable statistical studies; and if so, whether it is over- or under-represented in AD. Additionally, we performed a direct analysis of available mass spectrometric data of these proteins to generate an AD CSF peptide database with 3221 peptides for further analysis. Results: Of the 162 proteins that were identifed in 2 or more studies, we investigated their enrichment or depletion in AD CSF. This allowed us to identify 23 proteins which were increased and 50 proteins which were decreased in AD, some of which have never been revealed as consistent AD biomarkers (i.e. SPRC or MUC18). Regarding the analysis of the tryptic peptide database, we identifed 87 peptides corresponding to 13 proteins as the most highly consistently altered peptides in AD. Analysis of tryptic peptide fngerprinting revealed specifc peptides encoded by CH3L1, VGF, SCG2, PCSK1N, FBLN3 and APOC2 with the highest probability of detection in AD. Conclusions: Our study reveals a panel of 27 proteins and 21 peptides highly altered in AD with consistent statistical signifcance; this panel constitutes a potent tool for the classifcation and diagnosis of AD