Isolation and functional characterization of cold-regulated promoters, by digitally identifying peach fruit cold-induced genes from a large EST dataset

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cold acclimation is the process by which plants adapt to the low, non freezing temperatures that naturally occur during late autumn or early winter. This process enables the plants to resist the freezing temperatures of winter. Temperatures similar to those associated with cold acclimation are also used by the fruit industry to delay fruit ripening in peaches. However, peaches that are subjected to long periods of cold storage may develop chilling injury symptoms (woolliness and internal breakdown). In order to better understand the relationship between cold acclimation and chilling injury in peaches, we isolated and functionally characterized cold-regulated promoters from cold-inducible genes identified by digitally analyzing a large EST dataset.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Digital expression analyses of EST datasets, revealed 164 cold-induced peach genes, several of which show similarities to genes associated with cold acclimation and cold stress responses. The promoters of three of these cold-inducible genes (<it>Ppbec1</it>, <it>Ppxero2 </it>and <it>Pptha1</it>) were fused to the GUS reporter gene and characterized for cold-inducibility using both transient transformation assays in peach fruits (<it>in fruta</it>) and stable transformation in <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it>. These assays demonstrate that the promoter <it>Pptha1 </it>is not cold-inducible, whereas the <it>Ppbec1 and Ppxero2 </it>promoter constructs are cold-inducible.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This work demonstrates that during cold storage, peach fruits differentially express genes that are associated with cold acclimation. Functional characterization of these promoters in transient transformation assays <it>in fruta </it>as well as stable transformation in Arabidopsis, demonstrate that the isolated <it>Ppbec1 </it>and <it>Ppxero2 </it>promoters are cold-inducible promoters, whereas the isolated <it>Pptha1 </it>promoter is not cold-inducible. Additionally, the cold-inducible activity of the <it>Ppbec1 </it>and <it>Ppxero2 </it>promoters suggest that there is a conserved heterologous cold-inducible regulation of these promoters in peach and Arabidopsis. These results reveal that digital expression analyses may be used in non-model species to identify candidate genes whose promoters are differentially expressed in response to exogenous stimuli.</p

Local conditions vs regional context: variation in composition of bird communities along the Middle Paraná River, an extensive river-floodplain system of South America

We studied spatial changes in species composition (i.e., beta diversity) of local assemblages of birds along ∼450 km of the Middle Paraná River, an extensive fluvial system of South America. Point counts were used to survey birds at 60 plots located in shrub swamps and marshes of the floodplain within four sites (15 plots per site). Two sites were surrounded by each of the two upland ecoregions. Beta diversity of bird assemblages was high and was more important than alpha diversity in shaping regional diversity (i.e., gamma diversity) of the fluvial system. Compositional changes were related to species turnover among plots, while nestedness dissimilarity was not important for shaping diversity patterns. Variation-partitioning analysis showed that local conditions (i.e., landscape composition within a radius of 200 m from the center of each plot) accounted for more spatial variation in assemblage composition than did location along the fluvial system. Adjacent upland ecoregions did not account for spatial changes in bird composition within the fluvial system. In conclusion, environmental heterogeneity created by flood pulses is an important factor for sustaining regional diversity of birds within the fluvial system through effects on beta diversity

New psychoactive substances: evolution in the exchange of information and innovative legal responses in the european union

At the end of 2019, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction was monitoring around 790 new psychoactive substances, more than twice the total number of controlled substances under the United Nations Conventions. These substances, which are not subject to international drug controls, include a wide range of molecules, including the assortment of drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, opiates, and benzodiazepines. Most of them are sold as “legal” substitutes for illicit drugs, while others are intended for small groups willing to experiment with them in order to know their possible new effects. At the national level, various measures have been taken to control new substances and many European countries have responded with specific legislation in favor of consumer safety and by extending or adapting existing drug laws to incorporate the new psychoactive substances. Moreover, since 1997, an early warning system has been created in Europe for identifying and responding quickly to the risks of new psychoactive substances. In order to establish a quicker and more effective system to address the criminal activities associated with new dangerous psychoactive substances, the European legal framework has considerably changed over the years

Human health risk assessment due to ambient PM10 and SO2 by an air quality modeling technique

Exposure to air pollutants may be an important environmental risk factor for human health. The main objective of this study was to assess the health impacts of exposure to particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter <= 10 mu g (PM10) and to sulfur dioxide (SO2) using the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO European Center for Environment and Health. Daily concentrations of PM10 and SO2 were used to assess the health effects. With regard to the mortality, the results showed that 3.9 (95 CI: 3.3-4.5) of total, 4.2 (95 CI: 2.7-9.05) of cardiovascular, and 6.2 (95 CI: 4.2-16.9) of respiratory mortality were related to PM10 concentrations above 10 mu g/m(3), respectively. In addition, 1.7 (95 CI: 1.3-2.06) of total, 3.4 (95 CI: 0.78-5.0) of cardiovascular, and 2 (95 CI: 2.5-5.7) of respiratory death were attributed to SO2 levels higher than 10 mu g/m(3), respectively. Given these findings, urgent policy decisions are needed to reduce the death caused by air pollution, and better quantification studies are recommended. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Role of Neonatal Biomarkers of Exposure to Psychoactive Substances to Identify Maternal Socio-Demographic Determinants

Simple summary: the rapid identification of newborns exposure to psychoactive drugs allows an appropriate clinical care. this study tried to identify maternal profiles that help to identify newborns exposed to psychoactive drugs during pregnancy. mothers were interviewed using a questionnaire. The biomarkers of fetal exposure were measured in meconium samples. statistical analysis was performed to identify the maternal characteristics that were most likely to be associated with drug use during pregnancy. of a total of 372 mothers, 49 (13.2%) tested positive for psychoactive drugs use: 24 (49.0%) for cannabis, 11 (22.5%) for ethyl glucuronide, six (12.2%) for cocaine, and eight (16.3%) for more than one psychoactive substance. the maternal characteristics that most likely identify substance use during pregnancy are: maternal age &lt; 24 years, lack of pregnancy care, single-mother families, and active tobacco smoking. the profiles of prenatal maternal exposure identified in a clinical setting can be used to request specific detection tests for identifying newborns exposed to these drugs.Background: the accurate assessment of fetal exposure to psychoactive substances provides the basis for appropriate clinical care of neonates. the objective of this study was to identify maternal socio-demographic profiles and risk factors for prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse by measuring biomarkers in neonatal matrices. methods: a prospective, observational cohort study was completed. Biomarkers of fetal exposure were measured in meconium samples. The mothers were interviewed using a questionnaire. univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. results: a total of 372 mothers were included, 49 (13.2%) testing positive for psychoactive substances use: 24 (49.0%) for cannabis, 11 (22.5%) for ethyl glucuronide, six (12.2%) for cocaine, and in eight (16.3%) more than one psychoactive substance. mothers who consumed any psychoactive substance (29.7 +/- 6.6 years) or cannabis (27.0 +/- 5.7 years) were younger than non-users (32.8 +/- 6.2 years, p &lt; 0.05). cocaine (50.0% vs. 96.9%, p &lt; 0.05) and polydrug users (37.5% vs. 96.9%, p &lt; 0.05) showed a lower levels of pregnancy care. Previous abortions were associated with the use of two or more psychoactive substances (87.5% vs. 37.8%, p &lt; 0.05). Single-mother families (14.3% vs. 2.5%, p &lt; 0.05) and mothers with primary level education (75.5% vs. 55.1%, p &lt; 0.05) presented a higher consumption of psychoactive substances. Independent risk factors that are associated with prenatal exposure include: maternal age &lt; 24 years (odds ratio: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.12-5.87), lack of pregnancy care (odds ratio: 7.27; 95%CI: 2.51-21.02), single-mother families (odds ratio: 4.98; 95%CI: 1.37-8.13), and active tobacco smoking (odds ratio: 8.13; 95%CI: 4.03-16.43). conclusions: these results will allow us to develop several risk-based drug screening approaches to improve the early detection of exposed neonates

Criopreservation effect on fertility

La fertilidad del semen criopreservado es inferior a la del semen fresco. Este hecho está relacionado con los daños subletales instaurados en la población espermática que sobrevive al proceso de congelación. Diversos factores (shock de frío, velocidad de enfriamiento, composición de los diluyentes y estrés osmótico) que ocurren durante el proceso de congelación, son responsables de la disminución de la fertilidad en el semen congelado. En este trabajo se discuten los factores que afectan la calidad de los espermatozoides sobrevivientes al proceso de criopreservación.Cryopreserved semen has impaired fertility compare to fresh semen. The lower post-thaw viability and fertility is related with the spermatozoa sub lethal dysfunction establishes in part of the survival population. These facts are relations with many factors (e.g. cold shock, cooling rate, extender composition, and osmotic stress) during the cryopreservation process. In this paper factor affecting the quality or survival spermatozoa are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Criopreservation effect on fertility

La fertilidad del semen criopreservado es inferior a la del semen fresco. Este hecho está relacionado con los daños subletales instaurados en la población espermática que sobrevive al proceso de congelación. Diversos factores (shock de frío, velocidad de enfriamiento, composición de los diluyentes y estrés osmótico) que ocurren durante el proceso de congelación, son responsables de la disminución de la fertilidad en el semen congelado. En este trabajo se discuten los factores que afectan la calidad de los espermatozoides sobrevivientes al proceso de criopreservación.Cryopreserved semen has impaired fertility compare to fresh semen. The lower post-thaw viability and fertility is related with the spermatozoa sub lethal dysfunction establishes in part of the survival population. These facts are relations with many factors (e.g. cold shock, cooling rate, extender composition, and osmotic stress) during the cryopreservation process. In this paper factor affecting the quality or survival spermatozoa are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Vaginal cytology in the bitch: technique and clinical application

En este trabajo se analizan diferentes aspectos del ciclo estral de la perra. Se discuten las aplicaciones clínicas del estudio citológico vaginal y su relación con procesos fisiológicos y patológicos.This article deals with various aspects of basic physiology of the estrous cycle in the female dog. The clinical use of vaginal cytology and the relationship with physiology and pathology process are reviewed.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria