The complete mitogenome of the trilobite beetle, Platerodrilus sp. (Elateroidea: Lycidae)

The nucleotide sequence of the complete mitogenome of the trilobite beetle, Platerodrilus sp. was determined. This is the first complete mitogenome reported for the family Lycidae (Elateroidea: Coleoptera). The newly determined sequence is 16,394 bp long and shows a relatively high AT content (76.2%). The gene arrangement of the trilobite beetle mt genome is the same found in other related beetle mitogenomes. The reconstructed tree recovered Elateroidea as a strongly supported monophyletic group but could not resolve phylogenetic relationships among studied elateroid families, including Lycidae.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, 10.13039/501100004837 [CGL2013-45211-C2-2-P], [BES-2011-051469,CGL2013-45211-C2-2-P] and [CGL2015-66571-P MINECO/FEDER].Peer reviewe

Beyond Conus: Phylogenetic relationships of Conidae based on complete mitochondrial genomes

Understanding how the extraordinary taxonomic and ecological diversity of cone snails (Caenogastropoda: Conidae) evolved requires a statistically robust phylogenetic framework, which thus far is not available. While recent molecular phylogenies have been able to distinguish several deep lineages within the family Conidae, including the genera Profundiconus, Californiconus, Conasprella, and Conus (and within this one, several subgenera), phylogenetic relationships among these genera remain elusive. Moreover, the possibility that additional deep lineages may exist within the family is open. Here, we reconstructed with probabilistic methods a molecular phylogeny of Conidae using the newly sequenced complete or nearly complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of the following nine species that represent all main Conidae lineages and potentially new ones: Profundiconus teramachii, Californiconus californicus, Conasprella wakayamaensis, Lilliconus sagei, Pseudolilliconus traillii, Conus (Kalloconus) venulatus, Conus (Lautoconus) ventricosus, Conus (Lautoconus) hybridus, and Conus (Eugeniconus) nobilis. To test the monophyly of the family, we also sequenced the nearly complete mt genomes of the following three species representing closely related conoidean families: Benthomangelia sp. (Mangeliidae), Tomopleura sp. (Borsoniidae), and Glyphostoma sp. (Clathurellidae). All newly sequenced conoidean mt genomes shared a relatively constant gene order with rearrangements limited to tRNA genes. The reconstructed phylogeny recovered with high statistical support the monophyly of Conidae and phylogenetic relationships within the family. The genus Profundiconus was placed as sister to the remaining genera. Within these, a clade including Californiconus and Lilliconus + Pseudolilliconus was the sister group of Conasprella to the exclusion of Conus. The phylogeny included a new lineage whose relative phylogenetic position was unknown (Lilliconus) and uncovered thus far hidden diversity within the family (Pseudolilliconus). Moreover, reconstructed phylogenetic relationships allowed inferring that the peculiar diet of Californiconus based on worms, mollusks, crustaceans and fish is derived, and reinforce the hypothesis that the ancestor of Conidae was a worm hunter. A chronogram was reconstructed under an uncorrelated relaxed molecular clock, which dated the origin of the family shortly after the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (about 59 million years ago) and the divergence among main lineages during the Paleocene and the Eocene (56–30 million years ago).This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation – Spain (CGL2010-18216 and CGL2013-45211-C2-2-P to RZ; BES-2011-051469 to JEU),Peer Reviewe

Gonyaulax taylorii, a new yessotoxins-producer dinoflagellate species from Chilean waters

In summer 2009, during a survey in Bahía Mejillones, a dense bloom of a dinoflagellate from the genus Gonyaulax was detected, as well as the presence of yessotoxin. Phytoplankton samples were analyzed in detail by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing the presence of Gonyaulax taylorii. Morphological examination showed that the cells in the bloom fit in Gonyaulax jollifei Murray et Whitting sensu Dodge, subsequently classified as Gonyaulax taylorii by Carbonell-Moore. In this context, some inconsistencies have been found in regard to the holotype; the plate 1”’ appears as two plates, 1000 and 2000, showing a suture that does not exist in Dodge’s figure of G. jollifei, from where the holotype was drawn, nor within the samples collected. Therefore, this plate has been originally described erroneously as two plates named 1”’ and 2”’ instead of only one named 1000. After this correction, this species has five instead of six postcingular plates. For this reason, the description of this species must be emended. Phytoplankton net samples were found to containyessotoxin and homoyessotoxin, with concentrations below 1 pg cell!1. The present study identifies, therefore, the dinoflagellate G. taylorii as a new source of yessotoxins.Versión del editor3,083

Factores clínicos e inmunológicos asociados a la nefritis lúpica en pacientes del noroeste de Colombia.

Este estudio transversal y multicéntrico investigó las características clínicas e inmunológicas asociadas con la nefritis lúpica en pacientes colombianos de Medellín. Se incluyeron treinta y nueve pacientes con nefritis lúpica y se compararon sus características con las de 100 pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) sin compromiso renal. Se realizó un análisis multivariado para evaluar los factores asociados con la nefritis lúpica. Los pacientes que desarrollaron nefritis presentaron, al inicio, más úlceras orales (41% vs. 21%, OR=3,1, IC95%: 1,3-7,5, p=0,01)y eritema malar (77% vs. 45%, OR=4,4, IC95%: 1,8-10,8, p=0,001) que aquellos pacientes sin nefropatía. La nefritis lúpica se observó en 77% de los casos durante el primer año de evolución del LES. La frecuencia de anticuerpos anti-ADN fue mayor en los pacientes con nefritis; sine mbargo, las diferencias no fueron significativas (83% vs. 64%, OR=2,57, IC95%:1,03-6,41,p=0,06). La presencia de otros anticuerpos (anti-Ro, anti-La, anti-RNP, anti-Sm y anticardiolipina)en el momento del diagnóstico fue similar en ambos grupos. El perfil de los autoanticuerpos permaneció sin modificación significativa durante el curso del LES. Los pacientes con nefritis lúpica presentaron una mayor prevalencia de hipertensión arterial (60% vs 10%, OR=13,7,IC95%: 5-37, p=0,00001) y dislipidemia (30% vs 7%, OR=8,1, IC95%: 2,5-27, p=0,0006) al inicio de la enfermedad que aquellos pacientes sin nefropatía. Los pacientes con nefritis lúpica requirieron más hospitalizaciones (>1) durante el curso de la enfermedad (89% vs 60%, OR=7,8,IC95%: 2,1-29, p=0,002). En conclusión, la nefritis lúpica se presenta tempranamente en el LES. El eritema malar, las úlceras orales, la hipertensión arterial y la dislipidemia son factores asociados. A su vez, la nefritis lúpica es un factor de riesgo de hospitalizaciones repetidas. Este estudio puede ser útil en la toma de decisiones de políticas de salud para beneficio de los pacientes y reducción de costos.A cross-sectional and multicenter study was undertaken to analyze the clinical andimmunological characteristics at diagnosis associated with nephritis in northwesternColombian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thirty nine patients with lupusnephritis were included and were compared to 100 SLE patients without nephritis. A multivariateanalysis was performed. The patients who developed nephritis had a higher frequency of oralulcers (41% vs. 21%, OR=3.1, 95%CI: 1.3-7.5 p= 0.01) and malar erythema (77% vs. 45%,OR=4.4, 95%CI: 1.8-10.8 p=0.001). Lupus nephritis was observed in 77% of cases during thefirst year of the disease. The frequency of anti-DNA antibodies was higher in patients withnephritis, however, differences were not statistically significant (83% vs 64%, OR=2.6, 95%CI:1.03-6.41, p=0.06). The presence of other autoantibodies (anti-Ro, anti-La, anti-RNP, anti-Smand anticardiolipin) at diagnosis was similar in both groups. This autoantibody profile remainedunchanged throughout the evolution of the disease. Patients with lupus nephritis had a higherprevalence of arterial hypertension (60% vs 10%, OR=13.7, 95%IC: 5-37, p=0.00001) andhyperlipidemia (30% vs 7%, OR=8.1, 95%IC: 2.5-27, p=0.0006) at onset. Finally, patients withlupus nephritis required more hospitalizations (>1) over the course of disease (89% vs 60%,OR=7.8, 95%CI: 2.1–29, p=0.002). In conclusion, lupus nephritis appears early during thecourse of SLE. Malar erythema, oral ulcers, hypertension and hyperlipidemia at onset of diseaseare associated factors. Lupus nephritis is a major risk factor leading to repeatedhospitalizations. This study may help to assist in public health policies in our population inorder to improve patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing disease costs

Energy loss of H+ and H2+ beams in carbon nanotubes: a joint experimental and simulation study

Carbon nanotube properties can be modified by ion irradiation; therefore it is important to know the manner in which ions deposit energy (how much and where) in the nanotubes. In this work, we have studied, experimentally and with a simulation code, the irradiation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), supported on a holey amorphous carbon (a-C) substrate, with low energy (2–10 keV/u) H+ and H2+ molecular beams, impinging perpendicularly to the MWCNT axis. The energy distribution of protons traversing the nanotubes (either from the H+ beam or dissociated from the H2+ beam) was measured by the transmission technique in the forward direction. Two well-differentiated peaks appear in the experimental energy-loss distribution of the fragments dissociated from the molecular H2+ beam, in correspondence to the ones detected with the proton beam. One is the low-energy loss peak (LELP), which has a symmetric width; the other is the high-energy loss peak (HELP), which shows an asymmetric broadening towards larger energy loss than the corresponding proton energy distribution. A semi-classical simulation, accounting for the main interaction processes (both elastic and inelastic), of the proton trajectories through the nanotube and the supporting substrate has been done, in order to elucidate the origin of these structures in the energy spectra. Regarding the H+ energy spectrum, the LELP corresponds to projectiles that travel in quasi-channelling motion through the most outer walls of the nanotubes and then pass through the substrate holes, whereas the HELP results mostly from projectiles traversing only the a-C substrate, with the asymmetry broadening being due to a minor contribution of those protons that cross the a-C substrate after exiting the nanotube. The broadening of the peaks corresponding to dissociated fragments, with respect to that of the isolated protons, is the result of vicinage effects between the fragments, when travelling in quasi-channelling conditions through the outer layers of the nanotube, and Coulomb explosion just after exiting the target. The excellent agreement between the measured and the simulated energy spectra of the H+ beam validates our simulation code in order to predict the energy deposited by ion beams in carbon nanotubes.This work has been financially supported by Fondecyt 1100759, Fondecyt 1121203 and USM-DGIP 11.11.11, Anillo ACT1108, Proyecto Basal FB0821 - CONICYT, the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and European Regional Development Fund (Projects FIS2014-58849-P and PGC2018-096788-B-I00), and Fundación Séneca (Project No. 19907/GERM/15)

Phylogenetic relationships of the Amblyomma cajennense complex (Acari: Ixodidae) at mitogenomic resolution

The genus Amblyomma is the third most diverse in the number of species within the Ixodidae, with practically half of its species distributed in the Americas, though there are also species occurring in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Within the genus, there are several species complexes with veterinary and public health importance. The Amblyomma cajennense complex, in the Americas, is represented by six species with a wide distribution, from Texas to northern Argentina. We combined two sequencing techniques to generate complete mitogenomes of species belonging to the Amblyomma cajennense complex: genome skimming and long-range PCRs sequencing methods. Thus, we generated seven new mitochondrial genomes for all species of the Amblyomma cajennense complex, except for Amblyomma interandinum. Genetic distances between the mitogenomes corroborate the clear differentiation between the five species of the Amblyomma cajennense complex. The phylogenetic relationships of these species had previously been evaluated by combining partial nuclear and mitochondrial genes and here these relationships are corroborated with a more robust framework of data, which demonstrates that the conjunction of mitochondrial and nuclear partial genes can resolve close relationships when entire genes or genomes are unavailable. The gene order, structure, composition, and length are stable across these mitogenomes, and they share the general characteristics of Metastriata. Future studies should increase the number of available mitogenomes for this genus, especially for those species from the Indo-Pacific region and Africa, by means of a better understanding of their relationships and evolutionary process.EEA RafaelaFil: Cotes-Perdomo, Andrea P. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Cotes-Perdomo, Andrea P. University of South-Eastern. Faculty of Technology. Natural Sciences and Environmental Health Department. Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences; NoruegaFil: Nava, Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; ArgentinaFil: Nava, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Nava, Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea (IDICAL); ArgentinaFil: Castro, Lyda R. Universidad del Magdalena. Facultad de Ciencias Básicas. Grupo de investigación Evolución, Sistemática y Ecología Molecular (GIESEMOL); ColombiaFil: Rivera-Paéz, Fredy A. Universidad de Caldas. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME); ColombiaFil: Cortés-Vecino, Jesús A. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia. Grupo de Investigación Parasitología Veterinaria; ColombiaFil: Uribe, Juan E. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC). Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiv; EspañaFil: Uribe, Juan E. Smithsonian Institution. National Museum of Natural History. Invertebrate Zoology Department; Estados Unido

Piracy of scientific papers in Latin America: An analysis of Sci-Hub usage data

Sci-Hub hosts pirated copies of 51 million scientific papers from commercial publishers. This article presents the site’s characteristics, it criticizes that it might be perceived as a de-facto component of the Open Access movement, it replicates an analysis published in Science using its available usage data, but limiting it to Latin America, and presents implications caused by this site for information professionals, universities and libraries

Acute myocardial infarction as first manifestation of primary antiphospholipid syndrome in a twenty-four years old patient

El síndrome antifosfolípido primario usualmente se manifiesta como trombosis venosa profunda, tromboembolismo pulmonar y como evento cerebrovascular en la circulación arterial. Se presenta el caso de un paciente joven previamente sano, con infarto agudo del miocardio como primera manifestación del síndrome antifosfolípido primario.Q4Presentación de casos135-139Primary antiphospholipid syndrome is usually manifested with deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism and arterial thrombosis, including cerebrovascular accidents. We report the case of a previously healthy young patient who suffered an acute myocardial infarction as the first manifestation of a primary antiphospholipid syndrome

Factores clínicos y epidemiológicos asociados con nefritis lúpica en pacientes del noroccidente colombiano

A cross-sectional and multicenter study was undertaken to analyze the clinical and immunological characteristics at diagnosis associated with nephritis in northwestern Colombian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thirty-nine patients with lupus nephritis were included and were compared to 100 SLE patients without nephritis. A multivariate analysis was performed. The patients who developed nephritis had a higher frequency of oral ulcers (41% vs. 21%, OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.3-7.5 p = 0.01) and malar erythema (77% vs. 45%, OR = 4.4, 95% CI: 1.8-10.8 p = 0.001). Lupus nephritis was observed in 77% of cases during the first year of the disease. The frequency of anti-DNA antibodies was higher in patients with nephritis, however, differences were not statistically significant (83% vs 64%, OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.03-6.41, p = 0.06). The presence of other autoantibodies (anti-Ro, anti-La, anti-RNP, anti-Sm and anticardiolipin) at diagnosis was similar in both groups. This autoantibody profile remained unchanged throughout the evolution of the disease. Patients with lupus nephritis had a higher prevalence of arterial hypertension (60% vs 10%, OR = 13.7, 95% IC: 5-37, p = 0.00001) and hyperlipidemia (30% vs 7%, OR = 8.1, 95% IC: 2.5-27, p = 0.0006) at onset. Finally, patients with lupus nephritis required more hospitalizations (> 1) over the course of disease (89% vs 60%, OR = 7.8, 95% CI: 2.1-29, p = 0.002). In conclusion, lupus nephritis appears early during the course of SLE. Malar erythema, oral ulcers, hypertension and hyperlipidemia at onset of disease are associated factors. Lupus nephritis is a major risk factor leading to repeated hospitalizations. This study may help to assist in public health policies in our population in order to improve patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing disease costs.Este estudio transversal y multicéntrico investigó las características clínicas e inmunológicas asociadas con la nefritis lúpica en pacientes colombianos de Medellín. Se incluyeron treinta y nueve pacientes con nefritis lúpica y se compararon sus características con las de 100 pacientes con lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) sin compromiso renal. Se realizó un análisis multivariado para evaluar los factores asociados con la nefritis lúpica. Los pacientes que desarrollaron nefritis presentaron, al inicio, más úlceras orales (41% vs. 21%, OR=3,1, IC95%: 1,3-7,5, p=0,01) y eritema malar (77% vs. 45%, OR=4,4, IC95%: 1,8-10,8, p=0,001) que aquellos pacientes sin nefropatía. La nefritis lúpica se observó en 77% de los casos durante el primer año de evolución del LES. La frecuencia de anticuerpos anti-ADN fue mayor en los pacientes con nefritis; sin embargo, las diferencias no fueron significativas (83% vs. 64%, OR=2,57, IC95%:1,03-6,41, p=0,06). La presencia de otros anticuerpos (anti-Ro, anti-La, anti-RNP, anti-Sm y anticardiolipina) en el momento del diagnóstico fue similar en ambos grupos. El perfil de los autoanticuerpos permaneció sin modificación significativa durante el curso del LES. Los pacientes con nefritis lúpica presentaron una mayor prevalencia de hipertensión arterial (60% vs 10%, OR=13,7, IC95%: 5-37, p=0,00001) y dislipidemia (30% vs 7%, OR=8,1, IC95%: 2,5-27, p=0,0006) al inicio de la enfermedad que aquellos pacientes sin nefropatía. Los pacientes con nefritis lúpica requirieron más hospitalizaciones (>1) durante el curso de la enfermedad (89% vs 60%, OR=7,8, IC95%: 2,1-29, p=0,002). En conclusión, la nefritis lúpica se presenta tempranamente en el LES. El eritema malar, las úlceras orales, la hipertensión arterial y la dislipidemia son factores asociados. A su vez, la nefritis lúpica es un factor de riesgo de hospitalizaciones repetidas. Este estudio puede ser útil en la toma de decisiones de políticas de salud para beneficio de los pacientes y reducción de costos