Radial glia in the proliferative ventricular zone of the embryonic and adult turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans.

To better understand the role of radial glial (RG) cells in the evolution of the mammalian cerebral cortex, we investigated the role of RG cells in the dorsal cortex and dorsal ventricular ridge of the turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Unlike mammals, the glial architecture of adult reptile consists mainly of ependymoradial glia, which share features with mammalian RG cells, and which may contribute to neurogenesis that continues throughout the lifespan of the turtle. To evaluate the morphology and proliferative capacity of ependymoradial glia (here referred to as RG cells) in the dorsal cortex of embryonic and adult turtle, we adapted the cortical electroporation technique, commonly used in rodents, to the turtle telencephalon. Here, we demonstrate the morphological and functional characteristics of RG cells in the developing turtle dorsal cortex. We show that cell division occurs both at the ventricle and away from the ventricle, that RG cells undergo division at the ventricle during neurogenic stages of development, and that mitotic Tbr2+ precursor cells, a hallmark of the mammalian SVZ, are present in the turtle cortex. In the adult turtle, we show that RG cells encompass a morphologically heterogeneous population, particularly in the subpallium where proliferation is most prevalent. One RG subtype is similar to RG cells in the developing mammalian cortex, while 2 other RG subtypes appear to be distinct from those seen in mammal. We propose that the different subtypes of RG cells in the adult turtle perform distinct functions

Productive Livestock Characterization and Recommendations for Good Practices Focused on the Achievement of the SDGs in the Ecuadorian Amazon

The increase in livestock production in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region has caused an increase in deforestation and the advance of the agricultural frontier. The aim of the current study was to conduct a socioeconomic and productive characterization in Andean-Amazonian livestock systems in Ecuador. The study area was part of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve (SBR) and three other zones: low (400 to 700 masl), middle (701 to 1600 masl), and high (701 to 1600 masl). Data were collected from 167 ranching households. There are significant differences (p ≤ 0.001) in the results. It was identified that 56.1% of the producers in the middle zone are indigenous (Kichwa). The largest (p ≤ 0.01) average household size (6.7 household members) and the highest level of household heads without schooling (16%) were found in the same area. Heads of households over 54 years of age were reported throughout the gradient. The largest farms were also found in the middle zone, with an average of 62.3 ha, of which an average of 32.9 ha is native forest, 2.1 ha is agricultural land, and 27.2 ha is cattle pasture. The household economy is driven by a greater investment in livestock in the upper area, and therefore their annual gross income has a high impact on their economy. With these results, this study presents recommendations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

GRK2-Dependent HuR Phosphorylation Regulates HIF1α Activation under Hypoxia or Adrenergic Stress.

Adaptation to hypoxia is a common feature in solid tumors orchestrated by oxygen-dependent and independent upregulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). We unveiled that G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK2), known to be overexpressed in certain tumors, fosters this hypoxic pathway via phosphorylation of the mRNA-binding protein HuR, a central HIF-1α modulator. GRK2-mediated HuR phosphorylation increases the total levels and cytoplasmic shuttling of HuR in response to hypoxia, and GRK2-phosphodefective HuR mutants show defective cytosolic accumulation and lower binding to HIF-1α mRNA in hypoxic Hela cells. Interestingly, enhanced GRK2 and HuR expression correlate in luminal breast cancer patients. GRK2 also promotes the HuR/HIF-1α axis and VEGF-C accumulation in normoxic MCF7 breast luminal cancer cells and is required for the induction of HuR/HIF1-α in response to adrenergic stress. Our results point to a relevant role of the GRK2/HuR/HIF-1α module in the adaptation of malignant cells to tumor microenvironment-related stresses.This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III: PI17-00576; Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espana: SAF2017-84125-R; Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espana: SAF2017-87301-R; Instituto de Salud Carlos III: CIBERCV CB16/11/00278; Instituto de Salud Carlos III: PI14-00435; Fundacion Ramon Areces and the Comunidad de Madrid: B2017/BMD-3671-INFLAMUNE.S

Aplicación Web para la gestión semántica de una memoria de investigación

El conocimiento que existe en una organización (memoria) está materializado en lo que se conoce comúnmente como recursos de información. Éstos son heterogéneos en formato y contenido de ahí que dependen del dominio de la organización. El gestionarlos considerando su contenido (significado o semántica) es una tarea importante en la búsqueda e integración de información. En este artículo se describe una propuesta para la gestión semántica de una memoria de investigación, se considera como caso de estudio la memoria del área de Redes y Telecomunicaciones de la UAM-Iztapalapa

Musicoterapia en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales: experiencia benéfica para el binomio

ResumenIntroducciónDesde hace varios años se está utilizando la música como herramienta terapéutica y preventiva en la neonatología, se han documentado en un gran número de artículos de investigación, sin embargo, en México esta técnica es poco utilizada.ObjetivoMejorar las condiciones de los neonatos atendidos en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCIN) y sus familiares, mediante el uso de musicoterapia, para minimizar el estrés y los daños colaterales.Materiales y métodosUn grupo de 2 neonatólogos, 3 residentes de pediatría, 10 enfermeras y un concertista profesional de violín, llevaron a cabo 6 sesiones musicales semanales en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales Externos del Hospital Civil de Guadalajara. Durante el concierto se valoró individualmente a cada neonato, registrando los signos vitales por monitorización electrónica, además se registró el estado anímico de los familiares.ResultadosDurante las sesiones de música los neonatales no presentaron cambios significativos en sus constantes vitales, en el personal de la UCIN y en los padres de recién nacidos hospitalizados se vieron efectos benéficos, refiriendo disminución del estrés y altos índices de satisfacción.ConclusionesLa música puede tener un efecto positivo como terapia coadyuvante en neonatos de alto riesgo, principalmente en prematuros. Se recomienda difundir y aplicar esta metodología en las UCIN del país.AbstractIntroductionSince several years ago, music has been used as a therapeutic and preventive tool in neonatology. A great number of research papers have been written on the subject; however, this technique is rarely used in Mexico.ObjectiveTo improve the condition of neonates at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and their relatives, in order to minimize any stress and collateral damage.Material and methods: A group of two neonatologists, 3 residents, 10 nurses and a professional concert violinist, conducted six weekly music sessions in the Outpatient Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ONICU) of our institution. During the concert, we individually assessed each newborn, recording vital signs through electronic monitoring; additionally, we recorded the mood of any other family members present.ResultsDuring the music sessions, the neonatal patients showed no significant changes in vital signs; yet, ONICU staff and the parents/relatives of hospitalized newborns showed beneficial effects, reporting decreased stress and high levels of satisfaction.ConclusionsMusic can have a positive effect as adjunctive therapy in high-risk newborns, especially in premature babies. We therefore recommend applying this methodology in the ONICU

HIV-1/HAART-Related Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HALS) Is Associated with Decreased Circulating sTWEAK Levels

Background and Objectives Obesity and HIV-1/HAART-associated lipodystrophy syndrome (HALS) share clinical, pathological and mechanistic features. Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in obesity and related diseases. We sought to explore the relationship between HALS and circulating levels of soluble (s) TWEAK and its scavenger receptor sCD163. Methods This was a cross-sectional multicenter study of 120 HIV-1-infected patients treated with a stable HAART regimen; 56 with overt HALS and 64 without HALS. Epidemiological and clinical variables were determined. Serum levels of sTWEAK and sCD163 levels were measured by ELISA. Results were analyzed with Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U and χ2 test. Pearson and Spearman correlation were used to estimate the strength of association between variables. Results Circulating sTWEAK was significantly decreased in HALS patients compared with non-HALS patients (2.81±0.2 vs. 2.94±0.28 pg/mL, p = 0.018). No changes were observed in sCD163 levels in the studied cohorts. On multivariate analysis, a lower log sTWEAK concentration was independently associated with the presence of HALS (OR 0.027, 95% CI 0.001-0.521, p = 0.027). Conclusions HALS is associated with decreased sTWEAK levels

ß2-adrenergic stimulation potentiates spontaneous calcium release by increasing signal mass and co-activation of ryanodine receptor clusters

Aims: It is unknown how ß-adrenergic stimulation affects calcium dynamics in individual RyR2 clusters and leads to the induction of spontaneous calcium waves. To address this, we analysed spontaneous calcium release events in green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged RyR2 clusters. Methods: Cardiomyocytes from mice with GFP-tagged RyR2 or human right atrial tissue were subjected to immunofluorescent labelling or confocal calcium imaging. Results: Spontaneous calcium release from single RyR2 clusters induced 91.4% ± 2.0% of all calcium sparks while 8.0% ± 1.6% were caused by release from two neighbouring clusters. Sparks with two RyR2 clusters had 40% bigger amplitude, were 26% wider, and lasted 35% longer at half maximum. Consequently, the spark mass was larger in two- than one-cluster sparks with a median and interquartile range for the cumulative distribution of 15.7 ± 20.1 vs 7.6 ± 5.7 a.u. (P < .01). ß2-adrenergic stimulation increased RyR2 phosphorylation at s2809 and s2815, tripled the fraction of two- and three-cluster sparks, and significantly increased the spark mass. Interestingly, the amplitude and mass of the calcium released from a RyR2 cluster were proportional to the SR calcium load, but the firing rate was not. The spark mass was also higher in 33 patients with atrial fibrillation than in 36 without (22.9 ± 23.4 a.u. vs 10.7 ± 10.9; P = .015). Conclusions: Most sparks are caused by activation of a single RyR2 cluster at baseline while ß-adrenergic stimulation doubles the mass and the number of clusters per spark. This mimics the shift in the cumulative spark mass distribution observed in myocytes from patients with atrial fibrillation. Keywords: calcium spark; cardiac myocyte; confocal imaging; ryanodine receptor; sarcoplasmic reticulum; ß-adrenergic.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation PID2020-116927RB-C21 and SAF2017-88019-C3-1R (to LHM) and SAF2017-88019-C3-3R (to RB); from Fundació Marató TV3, Marato-2015-2030 (to LHM); from Generalitat de Catalunya SGR2017-1769 (to LHM); from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (to SRWC); from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (to SRWC); from the Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiovascular Research (to SRWC), and from Spanish Ministry of Health and Consume CB16/11/00276 (to JC). SC was the recipient of a predoctoral grant (FPU18/01250) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and AL received a PERIS SALUT-16 grant from Generalitat de Catalunya

Spontaneous abortion associated with Zika virus infection and persistent viremia

We report a case of spontaneous abortion associated with Zika virus infection in a pregnant woman who traveled from Spain to the Dominican Republic and developed a rash. Maternal Zika viremia persisted at least 31 days after onset of symptoms and 21 days after uterine evacuation

Quality and quantity of organic fractions as affected by soil depth in an Argiudoll under Till and No-till systems

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effect of tillage systems on the quantity and quality of organic carbon fractions at different soil layers. Study Design: The experimental design was a split plot with three blocks. The long-term effects (25 years) of conventional- (CT) and no-tillage (NT) systems on a Tipic Argiudoll was sampled at 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20 cm soil depth. Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was carried out at Tornquist (38° 07' 06'' S - 62°02' 17'' O) and soil sampling was performed during wheat seeding (June 2011). Methodology: Total soil organic carbon (SOC) content and the following fractions were determined: Coarse particulate (POCc, 105-2000 µm), fine particulate (POCf, 53-105 µm) and mineral-associated (MOC, 0-53 µm) carbon fractions; humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids; and total (CHt) and soluble (CHs) carbohydrates. The main physico-chemical properties of HA and FA were analyzed using both FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopies. Results: After 25 years, total SOC at the 0-20 cm depth was 9% higher in no-tilled than in tilled soils. The POCf was the SOM fraction that turned out to be the most sensitive to tillage effects. The POCc:POCf:MOC ratio at 0-20 cm was similar for NT (3:14:82) and CT (5:10:84); however, differences were found across soil depths. Tilled soils showed higher aromaticity, starting by CH-degradation, in more superficial soil layers