Avaliação do fluxo de emissão de gases de efeito estufa provenientes de fontes agrícolas por simulação de sistemas: estudo de caso de emissão de metano por arroz irrigado por inundação em Pindamonhangaba, SP.

O registro de aumentos crescentes nas concentrações de gases de efeito estufa decorrentes de atividades humanas vem causando grande preocupação mundial quanto à segurança futura do planeta, dada elevação gradativa dos níveis de aquecimento da superfície da Terra. Entre as atividades agrícolas de importância para a geração de gases de efeito estufa cita-se o cultivo do arroz irrigado por inundação, que produz metano (CH4) durante a estação de crescimento. Fatores ambientais assim como o manejo do cultivo podem interferir nos fluxos de metano emitidos. Assim, torna-se difícil acompanhar a dinâmica da emissão de metano nas diferentes fases de desenvolvimento do ciclo da planta para esse complexo conjunto de fatores, uma vez que devem estar sendo considerados de forma integrada. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o uso do simulador DNDC (Denitrificação-Decomposição) aplicado à avaliação da emissão do gás metano produzido por arroz irrigado por inundação, tendo como área de estudo uma das regiões mais produtoras do Estado de São Paulo - Pindamonhangaba, SP. O simulador apresentou, em resposta para o período avaliado, um fluxo sazonal de metano estimado de 7433 mg CH4/m2 (obtido, após conversão de unidades). Considerando o período de inundação de 120 dias obteve-se 0,62 kg CH4 /ha/dia

Influence of continuous and intermittent water regimes on methane emissions from irrigated rice crops in southeast Brazil.

Irrigated rice crops in Brazil correspond to 35% of the total rice area and the preferred irrigation method is continuous flooding. In this study two water management systems ? continuous and intermittent flooding ? were monitored for the purpose of comparing their methane emission potential. Intermittent flooding was characterized by alternating flooding and draining periods during the rice cropping cycle. In both systems nitrogen fertilizers were applied twice (NPK and urea alone). Methane fluxes were determined using a closed chamber method (boxes 60x60 cm), and analyzed by GC-FID. Samples were collected from 4 boxes (2 boxes for each water management system) twice a week, for a weekly total of 46 samples. Measurements of air and soil temperature, soil and water pH, redox potential, plant biomass were done. After 104 days the accumulated fluxes resulted in a mean methane emission of 21.1 9 g CH4 m-2 d-1 under the continuous flooding regime and 23.9 g CH4 m-2 d-1 under the intermittent flooding regime. After the two N fertilizer application, methane fluxes decreased in all boxes, with a more marked reduction occurring in the intermittent regime stands. Total accumulated methane emissions, as well as grain yield, were evaluated for each water management system at the end of the cropping season, showing 13% higher productivity in the field under intermittent flooding system. The objectives of the present study were (i) to improve methane emission estimates and compare the emission potential of traditionally managed crop systems and (ii) to study the possibility of minimizing water consumption and the influence on the methane fluxes without deleterious effects to the crop

Long-Term Oral Administration of Theaphenon-E Improves Cardiomyocyte Mechanics and Calcium Dynamics by Affecting Phospholamban Phosphorylation and ATP Production

Background/Aims: Dietary polyphenols from green tea have been shown to possess cardio-protective activities in different experimental models of heart diseases and age-related ventricular dysfunction. The present study was aimed at evaluating whether long term in vivo administration of green tea extracts (GTE), can exert positive effects on the normal heart, with focus on the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The study population consisted of 20 male adult Wistar rats. Ten animals were given 40 mL/day tap water solution of GTE (concentration 0.3%) for 4 weeks (GTE group). The same volume of water was administered to the 10 remaining control rats (CTRL). Then, in vivo and ex vivo measurements of cardiac function were performed in the same animal, at the organ (hemodynamics) and cellular (cardiomyocyte mechanical properties and intracellular calcium dynamics) levels. On cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissue samples collected from the same in vivo studied animals, we evaluated: (1) the intracellular content of ATP, (2) the endogenous mitochondrial respiration, (3) the expression levels of the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-dependent ATPase 2a (SERCA2), the Phospholamban (PLB) and the phosphorylated form of PLB, the L-type Ca2+ channel, the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, and the ryanodine receptor 2. Results: GTE cardiomyocytes exhibited a hyperdynamic contractility compared with CTRL (the rate of shortening and re-lengthening, the fraction of shortening, the amplitude of calcium transient, and the rate of cytosolic calcium removal were significantly increased). A faster isovolumic relaxation was also observed at the organ level. Consistent with functional data, we measured a significant increase in the intracellular ATP content supported by enhanced endogenous mitochondrial respiration in GTE cardiomyocytes, as well as higher values of the ratios phosphorylated-PLB/PLB and SERCA2/PLB. Conclusions: Long-term in vivo administration of GTE improves cell mechanical properties and intracellular calcium dynamics in normal cardiomyocytes, by increasing energy availability and removing the inhibitory effect of PLB on SERCA2

Melanocortin receptor agonist NDP-α-MSH improves cognitive deficits and microgliosis but not amyloidosis in advanced stages of AD progression in 5XFAD and 3xTg mice

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia and still lacks effective therapy. Clinical signs of AD include low levels of endogenous melanocortins (MCs) and previous studies have shown that treatment with MC analogs induces neuroprotection in the early stages of AD.Methods: We investigated the neuroprotective role of MCs in two transgenic mouse models of severe AD using 5 and 7 month-old (mo) 5XFAD mice and 9 and 12 mo 3xTg mice. These mice were subjected to a chronic stimulation of MC receptors (MCRs) with MC analogue Nle4-D-Phe7-alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (NDP-alpha-MSH, 340 mu g/kg, i.p.). Mouse behavior and ex-vivo histological and biochemical analyses were performed after 50 days of treatment.Results:Our analysis demonstrated an improvement in cognitive abilities of AD mice at late stage of AD progression. We also showed that these protective effects are associated with decreased levels of hyperphosphorylated Tau but not with A beta burden, that was unaffected in the hippocampus and in the cortex of AD mice. In addition, an age-dependent NDP effect on glial reactivity was observed only in 3xTg mice whereas a global downregulation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase was selectively observed in 7 mo 5XFAD and 14 mo 3xTg mice.Conclusion: Our results suggest that MCR stimulation by NDP-alpha-MSH could represent a promising therapeutic strategy in managing cognitive decline also at late stage of AD, whereas the effects on neuroinflammation may be restricted to specific stages of AD progression

Extensive Copy-Number Variation of Young Genes across Stickleback Populations

MM received funding from the Max Planck innovation funds for this project. PGDF was supported by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant (proposal nr 270891). CE was supported by German Science Foundation grants (DFG, EI 841/4-1 and EI 841/6-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Text messaging: an innovative method of data collection in medical research

BACKGROUND: The ubiquitous use of mobile phones in sending and receiving text messages has become a norm for young people. Undeniably, text messaging has become a new and important communication medium not only in the social realm but in education as well. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using text messaging as a means to collect data for a medical research project.A cross sectional study was carried out during a double blind, randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of a probiotic in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The study aim was to assess the response rate of weekly symptom reports via Short Message Service (SMS). The subjects were undergraduates in a private medical university in Malaysia. They were identified through a previous university wide study as suffering from IBS based on Rome III criteria. The subjects were randomly assigned to either the treatment arm receiving a daily probiotic, or the placebo arm. They were required to score their symptoms using eight-item-questionnaires at baseline, and thereafter weekly, for a total of 8 weeks. All subjects were given the choice to communicate their symptom scores by text messaging via mobile phones or by email. SMS text messages were sent to remind trial subjects to attend face-to-face visits and to complete a paper based 34-item-questionnaires on IBS quality of life assessment at baseline and at end of 8 weeks. FINDINGS: The response rate of weekly symptom scores via Short Message Service (SMS) from a total of 38 subjects was 100%. Through the study, 342 reports were submitted: 33.3% of these were received on the due date without reminder, 60.0% one day after the deadline, after a single reminder, 6.1% 2-3 days after the deadline, after 2-3 reminders and 0.6% 5 days after the deadline, after SMS, phone reminder and face-to-face encounter. All SMS symptom reports, whether on time or late, were complete. With the help of SMS reminder, all trial subjects completed the paper based IBS quality of life assessment at baseline and at end of study. CONCLUSIONS: This study found using text messaging via mobile phone an excellent instrument for collecting weekly symptom reports in response to trial medication, reminding trial subjects to attend face to face visits and completing more complex paper based evaluation. The 100% response rate of weekly symptom reports was facilitated by using simple number codes for SMS submission

Adaptació al català de l'enquesta per malalties respiratòries ATS-DLD-78: validació preliminar

L'objectiu del treball és validar un instrument de mesura per conèixer, més endavant, la prevalença de les bronquitis més cròniques en el nostre medi. Es tracta de l'enquesta per malalties respiratòries de l'American Thoracic Society for the Division of Lung Disease, que hem traduït al català. Respecte a les preguntes del test que defineixen les bronquitis cròniques, hem trobat una sensibilitat del 63,33% i una especificitat del 100% per la referida a la tos i una sensibilitat del 63,33% i una especificitat del 90% per la referida a l'expectoració. De les 124 preguntes, 55 s'hagueren de repetir. D'aquestes, 7 dues vegades i la resta (48) només una. La mitjana aritmètica de la durada del qüestionari és de 17,15 minuts. Pensem que aquesta enquesta, traduïda al català, és una bona eina per estudis de prevalença de malalties respiratòries en el nostre medi

Association of MC1R Variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers: a GenoMEL study

<p><b>Background</b> Carrying the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) germline mutations is associated with a high risk for melanoma. Penetrance of CDKN2A mutations is modified by pigmentation characteristics, nevus phenotypes, and some variants of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R), which is known to have a role in the pigmentation process. However, investigation of the associations of both MC1R variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk has been limited.</p> <p><b>Methods</b> We included 815 CDKN2A mutation carriers (473 affected, and 342 unaffected, with melanoma) from 186 families from 15 centers in Europe, North America, and Australia who participated in the Melanoma Genetics Consortium. In this family-based study, we assessed the associations of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, and R160W) and the number of variants (1, ≥2 variants), alone or jointly with the host phenotypes (hair color, propensity to sunburn, and number of nevi), with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. These associations were estimated and tested using generalized estimating equations. All statistical tests were two-sided.</p> <p><b>Results</b> Carrying any one of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, R160W) in CDKN2A mutation carriers was associated with a statistically significantly increased risk for melanoma across all continents (1.24 × 10−6 ≤ P ≤ .0007). A consistent pattern of increase in melanoma risk was also associated with increase in number of MC1R variants. The risk of melanoma associated with at least two MC1R variants was 2.6-fold higher than the risk associated with only one variant (odds ratio = 5.83 [95% confidence interval = 3.60 to 9.46] vs 2.25 [95% confidence interval = 1.44 to 3.52]; Ptrend = 1.86 × 10−8). The joint analysis of MC1R variants and host phenotypes showed statistically significant associations of melanoma risk, together with MC1R variants (.0001 ≤ P ≤ .04), hair color (.006 ≤ P ≤ .06), and number of nevi (6.9 × 10−6 ≤ P ≤ .02).</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b> Results show that MC1R variants, hair color, and number of nevi were jointly associated with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. This joint association may have important consequences for risk assessments in familial settings.</p&gt

A high-resolution map of human evolutionary constraint using 29 mammals.

The comparison of related genomes has emerged as a powerful lens for genome interpretation. Here we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of 29 eutherian genomes. We confirm that at least 5.5% of the human genome has undergone purifying selection, and locate constrained elements covering ∼4.2% of the genome. We use evolutionary signatures and comparisons with experimental data sets to suggest candidate functions for ∼60% of constrained bases. These elements reveal a small number of new coding exons, candidate stop codon readthrough events and over 10,000 regions of overlapping synonymous constraint within protein-coding exons. We find 220 candidate RNA structural families, and nearly a million elements overlapping potential promoter, enhancer and insulator regions. We report specific amino acid residues that have undergone positive selection, 280,000 non-coding elements exapted from mobile elements and more than 1,000 primate- and human-accelerated elements. Overlap with disease-associated variants indicates that our findings will be relevant for studies of human biology, health and disease