Relative Losses of Pioneiro Grass (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum purpureum\u3c/em\u3e Schumach) Silage with Addition of Whole Plant Maize or Maize Grain during Fermentation

Among the forages with potential to be ensiled, tropical forages stand out because of their high yield capacity, being able to produce three times more dry matter than for maize under tropical conditions. Although tropical forages are an interesting alternative for ensilage, their high moisture content may impair the fermentation process, reducing the silage quality. The addition of whole plant maize and maize grain to other grass silages can be an efficient way to reduce the losses involved during the process, specially due to the improvement of the fermentative profile of the silages (Stefanie et al. 2000; Anaya-Ortega et al. 2009). This study aimed to analyze the relative losses from the fermentation of Pioneiro grass silages added or not with whole plant maize and grain maize besides the whole plant maize silage

Changes to the Fermentative Profiles of Pioneiro Grass (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum purpureum\u3c/em\u3e Schumach) and Maize Silages in Different Mixtures after Aerobic Stability

Silages arte widely used in animal production systems to overcome the seasonality of forage production around the world. The preservation of nutritional value of silages depends on the maintenance of an anaerobic environment during the fermentation and storage phases, as well from aerobic stability during the feed out stage (Nussio, 2005). Aerobic exposure usually promotes intense activity of fungi, yeast and aerobic bacteria. If the time of aerobic exposure is long enough, huge changes can happen in the chemical composition of the silages affecting negatively their nutritional value. These changes can be followed by decreasing lactic acid concentration and increasing pH, temperature and ammonia nitrogen (Addah et al. 2011). The present work was carried out to evaluate the levels of ammonia nitrogen, pH, buffer capacity and electric conductivity in silages of Pioneiro grass and maize in different mixtures at silo opening and during the first 7 and 14 days of aerobic exposure

Assessing Oral Intake Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Definitive Radiation with or Without Chemotherapy

Background: Head and neck cancer treatment modalities can significantly impact functional outcomes of patients, especially oral intake (Brizel, et al N Engl J Med 1998; Kamal, et al Support Care Cancer 2019). Radiation therapy in particular has been associated with posttreatment xerostomia and dysphagia (Adelstein, et al J Clin Oncol 2003; Hutcheson, et al Cancer 2013) which can affect quality of life and impair weight gain, contributing to worse long-term outcomes (Payakachat, et al Head Neck, 2013). Early speech-language pathology intervention has shown to be effective in improving these functional outcomes in this population (Greco, et al Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2018). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate oral intake outcomes of patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A cohort of patients with stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx treated with definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy were extracted from system database. Patients with evidence of distant metastases were excluded. Swallow function was assessed both pre- and post-treatment (within four months of treatment initiation or conclusion) with the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) (Crary et al, Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2005) as measured by a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) involved in the patient\u27s care. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated within four months of treatment initiation and one year after treatment completion. The use of enteral feeding at one-year post-treatment was also assessed. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistical methods, Wilcoxon sign rank tests, and [chi]2d tests. Results: The sample included 152 patients. Table 1 highlights patient baseline characteristics, tumor location, and treatment. FOIS scores decreased from pre-treatment to post-treatment, with 75% of patients having a FOIS of 7 at pre-treatment compared with only 13.8% at the post-treatment time point (Table 1). Median BMI also decreased from pre-treatment to one-year post-treatment (Table 2). At one-year post-treatment, 23.7% patients (n=33) required enteral feeding. Conclusions: Definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer is associated with impaired oral intake. Treatment is also associated with decreases in BMI and longer use of enteral feeding, which may reflect sequelae of impaired oral intake. These factors have a negative impact on quality of life and can lead to long-term morbidity. Integrative treatment plans would therefore benefit from speech-language pathology interventions throughout the treatment process

Assessing Oral Intake Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Definitive Radiation with or Without Chemotherapy

Background: Head and neck cancer treatment modalities can significantly impact functional outcomes of patients, especially oral intake (Brizel, et al N Engl J Med 1998; Kamal, et al Support Care Cancer 2019). Radiation therapy in particular has been associated with posttreatment xerostomia and dysphagia (Adelstein, et al J Clin Oncol 2003; Hutcheson, et al Cancer 2013) which can affect quality of life and impair weight gain, contributing to worse long-term outcomes (Payakachat, et al Head Neck, 2013). Early speech-language pathology intervention has shown to be effective in improving these functional outcomes in this population (Greco, et al Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2018). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate oral intake outcomes of patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A cohort of patients with stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx treated with definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy were extracted from system database. Patients with evidence of distant metastases were excluded. Swallow function was assessed both pre- and post-treatment (within four months of treatment initiation or conclusion) with the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) (Crary et al, Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2005) as measured by a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) involved in the patient\u27s care. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated within four months of treatment initiation and one year after treatment completion. The use of enteral feeding at one-year post-treatment was also assessed. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistical methods, Wilcoxon sign rank tests, and [chi]2d tests. Results: The sample included 152 patients. Table 1 highlights patient baseline characteristics, tumor location, and treatment. FOIS scores decreased from pre-treatment to post-treatment, with 75% of patients having a FOIS of 7 at pre-treatment compared with only 13.8% at the post-treatment time point (Table 1). Median BMI also decreased from pre-treatment to one-year post-treatment (Table 2). At one-year post-treatment, 23.7% patients (n=33) required enteral feeding. Conclusions: Definitive radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer is associated with impaired oral intake. Treatment is also associated with decreases in BMI and longer use of enteral feeding, which may reflect sequelae of impaired oral intake. These factors have a negative impact on quality of life and can lead to long-term morbidity. Integrative treatment plans would therefore benefit from speech-language pathology interventions throughout the treatment process

CTCF variants in 39 individuals with a variable neurodevelopmental disorder broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum

Purpose: Pathogenic variants in the chromatin organizer CTCF were previously reported in seven individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD). Methods: Through international collaboration we collected data from 39 subjects with variants in CTCF. We performed transcriptome analysis on RNA from blood samples and utilized Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the impact of Ctcf dosage alteration on nervous system development and function. Results: The individuals in our cohort carried 2 deletions, 8 likely gene-disruptive, 2 splice-site, and 20 different missense variants, most of them de novo. Two cases were familial. The associated phenotype was of variable severity extending from mild developmental delay or normal IQ to severe intellectual disability. Feeding difficulties and behavioral abnormalities were common, and variable other findings including growth restriction and cardiac defects were observed. RNA-sequencing in five individuals identified 3828 deregulated genes enriched for known NDD genes and biological processes such as transcriptional regulation. Ctcf dosage alteration in Drosophila resulted in impaired gross neurological functioning and learning and memory deficits. Conclusion: We significantly broaden the mutational and clinical spectrum of CTCF-associated NDDs. Our data shed light onto the functional role of CTCF by identifying deregulated genes and show that Ctcf alterations result in nervous system defects in Drosophila.Peer reviewe

An NAD+ Phosphorylase Toxin Triggers Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Death.

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems regulate fundamental cellular processes in bacteria and represent potential therapeutic targets. We report a new RES-Xre TA system in multiple human pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The toxin, MbcT, is bactericidal unless neutralized by its antitoxin MbcA. To investigate the mechanism, we solved the 1.8 Å-resolution crystal structure of the MbcTA complex. We found that MbcT resembles secreted NAD+-dependent bacterial exotoxins, such as diphtheria toxin. Indeed, MbcT catalyzes NAD+ degradation in vitro and in vivo. Unexpectedly, the reaction is stimulated by inorganic phosphate, and our data reveal that MbcT is a NAD+ phosphorylase. In the absence of MbcA, MbcT triggers rapid M. tuberculosis cell death, which reduces mycobacterial survival in macrophages and prolongs the survival of infected mice. Our study expands the molecular activities employed by bacterial TA modules and uncovers a new class of enzymes that could be exploited to treat tuberculosis and other infectious diseases

Estudios de la tuberculosis desde la Sucursal del Cielo

PublishedEste libro está dirigido a la comunidad académica, científica y en general a aquellas personas interesadas en ampliar sus conocimientos sobre la tuberculosis. Iniciamos con una revisión general de la evolución de las metodologías diagnósticas. Posteriormente, destacamos diferentes trabajos de investigación realizados en Cali y el Valle del Cauca en torno a la tuberculosis, resaltando herramientas empleadas para la vigilancia epidemiológica de la enfermedad, así como el estudio de la tuberculosis en población vulnerable (tuberculosis infantil y la incidencia de esta enfermedad en trabajadores de la salud en los últimos años en Cali). Este libro resalta la necesidad de entender el enfoque humano que rodea esta enfermedad, en esa dirección los dos últimos capítulos los enfocamos en las creencias sobre la tuberculosis y la interacción del paciente con las entidades prestadoras de servicios de salud. Esperamos que nuestro libro genere importantes aportes a aquellos que se involucran en el estudio de esta enfermedad que ha acompañado al hombre probablemente desde su presencia en el planeta y sea, además, el insumo de futuros investigadores en las diversas áreas del conocimiento que confluyen en el entendimiento de esta enfermedad infecciosa

Study protocol for the multicentre cohorts of Zika virus infection in pregnant women, infants, and acute clinical cases in Latin America and the Caribbean: The ZIKAlliance consortium

Background: The European Commission (EC) Horizon 2020 (H2020)-funded ZIKAlliance Consortium designed a multicentre study including pregnant women (PW), children (CH) and natural history (NH) cohorts. Clinical sites were selected over a wide geographic range within Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into account the dynamic course of the ZIKV epidemic. Methods: Recruitment to the PW cohort will take place in antenatal care clinics. PW will be enrolled regardless of symptoms and followed over the course of pregnancy, approximately every 4 weeks. PW will be revisited at delivery (or after miscarriage/abortion) to assess birth outcomes, including microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities according to the evolving definition of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). After birth, children will be followed for 2 years in the CH cohort. Follow-up visits are scheduled at ages 1-3, 4-6, 12, and 24 months to assess neurocognitive and developmental milestones. In addition, a NH cohort for the characterization of symptomatic rash/fever illness was designed, including follow-up to capture persisting health problems. Blood, urine, and other biological materials will be collected, and tested for ZIKV and other relevant arboviral diseases (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever) using RT-PCR or serological methods. A virtual, decentralized biobank will be created. Reciprocal clinical monitoring has been established between partner sites. Substudies of ZIKV seroprevalence, transmissio

The number of tree species on Earth

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global groundsourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are 73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness

The number of tree species on Earth.

One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global ground-sourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are ∼73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness