Carnivoran fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina): Santiago Roth collections in Switzerland

Santiago Roth (1850–1924) was a naturalist that collected and sold fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina) in Europe. Much of the specimens collected by Roth are hosted at the Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich and Muséun D’Histoire Naturelle of Geneva in Switzerland, but were never studied. In this article, we review the specimens of the order Carnivora under a taxonomical and temporal approach. We confirm the presence of 16 specimens of Carnivora collected by Roth between the provinces of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. We identify felids (Smilodon sp., Panthera onca, and specimens related to these taxa), ursids (Arctotherium sp.), and canids (Dusicyon avus and specimens related, Lycalopex sp., and Caninae indet.). According to the information reported by S. Roth, all materials are from the Pleistocene of the Pampean Formation. However, given the scarcity of data, only the specific age of few specimens could be more accurately established

Ionic strength of the intermembrane space of intact mitochondria as estimated with fluorescein-BSA delivered by low pH fusion

The electrostatic interactions of cytochrome c with its redox partners and membrane lipids, as well as other protein interactions and biochemical reactions, may be modulated by the ionic strength of the intermembrane space of the mitochondrion. FITC-BSA was used to determine the relative value of the mitochondrial intermembrane ionic strength with respect to bulk medium external to the mitochondrial outer membrane. FITC-BSA exhibited an ionic strength-dependent fluorescence change with an affinity in the mM range as opposed to its pH sensitivity in the microM range. A controlled, low pH-induced membrane fusion procedure was developed to transfer FITC-BSA encapsulated in asolectin liposomes, to the intermembrane space of intact mitochondria. The fusion procedure did not significantly affect mitochondrial ultrastructure, electron transport, or respiratory control ratios. The extent of fusion of liposomes with the mitochondrial outer membrane was monitored by fluorescence dequenching assays using a membrane fluorescent probe (octadecylrhodamine B) and the soluble FITC-BSA fluorescent probe, which report membrane and contents mixing, respectively. Assays were consistent with a rapid, low pH-induced vesicle-outer membrane fusion and delivery of FITC-BSA into the intermembrane space. Similar affinities for the ionic strength- dependent change in fluorescence were found for bulk medium, soluble (9.8 +/- 0.8 mM) and intermembrane space-entrapped FITC-BSA (10.2 +/- 0.6 mM). FITC-BSA consistently reported an ionic strength in the intermembrane space of the functionally and structurally intact mitochondria within +/- 20% of the external bulk solution. These findings reveal that the intermembrane ionic strength changes as does the external ionic strength and suggest that cytochrome c interactions, as well as other protein interactions and biochemical reactions, proceed in the intermembrane space of mitochondria in the intact cell at physiological ionic strength, i.e., 100-150 mM

Pampean megamammals in Europe: the fossil collections from Santiago Roth

Santiago Roth was a Swiss fossil finder, naturalist, and paleontologist that emigrated to Argentina in 1866. His work largely influenced the discipline in the country at the end of the twentieth century, particularly the stratigraphy of the Pampean region. Some of his collections of Pampean fossils were sold to museums and private collectors in Europe and were accompanied by elaborated catalogues. Fossils in the Roth’s catalogues N° 2 and 3 are housed today in the Natural History Museum of Denmark, fossils from catalogues N° 4 to 6, were sold to Swiss museums, with Catalogue N° 5 currently housed at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich. Here, we provide a general framework on the stratigraphy from the Roth’s Pampean fossil sites, summarize the history of the Pampean fossils in Europe originally collected by Roth, and provide historical and curatorial details of the Roth’s collection at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich

Los latidos del tiempo: un viaje imaginario desde el origen del universo hasta nuestros días

El conocimiento científico provisorio y cambiante, nos permite entender la realidad que nos rodea de una determinada manera. Esta no es la única forma de comprender nuestro universo pero sin duda explica los fenómenos de un modo racional y empírico. Esto se realiza mediante la formulación de hipótesis, la corroboración y contrastación de las mismas, comunicando los resultados y abriendo el juego a diversas opiniones que, lejos de criticar destructivamente, afianzan los conocimientos, solidificando las bases en una construcción colectiva del saber (Desantes-Guanter et al 2000). Este es el espíritu que se transmite a quienes participan de Latidos del Tiempo; una propuesta de extensión. Un recorrido guiado por especialistas en astronomía, zoología, ecología, biología de la conservación y antropología, que articula tres importantes centros de formación, divulgación y entretenimiento: el Observatorio Astronómico, el Museo de Ciencias Naturales y el Jardín Zoológico y Botánico de La Plata. La actividad, abarca los hitos más importantes de la evolución cósmica. Comienza con el Big Bang, incursionando por el Origen de la Vida y el Origen del Hombre hasta el presente, reflexionando sobre las problemáticas ambientales actuales y sobre nuestra responsabilidad como especie racional sobre el Planeta. El desafío y principal logro de la actividad, consiste en abordar cada tema de manera amena y multidisciplinar pero desdibujando los límites de cada disciplina, tratando de que los participantes experimenten la continuidad de los diversos hitos, integrando y relacionando los eventos, discutiendo ante distintas interpretaciones y generando nuevos interrogantes, más que de respuestas definitivas.Trabajos del área Ciencias NaturalesDepartamento de Ciencias Exactas y Naturale

Genetic variants associated with increased risk of malignant pleural mesothelioma: a genome-wide association study

Asbestos exposure is the main risk factor for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare aggressive tumor. Nevertheless, only 5–17% of those exposed to asbestos develop MPM, suggesting the involvement of other environmental and genetic risk factors. To identify the genetic risk factors that may contribute to the development of MPM, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS; 370,000 genotyped SNPs, 5 million imputed SNPs) in Italy, among 407 MPM cases and 389 controls with a complete history of asbestos exposure. A replication study was also undertaken and included 428 MPM cases and 1269 controls from Australia. Although no single marker reached the genome-wide significance threshold, several associations were supported by haplotype-, chromosomal region-, gene- and gene-ontology process-based analyses. Most of these SNPs were located in regions reported to harbor aberrant alterations in mesothelioma (SLC7A14, THRB, CEBP350, ADAMTS2, ETV1, PVT1 and MMP14 genes), causing at most a 2–3-fold increase in MPM risk. The Australian replication study showed significant associations in five of these chromosomal regions (3q26.2, 4q32.1, 7p22.2, 14q11.2, 15q14). Multivariate analysis suggested an independent contribution of 10 genetic variants, with an Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) of 0.76 when only exposure and covariates were included in the model, and of 0.86 when the genetic component was also included, with a substantial increase of asbestos exposure risk estimation (odds ratio, OR: 45.28, 95% confidence interval, CI: 21.52–95.28). These results showed that genetic risk factors may play an additional role in the development of MPM, and that these should be taken into account to better estimate individual MPM risk in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos.Giuseppe Matullo ... Lyle J. Palmer ... et al

Attitudes towards compulsory vaccination in Italy: Results from the NAVIDAD multicentre study

ABSTRACT: Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a considerable issue in European countries and leads to low coverage rates. After a long debate, Italy has made vaccination mandatory for admission to its schools. Methods: In the NAVIDAD study (a cross-sectional multicentre study), a 63-item questionnaire was administered to 1820 pregnant women from 15 Italian cities. The questionnaire assessed the interviewee's opinion on mandatory vaccines, as well as their socioeconomic status, sources of information about vaccines, confidence in the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS), and intention to vaccinate their newborn. Results: Information sources play a key role in determining the opinion on restoration of mandatory vaccines; in particular, women who obtained information from anti-vaccination movements are less likely to accept the vaccines (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.21\u20130.58, p < 0.001). Women who had confidence in healthcare professional information agreed more on mandatory vaccination than did the other women (OR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.62\u20134.36, p < 0.001); those who perceived that healthcare professionals have economic interest in child immunization and who declared that healthcare providers inform only on vaccinations benefits not on risks were less likely to agree on compulsory vaccination (OR: 0.66, CI 95%: 0.46\u20130.96, p = 0.03; OR: 0.66, CI 95%: 0.46\u20130.95, p = 0.03, respectively). Conclusion: Information sources and confidence towards health professionals are the main determinants of acceptance of mandatory vaccine restoration. To increase the acceptability of the restoration and reduce vaccine hesitancy, these aspects need to be strengthened

Two additional reports of deletion on the short arm of the Y chromosome

Deletions on the short arm of the Y chromosome involving the amelogenin Y gene (AMELY), located on Yp11.2, can be misleading for sex typing with serious consequences in forensic applications and prenatal diagnosis. In this study, we describe two AMELY null cases concerning two unrelated Italian males from Northeast Italy. PCR amplification of short tandem repeats on the Y chromosome (Y-STRs) showed a lack of AMELY and DYS458 markers. The presence of all the other markers located on the Y chromosome and of the SRY gene in both samples led us to conclude that a deletion had occurred in a portion of the short arm of the Y chromosome. Twenty-three Y-specific sequence tagged sites (STSs) were chosen to delineate the deletion's length, which was estimated to be in the range of 3.35-3.87Mb for one sample and 1.51-2.58Mb for the other. These and previous findings suggest that in all cases where potential AMELY drop out has occurred, it should be used additional specific Y chromosome markers or human DNA quantification methods that specifically quantify male DNA using target male genomic markers, which not being located within the deletion regions, allow an accurate sex identification