Tropical Subterranean Ecosystems in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize: A Review of Aquatic Biodiversity and Their Ecological Aspects

The subterranean ecosystems in tropical areas of Mexico, North of Guatemala & Belize are very abundant because the karstic soil that allow these formations are the main composition in the Yucatán Peninsula and several mountains systems in these countries; also, they have a strong relationship with tropical forest adjacent where the main energy into the caves have an alloctonous origin. In these three countries there are three different cave conditions: a) freshwater semi-dry caves, b) flooded freshwater systems and c) anchialine systems. Mainly crustaceans and freshwater fishes are the major representative group in the aquatic diversity in these systems because the anchialine members are restricted to Yucatán Peninsula and Islands adjacent. Around 5000 entries to subterranean world there are among these countries, where the Yucatan Peninsula is the area with major caves or cenotes in comparison with southern of Mexico, North of Guatemala and Belize. Into these systems are possible found crustaceans and fishes from different families. The objective of this paper is present a review of these systems according with each karstic areas and show the current map including the location of each systems; as well their subterranean aquatic biodiversity and, finally discuss the relationships among these different areas using their biological aquatic richness in consideration with ecological subterranean conditions

Country activities of Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD): focus presentations at the 11th GARD General Meeting, Brussels

© Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.The Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) is a voluntary network of national and international organizations, institutions and agencies led by the World Health Organization (WHO), working towards the vision of a world where all people breathe freely (1). GARD is supporting WHO in successfully implementing the WHO’s Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) 2013–2020. The GARD report on GARD activities is published on a regular basis. Collaboration among GARD countries is critical for sharing experiences and providing technical assistance to developing countries based on each country’s needs (2). The annual GARD meeting is a unique opportunity for assembling all of the GARD participants from developed and developing countries: European countries, North and South American Countries, China, Vietnam as well as Eastern Mediterranean, and African countries. Coordinator for Management of NCDs in the WHO Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention (Cherian Varghese) is present at this meeting. The annual meeting of GARD is a forum for exchanging opinions in order to improve care for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and to achieve the GARD goal—a world where all people breathe freely. Experts—in collaboration with WHO—are helping developing countries to achieve their projects regarding teaching, research and programming for CRD. Each year, there is a poster presentation session on country activities. Each participant is able to present his/her country activities that have been achieved since the last meeting. This is followed by discussion. In this paper, we summarize the posters presented during the 11th GARD general meeting. We hope that this will give readers of the GARD section an opportunity to learn for their countries. We can find all posters on the link: https://gard-breathefreely.org/resources-poster/.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

Degradación de Fenantreno por bacterias del género Burkholderia y Rhizobium aisladas de nódulos de mimosas

Abstract The present work aimed to identify and evaluate degradation capacity of microorganisms isolated from mimosa nodules, which can be used in bioremediation processes of soils contaminated with phenanthrene. Method: Isolation of 122 bacterial strains of mimosa nodules was grown in the Maconkey culture medium to discard enterobacteria; the bacterial strains that resulted negative to this test, were inoculated in the culture medium containing only phenanthrene source carbon. Three isolates had the capacity to grow in this medium. The three strains were identified by sequence of the 16s ribosomal gene, their capacity to grow in the presence of phenanthrene was assessed by microbial growth curves; the ability to degrade phenanthrene of the three strains was quantified by mass-coupled gas chromatography. Results: The sequences obtained from the 16s ribosomal gene are genetically related to the strains of Burkholderia phenoliruptrix, Burkholderia phymatum and Rhizobium paknamense. The microbial growth of the three strains, supplied with phenanthrene, had a similar behavior to the control, which contained succinate as a carbon source. The strain of Burkholderia sp. BB26 degraded 78.5%, Burkholderia sp. BB24 68.5% and Rhizobium sp. BY8 99%. Discussion: The results of phenanthrene degradation by Burkholderia sp. BB26, Burkholderia sp. BB24 and Rhizobium sp. BY8 strains suggest that the three strains have potential to be used in bioremediation processes of soils contaminated with phenanthrene.Resumen El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo identificar y evaluar la capacidad de degradación de microorganismos aislados de nódulos de mimosas, que puedan ser utilizados en procesos de biorremediación de suelos contaminados con fenantreno. Método: Se realizó el aislamiento de 122 cepas bacterianas de nódulos de mimosas; fueron crecidas en el medio de cultivo Maconkey para descartar enterobacterias. Las cepas bacterianas que dieron resultado negativo a esta prueba, fueron inoculadas en el medio de cultivo que contenía como única fuente de carbono fenantreno; tres aislados tuvieron la capacidad de crecer en este medio. Las tres cepas fueron identificadas por secuencia del gen 16s ribosomal, se evaluó su capacidad de crecimiento en presencia de fenantreno mediante curvas de crecimiento microbiano; la capacidad para degradar fenantreno de las tres cepas fue cuantificada por cromatografía de gases acoplado a masas. Resultados: Las secuencias obtenidas del gen 16s ribosomal tienen relación genética con las especies de Burkholderia phenoliruptrix, Burkholderia phymatum y Rhizobium paknamense. El crecimiento microbiano de las tres cepas, suministradas con fenantreno, tuvieron un comportamiento similar al control, el cual contenía succinato como fuente de carbono. La cepa de Burkholderia sp. BB26 degradó 78.5 %, Burkholderia sp. BB24 68.5% y Rhizobium sp. BY8 99%. Discusión: Los resultados de degradación de fenantreno por las cepas de Burkholderia sp. BB26, Burkholderia sp. BB24 y Rhizobium sp. BY8 sugieren que las tres cepas tienen potencial para utilizarse en procesos de biorremediación de suelos contaminados con fenantreno

Sex differences in oncogenic mutational processes

Funder: Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100002790Funder: Genome Canada (Génome Canada); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100008762Funder: Canada Foundation for Innovation (Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000196Funder: Terry Fox Research Institute (Institut de Recherche Terry Fox); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004376Abstract: Sex differences have been observed in multiple facets of cancer epidemiology, treatment and biology, and in most cancers outside the sex organs. Efforts to link these clinical differences to specific molecular features have focused on somatic mutations within the coding regions of the genome. Here we report a pan-cancer analysis of sex differences in whole genomes of 1983 tumours of 28 subtypes as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. We both confirm the results of exome studies, and also uncover previously undescribed sex differences. These include sex-biases in coding and non-coding cancer drivers, mutation prevalence and strikingly, in mutational signatures related to underlying mutational processes. These results underline the pervasiveness of molecular sex differences and strengthen the call for increased consideration of sex in molecular cancer research