The hidden world within plants: ecological and evolutionary considerations for defining functioning of microbial endophytes

All plants are inhabited internally by diverse microbial communities comprising bacterial, archaeal, fungal, and protistic taxa. These microorganisms showing endophytic lifestyles play crucial roles in plant development, growth, fitness, and diversification. The increasing awareness of and information on endophytes provide insight into the complexity of the plant microbiome. The nature of plant-endophyte interactions ranges from mutualism to pathogenicity. This depends on a set of abiotic and biotic factors, including the genotypes of plants and microbes, environmental conditions, and the dynamic network of interactions within the plant biome. In this review, we address the concept of endophytism, considering the latest insights into evolution, plant ecosystem functioning, and multipartite interactions.EU Cost Action [FA1103, 312117]; FWF (Austrian Science Foundation) [P26203-B22, P24569-B25]; Portuguese FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) [SFRH/BPD/78931/2011]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

A community-sourced glossary of open scholarship terms

Supplementary Information: This list of terms represents the ‘Open Scholarship Glossary 1.0’ (available at: https://forrt.org/glossary/. Glossary available under a CC BY NC SA 4.0 license at: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41562-021-01269-4/MediaObjects/41562_2021_1269_MOESM1_ESM.pdf).https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41562-021-01269-4/MediaObjects/41562_2021_1269_MOESM1_ESM.pd

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

Background: Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories.Methods: We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30-79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age.Findings: The number of people aged 30-79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306-359) million women and 317 (292-344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584-668) million women and 652 (604-698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55-62) of women and 49% (46-52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43-51) of women and 38% (35-41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20-27) for women and 18% (16-21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including Costa Rica, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Iran.Interpretation: Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied substantially across countries, with some middle-income countries now outperforming most high-income nations. The dual approach of reducing hypertension prevalence through primary prevention and enhancing its treatment and control is achievable not only in high-income countries but also in low-income and middle-income settings.Copyright (C) 2021 World Health Organization; licensee Elsevier.</p

Hanseníase: a realidade do ser adolescente Lepra: la realidad para el adolescente Leprosy: the reality for the adolescent

A hanseníase é uma doença contagiosa, estigmatizante, de grande potencial incapacitante, e os adolescentes por estarem numa fase de mudanças e de adaptação, esta doença pode interferir na construção de sua vida. O estudo objetiva caracterizar os adolescentes portadores de hanseníase segundo aspectos sócio-demograficos; realizar análise epidemiológico-operacional da hanseníase; verificar o conhecimento dos adolescentes sobre a hanseníase e as reações manifestadas pelos mesmos após sua descoberta; Identificar as mudanças ocorridas após a doença na vida do adolescente e as dificuldades vivenciadas pelo mesmo após a da doença. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, constituída de 31 adolescentes portadores de hanseníase, assistido pela Estratégia Saúde da Família no Município de Sobral- Ceará. Os resultados sinalizam a necessidade de uma assistência integral e continuada ao adolescente portador de hanseníase, evitando que essa doença provoque mudanças significativas em sua vida, dificultando na construção de sua nova identidade.<br>La lepra es una enfermedad contagiosa, de un gran potencial incapacitante y los adolescentes por estaren viviendo en una fase de cambios e adaptación esta enfermedad puede interferir en la construcción de sus vidas. Esta investigación apunta caracterizar los adolescentes portadores de lepra según aspectos sociales-demográficos; hacer un análisis epidémico-operacional de la enfermedad lepra; verificar el conocimiento de los adolescentes sobre la lepra y las relaciones manifestadas por los mismos después de su descubierta; identificar los cambios ocurridos en la vida del adolescente después de la descubierta de la enfermedad. Tratase de una investigación exploratoria y descriptiva donde participarón 31 adolescentes portadores de lepra ayudados por la Estrategia Salud de la Familia en el municipio de Sobral - Ceará. Los resultados señalan la necesidad de una asistencia integral y continuada al adolescente portador de lepra, evitando que esta enfermedad provoque cambios significativos en su vida, dificultando la construcción de su nueva identidad.<br>Leprosy is a contagious disease of a great disabling potential and the teenagers, living a changing phase of their lives, can be negatively influenced by the disease sequelae.. This study aims to characterize the teenagers with leprosy disease according to social-demographic aspects; to proceed epidemic-operational analysis of leprosy disease; check teenagers' knowledge about leprosy disease and the way they reacted after they found out they had the disease; identify the changes occurred in the teenager's life and the difficulties after they had the disease. It is an explorative and descriptive research which involved 31 teenagers who are carriers of the leprosy disease and are assisted by the Family Health Strategy, in Sobral munipality - Ceará. The results point out the need of an integral and continuous attendance to the teenager with leprosy disease, avoiding that this disease brings significant changes to his/her life that can difficult to the construction of his/her new identity