Estudio sobre la colonización de hongos micorrícicos arbusculares en especies vegetales presentes en ecosistemas de yeso

Los suelos de yeso que aparecen con frecuencia en zonas áridas, son uno de los sustratos más restrictivos y estresantes para la vida vegetal. En ellos, la presencia de hongos micorrícicos arbusculares (HMA) podría ser la clave para la supervivencia de muchas plantas, ya que esta simbiosis aporta infinidad de beneficios a los individuos que la presentan. En el presente estudio, se ha analizado la colonización micorrícica en raíces de 28 especies vegetales presentes en este tipo de sustratos, nueve especialistas de suelos de yeso o gipsófitos y diecinueve generalistas tolerantes a éstos o gipsovagos. Nuestro objetivo ha sido detectar la posible diferencia de colonización entre gipsófitos y gipsovagos, así como estudiar la influencia del estado de conservación de la comunidad vegetal en las pautas de colonización micorrícica. El estado de la comunidad vegetal determina el grado de micorrización de la comunidad vegetal, con valores muy bajos en la comunidad más degradada. Aunque no se observaron diferencias globales entre gipsófitos y gipsovagos, en las localidades degradadas se detectaron mayores niveles de colonización en los gipsovagos. Además, la colonización micorrícica depende de la especie hospedadora y su pertenencia a una determinada FamiliaGypsum soils, which appear frequently in arid areas, are one of the most restrictive and stressful substrates for plant life. The presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could be the key to the survival of many plants, since this symbiosis brings countless benefits to individuals who host it. In the present study, the mycorrhizal colonization in roots of 28 plants species from gypsum soils, nine specialists (gypsophytes) and nineteen generalists (gypsovags), has been determined. Our goal was to see differences between gypsophytes and gypsovags colonization, as well as to study the influence of the conservation status of the plant community on the patterns of mycorrhizal colonization. The state of the plant community determines the degree of mycorrhizal colonization of the plant community as a whole, with very low values in the most degraded community. Although global differences between gypsophytes and gipsovags were not observed, higher levels of colonization in gypsovags than gypsophytes were detected in degraded places. In addition, mycorrhizal colonization depends on the host species and their belonging to a particular Plant Family

Management of anemia induced by triple therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Challenges, opportunities and recommendations

SummaryThe addition of protease inhibitors, boceprevir or telaprevir, to peginterferon+ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) increases the frequency as well as the severity, and hence, clinical relevance of anemia, which has now become one of the major complications associated with triple therapy. Most significant factors associated with anemia in patients receiving triple therapy include older age, lower body mass index (BMI), advanced fibrosis, and lower baseline hemoglobin. The variability in inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) gene, which encodes a protein that hydrolyses inosine triphosphate (ITP), has been identified as an essential genetic factor for anemia both in dual and triple therapy. The correct management of anemia is based on anticipation, characterization and therapeutic management. Basically, anemia can be characterized in 3 types: ferropenic (mostly in fertile women), thalassemic type hemolytic anemia, and anemia from chronic processes. Functional deficit of iron should also be excluded in patients with normal ferritin and lower saturation of transferrin. Ribavirin dose reduction and epoetin, sequentially, are indicated in the management of anemia. Epoetin non-response can be caused by lack of time, type of anemia, functional iron deficit or erythropoietin resistance. In the transplantation setting, adding a protease inhibitor to PegIFN/RBV results in a significant increase in the incidence and severity of anemia and, as a consequence, a greater need for epoetin, transfusions, and ribavirin dose reductions. Packed red cell transfusions are utilized when hemoglobin decreases to less than 7.5g/dl and/or there are clinical symptoms and/or there is no response to other therapeutic measures

A modular vector toolkit with a tailored set of thermosensors to regulate gene expression in thermus thermophilus

The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02107Modular plasmid architectures have shown to be a very useful resource to standardize, build, share, and compare biological parts and functional vectors, and are being applied in an increasing number of microorganisms. Here, we present a modular plasmid toolkit for Thermus thermophilus, a species considered as a workhorse for biotechnology and a model for high-temperature biology. Apart from integrating improved versions of already existing parts, we have characterized specific promoters and developed a thermosensor-based palette that restricts the expression to Thermus and, at the same time, controls protein expression in this organism in a temperature-dependent mannerThis work was supported by the European Union grant H2020-BIOTEC-2014-2015/H2020-LEIT-BIO-2015-1 and grant BIO2016-77031R from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU). An institutional grant to CBMSO from Fundación Ramón Areces and an FPI contract to C.V. from the MCIU are also acknowledge

Fruit Weight Is Controlled by \u3cem\u3eCell Size Regulator\u3c/em\u3e Encoding a Novel Protein That Is Expressed in Maturing Tomato Fruits

Increases in fruit weight of cultivated vegetables and fruits accompanied the domestication of these crops. Here we report on the positional cloning of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling fruit weight in tomato. The derived allele of Cell Size Regulator (CSR-D) increases fruit weight predominantly through enlargement of the pericarp areas. The expanded pericarp tissues result from increased mesocarp cell size and not from increased number of cell layers. The effect of CSR on fruit weight and cell size is found across different genetic backgrounds implying a consistent impact of the locus on the trait. In fruits, CSR expression is undetectable early in development from floral meristems to the rapid cell proliferation stage after anthesis. Expression is low but detectable in growing fruit tissues and in or around vascular bundles coinciding with the cell enlargement stage of the fruit maturation process. CSR encodes an uncharacterized protein whose clade has expanded in the Solanaceae family. The mutant allele is predicted to encode a shorter protein due to a 1.4 kb deletion resulting in a 194 amino-acid truncation. Co-expression analyses and GO term enrichment analyses suggest association of CSR with cell differentiation in fruit tissues and vascular bundles. The derived allele arose in Solanum lycopersicum var cerasiforme and appears completely fixed in many cultivated tomato’s market classes. This finding suggests that the selection of this allele was critical to the full domestication of tomato from its intermediate ancestors

NatuEstom, multimedia para el estudio de las aplicaciones de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional en Estomatología

Introducción: en la actualidad, la Medicina Natural y Tradicional se aplica en los servicios estomatológicos del país como parte de los tratamientos estomatológicos. Objetivo: diseñar una multimedia sobre la aplicación de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional en la Estomatología.Método: se realizó una investigación de innovación tecnológica en el curso 2019-2020 en la Facultad de Estomatología, de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba. Para el diseño se empleó CrheaSoft y programación orientada a objeto, Adobe Photoshop 10 CS3, Microsoft Office 2016, Adobe Reader y Adobe Flash. Para la validación del producto se empleó el método Delphi de validación según criterio de expertos, así como por criterio de usuarios.   Resultados: el producto está estructurado por módulos y se podrá acceder a cada uno de estos en cualquier momento de la navegación mediante un menú superior. Se encuestó a los estudiantes según preferencia de medios didácticos, donde el 95 % prefirió una multimedia. El 100 % de los estudiantes consideró que la multimedia fue fácil de usar, con una comprensión de los contenidos adecuada y que la multimedia ayuda a integrar el contenido. El 100 % de los especialistas identificó que la calidad de realización, del contenido de la multimedia fue alta y que la brinda una utilidad práctica totalConclusiones: la multimedia aplicada constituye una herramienta útil en el proceso docente educativo para la enseñanza de las aplicaciones de la Medicina Natural y Tradicional en la atención estomatológica

MRI and CFS oligoclonal bands after autologus hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in MS

To analyze the MRI and CSF oligoclonal bands (OB) changes in patients with MS who underwent an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Background: AHSCT is evaluated as an alternative therapy in severe MS. In previous series of AHSCT for MS, data on MRI or OB outcome were limited or not provided. Methods: five patients with a median Kurtzke's EDSS score of 6.5, more than two attacks, and confirmed worsening of the EDSS in the previous year received an AHSCT. Hematopoietic stem cells were mobilized with cyclophosphamide (3 g/m2) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (5 microg/kg/d). The graft was T cell depleted by positive CD 34+ selection. Conditioning regimen included BCNU (300 mg/m(2)), cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg in 3 days), and antithymocyte globulin (60 mg/kg in 4 days). MRI scans were scheduled at baseline and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and OB analysis at baseline and 3 and 12 months post-AHSCT. Results: four patients had a stable or improved EDSS after a median follow-up of 18 months (range, 12 to 24 months). The fifth patient's condition deteriorated during AHSCT. She partially improved and remained stable after month 3 after AHSCT. The baseline CSF OB persisted 1 year after AHSCT. MRI studies after AHSCT showed no enhanced T1 lesions and no new or enlarging T2 lesions. The median percentage change of T2 lesion load was -11.8% (range, -26.6 to -4.0%). All patients had a decrease of corpus callosum area at 1 year (median, 12.4%; range, 7.8% to 20.5%) that did not progress in the two patients evaluated at 2 years after AHSCT. Conclusions: although the persistence of CSF OB suggests the lymphocytes were not eliminated from the CNS, the follow-up MRI studies showed no enhanced T1 brain lesions and a reduction in the T2 lesion load that correlated with the clinical stabilization of MS after AHSCT

The Impact of Different Lung Ultrasound Protocols in the Assessment of Lung Lesions in COVID-19 Patients: Is There an Ideal Lung Ultrasound Protocol?.

Background In the past months, several lung ultrasonography (LUS) protocols have been proposed, mainly on previously validated schemes independent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objectives The main purpose of this study was to determine the impact and accuracy of different LUS protocols proposed in COVID-19. Methods Patients were evaluated with a standard sequence of LUS scans in 72 intercostal spaces along 14 anatomic lines in the chest. A scoring system of LUS findings was reported and then analyzed separately according to each proposed LUS protocol zones. This score was then correlated to a validated Pulmonary Inflammation Index (PII) on chest Computed Tomography (CT). Results Thirty-two patients were enrolled. The most frequent pattern was ground-glass opacities in the chest X-ray (53.1%), chest CT (59.1%) and subpleural or lobar consolidations (40.8%) in the posteroinferior areas (p < 0.001) on LUS. The Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was significantly correlated with almost every protocol analyzed except the 8-zone (p = 0.119) and the 10-zone protocol that only included one posterior point (p = 0.052). The highest ICC was obtained with a 12-zone protocol (ICC 0.500; p = 0.027) and decreased as more points were included. Conclusions In conclusion, our study results suggest that performing an ultrasound protocol with 12-zone scanning, including the superior and inferior areas of the anterior, lateral and posterior regions of the chest was consistent with higher ICC and higher degree of concordance with CT. We emphasize the need of a more standardization technique to further implement and develop this imaging modality in COVID-19post-print1035 K