Aplicación de TIG en la reconstrucción de las disfunciones territoriales históricas de sistemas de dunas de Canarias

En este trabajo se presenta un ejemplo de integración de fuentes y técnicas para la reconstrucción de las condiciones naturales y de los usos del suelo acaecidos en períodos históricos próximos, con el fin de caracterizar disfunciones territoriales en sistemas frágiles desde el punto de vista natural, y estratégicos desde el punto de vista económico, como son los campos de dunas de Canarias. Se procede por medio del desarrollo de métodos de análisis histórico, como el contraste entre fuentes (interpretación de fotografías aéreas, análisis de textos históricos y de otros documentos y entrevistas a personas mayores), cuyos resultados se integran en un SIG. El contraste entre esta información y la obtenida de documentos recientes o actuales, permite reconstruir la evolución espacio-temporal acaecida desde que sucedieran tales hechos históricos, y entender la dinámica actual de los sistemas objeto de estudio. Se muestran en este trabajo algunos resultados obtenidos en el sistema de dunas de Maspalomas y en el extinto campo de dunas de Guanarteme, ambos en la isla de Gran Canaria, que han permitido interpretar de forma más exacta algunos procesos relacionados con la dinámica natural de estos sistemas.In this paper we present an example of integration of sources and techniques for the reconstruction of natural conditions and land use development in recent historical periods, in order to characterize some dysfunctions in the dune fields of the Canary Islands, which are fragile systems from an environmental point of view, and strategic in economic terms. We proceeded through the development of methods of historical analysis, as the contrast between sources (aerial photo interpretation, analysis of historical texts and other documents and interviews to older people), whose results were integrated into a GIS. The contrast between this information and recent documents allowed us the reconstruction of the evolution during the period since the occurrence of such historical facts, and understand the current dynamics of the systems under study. We show in this paper some results obtained in the Maspalomas dune system and in the late dune field of Guanarteme, both of them located in the island of Gran Canaria. These results have allowed us to accurate the interpretation of some processes related to the natural dynamics of these systems

Prokaryotic picoplankton distribution within the oxygen minimum zone of the central Mexican Pacific across environmental gradients

O picophytoplankton marinho tornou-se uma questão importante para compreender a ecologia global das formas fototróficas, devido à sua ampla distribuição e contribuição para a biomassa e a produtividade. Estudamos os pigmentos de abundância, distribuição e assinatura do picofitoplâncton procarionte Prochlorococcus e Synechococcus durante um cruzeiro oceanográfico no Pacífico central mexicano, uma zona mínima de oxigênio relativamente poco conhecida (OMZ) e o efeito de três gradientes ambientais. As abundâncias de Prochlorococcus e Synechococcus foram comparáveis às encontradas em outras áreas tropicais (0.17 to 30.37 X 104 células mL1, e 0.9 to 30.97 X 104 células mL-1, respectivamente). As abundâncias de Prochlorococcus atingiram o maior número em águas mais profundas, coincidindo frequentemente com a segunda intensidade de fluorescência in situ profunda (e clorofila a), em estações oceânicas, abaixo da nitratoclina, enquanto as abundâncias de Synechococcus foram maiores nas águas de subsuperficie e sua concentração máxima geralmente coincidiu com os máximos de subsuperficie de fluorescência in situ, com abundâncias ligeiramente mais altas nas estações costeiras. As análises estatísticas suportam significativamente esses resultados. A distribuição da divinil-clorofila a foi errática ao longo da coluna de água e coincidiu ocasionalmente com os máximos de fluorescência in situ profundos, enquanto que a distribuição da zeaxantina seguiu geralmente a da clorofila a e as abundâncias de Synechococcus e atingiu o pico. Estes resultados são semelhantes aos encontrados anteriormente na área de estudo e em zonas mais temperadas, e também à tendência geral na OMZ, mas confirmam que a clorofila profunda a maxima é atribuída a altas densidades de Prochlorococcus. Além disso, encontramos a abundância e distribuição de Prochlorococcus e Synechococcus fortemente conduzida pelos gradientes ambientais observados.Marine picophytoplankton has become an important issue to understand the global ecology of phototrophic forms, due to its wide distribution and contribution to biomass and productivity. We studied the abundance, distribution and signature pigments of the prokaryote picophytoplankters Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus during an oceanographic cruise (26 April to 7 May, 2011) in the central Mexican Pacific, a relatively poorlyknown oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), and the effect of three environmental gradients. Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus abundances were comparable with those found in other tropical areas (0.17 to 30.37 X 104 cells mL-1, and 0.9 to 30.97 X 104 cells mL-1, respectively). Prochlorococcus abundances reached highest numbers in deeper waters, often coinciding with the second deep in situ fluorescence (and chlorophyll α) maxima, at oceanic stations, below the nitratecline, whereas Synechococcus abundances were higher at subsurface waters and its concentration maxima usually coincided with the subsurface in situ fluorescence maxima, with slightly higher abundances in coastal stations. Statistical analyses support significantly these results. Distribution of divinyl-chlorophyll α was erratic along the water column and occasionally coincided with the deep in situ fluorescence maxima, whereas the distribution of zeaxanthin usually followed that of chlorophyll α and the abundances of Synechococcus, and peaked together. These results are similar to those previously found in the study area and in more temperate zones, and also to the general trend in OMZ, but confirm that the second deep chlorophyll α maxima are attributed to high Prochlorococcus densities. We additionally found the abundance and distribution of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus strongly driven by the environmental gradients observed

Simple assessment of spatio-temporal evolution of salt marshes ecological services

A number of previous research studies have addressed the enormous role played by biodiversity and ecosystems in human well-being and have placed particular emphasis on the consequences of the reduction or loss of these services. A handful of studies have implemented practical methodologies to quantify the variability of limiting factors leading to reductions in these ecological services. The aim of this article is to document the limited number of studies that have analyzed coastal ecosystem services and acknowledge the impacts of physical changes in habitat provision. In one example, it is clear that the maintenance of salt marshes depends on sedimentary supply and consequent morphological variability in spite of the fact that there is usually no recurrent integration of habitat time-space dynamics (sediment availability) during the quantification and monetization of marsh services (i.e., monetary valuation of salt marsh services). This means that one key challenge facing the analysis of salt marsh (or other ecosystem) services in a global climate context is to predict future value, based on past trends, while at the same time guaranteeing conservation. Research in this field has been very broad and so the use of long-term evolutionary datasets is proposed here to explain future habitat provision. An empirical approximation is also presented here that accounts for service provision and enables time-space analysis. Although improvements will be required, the equation presented here represents a key first step to enable managers to cope with the constraints of resource limitations and is also applicable to other habitats.PTDC/MAR-EST/1031/2014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The repetitive cytoskeletal protein H49 of Trypanosoma cruzi is a calpain-like protein located at the flagellum attachment zone

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis causes paracoccidioidomycosis, a systemic mycosis in Latin America. Formamidases hydrolyze formamide, putatively plays a role infungal nitrogen metabolism. An abundant 45-kDa protein was identified as the P. brasiliensis formamidase. In this study, recombinant formamidase was over-expressed in bacteria and a polyclonal antibody to this protein was produced. Weidentified a 180-kDa protein species reactive to the antibody produced in miceagainst the P. brasiliensis recombinant purified formamidase of 45 kDa. The180-kDa purified protein yielded a heat-denatured species of 45 kDa. Both protein species of 180 and 45 kDa were identified as formamidase by peptide massfinger printing using MS. The identical mass spectra generated by the 180 and the45-kDa protein species indicated that the fungal formamidase is most likely homotetrameric in its native conformation. Furthermore, the purified formami-dase migrated as a protein of 191 kDa in native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, thus revealing that the enzyme forms a homotetrameric structure in its native state. This enzyme is present in the fungus cytoplasm and the cell wall. Use of a yeast two-hybrid system revealed cell wall membrane proteins, in addition to cytosolic proteins interacting with formamidase. These data provide new insights intoformamidase structure as well as potential roles for formamidase and its interaction partners in nitrogen metabolism

The Repetitive Cytoskeletal Protein H49 of Trypanosoma cruzi Is a Calpain-Like Protein Located at the Flagellum Attachment Zone

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi has a single flagellum attached to the cell body by a network of specialized cytoskeletal and membranous connections called the flagellum attachment zone. Previously, we isolated a DNA fragment (clone H49) which encodes tandemly arranged repeats of 68 amino acids associated with a high molecular weight cytoskeletal protein. in the current study, the genomic complexity of H49 and its relationships to the T. cruzi calpain-like cysteine peptidase family, comprising active calpains and calpain-like proteins, is addressed. Immunofluorescence analysis and biochemical fractionation were used to demonstrate the cellular location of H49 proteins.Methods and Findings: All of H49 repeats are associated with calpain-like sequences. Sequence analysis demonstrated that this protein, now termed H49/calpain, consists of an amino-terminal catalytic cysteine protease domain II, followed by a large region of 68-amino acid repeats tandemly arranged and a carboxy-terminal segment carrying the protease domains II and III. the H49/calpains can be classified as calpain-like proteins as the cysteine protease catalytic triad has been partially conserved in these proteins. the H49/calpains repeats share less than 60% identity with other calpain-like proteins in Leishmania and T. brucei, and there is no immunological cross reaction among them. It is suggested that the expansion of H49/calpain repeats only occurred in T. cruzi after separation of a T. cruzi ancestor from other trypanosomatid lineages. Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting experiments demonstrated that H49/calpain is located along the flagellum attachment zone adjacent to the cell body.Conclusions: H49/calpain contains large central region composed of 68-amino acid repeats tandemly arranged. They can be classified as calpain-like proteins as the cysteine protease catalytic triad is partially conserved in these proteins. H49/calpains could have a structural role, namely that of ensuring that the cell body remains attached to the flagellum by connecting the subpellicular microtubule array to it.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Beca Presidente de la Republica-ChileUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Antofagasta, Lab Bioquim, Dept Biomed, Antofagasta, ChileUniv Bandeirante São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Brasilia, Dept Biol Celular, Inst Biol, Brasilia, DF, BrazilFiocruz MS, Ctr Pesquisa Rene Rachou CPqRR, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Noninvasive Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis and Cirrhosis

The clinical importance of monitoring liver fibrosis lies in the morbidity and mortality of the chronic liver diseases in relation to the stage and progression of fibrosis. Whether the fibrosis stabilizes or regresses depends on the specific treatment. Liver biopsy, the current standard for the diagnosis, has implicit limitations due to sampling heterogeneity. There are noninvasive imaging methods, such as transient elastography that measures the stiffness of the liver, but it has some limitations (feasibility and unreliability), particularly in obese patients. FibroTest is the most widely used noninvasive serological method worldwide which is efficacious in the extreme stages of fibrosis, but these methods cannot discern intermediate stages. Liver fibrosis is a dynamic response that involves multiple cellular and molecular events with an excessive deposit of extracellular matrix. Even though there is much information on the pathophysiology of fibrosis, that knowledge is still incomplete, greatly hindering the development of both an accurate treatment and a noninvasive diagnostic method with adequate sensitivity for all the stages of fibrosis. It is known that IGFBP participates in liver homeostasis, and thus these proteins can be used as serum biomarkers during the progression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

Identification of CFTR variants in Latino patients with cystic fibrosis from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

BackgroundIn cystic fibrosis (CF), the spectrum and frequency of CFTR variants differ by geography and race/ethnicity. CFTR variants in White patients are wellâ described compared with Latino patients. No studies of CFTR variants have been done in patients with CF in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.MethodsCFTR was sequenced in 61 Dominican Republican patients and 21 Puerto Rican patients with CF and greater than â â â â 60â mmol/L sweat chloride. The spectrum of CFTR variants was identified and the proportion of patients with 0, 1, or 2 CFTR variants identified was determined. The functional effects of identified CFTR variants were investigated using clinical annotation databases and computational prediction tools.ResultsOur study found 10% of Dominican patients had two CFTR variants identified compared with 81% of Puerto Rican patients. No CFTR variants were identified in 69% of Dominican patients and 10% of Puerto Rican patients. In Dominican patients, there were 19 identified CFTR variants, accounting for 25 out of 122 disease alleles (20%). In Puerto Rican patients, there were 16 identified CFTR variants, accounting for 36 out of 42 disease alleles (86%) in Puerto Rican patients. Thirty CFTR variants were identified overall. The most frequent variants for Dominican patients were p.Phe508del and p.Ala559Thr and for Puerto Rican patients were p.Phe508del, p.Arg1066Cys, p.Arg334Trp, and p.I507del.ConclusionsIn this first description of the CFTR variants in patients with CF from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, there was a low detection rate of two CFTR variants after full sequencing with the majority of patients from the Dominican Republic without identified variants.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153634/1/ppul24549.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153634/2/ppul24549_am.pd

Evaluation of IL-12 and CXCL-10 in patients with hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver damage for alcohol consumption

Introduction and Objectives: To Compare serum levels of IL-12 and CXCL-10 in different etiologies of liver disease. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional and multicenter study was carried out, including subjects with alcoholism according to criteria WHO, without (OH) and with liver injury (cirrhosis, CiOH) and (Alcoholic Hepatitis, HA); non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and chronic Hepatitis C (CHC), diagnosed by clinical, biochemical data. They were compared with subjects control (CT). For determination of IL-12 and CXCL-10 with Multiplex®-MERCK©. Statistical analysis by SPSS V.22 using U de Mann Whitney, p<0.05; values expressed as mean ± standard error. Results: Included 20 subjects with NAFLD, 78 CHC, 14 HA, 20 CiOH, 15 OH y 60 CT. IL-12 was found elevated in OH, HA, CHC vs. CT in OH vs. HCc y HGNA (p≤0.05). CXCL-10 was found elevated in CiOH, HA and CHC vs. CT(p≤0.050). Discussion: The IL-12 showed elevated levels in subjects with alcohol consumption and CHC vs. CT that activates other cell types involved in inflammation. CXCL-10 is induced by IFN-γ, was found elevated in CiOH, HA and CHC, exerting their biological effects through CXCR3, including activation of peripheral immune cells and apoptosis. The ratio of IL-12/CXCL-10 in OH increased 4.6 times, ratifying the participation in chronic and continual inflammatory response by alcohol consumption. Conclusions: IL-12 and CXCL-10 have an important role in alcohol-induced liver disease, confirming their contribution to inflammation, being evident CXCL-10 in advanced stages of the disease, by stimulating and favoring the migration of immune cells to the damage sites. Funding: This work was partially financed by CONACyT SALUD-2016-272579 and PAPIIT- UNAM TA200515. Declaration of interest: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest

Modeling complex metabolic reactions, ecological systems, and financial and legal networks with MIANN models based on Markov-Wiener node descriptors

[Abstract] The use of numerical parameters in Complex Network analysis is expanding to new fields of application. At a molecular level, we can use them to describe the molecular structure of chemical entities, protein interactions, or metabolic networks. However, the applications are not restricted to the world of molecules and can be extended to the study of macroscopic nonliving systems, organisms, or even legal or social networks. On the other hand, the development of the field of Artificial Intelligence has led to the formulation of computational algorithms whose design is based on the structure and functioning of networks of biological neurons. These algorithms, called Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), can be useful for the study of complex networks, since the numerical parameters that encode information of the network (for example centralities/node descriptors) can be used as inputs for the ANNs. The Wiener index (W) is a graph invariant widely used in chemoinformatics to quantify the molecular structure of drugs and to study complex networks. In this work, we explore for the first time the possibility of using Markov chains to calculate analogues of node distance numbers/W to describe complex networks from the point of view of their nodes. These parameters are called Markov-Wiener node descriptors of order kth (Wk). Please, note that these descriptors are not related to Markov-Wiener stochastic processes. Here, we calculated the Wk(i) values for a very high number of nodes (>100,000) in more than 100 different complex networks using the software MI-NODES. These networks were grouped according to the field of application. Molecular networks include the Metabolic Reaction Networks (MRNs) of 40 different organisms. In addition, we analyzed other biological and legal and social networks. These include the Interaction Web Database Biological Networks (IWDBNs), with 75 food webs or ecological systems and the Spanish Financial Law Network (SFLN). The calculated Wk(i) values were used as inputs for different ANNs in order to discriminate correct node connectivity patterns from incorrect random patterns. The MIANN models obtained present good values of Sensitivity/Specificity (%): MRNs (78/78), IWDBNs (90/88), and SFLN (86/84). These preliminary results are very promising from the point of view of a first exploratory study and suggest that the use of these models could be extended to the high-throughput re-evaluation of connectivity in known complex networks (collation)

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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