Inducción a la ruptura de latencia en semillas de Trema micranthum, (Roem. & Schult.) Blume, una especie emergente para la elaboración del papel amate

El objetivo de este trabajo fue la evaluación del porcentaje de viabilidad en semillas de Trema micranthum los cuales se dividieron en: pruebas de imbibición y test de tetrazolio para la identificación de las semillas viables germinables y viables no germinables, así como la evaluación de dos promotores de germinación para inhibir la latencia presente en las semillas. La permeabilidad de las semillas se evaluó en lotes de 100 con tres réplicas, la viabilidad se determinó mediante pruebas de tinción con tetrazolio a 0.5 y 1% en diferentes tiempos en donde se obtuvo el porcentaje de semillas viables y no viables. Por otro lado, se evaluaron dos promotores de germinación (Nitrato de potasio (KNO3) y Ácido giberélico (GA3) a tres concentraciones diferentes (500, 1000 y 2000 mg L-1)) con tres repeticiones cada uno seguidos de la siembra en medio MS. Finalmente con las pruebas realizadas se determinó el porcentaje de semillas viables germinables y viables no germinables. Las semillas utilizadas en la evaluación de permeabilidad mostraron que transcurridas 10 horas alcanzaban un máximo de absorción de agua, la determinación de tinción de semillas tuvo mayor resultado con tetrazolio al 1.0%. La evaluación de los dos promotores tuvo como resultado el 33% de germinación aproximadamente con GA3 [500 mgL-1] y 18% con KNO3 [500 mgL-1]. Finalmente, de las dos pruebas que fueron realizadas se tuvo como resultado un 50% de semillas viables 28% de semillas viables no germinables, 22% germinables y estos resultados se obtuvieron mediante las pruebas de tinción y en la evaluación de los dos promotores de germinación

Inducción a la ruptura de latencia en semillas de Trema micranthum, (Roem. & Schult.) Blume, una especie emergente para la elaboración del papel amate

he percentage of viability in Trema micranthum seeds was evaluated.They were divided into: imbibition tests and tetrazolium test for the identification of viable germinable and viable non-germinable seeds, as well as the evaluation of two germination promoters to inhibit the dormancy present in the seeds. The permeability of the seeds was evaluated in batches of 100 with three replications, the viability was determined by staining tests with tetrazolium at 0.5 and 1% at different times where the percentage of viable and non-viable seeds was obtained. On the other hand, two germination promoters were evaluated (Potassium nitrate (KNO3) and Gibberellic acid (GA3) at three different concentrations (500, 1000 and 2000 mg L-1)) with three repetitions each followed by sowing in the middle. MS. Finally, with the tests carried out, the percentage of viable germinable and viable non-germinable seeds was determined. The seeds used in the permeability evaluation showed that after 10 hours they reached a maximum water absorption, the determination of seed staining had a better result with 1.0% tetrazolium. The evaluation of the two promoters resulted in approximately 33% germination with GA3 [500 mgL-1] and 18% with KNO3 [500 mgL-1]. Finally, of the two tests that were carried out, 50% viable seeds resulted, 28% viable non-germinable seeds, 22% germinable and these results were obtained through staining tests and in the evaluation of the two germination promoters. .Fue  evaluado el porcentaje de viabilidad en semillas  Trema micranthum se dividieron en: pruebas de imbibición y test de tetrazolio para la identificación de las semillas viables germinables y viables no germinables, así como la evaluación de dos promotores de germinación para inhibir la latencia presente en las semillas. La permeabilidad de las semillas se evaluó en lotes de 100 con tres réplicas, la viabilidad se determinó mediante pruebas de tinción con tetrazolio a 0.5 y 1% en diferentes tiempos en donde se obtuvo el porcentaje de semillas viables y no viables. Por otro lado, se evaluaron dos promotores de germinación (Nitrato de potasio (KNO3) y Ácido giberélico (GA3) a tres concentraciones diferentes (500, 1000 y 2000 mg L-1)) con tres repeticiones cada uno seguidos de la siembra en medio MS. Finalmente con las pruebas realizadas se determinó el porcentaje de semillas viables germinables y viables no germinables. Las semillas utilizadas en la evaluación de permeabilidad mostraron que transcurridas 10 horas alcanzaban un máximo de absorción de agua, la determinación de tinción de semillas tuvo mayor resultado con tetrazolio al 1.0%. La evaluación de los dos promotores tuvo como resultado el 33% de germinación aproximadamente con GA3 [500 mgL-1] y 18% con KNO3 [500 mgL-1]. Finalmente, de las dos pruebas que fueron realizadas se tuvo como resultado un 50% de semillas viables 28% de semillas viables no germinables, 22% germinables y estos resultados se obtuvieron mediante las pruebas de tinción y en la evaluación de los dos promotores de germinación

Treatment Response of Cystic Echinococcosis to Benzimidazoles: A Systematic Review

Over the past 30 years, benzimidazoles have increasingly been used to treat cystic echinococcosis (CE). The efficacy of benzimidazoles, however, remains unclear. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, SIGLE, and CCTR to identify studies on benzimidazole treatment outcome. A large heterogeneity of methods in 23 reports precluded a meta-analysis of published results. Specialist centres were contacted to provide individual patient data. We conducted survival analyses for cyst response defined as inactive (CE4 or CE5 by the ultrasound-based World Health Organisation [WHO] classification scheme) or as disappeared. We collected data from 711 treated patients with 1,308 cysts from six centres (five countries). Analysis was restricted to 1,159 liver and peritoneal cysts. Overall, 1–2 y after initiation of benzimidazole treatment 50%–75% of active C1 cysts were classified as inactive/disappeared compared to 30%–55% of CE2 and CE3 cysts. Further in analyzing the rate of inactivation/disappearance with regard to cyst size, 50%–60% of cysts <6 cm responded to treatment after 1–2 y compared to 25%–50% of cysts >6 cm. However, 25% of cysts reverted to active status within 1.5 to 2 y after having initially responded and multiple relapses were observed; after the second and third treatment 60% of cysts relapsed within 2 y. We estimated that 2 y after treatment initiation 40% of cysts are still active or become active again. The overall efficacy of benzimidazoles has been overstated in the past. There is an urgent need for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial that compares standardized benzimidazole therapy on responsive cyst stages with the other treatment modalities

XIPE: the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer

X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017 but not selected. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus and two additional GPDs filled with pressurized Ar-DME facing the sun. The Minimum Detectable Polarization is 14 % at 1 mCrab in 10E5 s (2-10 keV) and 0.6 % for an X10 class flare. The Half Energy Width, measured at PANTER X-ray test facility (MPE, Germany) with JET-X optics is 24 arcsec. XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil).Comment: 49 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables. Paper published in Experimental Astronomy http://link.springer.com/journal/1068

The QUIJOTE-CMB experiment: studying the polarisation of the galactic and cosmological microwave emissions

The QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint Tenerife) CMB Experiment will operate at the Teide Observatory with the aim of characterizing the polarisation of the CMB and other processes of Galactic and extragalactic emission in the frequency range of 10-40GHz and at large and medium angular scales. The first of the two QUIJOTE telescopes and the first multi-frequency (10-30GHz) instrument are already built and have been tested in the laboratory. QUIJOTE-CMB will be a valuable complement at low frequencies for the Planck mission, and will have the required sensitivity to detect a primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r = 0.05.The QUIJOTE-CMB experiment is being developed by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), the Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA), and the Universities of Cantabria, Manchester and Cambridge. Partial financial support is provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the projects AYA2010-21766-C03 (01, 02 and 03), and also by the Consolider-Ingenio project CSD2010-00064 (EPI: Exploring the Physics of Inflation49)

Interferon-α Regulates Glutaminase 1 Promoter through STAT1 Phosphorylation: Relevance to HIV-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders

HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) develop during progressive HIV-1 infection and affect up to 50% of infected individuals. Activated microglia and macrophages are critical cell populations that are involved in the pathogenesis of HAND, which is specifically related to the production and release of various soluble neurotoxic factors including glutamate. In the central nervous system (CNS), glutamate is typically derived from glutamine by mitochondrial enzyme glutaminase. Our previous study has shown that glutaminase is upregulated in HIV-1 infected monocyte-derived-macrophages (MDM) and microglia. However, how HIV-1 leads to glutaminase upregulation, or how glutaminase expression is regulated in general, remains unclear. In this study, using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system, we demonstrated that interferon (IFN) α specifically activated the glutaminase 1 (GLS1) promoter. Furthermore, IFN-α treatment increased signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation and glutaminase mRNA and protein levels. IFN-α stimulation of GLS1 promoter activity correlated to STAT1 phosphorylation and was reduced by fludarabine, a chemical that inhibits STAT1 phosphorylation. Interestingly, STAT1 was found to directly bind to the GLS1 promoter in MDM, an effect that was dependent on STAT1 phosphorylation and significantly enhanced by IFN-α treatment. More importantly, HIV-1 infection increased STAT1 phosphorylation and STAT1 binding to the GLS1 promoter, which was associated with increased glutamate levels. The clinical relevance of these findings was further corroborated with investigation of post-mortem brain tissues. The glutaminase C (GAC, one isoform of GLS1) mRNA levels in HIV associated-dementia (HAD) individuals correlate with STAT1 (p<0.01), IFN-α (p<0.05) and IFN-β (p<0.01). Together, these data indicate that both HIV-1 infection and IFN-α treatment increase glutaminase expression through STAT1 phosphorylation and by binding to the GLS1 promoter. Since glutaminase is a potential component of elevated glutamate production during the pathogenesis of HAND, our data will help to identify additional therapeutic targets for the treatment of HAND

T Regulatory Cells Are Markers of Disease Activity in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

FoxP3+ Treg cells are believed to play a role in the occurrence of autoimmunity and in the determination of clinical recurrences. Contradictory reports are, however, available describing frequency and function of Treg cells during autoimmune diseases. We examined, by both polychromatic flow cytometry, and real-time RT-PCR, several Treg markers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. We found that Tregs, as defined by CD25, CD39, FoxP3, CTLA4, and GITR expression, were significantly decreased in stable MS patients as compared to healthy donors, but, surprisingly, restored to normal levels during an acute clinical attack. We conclude that Treg cells are not involved in causing clinical relapses, but rather react to inflammation in the attempt to restore homeostasis

Study protocol for the multicentre cohorts of Zika virus infection in pregnant women, infants, and acute clinical cases in Latin America and the Caribbean: The ZIKAlliance consortium

Background: The European Commission (EC) Horizon 2020 (H2020)-funded ZIKAlliance Consortium designed a multicentre study including pregnant women (PW), children (CH) and natural history (NH) cohorts. Clinical sites were selected over a wide geographic range within Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into account the dynamic course of the ZIKV epidemic. Methods: Recruitment to the PW cohort will take place in antenatal care clinics. PW will be enrolled regardless of symptoms and followed over the course of pregnancy, approximately every 4 weeks. PW will be revisited at delivery (or after miscarriage/abortion) to assess birth outcomes, including microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities according to the evolving definition of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). After birth, children will be followed for 2 years in the CH cohort. Follow-up visits are scheduled at ages 1-3, 4-6, 12, and 24 months to assess neurocognitive and developmental milestones. In addition, a NH cohort for the characterization of symptomatic rash/fever illness was designed, including follow-up to capture persisting health problems. Blood, urine, and other biological materials will be collected, and tested for ZIKV and other relevant arboviral diseases (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever) using RT-PCR or serological methods. A virtual, decentralized biobank will be created. Reciprocal clinical monitoring has been established between partner sites. Substudies of ZIKV seroprevalence, transmissio

X-ray polarimetry reveals the magnetic field topology on sub-parsec scales in Tycho's supernova remnant

Supernova remnants are commonly considered to produce most of the Galactic cosmic rays via diffusive shock acceleration. However, many questions about the physical conditions at shock fronts, such as the magnetic-field morphology close to the particle acceleration sites, remain open. Here we report the detection of a localized polarization signal from some synchrotron X-ray emitting regions of Tycho's supernova remnant made by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The derived polarization degree of the X-ray synchrotron emission is 9+/-2% averaged over the whole remnant, and 12+/-2% at the rim, higher than the 7-8% polarization value observed in the radio band. In the west region the polarization degree is 23+/-4%. The X-ray polarization degree in Tycho is higher than for Cassiopeia A, suggesting a more ordered magnetic-field or a larger maximum turbulence scale. The measured tangential polarization direction corresponds to a radial magnetic field, and is consistent with that observed in the radio band. These results are compatible with the expectation of turbulence produced by an anisotropic cascade of a radial magnetic-field near the shock, where we derive a magnetic-field amplification factor of 3.4+/-0.3. The fact that this value is significantly smaller than those expected from acceleration models is indicative of highly anisotropic magnetic-field turbulence, or that the emitting electrons either favor regions of lower turbulence, or accumulate close to where the magnetic-field orientation is preferentially radially oriented due to hydrodynamical instabilities.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Revised versio