Biological and Biochemical Bases of Pesticides Resistance in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

Several arthropod species are important vectors of pathogens that cause disease in humans, animals, and plants, including protozoa, nematodes, bacteria, and viruses. Arthropods are also pests competing with humans for food and parasitize farm animals, decreasing their productivity. Historically, arthropod pests and disease vectors affecting public health, crop yields, and livestock production have been managed through the intensive use of pesticides. The widespread use of pesticides is a major problem because most of the economically important arthropod species have developed resistance to currently used pesticides. The impact of pesticide resistance is multifactorial and involves losses due to the heavy use of pesticides, environmental pollution, decreased profitability, food contamination, and public health problems due to pesticide exposure. An indirect consequence of pesticide resistance is the mortality caused by arthropod-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria in humans and babesiosis and anaplasmosis in cattle. The understanding of molecular mechanisms and adaptations to resistance in arthropods is an important issue. However, the molecular mechanisms of pesticide resistance remain to be fully understood. Understanding of resistance mechanisms will contribute significantly to improve integrated managements programs and to discover new targets for vaccine development to mitigate the effects of pesticide-resistant arthropods on agriculture and public health

Integrated Management of the Cattle Tick <em>Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus</em> (Acari: Ixodidae) and the Acaricide Resistance Mitigation

Resistance to insecticides is one of the major obstacles to the control of agricultural pests, as well as species important to human and veterinary health. The World Health Organization has called insecticide resistance “the great little obstacle against vector-borne diseases”. Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most important vector, transmitting diseases to cattle such as anaplasmosis and babesiosis. These diseases cause great economic losses that significantly increased because of the appearance of tick populations resistant to acaricides, as a result of the intensive use of pesticides. Resistance to ixodicides in Latin America is a growing problem, since control of disease-transmitting ticks, depends heavily on the use of pesticides. In Mexico, the resistance of R. microplus to organophosphate compounds, pyrethroids, and recently amidines, has been detected in some areas, affected by multiple acaricide resistance to the three families of ixodicides. The cattle tick R. microplus in addition to the great ecological impact represents the most expensive pest for livestock in Mexico, since the producers are directly affected by this tick, due to the decrease in the production of meat, milk and damage to the skin, as well as the indirect damage, such as the transmission of diseases, including Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis, which, in turn, represents a serious limitation for the introduction of specialized cattle in endemic areas. Therefore, the use of integrated management programs is a mandatory issue that should be implemented in all those areas affected by this parasite

I.amAble: la ciencia (química) al alcance de toda la sociedad

En este proyecto de innovación, que nace con vocación de continuar en años sucesivos, se persigue mejorar la calidad de la formación de los estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (F. CC.QQ.) en el ámbito de la docencia teórico-práctica y de la divulgación científica. El trabajo ha consistido en la preparación de unos experimentos prácticos para llevarlos a cabo en centros educativos no universitarios en los que se ha tenido en cuenta la participación conjunta de personas con y sin diversidad funcional, desde una perspectiva inclusiva colaborativa. Estas actividades las han realizado los estudiantes bajo la supervisión de profesores (PDI) y personal de administración y servicios (PAS). Los experimentos se han recogido en fichas didácticas para facilitar su desarrollo y aplicación por parte de otros usuarios. En estas fichas se explica detalladamente cómo realizar las experiencias en formato de taller. Las fichas de los talleres realizados están disponibles en una página web vinculada a la Universidad Complutense bajo el título I.amAble (iamable.ucm.es). Está página ha sido construida por un estudiante de la Facultad de Informática , bajo la supervisión de profesionales, tanto de esa facultad como del Instituto de Tecnología del Conocimiento, y está abierta a contribuciones similares de otras facultades y otras instituciones. La página web está diseñada de manera que resulte lo más intuitiva y accesible posible para todo tipo de público. Entre todos los experimentos se han elegido cuatro para llevarlos a la práctica en centros educativos como actividades inclusivas en las que han participado conjuntamente personas con y sin discapacidad. Con este proyecto se pretende mejorar la calidad docente al ofrecer a los estudiantes la posibilidad de aprender enseñando mediante una actividad semipresencial. El desarrollo por parte de los estudiantes de competencias transversales en educación y en divulgación de la ciencia facilitarán algunas salidas profesionales en el ámbito educativo formal (centros de enseñanza) o informal (museos, animación sociocultural). Otro aspecto importante a resaltar es la potenciación de la colaboración entre todos los miembros de la institución universitaria. Este proyecto pretende contribuir a la mejora de la cultura científica, así como al establecimiento de puentes entre la UCM y la sociedad a la que debe servir. Finalmente, es importante subrayar que incidirá en la inclusión de las personas con discapacidad como parte de la sociedad, a través del acercamiento compartido a la ciencia (Dimensiones de inclusión social y derechos de Schalock; NAVAS MACHO, P. y otros, 2012. Derechos de las personas con discapacidad intelectual: implicaciones de la Convención de Naciones Unidas. Siglo Cero. 43 (243): 7-28.)

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