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Glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) are a family of enzymes that play a critical role in cellular redox homeostasis through the reduction of lipid hydroperoxides to alcohols, using glutathione as a substrate. Among them, GPx4 is particularly of interest in the regulation of ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent programmed cell death driven by the accumulation of lipid peroxides in the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and plasma membrane. Ferroptosis has emerged as a crucial pathway in the context of cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously resistant to conventional therapies. GPx4 acts as a key inhibitor of ferroptosis by detoxifying lipid peroxides, thereby preventing cell death. However, this protective mechanism also enables cancer cells to survive under oxidative stress, which makes GPx4 a potential druggable target in cancer therapy. The inhibition of GPx4 can trigger ferroptosis selectively in cancer cells, especially in those that rely heavily on this pathway for survival, such as pancreatic cancer cells. Consequently, targeting GPx4 and other GPX family members offers a promising therapeutic strategy to sensitize pancreatic cancer cells to ferroptosis, potentially overcoming resistance to current treatments and improving patient outcomes. Current research is focusing on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of GPx4 as potential candidates for pancreatic cancer treatment.

La merluza europea, Merluccius merluccius, se considera una especie con gran potencial para la diversificación en la acuicultura. Este trabajo presenta datos de crecimiento de larvas de merluza europea criadas hasta los dos meses de vida, y se evaluó el canibalismo dentro de una cohorte. Las larvas se alimentaron inicialmente con una combinación de rotífero (2 ind mL-1) y nauplios de Artemia (0,2 ind mL-1) y posteriormente se alimentaron con pellets de pienso seco hasta los 105 días de vida en un tanque circular de 500 L de capacidad. La temperatura de cultivo y la salinidad fueron 14.5ºC y 34 psu, respectivamente, y se utilizó un fotoperíodo diario de 12L:12O. Las larvas de dos meses alcanzaron una longitud total de 17,66 ± 1,22 mm y un peso seco de 7,30 ± 1,65 mg, con una tasa de supervivencia del 12%. La longitud total final y el peso húmedo (105 días de edad) fueron de 52 ± 4,20 mm y 9,72 ± 2,32 mg, respectivamente. Se determinaron las ecuaciones de crecimiento en longitud y peso seco y la relación longitud-peso para los dos primeros meses de vida. La supervivencia de las larvas a los dos y tres meses después de la eclosión fue del 12% y el 8%, respectivamente. El canibalismo fue observado por primera vez a partir de los 35 días después de la eclosión.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 is the main etiological agent of cervical cancer worldwide. Mutations within the virus genome may lead to an increased risk of cancer development and decreased vaccine response, but there is a lack of information about strains circulating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Endocervical cytology samples were collected from 480 women attending a voluntary cervical cancer screening program at Monkole Hospital and four outpatient centers in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The prevalence of HPV infection was 18.8% and the most prevalent high-risk types were HPV16 (12.2%) followed by HPV52 (8.8%) and HPV33/HPV35 (7.8% each). HPV16 strains were characterized: 57.1% were classified as C lineage; two samples (28.6%) as A1 and one sample belonged to B1 lineage. HPV33, HPV35, HPV16, and HPV58 were the most frequent types associated with low-grade intraepithelial lesion while high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions were predominantly associated with HPV16. Several L1 mutations (T266A, S282P, T353P, and N181T) were common in Kinshasa, and their potential effect on vaccine-induced neutralization, especially the presence of S282P, should be further investigated. Long control region (LCR) variability was high with frequent mutations like G7193T, G7521A, and G145T that could promote malignancy of these HPV16 strains. This study provides a helpful basis for understanding HPV16 variants circulating in Kinshasa and the potential association between mutations of LCR region and malignancy and of L1 and vaccine activity.

Volatilization is a process by which nitrogen (N) is lost. Identifying the main factors determining this process is essential for a more economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture. The objectives of this work were to: a) integrate existing information about volatilization losses and their effect on maize yield (Zea mays L.), b) identify the main factors that control such losses in Argentina, and c) evaluate the effect of urease inhibitor on ammonia volatilization, yield and nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE). A systematic review, including a total of 21 experiments carried out between 1997 and 2021, was performed. A path analysis was used to examine the causal pathway of the factors that determine N volatilization rates, and a meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the magnitude of the effect of management and edaphoclimatic variables on N volatilization. The main variable presenting a direct effect on ammonia losses was the N rate (r= 0.66), while clay content (r= -0.59) was the most relevant edaphoclimatic variable. An indirect and negative effect of organic matter (OM) was determined through the clay percentage (r= -0.39), while the direct effect of OM presented a low magnitude (r= -0.01). The highest N losses by volatilization occurred with N rates =100 kg N ha-1, OM <20 g kg-1 and clay content <200 g kg-1, temperature >20°C and <10 days of precipitations greater than 10 mm. The use of urease inhibitors reduced losses by 73%, without increasing yield or EAN. These results bring a solid foundation on which are the main determinants of volatilization losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Choline is an essential nutrient in broiler diets, and its supplementation is traditionally made using choline chloride, a synthetic ingredient that is difficult to handle and store because of its hygroscopicity. A natural choline alternative may have benefits for feed manufacturing and broiler performance. Aim: The objective of the present study was to examine the use of a plant source of choline to replace choline chloride in broiler diets. Methods: Male Cobb broilers (n = 1120) were reared from Day 1 to Day 42 in boxes in an industrial shed and fed isonutritive diets based on maize and soybean meal. The experimental design was completely randomised with four treatments, eight replicates and 35 birds per replicate. Treatments were: control, choline source 100% choline chloride; and replacement of 25%, 50% and 100% of choline chloride with herbal choline. Herbal choline was derived from Ocimum sanctum , Andrographis paniculata , Silybum marianum , Glycine max and Azadirachta indica. Production performance, carcass and cut yields (at Day 42), feathering score and serum biochemical parameters were evaluated. Key results: There were no differences among the treatments for weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, viability, or carcass and cut yields. However, lot uniformity improved when 100% herbal choline replaced choline chloride. There was no difference among treatments for feathering score, but feather percentage (at Day 42) was highest in treatments with herbal choline associated with choline chloride (25:75 or 50:50). The 100% herbal choline treatment resulted in lower concentration of serum low-density lipoprotein at Days 21 and 42. Conclusions: Herbal choline can fully replace choline chloride in broiler diets. Implications: Use of plant choline in broiler diets reduces ingredient losses and improves chicken health by reducing serum low-density lipoprotein. The consumer market for chicken meat demands increasingly natural products, so chicken diets should contain natural products whenever possible. This article studies natural sources of choline as an alternative to synthetic choline chloride. The results affirm that it is possible to replace the synthetic source of choline with natural plant sources, with added benefit of reducing serum low-density lipoprotein in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RESUMEN El proceso de volatilización es un mecanismo de pérdida de nitrógeno (N). Identificar y jerarquizar sus principales factores determinantes es esencial hacia una agricultura más sostenible en términos económicos y ambientales. Los objetivos del trabajo son: a) integrar información existente sobre las pérdidas por volatilización y su impacto sobre el rendimiento de maíz (Zea mays L.), b) jerarquizar los principales factores que controlan dichas pérdidas en Argentina y c) evaluar el efecto del inhibidor de la ureasa sobre las pérdidas de amoníaco (NH3), el rendimiento y la eficiencia agronómica de N (EAN). Para ello, se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática que incluyó un total de 21 experimentos conducidos entre 1997 y 2021. Se utilizaron técnicas de análisis de senderos para examinar la ruta causal de los principales factores que controlan las pérdidas por volatilización y de meta-análisis para evaluar la magnitud del efecto de las variables de manejo y edafoclimáticas sobre las pérdidas por volatilización. La principal variable que presentó un efecto directo sobre las pérdidas fue la dosis de N aplicada (r=0,66), mientras que el contenido de arcilla (r= -0,59) resultó la variable edafoclimática más relevante. Además, se determinó un efecto indirecto y negativo del contenido de materia orgánica (MO) a través del contenido de arcilla (r= -0,39), siendo el efecto directo de la MO de baja magnitud (r= -0,01). Las mayores pérdidas de N por volatilización ocurrieron con dosis ≥100 kg N ha-1, contenido de MO 20°C y

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing choline chloride with a plant source of choline on the locomotor system, liver health, and development of breast myopathies in broilers aged 1-42 days of age. We allocated 1,120 one-day-old Cobb broilers to four treatment groups and fed them commercial diets based on corn and soybean meal. The treatments included choline in the form of 1,800.00 mg/kg choline chloride; 1,350.00 mg/kg choline chloride + 450.00 mg/kg herbal choline; 900.00 mg/kg choline chloride + 900.00 mg/kg herbal choline; and 1,000.00 mg/kg herbal choline. Each treatment group had eight replications. Throughout the experiment, gait score, footpad dermatitis, hock burn, and leg deformities (valgus and varus) were evaluated in the birds at 28 and 35 days of age. After slaughter, parameters such as breast myopathies, tibial dyschondroplasia score, and histological slides of the pectoral muscle, liver, and proximal tibial epiphysis were assessed. The results demonstrated good hepatic and locomotor health in the broilers, as no classical signs of choline deficiency were observed. Statistical analyses indicated no significant differences between treatments in terms of liver and locomotor health, suggesting that broilers fed diets supplemented with the plant source did not experience choline deficiency. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found between treatments regarding breast myopathies. Overall, the tested choline plant source can effectively replace choline chloride in broiler diets.