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Objetivo: evaluar la relación del índice cardio – timo torácico (ICT/T) y el síndrome de dificultad respiratoria tipo I (SDR I), en hospitales regionales de Escuintla, de Zacapa y de La Antigua Guatemala, en 2020. Material y métodos: estudio transversal prospectivo en 228 RNP, con análisis multivariado y aval del Comité de Bioética en Salud de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Resultados: El 49.56% (113) de RNP desarrollaron SDR I, con una media de ICT/T de 0.43, DE ±0.05, edad gestacional media de 32.75 semanas, DE ±2.00 semanas, partos por cesárea transperitoneal 68.85% (157), el sexo masculino representó el 50.43% (115) y el femenino, 49.56% (113), media del peso de RNP con SDR I fue de 1752.16 gramos, DE ±656.90 gramos, diferencia de medias del ICT/T en RNP con y sin SDRI t=0.12 (p= 0.001), razón de probabilidad OR= 65.05 (p

Background: Imbalance in tryptophan (TRP) metabolism and its neuroactive metabolites, serotonin and kynurenine (KYN), is a known pathogenic mechanism underlying neurocognitive impairment. Gut microbiota plays an important role in TRP metabolism, and the production of these neuroactive molecules affects neurocognitive function. Although both HIV infection and normal aging independently induce gut dysbiosis and influence TRP metabolism, their interactive effects on compositional/functional changes in gut microbiota and consequent alterations in TRP metabolites remain largely undetermined. Methods: Older people living with HIV infection (PLWH, aged 50–70 years, n = 22) were enrolled in this cross-sectional pilot study. Metagenomic analysis of fecal microbiome using 16S Ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequencing and metabolomics analysis of plasma using mass spectrometry with a reverse-phase iquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were performed. Statistical analyses included the univariate linear regression and Spearman correlation analyses. Results: Age-associated changes in plasma levels of key neuroactive TRP metabolites, serotonin and KYN, were seen in PLWH. Specifically, we observed age-dependent decreases in serotonin and increases in KYN and KYN-to-TRP ratio, indicative of dysfunctional TRP metabolism. Furthermore, the gut dysbiosis seen in older PLWH is characterized by a reduction of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and butyrate-producing microbial families Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae. Of importance, correspondent with gut dysbiosis, increasing age was significantly associated with decreased plasma butyrate levels, which in turn correlated positively with serotonin and negatively with KYN/TRP ratio. Conclusions: Age-dependent gut microbial dysbiosis distinguished by a decrease in butyrogenic potential is a key pathogenic feature associated with the shift in TRP metabolism from serotonin to KYN in older PLWH.

Introducción: el dengue es una infección vírica transmitida por la picadura del Aedes aegypti hembra, que afecta a toda la población sin distinción alguna. Objetivo: identificar la percepción de las familias de la comuna cuatro del municipio de Villavicencio, Meta, respecto al manejo del dengue en su entorno familiar. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo, transversal con variables cualitativas y cuantitativas, con aplicación de una encuesta sociodemográfica y de conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre el dengue a las familias de la comuna cuatro de Villavicencio. Resultados: se encuestaron 317 familias, el sexo femenino tuvo mayor participación, se encontró un porcentaje considerable de población que no tiene conocimientos suficientes sobre el dengue, aun así, las familias desarrollan prácticas en prevención. La participación de actividades comunitarias para la prevención es muy poca, se evidencia que entre mayor escolaridad más eficientes son las prácticas empleadas por las familias de la comuna. Conclusiones: se evidencia intervención de primer nivel mediante acciones de autocuidado familiar, lideradas por las mujeres; sin embargo, se encuentra un porcentaje significativo de riesgo y de no adherencia a la participación de actividades en conjunto con la comunidad. Esto indica la necesidad de implementar estrategias de prevención del dengue y promoción del autocuidado.

Introducción: El consumo de marihuana es una problemática de salud pública y cobra relevancia en la población escolar. Objetivo: Describir la accesibilidad de consumo de marihuana por características sociodemográficas, relaciones familiares y de consumo en escolarizados colombianos 2016. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo, transversal, secundario del Estudio Nacional de Consumo de Sustancias Psicoactivas en Población Escolar Colombia - 2016, con una muestra de 80.018 estudiantes, mediante análisis univariado y bivariado. Resultados: Se analizó una muestra de 80.018 escolares, el promedio de edad de consumo de marihuana es de 15,55 años; el 51.9% eran mujeres. La mayoría de escolares estudian en colegios mixtos (96.11%); un 37.3% considera que le sería fácil conseguir marihuana; aquellos que manifestaron ser consumidores actuales de marihuana, los que manifiestan que todos sus amigos son consumidores y aquellos que conviven con un consumidor mostraron ser los que percibían muy fácil acceder a la marihuana (88,0%, 80.1% y 71,6% respectivamente). Conclusiones: Existe una alta proporción de adolescentes que perciben un acceso muy fácil a la marihuana, los consumidores o aquellos que se relacionan con consumidores fueron quienes percibían en mayor proporción un fácil acceso a la marihuana. Se sugieren intervenciones que puedan contrarrestar este fenómeno.

Astrocytes and brain endothelial cells are components of the neurovascular unit that comprises the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and their dysfunction contributes to pathogenesis in Huntington’s disease (HD). Defining the contribution of these cells to disease can inform cell-type-specific effects and uncover new disease-modifying therapeutic targets. These cells express integrin (ITG) adhesion receptors that anchor the cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) to maintain the integrity of the BBB. We used HD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) modeling to study the ECM–ITG interface in astrocytes and brain microvascular endothelial cells and found ECM–ITG dysregulation in human iPSC-derived cells that may contribute to the dysfunction of the BBB in HD. This disruption has functional consequences since reducing ITG expression in glia in an HD Drosophila model suppressed disease-associated CNS dysfunction. Since ITGs can be targeted therapeutically and manipulating ITG signaling prevents neurodegeneration in other diseases, defining the role of ITGs in HD may provide a novel strategy of intervention to slow CNS pathophysiology to treat HD.

La necesidad de habitar en un planeta cuyos recursos son limitados ha llevado a que se desarrollen estrategias desde todos los campos del conocimiento para cumplir con el objetivo de evitar la destrucción total de los recursos naturales. El concepto de economía circular comenzó a vislumbrarse en la década de los 70, sin embargo, actualmente sigue siendo un tema nuevo para muchos. Este artículo tiene como objetivo revisar e identificar los trabajos centrados en las estrategias de diseño de producto que han surgido para la economía circular, con el fin de servir como guía en las barreras, indicadores y herramientas que resultan útiles para personas interesadas en procesos de diseño con un enfoque en la sostenibilidad. Los criterios para delimitar la búsqueda, selección, codificación y síntesis de los 50 artículos científicos originales que formaron parte de la revisión fueron los siguientes: incluir estudios publicados desde 2013 hasta el 2019, publicados en el continente europeo, en lengua inglesa y española, por medio de palabras clave en bases de datos y en citas bibliográficas. La información obtenida mediante los artículos seleccionados demostró que, a cualquier disciplina relacionada con el desarrollo de bienes y servicios, le compete aplicar, o al menos conocer, modelos acordes con la economía circular, concepto que ha nacido para disociar el crecimiento económico con la explotación de recursos.

Citrus canker is a major disease caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. citri. Snakin-1 is an antimicrobial peptide, which was previously shown to be effective against different bacterial and fungal diseases in potato, wheat and lettuce when expressed in transgenic plants. We generated transgenic Citrange Troyer citrus rootstocks constitutively expressing this peptide and 5 different transgenic lines were challenged against virulent X. citri isolates. Challenge assays conducted in vitro using detached leaves and in planta by infiltration revealed a significant reduction of the number and size of canker lesions in some of the transgenic lines.

Education is important for fostering research integrity (RI). Although RI training is increasingly provided, there is little knowledge on how research stakeholders view institutional RI education and training policies. Following a constructivist approach, we present insights about research stakeholders’ views and experiences regarding how research institutions can develop and implement RI education and training policies. We conducted thirty focus groups, engaging 147 participants in eight European countries. Using a mixed deductive-inductive thematic analysis, we identified five themes: (1) RI education should be available to all; (2) education and training approaches and goals should be tailored; (3) motivating trainees is essential; (4) both formal and informal educational formats are necessary; and (5) institutions should take into account various individual, institutional, and system-of-science factors when implementing RI education. Our findings suggest that institutions should make RI education attractive for all and tailor training to disciplinary-specific contexts.

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the treatment and outcome of acetabular and other pelvic fractures in cats with patellar fracture and dental anomaly syndrome (PADS) and to provide advice on how to manage these cases in practice. Methods Data were collated on cats with PADS that were reported to have sustained pelvic fractures or had fractures or fissures of the pelvis identified on submitted radiographs. The details of the fractures were recorded, in addition to any treatment and outcome information. Results Of the 215 cases reported with PADS, 58 cats (27%) were found to have pelvic fractures, none of which were known to have resulted from significant trauma. There were 101 fractures in total and of these 15 were treated with surgery, including 10 acetabular fractures, two ilial, two pubic and one ischial fracture. Screw loosening and loss of fracture reduction was seen in four of the surgically treated fractures (two pubic fractures, one ilial and one acetabular fracture). Fourteen cats were euthanased as a direct result of a fracture occurring. While most pelvic fractures healed uneventfully, some cats remained intermittently lame, but it was not always possible to determine the cause of the lameness from the information available and because all cats had concurrent patellar fractures. Conclusions and relevance Many of the pelvic fractures healed with conservative management. Fractures involving articular surfaces such as acetabular fractures may benefit from surgical stabilisation as surgery may offer the benefits of articular fracture repair with improved joint congruency and a faster return to normal activity.

Objectives The aim of this study is to describe the treatment and outcome of humeral condylar fractures and humeral intracondylar fissures in cats with patellar fracture and dental anomaly syndrome (PADS) and to provide advice on how to manage these cases in practice. Methods Data were collated on cats with PADS that were reported to have sustained humeral fractures or had fractures or fissures of the humerus identified on radiographs. The details of the fractures were recorded in addition to any treatment and outcome information. Results Of the 207 cases reported with PADS, 18 cats (8.7%) were found to have humeral condylar fractures, none of which was known to have resulted from significant trauma. Where treatment occurred, it involved the placement of transcondylar positional or lag screws. In some cases additional implants, including supracondylar bone plates and screws or Kirschner wires (K-wires), were used. Follow-up data revealed that only two cats were euthanased owing to the presence of the humeral fractures, with at least eight achieving some degree of recovery of function. Conclusions and relevance These humeral fractures all have the characteristics of stress insufficiency fractures, being simple isolated fractures that are short oblique, with increased radio-density at the fracture line and occurring following minimal or no trauma. Humeral intracondylar fissures were identified in two cats and it is possible that some of the other fractures may have occurred secondary to pre-existing fissures. To our knowledge, no prior reports exist of fissures in cats that do not meet the criteria for PADS. Surgical repair primarily consisted of the placement of transcondylar lag or positional screws with, in some cases, adjunct implants such as bone plates and screws or K-wires. Though there were insufficient data to determine the prognosis for these fractures in the long term, unlike patellar fractures, many of these fractures will heal if treated appropriately.

This study examines whether religious beliefs motivate nonviolent behavior and lower rates of recidivism among Chilean inmates. We collected data through in-depth interviews with 174 inmates using open and close-ended questions. The research used a proportional random sample to select participants, principal component analysis to identify similarities and differences between groups, and content analysis to examine answers to the open-ended interview questions. Its findings indicate that evangelical inmates in Chilean prisons are less violent, more likely to follow internal jail regulations, and more cooperative with professionals and officials. This study contributes to the literature because there was no previous evidence in Chile that religious association, religious conviction, or a desire to change criminal behavior is instrumental to achieving better security during inmates’ stays in prison. The results also demonstrate that the presence of a peer group, with its emotional support and provision of a daily routine, is fundamental if inmates are to successfully handle their anxiety and be less violent.

Planktic and benthic foraminiferal iodine (I) to calcium (Ca) molar ratios have been proposed as an exciting new proxy to assess subsurface and bottom water oxygenation in the past. Compared to trace metals, the analysis of iodine in foraminiferal calcite is more challenging, as iodine is volatile in acid solution. Here, we compare previous analyses that use tertiary amine with alternative analyses using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) to stabilize iodine in solution. In addition, we assess the effect of sample size and cleaning on planktic and benthic foraminiferal I/Ca. Our stabilization experiments with TMAH and NH4OH show similar trends as those using tertiary amine, giving relatively low I/Ca ratios for planktic and benthic foraminifera samples from poorly oxygenated waters, and high ratios for well-oxygenated waters. This suggests that both alternative methods are suitable to stabilize iodine initially dissolved in acid. Samples that contain 5–10 specimens show a wide spread in I/Ca. Samples containing 20 specimens or more show more centered I/Ca values, indicating that a larger sample size is more representative of the average planktic foraminifera community. The impact of cleaning on planktic and benthic foraminifera I/Ca ratios is very similar to Mg/Ca, with the largest effect occurring during the clay removal step. The largest iodine contaminations were recorded at locations characterized by moderate to high organic carbon contents. In those circumstances, we recommend doubling the oxidative cleaning steps (4 instead of 2 repetitions) to ensure that all organic material is removed.

The widespread problems with scientific fraud, questionable research practices, and the reliability of scientific results have led to an increased focus on research integrity (RI). International organisations and networks have been established, declarations have been issued, and codes of conducts have been formed. The abstract principles of these documents are now also being translated into concrete topic areas that Research Performing organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding organisations (RFOs) should focus on. However, so far, we know very little about disciplinary differences in the need for RI support from RPOs and RFOs. The paper attempts to fill this knowledge gap. It reports on a comprehensive focus group study with 30 focus group interviews carried out in eight different countries across Europe focusing on the following research question: “Which RI topics would researchers and stakeholders from the four main areas of research (humanities, social science, natural science incl. technical science, and medical science incl. biomedicine) prioritise for RPOs and RFOs?” The paper reports on the results of these focus group interviews and gives an overview of the priorities of the four main areas of research. The paper ends with six policy recommendations and a reflection on how the results of the study can be used in RPOs and RFOs.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is prevalent in patients infected with HIV. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that systemic oxidation correlates with loss of lung function in subjects with COPD, and that HIV infection can contribute to creating such an environment. Subjects were recruited at the University of Louisville in the following groups: HIV-infected (n = 36), COPD (n = 32), HIV and COPD (n = 28), and uninfected controls with normal lung function (n = 34). HIV infection was assessed by viral load and CD4 cell counts. Pulmonary function was determined by spirometry, and plasma was collected for measurement of cysteine (Cys), cystine (CySS), glutathione (GSH) and GSH disulfide (GSSG) by HPLC followed by estimation of redox potentials (Eh) using the Nernst equation. Results showed that patients with COPD had more oxidized plasma Eh Cys/CySS than patients with normal lung function, but plasma Eh GSH/GSSG was unaltered. In addition, there was a correlation between the extent of plasma Eh Cys/CySS oxidation and loss of lung function, and this correlation remained even after correcting for age, sex, race and body mass index. HIV infection per se was not associated with increased oxidation of plasma Eh Cys/CySS, but plasma Eh Cys/CySS was more oxidized in patients with lower CD4-positve T cell counts. In patients with both HIV infection and COPD, there was a significant correlation between CD4 cell counts and lung function. Thus, systemic oxidation correlated with decreased lung function in subjects with COPD and decreased CD4 counts in subjects infected with HIV. Thus, factors contributing to plasma Eh Cys/CySS may represent novel mechanisms underlying the increased prevalence of COPD in people living with HIV.

This paper presents a method for classifying the varying degrees of interdependency between academic hospitals and universities in the context of the Leiden Ranking. A key question for ranking universities is whether or not to allocate the publication output of affiliated hospitals to universities. Hospital nomenclatures vary worldwide to denote some form of collaboration with a university: academic hospitals, teaching hospitals, university hospitals, and academic medical centres do not correspond to universally standard definitions. Thus, rather than seeking a normative definition of academic hospitals, we are proposing a workflow that aligns the university-hospital relationship with one of three general models: full integration of the hospital and the medical faculty into a single organization; health science centres in which hospitals and medical faculty remain separate entities albeit within the same governance structure; and structures in which universities and hospitals are separate entities which collaborate with one another. This classification system provides a standard by which we can allocate publications which note affiliations with academic hospitals. Our three-step workflow effectively translates the three above-mentioned models into two types of instrumental relationships for the assignation of publications: "associate" and "component". When a hospital and a medical faculty are fully integrated or when a hospital is part of a health science centre, the relationship is classified as component. When a hospital follows the model of collaboration and support, the relationship is classified as associate. The compilation of data following these standards allows for a more uniform comparison between worldwide educational and research systems., 19 pages, 4 figures, 1 table

The development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines has flourished over the past two decades. Unfortunately, many studies have found that the quality of such guidelines is highly variable (Alonso-Coello et al. in Qual Safe Health Care 19:e58, 2010; MacQueen et al. in Can J Psychiatry 62:11-23, 2016); research suggests that some of the guidelines used in psychology have been developed using poor methods for guideline development (Bennett et al. in Depress Anxiety 35:330-340, 2018; Trepanier et al. in: Can Psychol 58: 211-217, 2017). While there remains a dearth of research in this area, typically, it is guidelines themselves that are examined by researchers, while too little attention is paid to the developers, and more specifically to how the guideline development groups are composed and the nature of the expertise of those involved in developing the guidelines. Given the importance of grounding guidelines in science, it is key that guideline development groups be comprised of research experts that will help ensure that this essential aspect be respected. In this brief paper, we provide findings from a recent study in which group composition as well as the expertise of guideline development committee members at the Order of Psychologists of Quebec (OPQ) was examined, as defined by academic research productivity. As results highlighted a clear imbalance between clinical and research expertise in these specific committees, with only a small percentage of researchers being represented, we conclude that major improvements need to be made for research to properly reach practitioners and make recommendations to facilitate this.

BACKGROUND: Chronic immune activation and CD4(+) T cell depletion are significant pathogenic features of HIV infection. Expression of Fas ligand (FasL), a key mediator of activation-induced cell death in T cells, is elevated in people living with HIV-1 infection (PLWH). However, the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the enhanced induction of FasL expression in CD4(+) T lymphocytes in PLWH are not completely elucidated. Hence, the current work examined the effect of HIV infection on FasL promoter-associated histone modifications and transcriptional regulation in CD4(+) T lymphocytes in PLWH. METHOD: Flow cytometric analysis was performed to examine the Fas-FasL expression on total CD4(+) T cells and naïve/memory CD4(+) T cell subsets. Epigenetic FasL promoter histone modifications were investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis using freshly isolated total CD4(+) T lymphocytes from HIV-1 infected and noninfected individuals. RESULTS: All naïve/memory CD4(+) T cell subsets from PLWH showed markedly greater frequency of FasL expression. Notably, examination of functional outcome of FasL/Fas co-expression demonstrated the preferential susceptibility of Tcm and Tem subsets to activation-induced apoptosis. Importantly, these CD4(+) T cells collectively demonstrated a distinct FasL promoter histone profile involving a coordinated cross-talk between histone H3 modifications leading to enhanced FasL gene expression. Specifically, levels of transcriptionally permissive histone H3K4-trimethylation (H3K4Me3) and histone H3K9-acetylation (H3K9Ac) were increased, with a concomitant decrease in the repressive H3K9-trimethylation (H3K9Me3). CONCLUSION: The present work demonstrates that epigenetic mechanisms involving promoter-histone modifications regulate transcriptional competence and FasL expression in CD4(+) T cells from PLWH and render them susceptible to activation-induced cell death.

Citrus are among the most prevailing fruit crops produced worldwide. The implementation of effective and reliable breeding programs is essential for coping with the increasing demands of satisfactory yield and quality of the fruit as well as to deal with the negative impact of fast-spreading diseases. Conventional methods are time-consuming and of difficult application because of inherent factors of citrus biology, such as their prolonged juvenile period and a complex reproductive stage, sometimes presenting infertility, self-incompatibility, parthenocarpy, or polyembryony. Moreover, certain desirable traits are absent from cultivated or wild citrus genotypes. All these features are challenging for the incorporation of the desirable traits. In this regard, genetic engineering technologies offer a series of alternative approaches that allow overcoming the difficulties of conventional breeding programs. This review gives a detailed overview of the currently used strategies for the development of genetically modified citrus. We describe different aspects regarding genotype varieties used, including elite cultivars or extensively used scions and rootstocks. Furthermore, we discuss technical aspects of citrus genetic transformation procedures via Agrobacterium, regular physical methods, and magnetofection. Finally, we describe the selection of explants considering young and mature tissues, protoplast isolation, etc. We also address current protocols and novel approaches for improving the in vitro regeneration process, which is an important bottleneck for citrus genetic transformation. This review also explores alternative emerging transformation strategies applied to citrus species such as transient and tissue localized transformation. New breeding technologies, including cisgenesis, intragenesis, and genome editing by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), are also discussed. Other relevant aspects comprising new promoters and reporter genes, marker-free systems, and strategies for induction of early flowering, are also addressed. We provided a future perspective on the use of current and new technologies in citrus and its potential impact on regulatory processes., Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular

Unfortunately, the inclusion of original names (in non-Latin script) of the following authors caused problems with author name indexing in PubMed. Therefore, these original names were removed from XML data to correct the PubMed record. Mengji Cao, Yuya Chiaki, Hideki Ebihara, Jingjing Fu, George Fú Gāo, Tong Han, Jiang Hong, Ni Hong, Seiji Hongo, Masayuki Horie, Dàohóng Jiāng, Fujio Kadono, Hideki Kondō, Kenji Kubota, Shaorong Li, Longhui Li, Jiànróng Lǐ, Huazhen Liu, Tomohide Natsuaki, Sergey V. Netesov, Anna Papa, Sofia Paraskevopoulou, Liying Qi, Takahide Sasaya, Mang Shi, Xiǎohóng Shí, Zhènglì Shí, Yoshifumi Shimomoto, Jin‑Won Song, Ayato Takada, Shigeharu Takeuchi, Yasuhiro Tomitaka, Keizō Tomonaga, Shinya Tsuda, Changchun Tu, Tomio Usugi, Nikos Vasilakis, Jiro Wada, Lin‑Fa Wang, Guoping Wang, Yanxiang Wang, Yaqin Wang, Tàiyún Wèi, Shaohua Wen, Jiangxiang Wu, Lei Xu, Hironobu Yanagisawa, Caixia Yang, Zuokun Yang, Lifeng Zhai, Yong‑Zhen Zhang, Song Zhang, Jinguo Zhang, Zhe Zhang, Xueping Zhou. In addition, the publication call-out in the supplementary material was updated from issue 11 to issue 12. The original article has been corrected.

In March 2020, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. At the genus rank, 20 new genera were added, two were deleted, one was moved, and three were renamed. At the species rank, 160 species were added, four were deleted, ten were moved and renamed, and 30 species were renamed. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV., La lista completa de autores que integran el documento puede consultarse en el archivo., Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Centro de Investigaciones en Fitopatología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecular

Counselling, coaches and collegiality — how institutions can share resources to promote best practice in science. Counselling, coaches and collegiality — how institutions can share resources to promote best practice in science.

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are the main form of carbon storage in broadleaved trees; precise NSC quantification is relevant to predict forest resilience. Sample microwaving before drying is considered to reduce NSC losses; however, evidence is scarce. We demonstrate that microwaving leaf and branch sapwood samples before drying did not significantly reduce NSC losses with respect to freezing or direct stove-drying. Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) mediate tree survival, but precise determinations of NSC concentrations remain challenging. An unclear aspect is whether carbohydrate losses during sample processing can be reduced by different sample treatments. We postulated that due to higher metabolic rates, leaves should be more responsive to sample treatments than branch sapwood, and resource-acquisitive species should be more responsive to sample treatment than resource-conservative species. In leaves and branch sapwood of six tree species, we compared the effects of three sample treatments on the concentrations of NSC, starch, and low-molecular weight sugars: sample microwaving before drying (microwave), sample freezing at − 20 °C before drying (freezing), and only drying (stove). We found that across species and tissues, freezing led to significantly higher NSC and sugar concentrations than microwave and stove. This effect was, however, entirely driven by the leaves. Although the effect of sample treatments on NSC, starch, and sugar concentrations differed among species, resource-acquisitive species were not necessarily more affected by sample treatments than resource-conservative species. Results suggest that either freezing or microwaving does not reduce carbohydrate losses in branch sapwood during sample handling and processing; however, freezing reduces leaf sugar and NSC losses when compared with microwave or direct stove-drying (194 words).

In this study a bacterial consortium was assembled using isolates from an oily sludge sampled at a northeastern Colombian oil field. The consortium contains five putative oil degrading fast-growing strains associated to the genera Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Serratia sp., Raoultella sp. and Enterobacter sp.. In order to enhance its versatility the immobilization of the bacterial mixture was tested using several solid supports, which included matrices of natural (sodium alginate) and synthetic (polyurethane) origin. The immobilized biomass was analyzed by microdroplet counting, dry weight and electron microscopy. Although bacterial immobilization was observed in all cases, 3 % sodium alginate, PUF#10 and PUF#37 matrices showed the highest amount of biomass retention. Additionally, the environmentally relevant feature of biodegradability reported for sodium alginate and PUF#10 matrices favors their further testing and eventual use for bioremediation treatments, using the hereby evaluated consortia.