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This is a multicenter prospective observational study which included a large cohort (n = 397) of allogeneic (allo-HSCT) (n = 311) and autologous (ASCT) hematopoietic stem cell transplant (n = 86) recipients who were monitored for antibody detection within 3 to 6 weeks after complete SARS-CoV-2 vaccination from February 1st 2021 to July 20th 2021. Most patients (n = 387, 97.4%) received mRNA-based vaccines. Most of recipients (93%) were vaccinated more than 1 year after transplant. Detectable SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibodies were observed in 242 (78%) of allo-HSCT and in 73 (85%) of ASCT recipients. Multivariate analysis in allo-HSCT recipients identified lymphopenia

La investigación sobre la alfabetización digital en el desarrollo de capacidades de procesamiento de la información en estudiantes universitarios, tuvo como objetivo analizar, evaluar y explicar la influencia de la alfabetización digital en el desarrollo de capacidades de procesamiento de la información en los estudiantes universitarios de la especialidad de Tecnología Informática y Telecomunicaciones de la Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión. La metodología utilizada fue la científica y tecnológica en función a los procedimientos realizados, de diseño cuasi experimental con un solo grupo, tomando como muestra a 35 estudiantes. Como resultado de la investigación según t de Student se tuvo: (0.4527 < 2.457) en la en las asignaturas de Idioma II, (4.3082 > 2.6244) en la asignatura de Lenguaje de Programación I, y (0.3962 < 2.9979) en la asignatura de Lenguaje de Programación II. Por lo que, la alfabetización digital contribuye a desarrollar capacidades para el procesamiento de la información.

Lippia graveolens u orégano mexicano, es una planta de importancia económica y la recolección del follaje se realiza principalmente de poblaciones naturales. La micropropagación propone una alternativa para la producción de material, con alta calidad fitosanitaria y propagación en menor tiempo de individuos seleccionados por sus características de valor comercial. El objetivo de este trabajo fue establecer un protocolo para la propagación in vitro de Lippia graveolens. La investigación se realizó en el año 2018-2019. El establecimiento se logró con segmentos nodales en medio basal MS, en esta etapa se recuperó 57.32% de explantes axénicos. Para la etapa de propagación se adicionó al medio MS cuatro concentraciones (0, 1, 2 y 3 mg L-1) de bencilaminopurina (6-BAP), se evaluó número de brotes y altura de plántula, los mejores resultados en la multiplicación se lograron con 3 mg L-1 de 6-BAP, obteniéndose 40.35 brotes por explante. La longitud de brote fue mayor en los tratamientos sin reguladores de crecimiento. Para el enraizamiento, se ensayó con tres concentraciones (0, 0.1, 0.3 y 0.5 mg L-1) de auxinas (ácido indol acético y ácido indol butírico) y se evaluó el porcentaje de enraizamiento y la longitud de la raíz obteniéndose igual resultado con y sin reguladores auxínicos. En la fase de aclimatación se evaluó el fotoperiodo (16 h y 24 h) con y sin micorrizas (Glomus intraradicens). El mejor tratamiento se obtuvo con 24 h luz y con adición de micorrizas con un 86.11% de supervivencia.

8 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tabla., The authors wish to acknowledge the collaboration of personnel from the Departamento de Sanidad Animal of the University of León and thank them for their help in the laboratory analyses, particularly to Eva Martín de Valmaseda. The authors were grateful to Falco Iberia S.L. Company for referring the falcon to the Pathological Diagnostic Service of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of León. Technical support provided by Marta Silva and Julio Benavides was also gratefully acknowledged. RV was supported by a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Education. JE was the recipient of a postdoctoral contract Juan de la Cierva-Formación (FJC2019-042422-I) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

15 páginas., This study estimates the economic losses due to outbreaks of toxoplasma abortions in a dairy (1928 sheep) and a meat (700 sheep) flock in Spain raised under intensive and semi-extensive management conditions, respectively. In both flocks, sheep were divided into multiple groups to synchronise reproduction. The outbreaks resulted in abortion rates in individual lots of 12.6% (30/239) in the dairy flock and 33.3% (70/210) in the meat flock. Toxoplasma gondii was definitively diagnosed in most submitted cases and the only abortifacient pathogen identified despite extensive investigation. Upon completion of lambing and lactation, veterinarians and farmers completed a questionnaire to gather the data to determine the direct economic impact. The calculated total direct economic losses were €5154.5 (€171.8/abortion) in the dairy flock and €4456 (€63.6/abortion) in the meat flock. Results suggest that flock size, production system, abortion rate and control measures are the key factors influencing economic losses, which vary greatly between individual flocks., This work was supported by research projects from the “Junta de Castilla y León” (LE080U16) and Spanish Ministry of Sciences (AGL2016-75935-C2-1-R and AGL2016-75935-C2-2-R). Daniel Gutiérrez-Expósito is the recipient of a postdoctoral contract from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant no. FJCI-2017-32020). Mercedes Fernández was funded by a UCM-Santander/2017 pre-doctoral grant. Mark P. Dagleish was funded by the Scottish Government. We wish to acknowledge farmers of the flocks and especially the field veterinarian Luis Gómez for their help. We wish to acknowledge María Teresa Carro, María Murillas and Marta Silva for their excellent technical assistance.

Premise of research. Ex situ plant conservation can be improved through genetic analysis. One area of interest is the relative value of conserving smaller or larger populations and how sampling str...

8 Pág. Instituto de Ciencias Forestales (ICIFOR), Pathogen life history traits influence epidemic development and pathogen adaptive ability to interact with their hosts in different environments. Reduced traits variation may compromise pathogen evolutionary potential, which is particularly important for introduced pathogens. Fusarium circinatum (cause of pine pitch canker) is an invasive fungal pathogen in Europe, with current distribution restricted to forest stands of Pinus radiata and Pinus pinaster in northern Spain and Portugal. This study aimed to quantify pathogenic traits of Spanish isolates of F. circinatum, with two of the strains representing the two dominant haplotypes in the Spanish population. Disease severity was measured on P. radiata, analyzing the influence of temperature and moisture duration on infection as well as the influence of temperature on spore germination, sporulation, and mycelial growth. Results indicated that the isolate representing the most common haplotype caused more severe disease on P. radiata at 25 and 30°C compared with the second most common haplotype but caused less severe disease at 15°C. Spore germination was higher for the most common haplotype, which produced more spores at 20 and 25°C. The isolate showed hyphal melanization at 5°C, which has been associated with survival and may be important because no resting structures have been described for F. circinatum. Our study determined that longer moisture periods during infection result in more severe disease from 7 to 24 h, regardless of the isolate virulence. This is the first study on virulence of the most abundant haplotypes of F. circinatum in Spain as affected by temperatures and moisture., This research was supported by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Subprograma de Proyectos de I+D orientado a los Recursos y Tecnologias Agrarias en coordinación con las Comunidades Autonomas) projects RTA 2013-00048-C03-01 and RTA 2017-00063-C04-01.

La investigación se realizó con ecotipos de chile piquín de Coahuila, Nuevo León y Zacatecas. Se evaluaron plantas de chile piquín del segundo año de producción. Se utilizaron dos ambientes: a) macro túneles de malla blanca, roja azul, negra tipo raschel con 30% de sombreo; y b) campo abierto con 100% de transmisión de luz. Se inocularon 50 esporas de un conglomerado de hongos micorrízicos arbusculares (Glomus mosseae, Rhizophagus intraradices, Sclerocystis coremioides y Gigaspora albida), directamente al sistema radical. Se utilizó un arreglo factorial 5 x 6 x 2 (cubiertas, ecotipos y micorrizas) y su distribución fue un diseño bloques al azar con cuatro repeticiones. Se evaluó el rendimiento y algunos caracteres morfológicos como altura de planta (AP), diámetro de tallo (DT), longitud de raíz (LR), peso fresco de planta (PFP), peso fresco de planta (PSP), peso fresco de raíz (PFR), peso seco de raíz (PSR), rendimiento por planta (RPP). Los resultados indicaron que la malla blanca favoreció los caracteres morfológicos de la planta con 320% en AP, 322.7% en DT, 235.8% la LR, 8 veces el PFP, 8.5 veces el PSP, 327.2% el PFR, 5 veces el PSR, 6.8 veces el RPP, en comparación a las plantas desarrolladas en campo abierto. Además, la calidad de chile piquín proporciona condiciones para el desarrollo de endomicorrizas (esporas y porcentaje de colonización). La malla azul con la menor radiación fotosintéticamente activa (RFA) influyó positivamente en las variables agronómicas, de calidad y la inoculación (número de esporas y porcentaje de colonización). El ecotipo que influyó en los SST, VitC, fenoles y NE fue el de SNL y el RTZ en variables agronómicas y % colonización. La inoculación con el consorcio de micorrizas mejoró los caracteres agronómicos y calidad del fruto de chile piquín.

Stress inducible protein 1 (STI1) is a co-chaperone acting with Hsp70 and Hsp90 for the correct client proteins' folding and therefore for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Besides being expressed in the cytosol, STI1 can also be found both in the cell membrane and the extracellular medium playing several relevant roles in the central nervous system (CNS) and tumor microenvironment. During CNS development, in association with cellular prion protein (PrPc), STI1 regulates crucial events such as neuroprotection, neuritogenesis, astrocyte differentiation and survival. In cancer, STI1 is involved with tumor growth and invasion, is undoubtedly a pro-tumor factor, being considered as a biomarker and possibly therapeutic target for several malignancies. In this review, we discuss current knowledge and new findings on STI1 function as well as its role in tissue homeostasis, CNS and tumor progression.

Cada día es más difícil satisfacer la demanda alimenticia mundial, por ello la importancia de trabajar en el desarrollo de nuevas variedades de alto rendimiento y calidad de fruto, aprovechando los recursos genéticos de México, para el desarrollo y utilización de variedades superiores que permitan reducir los costos de producción de sistemas de agricultura protegida ya que, en México en estos sistemas un porcentaje importante proviene de empresas extranjeras a costos elevados. Sin embargo, los pequeños productores siembran semilla criolla de bajo rendimiento y calidad de fruto. En este trabajo se evaluó el RTF y sus componentes (NFP, PPF), además de algunos caracteres de calidad (CAA, CT y CAPs) y agronómicos (ADP, DBT, DAF, y DAC) de nueve híbridos de chile en sus generaciones F2 y sus respectivos progenitores, los cuales fueron establecidos en invernadero, bajo un diseño experimental bloques completos al azar con tres repeticiones. Los análisis de varianza exhibieron diferencias significativas (p< 0.01) entre progenitores y poblaciones F2 en todas las variables estudiadas. En RTF las poblaciones F2 (P1, 7 y P3, 4) superaron 7 y 5% respectivamente a su F1, siendo esta última, la que presento el RTF más alto en esta generación con 2 764 g planta-1. Todas poblaciones F2 presentaron cantidades intermedias y valores positivos en DEP en CT, CAA Y CAPs. Concluyendo que en la generación F2 hubo poblaciones promisorias para el desarrollo de nuevas variedades, ya que incrementaron rendimiento y calidad de fruto de F1 a F2, con rendimiento estimado superior a 100 t ha-1.

10 páginas.- 5 figuras.- 1 tabla.- 54 referencias.- The Supporting Information is available free of charge at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02023, Eucalyptus globulus (E. globulus) wood samples were treated in media containing acidified water and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) in order to achieve the one-pot conversion of the hemicellulosic and cellulosic fractions into furfural and levulinic and formic and acetic acids, respectively. The reactions were performed under diverse operational conditions (180 or 190 °C, reaction times up to 70 min, liquid-to-solid ratios of 10 or 20 g aqueous phase/g wood, sulfuric acid concentrations of 0.5 or 1 g/100 g aqueous phase). Near-quantitative molar conversion of pentosans into furfural was achieved under conditions leading to limited generation of organic acids. In one-pot experiments performed under selected conditions, the overall yield of furfural and organic acids reached 45.2 g/100 g of wood. MIBK-soluble lignin was recovered from the organic phase by water precipitation at a yield of 17.4 g/100 g of wood, defining an effective method for the simultaneous delignification and polysaccharide conversion of E. globulus wood. The recovered lignin was characterized for structure (using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and heteronuclear single quantum coherence) and molar mass distribution. © 2020 American Chemical Society., The authors are grateful to the Spanish “Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness” for supporting this study in the framework of the project “Modified aqueous media for wood biorefineries” (reference no. CTQ2017-82962-R), partially funded by the FEDER program of the European Union. M.L. thanks “Xunta de Galicia” and the European Union (European Social Fund, ESF) for her predoctoral grant (reference no. ED481A-2017/316).

11 páginas, 8 figuras, 2 tablas., Peripheral blood from healthy sheep (n = 3) and goats (n = 3) were employed to establish an efficient method for simultaneous isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and neutrophils and to standardize protocols for monocyte purification and generation of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). In both species, a significantly enriched population of PBMCs, with higher purity and number of cells determined by flow cytometry, was achieved when processing through a density gradient a mixture of buffy-coat and red blood cell layer (RBC) in comparison to the use of just the buffy-coat (p < 0.05). Neutrophils could be subsequently isolated from the layer, located underneath PBMCs fraction with significant higher purity rates, higher than 85 % determined by flow cytometry, than those obtained with protocols without density gradients (< 60 %) (p < 0.05). This technique would allow the isolation of both cell populations from the same sample of blood. A pure cell population of monocytes, CD14+ cells, was purified from PBMCs when using immunomagnetic columns, which allow for 17 % (nº monocytes/nº PBMCs) of yield and high percentages of expression of CD14+ (88 %), MHC-II+ (91.5 %) and CD11b+ (94 %) established by flow cytometry. On the other hand, the classical and nonexpensive purification of monocytes from PBMCs based on the adherence capacity of the former, allowed significantly lower yield of monocytes (4.6 %), with percentages of surface markers expression that dropped to 35 %, 65 % and 55 %, respectively (p < 0.001), suggesting the isolation of a mixed population of cells. The addition of GM-CSF to the culture, at concentration from 25 to 125 ng/mL, enhanced proportionally the number of MDMs generated compared to the absence of supplementation or the use of autologous serum from 5% to 20 %. However, purification of monocytes through the adherence method achieved higher yields of MDMs than those isolated through immunomagnetic columns in both species (p < 0.001). Under the conditions of this study, the use of centrifugation in density gradients allow for the simultaneous purification of PBMCs and neutrophils, with high purity of both populations, from the same sample of blood. The isolation of monocytes could be subsequently achieved through two different methods, i.e. based on immunomagnetic columns or adherence. The preference between both methods would depend on the necessities of the experiment, the initial sample with high purity of monocytes or a final population of MDMs required., We thank the staff of the Instituto de Ganadería de Montana ˜ (CSICULE) responsible for the handling of experimental animal as well as their help during the processing of the samples. We wish to acknowledge the staff of the laboratory of instrumental techniques of University of Leon. ´ Finally, we wish to acknowledge Carmen Agudín and María Teresa Carro for their excellent technical assistance., The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project AGL2015-66540-C2-1-R) financed this work. Noive Arteche Villasol has been financially supported by a predoctoral contract (BES-2016-076513) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Daniel Gutiérrez-Expósito is the recipient of a postdoctoral con- tract from the “Junta de Castilla y León” (LE080U16)

10 páginas, 2 tablas, 9 figuras., There is an unacknowledged clinical presentation of ovine toxoplasmosis characterized by early abortions and lesions of fetal leukoencephalomalacia. To investigate the pathogenesis of this condition, the extent and distribution of leukomalacia and the variations in the cell populations associated with it were characterized in 32 fetal brains from 2 previously published experimental studies of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant sheep. Immunohistochemical labeling of βAPP allowed for the detection of leukomalacia in 100/110 (91%) studied samples. There was no clear influence of the challenge dose or the area of the brain (frontal lobe, corpus callosum, midbrain, and cerebellum). In tissues with leukomalacia, there was loss of oligodendrocytes and increased number of astrocytes and microglia both in the areas of necrosis but also in the surrounding area. These findings were similar to those described in ovine experimental models (inflammation syndrome and hypoxic models) of periventricular leukomalacia in humans. Thus, a fetal inflammatory syndrome may be involved in the pathogenesis of early abortion in ovine toxoplasmosis. However, further studies are needed to determine the pathogenesis of this clinical presentation because placental thrombosis and resulting hypoxia could also be responsible for the leukomalacia., This work was supported by research projects from the “Junta de Castilla y León” (LE080U16) and Spanish Ministry of Sciences (AGL2016-75935-C2- 1-R and AGL2016-75935-C2-2-R). Daniel Gutiérrez-Expósito is the recipient of a postdoctoral contract from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Grant No. FJCI-2017-32020).

12 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas., In order to gain further insight into the pathogenesis and transmission of ovine neosporosis, the serological response of 13 naturally infected pregnant sheep was monitored. All sheep were euthanized upon the detection of a sharp increase in the level of specific antibodies against N. caninum in order to study the maternal immune response after the recrudescence of a chronic infection. Ten sheep were euthanized between 84 and 118 days of gestation, whereas the three remaining and three control not infected, pregnant sheep were euthanized at 135 days of gestation after no sharp increase in antibodies was detected. Vertical transmission was confirmed in 11 sheep by detection of N. caninum-DNA in at least one fetus, confirming recrudescence. Not all of fetuses showed pathologic microscopic lesions, however, multifocal non-purulent encephalitis was the main finding. Furthermore, nine out of the 11 vertical transmission positive sheep had lesions in placentomes (mainly multifocal necrotic foci), and the parasite was detected in eight out of 11 placentas by PCR and/or immunohistochemestry. The placentomes from sheep that suffered recrudescence showed an increased number of T lymphocytes CD3+ (CD4/CD8 < 1) and macrophages (MHC-II+), assessed by immunohistochemestry, together with an upregulation of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-4, TNFα, IL-2 and IL-18. IL-17 was only upregulated in the three infected sheep that did not have a sharp increase in antibody levels. In the sheep that showed fetal death at the time of euthanasia (n = 3) the placental microscopic lesions were more severe, the inflammatory infiltrate was higher, and the upregulation of cytokines was greater than in those sheep carrying viable fetuses. This study suggests that, similarly to bovine neosporosis, the time of gestation when recrudescence occurs determines the viability of the fetuses and, thus, seems to be related to the severity of lesions and immune response in the placenta. These results suggest that there might be a correlation, either as cause or as a consequence, between protection against vertical transmission of the parasite and a milder maternal serological response together with a high level of transcription of IL-17 in the placenta., The present study was financed by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades of Spain (INIA project RTA2014-00013) and the European Regional Development Fund. Daniel Gutiérrez-Exposito ´ is the recipient of a postdoctoral contract from the Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant no. FJCI-2017-32020). We wish to acknowledge María del Carmen Carro, Xavier Cortizo, María Teresa Carro and Marta Silva for their excellent technical assistance. Finally, we wish to acknowledge Dr. Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora (SALUVET group) for kindly providing the in-house polyclonal antibody against N. caninum.

16 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas., Paratuberculosis (PTB) is an enteric granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) that mainly aects ruminants. Current vaccines have shown to be cost-eective control reagents, although they are restricted due to cross-interference with bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Therefore, novel vaccination strategies are needed and this study is focused on evaluating alternative vaccination routes and their eect on the local immune response. The MAP oral challenge rabbit model was used to evaluate and compare an experimental inactivated MAP vaccine through oral (VOR) and intradermal (VID) routes. The VID group presented the highest proportion of animals with no visible lesions and the lowest proportion of animals with MAP positive tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that the VID group presented a dominantly M1 polarized response indicating an ability to control MAP infection. In general, all vaccinated groups showed lower calprotectin levels compared to the non-vaccinated challenged group suggesting less active granulomatous lesions. The VID group showed some degree of skin test reactivity, whereas the same vaccine through oral administration was completely negative. These data show that PTB vaccination has an eect on macrophage polarization and that the route influences infection outcome and can also have an impact on bTB diagnosis. Future evaluation of new immunological products against mycobacterial diseases should consider assaying dierent vaccination routes., The research was funded by the Department of Economy and Infrastructures (DEI) of the Basque Government and partially by grant RTA 2017-00089-00-00 of the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INIA). R.A. held a pre-doctoral fellowship (BFI-2012-237) from the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government and IL is recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship from the DEI of the Basque Government.

6 páginas, 4 figuras., The local expression of WC1 γδ T lymphocytes subset has been evaluated by immunohistochemical methods at the different types of lesions present in cows naturally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) and in non-infected control animals. Infected cattle were either in the latent/subclinical (focal lesions) or clinical (diffuse paucibacillary and multibacillary forms) stage of paratuberculosis. To assess the cell distribution, a differential cell count was carried out at the lamina propria, gut-associated lymphoid tissue and submucosa. A significant increase in the number of WC1 γδ T cells was observed in all the infected animals, regardless of the type of lesion. Cows with focal lesions showed higher number of labeled cells than those with diffuse forms, where no differences were found between the two types. This increase in the number of positively immunolabelled lymphocytes in infected animals was seen in the lamina propria, with higher values in those with focal lesions. While in the lymphoid tissue no differences in the numbers were observed, in animals with focal lesions, WC1 γδ T cells tended to be located at the periphery of the granulomas. These findings suggest a proinflammatory action of WC1 γδ T lymphocytes in bovine paratuberculosis, which might play an important role in the containment of the Map-infection in the focal granulomas located in the lymphoid tissue, helping to prevent the progression toward diffuse forms responsible for the clinical signs., This study was funded by grant AGL2015-66540-C2-1-R from de Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and LE259/P18 from “Junta de Castilla y León”. N. Arteche and R. Vallejo are supported by a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, or Education, respectively. J. Espinosa and D. Gutiérrez are the recipients of a postdoctoral contract of “Junta de Castilla y León-Fondo Social Europeo” and “Juan de la Cierva” of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, respectively. Technical and human support provided by Marta Silva is gratefully acknowledged.

6 páginas, 1 tabla, 3 figuras.-- Pesavento, P. A. et al., Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) is one of the gammaherpesviruses in the genus Macavirus that can cause malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in ungulates. Sheep are the adapted host for OvHV-2 and it is generally assumed that infection is not associated with disease in this species. However, cases of "polyarteritis nodosa" or idiopathic systemic necrotizing vasculitis reported in sheep are similar to vascular lesions in clinically susceptible species with MCF. Using a recently developed in situ hybridization (ISH) method, we were able to identify OvHV-2 nucleic acids within lesions and correlate the viral distribution with systemic necrotizing vasculitis in 9 sheep, including both naturally and experimentally OvHV-2-infected animals. ISH, combined with polymerase chain reaction and histology, identify OvHV-2 as the likely agent responsible for sporadic, MCF-like vascular disease in sheep., The author(s) received the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Support funding to the Li laboratory for this project is from USDA-ARS CWU 2029-3200-037-00D. In the Pesavento laboratory, the study was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica and the Bernice Barbour Foundation for research in naturally occurring infectious disease.

Echeveria subrigida is native to Mexico and its methanol extract (ME) shows relevant biological activities for human health, including the α-glucosidase inhibitory (αGI) activity that suggests its ...

Background The pathogen Candida auris is rapidly gaining clinical importance because of its resistance to antifungal treatments and its persistence in hospital environments. Early and accurate diagnosis of C. auris infections is crucial, however, the fungus has often been misidentified by commercial systems. Objectives To develop conventional and real-time PCR methods for accurate and rapid identification of C. auris and its discrimination from closely related species by exploiting the uniqueness of certain glycosylphosphatidylinositol-modified protein-encoding genes. Methods Species-specific primers for two unique putative GPI protein-encoding genes per species were designed for C. auris, C. haemulonii, C. pseudohaemulonii, C. duobushaemulonii, C. lusitaniae, and C. albicans. Primers were blind tested for their specificity and efficiency in conventional and real-time multiplex PCR set-up. Results All primers combinations showed excellent species specificity. In multiplex mode, correct identification was aided by different sized amplicons for each species. Efficiency of the C. auris primers was validated using a panel of 155 C. auris isolates, including all known genetically diverse clades. In real-time multiplex PCR, different melting points of the amplicons allowed the distinction of C. auris from four related species. C. auris limit of detection was 5 CFU/reaction with a threshold value of 32. The method was also able to detect C. auris in spiked blood and serum. Conclusions PCR identification based on unique GPI protein-encoding genes allows for accurate and rapid species identification of C. auris and related species without need for expensive equipment when applied in conventional PCR set-up.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme that acts as a component of first-line defense system against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Copper/Zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) is one of the isoforms of SOD enzyme and is sensitive to the exposure of different environmental factors, in different species and tissues. Caiman latirostris is one of the two crocodilian species living in Argentina and no information is available on the molecular and biochemical characteristics of the Cu/Zn-sod gene in this species. In the present work, we reported the presence of the Cu/Zn-sod gene in C. latirostris, the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, the modelled protein structure, evolutionary distance among species and tissue specific expression patterns. Cu/Zn-sod gene was 620 bp open reading frame in length and encoded 178 amino acids. The nucleotide sequences of C. latirostris shared high similarity with the Cu/Zn-sod genes of other crocodilian species, so it showed to be highly conserved. PCR analysis showed that Cu/Zn-sod gene was expressed in all the tissues examined (liver, gonads, spleen, heart, and whole blood), suggesting a constitutively expressed gene in these tissues. This study allows further investigation into the structure-activity relationship and the mechanism of action of Cu/Zn-SOD, besides exploring the functional breadth and possible alteration factors, including xenobiotics.

Hydrocarbon contamination cause serious environmental damage and human health problems, therefore, to resolve this problem has been proposed diversely remediation techniques friendly with the environment i.e. bioaugmentation, biostimulation, natural attenuation and phytoremediation. Among options, the phytoremediation causes minimum alterations to soil, low cost, it has proved good eff iciency and gained public acceptation. In the present study, the capacity of Mimosa pigra to restore a contaminated soil with both anthracene and phenanthrene was evaluated, along with the soil physicochemical changes due to both plant and contaminant presence in the soil. A silt-loam contaminated soil with 100 mg kg-1 (dry weight) anthracene and 200 mg kg-1 (dry weight) phenanthrene was used in all three treatments: Contaminated soil with M. pigra (C1), contaminated soil without M. pigra (C2), and not contaminated soil with M. pigra (C0) as control. After 70 days of experimentation both biomass and height of M. pigra was not affected due to soil contaminants. There was no difference among treatments for some physicochemical characteristics e.g. soil pH, electrolytic conductivity, soil-texture, and total nitrogen content throughout the experiment. M. pigra increased the soil water holding capacity after 50 and 70 days of the experiment, however, total organic carbon content was lower after 70 days compared to the control treatment. The higher contaminant removal rate was before 7 days of experimentation for all treatments. Anthracene and phenanthrene content were lower in treatments with the presence of M. pigra: 92% of phenanthrene and 80% of anthracene were removed in C1 while nearly 77% of phenanthrene and 60% of anthracene were removed in C2. This suggest a greater removal of contaminants using M. pigra. Total removal of contaminants was not achieved. However, M. pigra was able to accumulate both compounds, showing the M. pigra capability for bioremediation use in contaminated soils.

Objective Our objectives were to compare the effects of feeding eucalyptus bark or eucalyptus wood chips, both by-products from the pulp industry, on voluntary feed intake, animal performance, and physiological variables of heifers finished on high-concentrate diets. Materials and Methods Forty-eight British-breed heifers (Angus, Hereford, and their crosses) that were 22 to 24 mo of age and had an initial BW of 355 ± 8 kg were used. Four heifers were allocated to each of the 12 pens (experimental units). The experiment was a randomized complete block design with 2 treatments and 6 replications each. The 2 different fiber sources (wood chips or bark) were included in the fattening diet in the same proportion (8.9% DM basis). The rest of the ingredients in the diet were the same. The final diet was offered 3 times per day, and heifers were fed for 84 d. Results and Discussion Fiber source (wood chips vs. bark) did not affect ADG or G:F (P > 0.10). However, DMI (P Implications and Applications In conclusion, bark could be used as a source of fiber for finishing cattle in high-concentrate diets at the same levels as wood chips. This finding is relevant for the feedlot industry because eucalyptus bark has no industrial uses and would represent a cheaper fiber source than wood chips.

The phylogenetic relationships among the wall lizards of the Podarcis hispanicus complex that inhabit the south-east (SE) of the Iberian Peninsula and other lineages of the complex remain unclear. In this study, four mitochondrial and two nuclear markers were used to study genetic relationships within this complex. The phylogenetic analyses based on mtDNA gene trees constructed with ML and BI, and a species tree using *BEAST support three divergent clades in this region: the Valencia, Galera and Albacete/Murcia lineages. These three lineages were also corroborated in species delimitation analyses based on mtDNA using bPTP, mPTP, GMYC, ABGD and BAPS. Bayesian inference species delimitation method (BPP) based on both nuclear data and a combined data set (mtDNA + nuclear) showed high posterior probabilities for these three SE lineages (≥0.94) and another Bayesian analysis (STACEY) based on combined data set recovered the same three groups in this region. Divergence time dating of the species tree provided an estimated divergence of the Galera lineage from the other SE group (Podarcis vaucheri, (Albacete/Murcia, Valencia)) at 12.48 Ma. During this period, the Betic–Rifian arc was isolated, which could have caused the isolation of the Galera form distributed to the south of the Betic Corridor. Although lizards from the Albacete/Murcia and Galera lineage are morphologically similar, they clearly represent distinct genetic lineages. The noteworthy separation of the Galera lineage enables us to conclude that this lineage must be considered as a new full species. (Less)

Introduction: South American siskins (Genus Carduelis/Spinus) are the outcome of regional evolutionary radiation from an extant (or other extinct) species: C. notata, a North America siskin, which thrives in Mexico subtropical areas and is parental of one of the three described North American siskin radiations. Methods: Speciation and/or subspeciation of this South American siskin radiation have probably occurred during Pleistocene Epoch. In the present paper, a new species/subspecies akin to C./S. atrata is described by genetic and phenotypic parameters: this new species/subspecies was previously considered a subspecies of C./S. xanthogastra, which thrives further North and is separated about 1,762 km, 1,094 miles, from this described subspecies, Carduelis/ Spinus xanthogastra stejnegeri. Results: Our genetic study using mt cyt b, phenotypic and behavior observations show that this putative C./S. xanthogastra subspecies is either a different species or a C./S. atrata subspecies; we have proposed a provisional name for this finch, C./S. lapazensis, instead of C./S. x. stejnegeri. Conclusion: Species definition is movable and controversial, and it is uncertain in South American siskins, which all show a close genetic and phenotypical relationship, which may be still immersed in speciation processes since Pleistocene Epoch.

One of the most important members of the Potyviridae is Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV). It affects watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] as well as other cucurbits in most parts of the world. Although several genotypes have been reported as having resistance to ZYMV, differential responses to ZYMV strains are known to occur. Using a Puerto Rico strain of ZYMV (ZYMV-PR, GenBank accession number MN422959), we tested the response of 11 genotypes [PIs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Genetic Resources Program] previously reported as having resistance to this virus. In two greenhouse trials, the first three leaves of seedlings of each genotype were mechanically inoculated with ZYMV-PR. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was done on each seedling’s fourth leaf and symptom severity was rated on the first, third, fifth, and seventh leaves. There were significant genotype × trial interactions for most variables, but some genotypes performed consistently in both trials. All seedlings of PI 537277 tested negative for ELISA (absorbance < 0.200) across both trials. PI 537277, PI 595200, PI 595201, and PI 595203 were generally among the accessions with the lowest symptom severity scores. Overall, symptom severity correlated poorly with ELISA readings. But all plants of PI 537277, and most plants of PI 595201 and PI 595203, had low ELISA readings and low severity scores. Despite having low severity scores, PI 595200 was among the genotypes with the highest ELISA readings in trial 2. For the plant breeder, the most useful genotypes are those that exhibit reduced severity as well as low ELISA. PI 537277, PI 595201, and PI 595203 met those criteria in this study. Of these three accessions, PI 595203 would be the most useful in a breeding program because it has shown resistance to the Puerto Rico, Florida, and China strains of ZYMV.

Aims: To characterize the genetic and morphological diversification of the endangered Balearic lizard Podarcis lilfordi and to assess the relevance of this diversity, and how it is described, to conservation measures.\ud Location: This study covers all the populations of the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, present in its range of distribution at coastal islets of Menorca, Mallorca and Cabrera Archipelago.\ud Methods: We analysed genetic and morphological variation across the 43 known extant populations of the Balearic lizard, using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We examined morphometric and scalation characters using, in some cases, phylogenetically independent contrasts. We also incorporated the study of dorsal coloration and dorsal colour pattern including the analysis of melanism in several populations.\ud Results: We detected clear genetic divergence between Menorcan populations and populations from Mallorca and Cabrera, in both nuclear and mtDNA markers, but genetic divergence is relatively low among different insular populations within these groups. In contrast, morphological divergence was substantial both between Menorcan and remaining populations and within these groups. Morphological traits, such as dorsal coloration, body size and the number and size of scales, seemed to be linked with differences in climatic conditions between populations. In addition, some traits, as melanism, showed a strong phylogenetic signal.\ud Main conclusions: The morphological and genetic diversity of the Balearic lizard is incongruent with the subspecies described in the classical taxonomic literature. Moreover, current populations differ not only in some genetic and morphological features, but also in several ecological and ethological characteristics, in many cases unique to one population. Based on our results, we propose abandoning the use of subspecies to describe the extraordinary morphological diversity of the Balearic lizard and its replacement with the concept of evolutionary significant units (ESUs). ESUs are particularly suitable to describe and recognize such diversity and, especially, to ensure the continuity of the evolutionary process.

This study estimates the diversity, abundance and floral associations of native wild bees present in a nature reserve in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study included monthly sampling from September ...

Eucalyptus nitens wood samples were treated with hot, compressed water (autohydrolysis) to solubilize the hemicellulosic fraction, and the resulting solid (autohydrolyzed wood) was delignified in m...

Coral ecosystems in the central Mexican Pacific inhabit environmental conditions considered as suboptimal for reef development, such as wide ranges in temperature, low pH, and cyclonic activity. In addition, they are facing increasing nutrient and sediment inputs as a consequence of urban growth and tourism. While the global effects of anthropogenic stressors to coral communities have been described, the local response and microscale variations remain unknown. Therefore, the present study evaluates three physiological markers during 2018 (total lipid content, symbiont density, and chlorophyll a concentration) in the main reef-building coral genera (Pocillopora, Porites, and Pavona) from two coral communities: one coastal site next to a luxury touristic development with high sedimentation rates and elevated nutrient inputs from golf courses, and one at an insular MPA 6 km distant from the coast and where human activities are regulated. At each coral sampling site, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate concentrations as well as sedimentation rates were measured. The analyses of the physiological markers showed significant differences in the lipid content and symbiont density between sites, with corals at Isla Larga presenting higher lipid content but lower symbiont density, while pigment concentration only differed across months. When assessing differences among coral genera, Pocillopora colonies presented the highest lipid content, while Pavona showed more symbionts and Porites colonies the uppermost pigment concentrations, with significant differences among genera and across the studied months. Environmental characterization showed significant differences between sites in the nitrate concentration and sedimentation rates. Generalized nonlinear models evidence that lipid concentration is related to sedimentation rates and temperatures, symbiont density to nitrite and phosphate concentrations, and pigment concentrations to nitrate and phosphate concentrations as well as sedimentation rates.

El objetivo fue determinar el efecto de composta, digestato y bacterias plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) en la curva de crecimiento, acumulación de biomasa, tasa de crecimiento, altura de planta y unidades soil plant analysis development (SPAD) en pasto ovillo recién establecido, bajo condiciones de invernadero. Los tratamientos fueron: digestato (60%), composta (10% en base seca del suelo), bacterias: Brevibacterium frigoritolerans, Bacillus simplex, Pseudomonas putida, control positivo (fertilización con triple 17) y el control negativo (suelo sin fertilización). Se utilizó un diseño experimental completamente al azar, la unidad experimental fue una maceta con diez tallos de pasto ovillo, con cuatro repeticiones por tratamiento. Los valores más altos (p< 0.05) de materia seca (6.4 g MS maceta), tasa de crecimiento (0.15 g MS maceta d-1) y altura de forraje (18.3 cm) se registraron en el tratamiento con composta; donde el rendimiento final de materia seca superó 200% al testigo negativo. El tratamiento con digestato evidenció valores inferiores a los obtenidos con composta, pero superó al resto de los tratamientos. Las mejores bacterias PGPB fueron Pseudomonas putida y Bacillus simplex que superaron el rendimiento de materia seca 25 y 37% con respecto a Brevibacterium frigoritolerans y al control negativo, respectivamente. Las bacterias PGPB pueden ser una alternativa de fertilización ya que el rendimiento de materia seca fue mayor que con el control negativo y se igualó al rendimiento obtenido con fertilización química; sin embargo, los dos fertilizantes orgánicos (composta y digestato) favorecieron el mayor rendimiento de materia seca.

Se evaluó la defoliación en el recambio de tejido de Brachiaria humidicola CIAT 6133 mediante cortes a 9, 12 y 15 cm de altura, cosechada a 3, 4 y 5 y 5, 6 y 7 semanas en lluvias y nortes, respectivamente. Cada siete días se midió: tasa de aparición de hojas (TAH), tasa de elongación foliar (TEF), tasa de senescencia foliar (TSF) y crecimiento neto foliar (CNF) y la densidad de tallos (DT) cada mes. En lluvias, la mayor TAH fue de 0.097 hojas tallo-1 día-1 con cortes a 15 cm, cada tres semanas, en nortes 0.044 hojas tallo-1 día-1 con cortes a 9 cm y 0.047 hojas tallo-1 día-1 cada siete semanas. Las mayores TEF y CNF ocurrieron con cortes a 15 cm; en lluvias de 1.85 y 1.81, y en nortes de 0.53 y 0.45 cm tallo-1 día-1, respectivamente. En lluvias las mayores TEF ocurrieron en la semana dos del rebrote (1.8 cm tallo-1 día-1), mientras que en nortes fue en la semana tres de rebrote (0.45, 0.5 y 0.46 cm tallo-1 día-1). La TSF se incrementó de la semana cuatro en adelante en ambas épocas. La DT fue máxima a tres y cuatro semanas en lluvias y nortes, a cinco y seis semanas. El mayor crecimiento foliar ocurrió en cortes a 15 cm de altura a las tres semanas del rebrote, independientemente del intervalo entre cortes y época del año y la mayor densidad de tallos a tres y cuatro semanas en lluvias y cinco y seis semanas en nortes.

In the course of optimizing a novel indazole sulfonamide series that inhibits β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase (KasA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a mutagenic aniline metabolite was identified. Further lead optimization efforts were therefore dedicated to eliminating this critical liability by removing the embedded aniline moiety or modifying its steric or electronic environment. While the narrow SAR space against the target ultimately rendered this goal unsuccessful, key structural knowledge around the binding site of this underexplored target for TB was generated to inform future discovery efforts.

The binding of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) to the nucleotide binding domain (N-domain) of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) was studied. Molecular docking predicted two ANS binding modes (BMI and BMII) in the nucleotide binding site. The molecular interaction was confirmed as the fluorescence intensity of ANS was dramatically increased when in the presence of an engineered recombinant N-domain. Molecular dynamics simulation showed BMI (which occupies the ATP binding site) as the mode that is stable in solution. The above was confirmed by the absence of ANS fluorescence in the presence of a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled N-domain. Further, the labeling of the N-domain with FITC was hindered by the presence of ANS, i.e., ANS was bound to the ATP binding site. Importantly, ANS displayed a higher affinity than ATP. In addition, ANS binding led to quenching the N-domain intrinsic fluorescence displaying a FRET pattern, which suggested the existence of a Trp-ANS FRET couple. Nonetheless, the chemical modification of the sole Trp residue with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) discarded the existence of FRET and instead indicated structural rearrangements in the nucleotide binding site during ANS binding. Finally, Ca2+-ATPase kinetics in the presence of ANS showed a partial mixed-type inhibition. The Dixon plot showed the ANS-Ca2+-ATPase complex as catalytically active, hence supporting the existence of a functional dimeric Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. ANS may be used as a molecular platform for the development of more effective inhibitors of Ca2+-ATPase and appears to be a new fluorescent probe for the nucleotide binding site. Graphical Abstract Molecular docking of ANS to the nucleotide binding site of Ca2+-ATPase. ANS fluorescence increase reveals molecular interaction.

En el estado de Veracruz, el rendimiento promedio de frijol es menor a 700 kg ha-1debido a la siembra de materiales de bajo rendimiento y susceptibles a sequía y enfermedades. Las variedades mejoradas podrían ayudar a revertir esta situación. Por este motivo, de 2011 a 2013 se validó la variedad de frijol Negro Comapa en 11 ambientes de Veracruz, México, con objeto de verificar su productividad y determinar su estabilidad en parcelas de entre 1500 m2y 2000 m2. En ocho ambientes, las parcelas se condujeron en condiciones de humedad residual y, en tres, bajo temporal. Para determinar el rendimiento de grano, en cada genotipo se realizaron cuatro muestreos de 6 m2cada uno. Negro Comapa superó en 22% y 39% el rendimiento de Negro Jamapa y Negro Michigan en humedad residual y en 43% y 45% bajo temporal, respectivamente. Su rendimiento promedio fue de 1261 kg ha-1, significativamente superior al de los dos testigos. Negro Comapa mostró alta productividad, resistencia a enfermedades y buena respuesta en el rendimiento en ambientes favorables

Introduction: Regeneration of forest stands under management is one of the most relevant silvicultural practices for forest cultivation. Objective: To compare growth and water balance for both naturally regenerated and planted seedlings in Pinus patula Schltdl. &Cham. stands harvested with the seed tree method in the ejido Carbonero Jacales, Huayacocotla, Veracruz. Materials and methods: Four sites per stand with natural regeneration and planted seedlings were selected for paired comparison. Origin and age of seedlings were recorded at each site, water potential was measured throughout the day during the dry season in 2019, also annual height and diameter growth at the base of the stem during the period 2018-2019. Results: Naturally regenerated seedlings had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) higher annual height growth (73.8 ± 12.29 cm) compared to planted seedlings (60.8 ± 12.39 cm); the same was for diameter at stem base (20.52 ± 3.51 vs. 14.76 ± 3.54 mm). Natural regeneration also showed significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) diurnal water deficit recovery capacity (-0.90 MPa) compared to planted seedlings (-1.06 MPa). Conclusion:P. patula naturally regenerated seedlings had better annual growth and better physiological performance in root, which allowed a faster recovery to diurnal water deficit in foliage.

Simple Summary The use of crop, fruit, and vegetable processing co-products for animal feeding has been of increasing interest worldwide to minimize feed waste. Additionally, it has a positive impact from an environmental standpoint being a more efficient use of feed resources. However, the use of many co-products has limitations related to poor palatability for animals and the logistical aspects of product delivery. Citrus pulp is a by-product of the citrus industry presenting a nutritional composition that makes it attractive for use as an ingredient in animal feeding. Previous research has shown that it is feasible to utilize citrus pulp in beef cattle rations. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of fresh citrus pulp in the diet of feedlot steers on animal performance and carcass and meat nutritional properties and quality. The findings of the study showed that fresh citrus pulp may be used as an energy source in rations for feedlot steers as it does not affect animal performance or carcass and meat quality, but, rather, has a positive effect on dry matter intake and a better feed to gain ratio. Abstract The use of fruit by-products such as citrus pulp represents a feeding ingredient that deserves to be evaluated as an energy source in animal rations. Thirty-six British breed steers were allotted to one of the three feeding treatments (12 steers/treatment): 0%, 15% and 30% of fresh citrus pulp inclusion in the ration in a randomized complete block design to evaluate animal performance and carcass and meat quality traits. In the present study, the inclusion of fresh citrus pulp up to 30% of the diet did not affect the animal average daily gain (p > 0.05) but steers that were fed the pulp consumed less feed (p < 0.05) and presented a lower feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05) than their counterparts without citrus pulp in their diet. No effect of fresh citrus pulp was observed on carcass and meat quality (p > 0.05). A greater lipophilic antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) in meat was observed when fresh citrus pulp was offered at 15% of the diet. Fresh citrus pulp used up to 30% as a feed ingredient in feedlot rations does not negatively affect animal performance or meat quality but, rather, has a positive effect on dry matter intake and a better feed conversion ratio.

8 páginas.-- 6 figuras.-- 3 tablas.-- 34 referencias., Following an integrated approach, Eucalyptus nitens wood samples were subjected to consecutive stages of aqueous fractionation and organosolv delignification, in order to separate hemicelluloses (mainly converted into soluble products from the aqueous stage) from lignin (largely converted into soluble fragments in the organosolv stage) and from cellulose (accumulated in the solid phase from pulping). The compositions of selected reaction media were studied by selected spectrophotometric, spectrometric, chromatographic, and nuclear magnetic resonance methods; and the solid phases from treatments were studied by diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The experimental information from the above tasks provides a deep insight on the yields, properties and potential applications of the target fractions in the scope of biorefineries., The authors are grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity for supporting this study in the framework of the research project ‘‘Modified aqueous media for wood Biorefineries’’ (reference CTQ2017-82962-R), partially funded by the FEDER program of the European Union.

18 páginas, 6 figuras, 3 tablas., Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that infects almost all warm-blooded animals. Little is known about how the parasite virulence in mice extrapolates to other relevant hosts. In the current study, in vitro phenotype and in vivo behavior in mice and sheep of a type II T. gondii isolate (TgShSp1) were compared with the reference type II T. gondii isolate (TgME49). The results of in vitro assays and the intraperitoneal inoculation of tachyzoites in mice indicated an enhanced virulence for the laboratory isolate, TgME49, compared to the recently obtained TgShSp1 isolate. TgShSp1 proliferated at a slower rate and had delayed lysis plaque formation compared to TgME49, but it formed more cyst-like structures in vitro. No mortality was observed in adult mice after infection with 1–105 tachyzoites intraperitoneally or with 25–2,000 oocysts orally of TgShSp1. In sheep orally challenged with oocysts, TgME49 infection resulted in sporadically higher rectal temperatures and higher parasite load in cotyledons from ewes that gave birth and brain tissues of the respective lambs, but no differences between these two isolates were found on fetal/lamb mortality or lesions and number of T. gondii-positive lambs. The congenital infection after challenge at mid-pregnancy with TgShSp1, measured as offspring mortality and vertical transmission, was different depending on the challenged host. In mice, mortality in 50% of the pups was observed when a dam was challenged with a high oocyst dose (500 TgShSp1 oocysts), whereas in sheep infected with the same dose of oocysts, mortality occurred in all fetuses. Likewise, mortality of 9 and 27% of the pups was observed in mice after infection with 100 and 25 TgShSp1 oocysts, respectively, while in sheep, infection with 50 and 10 TgShSp1 oocysts triggered mortality in 68 and 66% of the fetuses/lambs. Differences in vertical transmission in the surviving offspring were only found with the lower oocyst doses (100% after infection with 10 TgShSp1 oocysts in sheep and only 37% in mice after infection with 25 TgShSp1 oocysts). In conclusion, virulence in mice of T. gondii type II isolates may not be a good indicator to predict the outcome of infection in pregnant sheep., RS-S is supported by a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (MECD), as a part of the Program of Training of University Teaching Staff (FPU, grant number FPU13/03438) and a mobility grant for predoctoral short stays in R+D centers (EST16/0719). DG-E is the recipient of a postdoctoral contract from the Junta de Castilla y León, partially funded by the European Social Fund (European Union). NA-V is the recipient of a predoctoral contract from the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Ref. BES-2016-076513). This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2016-75935-C2-1-R and C2-2-R), the Community of Madrid, Spain (PLATESA, S2013/ABI2906), Junta de Castilla y León (LE080U16), and a grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation to AH (project No. 310030_165782).

Prickly pear cactus fruit peels have been seen as organic waste. This study explored the effect of supplemental irrigation during fruit growth of ‘Roja Lisa’ (Opuntia ficus-indica) prickly pear cactus on the antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of peel extracts from fruits collected at harvest and after storage conditions. The treatments were non-irrigated and supplemental irrigation and the storage conditions were cold or room temperature, and freshly harvested fruit. After each fruit quality evaluation, peels from each treatment combination were pooled and the concentrations of phenolic compounds, inhibition of an in vitro digestive enzyme, antioxidant capacity, and in vivo hypoglycemic (- control = 268 mg/dL versus fruit peel extracts = 204 mg/dL at 30 min) and hypolipidemic (- control = 203 mg/dL versus fruit peel extracts = 148 mg/dL at 30 min) properties were determined. Therefore, fruit peels could potentially be harnessed for human health benefits, instead of treated as organic waste.

Background: There is growing interest in mixed-species forests but a lack of studies that analyse them for regeneration phases or any stage other than mature stands. Information is scarce about relatively unproductive species such as Pinus pinaster and Pinus halepensis in Mediterranean ecosystems. The objective of this study was to investigate inter- and intra-specific interactions of both species in different tree densities during the first years of establishment. Five Nelder wheel plots were planted to test densities ranging from 1000 to 80000 seedlings/ha and simulate establishment sub-processes at high densities. Pinus pinaster and Pinus halepensis were mixed along the spokes, to obtain three mixture levels in which 100%, 80% or 60% of the seedlings were of the same species. Cox proportional-hazards models and binomial logistic regressions were fitted to analyse seedling survival. Early growth (basal diameter and height at one and four years after plantation) was analysed by fitting linear mixed-effects models. Results: Pinus halepensis showed higher survival rates and basal diameter increments but more time is needed to know how Pinus pinaster responds to density and mixture. Conclusions: Both competitive and facilitating seedling interactions were observed at higher densities, which facilitate seedling survival but decrease early growth. Pinus halepensis showed higher survival rates and basal diameter increments but more time is necessary to determine Pinus pinaster response to density and mixture.

Este artículo contiene 12 páginas, 5 figuras, 5 tablas., Recently isolated populations offer a good biological model to infer the evolutionary forces responsible for the current divergences across populations. We coupled genetic, morphometric, ecological, and demographic analyses from three island populations of the endemic Balearic Wall Lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, (Balearic archipelago, Spain) to infer the mechanisms underlying the observed differences in body size. For each population, we described plant community structure, derived a biotic capacity index, and used individual-based data on 1369 lizards captured and released during 6 yr (2009–2015) to estimate population density and body growth patterns. We used genetic data collected on 80 individuals (~27 for each population) to infer genetic divergences across islets and population history. Body size divergences cannot be explained by the ecological or population characteristics. Individual growth was slower in the smallest island, where lizards reached the largest average body size. In addition to having the highest density, results suggested that resource availability does not constrain asymptotic body size, but the speed at which individuals reach it does. The Approximate Bayesian Computation used to infer population history from genetic data supported the occurrence of two bottlenecks in the islet with the highest anthropogenic footprint. We emphasize the need to integrate ecological and genetic data and the importance of considering the effects of past human disturbance as an additional force in being able to model present island fauna., GT was supported by I. Hendriks. AR was supported by a JAE fellowship from the Spanish Council of Research. Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (CEEA) of Balearic Islands University (Spain) approved the protocol. The authorization to capture and handing animals was given by the Balearic Islands Government (ref: CEP 06/2015).

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19, ranging from mild to critical disease in symptomatic subjects. It is essential to better understand the immunologic responses occurring in patients with the most severe outcomes. In this study, parameters related to the humoral immune response elicited against SARS-CoV-2 were analysed in 61 patients with different presentations of COVID-19 who were recruited in Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres in Madrid, Spain, during the first pandemic peak between April and June 2020. Subjects were allocated as mild patients without hospitalization, severe patients hospitalized or critical patients requiring ICU assistance. Critical patients showed significantly enhanced levels of B cells with memory and plasmablast phenotypes, as well as higher levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 with neutralization ability, which were particularly increased in male gender. Despite all this, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity was defective in these individuals. Besides, patients with critical COVID-19 also showed increased IgG levels against herpesvirus such as CMV, EBV, HSV-1 and VZV, as well as detectable CMV and EBV viremia in plasma. Altogether, these results suggest an enhanced but ineffectual immune response in patients with critical COVID-19 that allowed latent herpesvirus reactivation. These findings should be considered during the clinical management of these patients due to the potential contribution to the most severe disease during SARS-CoV-2 infection. This work was supported by the Coordinated Research Activities at the Centro Nacional de Microbiología (CNM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III) (COV20_00679) to promote an integrated response against SARS-CoV-2 in Spain (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation) that is coordinated by Dr Inmaculada Casas (WHO National Influenza Center of the CNM) and a generous donation provided by Chiesi España, S.A.U. (Barcelona, Spain). The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication. This work was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PID2019 110275RB-I00); the Spanish AIDS Research Network RD16CIII/0002/0001 that is included in Acción Estratégica en Salud, Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica 2016-2020, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Region Development Fund (ERDF); Miguel Servet - AESI, MPY 341/21. The work of ML-H and SR is financed by NIH grant R01AI143567. The work of MT is supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20_00679). The work of LV is supported by a predoctoral grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI16CIII/00034-ISCIII-FEDER). Sí

Brosimum alicastrum es una especie arbórea en México con amplio potencial para la alimentación animal y humana, que se distribuye de manera natural con nulo manejo silvícola, por lo que existe poca información sobre los métodos de propagación de la especie. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la producción científica reportada sobre B. alicastrum mediante minería de textos para conocer las técnicas que existen sobre su propagación; y evaluar en vivero la calidad de plántulas obtenidas por métodos de propagación sexual y asexual (estacas, acodos e injertos) mediante diseños experimentales. Se encontraron 550 artículos científicos sobre B. alicastrum, las disciplinas donde se publicaron fueron: Ecología (44,18%), Botánica (13,27%), Ciencias Forestales (11,27%, de los cuales el 2,54% trabajó propagación en vivero), Zoología (11,09%), Agricultura (9,64%), Antropología (5,45%) y otras (5,10%). Respecto al método de propagación por semilla, la mejor calidad de plántula se asoció con sustratos de baja porosidad (tierra de monte) y con contenedores con diámetros grandes (36 cm). Para el caso de la propagación asexual por acodos, cuando se empleó turba como sustrato se obtuvo 90% de sobrevivencia, y por injerto de enchape lateral se encontró 75% de prendimiento. En virtud de la poca investigación que existe sobre la propagación de la especie se recomienda que la selección de la técnica de propagación esté en función de la finalidad de la plántula. Las técnicas asexuales de injerto y acodo pueden ser más eficientes en caso de requerir acortar los ciclos de producción de la semilla de B. alicastrum.//Brosimum alicastrum is a tree species in Mexico with wide potential for animal and human food, which is distributed naturally with no silvicultural management, so there is little information on the propagation methods of the species. The objective of this work was to analyze the scientific research published on B. alicastrum, through literature review to know the techniques that exist on its propagation. In addition, the quality of the seedling obtained by sexual propagation and asexual methods (cuttings, layers and grafts) was evaluated in the nursery, by means of experimental designs. 550 scientific articles on B. alicastrum were found, the disciplines where they were published were: Ecology (44.18%), Botany (13.27%), Forest Sciences (11.27%, of which 2.54% worked propagation in the nursery), Zoology (11.09%), Agriculture (9.64%), Anthropology (5.45%) and others (5.10%). Regarding the seed propagation method, the best seedling quality was associated with low porosity substrates (bush soil) and containers with large diameters (36 cm). In the case of asexual propagation, with the layering method when peat was used as the substrate 90% survival was obtained, and by lateral grafting technique 75% yield was found. Due to the little research that exists on the propagation of the species, it is recommended that the selection of the propagation technique is based on the purpose of the seedling; if it is required to shorten the seed production cycles of B. alicastrum the asexual techniques grafting and layering can be more efficient.

13 páginas, 3 tablas, 5 figuras., Macrophages have been confirmed to play a significant role in the behavior of human lymphomas, albeit no consistent data are so far available in canine lymphomas. The present study characterizes the macrophages present in cases of canine nodal lymphoma and their relationship with the histological grade and the immunophenotype. Samples from the lymph nodes of 25 dogs diagnosed with lymphoma were selected. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the tumor immunophenotype (CD3 and CD20 antibodies) and macrophage characterization (Iba1, MAC387, CD204, CD163 and iNOS antibodies). Macrophage counting was performed in 10 randomly selected, high-power fields per sample. Generalized linear models with Poisson distribution were used for statistical analysis. A significantly greater number of macrophages (Iba1+) were detected in high-grade and B-cell lymphomas. The highest amount of both M1 (iNOS+) and M2 (CD204+ and CD163+) subtypes were observed in B-cell lymphomas. High-grade lymphomas showed a greater number of CD204+ and CD163+ cells and recently recruited MAC387+ macrophages. The latter were most abundant in T than in B-cell lymphomas. In conclusion, a significant population of macrophages is present in canine lymphomas, which constitute a heterogeneous population that shows variations in the amount and immunohistochemical profile according to the histological grade and immunophenotype., This work was awarded by the “D. Santos Ovejero del Agua” Foundation. The technical assistance of Marta Silva, Eva Martín de Valmaseda and María Murillas is also acknowledged.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are a large protein family that mainly function in protecting cells from abiotic stress, but these proteins are also involved in regulating plant growth and development. In this study, we performed a functional analysis of LEA13 and LEA30 from Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that the expression of both genes increased when plants were subjected to drought-stressed conditions. The insertional lines lea13 and lea30 were identified for each gene, and both had a T-DNA element in the regulatory region, which caused the genes to be downregulated. Moreover, lea13 and lea30 were more sensitive to drought stress due to their higher transpiration and stomatal spacing. Microarray analysis of the lea13 background showed that genes involved in hormone signaling, stomatal development, and abiotic stress responses were misregulated. Our results showed that LEA proteins are involved in drought tolerance and participate in stomatal density.

La caracterización estructural de la vegetación facilita la toma de decisiones de manejo forestal y la prescripción de prácticas silvícolas adecuadas a los propósitos del propietario. En el ejido Nopalillo, municipio de Epazoyucan, al sureste de Hidalgo, México, se realiza aprovechamiento forestal maderable en tres asociaciones arbóreas, cada una dominada por Pinus montezumae Lamb., Pinus pseudostrobus Lindl. y Pinus patula Schltdl. et Cham., respectivamente; además, el ejido cuenta con una superficie dominada por Pinus-Quercus que ha sido destinada a la conservación. Con el objetivo de valorar composición, diversidad y estructura de estas asociaciones, se analizó información de los estratos arbóreo, arbustivo y herbáceo de 79 sitios de muestreo. Se calcularon índices de valor de importancia, de diversidad de Margalef, de Simpson y de Sorensen y se describen las estructuras vertical y horizontal de la vegetación. La asociación Pinus-Quercus presentó la mayor área basal (28 m2/ha), diámetro normal y altura promedio (20.5 cm y 10.7 m, respectivamente), la mayor proporción de árboles de dimensiones grandes (diámetro normal > 60 cm) y una composición de especies diferente a las otras asociaciones. La mayor riqueza de especies se registró en las áreas bajo aprovechamiento maderable, pero la diversidad arbórea fue superior en el bosque de Pinus-Quercus. Estos resultados se proponen como referentes para la identificación de los efectos de las prácticas silvícolas sobre la vegetación y para el desarrollo de estrategias de manejo, conservación y uso del bosque.

The conopid fly Physocephala inhabilis (Walker) is newly recorded as parasitoid of the native bee Megachile (Sayapis) bomplandensis (Durante). We also document an unidentified species of Physocephala parasitizing a Megachile (Chrysosarus) sp. in Argentina

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been widely spread. We aim to investigate the clinical characteristic and allergy status of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.Electronic medical records including demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data, and radiological materials of 140 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with confirmed result of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, were extracted and analyzed.An approximately 1:1 ratio of male (50.7%) and female COVID-19 patients was found, with an overall median age of 57.0 years. All patients were community-acquired cases. Fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, whereas hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Drug hypersensitivity (11.4%) and urticaria (1.4%) were self-reported by several patients. Asthma or other allergic diseases were not reported by any of the patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 1.4%) patients and current smokers (1.4%) were rare. Bilateral ground-glass or patchy opacity (89.6%) was the most common sign of radiological finding. Lymphopenia (75.4%) and eosinopenia (52.9%) were observed in most patients. Blood eosinophil counts correlate positively with lymphocyte counts in severe (r = .486, P .001) and nonsevere (r = .469, P .001) patients after hospital admission. Significantly higher levels of D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin were associated with severe patients compared to nonsevere patients (all P .001).Detailed clinical investigation of 140 hospitalized COVID-19 cases suggests eosinopenia together with lymphopenia may be a potential indicator for diagnosis. Allergic diseases, asthma, and COPD are not risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Older age, high number of comorbidities, and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe patients.