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Ricehoja blanca(RHB) is one of the most serious diseases in rice growing areas in tropical Americas. Its causal agent isRice hoja blanca virus(RHBV), transmitted by the planthopperTagosodes orizicolusMüir. Genetic resistance is the most effective and environment-friendly way of controlling the disease. So far, only one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) ofOryza sativassp.japonicaorigin,qHBV4.1, that alters incidence of the virus symptoms in two Colombian cultivars has been reported. This resistance has already started to be broken, stressing the urgent need for diversifying the resistance sources. In the present study we performed a search for new QTLs ofO. sativa indicaorigin associated with RHB resistance. We used four F2:3segregating populations derived fromindicaresistant varieties crossed with a highly susceptiblejaponicapivot parent. Beside the standard method for measuring disease incidence, we developed a new method based on computer-assisted image processing to determine the affected leaf area (ALA) as a measure of symptom severity. Based on the disease severity and incidence scores in the F3families under greenhouse conditions, and SNP genotyping of the F2individuals, we identified four newindicaQTLs for RHB resistance on rice chromosomes 4, 6 and 11, namelyqHBV4.2WAS208,qHBV6.1PTB25,qHBV11.1andqHBV11.2. We also confirmed the wide-range action ofqHBV4.1. Among the five QTLs,qHBV4.1andqHBV11.1had the largest effects on incidence and severity, respectively. These results provide a more complete understanding of the genetic bases of RHBV resistance in the cultivated rice gene pool, and can be used to develop marker-aided breeding strategies to improve RHB resistance. The power of joint-and meta-analyses allowed precise mapping and candidate gene identification, providing the basis for positional cloning of the two major QTLsqHBV4.1andqHBV11.1.

Objetivo: Identificar el estado nutricional de los adolescentes escolarizados, el consumo de alimentos en el colegio y su nivel de actividad física de estudiantes de 13 a 18 años de la Fundación Educacional Ana Restrepo del Corral (FEARC) de Bogotá durante el año 2019-2020. Materiales y Métodos: El tipo de estudio fue de corte transversal en una población de estudiantes de 13 a 18 años de la Fundación Educacional Ana Restrepo del Corral (FEARC) de Bogotá durante el año 2019-2020. La muestra fue no probabilística por conveniencia de 110 estudiantes. Resultados: El sobrepeso, el riesgo de delgadez y la obesidad; entre sobrepeso y obesidad se encontró en un 28,9%(n=44). Las actividades físicas más frecuentes que se realizaron ≥3 veces por semana fueron caminar/correr, jugar futbol y saltar en más del 30%. Los alimentos más comunes consumidos fueron los azúcares procesados, los productos derivados de cereales en más del 20%. Conclusión: El exceso de peso fue más elevado que la encontrada en el país, se observó que los hombres realizan más actividad física que las mujeres, resultados congruentes en encuestas nacionales e internacionales. Los alimentos consumidos posiblemente no están siendo ingeridos con la frecuencia recomendada, lo que podría repercutir en el rendimiento escolar y salud de estos.

Rice hoja blanca is one of the most serious diseases in rice growing areas in tropical Americas. Its causal agent is the Rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV), transmitted by the planthopper Tagosodes orizicolus Müir. Genetic resistance is the most effective and environment-friendly way of controlling the disease. So far, only one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica origin, qHBV4.1, that alters incidence of the virus symptoms in two Colombian cultivars has been reported. This resistance has already started to be broken, stressing the urgent need for diversifying the resistance sources. In the present study we performed a search for new QTLs of O. sativa indica origin associated with RHBV resistance. We used four F2:3 segregating populations derived from indica resistant varieties crossed with a highly susceptible japonica pivot parent. Beside the standard method for measuring disease incidence, we developed a new method based on computer-assisted image processing to determine the affected leaf area (ALA) as a measure of symptoms severity. Based on the disease severity and incidence scores in the F3 families under greenhouse conditions, and SNP genotyping of the F2 individuals, we identified four new indica QTLs for RHBV resistance on rice chromosomes 4, 6 and 11, namely qHBV4.2WAS208, qHBV6.1PTB25, qHBV11.1 and qHBV11.2. We also confirmed the wide-range action of qHBV4.1. Among the five QTLs, qHBV4.1 and qHBV11.1 had the largest effects on incidence and severity, respectively. These results provide a more complete understanding of the genetic bases of RHBV resistance in the cultivated rice gene pool, and can be used to develop marker-aided breeding strategies to improve RHBV resistance. The power of joint- and meta- analyses allowed precise mapping and candidate genes identification, providing the basis for positional cloning of the two major QTLs qHBV4.1 and qHBV11.1.

Con el objetivo de determinar las diferencias morfo-agronómicas y de calidad, y la diversidad genética entre 14 variedades de arroz de América Latina con sus respectivas líneas de origen, se estableció un estudio (Bloques completos al azar, con 28 genotipos, tres repeticiones y dos siembras en el tiempo), en el cual se midieron 25 variables morfo-agronómicas y de calidad de grano. El análisis molecular se hizo mediante un arreglo de 96 marcadores tipo SNP de alta capacidad de discriminación para arroces Indica. El análisis estadístico se hizo combinando los datos de las dos siembras porque no hubo diferencias estadísticas entre ellas. Además, se analizaron en conjunto los datos moleculares con los morfo-agronómicos y de calidad, usando el índice de Gower para generar una matriz de similitud. Mediante el programa SAS se analizaron los datos agronómicos y moleculares tanto en forma independiente como en conjunto. Los resultados mostraron que, de las 14 variedades, ocho se agruparon con su línea de origen y hubo una variedad que se agrupó con una línea hermana de su ancestro. Los resultados fueron consistentes cuando el análisis de datos se hizo independientemente o combinado. Dada la amplia diversidad encontrada dentro de las variedades y que ninguna fue homocigota al 100 % no se pudieron establecer los perfiles genéticos distintivos de ellas, por lo que se debe hacer la purificación de las variedades para establecer su huella genética.

Apomixis, asexual reproduction through seed, enables breeders to identify and faithfully propagate superior heterozygous genotypes by seed without the disadvantages of vegetative propagation or the expense and complexity of hybrid seed production. The availability of new tools such as genotyping by sequencing and bioinformatics pipelines for species lacking reference genomes now makes the construction of dense maps possible in apomictic species, despite complications including polyploidy, multisomic inheritance, self-incompatibility, and high levels of heterozygosity. In this study, we developed saturated linkage maps for the maternal and paternal genomes of an interspecific Brachiaria ruziziensis (R. Germ. and C. M. Evrard) × B. decumbens Stapf. F1 mapping population in order to identify markers linked to apomixis. High-resolution molecular karyotyping and comparative genomics with Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv provided conclusive evidence for segmental allopolyploidy in B. decumbens, with strong preferential pairing of homologs across the genome and multisomic segregation relatively more common in chromosome 8. The apospory-specific genomic region (ASGR) was mapped to a region of reduced recombination on B. decumbens chromosome 5. The Pennisetum squamulatum (L.) R.Br. PsASGR-BABY BOOM-like (psASGR–BBML)-specific primer pair p779/p780 was in perfect linkage with the ASGR in the F1 mapping population and diagnostic for reproductive mode in a diversity panel of known sexual and apomict Brachiaria (Trin.) Griseb. and P. maximum Jacq. germplasm accessions and cultivars. These findings indicate that ASGR–BBML gene sequences are highly conserved across the Paniceae and add further support for the postulation of the ASGR–BBML as candidate genes for the apomictic function of parthenogenesis.

With the aim to find new sources of resistance to rice hoja blanca (white leaf) disease, transmitted by the insect Tagosodes orizicolus, 660 genotypes were evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions. Seven resistant genotypes were identified, and genomic studies were performed to demonstrate that the resistance in these sources is genetically different from that of Fedearroz 2000, which is currently the variety with the most resistance to hoja blanca. These new resistance sources constitute a resource that can be used to sustainably extend hoja blanca disease management throughout all of the rice-growing regions of tropical America. This is the first report of hoja blanca resistance in indica rice and different from that of Fedearroz 2000. Con el objetivo de encontrar nuevas fuentes de resistencia a la enfermedad de la hoja blanca del arroz, transmitida por el insecto Tagosodes orizicolus, se evaluaron 660 genotipos en condiciones de invernadero y campo. Se identificaron siete genotipos con resistencia a la enfermedad y se realizaron estudios del genoma para evidenciar que eran genéticamente diferentes a Fedearroz 2000, la variedad de mejor comportamiento ante el virus, en el momento. Estas nuevas fuentes de resistencia constituyen un recurso que puede utilizarse para extender un manejo sostenible de la enfermedad, en todas las regiones productoras de arroz en América tropical. Este es el primer reporte de fuentes de resistencia, tipo indica, diferentes a Fedearroz 2000.

Mediante la aplicación de la norma ISO/TS 16949, los fabricantes de automóviles ofrecen productos de calidad y mejoran los servicios ofrecidos a los clientes. Desde sus inicios de introducción, TS 16949 ha encontrado éxito dentro de la industria por la unificación y armonización con otras normas existentes. El presente artículo es un estudio empírico que se realizó mediante encuesta a 65 empresas de la industria autopartista en la ciudad de Bogotá (Colombia) y que permitió determinar cómo se encuentra el estado de aplicación del estándar internacional, e identificar que los factores con incidencia que impactan en la aplicabilidad de la norma son la poca exigencia de los clientes, la falta de asesoría que reciben las empresas y el poco interés de los empresarios. El estudio pone de manifiesto la necesidad de realizar una mayor apropiación de la norma de calidad en las microempresas y pequeñas empresas con la finalidad de fortalecer su adopción para la mejora de la calidad de productos y servicios del sector automotor.

Objetivos Determinar la frecuencia y caracterizar los neonatos nacidos con anomalias craneofaciales atendidos en el Instituto Materno Infantil (IMI). Metodos Se recolectaron los datos de nacidos o remitidos al IMI, estrato, procedencia, factores de riesgo general y especifico, genero, edad gestacional, correlacion peso y edad gestacional, diagnostico de la anomalia, cariotipo y condicion al egreso de los neonatos con anomalias craneofaciales atendidos entre 1 de Marzo de 2000 y 15 de Agosto de 2001. Resultados La prevalencia de anomalia congenita fue 2,7 % y de anomalia craneofacial 0,6 %. De 52 pacientes, 69 % tenia factores de riesgo especifico, 38 % era prematuro y 33 % tenia retardo del crecimiento intrauterino; 65 % correspondio a hendiduras, 55,8 % a anomalia multiple y 46 % a sindromes. Se establecio diagnostico etiologico en 38 % de los casos; 12 % tenia cromosomopatia. Fallecieron 18 ninos (35 %) y en 13 la muerte se atribuyo a la anomalia, 6 de estos tenian cromosomopatia. Se evidencio la utilidad del cariotipo para hacer diagnostico etiologico y establecer pronostico. Los neonatos con anomalias craneofaciales tuvieron 3 veces mas riesgo de morir que el resto de neonatos hospitalizados. Se demostro asociacion estadisticamente significativa de la mortalidad con prematurez, retardo de crecimiento, cromosomopatia y diagnosticos de anomalia multiple y sindrome. Conclusiones Prematurez, retardo de crecimiento, anomalia multiple, diagnostico de sindrome y cromosomopatia evidencian un perfil de riesgo para mortalidad.

International audience; Current advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics revealed the genomic background of rice, a staple food for the poor people, and provided the basis to develop large genomic variation databases for thousands of cultivars. Proper analysis of this massive resource is expected to give novel insights into the structure, function, and evolution of the rice genome, and to aid the development of rice varieties through marker assisted selection or genomic selection. In this work we present sequencing and bioinformatics analyses of 104 rice varieties belonging to the major subspecies of Oryza sativa. We identified repetitive elements and recurrent copy number variation covering about 200 Mbp of the rice genome. Genotyping of over 18 million polymorphic locations within O. sativa allowed us to reconstruct the individual haplotype patterns shaping the genomic background of elite varieties used by farmers throughout the Americas. Based on a reconstruction of the alleles for the gene GBSSI, we could identify novel genetic markers for selection of varieties with high amylose content. We expect that both the analysis methods and the genomic information described here would be of great use for the rice research community and for other groups carrying on similar sequencing efforts in other crops.

Genomic selection (GS) is a promising strategy for enhancing genetic gain. We investigated the accuracy of genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) in four inter-related synthetic populations that underwent several cycles of recurrent selection in an upland rice-breeding program. A total of 343 S2:4 lines extracted from those populations were phenotyped for flowering time, plant height, grain yield and panicle weight, and genotyped with an average density of one marker per 44.8 kb. The relative effect of the linkage disequilibrium (LD) and minor allele frequency (MAF) thresholds for selecting markers, the relative size of the training population (TP) and of the validation population (VP), the selected trait and the genomic prediction models (frequentist and Bayesian) on the accuracy of GEBVs was investigated in 540 cross validation experiments with 100 replicates. The effect of kinship between the training and validation populations was tested in an additional set of 840 cross validation experiments with a single genomic prediction model. LD was high (average r2 = 0.59 at 25 kb) and decreased slowly, distribution of allele frequencies at individual loci was markedly skewed toward unbalanced frequencies (MAF average value 15.2% and median 9.6%), and differentiation between the four synthetic populations was low (FST ≤0.06). The accuracy of GEBV across all cross validation experiments ranged from 0.12 to 0.54 with an average of 0.30. Significant differences in accuracy were observed among the different levels of each factor investigated. Phenotypic traits had the biggest effect, and the size of the incidence matrix had the smallest. Significant first degree interaction was observed for GEBV accuracy between traits and all the other factors studied, and between prediction models and LD, MAF and composition of the TP. The potential of GS to accelerate genetic gain and breeding options to increase the accuracy of predictions are discussed.

Se estableció en Ecuador y Colombia la distribución de las especies de moscas blancas más importantes que están afectando cultivos semestrales. Se identificaron, mediante RAPD con el cebador OPA-04, la mosca blanca de los invernaderos Trialeudores vaporariorum (Westwood) y los biotipos A y B de Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). T. vaporariorum fue la especie predominante en el trópico alto y valles interandinos de Colombia y Ecuador atacando principalmente frijol, habichuela, tomate y papa. El biotipo B de B. tabaci se encontró en el trópico bajo desde Córdoba hasta la Guajira atacando algodón, tomate, melón, col y berenjena, principalmente. Además, fue la única especie encontrada en las costas ecuatoria• nas. La distribución del biotipo A de B. tabaci se restringió a los departamentos de Córdoba, Sucre, Valle del Cauca y Huila y al parecer ha sido desplazado por el biotipo B gracias a su característica agresividad. De acuerdo con esto, B. tabaci y T. vaporariorum parecen tener nichos ecológicos bien definidos aunque también pueden coincidir en ciertas zonas como es el caso del Valle del Cauca, Tolima y Huila. En cuanto a la distribución altitudinal, el biotipo B de B. tabaci se encontró entre 0 y 890 msnm. el biotipo A entre 50 y 1350 msnm y T. vaporariorum entre 600 y 2830 msnm. "La identificación de especies de moscas blancas y su distribución hacen parte de una serie de investigaciones que se llevan a cabo con el fin de establecer un programa de manejo integrado de estos insectos.

Arcelins are abundant seed storage proteins thought to be implicated in the resistance of wild Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) genotypes against Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman), an important storage insect pest of common bean. Here, the insecticidal activity of the arcelin‐5 variant that is present in the highly resistant P. vulgaris accession G02771 was investigated. No correlation could be established between the presence of arcelin 5 and the insecticidal effects observed in G02771 seeds. Insect feeding assays with artificial seeds into which purified arcelin‐5 protein was incorporated and with transgenic P. acutifolius (A. Gray) seeds in which the arcelin‐5 genes were expressed, showed that the presence of arcelin‐5 proteins, even at elevated levels, was not sufficient to achieve adequate resistance against Z. subfasciatus. The same might apply to other arcelin variants. Nevertheless, as resistance is clearly closely linked to the presence of the arcelin‐1 or arcelin‐5 locus, arcelins remain useful markers in breeding programmes aimed at introgressing high levels of resistance to Z. subfasciatus in P. vulgaris cultivars.

Se confirmó la presencia del biotipo B de Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) en Colombia mediante estudios de carácter bioquímico, molecular y etiológico. La identificación bioquímica consistió en la determinación de patrones de bandas de esterasas no especí­ficas. Se encontró polimorfismo entre las muestras colectadas en Córdoba, Sucre, At­lántico,Valle del Cauca y Cundinamarca, las cuales se clasificaron casi en su totali­dad como biotipo B, en comparación al biotipo A usado como testigo y procedente de una colonia de cría mantenida en labora­torio por más de 10 años. Se encontró alto grado de polimorfismo dentro del biotipo B, el cual predominó en las zonas muestreadas atacando 23 especies cultivadas y 11 especies de malezas. La similitud en cuanto a a/B esterasas entre los dos biotipos fue apenas de 20%. A nivel molecular se en­contraron diferencias entre los productos amplificados mediante RAPD con los cebadores OPA-04, OPA-11 y OPA-17. Ade­más, luego de criar los biotipos sobre cua­tro especies de cucurbitáceas, se observó el desarrollo de hojas plateadas en Cucurbita moschata (Duchesne), síntoma causado úni­camente por ninfas del biotipo B, transcu­rridos 21 días después de la infestación. El biotipo B mostró una mayor agresividad al lograr desarrollarse 23 a 33% más rápido en C. mixta Pang., C. pepo L., C. ficifolia Bouché y C. moschata que el biotipo A.

Arcelin, a seed protein discovered in wild Phaseolus vulgaris L. accessions, gives high levels of resistance to the Mexican bean weevil [MBW; Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman)]. Six variants of arcelin have been described. In this paper we report on a new variant, arcelin 7, found in six wild bean accessions collected in the southern state of Chiapas in Mexico. The new variant is clearly distinct from previously reported ones. It confers high levels of resistance to MBW, comparable to those due to the presence of arcelin 1, arcelin 2 and arcelin 4. Accessions containing arcelin 7 were not as resistant as the one containing arcelin 5 but significantly better in terms of resistance than arcelins 3 and 6. Arcelin 7 was found in a poorly sampled area of Mexico threatened with genetic erosion due to expanding agricultural operations. This exemplifies the need for urgent additional collecting efforts.

Los traumatismos en tejidos orales derivados del manejo de la vía aérea en pacientes con compromiso eminente o potencial de ésta, son lesiones que con alguna frecuencia se presentan en urgencias, en un traslado de urgencia inestable o en pacientes programados para anestesia general1 Por esta razón, el profesional de la salud a cargo debe conocer los tipos de lesiones de la cavidad oral que pueden ocurrir durante estos procedimientos, las de mayor frecuencia y el manejo inicial que debe brindar al paciente el médico a cargo desde su competencia profesional.El propósito del presente artículo es hacer una revisión actualizada del tema, presentando estadísticas a nivel mundial de la incidencia de esta complicación. De igual forma, se describen los tipos de lesiones traumáticas asociadas al manejo de la vía aérea, entre las cuales se encuentra el trauma dental. Por consiguiente, se utilizó la clasificación de trauma dento álveolar de Andreasen, adoptada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud en 1985, en la que se muestra la variabilidad de las lesiones que se presentan a este nivel: tejido dentario, tejido periodontal, hueso dentoalveolar, encía/mucosa oral y luxación/subluxación de la articulación temporomandibular. Además, se evidencian situaciones especiales en las que se pueden presentar estas lesiones, como es él manejo de la vía aérea en neonatos. Finalmente, se generan algunas recomendaciones que contribuyen a una mejor práctica profesional, minimizando el riesgo de las implicaciones médico-legales derivadas de una falla en la atención. Trauma in oral tissue derived from airway management, in patients with imminent or potential compromise of same, are injuries present with certain frequency in emergencies, in unstable emergency transportation or in patients which have been programmed for general anesthesia. For this reason, health care professionals in charge must be aware of the types of injuries that can occur during these procedures, as well as most frequent injuries of this type and the correct treatment and handling the physician in charge can offer the patient, from its professional perspective. The objective of this article is to realize an updated revision on this topic, presenting worldwide statistics on the incidence of this complication. Also, a description of the types of trauma injuries associated to airway handling are presented, same in which dental trauma is included. Andreasen dento-alveolar trauma taken by the World Health Organization in 1985 was used, in which the variety of injuries at this level are described: dental tissue, periodontal tissue, dento-alveolar bone, gums/ oral tissue and temporal - jaw dislocation and sub-dislocation. In addition to this, special situations in which these injuries can be presented are evidenced, which as in airway area management in newborns. Finally some recommendations which contribute to a better professional practice, which minimize the risk of legal complications derived from lack of attention are presented.

Determining the frequency and characteristics of newborn suffering craniofacial abnormalities who were attending the Instituto Materno Infantil (IMI) in Bogotá.Data was gathered regarding the newborn suffering such alterations who attended IMI from March 1st 2000 to August 15th 2001. The variables analysed were: being born in or having been remitted to the IMI, social strata, origin, general and specific risk factors, gender, correlation between weight and gestational age, clinical and aetiological diagnosis of the anomaly, karyotype and condition on leaving IMI.There was 2.7% prevalence for congenital defects and 0.6% for craniofacial abnormalities. 69% of the 52 patients had specific risk factors, 38% had been preterm, 33% had suffered retarded intra-uterine growth, 65% had cleft palates, 55.8% multiple abnormalities and 46% syndromes. Aetiological diagnosis was established in 38%; 12% had chromosomopathy. Eighteen children (35%) died, death being attributed to their defect in 13 of them, six by chromosomopathy. This study revealed the use of karyotype in making an aetiological diagnosis and determining prognosis. Mortality for the group suffering craniofacial abnormalities was threefold that of other hospitalised neonatal patients. Significant statistical association was shown between mortality and preterm condition, retarded growth, chromosomopathy and a diagnosis of multiple defects and/or syndromes.Prematurity, retarded growth, multiple defects, syndrome diagnosis and chromosomopathy revealed a mortality risk profile.

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies and computing capacity have produced unprecedented amounts of genomic data that have unraveled the genetics of phenotypic variability in several species. However, operating and integrating current software tools for data analysis still require important investments in highly skilled personnel. Developing accurate, efficient and user-friendly software packages for HTS data analysis will lead to a more rapid discovery of genomic elements relevant to medical, agricultural and industrial applications. We therefore developed Next-Generation Sequencing Eclipse Plug-in (NGSEP), a new software tool for integrated, efficient and user-friendly detection of single nucleotide variants (SNVs), indels and copy number variants (CNVs). NGSEP includes modules for read alignment, sorting, merging, functional annotation of variants, filtering and quality statistics. Analysis of sequencing experiments in yeast, rice and human samples shows that NGSEP has superior accuracy and efficiency, compared with currently available packages for variants detection. We also show that only a comprehensive and accurate identification of repeat regions and CNVs allows researchers to properly separate SNVs from differences between copies of repeat elements. We expect that NGSEP will become a strong support tool to empower the analysis of sequencing data in a wide range of research projects on different species. ispartof: Nucleic Acids Research vol:42 issue:6 ispartof: location:England status: published

Este escrito narra una experiencia pedagógica realizada en el marco del diplomado Programa de Formación Docente en Comprensión Lectora, dirigido a profesores de colegios del sector oficial en los municipios de Castilla, Coyaima y Guamo, ubicados al sur del departamento del Tolima. El programa fue organizado por la Secretaria de Educación Departamental y la Universidad de Ibagué. Los colegios que formaron parte de esta experiencia fueron escogidos debido a sus bajos resultados históricos en el Icfes y en las Pruebas Saber. En el desarrollo del módulo dedicado a herramientas virtuales orientadas hacia la pedagogía los maestros participantes crearon los blogs de sus asignaturas o de sus áreas de trabajo. Una de las conclusiones de la experiencia fue que las instituciones deben incorporar el uso de las TIC para visibilizar sus propuestas pedagógicas y proporcionar a su comunidad escolar la oportunidad de conocer y gozar las bondades de la tecnología al servicio de la educación.

Survival analysis might never have become such a famous statistical method in medicine had there not been the Kaplan-Meier curve (KMC) visualizing the survival time of patients also in the presence of incomplete (censored) data. The Kaplan-Meier estimator satisfies good statistical properties, simplicity, intuitive interpretability and capability to stimulate imagination. Hence, each renowned survival software package allows plotting the KMC. Beyond KMC, survival software is rather heterogeneous in analytical and graphical methods. A comprehensive comparison of survival software although important and welcome to many users seems out of reach, and in face of the many commercial and public domain software systems it might not be manageable at all. Therefore we restricted ourselves to well disseminated and important software packages. Among those, we chose SAS as a widely distributed package with the pretention of general applicability also to less statistically trained persons, and we chose S-Plus as a more open and more rapidly developing system designed to be used predominantly by statisticians. The questions were: Which graphics are available for the analysis of survival data? Which graphics are needed and should be realized? What support is given for obtaining easily good graphical outputs?