Search

Sunflower Verticillium Wilt and Leaf Mottle (SVW), caused by Verticillium dahliae (Kleb.; Vd), is a soil-borne disease affecting sunflower worldwide. A single dominant locus, known as V1, was formerly effective in controlling North-American Vd races, whereas races from Argentina, Europe and an emerging race from USA overcome its resistance. This emphasizes the need for identifying broad-spectrum genetic resistance (BSR) sources. Here we characterize two sunflower mapping populations (MPs) for SVW resistance: a biparental MP and the association MP from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), under field growing conditions. Nine field-trials (FTs) were conducted in highly infested fields in the most SVW-affected region of Argentina. Several disease descriptors (DDs), including incidence and severity, were scored across four phenological stages. Generalized linear models were fitted according to the nature of each variable, adjusting mean phenotypes for inbred lines across and within FTs. Comparison of these responses allowed the identification of novel BSR sources. Furthermore, we present the first report of SVW resistance heritability, with estimates ranging from 35 to 45% for DDs related to disease incidence and severity, respectively. This study constitutes the largest SVW resistance characterization reported to date in sunflower, identifying valuable genetic resources for BSR-breeding to cope with a pathogen of increasing importance worldwide. EEA Pergamino Fil: Montecchia, Juan Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Fass, Mónica I. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Cerrudo, Ignacio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Quiroz, Facundo José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Nicosia, Salvador Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnologoía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Maringolo, Carla Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Di Rienzo, Julio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina Fil: Troglia, Carolina Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnologoía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina Fil: Escande, Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Gonzalez, Julio Horacio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino. Sección Girasol; Argentina Fil: Alvarez, Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina Fil: Heinz, Ruth Amelia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnologoía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Lia, Veronica Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnologoía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Lia, Veronica Viviana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina Fil: Paniego, Norma Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnologoía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina

Background Little is known about the effects of eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on bone mineral density (BMD) and biomarkers of bone remodeling in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV-coinfected patients. Methods We prospectively assessed standardized BMD (sBMD) at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, World Health Organization BMD categories at both sites, and plasma concentrations of soluble receptor activator of NF-κβ ligand (sRANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) at baseline (the date of initiation of anti-HCV therapy) and at 96 weeks. Results A total of 238 patients were included. The median age was 49.5 years, 76.5% were males, 48.3% had cirrhosis, 98.3% were on antiretroviral therapy, median CD4+ cell count was 527 cells/μL, and 86.6% had HIV-1 RNA Conclusions SVR was not associated with significant changes in BMD nor biomarkers of bone remodeling in HIV/HCV-coinfected persons.

The Asteraceae family is the largest and most diversified family of the Angiosperms, characterized by the presence of numerous clustered inflorescences, which have the appearance of a single compound flower. It is estimated that this family represents around 10% of all flowered species, with a great biodiversity, covering all environments on the planet, except Antarctica. Also, it includes economically important crops, such as lettuce, sunflower, and chrysanthemum; wild flowers; herbs, and several species that produce molecules with pharmacological properties. Nevertheless, the biotechnological improvement of this family is limited to a few species and their genetic transformation was achieved later than in other plant families. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a model species in molecular biology and plant biotechnology that has easily adapted to tissue culture, with efficient shoot regeneration from different tissues, organs, cells, and protoplasts. Due to this plasticity, it was possible to obtain transgenic plants tolerant to biotic or abiotic stresses as well as for the production of commercially interesting molecules (molecular farming). These advances, together with the complete sequencing of lettuce genome allowed the rapid adoption of gene editing using the CRISPR system. On the other hand, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a species that for years was considered recalcitrant to in vitro culture. Although this difficulty was overcome and some publications were made on sunflower genetic transformation, until now there is no transgenic variety commercialized or authorized for cultivation. In this article, we review similarities (such as avoiding the utilization of the CaMV35S promoter in transformation vectors) and differences (such as transformation efficiency) in the state of the art of genetic transformation techniques performed in these two species. Instituto de Biotecnología Fil: Darqui, Flavia Soledad. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Darqui, Flavia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Radonic, Laura Mabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Radonic, Laura Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Beracochea, Valeria Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Beracochea, Valeria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; Argentina Fil: Lopez Bilbao, Marisa Gisela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Fil: Lopez Bilbao, Marisa Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) is a major cereal crop worldwide and is traditionally or commercially cultivated almost all over the Americas. The northwestern region of Argentina (NWA) constitutes one of the main diversity hotspots of the Southern Andes, with contrasting landscapes and a large number of landraces. Despite the extensive collections performed by the “Banco Activo de Germoplasma INTA Pergamino, Argentina” (BAP), most of them have not been characterized yet. Here we report the morphological and molecular evaluation of 30 accessions collected from NWA, along an altitudinal gradient between 1120 and 2950 meters above sea level (masl). Assessment of morphological variation in a common garden allowed the discrimination of two groups, which differed mainly in endosperm type and overall plant size. Although the groups retrieved by the molecular analyses were not consistent with morphological clusters, they showed a clear pattern of altitudinal structuring. Affinities among accessions were not in accordance with racial assignments. Overall, our results revealed that there are two maize gene pools co-existing in NWA, probably resulting from various waves of maize introduction in pre-Columbian times as well as from the adoption of modern varieties by local farmers. In conclusion, the NWA maize landraces preserved at the BAP possess high morphological and molecular variability. Our results highlight their potential as a source of diversity for increasing the genetic basis of breeding programs and provide useful information to guide future sampling and conservation efforts. EEA Pergamino Fil: Rivas, Juan Gabriel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INTA-CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Gutiérrez, Ángela V. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INTA-CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Defacio, Raquel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino. Recursos Genéticos; Argentina Fil: Schimpf, Jorge. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina Fil: Vicario, Ana L. Instituto Nacional de Semillas (INASE). Laboratorio de Marcadores Moleculares y Fitopatología; Argentina Fil: Hopp, H. Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INTA-CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Hopp, H. Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina Fil: Paniego, Norma Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INTA-CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Lia, Veronica V. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INTA-CONICET). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO); Argentina Fil: Lia, Veronica V. Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Resumen Objetivo Evaluar la evolucion del numero de pacientes en situacion de riesgo por potenciales problemas de seguridad con los medicamentos tras la implementacion de un programa de mejora de la calidad en la atencion al paciente cronico y polimedicado en el Area Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela. Metodo El programa de intervencion consistio en el diseno de una herramienta informatica que permitiera la deteccion y estratificacion del riesgo de pacientes con potenciales problemas de seguridad con los medicamentos, la realizacion de sesiones y pop-ups sobre calidad de la prescripcion y la comunicacion periodica sistematizada de los resultados de la explotacion de las prescripciones a los medicos y farmaceuticos de atencion primaria. Se considero un horizonte temporal de un ano. Resultados En enero de 2018 el numero de pacientes en situacion de riesgo por potenciales problemas de seguridad con los medicamentos en el Area Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela era de 9.874 pacientes. Al finalizar diciembre de 2018 los pacientes en situacion de riesgo habian descendido a 5.797 pacientes (reduccion del 41,2%; p Conclusiones El diseno de herramientas informaticas que permitan la explotacion protocolizada de la informacion disponible de la prescripcion electronica, el trabajo en equipo de farmaceuticos hospitalarios y de atencion primaria, la colaboracion entre el personal medico, de enfermeria y de farmacia, el diseno de informacion adaptada a los equipos informaticos y la estratificacion del riesgo han sido medidas con resultados muy positivos en la disminucion a la exposicion de los pacientes a situaciones de riesgo relacionadas con los medicamentos.

Sclerotinia head rot (SHR), caused by the necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is one of the most devastating sunflower crop diseases. Despite its worldwide occurrence, the genetic determinants of plant resistance are still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the Sclerotinia-sunflower pathosystem by analysing temporal changes in gene expression in one susceptible and two tolerant inbred lines (IL) inoculated with the pathogen under field conditions. Differential expression analysis showed little overlapping among ILs, suggesting genotype-specific control of cell defense responses possibly related to differences in disease resistance strategies. Functional enrichment assessments yielded a similar pattern. However, all three ILs altered the expression of genes involved in the cellular redox state and cell wall remodeling, in agreement with current knowledge about the initiation of plant immune responses. Remarkably, the over-representation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) was another common feature among ILs. Our findings highlight the diversity of transcriptional responses to SHR within sunflower breeding lines and provide evidence of lncRNAs playing a significant role at early stages of defense. Fil: Fass, Mónica Irina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Rivarola, Maximo Lisandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Ehrenbolger, Guillermo Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Maringolo, Carla A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: Montecchia, Juan Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Quiroz, Facundo José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina Fil: García García, Francisco. Centro de Investigaciones Príncipe Felipe; España Fil: Dopazo Blázquez, Joaquín. Hospital Virgen del Rocio; España Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Heinz, Ruth Amelia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Paniego, Norma Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Lia, Verónica Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina

The optimized superconducting stellarator device Wendelstein 7-X (with major radius , minor radius , and plasma volume) restarted operation after the assembly of a graphite heat shield and 10 inertially cooled island divertor modules. This paper reports on the results from the first high-performance plasma operation. Glow discharge conditioning and ECRH conditioning discharges in helium turned out to be important for density and edge radiation control. Plasma densities of with central electron temperatures were routinely achieved with hydrogen gas fueling, frequently terminated by a radiative collapse. In a first stage, plasma densities up to were reached with hydrogen pellet injection and helium gas fueling. Here, the ions are indirectly heated, and at a central density of a temperature of with was transiently accomplished, which corresponds to with a peak diamagnetic energy of and volume-averaged normalized plasma pressure . The routine access to high plasma densities was opened with boronization of the first wall. After boronization, the oxygen impurity content was reduced by a factor of 10, the carbon impurity content by a factor of 5. The reduced (edge) plasma radiation level gives routinely access to higher densities without radiation collapse, e.g. well above line integrated density and central temperatures at moderate ECRH power. Both X2 and O2 mode ECRH schemes were successfully applied. Core turbulence was measured with a phase contrast imaging diagnostic and suppression of turbulence during pellet injection was observed.

Snakin-1 (SN1) from potato is a cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptide with high evolutionary conservation. It has 63 amino acid residues, 12 of which are cysteines capable of forming six disulfide bonds. SN1 localizes in the plasma membrane, and it is present mainly in tissues associated with active growth and cell division. SN1 is active in vitro against bacteria, fungus, yeasts, and even animal/human pathogens. It was demonstrated that it also confers in vivo protection against commercially relevant pathogens in overexpressing potato, wheat, and lettuce plants. Although researchers have demonstrated SN1 can disrupt the membranes of E. coli, its integral antimicrobial mechanism remains unknown. It is likely that broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity is a combined outcome of membrane disruption and inhibition of intracellular functions. Besides, in potato, partial SN1 silencing affects cell division, leaf metabolism, and cell wall composition, thus revealing additional roles in growth and development. Its silencing also affects reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROS scavenger levels. This finding indicates its participation in redox balance. Moreover, SN1 alters hormone levels, suggesting its involvement in the complex hormonal crosstalk. Altogether, SN1 has the potential to integrate development and defense signals directly and/or indirectly by modulating protein activity, modifying hormone balance and/or participating in redox regulation. Evidence supports a paramount role to SN1 in the mechanism underlying growth and immunity balance. Furthermore, SN1 may be a promising candidate in preservation, and pharmaceutical or agricultural biotechnology applications. Fil: Almasia, Natalia Ines. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Nahirñak, Vanesa. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina Fil: Vazquez Rovere, Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina

Forecasting reservoir water levels is essential in water supply management, impacting both operations and intervention strategies. This paper examines the short-term and long-term forecasting performance of several statistical and machine learning-based methods for predicting the water levels of the Angat Dam in the Philippines. A total of six forecasting methods are compared: naïve/persistence; seasonal mean; autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA); gradient boosting machines (GBM); and two deep neural networks (DNN) using a long short-term memory-based (LSTM) encoder-decoder architecture: a univariate model (DNN-U) and a multivariate model (DNN-M). Daily historical water levels from 2001 to 2021 are used in predicting future water levels. In addition, we include meteorological data (rainfall and the Oceanic Niño Index) and irrigation data as exogenous variables. To evaluate the forecast accuracy of our methods, we use a time series cross-validation approach to establish a more robust estimate of the error statistics. Our results show that our DNN-U model has the best accuracy in the 1-day-ahead scenario with a mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.2 m. In the 30-day-, 90-day-, and 180-day-ahead scenarios, the DNN-M shows the best performance with MAE (RMSE) scores of 2.9 (3.3), 5.1 (6.0), and 6.7 (8.1) meters, respectively. Additionally, we demonstrate that further improvements in performance are possible by scanning over all possible combinations of the exogenous variables and only using a subset of them as features. In summary, we provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating water level forecasting by defining a baseline accuracy, analyzing performance across multiple prediction horizons, using time series cross-validation to assess accuracy and uncertainty, and examining the effects of exogenous variables on forecasting performance. In the process, our work addresses several notable gaps in the methodologies of previous works.

To carry out an evaluation of the impact on the number of patients in the risk situation due to safety problems with the medications after compliance with a program to improve the quality of care of the chronic patient on multiple medications in the Health Area of Santiago de Compostela.The intervention program consisted of the design of a computer tool that would allow the detection and stratification of the risk of patients with potential safety problems with medications. The program included sessions and pop-ups on the quality of the prescription and the systematic periodic communication of the results on the use of the prescriptions to the doctors and pharmacists of Primary Care. A one-year time horizon was considered.In January 2018, there were 9,874 patients at risk due to potential safety problems related to medicines in the Health Area of Santiago de Compostela. At the end of December 2018, the patients at risk had fallen to 5,797 patients (41.2% reduction; P.05).The design of computer tools that allow the use of the information available from the electronic prescription using standardised protocols, along with the team work of hospital pharmacists and primary care pharmacists, the collaboration between physicians, nurses and pharmacists, as well as the design of information adapted to the computer equipment and the stratification of the risk have all been actions with very positive results in the decrease in exposure of chronic patients to risk situations related to medications.

Snakin-1 is a cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptide (AMP) isolated from potato tubers, with broad-spectrum activity. It belongs to the Snakin/GASA family, whose members have been studied because of their diverse roles in important plant processes, including defense. To analyze if this defensive function may lead to disease tolerance in lettuce, one of the most worldwide consumed leafy vegetable, we characterized three homozygous transgenic lines overexpressing Snakin-1. They were biologically assessed by the inoculation with the fungal pathogens Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum both in vitro and in planta at the greenhouse. When in vitro assays were performed with R. solani on Petri dishes containing crude plant extracts it was confirmed that the expressed Snakin-1 protein has antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, transgenic lines showed a better response than wild type in in vivo challenges against R. solani both in chamber and in greenhouse. In addition, two of these lines showed significant in vivo protection against the pathogen S. sclerotiorum in challenge assays on adult plants. Our results show that Snakin-1 is an interesting candidate gene for the selection/breeding of lettuce plants with increased fungal tolerance. Fil: Darqui, Flavia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Radonic, Laura Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Trotz, Paulina M.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: López, Nilda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Vazquez Rovere, Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Lopez Bilbao, Marisa. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina

Objectives To identify at prenatal ultrasound (US) the features of apparently isolated subependymal pseudocysts (SEPC) that may indicate underlying pathology and should lead to further investigations. Methods This was a retrospective study of cases with SEPC detected on prenatal US and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Those with apparently isolated SEPC at US were classified into two groups as follows: Group 1 (n = 29): normal prenatal US and MRI (except for SEPC) and normal outcome; Group 2 (n = 12): normal prenatal cerebral US (except for SEPC) and abnormal prenatal cerebral MRI with or without abnormal outcome. A third group (n = 9) included cases with abnormal prenatal US and MRI. The latter cases with obvious cerebral abnormalities at US were excluded from the statistical analysis as they do not represent a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. Groups 1 and 2 were analyzed, comparing them with respect to their SEPC characteristics (size, number, location in relation to the caudothalamic notch and the ventricular horns and morphology) and extracerebral abnormalities. Results The mean ± SD SEPC great axis was longer in Group 2 (11.67 ± 5.82 mm) than it was in Group 1 (8.00 ± 5.64 mm) (P = 0.021), suggesting an optimal cut-off for size of SEPC of ≥ 9 mm (sensitivity = 75%, specificity = 62%) to maximize sensitivity for predicting pathological outcome. SEPC adjacent to the temporal horns and SEPC located posterior to the caudothalamic notch were observed more frequently in Group 2, indicating their association with poor outcome (P = 0.003 and P = 0.003, respectively). Atypical morphology and extracerebral abnormalities were observed more frequently in Group 2 (P = 0.013 and P = 0.044, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between groups for either number or location of cysts along the inferior wall or adjacent to the lateral wall of the frontal horns (P = 0.591 and P = 0.156, respectively). Conclusion When apparently isolated SEPC are observed at prenatal US, further investigations should be performed under the following circumstances: (1) SEPC great axis ≥ 9 mm; (2) SEPC adjacent to the occipital and temporal horns; (3) SEPC located posterior to the caudothalamic notch; (4) SEPC with atypical morphology. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Two-way satellite time and frequency transfer (TWSTFT) is a primary technique for the generation of coordinated universal time (UTC). About 20 timing laboratories around the world continuously operate TWSTFT using satellite time and ranging equipment (SATRE19) modems for remote time and frequency comparisons in this context. The precision of the SATRE TWSTFT as observed today is limited by an apparent daily variation pattern (diurnal) in the TWSTFT results. The observed peak-to-peak variation have been found as high as 2 ns in some cases. Investigations into the origins of the diurnals have so far provided no complete understanding about the cause of the diurnals. One major contributor to the diurnals, however, could be related to properties of the receive part in the modem. In 2014 and 2015, it was demonstrated that bypassing the receive part and the use of software-defined radio (SDR) receivers in TWSTFT ground stations (SDR TWSTFT) instead could considerably reduce both the diurnals and the measurement noise.In 2016, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) working group (WG) on TWSTFT launched a pilot study on the application of SDR receivers in the TWSTFT network for UTC computation.The first results of the pilot study were reported to the CCTF WG on TWSTFT annual meeting in May 2017, demonstrating that SDR TWSTFT shows superior performance compared to that of SATRE TWSTFT for practically all links between participating stations. In particular, for continental TWSTFT links, in which the strongest diurnals appear, the use of SDR TWSTFT results in a significant suppression of the diurnals by a factor of between two and three. For the very long inter-continental links, e.g. the Europe-to-USA links where the diurnals are less pronounced, SDR TWSTFT achieved a smaller but still significant gain of 30%. These findings are supported by an evaluation of some of the links with an alternate technique based on GPS signals (GPS IPPP) as reported in this paper.Stimulated by these results, the WG on TWSTFT prepared a recommendation for the 21st CCTF meeting, which proposed the introduction of SDR TWSTFT in UTC generation. With CCTF approval of the recommendation, a roadmap was developed for the implementation of SDR TWSTFT in UTC generation. In accordance with the roadmap, most of the stations that participated in the pilot study have updated the SDR TWSTFT settings to facilitate the use of SDR TWSTFT data in UTC generation. In addition, the BIPM conducted a final evaluation to validate the long-term stability of SDR TWSTFT links, made test runs using the BIPM standard software for the calculation of UTC, now including SDR TWSTFT data, and started to calculate SDR TWSTFT time links as backup from October 2017. The use of SDR TWSTFT in UTC generation will begin in 2018.

Background: Lettuce is a globally important leafy vegetable and a model plant for biotechnology due to its adaptability to tissue culture and stable genetic transformation. Lettuce is also crucial for functional genomics research in the Asteraceae which includes species of great agronomical importance. The development of transgenic events implies the production of a large number of shoots that must be differentiated between transgenic and non-transgenic through the activity of the selective agent, being kanamycin the most popular. Results: In this work we adjusted the selection conditions of transgenic seedlings to avoid any escapes, finding that threshold concentration of kanamycin was 75 mg/L. To monitor the selection system, we studied the morphological response of transgenic and non-transgenic seedlings in presence of kanamycin to look for a visual morphological marker. Several traits like shoot length, primary root length, number of leaves, fresh weight, and appearance of the aerial part and development of lateral roots were affected in non-transgenic seedlings after 30 d of culture in selective media. However, only lateral root development showed an early, qualitative and reliable association with nptII presence, as corroborated by PCR detection. Applied in successive transgenic progenies, this method of selection combined with morphological follow-up allowed selecting the homozygous presence of nptII gene in 100% of the analyzed plants from T2 to T5. Conclusions: This protocol allows a simplified scaling-up of the production of multiple homozygous transgenic progeny lines in the early generations avoiding expensive and time-consuming molecular assays. Inst. de Biotecnología Fil: Darqui, Flavia Soledad. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Radonic, Laura Mabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Lopez, Nilda Ester. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina Fil: Hopp, Horacio Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina Fil: López Bilbao, Marisa Gisela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina

Objectives To evaluate the radiologic and pathologic responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and their correlation in the molecular subtypes of breast cancer and to analyze their impact in disease-free survival. Materials and methods We included 205 patients with breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We evaluated the radiologic response by comparing MRI images acquired before and after chemotherapy. The pathologic response was classified on the Miller and Payne scale. For each subtype (HER2+, TN, luminal A, luminal B HER2−, and luminal B HER2+), we used the χ 2 test, Student's t -test, ANOVA, and Kendall's Tau-b to evaluate the radiologic response and the pathologic response, the radiologic–pathologic correlation, and the disease-free survival. Results The subtypes HER2+ (62.1%) and TN (45.2%) had higher rates of complete radiologic response. The pathologic response was 65.5% in the HER2+ subtype, 38.1% in the TN subtype, 2.6% in the luminal A subtype, 8.2% in the luminal B HER2− subtype, and 31% in the luminal B HER2+ subtype. The rate of radiologic–pathologic correlation was significant in all subtypes, higher in TN and HER2 (Tau-b coefficients 0.805 and 0.717, respectively). Disease-free survival was higher in HER2+ (91.9 ± 3.3 months) and lower in TN (69.5 ± 6.3 months), with significant differences between the cases with poor and good radiologic responses ( p = 0.040). Survival was greater in cases with good radiologic response, except in cases with luminal A subtype. Conclusion MRI can be a useful tool that provides information about the evolution of breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which varies with the immunohistochemical subtype.

Resumen Objetivos Valorar la respuesta radiologica, patologica y su correlacion en los subtipos moleculares del cancer de mama y analizar su implicacion en la supervivencia libre de enfermedad. Material y metodos Se incluyeron 205 pacientes con cancer de mama tratadas con quimioterapia neoadyuvante. Se valoro la respuesta radiologica con RM pre y posquimioterapia. La respuesta patologica se clasifico segun la escala de Miller y Payne. Se valoro la respuesta radiologica y patologica en cada subtipo (HER2+, TN, luminal A, luminal B HER2– y luminal B HER2+), la correlacion radiopatologica y la supervivencia libre de enfermedad mediante las pruebas χ 2 , t de Student, ANOVA y Tau-b de Kendall. Resultados Los subtipos HER2+ (62,1%) y TN (45,2%) mostraron mayor tasa de respuesta radiologica completa. La respuesta patologica fue del 65,5% en el HER2+, 38,1% en el TN, 2,6% en los luminales A, 8,2% en los luminales B HER2– y 31% en los luminales B HER2+. El indice de correlacion radiopatologico fue significativo en todos los subtipos, mayor en los TN y HER2 (coeficientes Tau-b 0,805 y 0,717 respectivamente). La supervivencia libre de enfermedad fue mayor para HER2+ (91,9 ± 3,3 meses) y menor en el TN (69,5 ± 6,3 meses), con diferencias significativas entre los casos de mala y buena respuesta radiologica (p = 0,040). La supervivencia fue superior en los casos de buena respuesta radiologica a excepcion del subtipo luminal A. Conclusion La RM puede ser una herramienta que aporta informacion de la evolucion del CM tratado con neoadyuvancia, variable segun el subtipo inmunohistoquimico.