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Thecaphora frezii es un hongo fitopatógeno perteneciente a la clase Ustilaginomicetes, que produce la enfermedad del carbón de maní. En su ciclo biológico presenta tres estructuras, las teliosporas (es la estructura de resistencia) y las basidiosporas e hifas. El micelio (hifas) es la estructura infectiva, que penetra en el ginóforo de la planta e inicia la infección. Para dicha acción, sería necesaria la expresión de la proteína Pep1 ya que la misma fue identificada en otros Ustilaginomicetes como el Ustilago maydis y el Ustilago hordei, que infectan al maíz y a la cebada, respectivamente, y su expresión es fundamental para dicha acción. Pudimos amplificar el ADN copia de Pep1 de Thecaphora frezii cuya secuencia traducida codificaría para una proteína de 180 aminoácidos. Se observaron grandes homologías con ortólogas de otras especies y la presencia de cuatro cisteínas conservadas. Paralelamente, medimos los niveles de expresión de este transcripto, encontrándose muy elevado en las hifas, coincidiendo con el estadio infectivo del hongo. Futuros estudios funcionales de inactivación génica del gen pep1 deberán realizarse para comprobar fenotípicamente el efecto que este gen provoca en cultivos de maní.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence of neutropenia in a large cohort of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and its association with clinical and immunological disease expression and adverse outcomes. METHODS: The study cohort included 300 patients diagnosed with primary SS in our department between 1984 and 2002. The outcomes measured after the first laboratory evidence of neutropenia (<2.5 x 10(9)/L) were first hospital admission caused by infection, development of systemic manifestations, neoplasia, and death. RESULTS: Ninety-nine (33%) patients had neutropenia during the follow-up, which was related to neoplasia or drugs in 9 (3%) patients and was considered idiopathic in the remaining 90 (30%). Patients with neutropenia had a lower mean age at diagnosis of SS (51.9 versus 59.4 years, P < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of anti-Ro/La antibodies (53% versus 22%, P < 0.001), rheumatoid factor (49% versus 32%, P = 0.009), and low C4 levels (17% versus 8%, P = 0.044) than those without neutropenia. Patients with neutropenia had a higher incidence of hospital admission caused by infection (24% versus 9%, P = 0.002), especially those with neutropenia <1 x 10(9)/L (50% versus 9%, P = 0.002), and a higher rate of admission (log rank = 0.0023) in comparison with those without neutropenia. Agranulocytosis was found in 7 (2%) patients, predominantly related to neoplasia (5 cases). One (1%) of the 90 patients with SS-related neutropenia developed large granular lymphocyte T-cell leukemia. CONCLUSION: Neutropenia should be considered a relevant hematologic finding of primary SS, due both to its elevated prevalence and to its clinical significance (close association with anti-Ro/La antibodies, coexistence with other cytopenias, and development of severe infections). Copyright © 2009 by Elsevier Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adequate nutritional management in maternities is one of the most challenging aspects of swine production. This study reports the results of two studies aiming to determine, under commercial farm conditions, the effects of precision feeding (electronic sow feeders, ESFs) on the production and economic yields of lactating sows and possible nutritional and metabolic differences when compared to a control group fed with traditional feeders. The first trial showed that sows fed with ESFs weaned heavier piglets than sows fed with traditional feeders. Feed intake during the lactation period was similar in the sows of both groups; consequently, the amount of feed per kg of weaned piglet was lower in the sows fed with ESFs, which is a remarkable economic output. The second trial confirmed these findings and showed that, despite similar feed intakes, the sows fed with ESFs had lower bodyweight losses during the lactation period, but there were no major differences in milk composition or metabolic traits of sows and piglets.

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909). One of the primary vectors of T. cruzi in South America is Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834). This triatomine species is distributed across a huge latitudinal gradient, inhabiting domiciliary , peridomiciliary , and wild environments. Its wide geographic distribution provides an excellent opportunity to study the relationships between environmental gradients and intraspecific morphological variation. In this study, we investigated variations in wing size and shape in T. infestans across six ecoregions. We aimed to address the following questions: How do wing size and shape vary on a regional scale, does morphological variation follow specific patterns along an environmental or latitudinal gradient, and what environmental factors might contribute to wing variation? Geometric morphometric methods were applied to the wings of 162 females belonging to 21 T. infestans populations, 13 from Argentina (n = 105), 5 from Bolivia (n = 42), and 3 from Paraguay (n = 15). A comparison of wing centroid size across the 21 populations showed significant differences. Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) revealed significant differences in wing shape between the populations from Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, although there was a considerable overlap, especially among the Argentinian populations. Well-structured populations were observed for the Bolivian and Paraguayan groups. Two analyses were performed to assess the association between wing size and shape, geographic and climatic variables: multiple linear regression analysis (MRA) for size and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression for shape. The MRA showed a significant general model fit. Six temperature-related variables, one precipitation-related variable, and the latitude showed significant associations with wing size. The PLS analysis revealed a significant correlation between wing shape with latitude, longitude, temperature-related, and rainfall-related variables. Wing size and shape in T. infestans populations varied across geographic distribution. Our findings demonstrate that geographic and climatic variables significantly influence T. infestans wing morphology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

A crucial factor in the long-term survival of benthic macrophyte communities under light-reduction stress is how they balance carbon metabolism during photosynthesis and respiration. In turn, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released by these communities, which can be highly light-dependent, stands as a source of carbon, fuelling marine communities and playing an important role in the ocean carbon sequestration. This is the first study to evaluate light-reduction stress and recovery in the seagrass Zostera noltei and the macroalga Caulerpa prolifera. Light reduction led to a significant decrease in the production of both communities from autotrophic to heterotrophic. Results indicated that most of the DOC released by vegetated coastal communities comes from photosynthetic activity, and that the net DOC fluxes can be greatly affected by shading events. Finally, both communities showed resilience underpinned by high recovery but low resistance capacity, with C. prolifera showing the highest resilience to unfavourable light conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The fusion gene MLL/AF4 defines a high-risk subtype of pro-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Relapse can be associated with a lineage switch from acute lymphoblastic to acute myeloid leukemia, resulting in poor clinical outcomes caused by resistance to chemotherapies and immunotherapies. In this study, the myeloid relapses shared oncogene fusion breakpoints with their matched lymphoid presentations and originated from various differentiation stages from immature progenitors through to committed B-cell precursors. Lineage switching is linked to substantial changes in chromatin accessibility and rewiring of transcriptional programs, including alternative splicing. These findings indicate that the execution and maintenance of lymphoid lineage differentiation is impaired. The relapsed myeloid phenotype is recurrently associated with the altered expression, splicing, or mutation of chromatin modifiers, including CHD4 coding for the ATPase/helicase of the nucleosome remodelling and deacetylation complex. Perturbation of CHD4 alone or in combination with other mutated epigenetic modifiers induces myeloid gene expression in MLL/AF4+ cell models, indicating that lineage switching in MLL/AF4 leukemia is driven and maintained by disrupted epigenetic regulation., (© 2022 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Older adults are frequently seen in the emergency department for genitourinary complaints, necessitating that emergency physicians are adept at managing a myriad of genitourinary emergencies. Geriatric patients may present with acute kidney injury, hematuria, or a urinary infection and aspects of how managing these presentations differs from their younger counterparts is emphasized. Older adults may also present with acute urinary retention or urinary incontinence as a result of genitourinary pathology or other systemic etiologies. Finally, genital complaints as they pertain to older adults are briefly highlighted with emphasis on emergent management and appropriate referrals., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have nothing to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The fusion oncogene RUNX1/RUNX1T1 encodes an aberrant transcription factor, which plays a key role in the initiation and maintenance of acute myeloid leukemia. Here we show that the RUNX1/RUNX1T1 oncogene is a regulator of alternative RNA splicing in leukemic cells. The comprehensive analysis of RUNX1/RUNX1T1-associated splicing events identifies two principal mechanisms that underlie the differential production of RNA isoforms: (i) RUNX1/RUNX1T1-mediated regulation of alternative transcription start site selection, and (ii) direct or indirect control of the expression of genes encoding splicing factors. The first mechanism leads to the expression of RNA isoforms with alternative structure of the 5'-UTR regions. The second mechanism generates alternative transcripts with new junctions between internal cassettes and constitutive exons. We also show that RUNX1/RUNX1T1-mediated differential splicing affects several functional groups of genes and produces proteins with unique conserved domain structures. In summary, this study reveals alternative splicing as an important component of transcriptome re-organization in leukemia by an aberrant transcriptional regulator.

The crude drug ysypó hû ( Adenocalymma marginatum DC., Bignoniaceae) is used traditionally by the Guarani of Eastern Paraguayan as a male sexual enhancer. The aim of the present study was to identify the main constituents of the crude drug and to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory activity towards the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5). The main compounds were isolated by counter-current chromatography (CCC). The metabolites were identified by spectroscopic and spectrometric means. The chemical profiling of the extracts was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The crude extract and main isolated compounds were tested for their PDE-5 inhibitory activity using commercial kits. The iridoid theviridoside and 4-hydroxy-1-methylproline were isolated as the main constituent of the crude drug. Four chlortheviridoside hexoside derivatives were detected for the first time as natural products. Chemical profiling by HPLC-MS/MS led to the tentative identification of nine iridoids, six phenolics, and five amino acids. The crude extracts and main compounds were inactive towards PDE-5 at concentrations up to 500 µg/mL. Iridoids and amino acid derivatives were the main compounds occurring in the Paraguayan crude drug. The potential of ysypó hû as a male sexual enhancer cannot be discarded, since other mechanisms may be involved.

Oncogenic transcription factors such as the leukemic fusion protein RUNX1/ETO, which drives t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), constitute cancer-specific but highly challenging therapeutic targets. We used epigenomic profiling data for an RNAi screen to interrogate the transcriptional network maintaining t(8;21) AML. This strategy identified Cyclin D2 (CCND2) as a crucial transmitter of RUNX1/ETO-driven leukemic propagation. RUNX1/ETO cooperates with AP-1 to drive CCND2 expression. Knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of CCND2 by an approved drug significantly impairs leukemic expansion of patient-derived AML cells and engraftment in immunodeficient murine hosts. Our data demonstrate that RUNX1/ETO maintains leukemia by promoting cell cycle progression and identifies G1 CCND-CDK complexes as promising therapeutic targets for treatment of RUNX1/ETO-driven AML., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of application of pesticides on morphology, viability, and germination of pollen grains of Blackberry (Rubus glaucus Benth.) and Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.). The study was performed at Patate, Tungurahua province, Ecuador and was divided into two phases. Phase one dedicated to the study of morphology, viability, and identification of nutrient solution for better germination of pollen grains and phase two for the analysis of the effect of conventional, organic, and biological pesticides on pollen grain germination and pollen tube length. To study pollen morphology, pollens were extracted by hand pressure and was analyzed by optical and electron microscopy. The viable pollen grains were identified by staining with 1% acetocarmine. Even though Tree tomato and Blackberry pollen grains are morphologically similar, their exine shapes differ. We observed four times increase in pollen germination rate when suspended in nutrient solution (Sucrose with Boric acid) than control (water). Pollen grains under nutrient solution were subjected to different groups of pesticides for the period of 2, 4, and 6 h. With respect to pesticide affect, the Blackberry pollen grain germination followed the following order: Lecaniceb > Beauveb > Metazeb => Myceb > Control. However, the effect on Tree tomato pollen grains was as follows: Lecaniceb > Myceb > Cantus > Bacillus thuringiensis > Kripton > Control. As per as pollen grain germination is concerned, we observed that the chemical pesticides are more harmful than other pesticides. So, it is necessary to perform screening test for different pesticides and their effect on pollen grain germination before applying to the fields.

Oncogenic transcription factors such as RUNX1/ETO, which is generated by the chromosomal translocation t(8;21), subvert normal blood cell development by impairing differentiation and driving malignant self-renewal. Here, we use digital footprinting and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify the core RUNX1/ETO-responsive transcriptional network of t(8;21) cells. We show that the transcriptional program underlying leukemic propagation is regulated by a dynamic equilibrium between RUNX1/ETO and RUNX1 complexes, which bind to identical DNA sites in a mutually exclusive fashion. Perturbation of this equilibrium in t(8;21) cells by RUNX1/ETO depletion leads to a global redistribution of transcription factor complexes within preexisting open chromatin, resulting in the formation of a transcriptional network that drives myeloid differentiation. Our work demonstrates on a genome-wide level that the extent of impaired myeloid differentiation in t(8;21) is controlled by the dynamic balance between RUNX1/ETO and RUNX1 activities through the repression of transcription factors that drive differentiation., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)