This study addresses relationships between leaf phenology, xylogenesis, and functional xylem anatomy in two ring‐porous oak species, the temperate Quercus robur and the sub‐Mediterranean ...Q. pyrenaica. Earlywood vessel (EV) formation and leaf phenology were monitored in 2012 and 2013. Ten individuals per species were sampled at each of three sites located in NW Iberian Peninsula. EV areas measured on microcore sections were used to calculate the hydraulic tree diameter (Dₕ), in order to model relationships to phenology. Thermal requirements were evaluated using growing degree days (GDD). A species‐specific timing of growth resumption was found. The onset of EV formation and budburst were associated to a particular GDD in each species. The onset and duration of EV enlargement affected Dₕ (and EV size) in Q. robur, but hardly in Q. pyrenaica. The relationship between the timings of EV formation and xylem structure appears to be stronger for the temperate oak, whose larger vessels may result from thermal‐induced earlier resumption. In contrast, the sub‐Mediterranean oak would maintain a more conservative hydraulic architecture under warming conditions.
The fast dynamics and reversibility of posttranslational modifications by the ubiquitin family pose significant challenges for research. Here we present SUMO-ID, a technology that merges proximity ...biotinylation by TurboID and protein-fragment complementation to find SUMO-dependent interactors of proteins of interest. We develop an optimized split-TurboID version and show SUMO interaction-dependent labelling of proteins proximal to PML and RANGAP1. SUMO-dependent interactors of PML are involved in transcription, DNA damage, stress response and SUMO modification and are highly enriched in SUMO Interacting Motifs, but may only represent a subset of the total PML proximal proteome. Likewise, SUMO-ID also allow us to identify interactors of SUMOylated SALL1, a less characterized SUMO substrate. Furthermore, using TP53 as a substrate, we identify SUMO1, SUMO2 and Ubiquitin preferential interactors. Thus, SUMO-ID is a powerful tool that allows to study the consequences of SUMO-dependent interactions, and may further unravel the complexity of the ubiquitin code.
The use of plant-based fish feed may increase the risk of contamination by mycotoxins. The multiresidue analysis of mycotoxins in fish feed presents many difficulties due to the complexity of the ...matrix, the different characteristics of the compounds, and their presence in highly different concentration levels. The aim of this study was to develop a selective, sensitive, and efficient analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 15 mycotoxins (regulated and emerging mycotoxins) in aquaculture feed by LC-MS/MS. Sample extraction was performed with ultrasonic assistance, and different cleanup strategies were evaluated. The optimized method was composed by ultrasound-assisted extraction (two cycles, 55 °C, 20 min), followed by cleanup using a Captiva EMR Lipid cartridge. Then, nine commercial samples of aquaculture fish feed were analyzed. Eight of the 15 target mycotoxins were detected in the samples. Results showed that two enniatins (EENB and ENNB1), beauvericin, and fumonisin B2 were detected in all samples. These results show the multi-mycotoxin contamination of fish feed, highlighting the need to improve current knowledge on the occurrence and toxicity of mycotoxins in fish feed, mainly the emerging ones.
Aim
To explore the emotional impact and experiences of geriatric nurses working in nursing homes and caring for patients with coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID‐19).
Design
This is a qualitative study ...with phenomenological method and data were gathered through in‐depth interview.
Methods
The experiences and expectations that nurses are facing during their care duties were explored via video conference, using a semi‐structured interview guide. We have followed the Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research COREQ.
Results
Interviews (N=24) were conducted with nurses from four countries (Spain, Italy, Peru, and Mexico) during April 2020. Three main categories were extracted: fear of the pandemic situation, the sense of duty and professional commitment, and emotional exhaustion.
Conclusions
Regardless of the country and situation, in the face of the pandemic, dramatic situations have been experienced in nursing homes worldwide, with nursing staff feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and reflection is urged on a global level to consider the most appropriate model of care in nursing homes.
摘要
目的
探讨养老院老年护士看护新冠肺炎患者的情绪影响及经历。
设计
通过深度访谈为该项使用现象法开展的定性研究进行数据搜集。
方法
通过视频会议,以半结构化访谈为指导,对护士在履行护理职责时的经历和所面临的期望进行了探讨。我们遵循了定性研究统一报告标准(COREQ)。
结果
2020年4月,我们对来自于四个不同国家(西班牙、意大利、秘鲁及墨西哥)的护士进行了采访,并由此得到了三类情绪:对疫情的害怕、职业及专业承诺和情绪疲乏。
结论
全球的养老院,不论位于哪一国、哪一疫情阶段,在新冠肺炎疫情下,都出现了令人揪心的状况,养老院的护理人员筋疲力尽且不堪负荷。此时,在全球范围内,都迫切需要一套最恰当的养老院护理模式。
影响
老年护士对养老院的受关注度及护理模式改进提出了更高要求。
现需采取措施预防并消除大流行给工作人员,尤其是一线护士的精神健康所带来的影响。
Summary
Environmental conditions and the structure of the dormant cambium are assumed to affect seasonal patterns of cambial activity, hence controlling allocation of non‐structural carbohydrates ...(NSC) to growth. However, seasonal dynamics of xylogenesis, and their connections with NSC content and dormant cambium size, have been rarely assessed along an environmental gradient.
We monitored xylogenesis and leaf phenology during 2012 and 2013, and NSC in 2012, for the drought‐sensitive Quercus robur and the drought‐tolerant Quercus pyrenaica along a water‐availability gradient in the north‐western Iberian Peninsula, and analysed dependencies of xylem production and phenology on the number of cells in dormant cambium.
Study oak species showed comparable seasonal fluctuations in cambial activity and NSC content, despite Q. pyrenaica had a shorter growing season and a lower wood production than Q. robur. A sharp drop in spring NSC levels at all study sites evidenced that stored carbohydrates were crucial for earlywood formation. Under drier conditions, both species extended the growing period in spring and autumn, but reduced and even stopped xylogenesis in summer, showing an enhanced NSC accumulation before dormancy. A higher number of cells in dormant cambium of large dominant oaks accounted for their wider xylem increments and longer active periods.
Our study demonstrates that xylogenesis is modulated by predisposing effects of dormant cambium size on xylem production and growing season length. Moreover, the high plasticity of cambial activity in deciduous oaks would confer resistance against recurrent summer drought through the improvement of the NSC status.
A lay summary is available for this article.
Lay Summary
Antibiotics may be present in agricultural soils through the application of organic amendments as fertilizers or by irrigation of fields with recycled water. As a result of these agricultural ...practices, antibiotics in soil can lead to their uptake by plants, entering in this way the food chain. Studies on the levels of antibiotics in cereal samples are scarce in the available literature. In this work, an analytical method was developed for the determination of 19 antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and lincosamides) in four types of cereal grains (wheat, barley, rice, and oat). Ultrasound-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion was selected as extraction technique with recoveries of target analytes ranging from 73 to 127% for the four cereals analyzed. Limits of quantification obtained ranged from 0.8 to 5.8 ng g
−1
. Compared with methods described for the analysis of antibiotics in cereals, the developed method uses a lower volume of extraction solvent and very good recoveries were obtained for all compounds. The validated method was applied to the analysis of different types of cereals samples, harvested from agricultural fields or purchased from local supermarkets. The analysis of the five cereal samples grown in fields with 3 years of consecutive organic amendments revealed that none of the nineteen antibiotics selected were found in any sample. Eleven commercial samples of cereals of different types and presentations were analyzed and enrofloxacin was detected in one rice sample; the presence of enrofloxacin in cereals or its incorporation into crops from soil or water not previously reported.
Graphical abstract
Bisphenol analogues are compounds extensively used which have been potentially linked to adverse health effects. Nevertheless, few studies reported the analysis of compounds, other than bisphenol A, ...in environmental solid samples and none in soil samples. In this study, a rapid and sensitive analytical method is presented for the simultaneous determination of 13 bisphenols in soil samples. The method combines ultrasonic-assisted extraction of samples placed in small columns and GC-MS/MS analysis. Manual and on-line derivatizations were compared and results showed that significant higher chromatographic responses were achieved with on-line derivatization. Different parameters such as the quantity of derivatization agent, the extraction solvent, or the extraction time were assayed. The detection limits for all target bisphenols ranged from 0.04 to 0.27 ng g
−1
, for BPC and BPA, respectively. Analysis of spiked soil samples gave satisfactory recovery results, from 70 to 111%, for all the compounds. Finally, the validated method was applied to soil samples from several Spanish areas, and 3 of the 13 target bisphenols (BPAF, BPF, and BPA) were detected, although only BPF and BPA could be quantified with levels up to 127 ng g
−1
.
Graphical abstract
Schematic diagram of the developed method for the determination of bisphenol analogues
Gluten-free cereal products have grown in popularity in recent years as they are perceived as "healthier" alternatives and can be safely consumed by celiac patients, and people with gluten ...intolerance or wheat allergies. Molds that produce mycotoxins contaminate cereal crops, posing a threat to global food security. Maximum levels have been set for certain mycotoxins in cereal flours; however, little is known about the levels of emerging mycotoxins in these flours. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient, sensitive, and selective method for the detection of four emerging (beauvericin and enniatins A1, B, and B1) and three regulated (aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol) mycotoxins in gluten-free flours. Ultrasound-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion was used in the extraction of these mycotoxins from flour samples. The validated method was utilized for the LC-MS/MS analysis of conventional and organic wholegrain oat and rice flours. Six of the seven target mycotoxins were detected in these samples. Multi-mycotoxin contamination was found in all flour types, particularly in conventional wholegrain oat flour. Despite the low detection frequency in rice flour, one sample was found to contain zearalenone at a concentration of 83.2 μg/kg, which was higher than the level set by the European Commission for cereal flours. The emerging mycotoxins had the highest detection frequencies; enniatin B was present in 53% of the samples at a maximum concentration of 56 μg/kg, followed by enniatin B1 and beauvericin, which were detected in 46% of the samples, and at levels reaching 21 μg/kg and 10 μg/kg, respectively. These results highlight the need to improve the current knowledge and regulations on the presence of mycotoxins, particularly emerging ones, in gluten-free flours and cereal-based products.
The fungus Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of green mould rot, is the most destructive post‐harvest pathogen of citrus fruit in Mediterranean regions. In order to identify P. digitatum genes ...up‐regulated during the infection of oranges that may constitute putative virulence factors, we followed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA macroarray hybridization approach. The origin of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was determined by comparison against the available genome sequences of both organisms. Genes coding for fungal proteases and plant cell wall‐degrading enzymes represent the largest categories in the subtracted cDNA library. Northern blot analysis of a selection of P. digitatum genes, including those coding for proteases, cell wall‐related enzymes, redox homoeostasis and detoxification processes, confirmed their up‐regulation at varying time points during the infection process. Agrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated transformation was used to generate knockout mutants for two genes encoding a pectin lyase (Pnl1) and a naphthalene dioxygenase (Ndo1). Two independent P. digitatum Δndo1 mutants were as virulent as the wild‐type. However, the two Δpnl1 mutants analysed were less virulent than the parental strain or an ectopic transformant. Together, these results provide a significant advance in our understanding of the putative determinants of the virulence mechanisms of P. digitatum.
The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, ...while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments. In the same vein, several studies have shown that rodents infected with
Trypanosoma cruzi
(
T. cruzi
) display behavior abnormalities, accompanied by brain inflammation,
in situ
production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and parasitism in diverse cerebral areas, with involvement of microglia, macrophages, astrocytes, and neurons. However, the mechanisms used by the parasite to reach the brain remain now largely unknown. Herein we discuss the evidence unravelling the CNS involvement and complexity of neuroimmune interactions that take place in acute and chronic CD. Also, we provide some clues to hypothesize brain infections routes in human and experimental acute CD following oral infection by
T. cruzi
, an infection route that became a major CD related public health issue in Brazil.
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