•Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is one of the most important mechanisms for calcium entry in non-excitable cells and plays a key role in modulating the calcium concentration in the endoplasmic ...reticulum.•The use of super-resoluton microscopy has facilitated the direct visualization of a novel cellular structure, known as the endoplasmic reticulum / plasma membrane (ER-PM) junction. In these structures are assembled the main components of the so-called store-operated calcium influx complex (SOCIC).•Many proteins associated with calcium homeostasis are targeted to the ER-PM junction, including the main components of SOCE (STIM1 and Orai1), IP3R, SERCA and channels like TRPV1 and others.•Super-resoluton microscopy allow the visualization of calcium nanodomains produced by the entry of calcium via individual TRPV1 channels, facilitating correlation studies between single channel currents (obtained with patch clamp) combined with calcium imaging (using genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI)) in simultaneous measurements.•The calcium nanodomains resulting from calcium entry via individual TRPV1 channels play a crucial role in inducing calcium-dependent inactivation of neighboring Orai1 channels.
The use of a variety of techniques based on super-resolution (SR) microscopy unveiled a close and complex relationship between cytoskeleton reorganization and SOCE. By using SR microscopy many new proteins involved in SOCE regulation have been identified over the last few years. Many enigmas remain unsolved in this highly dynamic field, however, recent developments in SR microscopy promise new answers soon. In the present review, we describe the most relevant findings in SOCE components and SOCE modulation using different methods derived from SR microscopy.
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The latest advances in green alternatives are being addressed with bio-based solutions, with uses and applications in new areas due to their wide potential, low cost, lightness, renewability, ...biodegradability, impact toughness, fatigue resistance, and other specific properties. Natural fibers are sustainable materials that have led researchers to test their viability as alternative reinforcements in residual polymers to meet required engineering specifications; therefore, it is essential to continue making progress in replacing conventional materials. This review is expected to provide an overview of the current scopes and future prospects of biocomposites from polymers reinforced with natural fibers with a focus on the following: i. recycling of residual polymers; ii. available natural fibers and their components in the context of engineering applications; iii. the behavior of the structural modifications of the natural fibers with the physical and chemical treatments in the matrix interaction as reinforcements of the residual polymers; and iv. applications for the development of innovative, efficient, and sustainable solutions for successful, environmentally responsible products.
Liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive alternative to tissue-based evaluation of mutational status in cancer. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the aggregate performance of OncoBEAM ...RAS mutation analysis in plasma of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at 10 hospital laboratories in Spain where this technology is routinely implemented.
Circulating cell-free DNA from plasma was examined for RAS mutations using the OncoBEAM platform at each hospital laboratory. Results were then compared to those obtained from DNA extracted from tumour tissue from the same patient.
The overall percentage agreement between plasma-based and tissue-based RAS mutation testing of the 236 participants was 89% (210/236; kappa, 0.770 (95% CI: 0.689-0.852)). Re-analysis of tissue from all discordant cases by BEAMing revealed two false negative and five false positive tumour tissue RAS results, with a final concordance of 92%. Plasma false negative results were found more frequently in patients with exclusive lung metastatic disease.
In this first prospective real-world RAS mutation performance comparison study, a high overall agreement was observed between results obtained from plasma and tissue samples. Overall, these findings indicate that the plasma-based BEAMing assay is a viable solution for rapid delivery of RAS mutation status to determine mCRC patient eligibility for anti-EGFR therapy.
Applying differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to identify feasible biomarkers in diseases can be a hard task when working with heterogeneous datasets. Expression data are strongly influenced by ...technology, sample preparation processes, and/or labeling methods. The proliferation of different microarray platforms for measuring gene expression increases the need to develop models able to compare their results, especially when different technologies can lead to signal values that vary greatly. Integrative meta-analysis can significantly improve the reliability and robustness of DEG detection. The objective of this work was to develop an integrative approach for identifying potential cancer biomarkers by integrating gene expression data from two different platforms. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where there is an urgent need to find new biomarkers due its late diagnosis, is an ideal candidate for testing this technology. Expression data from two different datasets, namely Affymetrix and Illumina (18 and 36 PDAC patients, respectively), as well as from 18 healthy controls, was used for this study. A meta-analysis based on an empirical Bayesian methodology (ComBat) was then proposed to integrate these datasets. DEGs were finally identified from the integrated data by using the statistical programming language R. After our integrative meta-analysis, 5 genes were commonly identified within the individual analyses of the independent datasets. Also, 28 novel genes that were not reported by the individual analyses ('gained' genes) were also discovered. Several of these gained genes have been already related to other gastroenterological tumors. The proposed integrative meta-analysis has revealed novel DEGs that may play an important role in PDAC and could be potential biomarkers for diagnosing the disease.
Access to freshwater in developing regions remains a significant concern, particularly in arid and semiarid areas with limited annual precipitation. Groundwater, a vital resource in these regions, ...faces dual threats—climate change and unsustainable exploitation. This study analyzes changes in land use, vegetation cover, and hydrogeological parameters in Catacocha parish, situated in the southern Ecuadorian Andes region. The methodology incorporates the integration of data from the Paltas Municipality, Ministerio del Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica—MAATE—and Instituto Geográfico Militar—IGM. Utilizing GIS tools, vegetation analysis is combined with a comparative assessment of discharge data spanning from 2000 to 2022. The data from the MAATE and IGM play an instrumental role in evaluating alterations in vegetation cover across the years. The study also examines the characteristic curves of the wells and their coefficient of storage. Additionally, it assesses the role of vegetation in facilitating infiltration and explores the potential relationship with precipitation patterns in the study area. In semiarid regions, prioritizing the management of natural vegetation is essential, either through conservation projects or reforestation plans throughout the year. Moreover, population emigration has revitalized land use, reserving specific areas for conservation. The transformation observed in the wells supplying the parish of Catacocha and its vegetation cover from 2000 to 2022 serves as a demonstration of this change. Discharge data remain essential for monitoring variations in well discharge and ensuring a consistent daily supply of potable water.
For humankind to survive, access to sufficient and safe drinking water is fundamental. This study explores the connection between rising domestic water consumption and planetary phenomena, such as ...rapid population growth, climate change, and pandemics. To achieve the study’s objectives, it provides a thorough forecast of water use, considering probable global scenarios for the years 2030 and 2050. The modeling approach is adapted from a consistent case study taken from the body of scientific literature on water supply hydraulics. The study’s results highlight the necessity for proactive and flexible management strategies for water resources. Notably, it observes significant alterations in water supply management to adjust water allocation due to the unanticipated and ongoing increase in consumer demand. The forecasted scenarios indicate potential difficulties that may arise in meeting rising domestic water demand amid planetary phenomena. The presented results offer valuable insights to policymakers and water supply authorities, enabling them to effectively address the rising domestic water demand while considering potential adverse conditions, ensuring a sustainable water supply for future generations.
El objetivo de este artículo es analizar los proyectos que las provincias del Reino de Guatemala enviaron a las Cortes de Cádiz. Se pretende matizar la teoría de la búsqueda de la autonomía frente a ...España usada para interpretar la acción de los diputados americanos en aquellas Cortes, en específico en lo referente a los proyectos. Al ser un tema poco estudiado, la mayor parte de las fuentes son de archivo, tratadas temáticamente por medio de una base de datos. El resultado ha ayudado a comprender mejor que la motivación no era la búsqueda de una autonomía frente a España sino una lucha para hacerse del poder a nivel interno por razones económicas, así como responder el porqué, a pesar de que la emancipación llegó sin derramamiento de sangre, estas provincias se dividieron hasta hacer fracasar al sistema
Objetivo. Estimar la seroprevalencia de la Neospora caninum en caninos de áreas rurales del departamento de Córdoba, Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio de tipo descriptivo ...exploratorio de corte transversal a conveniencia en 180 perros de 5 municipios del departamento de Córdoba. Las muestras tomadas fueron de sueros sanguíneos y analizados mediante la técnica de ELISA competitiva utilizando para ello el kit comercial ID Screen® Neospora caninum Competition (LMV S.A.S.). Resultados. La seropositividad general de anticuerpos contra N. caninum fue de 1,61% (3/180). En cuanto a la variable sexo, se obtuvo una frecuencia en machos del 1.92% (2/104) y hembras del 1.31% (1/76). En cuanto al grupo etario se obtuvo que la seropositividad a N. caninum únicamente en el grupo de adultos 3.61% (3/83), en la variable estado reproductivo y raza se evidenció que los individuos seropositivos fueron mestizos (3/173) y enteros (3/177), el grupo de talla grande fueron los únicos con seropositividad 7,69% (3/39). Conclusión. A pesar de ser una seropositividad muy baja con relación a otros estudios nacionales, permite evidenciar la presencia de N. caninum en el departamento de Córdoba y región Caribe, al ser el primer estudio en caninos.
The growing population is creating a rising demand for water, particularly in developing countries. As the urban population seeks to improve their standard of living, the authorities responsible for ...providing domestic utility services face increased pressure to provide higher-quality and secure services. To meet this challenge, the performance of all systems must be improved, and a better understanding of user behavior and water consumption patterns must be achieved. Modern routing and water quality models need accurate demand information. This research will analyze household water consumption patterns over time and their correlation with pressure levels. The results will inform a new methodology for managing and delivering services, considering the global error of gauges in the study area. The goal is to ensure sufficient and effective capacity to provide appropriate services for community development.
The orchid Prosthechea karwinskii is a medicinal orchid in Oaxaca, Mexico, used to treat diabetes, cough, wounds, and burns, prevent miscarriage and assist in labor. Each part of the plant (leaves, ...pseudobulbs, or flowers) is used by healers for certain treatment conditions, indicating that each part has different biocompounds with specific pharmacological activity.
To characterize the biocompounds in extracts from leaves, pseudobulbs, and flowers of P. karwinskii and evaluate their ROS inhibition capacity to associate it with medicinal uses.
The compounds present in extracts from leaves, pseudobulbs, and flowers of P. karwinskii were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS. The chemical differentiation of each extract was tested by principal component analysis (PCA) using compound intensity values. For each extract, total phenol and flavonoid contents were quantified. Their antioxidant capacity was evaluated ex vivo by inhibition of ROS with DCFH-DA and in vitro with DPPH radical.
Based on the PCA, it was observed that some compounds were completely separated from others according to the correlation that they presented. The compounds common to all three plant parts were quinic, malic, succinic, azelaic, and pinellic acids. Among the compounds identified, two were exclusive to leaves, four to pseudobulbs, and ten to flowers. Some of the identified compounds have well-known antioxidant activity. The leaves had the highest content of total phenols and flavonoids, and the highest in vitro and ex vivo antioxidant capacity. A strong correlation was observed between phenol and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant capacity ex vivo and in vitro.
It was found that the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of each part of the plant were associated with its traditional medicinal use. A pharmacological potential was also found in P. karwinskii for further biological studies because of the type of compounds it contained.
•Compounds common and specific to each plant part were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS.•The biological activities reported for the identified compounds validate the traditional medicinal use of P. karwinskii.•Embelin (inflammation) is exclusive to leaves, phloridzin (diabetes) to pseudobulbs, and abscisic acid (in labor) to flowers.•In the literature, the antioxidant compounds are rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, embelin, guanosine, and azelaic acid.•Pearson's correlation coefficients indicate that a higher content of phenols and flavonoids has a higher antioxidant capacity.
Phenols; Flavonoids; DCFH-DA; Antioxidant; Orchid; Traditional medicine.
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