Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem-service provision will increasingly depend on the existence of secondary vegetation. Our success in achieving these goals will be determined by our ability to ...accurately estimate the structure and diversity of such communities at broad geographic scales. We examined whether the texture (the spatial variation of the image elements) of very high-resolution satellite imagery can be used for this purpose. In 14 fallows of different ages and one mature forest stand in a seasonally dry tropical forest landscape, we estimated basal area, canopy cover, stem density, species richness, Shannon index, Simpson index, and canopy height. The first six attributes were also estimated for a subset comprising the tallest plants. We calculated 40 texture variables based on the red and the near infrared bands, and EVI and NDVI, and selected the best-fit linear models describing each vegetation attribute based on them. Basal area (R(2) = 0.93), vegetation height and cover (0.89), species richness (0.87), and stand age (0.85) were the best-described attributes by two-variable models. Cross validation showed that these models had a high predictive power, and most estimated vegetation attributes were highly accurate. The success of this simple method (a single image was used and the models were linear and included very few variables) rests on the principle that image texture reflects the internal heterogeneity of successional vegetation at the proper scale. The vegetation attributes best predicted by texture are relevant in the face of two of the gravest threats to biosphere integrity: climate change and biodiversity loss. By providing reliable basal area and fallow-age estimates, image-texture analysis allows for the assessment of carbon sequestration and diversity loss rates. New and exciting research avenues open by simplifying the analysis of the extent and complexity of successional vegetation through the spatial variation of its spectral information.
The potential role of
Blastocystis
as a pathogen is controversial because it is found in both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. Since Cathepsin B has been identified as a main virulence factor ...that contributes to the pathogenesis of this parasite, the purpose of this study was to analyze the genetic polymorphisms of
cathepsin B
from
Blastocystis
from patients with irritable bowel syndrome and from asymptomatic carriers. DNA from fecal samples of both groups, which were previously genotyped by 18S sequencing, was used to amplify a fragment of the
cathepsin B
gene. Phylogenetic reconstructions were performed and some genetic population indexes were obtained. Amplicons of 27 samples (15 cases, 10 controls, and two commercial ATCC strains) were obtained and analyzed. Phylogenetic reconstructions using nucleotides or inferred amino acid sequences did not separate between cases or controls or among subtypes. Regarding the values of genetic variability, we found that the haplotype and nucleotide diversity indexes of
cathepsin B
from cases and controls were similar to the values of 18S from controls. By contrast, 18S from cases showed low variability, suggesting that the genetic variability of
cathepsin B
was not related to the symptomatology of
Blastocystis
carriers. However, since no polymorphisms related to cases or controls were found, it is logical to assume that the potential damage caused by
Blastocystis
in situ may be due to unclear mechanisms of Cathepsin B regulation and expression that should be studied in future studies.
A cancer research training program explored different approaches for staffing their in-person and virtual programs for high school students. The inclusion of undergraduate near-peer mentors had a ...universal benefit when implemented across in-person and virtual training programs of one- and ten-week durations. Benefits are described for four stakeholder groups: the high school trainees, program staff, scientist partners, and peer mentors themselves. Peer mentors described that their involvement enhanced their own professional development and, for some, drove a new interest in cancer research. Scientist partners described that peer mentors helped translate their work in the virtual environment for high school students. High school trainees reported their sessions with peer mentors to be one of their favorite parts of the program. Interprofessional peer mentors were highly relatable to students and modeled communication and paths in biomedical research. Staff reported that peer mentors supported student engagement during community shadowing sessions, allowing staff to focus on developing the shadowing experiences with partners. The benefit of including peer mentors was substantial from all viewpoints explored. Their intensive inclusion in cancer research training programs supports sustainability and capacity building in biomedical workforce development.
Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an Organophosphorous pesticide (OP) that has been widely used for both agricultural and domestic pest control. To date, there is little information regarding the effects of this ...pesticide on aquatic organisms, particularly oysters. The aim of this study was to evaluate Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and Micronucleus (MN) frequency in the oyster Crassostrea corteziensis in laboratory exposure with CPF (20, 40, 60, 80, and 160 μg/L) and in a field study. The results showed that AChE was reduced 60 - 82 % in oysters exposed to CPF, relative to the negative control. Similar AChE results were observed in oysters collected from the Boca de Camichín Estuary in Nayarit, Mexico; with respect to genetic damage, evaluated through MN, treatment with CPF did not induce the MN frequency, nor did the oyster from the field study exhibit an increase in this biomarker. These results suggest that C. corteziensis is a sensitive model for evaluating the acute toxicity of OP in laboratory studies as well in the field. In addition, it generates prospects on studying mechanisms through which the oyster could possess resistance to genotoxic agents, as well as its being a reliable model for evaluating the genotoxic effects of xenobiotics through the MN technique.
A body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m(2) and a waist circumference (WC) ≥80 cm in women (WCF) or ≥90 cm in men (WCM) are reference cardiometabolic risk markers (CMM) for Mexicans adults. However, their ...reliability to predict other CMM (index tests) in young Mexicans has not been studied in depth.
A cross-sectional descriptive study evaluating several anthropometric, physiological and biochemical CMM from 295 young Mexicans was performed. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp) and Youden's index (J) of reference BMI/WC cutoffs toward other CMM (n = 14) were obtained and their most reliable cutoffs were further calculated at Jmax.
Prevalence, incidence and magnitude of most CMM increased along the BMI range (p < 0.01). BMI explained 81 % of WC's variance Se (97 %), Sp (71 %), J (68 %), Jmax (86 %), BMI = 30 kg/m(2) and 4-50 % of other CMM. The five most prevalent (≥71 %) CMM in obese subjects were high WC, low HDL-C, and three insulin-related CMM Fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and QUICKI. For a BMI = 30 kg/m(2), J ranged from 16 % (HDL-C/LDL-C) to 68 % (WC), being moderately reliable (Jmax = 61-67) to predict high uric acid (UA), metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the hypertriglyceridemic-waist phenotype (HTGW). Corrected WCM/WCF were moderate-highly reliable (Jmax = 66-90) to predict HTGW, MetS, fasting glucose and UA. Most CMM were moderate-highly predicted at 27 ± 3 kg/m(2) (CI 95 %, 25-28), 85 ± 5 cm (CI 95 %, 82-88) and 81 ± 6cm (CI 95 %, 75-87), for BMI, WCM and WCF, respectively.
BMI and WC are good predictors of several CMM in the studied population, although at different cutoffs than current reference values.
Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands. Soluble Fas receptor (sFas) has been suggested as a ...Fas-mediated apoptosis blocker that could impair clonal deletion in infiltrated autoreactive cells. The FAS -670A>G promoter polymorphism has been studied in pSS. However, a relationship between FAS -670A>G promoter polymorphism and sFas levels in pSS had not been found. We examined this relationship in 77 Mexican pSS patients and 84 healthy subjects were included. Genotypes were identified by PCR-RFLP, and Fas soluble levels were quantified by ELISA. No significant differences between allele and genotype frequencies were found between these two groups. The sFas levels in the serum of pSS patients were significantly higher than in controls (9961 vs 8840 pg/mL, respectively). In addition, AA genotype carriers had significantly higher levels of sFas than GG carriers (pSS: 10,763 and 9422 pg/mL; controls: 9712 and 8305 pg/mL, respectively). An additive model analysis between genotypes (AG+GG vs AA) in both groups, demonstrated a significant association between carriers of the A allele and high sFas levels. In conclusion, carrying the double dose of A allele of FAS -670A>G polymorphism is associated with high levels of sFas in pSS, but it is not a susceptibility marker for pSS.
Cadmium, lead and cadmium–lead (1:10) induced apoptosis were studied using mallard blood cells. The allowable range in concentrations were: 0.01–0.5, 0.1–5.0, and 0.01:0.10–0.50:5.00mM, for cadmium, ...lead and cadmium–lead, respectively. The lowest EC50 achieved was for cadmium (0.22±0.04mM). Two doses from each treatment group were chosen to study apoptosis and the presence of metals in cells. The percentage of apoptotic cells increased as the concentration of metals increased. The percentage of cells with intracellular metals was high for both exposure levels and the quantity of intracellular metal was greater for exposure to high concentrations. Morphological alterations for all types of exposure were related to the diverse range of effects that these metals have on membranes. We suggest that the decrease in the number of erythrocytes observed in specimens suffering from lead and cadmium poisoning is related to the induction of apoptosis.
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