Tyrosine nitration, a post‐translational modification (PTM) that takes place under nitrosative stress conditions, occurs through a non‐enzymatic peroxynitrite‐mediated reaction. Although protein ...nitration has long been considered an irreversible PTM involved in nitrosative stress‐associated diseases, it has also been suggested to be a regulatory mechanism of signal transduction. Therefore, the development of tools that help to understand this protein modification is of great interest. Herein, we explore a TbIII‐chelating metallopeptide to monitor tyrosine nitration. The luminescence of this probe decreases significantly between its non‐nitrated and nitrated states, and this reduction in the luminescence intensity is directly related to the degree of tyrosine nitration after treatment with peroxynitrite. Remarkably, the luminescence intensity changes after nitration are not affected in the presence of complex biological media, which makes it a promising tool for understanding this protein modification.
Tyrosine nitration has been suggested as a regulatory mechanism of signal transduction. Here we describe a TbIII‐metallopeptide whose luminescence response after peroxynitrite treatment is directly related to the degree of tyrosine nitration. Importantly, the luminescence changes after nitration are not affected in a complex biological medium, thus making it a promising tool for studying this protein modification.
Objectives
This study aimed: (a) to provide a detailed description of sleep, sedentary behavior (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over the ...complete 24‐hours period using raw acceleration data in older adults; and (b) to examine the differences in the 24‐hours activity cycle by sex, age, education, and body mass index (BMI).
Methods
Population‐based cohort comprising 3273 community‐dwelling individuals (1739 women), aged 71.8 ± 4.5 years, participating in the Seniors‐ENRICA‐2 study. Participants wore a wrist‐worn ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer for 7 consecutive days, and the raw signal was processed using the R‐package GGIR.
Results
Participants reached 21.5 mg as mean acceleration over the whole day; 32.3% (7.7 h/d) of time was classified as sleep, 53.2% (12.7 h/d) as SED, 10.4% (148.6 min/d) as LPA, and 4.1% (59.0 min/d) as MVPA. No marked differences were found in sleep‐related variables between socio‐demographic and BMI groups. However, women showed higher LPA but lower SED and MVPA than men. Moreover, SED increased whereas LPA and MVPA decreased with age. Participants with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) accumulated more SED and less LPA and MVPA than those without obesity. As expected, adherence to physical activity recommendations varied widely (9.2%‐76.6%) depending on the criterion of MVPA accumulation.
Conclusion
Objective assessment of the 24‐hour activity cycle provides extensive characterization of daily activities distribution in older adults and may inform health‐promotion interventions in this population. Women, the oldest old, and those with obesity offer relevant targets of strategies to improve lifestyle patterns.
In recent years, many studies have focused on the limiting role of mesophyll conductance (gm) to photosynthesis (An) under water stress, but no studies have examined the effect of drought on gm ...through the forest canopy. We investigated limitations to An on leaves at different heights in a mixed adult stand of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees during a moderately dry summer. Moderate drought decreased An of top and lowest beech canopy leaves much more than in leaves located in the mid canopy; whereas in oak, An of the lower canopy was decreased more than in sunlit leaves. The decrease of An was probably not due to leaf‐level biochemistry given that VCmax was generally unaffected by drought. The reduction in An was instead associated with reduction in stomatal and mesophyll conductances. Drought‐induced increases in stomatal limitations were largest in leaves from the top canopy, whereas drought‐induced increases in mesophyll limitations were largest in leaves from the lowest canopy. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the need to decompose the canopy into different leaf layers and to incorporate the limitation imposed by gm when assessing the impact of drought on the gas exchange of tree canopies.
Mesophyll conductance (gm) is now recognised as a key limitation of photosynthesis that should be incorporated into canopy‐level models of C exchange. Variation in gm through the canopy of trees has been investigated, but we do not know if water stress affects equally gm of all canopy layers. We investigated limitations to photosynthesis at different heights in a mixed adult stand of Quercus petraea and Fagus sylvatica trees during a moderately dry summer. Drought‐induced increases in stomatal limitations were largest in leaves from the top canopy, whereas drought‐induced increases in mesophyll limitations were largest in leaves from the lowest canopy.
• The aim of the study was to assess the potential importance for Mediterranean plants of trade-offs in the response to irradiance and water availability at the regeneration stage. • Survival and ...growth patterns across an experimentally imposed irradiance gradient (1, 6, 20 and 100% sunlight) were studied in seedlings of eight Mediterranean woody species, together with the impact of a simulated summer drought. • We found evidence of some of the trade-offs previously reported for non-Mediterranean plant communities, such as between survival in the shade and relative growth rate (RGR) at high light, but no evidence for others, such as between shade and drought tolerances. The impact of drought on survival and RGR was stronger in high light than in deep shade. • The observed species-specific differences in performance provide a mechanistic basis for niche differentiation at the regeneration stage, contributing to possible explanations of species coexistence in Mediterranean ecosystems.
Objective
To assess the association of physical activity (PA) type, volume, intensity, and changes over time with all‐cause mortality in older adults.
Methods
We used data from 3518 and 3273 older ...adults recruited in the Seniors‐ENRICA‐1 and 2 cohorts. PA was assessed with the EPIC questionnaire. Participants reported how many hours they spent a week in walking, cycling, gardening, do‐it‐yourself (DIY), sports, and housework. Then, time at each intensity (moderate PA MPA, vigorous PA VPA, moderate‐to‐vigorous PA MVPA and total PA) was calculated. Changes in PA were calculated from the date of the baseline interview to Wave 1. All‐cause mortality was ascertained up January 31, 2022. Analyses were performed with Cox regression models, adjusting for the main confounders.
Results
Walking, gardening, sports, and housework was associated with lower mortality (ranged 20%–46%). Also, MPA, VPA, MVPA was associated with lower risk of mortality (ranged 28%–53%). Analyses of PA change showed that, compared no PA participation (at baseline nor Wave 1), maintain walking, sports, and housework (ranged 28%–53%) and maintaining MPA, VPA, and MVPA (ranged 32%–36%) levels was linked to decreased mortality risk. Those who increased, maintained, or even decreased total PA had lower mortality (57%, 52%, and 36%, respectively) than those with consistently very low PA.
Conclusions
The lower mortality was observed in those with a high baseline level of total PA. Maintaining PA levels such as walking, gardening, and housework, or at all analyzed intensities, was related to lower mortality.
Climate change entails increasingly frequent, longer, and more severe droughts, especially in some regions, such as the Mediterranean region. Under these water scarcity conditions, agricultural ...yields of important crops, such as garlic, are threatened. Finding better adapted cultivars to low water availability environments could help mitigate the negative agricultural and economic impacts of climate change. For this purpose, plant phenotyping protocols based on remote-sensing technologies, such as thermal imaging, can be particularly valuable since they facilitate screening and selection of germplasm in a cost-effective manner, covering a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. In this study, the use of a thermal index known as the crop water stress index (CWSI) was tested as a predictor of bulb biomass and for the assessment of inter-cultivar variability of five garlic cultivars in response to a gradient of soil volumetric water contents (VWCs). Three experimental assays, one in the 2018 season and two in 2019, covering a wide range of water availability levels were carried out. Different linear models were developed, with CWSI and VWCs as continuous predictors of bulb biomass, and the factor cultivar as a categorical predictor. The results support the existence of inter-cultivar variation in terms of sensitivity to water availability. The most productive cultivars under favorable conditions were also the most sensitive to water availability. In contrast, the cultivars with lower bulb production potential displayed lower sensitivity to water availability and higher stability across experimental assays. The results also support that CWSI, which was sensitive to inter-cultivar variability, is a good predictor of garlic bulb biomass. Therefore, CWSI can be a valuable tool for garlic phenotyping and cultivar screening.
The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of positional data and the inter-unit reliability of an ultra-wide-band (UWB) tracking system. Four well-trained males performed five courses ...designed for the analysis of x- and y-coordinate accuracy analysis, specifically related to the positional distance variation between the UWB data and the fixed reference lines of a basketball court. This was achieved using geographic information system (GIS) mapping software that calculated, for each interval and participant, the distance from the main axis of displacement and from the opposite side of the court each 0.5 s (x and y coordinate). The accuracy of the results was satisfactory, with a mean absolute error of all estimations for the x-position of 5.2 ± 3.1 cm and for the y-position of 5.8 ± 2.3 cm. Regarding inter-unit reliability, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) value was high for the x-coordinate (0.65) and very high for the y-coordinate (0.85). The main findings of the study were: (i) The accuracy of UWB tracking systems can be considered suitable for practical applications in sport analyses; (ii) position estimations are very precise and acceptable for tactical analyses; (iii) the error of the position estimations does not change significantly across different courses; and (iv) the use of different devices does not significantly affect the measurement error.
The study aimed (a) to examine changes in physical activity (PA) during the whole day, school hours, recess, and physical education classes (PEC) during a 2‐year period in primary and secondary ...students; (b) to identify changes in the proportion of compliance with specific PA recommendations for these periods; and (c) to examine whether PA levels at baseline are associated with PA levels 2 years later. Eight hundred and fourteen (51.8% boys) children and 658 (50.1% boys) adolescents from 41 Spanish schools participated in the study. Hip‐worn accelerometers were used to assess PA during different time periods. Light PA (LPA) declined during the whole day, school hours, recess (all P < 0.001, except child girls for recess), and PEC (all, P < 0.05) in children and adolescents. Moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA) during the whole day and recess declined in child boys (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively) and adolescent boys (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). MVPA during PEC declined in adolescent boys (P < 0.001) and adolescent girls (all P < 0.05). The proportion of compliance with the specific PA recommendations for these periods declined (P < 0.05), except for PEC in adolescent girls. PA during the whole day at baseline was moderately associated with PA during the whole day years later (ICCs = 0.210‐0.544, with one exception), but this association was lower for the school‐based PA. In conclusion, time spent in MVPA and LPA during the whole day and recess declined over time in child and adolescent boys and during PEC in adolescents. These findings highlight the need to promote PA interventions in these settings.
There is an increasing interest in understanding the role of epigenetic variability in forest species and how it may contribute to their rapid adaptation to changing environments. In this study we ...have conducted a genome-wide analysis of cytosine methylation pattern in Pinus pinea, a species characterized by very low levels of genetic variation and a remarkable degree of phenotypic plasticity. DNA methylation profiles of different vegetatively propagated trees from representative natural Spanish populations of P. pinea were analyzed with the Methylation Sensitive Amplified Polymorphism (MSAP) technique. A high degree of cytosine methylation was detected (64.36% of all scored DNA fragments). Furthermore, high levels of epigenetic variation were observed among the studied individuals. This high epigenetic variation found in P. pinea contrasted with the lack of genetic variation based on Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data. In this manner, variable epigenetic markers clearly discriminate individuals and differentiates two well represented populations while the lack of genetic variation revealed with the AFLP markers fail to differentiate at both, individual or population levels. In addition, the use of different replicated trees allowed identifying common polymorphic methylation sensitive MSAP markers among replicates of a given propagated tree. This set of MSAPs allowed discrimination of the 70% of the analyzed trees.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The manner in which imaging patterns change over the disease course and with increasing disability in dysferlinopathy is not fully understood.
Methods: Fibroadipose ...infiltration of 61 muscles was scored based on whole‐body MRI of 33 patients with dysferlinopathy and represented in a heatmap. We trained random forests to predict disease duration, Motor Function Measure dimension 1 (MFM‐D1), and modified Rankin scale (MRS) score based on muscle scoring and selected the most important muscle for predictions.
Results: The heatmap delineated positive and negative fingerprints in dysferlinopathy. Disease duration was related to infiltration of infraspinatus, teres major–minor, and supraspinatus muscles. MFM‐D1 decreased with higher infiltration of teres major–minor, triceps, and sartorius. MRS related to infiltration of vastus medialis, gracilis, infraspinatus, and sartorius.
Discussion: Dysferlinopathy shows a recognizable muscle MRI pattern. Fibroadipose infiltration in specific muscles of the thigh and the upper limb appears to be an important marker for disease progression. Muscle Nerve 59:436–444, 2019
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