Hunting ants are predators of organisms belonging to different trophic levels. Their presence, abundance, and diversity may reflect the diversity of other ants and contribute to evaluate habitat ...conditions. Between 2003 and 2005 the restoration of seven corridors in an Andean rural landscape of Colombia was performed. The restoration took place in lands that were formerly either forestry plantations or pasturelands. To evaluate restoration progress, hunting ants were intensely sampled for 7 yr, using sifted leaf litter and mini-Winkler, and pitfall traps in 21 plots classified into five vegetation types: forests, riparian forests, two types of restored corridors, and pasturelands. The ant communities were faithful to their habitat over time, and the main differences in ant composition, abundance, and richness were due to differences among land use types. The forests and riparian forests support 45% of the species in the landscape while the restored corridors contain between 8.3–25%. The change from forest to pasturelands represents a loss of 80% of the species. Ant composition in restored corridors was significantly different than in forests but restored corridors of soil of forestry plantations retained 16.7% more species than restored corridors from pasturelands. Ubiquitous hunting ants, Hypoponera opacior (Forel) and Gnamptogenys ca andina were usually associated with pastures and dominate restored corridors. Other cryptic, small, and specialized hunting ants are not present in the restored corridors. Results suggest that the history of land use is important for the biodiversity of hunting ants but also that corridors have not yet effectively contributed toward conservation goals.
In this study, central composite design and a response surface methodology are shown to be useful tools for medium optimization, in cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 42A2 using an industrial oil ...byproduct, for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production. The optimum medium composition for PHA production includes: 80 g/L of the carbon source; 18.2 g/L of NaNO3 and 3.3 g/L of K2HPO4/1.6 g/L KH2PO4 (R 2 = 0.989). The models were validated experimentally by cultivating Pseudomonas aeruginosa 42A2 in optimum media that yielded similar biomass (18.73 g/L) and PHA (4.63 g/L) concentrations to the predicted values. The optimized media showed an increase in biomass productivity from 0.06 to 0.39 g biomass/L h, and an increase in PHA productivity from 0.03 to 0.1 g PHA/L h.
We describe an encapsulation–dehydration procedure with prefreezing steps for the cryopreservation of rhizome bud explants of
Asparagus officinalis
L. cv. Morado de Huétor. With this procedure, ...survival of Rhizome buds was at least 84 and 42% developed to complete plantlets at 8 weeks. Flow cytometry and EST-SSR molecular markers were used to assess genetic stability of the regenerated material. Effects of preculture time in a medium rich in sucrose and prefreezing treatments (0 °C or/and − 20 °C) on plant recovery were evaluated. Rhizome Buds of the “Morado de Huétor” landrace were incubated in preculture medium (MS + 0.3 M sucrose) for 48 h, encapsulated in alginate beads and desiccated until a water content of 35%, prefrozen for one hour at 0 °C plus one hour at − 20 °C, followed by cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen, and then were rewarmed and recovered in ARBM medium for 6 weeks and finally incubated in ARBM-0 for 4 weeks. Analyses of ploidy and molecular stability of plantlets recovered from cryopreserved rhizome buds of two selected genotypes showed no differences compared with the mother plants. Cryopreservation of RB explants of
A. officinalis
with this Encapsulation–Dehydration procedure will be useful in long-term preservation programs.
Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a particular entity in the population of patients with hypopituitarism. Only rare cases have a known genetic cause.
i) To compare subgroups with or ...without extra-pituitary malformations (EPM) in a cohort of PSIS patients to identify predictive factors of evolution, ii) to determine the incidence of mutations of the known pituitary transcription factor genes in PSIS. Study design We analyzed features of 83 PSIS patients from 80 pedigrees and screened HESX1, LHX4, OTX2, and SOX3 genes.
PSIS had a male predominance and was rarely familial (5%). Pituitary hypoplasia was observed only in the group with EPM. Multiple hormone deficits were observed significantly more often with versus without EPM (87.5 vs 69.5% respectively). Posterior pituitary location along the stalk was a significant protective factor regarding severity of hormonal phenotype. A novel HESX1 causative mutation was found in a consanguineous family, and two LHX4 mutations were present in familial PSIS.
PSIS patients with EPM had a more severe hormonal disorder and pituitary imaging status, suggesting an antenatal origin. HESX1 or LHX4 mutations accounted for <5% of cases and were found in consanguineous or familial cases.
Polyploid plants have been induced in different Asparagus officinalis L. breeding programs in order to obtain plants with improved agronomical traits, such as large spear diameter or segregation ...ratios with a higher number of males. The polyploidization methods can produce somaclonal variation in the polyploid plants obtained and, therefore, unwanted changes in the agronomical traits of the initial elite plants. We used two different polyploidization methods to induce polyploid plants from diploid genotypes of commercial varieties and tetraploid genotypes of the Spanish landrace “Morado de Huétor”. The first method was the culture of rhizome buds in the medium ARBM-3 (Asparagus Rhizome Bud Medium), supplemented with different concentrations of colchicine (0.1–0.75 g l⁻¹) for 10 and 20 days. The best polyploidization rate obtained was 25 % (0.5 g l⁻¹ colchicine for 10 days). The second method was the regeneration of polyploid plants from callus culture, resulting in a polyploidization rate of 40 and 12.5 % for the diploid genotype CM077 and the tetraploid genotype HT156, respectively. Additionally, we have developed a new protocol to separate the mixoploids generated into their different genetic components, obtaining plants with a unique ploidy level. EST-SSRs markers were employed to analyze the genetic stability of polyploidy plants. Somaclonal variation was not detected for polyploidy plants obtained through the culture of rhizome bud explants. Therefore, these polyploid plants should maintain the agronomical traits of the initial elite plants. However, somaclonal variation was detected in the polyploid plants regenerated from callus culture.
Fish farm effluents are known to affect water quality and freshwater ecosystems, potentially harming non-target organisms and ecosystem processes. We studied the effect of fish farm effluents at ...different concentrations (3.125-100% v/v) on catalase (CAT) and glutathione S -transferase (GST) activity as well as the DNA integrity of Oncorhynchus mykiss fry over 24-120 h. Biochemical responses and DNA damage analysis were conducted to assess the impact. We found that fish farm effluent had higher conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, and total dissolved solids concentrations downstream compared to upstream of the farm. Interestingly, no antibiotics were detected in the effluent. CAT activity significantly increased in the fish liver at concentrations of 12.5, 50, and 100% of the effluent after 72 h. In the gills, a significant increase was observed at concentrations ranging from 6.25 to 100% of the effluent after both 24 and 72 h. GST activity increased significantly in the liver at a concentration of 100% of the effluent after 72 h and in the gills at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100% after 24 h, with a decrease noted at higher concentrations. DNA damage assessment revealed significant DNA strand breaks in blood cells at concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50, and 100% of the effluent after 120 h of exposure. The results demonstrate that fish farm effluents can induce oxidative stress, causing damage to DNA integrity in blood cells. Our findings emphasize the potential ecological risks posed by fish farm effluents to aquatic organisms.
Cognitive dysfunction is a core transdiagnostic domain of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and is a principal determinant of functional recovery. However, it has been insufficiently targeted within ...the current therapeutic framework for MDD.
To highlight these unmet cognitive needs in MDD.
An article search was conducted using PubMed from inception to November 2016: Major Depressive Disorder (and/or variant) was cross-referenced with the following terms: antidepressants, augmentation, cognition, cognitive deficits, cognitive dysfunction, functional outcomes, mechanism of action, and treatment. Articles informed by observational studies, clinical trials, and review articles relevant to the discussion of cognition and cognitive impairment in MDD were included for review. Additional terms and citations previously not identified in the initial search were obtained from a manual review of article reference lists.
Cognitive deficits in MDD are replicable, non-specific, and clinically significant. Abnormalities in the domains of learning/memory, executive function, attention, concentration, and processing speed are consistently reported. Only two antidepressants (i.e., duloxetine and vortioxetine) have established procognitive effects utilizing rigorous methodology in MDD. Most antidepressants improve cognitive function(s), but the extent to which they directly exert pro-cognitive effects is not yet understood.
Cognitive dysfunction in MDD is a principal determinant of patient-reported outcomes (e.g., psychosocial function). Healthcare providers are encouraged to screen for cognitive dysfunction in MDD and familiarize themselves with the efficacy profiles of antidepressants on disparate cognitive domains.
Octoploid genotypes of Asparagus officinalis L. cv. ‘Morado de Huetor’, a tetraploid Spanish landrace, were successfully induced by treating in vitro rhizome buds explants with colchicine. Pulses ...during 24 h with different concentrations of colchicine are able to induce polyploid plants, colchicine applied at 0.1 % induce a 7 % of octoploid genotypes with a stable ploidy level and a 3.5 % of mixoploid genotypes. The maximum rate of mixoploid genotypes (26 %) was obtained with 0.3 % colchicine. The plant survival and rooting rates of explants decrease for increasing doses of colchicine. All octoploid genotypes were micropropagated, rooted, transplanted and successfully acclimatized (100 %) in a glasshouse. The four octoploid plants recovered show significantly better agronomical parameters such as spear diameter, canopy area and shoot length than the original tetraploid plants and histological studies confirm the size increase of octoploid cells respect the original tetraploid cells.
Sleep disturbance and its daytime sequelae, which comprise complex, transdiagnostic sleep problems, are pervasive problems in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and are associated with negative ...outcomes. Effective interventions must be both evidence based and individually tailored. Some AYAs prefer self-management and digital approaches. Leveraging these preferences is helpful, given the dearth of AYA treatment providers trained in behavioral sleep medicine. We involved AYAs in the co-design of a behavioral, self-management, transdiagnostic sleep app called DOZE (Delivering Online Zzz's with Empirical Support).
This study tests the feasibility and acceptability of DOZE in a community AYA sample aged 15-24 years. The secondary objective is to evaluate sleep and related outcomes in this nonclinical sample.
Participants used DOZE for 4 weeks (2 periods of 2 weeks). They completed sleep diaries, received feedback on their sleep, set goals in identified target areas, and accessed tips to help them achieve their goals. Measures of acceptability and credibility were completed at baseline and end point. Google Analytics was used to understand the patterns of app use to assess feasibility. Participants completed questionnaires assessing fatigue, sleepiness, chronotype, depression, anxiety, and quality of life at baseline and end point.
In total, 83 participants created a DOZE account, and 51 completed the study. During the study, 2659 app sessions took place with an average duration of 3:02 minutes. AYAs tracked most days in period 1 (mean 10.52, SD 4.87) and period 2 (mean 9.81, SD 6.65), with a modal time of 9 AM (within 2 hours of waking). DOZE was appraised as highly acceptable (mode≥4) on the items "easy to use," "easy to understand," "time commitment," and "overall satisfaction" and was rated as credible (mode≥4) at baseline and end point across all items (logic, confident it would work, confident recommending it to a friend, willingness to undergo, and perceived success in treating others). The most common goals set were decreasing schedule variability (34/83, 41% of participants), naps (17/83, 20%), and morning lingering in bed (16/83, 19%). AYAs accessed tips on difficulty winding down (24/83, 29% of participants), being a night owl (17/83, 20%), difficulty getting up (13/83, 16%), and fatigue (13/83, 16%). There were significant improvements in morning lingering in bed (P=.03); total wake time (P=.02); sleep efficiency (P=.002); total sleep time (P=.03); and self-reported insomnia severity (P=.001), anxiety (P=.002), depression (P=.004), and energy (P=.01).
Our results support the feasibility, acceptability, credibility, and preliminary efficacy of DOZE. AYAs are able to set and achieve goals based on tailored feedback on their sleep habits, which is consistent with research suggesting that AYAs prefer autonomy in their health care choices and produce good results when given tools that support their autonomy.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03960294; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03960294.
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