Two-Dimensional MoS2 Nanosheets Derived from Cathodic Exfoliation for Lithium Storage Applications.

The preparation of 2H-phase MoS2 thin nanosheets by electrochemical delamination remains a challenge, despite numerous efforts in this direction. In this work, by choosing appropriate intercalating cations for cathodic delamination, the insertion process was facilitated, leading to a higher degree of exfoliation while maintaining the original 2H-phase of the starting bulk MoS2 material. Specifically, trimethylalkylammonium cations were tested as electrolytes, outperforming their bulkier tetraalkylammonium counterparts, which have been the focus of past studies. The performance of novel electrochemically derived 2H-phase MoS2 nanosheets as electrode material for electrochemical energy storage in lithium-ion batteries was investigated. The lower thickness and thus higher flexibility of cathodically exfoliated MoS2 promoted better electrochemical performance compared to liquid-phase and ultrasonically assisted exfoliated MoS2, both in terms of capacity (447 vs. 371 mA·h·g-1 at 0.2 A·g-1) and rate capability (30% vs. 8% capacity retained when the current density was increased from 0.2 A·g-1 to 5 A·g-1), as well as cycle life (44% vs. 17% capacity retention at 0.2 A·g-1 after 580 cycles). Overall, the present work provides a convenient route for obtaining MoS2 thin nanosheets for their advantageous use as anode material for lithium storage.

Angiotensinergic effect of ß-Caryophyllene on Lipopolysaccharide- induced systemic inflammation.

Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) is a peptidergic system, canonically known for its role in blood pressure regulation. Furthermore, a non-canonical RAS regulates pathophysiological phenomena, such as inflammation since it consists of two main axes: the pro-inflammatory renin/(pro)renin receptor ((P)RR) axis, and the anti-inflammatory angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7))/Mas Receptor (MasR) axis. Few phytochemicals have shown to exert angiotensinergic and anti-inflammatory effects through some of these axes; nevertheless, anti-inflammatory drugs, such as phytocannabinoids have not been studied regarding this subject. Among phytocannabinoids, ß-Caryophyllene stands out as a dietary phytocannabinoid with antiphlogistic activity that possess a unique sesquiterpenoid structure. Although its cannabinergic effect has been studied, its angiotensinergic effect reminds underexplored. This study aims to explore the angiotensinergic effect of ß-Caryophyllene on inflammation and stress at a systemic level. After intranasal Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) installation and oral treatment with ß-Caryophyllene, the concentration and activity of key RAS elements in the serum, such as Renin, ACE2 and Ang-(1-7), along with the stress hormone corticosterone and pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines, were measured in mice serum. The results show that ß-Caryophyllene treatment modified RAS levels by increasing Renin and Ang-(1-7), alongside the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and corticosterone levels. These results indicate that ß-Caryophyllene exhibits angiotensinergic activity in favor of anti-inflammation.

Peanut smut in Argentina: an analysis of the disease, advances and challenges.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a globally high-value food crop, with Argentina ranking the third position in global peanut exports. However, Argentine peanut production faces a severe threat from a fungal disease: peanut smut caused by Thecaphora frezzii. This disease is particularly prevalent in Córdoba Province, where recent surveys have documented a gradual increase in prevalence and incidence of peanut smut, becoming a significant challenge to peanut production. First identified in Brazil in the 1960s in wild peanut and later in Argentina in 1995 in commercial peanut field, the disease has rapidly spread due to distinctive pathogen characteristics, including lack of visible symptoms on aerial plant parts, spore spread and survival, and a lack of proactive efforts to develop and apply management strategies. This results in gradually accumulating teliospores of T. frezzii in soil, further intensifying the problem in subsequent growing seasons, increasing the intensity of the disease and resulting in reduced yield and quality. This review summarizes recent research on peanut smut, focusing on disease assessment, molecular characterization, diagnosis and detection, epidemiology, host range and environmental conditions, and the latest advancements in management approaches, including fungicide spraying, breeding programs, cultural management and biological control, aimed to enhance understanding and support effective disease management strategies in peanut production systems.

Optimizing perinatal wellbeing in pregnancy with obesity: a clinical trial with a multi-component nutrition intervention for prevention of gestational diabetes and infant growth and neurodevelopment impairment.

Pregnancy complicated by obesity represents an increased risk of unfavorable perinatal outcomes such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, preterm birth, and impaired fetal growth, among others. Obesity is associated with deficiencies of micronutrients, and pregnant women with obesity may have higher needs. The intrauterine environment in pregnancies complicated with obesity is characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress, where maternal nutrition and metabolic status have significant influence and are critical in maternal health and in fetal programming of health in the offspring later in life. Comprehensive lifestyle interventions, including intensive nutrition care, are associated with a lower risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Routine supplementation during pregnancy includes folic acid and iron; other nutrient supplementation is recommended for high-risk women or women in low-middle income countries. This study is an open label randomized clinical trial of parallel groups (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry: UMIN000052753, https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000060194) to evaluate the effect of an intensive nutrition therapy and nutrient supplementation intervention (folic acid, iron, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, myo-inositol and micronutrients) in pregnant women with obesity on the prevention of GDM, other perinatal outcomes, maternal and newborn nutritional status, and infant growth, adiposity, and neurodevelopment compared to usual care. Given the absence of established nutritional guidelines for managing obesity during pregnancy, there is a pressing need to develop and implement new nutritional programs to enhance perinatal outcomes.

Draft genome sequence data of Nothopassalora personata, peanut foliar pathogen from Argentina.

Late leaf spot (LLS) caused by the Ascomycete Nothopassalora personata (N.p.) (Syn. Cercosporidium personatum) is the main foliar disease of peanuts in Argentina and in peanut producing areas of the world, causing up to 70% yield losses. The extremely slow growth of this fungus in culture, that takes around one month to form a 1 cm colony (0.45 mm/day), and the lack of adequate young tissues from where to extract nucleic acids, have hindered genetic studies of this pathogen. Here, we report the first genome sequence of a N. personata isolate from South America, as well as genetic variants on its conserved genes, and the complete sequence of its mating-type locus MAT1-2 idiomorph. The N. personata isolate IPAVE 0302 was obtained from peanut leaves in Córdoba, Argentina. The whole genome sequencing of IPAVE 0302 was performed as paired end 150 bp NovaSeq 6000 and de novo assembled. Clean reads were mapped to the reference genome for this species NRRL 64463 and the genetic variants on highly conserved genes and throughout the genome were analyzed. Sequencing data were submitted to NCBI GenBank Bioproject PRJNA948451, accession number SRR23957761. Additional Fasta files are available from Harvard Dataverse (https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/9AGPMG and https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/YDO3V6). The data reported here will be the basis for the analysis of genetic diversity of the LLS pathogen of peanut in Argentina, information that is critical to make decisions on management strategies.

Picarbutrazox effectiveness added to a seed treatment mixture for management of Oomycetes that impact soybean in Ohio.

None of the current oomycota fungicides are effective towards all species of Phytophthora, Phytopythium, Globisporangium, and Pythium that affect soybean seed and seedlings in Ohio. Picarbutrazox is a new oomyceticide with a novel mode of action towards Oomycete pathogens. Our objectives were to evaluate picarbutrazox to determine i) baseline sensitivity (EC50) to 189 isolates of 29 species, ii) the efficacy with a base seed treatment with three cultivars with different levels of resistance in 14 field environments; and iii) if the rhizosphere microbiome was affected by the addition of the seed treatment on a moderately susceptible cultivar. The mycelial growth of all isolates was inhibited beginning at 0.001µg and the EC50 ranged from 0.0013 to 0.0483 µg a.i. ml-1. The effect of seed treatment was significantly different for plant population and yield in 8 of 14 and 6 of 12 environments, respectively. The addition of picarbutrazox at 1 and 2.5 g a.i. 100 kg seed-1 to the base seed treatment compared to the base alone was associated with higher plant populations and yield in 3 and 1 environment, respectively. There was limited impact of the seed treatment mefenoxam 7.5 g a.i. plus picarbutrazox 1 g a.i. per 100 kg seed-1 on the oomycetes detected in the rhizosphere of soybean seedlings collected at the V1 growth stage. Picarbutrazox has efficacy towards a wider range of oomycetes that cause disease on soybean and this will be another oomyceticide tool to combat early season damping-off in areas where environmental conditions highly favor disease development.

Gestational Weight Gain Is Associated with the Expression of Genes Involved in Inflammation in Maternal Visceral Adipose Tissue and Offspring Anthropometric Measures.

BACKGROUND: Adequate gestational weight gain (GWG) is essential for maternal and fetal health. GWG may be a sign of higher visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accretion. A higher proportion of VAT is associated with an inflammatory process that may play a role in the fetal programming of obesity. This study aimed to (1) compare the expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses (TLR2, TLR4, NFκB, IKKß, IL-1RA, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) in the VAT of pregnant women according to GWG and (2) explore whether VAT inflammation and GWG are related to offspring anthropometric measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 50 women scheduled for cesarean section who delivered term infants were included in the study. We collected maternal omental VAT, and the expression of genes was examined with RT-qPCR. RESULTS: Women with excessive and with adequate GWG had significantly higher expressions of most inflammatory genes than women with insufficient GWG. Neonates from mothers with excessive GWG had greater birth weight and chest circumference than those from mothers with insufficient GWG. GWG was positively correlated with fetal birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: The VAT expression of most genes associated with inflammatory pathways was higher in excessive and adequate GWG than in pregnant women with insufficient GWG. Moreover, GWG was found to be positively associated with newborn weight.

Excessive Pregestational Weight and Maternal Obstetric Complications: The Role of Adipokines.

There is a high frequency of overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age. Women who start pregnancy with overweight or obesity have an increased risk of developing maternal obstetric complications such as gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, postpartum hemorrhage, and requiring C-section to resolve the pregnancy with a higher risk of C-section surgical site infection. Excessive weight in pregnancy is characterized by dysregulation of adipokines, the functions of which partly explain the predisposition of pregnant women with overweight or obesity to these maternal obstetric complications. This review compiles, organizes, and analyzes the most recent studies on adipokines in pregnant women with excess weight and the potential pathophysiological mechanisms favoring the development of maternal pregnancy complications.

(-)-Epicatechin Inhibits Metastatic-Associated Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Murine Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro.

Breast cancer, due to its high incidence and mortality, is a public health problem worldwide. Current chemotherapy uses non-specific cytotoxic drugs, which inhibit tumor growth but cause significant adverse effects. (-)-Epicatechin (EC) is part of a large family of biomolecules called flavonoids. It is widely distributed in the plant kingdom; it can be found in green tea, grapes, and cocoa. Several studies in animals and humans have shown that EC induces beneficial effects in the skeletal muscle and the cardiovascular system, reducing risk factors such as arterial hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, damage to skeletal muscle structure, and mitochondrial malfunction by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, with no adverse effects reported. Recently, we reported that EC had an antitumor effect in a murine triple-negative mammary gland tumor model, decreasing tumoral size and volume and increasing survival by 44%. This work aimed to characterize the effects of flavanol EC on proliferation, migration, and metastasis markers of triple-negative murine breast (4T1) cancer cells in culture. We found proliferation diminished and Bax/Bcl2 ratio increased. When the migration of culture cells was evaluated, we observed a significant reduction in migration. Also, the relative expression of the genes associated with metastasis, Cdh1, Mtss1, Pten, Bmrs, Fat1, and Smad4, was increased. In conclusion, these results contribute to understanding molecular mechanisms activated by EC that can inhibit metastatic-associated proliferation, migration, and invasion of murine breast cancer cells.

Molecular Docking Integrated with Network Pharmacology Explores the Therapeutic Mechanism of Cannabis sativa against Type 2 Diabetes.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is rising, and finding new treatments is important. C. sativa is a plant suggested as a potential treatment for T2D, but how it works needs to be clarified. This study explored the pharmacological mechanism of C. sativa in treating T2D. We identified the active compounds in C. sativa and their targets. From there, we examined the genes associated with T2D and found overlapping genes. We conducted an enrichment analysis and created a protein-protein and target-compound interactions network. We confirmed the binding activities of the hub proteins and compounds with molecular docking. We identified thirteen active compounds from C. sativa, which have 150 therapeutic targets in T2D. The enrichment analysis showed that these proteins are involved in the hormone, lipid, and stress responses. They bind transcription factors and metals and participate in the insulin, PI3K/Akt, HIF-1, and FoxO signaling pathways. We found four hub proteins (EGFR, ESR1, HSP90AA1, and SRC) that bind to the thirteen bioactive compounds. This was verified using molecular docking. Our findings suggest that C. sativa's antidiabetic action is carried out through the insulin signaling pathway, with the participation of HIF-1 and FoxO.

Functionalized Metal Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy.

Currently, there are many studies on the application of nanotechnology in therapy. Metallic nanoparticles are promising nanomaterials in cancer therapy; however, functionalization of these nanoparticles with biomolecules has become relevant as their effect on cancer cells is considerably increased by photothermal and photodynamic therapies, drug nanocarriers, and specificity by antibodies, resulting in new therapies that are more specific against different types of cancer. This review describes studies on the effect of functionalized palladium, gold, silver and platinum nanoparticles in the treatment of cancer, these nanoparticles themselves show an anticancer effect. This effect is further enhanced when the NPs are functionalized with either antibodies, DNA, RNA, peptides, proteins, or folic acid and other molecules. These NPs can penetrate the cell and accumulate in the tumor tissue, resulting in a cytotoxic effect through the generation of ROS, the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, DNA fragmentation, and a photothermal effect. NP-based therapy is a new strategy that can be used synergistically with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to achieve more effective therapies and reduce side effects.

NbSe2 Nanosheets/Nanorolls Obtained via Fast and Direct Aqueous Electrochemical Exfoliation for High-Capacity Lithium Storage.

Layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (LTMDs) in two-dimensional (2D) form are attractive for electrochemical energy storage, but research efforts in this realm have so far largely focused on the best-known members of such a family of materials, mainly MoS2, MoSe2, and WS2. To exploit the potential of further, currently less-studied 2D LTMDs, targeted methods for their production, preferably by cost-effective and sustainable means, as well as control over their nanomorphology, are highly desirable. Here, we report a quick and straightforward route for the preparation of 2D NbSe2 and other metallic 2D LTMDs that relies on delaminating their bulk parent solid under aqueous cathodic conditions. Unlike typical electrochemical exfoliation methods for 2D materials, which generally require an additional processing step (e.g., sonication) to complete delamination, the present electrolytic strategy yielded directly exfoliated nano-objects in a very short time (1-2 min) and with significant yields (∼16 wt %). Moreover, the dominant morphology of the exfoliated 2D NbSe2 products could be tuned between rolled-up nanosheets (nanorolls) and unfolded nanosheets, depending on the solvent where the nano-objects were dispersed (water or isopropanol). This rather unusual delamination behavior of NbSe2 was explored and concluded to occur via a redox mechanism that involves some degree of hydrolytic oxidation of the material triggered by the cathodic treatment. The delamination strategy could be extended to other metallic LTMDs, such as NbS2 and VSe2. When tested toward electrochemical lithium storage, electrodes based on the exfoliated NbSe2 products delivered very high capacity values, up to 750-800 mA h g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, where the positive effect of the nanoroll morphology, associated to increased accessibility of the lithium storage sites, was made apparent. Overall, these results are expected to expand the availability of fit-for-purpose 2D LTMDs by resorting to simple and expeditious production strategies of low environmental impact.

Programming Mechanism of Adipose Tissue Expansion in the Rat Offspring of Obese Mothers Occurs in a Sex-Specific Manner.

We investigated whether excessive retroperitoneal adipose tissue (AT) expansion programmed by maternal obesity (MO) affects adipocyte size distribution and gene expression in relation to adipocyte proliferation and differentiation in male and female offspring (F1) from control (F1C) and obese (F1MO) mothers. Female Wistar rats (F0) ate a control or high-fat diet from weaning through pregnancy and lactation. F1 were weaned onto a control diet and euthanized at 110 postnatal days. Fat depots were weighed to estimate the total AT. Serum glucose, triglyceride, leptin, insulin, and the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were determined. Adipocyte size and adipogenic gene expression were examined in retroperitoneal fat. Body weight, retroperitoneal AT and adipogenesis differed between male and female F1Cs. Retroperitoneal AT, glucose, triglyceride, insulin, HOMA-IR and leptin were higher in male and female F1MO vs. F1C. Small adipocytes were reduced in F1MO females and absent in F1MO males; large adipocytes were increased in F1MO males and females vs. F1C. Wnt, PI3K-Akt, and insulin signaling pathways in F1MO males and Egr2 in F1MO females were downregulated vs. F1C. MO induced metabolic dysfunction in F1 through different sex dimorphism mechanisms, including the decreased expression of pro-adipogenic genes and reduced insulin signaling in males and lipid mobilization-related genes in females.

Metatranscriptomic analysis of the gut microbiome of black soldier fly larvae reared on lignocellulose-rich fiber diets unveils key lignocellulolytic enzymes.

Recently, interest in the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) gut microbiome has received increased attention primarily due to their role in waste bioconversion. However, there is a lack of information on the positive effect on the activities of the gut microbiomes and enzymes (CAZyme families) acting on lignocellulose. In this study, BSFL were subjected to lignocellulose-rich diets: chicken feed (CF), chicken manure (CM), brewers' spent grain (BSG), and water hyacinth (WH). The mRNA libraries were prepared, and RNA-Sequencing was conducted using the PCR-cDNA approach through the MinION sequencing platform. Our results demonstrated that BSFL reared on BSG and WH had the highest abundance of Bacteroides and Dysgonomonas. The presence of GH51 and GH43_16 enzyme families in the gut of BSFL with both α-L-arabinofuranosidases and exo-alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase 2 were common in the BSFL reared on the highly lignocellulosic WH and BSG diets. Gene clusters that encode hemicellulolytic arabinofuranosidases in the CAZy family GH51 were also identified. These findings provide novel insight into the shift of gut microbiomes and the potential role of BSFL in the bioconversion of various highly lignocellulosic diets to fermentable sugars for subsequent value-added products (bioethanol). Further research on the role of these enzymes to improve existing technologies and their biotechnological applications is crucial.

Development and Characterization of Films with Propolis to Inhibit Mold Contamination in the Dairy Industry.

Due to the number of polyphenols with multiple biological activities, propolis has high potential to be used as an active agent in food protective films. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and characterize a sodium alginate film with ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) for its potential use as protective active packaging against filamentous fungi in ripened cheese. Three different concentrations of EEP were analyzed: 0, 5 and 10% w/v. The films obtained were characterized, assessing thermal and physicochemical properties, as well as the concentration of polyphenols in the EEP and antifungal activity of the active films. The incorporation of EEP in the films generated thermal stability with respect to the loss of mass. Total color values (ΔE) of the films were affected by the incorporation of the different concentrations of EEP, showing a decrease in luminosity (L*) of the films, while the chromatic parameters a* and b* increased in direct proportion to the EEP concentration. Antifungal activity was observed with a fungistatic mode of action, stopping the growth of the fungus in cheeses without development of filamentous molds, thus increasing the shelf life of the ripened cheese under the analytical conditions, over 30 days at room temperature. Overall, EEP can be used to prevent growth and proliferation of spoilage microorganisms in cheese.

Optimization of Compression and Flexural Properties of Masonry Veneers with Recycled PET-1.

The study of new materials formulated using recycled polymers offers an ecological and sustainable alternative for the construction industry. In this work, we optimized the mechanical behavior of manufactured masonry veneers made from concrete reinforced with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from discarded plastic bottles. For this purpose, we used the response surface methodology to evaluate the compression and flexural properties. PET percentage, PET size and aggregate size were used as input factors in a Box-Behnken experimental design resulting in a total of 90 tests. The fraction of the commonly used aggregates replaced by PET particles was 15%, 20% and 25%. The nominal size of the PET particles used was 6, 8 and 14 mm, while the size of the aggregates was 3, 8 and 11 mm. The function of desirability was used to optimize response factorials. The globally optimized formulation contained 15% of 14 mm PET particles in the mixture, and 7.36 mm aggregates, obtaining important mechanical properties of this characterization of masonry veneers. The flexural strength (four-point) was 1.48 MPa, and the compression strength was 3.96 MPa; these values show property improvements of 110% and 94%, respectively, compared to commercial masonry veneers. Overall, this offers the construction industry a robust and environmentally friendly alternative.

Effects of maternal characteristics and medical history on first trimester biomarkers for preeclampsia.

Objective: To identify and quantify the effects of maternal characteristics and medical history on the distribution of Placental Growth Factor (PlGF), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and Uterine Artery Mean Pulsatility Index (UtA-PI); and to standardize the expected values for these biomarkers in the first trimester to create unique multiples of the median (MoMs) for Latin-American population. Methods: This is a prospective cohort built exclusively for research purposes of consecutive pregnant women attending their first-trimester screening ultrasound at a primary care center for the general population in Mexico City between April 2019 and October 2021. We excluded fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities, major fetal malformations, and women delivering in another care center. Linear regression was used on log-transformed biomarkers to assess the influence of maternal characteristics on non-preeclamptic women to create MoM. Results: Of a total of 2,820 pregnant women included in the final analysis, 118 (4.18%) developed PE, of which 22 (0.78%) delivered before 34 weeks of gestation, 74 (2.62%) before 37 weeks, and 44 (1.56%) from 37 weeks gestation. Characteristics that significantly influenced PLGF were fetal crown rump length (CRL), maternal age, nulliparity, body mass index (BMI), chronic hypertension, Lupus, spontaneous pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hypothyroidism, preeclampsia (PE) in a previous pregnancy, and mother with PE. MAP had significant influence from CRL, maternal age, PE in a previous pregnancy, induction of ovulation, a mother with PE, chronic hypertension, BMI, and hypothyroidism. UtA-PI was influenced by CRL, maternal age, a mother with PE, chronic hypertension, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a previous pregnancy. Conclusion: Population-specific multiples of the median (MoMs) for PlGF, MAP, and UtA-PI in the first trimester adequately discriminate among women developing preeclampsia later in pregnancy.

Theoretical Approach for Electron Dynamics and Ultrafast Spectroscopy (EDUS).

In this manuscript, we present a theoretical framework and its numerical implementation to simulate the out-of-equilibrium electron dynamics induced by the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses in condensed-matter systems. Our approach is based on evolving in real time the density matrix of the system in reciprocal space. It considers excitonic and nonperturbative light-matter interactions. We show some relevant examples that illustrate the efficiency and flexibility of the approach to describe realistic ultrafast spectroscopy experiments. Our approach is suitable for modeling the promising and emerging ultrafast studies at the attosecond time scale that aim at capturing the electron dynamics and the dynamical electron-electron correlations via X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Frequency of Alternaria Genotypes Resistant to SDHI Fungicides in California Pistachio Orchards Determined by Real-Time PCR.

Real-time PCR methods were developed to quantify the frequency of SDHC-H134R and SDHB-H277Y mutants associated with succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) resistance in Alternaria populations from pistachio. The linearity of the standard curves demonstrated the applicability in the quantification of the assays. The accuracy and reliability of the qPCR protocols to determine the frequency of mutants in real samples were corroborated. Orchards visibly affected by Alternaria late blight were sampled. The frequency of mutants was determined using the qPCR assays, while the frequency of resistant phenotypes was determined using a single discriminatory dose. The statistical analysis showed that the frequencies of the mutation SDHC-H134R determined with the qPCR assay were highly correlated with those estimated with the conventional method. The survey also evidenced that resistance to boscalid is still widespread in California. Results also indicated the possible contribution of other mutations to SDHI resistance. Our results confirmed the prevalence of SDHC-H134R mutants and the occurrence of mutation SDHB-H277Y at low frequencies. The real-time PCR methods developed in this study were able to detect differences in the frequencies of resistant mutants caused by the use of chemical fungicides. Finally, the effects of two fungicide programs on the frequency of mutants resistant to SDHI and quinone outside inhibitors fungicides were studied using qPCR assays. The experiments demonstrated that the use of anilinopyrimidine and demethylation inhibitors fungicides in the same program reduced the frequency of these mutations in Alternaria populations. The qPCR methods developed and used in this study can be used to track resistance levels in the pistachio orchards on a large scale.

Impact of Protease Inhibitor-Based Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on Fetal Subcutaneous Fat Tissue in HIV-Pregnant Women in a Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection continues to be a global public health challenge, affecting approximately 1.7 million reproductive-aged women. Protease inhibitor-based highly active antiretroviral therapy (PI-HAART) has significantly reduced the risk of vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child. Nevertheless, concerns linger regarding the long-term effects, particularly on body composition, notably subcutaneous fat tissue (SFT). Although HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome (LS) has been well documented in adults and older children, its impact on fetuses exposed to PI-HAART remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate SFT in the fetuses of HIV-pregnant women exposed to PI-HAART, assessing the potential clinical implications. METHODS: We conducted a comparative study between HIV-pregnant women receiving PI-HAART and an HIV-negative control group. Fetometry measurements were obtained via 3D ultrasound. SFT in the fetal arm and thigh segments was assessed. Data were analyzed using lineal multivariate regression and receiver-operating characteristics (ROC)-curve analysis. RESULTS: Fetuses exposed to PI-HAART exhibited a significant reduction in subcutaneous fat, particularly in the proximal third-middle union of the femur (coefficient: -2.588, p = 0.042). This reduction was correlated with lower newborn serum glucose levels (65.7 vs. 56.1, p = 0.007; coefficient: -1.277, p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Our study sheds light on the connection between PI-HAART, fetal subcutaneous fat, and neonatal health. These findings might reveal the long-lasting effects of PI-HAART on newborns and children's well-being. Our results emphasize the need for a more balanced approach to managing pregnant women with HIV in developing countries and open new venues for research on the impact of intrauterine PI-HAART exposure on energy metabolism and fetal programming.