Bio-Inspired Rhamnolipids, Cyclic Lipopeptides and a Chito-Oligosaccharide Confer Protection against Wheat Powdery Mildew and Inhibit Conidia Germination.

Plant protection is mainly based on the application of synthetic pesticides to limit yield losses resulting from diseases. However, the use of more eco-friendly strategies for sustainable plant protection has become a necessity that could contribute to controlling pathogens through a direct antimicrobial effect and/or an induction of plant resistance. Three different families of natural or bioinspired compounds originated from bacterial or fungal strains have been evaluated to protect wheat against powdery mildew, caused by the biotrophic Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici (Bgt). Thus, three bio-inspired mono-rhamnolipids (smRLs), three cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs, mycosubtilin (M), fengycin (F), surfactin (S)) applied individually and in mixtures (M + F and M + F + S), as well as a chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) BioA187 were tested against Bgt, in planta and in vitro. Only the three smRLs (Rh-Eth-C12, Rh-Est-C12 and Rh-Succ-C12), the two CLP mixtures and the BioA187 led to a partial protection of wheat against Bgt. The higher inhibitor effects on the germination of Bgt spores in vitro were observed from smRLs Rh-Eth-C12 and Rh-Succ-C12, mycosubtilin and the two CLP mixtures. Taking together, these results revealed that such molecules could constitute promising tools for a more eco-friendly agriculture.

In tobacco BY-2 cells xyloglucan oligosaccharides alter the expression of genes involved in cell wall metabolism, signalling, stress responses, cell division and transcriptional control.

Xyloglucan oligosaccharides (XGOs) are breakdown products of XGs, the most abundant hemicelluloses of the primary cell walls of non-Poalean species. Treatment of cell cultures or whole plants with XGOs results in accelerated cell elongation and cell division, changes in primary root growth, and a stimulation of defence responses. They may therefore act as signalling molecules regulating plant growth and development. Previous work suggests an interaction with auxins and effects on cell wall loosening, however their mode of action is not fully understood. The effect of an XGO extract from tamarind (Tamarindus indica) on global gene expression was therefore investigated in tobacco BY-2 cells using microarrays. Over 500 genes were differentially regulated with similar numbers and functional classes of genes up- and down-regulated, indicating a complex interaction with the cellular machinery. Up-regulation of a putative XG endotransglycosylase/hydrolase-related (XTH) gene supports the mechanism of XGO action through cell wall loosening. Differential expression of defence-related genes supports a role for XGOs as elicitors. Changes in the expression of genes related to mitotic control and differentiation also support previous work showing that XGOs are mitotic inducers. XGOs also affected expression of several receptor-like kinase genes and transcription factors. Hence, XGOs have significant effects on expression of genes related to cell wall metabolism, signalling, stress responses, cell division and transcriptional control.

Transition from a low: to a high-volume centre for bile duct repair: changes in technique and improved outcome.

BACKGROUND: Improvements in bile duct injury repairs have been shown in centres with specialized surgeons. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the temporal change in the pattern of referral, technical variation associated with repair and long-term outcome of bile duct injuries at a tertiary referral centre in Mexico City. METHODS: A retrospective case note review was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: group I (GI) 1990 to 2004 and group II (GII) 2005-2008, and appropriate statistical analysis undertaken. RESULTS: Over a 20-year period, 312 patients with iatrogenic bile duct injuries required surgical treatment (GI = 169, GII = 140 patients). All injuries were reconstructed using a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. The proportion of patients who had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy increased from 24% to 36% (P = 0.017) over the two time periods. In the second time period there was an increase in segment IV and V partial resections (P = 0.020), a reduction in the use of transanastomotic stents (42% to 2%, P = 0.001) and an increase in the proportion of patients requiring a neoconfluence (2% to 11%, P = 0.003). In the second time period, the number of patients requiring a hepatectomy during repair (2% to 1%, P = 0.001), a portoenterostomy (16% to 9%, P = 0.060) or a double-barrel hepatico-jejunostomy (5% to 1%, P = 0.045) significantly decreased. During follow-up, patients in the second time period had a reduction in the incidence of post-operative cholangitis (11% to 6%, P = 0.310) and the frequency of post-operative anastomotic stenoses (13% to 5%, P = 0.010). Mortality remained low throughout the series but was absent in the second group. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in technique and growing experience of the multidisciplinary team improved operative and long-term results of bile duct injury repair.

Chitosan oligosaccharides modulate the supramolecular conformation and the biological activity of oligogalacturonides in Arabidopsis.

Plant cell walls undergo remodeling during growth and development and are the first target of many invading pathogens. Acidic pectin (homogalacturonans) binds calcium and forms chain dimers called egg boxes and even multimers at higher calcium ion concentrations. Chitosan, the deacetylated form of chitin produced by fungi when invading plant tissues, is a cationic polymer that can interact with negatively charged pectin. The interaction between chitosan oligomers (COS) and pectic egg boxes was investigated using 2F4, a monoclonal antibody specific for calcium-associated dimers of pectin. Depending on the size of the pectic molecules, the COS to pectin ratio, the degree of polymerization and the degree of acetylation of COS in the mixture, the calcium-induced egg box conformation of oligogalacturonides (OGA) was strongly stabilized or destroyed. The biological activity of COS-stabilized egg boxes was assayed on Arabidopsis cell suspensions. COS-OGA egg boxes strongly enhanced extracellular alkalinization and decreased potassium fluxes compared to control COS and OGA alone. Furthermore, OGA rescued Arabidopsis from cell death induced by higher concentrations of deacetylated COS. The stabilized COS-OGA egg boxes could constitute a combined emergency signal that informs plant cells on both cell wall degradation and pathogen presence, triggering a much stronger response than individual components alone.

Egg box conformation of oligogalacturonides: the time-dependent stabilization of the elicitor-active conformation increases its biological activity.

Circular dichroism spectrometry was used on oligogalacturonides (OGAs) and showed the existence of a calcium/sodium-induced conformational state that is intermediate between single-isolated chains and calcium-associated multimer chains. This conformation is interpreted as being egg box dimers. Using the 2F4 monoclonal antibody that specifically binds such an egg box dimer conformation of pectin, the stability of OGA dimers was investigated over a period of 24 hours. The extent to which egg box dimers were recognized by the antibody was dependent on the temperature and duration of preincubation of the OGA. This suggests a "maturation" process of the egg-box structure that consists in a progressive increase in the length of the junction sequences between two chains that slide along each other in order to form a maximum number of calcium bridges and dimer ends. The maturation of egg boxes induced both a significant increase in their binding to wall-associated kinase 1 (WAK1) and an increased extracellular alkalinization when applied to Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspensions. The chemical modification of the reducing end of the OGAs largely diminished their elicitating activity but did not hinder either dimerization or binding of these end-reduced egg boxes to WAK1. We conclude that there are at least two different perception systems for egg box dimers. One binds egg box junctions and the other binds egg box ends. The relevance of these results is discussed in terms of pectic signal perception and plant-pathogen interaction.

Assessment of transient effects of alternative nitrogen sources in continuous cultures of Arthrospira sp. using proteomic, modeling and biochemical tools.

The ability of cyanobacterium Arthrospira sp. to assimilate waste nitrogen sources (ammonium and urea) makes it an important candidate for wastewater management. The aim of this work was to evaluate a cultivation approach based on continuous-transitional-feeding regime (nitrate-ammonium-nitrate) in a photobioreactor to assess the effects of ammonium salts on Arthrospira sp. PCC 8005 metabolism. Using a comprehensive biochemical, proteomic and stoichiometric profiling of biomass, this study demonstrated that the proposed cultivation approach could increase the proteins and pigments yields by 20-30%, compared to the respective yields obtained from wild-type Arthrospira sp. strain A light-energy-transfer model was used to predict the biomass and oxygen productivities of Arthrospira sp. cultivated under transitional-feeding regime. 95 ±â€¯2% match was observed between the experimental and simulated productivities. This study thus opened new avenues for use of ammonium rich wastewater for commercial production of high value pigments, biofuel and bioplastics using Arthrospira sp.

Desarrollo de la educación ambiental en estudiantes universitarios desde la asignatura Educación Física

La educación ambiental es un proceso educativo continuo que persigue formar y modificar actitudes de forma objetiva sobre la realidad global del medio, tanto natural como social. Por ello, este artículo se centra en la asignatura Educación Física, la cual consideran los autores, que constituye un bloque de contenidos ideal, para poder abordar el desarrollo de la educación ambiental en estudiantes universitarios. Durante el proceso investigativo se utilizaron los métodos: histórico-lógico, analítico-sintético, inductivo-deductivo, la observación, revisión documental, la encuesta y la estadística descriptiva. El procesamiento de la información obtenida permitió corroborar la existencia real del problema, y luego realizar un diagnóstico de las dificultades y las potencialidades presentes en el desarrollo de la educación ambiental en el Licenciado en Educación. Economía, para su posterior tratamiento. Por tanto, el objetivo de la presente investigación consiste en: elaborar un conjunto de actividades que desde las potencialidades de la Educación Física permitan contribuir al desarrollo de la educación ambiental en los estudiantes de primer y segundo año de la carrera Licenciatura en Educación. Economía en la Universidad de Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca".

SÍNTESE A educação ambiental é um processo educativo contínuo que visa formar e modificar atitudes objectivamente sobre a realidade global do ambiente, tanto natural como social. Por esta razão, este artigo centra-se no tema da Educação Física, que os autores consideram ser um bloco de conteúdo ideal para se poder abordar o desenvolvimento da educação ambiental nos estudantes universitários. Durante o processo de investigação, foram utilizados os seguintes métodos: histórico-lógico, analítico-sintético, indutivo-dedutivo, observação, revisão documental, inquérito e estatística descritiva. O processamento da informação obtida permitiu corroborar a existência real do problema, e depois fazer um diagnóstico das dificuldades e potencialidades presentes no desenvolvimento da educação ambiental no Bacharelato em Educação. Economia, para o seu tratamento posterior. Portanto, o objectivo da presente investigação consiste em: elaborar um conjunto de actividades que a partir das potencialidades da Educação Física permitam contribuir para o desenvolvimento da educação ambiental nos alunos do primeiro e segundo anos do curso de licenciatura em Educação. Economia na Universidade de Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca".

Environmental education is a continuous educational process that seeks to objectively form and modify attitudes about the global reality of the environment, both natural and social. For this reason, this article focuses on the Physical Education subject, which, in the authors´s opinion the authors, it is an ideal block of content, for addressing the development of environmental education in university students. During the research process, methods like historical-logical, analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, observation, documentary review, survey were used, as well as descriptive statistics one. The processing of the information obtained allowed to corroborate the real existence of the problem, and then carry out a diagnosis of the difficulties and potential present in the development of environmental education in the Bachelor of Education. Economy specialty, for its further treatment. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a set of activities that from the potential of Physical Education allow contributing to the development of environmental education in the first- and second-year students of the career Bachelor of Education. Economics specialty at the University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca".

Mapping sugar beet pectin acetylation pattern.

Homogalacturonan-derived partly methylated and/or acetylated oligogalacturonates were recovered after enzymatic hydrolysis (endo-polygalacturonase+pectin methyl esterase+side-chain degrading enzymes) of sugar beet pectin followed by anion-exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Around 90% of the GalA and 75% of the acetyl groups present in the initial sugar beet pectin were recovered as homogalacturonan-derived oligogalacturonates, the remaining GalA and acetyl belonging to rhamnogalacturonic regions. Around 50% of the acetyl groups present in sugar beet homogalacturonans were recovered as partly methylated and/or acetylated oligogalacturonates of degree of polymerisation 5 whose structures were determined by electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MSn). 2-O-acetyl- and 3-O-acetyl-GalA were detected in roughly similar amounts but 2,3-di-O-acetylation was absent. Methyl-esterified GalA residues occurred mainly upstream 2-O-acetyl GalA. Oligogalacturonates containing GalA residues that are at once methyl- and acetyl-esterified were recovered in very limited amounts. A tentative mapping of the distribution of acetyl and methyl esters within sugar beet homogalacturonans is proposed. Unsubstituted GalA residues are likely to be present in limited amounts (approximately 10% of total GalA residues), due to the fact that methyl and acetyl groups are assumed to be most often not carried by the same residues.

Water soluble exo-polysaccharide from Syncephalastrum racemosum, a strong inducer of plant defence reactions.

This study examines the production, characterization and bioactivity on plant cell cultured in vitro of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Syncephalastrum racemosum CBS 443.59. Firstly, the influence of the fungus culture condition in shake flasks (pH, temperature and different carbon and nitrogen sources) on EPS and biomass production was evaluated. In order to enhance EPS production, a new protocol based on two-stage pH fermentation in a 3 L stirred fermentor was developed. Under this condition, EPS production increased by 3.55 times, compared to a constant pH process, reaching a maximal EPS concentration of 2.62 g/L. Structurally, the EPS contains a polyglucuronic acid backbone, linked essentially with mannose and fucose units and some galactose and glucose units. The bioactivity of EPS as inducer of defence reactions in plant suspension-cultured cells was also studied. Our results show, for first time, that EPS from S. racemosum CBS 443.59 induces, depending on the concentration, PAL activation and H2O2 synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspensions.

Incidencia de enfermedad renal crónica en pacientes diabéticos en el Policlínico Vedado en el año 2016 / Incidence of the chronic renal disease in diabetic patients in the Policlinic "Vedado" in 2016

Introducción: enfermedad renal crónica no es más que la pérdida lenta de la función de los riñones con el tiempo. El principal trabajo de estos órganos es eliminar los desechos y el exceso de agua del cuerpo. La pérdida de la función puede ser tan lento que usted no presentará síntomas hasta que los riñones casi hayan dejado de trabajar. Objetivo: identificar la incidencia de enfermedad renal crónica en pacientes con diabetes mellitus atendidos en el Consultorio Médico de la Familia No. 19 del Policlínico Vedado, municipio Plaza de la Revolución, año 2016. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, transversal para identificar la incidencia de enfermedad renal crónica en pacientes diabéticos del consultorio médico de la familia No. 19 del Policlínico Vedado, municipio Plaza de la Revolución, en el año 2016. El universo estuvo compuesto por 51 pacientes diabéticos y las variables empleadas fueron: edad, sexo, color de la piel, valores de la microalbuminuria, tiempo de evolución de la diabetes, antecedentes patológicos personales y familiares, hábitos tóxicos, exámenes complementarios como creatinina para calcular el filtrado glomerular. Resultados: las pacientes femeninas menores de 65 años ocupan un estadio II y III, y las pacientes femeninas mayores de 65 años ocupan un estadio III y IV según filtrado glomerular, mientras que los pacientes masculinos menores y mayores de 65 años se encontraban en estadio II y III, según filtrado glomerular. Conclusiones: la enfermedad renal crónica en pacientes diabéticos es una condición mediana prevalencia en la población del consultorio #19 del policlínico Vedado, donde incide de manera considerable la edad, sexo, color de la piel y el antecedente patológico personal hipertensión (AU).

Introduction: the chronic renal disease is the slow loss of the kidneys function in the time. The main work of these organs is eliminating then wastes and water excess of the body. The loss of the function may be so slow that the symptoms do not show almost until the kidneys had stopped working. Objective: to identify the incidence of the chronic renal disease in patients with diabetes mellitus attended in the medical consultation Nr. 19 belonging to "Vedado" policlinic, municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, in 2016. Materials and methods: a descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out to identify the incidence of the chronic renal disease in diabetic patients from the medical consultation Nr. 19, "Vedado" policlinic, municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, in 2016. The universe was formed by 51 diabetic patients and the used variables were: age, sex, skin color, micro albuminuria values, diabetes evolution time, personal and familiar pathological antecedents, toxic habits, complementary tests like creatinine test to calculate glomerular filtration. Results: female patients aged less than 65 years are in stages II and III, and female patients elder than 65 years old are in III and IV stages cording to the glomerular filtration. Conclusions: the chronic renal disease in diabetic patients is a medium prevalence condition in the population of the Nr. 19 consultation of the "Vedado" Policlinic, with a significant incidence of age, sex, skin color and personal pathological antecedents of hypertension (AU).

Prevalencia de serología positiva para Helicobacter pylori en trabajadores de una refinería de zinc / Prevalence of a positive serology for Helicobacter pylori in workers at a zinc plant

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de serología positiva para helicobacter pylori en trabajadores de una refinería de zinc. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron en el estudio a los trabajadores que acudían para su control pre-vacacional entre los meses de julio a setiembre del 2003. De 501 trabajadores, se seleccionaron a 92, obteniendo un tamaño muestral de 80 personas a un nivel de confianza del 99.99 por ciento. Para el examen serológico, se utilizó la prueba de ELISA para detección cuantitativa de IgG específica contra Helicobacter pylori (GAP-IgG ELISA. Biomerica, (USA) por medio de sangre venosa de los participantes. Se consideró como positivos a valores > 20U/ml, negativos < 12.5 U/ml y sospechosos entre 12.5 y 20U/ml. Sólo 4 fueron del sexo femenino, motivo por el cual, no se hizo el estudio separando grupos por sexo. Resultados: De los 92 trabajadores, 57 (61.96 por ciento) presentaron serología positiva para Helicobacter pylori, 22 (23.91 por ciento) fueron negativos, mientras que 13 (14.13 por ciento) tuvieron un resultados dudoso (sospechoso).

Dolor radiocubital distal en luxofracturas de antebrazo / Distal radiocubital pain and luxofracture of forearm

Se estudiaron 20 casos con Luxofractura de antebrazo buscando la relación entre la reducción de la articulación radiocubital distal y el desarrollo de osteoartrosis post-traumática. De estos pacientes el 12.5 por ciento fueron mujeres y el 81.3 por ciento hombres, con un promedio de edad de 36.5 años y se siguieron durante un período de 17.6 meses en promedio, encontrado una relación significativa (p=0.002 a p=0.001) entre la reducción inicial de la fractura y la articulación radiocubital distal, y el desarrollo de dolor y limitación de movilidad como signos clínicos de cambios osteoartrósicos a nivel de la articulación. También se observó que los pacientes con resultados regulares y malos, presentaban como factor predisponente un método de fijación inadecuado o complicaciones que llevaban a alteraciones biomecánicas en el antebrazo

Desarrollando la perspectiva de género en los centros de servicio empresarial / Gender perspective development at management centers

Contiene: El mercado de servicios no financieros para la micro y pequeña empresa; Género y centros de servicio empresarial: diagnóstico y propuesta; Mujeres negociantes en Ilo: futuras empresarias?; Mujeres tejedores en Lima y su entorno