Telomere and subtelomere high polymorphism might contribute to the specificity of homologous recognition and pairing during meiosis in barley in the context of breeding.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is one of the most popular cereal crops globally. Although it is a diploid species, (2n = 2x = 14) the study of its genome organization is necessary in the framework of plant breeding since barley is often used in crosses with other cereals like wheat to provide them with advantageous characters. We already have an extensive knowledge on different stages of the meiosis, the cell division to generate the gametes in species with sexual reproduction, such as the formation of the synaptonemal complex, recombination, and chromosome segregation. But meiosis really starts with the identification of homologous chromosomes and pairing initiation, and it is still unclear how chromosomes exactly choose a partner to appropriately pair for additional recombination and segregation. In this work we present an exhaustive molecular analysis of both telomeres and subtelomeres of barley chromosome arms 2H-L, 3H-L and 5H-L. As expected, the analysis of multiple features, including transposable elements, repeats, GC content, predicted CpG islands, recombination hotspots, G4 quadruplexes, genes and targeted sequence motifs for key DNA-binding proteins, revealed a high degree of variability both in telomeres and subtelomeres. The molecular basis for the specificity of homologous recognition and pairing occurring in the early chromosomal interactions at the start of meiosis in barley may be provided by these polymorphisms. A more relevant role of telomeres and most distal part of subtelomeres is suggested.

Influence of nanoemulsion/gum ratio on droplet size distribution, rheology and physical stability of nanoemulgels containing inulin and omega-3 fatty acids.

BACKGROUND: New consumer habits are forcing the food industry to develop new and healthy products. In response to this tendency, in this investigation, we obtained nanoemulgels by microfluidization containing inulin fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. First, the influence of the number of microfluidization cycles on the physical properties of the nanoemulsions was studied. Subsequently, an advanced-performance xanthan gum was added to the nanoemulsion in different nanoemulsion/xanthan ratios (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 1:2, and 1:3). RESULTS: Laser diffraction, multiple light scattering, and rheology techniques were used to characterize nanoemulsions and the corresponding nanoemulgels. The nanoemulsion with the lowest Sauter mean diameter (138 nm) and the longest physical stability was obtained after three passes through a microfluidization device at a fixed pressure of 103 421 kPa. Thus, these processing conditions were always used to obtain the nanoemulsion; these were subsequently mixed with a xanthan gum solution to produce nanoemulgels that showed weak gel-like viscoelastic and shear-thinning flow behaviours. A decrease in the nanoemulsion/xanthan ratio (i.e. by an increase in the content of xanthan gum in the nanoemulgel) increased the viscoelastic moduli and the zero shear viscosity values. A rise in the droplet size was observed with aging time, probably due to flocculation. The nanoemulsion/xanthan gum mass ratio of 1:3 yielded the most stable nanoemulgel. CONCLUSIONS: This work is a contribution to the development of functional foods. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to obtain a stable nanoemulgel-based food matrix containing fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

A Critical Overview on the Effect of Microwave Irradiation in Organic Synthesis.

Despite the great success of Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) there is still a lack of knowledge about the interaction of the electromagnetic radiation with matter. In consequence, it has been very difficult to rationalize the effect of microwave irradiation in chemistry, to determine the existence of microwave effects (thermal and non-thermal) and to develop predictive models on the characteristics required for a reaction to be improved under microwaves. This has been a handicap to develop new chemistry under microwave irradiation and the origin of many controversies. This personal account collects some new findings in this field and our work on the use of computational chemistry to develop predictive models and to determine parameters related to thermal and non-thermal effects, with clear advantages over experimental methods where separation of these effect is almost impossible.

Understanding MAOS through computational chemistry.

The importance of microwave irradiation in organic synthesis today is unquestionable, but in many cases the nature of these improvements remains unknown. Exploiting the benefits that microwave irradiation has in chemistry is still hindered by a lack of understanding of the physical principles of the interaction of microwave irradiation with the components of a reaction. Moreover, dielectric properties vary with temperature and along the reaction coordinate and this makes the situation more complex. Experimental determinations employed to date in Microwave-Assisted Organic Chemistry (MAOS) are characterized by the importance of thermal heating. In this way the separation of thermal heating from any other effect of electromagnetic radiation is completely impossible. This review provides an overview of the use of Computational Chemistry in MAOS to provide a theoretical understanding of the factors that can be used to explain the improvements in MAOS and how computational calculations can be used as a predictive tool.

Correction: Understanding MAOS through computational chemistry.

Correction for 'Understanding MAOS through computational chemistry' by P. Prieto et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 2017, 46, 431-451.

On the composition of gastroliths from broiler breeders.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the composition and origin of certain gastroliths or gizzard stones from broiler breeders (Gallus gallus domesticus). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray powder diffraction techniques were used as analysis tools. The main components resulted to be organic fibre and minerals referred to a pegmatite rock (quartz, feldspar albite and haematite) used as grit. Although the generally accepted purpose of gastroliths in chicken is the crushing and grinding of foodstuff in the ventriculus, the importance of mineral uptake from grit of iron and other essential elements such as Al, Ca, K, Cl, P, Ti, Mn, Mg, Cu, Zn and Zr (in ppm) as a secondary effect of the abrasion and dissolution of gastroliths should not be disregarded.

Electrical conductivity of oxidized-graphenic nanoplatelets obtained from bamboo: effect of the oxygen content.

The large-scale production of graphene and reduced-graphene oxide (rGO) requires low-cost and eco-friendly synthesis methods. We employed a new, simple, cost-effective pyrolytic method to synthetize oxidized-graphenic nanoplatelets (OGNP) using bamboo pyroligneous acid (BPA) as a source. Thorough analyses via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy provides a complete structural and chemical description at the local scale of these samples. In particular, we found that at the highest carbonization temperature the OGNP-BPA are mainly in a sp(2) bonding configuration (sp(2) fraction of 87%). To determine the electrical properties of single nanoplatelets, these were contacted by Pt nanowires deposited through focused-ion-beam-induced deposition techniques. Increased conductivity by two orders of magnitude is observed as oxygen content decreases from 17% to 5%, reaching a value of 2.3 × 10(3) S m(-1) at the lowest oxygen content. Temperature-dependent conductivity reveals a semiconductor transport behavior, described by the Mott three-dimensional variable range hopping mechanism. From the localization length, we estimate a band-gap value of 0.22(2) eV for an oxygen content of 5%. This investigation demonstrates the great potential of the OGNP-BPA for technological applications, given that their structural and electrical behavior is similar to the highly reduced rGO sheets obtained by more sophisticated conventional synthesis methods.

Tailored Height Gradients in Vertical Nanowire Arrays via Mechanical and Electronic Modulation of Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching.

In current top-down nanofabrication methodologies the design freedom is generally constrained to the two lateral dimensions, and is only limited by the resolution of the employed nanolithographic technique. However, nanostructure height, which relies on certain mask-dependent material deposition or etching techniques, is usually uniform, and on-chip variation of this parameter is difficult and generally limited to very simple patterns. Herein, a novel nanofabrication methodology is presented, which enables the generation of high aspect-ratio nanostructure arrays with height gradients in arbitrary directions by a single and fast etching process. Based on metal-assisted chemical etching using a catalytic gold layer perforated with nanoholes, it is demonstrated how nanostructure arrays with directional height gradients can be accurately tailored by: (i) the control of the mass transport through the nanohole array, (ii) the mechanical properties of the perforated metal layer, and (iii) the conductive coupling to the surrounding gold film to accelerate the local electrochemical etching process. The proposed technique, enabling 20-fold on-chip variation of nanostructure height in a spatial range of a few micrometers, offers a new tool for the creation of novel types of nano-assemblies and metamaterials with interesting technological applications in fields such as nanophotonics, nanophononics, microfluidics or biomechanics.

The issue of 'molecular radiators' in microwave-assisted reactions. Computational calculations on ring closing metathesis (RCM).

A DFT computational mechanistic study of the ring closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of diallyl ether or N,N-diallyl-p-toluenesulfonamide catalyzed by a second generation Grubbs-type ruthenium carbene complex has been carried out. This study was performed at the PCM(CH2Cl2)-B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/SDD theory level. The aim of this work was to shed light on the influence that microwave irradiation has on these reactions and to gain insight into the so-called 'molecular radiator' effect. The outcomes obtained indicate that thermal effects induced by microwave irradiation decrease the catalytic induction period. The presence of a polar reagent and/or polar species in the reaction that increases the polarity of the medium may enhance this thermal effect.

Divergent effects of the antiretroviral drugs, dolutegravir, tenofovir alafenamide, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, on human adipocyte function.

Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has been associated with increased body weight accompanied by metabolic alterations in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). To gain insight into the combined effects of cART components on adipocyte dysfunction, we assessed whether and how treatment of human adipocytes with dolutegravir (DTG) and the nucleotide-analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), alone and in combination, altered biological processes related to adipose tissue dysfunction. DTG, TAF, and TDF were applied to human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) adipose cells during differentiation (day 10) and ensuing differentiation (day 14). Expression of selected marker genes was determined by qPCR, the release of adipokines and inflammatory cytokines to the culture media was assessed, and cell respiration was measured. Adipogenesis was not altered by the combined treatment of human adipocytes. However, DTG at the highest dose repressed adipogenesis marker genes expression, and TAF and TDF appeared to mitigate this effect. DTG repressed the expression of adiponectin and the release of adiponectin and leptin in differentiating adipocytes, and these effects were mantained in combination with TAF and TDF. DTG plus TAF or TDF on human adipocytes enhanced inflammation and stress and increased the release of proinflammatory cytokines to the culture media. Together, our results show that combined therapy with these drugs can alter inflammation, cellular stress, and fibrosis in human adipocytes. These findings may improve our understanding and management of the effects of cART on body adiposity and metabolic dysregulation in PLWH.

Effectiveness of mirror therapy in phantom limb pain: A literature review. / Efectividad de la terapia de espejo en el dolor del miembro fantasma. Una revisión actual de la literatura.

INTRODUCTION: Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a type of neuropathic pain that affects the territory of an amputated limb or other surgically removed body parts. Between 60% and 90% of amputees suffer from PLP during follow-up. There are a range of therapeutic options for PLP, both pharmacological (gabapentin, amitriptyline, tricyclic antidepressants, etc) and non-pharmacological (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hypnosis, acupuncture, etc). A widely accepted hypothesis considers PLP to be the consequence of postamputation cortical reorganisation. New treatment approaches, such as mirror therapy (MT), have been developed as a result of Ramachandran's groundbreaking research in the 1990s. This review analyses the current evidence on the efficacy of MT for treating PLP. DEVELOPMENT: We performed a literature review of publications registered from 2012 to 2017 on the CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, and PubMed (including Medline) databases Using the descriptors "phantom limb‿ and "mirror therapy.‿ We identified 115 publications addressing MT in PLP. Of these, 17 (15%) contributed useful information for pooled analysis. CONCLUSIONS: MT seems to be effective in relieving PLP, reducing the intensity and duration of daily pain episodes. It is a valid, simple, and inexpensive treatment for PLP. The methodological quality of most publications in this field is very limited, highlighting the need for additional, high-quality studies to develop clinical protocols that could maximise the benefits of MT for patients with PLP.

Effectiveness of mirror therapy in phantom limb pain: a literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a type of neuropathic pain that affects the territory of an amputated limb or other surgically removed body parts. Between 60% and 90% of amputees suffer from PLP during follow-up. There are a range of therapeutic options for PLP, both pharmacological (gabapentin, amitriptyline, tricyclic antidepressants, etc) and non-pharmacological (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hypnosis, acupuncture, etc). A widely accepted hypothesis considers PLP to be the consequence of postamputation cortical reorganisation. New treatment approaches, such as mirror therapy (MT), have been developed as a result of Ramachandran's groundbreaking research in the 1990s. This review analyses the current evidence on the efficacy of MT for treating PLP. DEVELOPMENT: We performed a literature review of publications registered from 2012 to 2017 on the CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, and PubMed (including Medline) databases using the descriptors "phantom limb" and "mirror therapy." We identified 115 publications addressing MT in PLP. Of these, 17 (15%) contributed useful information for pooled analysis. CONCLUSIONS: MT seems to be effective in relieving PLP, reducing the intensity and duration of daily pain episodes. It is a valid, simple, and inexpensive treatment for PLP. The methodological quality of most publications in this field is very limited, highlighting the need for additional, high-quality studies to develop clinical protocols that could maximise the benefits of MT for patients with PLP.

"In silico" mechanistic studies as predictive tools in microwave-assisted organic synthesis.

Computational calculations can be used as a predictive tool in Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS). A DFT study on Intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions (IMDA) indicated that the activation energy of the reaction and the polarity of the stationary points are two fundamental parameters to determine "a priori" if a reaction can be improved by using microwave irradiation.

HLA in Jaidukama: an Amerindian secluded Colombian population with new haplotypes and Asian and Pacific-shared alleles.

America first inhabitants and peopling are still debated. In order to increase knowledge about these questions, we have aimed to detect HLA genes of an Amerindian secluded community: Jaidukama, who lives in North Colombia Equatorial forest. HLA genotyping and extended haplotype calculations were carried out in 39 healthy individuals belonging to 13 families. HLA frequencies were compared to other Amerindians and worldwide populations by calculating genetic distances, relatedness dendrograms and correspondence analyses. Only four DRB1 alleles were found (*0404, *0407, *1402 and *1602); however a total of 17 Amerindian different extended class I-class II HLA haplotypes were directly counted from the family studies, nine of them were specific of Jaidukamas. Some of the alleles or group of alleles within an extended haplotype (i.e. DQB1-DRB1) were also found in Asians and Pacific Islanders, further supporting existence of Asian and Pacific gene flow with Amerindians or a common founder effect. It is further supported that HLA extended haplotypes vary faster than alleles in populations. It is concluded that this unique model of Amerindian secluded families study suggests that rapid HLA haplotype variation may be more important than allele variation for survival (starting immune responses). This work may also be useful for future transplant programs in the area.

[Current status of immersive virtual reality as a tool for physical and functional rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson´s disease: systematic review]. / Estado actual de la realidad virtual inmersiva como herramienta de rehabilitación física y funcional en pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson: revisión sistemática.

INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative process that usually appears from the 6th decade of life and is characterized by the appearance of motor and non-motor symptoms that progress, generating functional disability and negatively impacting in quality of life. Recently, Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) has great positive impact on health domains: as a support in psychotherapy or as a treatment of cognitive-behavioral pathologies in neurological patients. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the current published evidence in the fields of physical and functional PD rehabilitation in fully immersive environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review, covering publications registered until December 2020 in Cinahl, Scopus, Web of Science, Sport-Discus, Dialnet and Pubmed (including Medline) was carried out. The descriptors used for the search were the terms: Parkinson disease, Virtual Reality and Exercise therapy. 140 publications were identified that addressed IVR with physical rehabilitation proposes in PD. Of these, 7 contribute useful information for pooled analysis. RESULTS: The results support the application of IVR to improve physical and functional capacities in the population with PD. Its feasibility, usability and safety suggest potential benefits in the treatment of the prevalent symptoms of the parkinsonian patient. CONCLUSIONS: Research of high methodological quality is lacking, reflecting and early stage of preclinical development. Randomized control studies with larger sample size and IVR protocols that confirm the results, while analyzing their impact on the physical and functional variables related to PD are needed.

TITLE: Estado actual de la realidad virtual inmersiva como herramienta de rehabilitación física y funcional en pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson: revisión sistemática.Introducción. La enfermedad de Parkinson (EP) es un proceso neurodegenerativo que se caracteriza por la aparición de síntomas motores y no motores que progresan, generando discapacidad funcional e impactando negativamente en la calidad de vida del paciente. Recientemente, la realidad virtual inmersiva ha adquirido gran relevancia como apoyo al tratamiento de patologías cognitivo-conductuales del paciente neurológico. Objetivo. Analizar la evidencia actual publicada en el campo de la rehabilitación física y funcional de la EP en entornos completamente inmersivos. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de publicaciones registradas en las bases de datos Medline, Cinahl, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Sport-Discus y Dialnet hasta diciembre de 2020. Los descriptores utilizados para la búsqueda fueron: Parkinson disease, Virtual Reality y Exercise therapy. Tras la aplicación de los criterios de selección, del total de 140 artículos identificados, se seleccionaron siete. Resultados. Describen una experiencia segura, positiva y factible, aunque obtenidos, en su mayoría, tras la aplicación de una única sesión. Los resultados hallados en las variables vinculadas a las capacidades funcionales que se deben mejorar en la EP apoyan potenciales beneficios en el tratamiento de la sintomatología prevalente del paciente parkinsoniano. Conclusiones. Los pocos estudios existentes muestran resultados preliminares, por lo que se hacen necesarias más investigaciones de mayor calidad metodológica, mayor tamaño muestral, con un proceso de control aleatorizado y protocolos que confirmen los resultados, al tiempo que analicen su impacto en las variables físicas y funcionales vinculadas a la patología parkinsoniana.

Computational calculations in microwave-assisted organic synthesis (MAOS). Application to cycloaddition reactions.

Computational calculations represent a very useful tool to study separately the occurrence of thermal and non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation through the determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the reaction. In this paper, we approach the computational study of two previously reported cycloaddition reactions. All of the outcomes indicate the presence of a thermal effect alone for the microwave irradiation that produces changes in the regioselectivity or in the reaction mechanism.

Spatio-temporal patterns of sarcoptic mange in red deer and Iberian ibex in a multi-host natural park.

The reliance on multiple hosts to survive is what makes the management and control of multi-host infectious agents challenging. Sarcoptes scabiei causes sarcoptic mange in a wide range of mammal species with ungulates being an important host. Little is known about the role different ungulates play in sustaining endemic transmission of the disease and no study has yet to describe the long-term multi-host sarcoptic infestation dynamics in free-ranging wildlife. Here, we explore 24 years of sarcoptic mange infestation data for two Mediterranean ungulate species, red deer and Iberian ibex, living in the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park of southern Spain. The temporal analysis showed a clear seasonal pattern of infestation in both ungulates with a peak in early spring and a decline throughout the summer. The spatial analysis, however, showed that caprinae rather than cervidae is the most competent host for sarcoptic mange spreading and persistence. Considering that few studies have described the spatio-temporal pattern of mange outbreaks for long periods of time, the information reported in this work aims to improve our understanding of sarcoptic mange epizootic in wild ruminant populations.

HLA genes in Uros from Titikaka Lake, Peru: origin and relationship with other Amerindians and worldwide populations.

Uros population from the Titikaka Lake live in about 42 floating reed ('totora') islands in front of Puno City (Peru) at a 4000 m high altiplano. They present both an mtDNA and a human leucocyte antigen (HLA) profile different from the surrounding populations: mtDNA A2 haplogroup is common to Uros and Amazon forest lowland Amerindians. HLA genetic distances between populations have been calculated and neighbour-joining dendrograms and correspondence analyses were carried out. Approximately 15 006 HLA chromosomes from worldwide populations have been used for comparisons. Only eight HLA-A alleles have been found, three of them accounting for most of the frequencies. The same phenomenon is seen for HLA-B, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles: a few alleles (3, 4 and 3, respectively) are present in most individuals. The presence of HLA-B*4801 and HLA-DRB1*0901 alleles in a relatively high frequency (although not the most frequent alleles found) is a characteristic shared with Asians and some populations from the Andean altiplano. Three specific Uros haplotypes have been found among the most frequent ones: HLA-A*680102-B*3505-DRB1*0403-DQB1*0302; HLA-A*2402-B*1504-DRB1*1402-DQB1*0301; and HLA-A*2402-B*4801-DRB1*0403-DQB1*0302. The present study suggests that Uros may have been one of the first populations from the shores of the Titikaka Lake coming from the Amazonian forest, which might have given rise to other later differentiated ethnic group (i.e. Aymaras). Uros HLA profile is also useful to study genetic epidemiology of diseases linked to HLA and to construct a future transplant waiting list by adding up regional lists in order to get a bigger pool for transplanting with better HLA matching.