Cryptic environmental conjugative plasmid recruits a novel hybrid transposon resulting in a new plasmid with higher dispersion potential.

Cryptic conjugative plasmids lack antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). These plasmids can capture ARGs from the vast pool of the environmental metagenome, but the mechanism to recruit ARGs remains to be elucidated. To investigate the recruitment of ARGs by a cryptic plasmid, we sequenced and conducted mating experiments with Escherichia coli SW4848 (collected from a lake) that has a cryptic IncX (IncX4) plasmid and an IncF (IncFII/IncFIIB) plasmid with five genes that confer resistance to aminoglycosides (strA and strB), sulfonamides (sul2), tetracycline [tet(A)], and trimethoprim (dfrA5). In a conjugation experiment, a novel hybrid Tn21/Tn1721 transposon of 22,570 bp (designated Tn7714) carrying the five ARG mobilized spontaneously from the IncF plasmid to the cryptic IncX plasmid. The IncF plasmid was found to be conjugative when it was electroporated into E. coli DH10B (without the IncX plasmid). Two parallel conjugations with the IncF and the new IncX (carrying the novel Tn7714 transposon) plasmids in two separate E. coli DH10B as donors and E. coli J53 as the recipient revealed that the conjugation rate of the new IncX plasmid (with the novel Tn7714 transposon and five ARGs) is more than two orders of magnitude larger than the IncF plasmid. For the first time, this study shows experimental evidence that cryptic environmental plasmids can capture and transfer transposons with ARGs to other bacteria, creating novel multidrug-resistant conjugative plasmids with higher dispersion potential. IMPORTANCE: Cryptic conjugative plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules without antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). Environmental bacteria carrying cryptic plasmids with a high conjugation rate threaten public health because they can capture clinically relevant ARGs and rapidly spread them to pathogenic bacteria. However, the mechanism to recruit ARG by cryptic conjugative plasmids in environmental bacteria has not been observed experimentally. Here, we document the first translocation of a transposon with multiple clinically relevant ARGs to a cryptic environmental conjugative plasmid. The new multidrug-resistant conjugative plasmid has a conjugation rate that is two orders of magnitude higher than the original plasmid that carries the ARG (i.e., the new plasmid from the environment can spread ARG more than two orders of magnitude faster). Our work illustrates the importance of studying the mobilization of ARGs in environmental bacteria. It sheds light on how cryptic conjugative plasmids recruit ARGs, a phenomenon at the root of the antibiotic crisis.

Tracing the geographic origins of major avocado cultivars.

It has been difficult to infer the genetic history of avocado breeding, owing to the role of hybridization in the origin of contemporary avocado cultivars. To address this difficulty, we used the model-based clustering program, STRUCTURE, and nucleotide polymorphism in 5960 bp of sequence from 4 nuclear loci to examine population structure in 21 wild avocado accessions. The origins of 33 cultivars were inferred relative to the wild sample. Nucleotide sequence diversity in domesticated avocados ranged between 80% and 90% of that observed for the same loci in wild avocado, depending on the diversity statistic used for comparison. Substantial genetic differentiation among 3 geographic groups of wild germplasm corresponded to the classically defined horticultural races of avocado. Previously undetected genetic differentiation was revealed in wild populations from Central Mexico, where 2 subpopulations were distinguished based on elevation and latitude.

Nucleotide diversity and linkage disequilibrium in wild avocado (Persea americana Mill.).

Resequencing studies provide the ultimate resolution of genetic diversity because they identify all mutations in a gene that are present within the sampled individuals. We report a resequencing study of Persea americana, a subtropical tree species native to Meso- and Central America and the progenitor of cultivated avocado. The sample includes 21 wild accessions from Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. Estimated levels of nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium (LD) are obtained from fully resolved haplotype data from 4 nuclear loci that span 5960 nucleotide sites. Results show that, although avocado is a subtropical tree crop and a predominantly outcrossing plant, the overall level of genetic variation is not exceptionally high (nucleotide diversity at silent sites, pi(sil) = 0.0102) compared with available estimates from temperate plant species. Intralocus LD decays rapidly to half the initial value within about 1 kb. Estimates of recombination rate (based on the sequence data) show that the rate is not exceptionally high when compared with annual plants such as wild barley or maize. Interlocus LD is significant owing to substantial population structure induced by mixing of the 3 botanical races of avocado.

O Funcionamento Familiar das Famílias com Filho Adulto com Deficiência / The Family Functioning of Families with an Adult Child with Disabilities

Conviver com a deficiência de um filho e com todas a implicações que isso acarreta é um desafio avassalador. Cada família é única e é dotada de particularidades e necessidades próprias que implicam que o enfermeiro a conheça nas suas várias vertentes. O funcionamento familiar é uma componente de grande relevância na saúde familiar, que se repercute ao nível da saúde individual. Para promover um funcionamento familiar saudável nas famílias com filho adulto com deficiência é essencial desenvolver uma abordagem centrada nas mesmas, reconhecendo as suas fragilidades e potencializando as suas aptidões e competências, numa perspetiva salutogénica. Os objetivos definidos para este estudo foram: avaliar o funcionamento familiar das famílias com filho adulto com deficiência; descrever as características sociodemográficas do filho adulto com deficiência; identificar o tipo de deficiência do filho adulto com deficiência; identificar o tipo de família do filho adulto com deficiência e determinar a relação entre as variáveis independentes e o funcionamento familiar das famílias com filho adulto com deficiência. De forma a alcançar os objetivos delimitados para a presente investigação, recorreu-se a um estudo de natureza quantitativa, descritiva correlacional e transversal. A amostra foi constituída por quarenta famílias com filho adulto (entre os 18 e os 64 anos) com deficiência que frequentam uma Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social (IPSS) do distrito da Guarda. A recolha de dados foi efetuada com recurso a um questionário constituído por quatro partes, do qual faz parte a versão IV da Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) traduzida e validada para a população portuguesa. O tratamento estatístico foi processado através do programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), versão 26.0. Este estudo demonstrou que o facto de se ter um filho adulto com deficiência do sexo feminino influencia positivamente as subescalas coesão e comunicação, enquanto o sexo masculino está relacionado a médias mais elevadas nas subescalas desmembrada e caótica. No que diz respeito à idade, as famílias com filho adulto com deficiência com idade igual ou inferior a 30 anos estão relacionadas a médias superiores na subescala emaranhada. Quanto ao tipo de deficiência, este estudo revelou que o facto de o filho adulto possuir deficiência física influencia o aumento da pontuação da subescala emaranhada. Os resultados obtidos permitiram ainda concluir que a maioria das famílias em estudo apresenta níveis de funcionamento familiar equilibrados, com médias superiores a um para todos os rácios e uma relação estatisticamente significativa para as famílias com filho adulto com deficiência do sexo feminino.

Living with a child's disability and all the implications that entails is an overwhelming challenge. Each family is unique and has its own particularities and needs that imply that the nurse knows it in its various aspects. Family functioning is a highly relevant component of family health, which affects individual health. To promote healthy family functioning in families with an adult child with a disability, it is essential to develop an approach centered on them, recognizing their weaknesses and enhancing their skills and competences, in a salutogenic perspective. The objectives defined for this study were: to assess the family functioning of families with an adult child with a disability; describe the sociodemographic characteristics of the disabled adult child; identify the type of disability of the disabled adult child; identify the type of family of an adult child with a disability and determine the relationship between the independent variables and the family functioning of families with an adult child with a disability. To achieve the objectives defined for the present investigation, a quantitative, descriptive, correlational and transversal study was used. Our sample consisted of forty families with an adult child (between 18 and 64 years old) with disabilities who attend a Public Institution of Social Solidarity (IPSS) in the district of Guarda. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire consisting of four parts, which includes version IV of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) translated and validated for the Portuguese population. Statistical treatment was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0. This study showed that having a child with a female disability positively influences the subscales of cohesion and communication, while males are related to higher averages in the disengaged and chaotic subscales. About age, families with child's disability aged 30 years or less are related to higher averages in the emmeshed subscale. As for the type of disability, our study revealed that the fact that the adult child has physical disability influences the increase in the emmeshed subscale score. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that most of the families under study present balanced family functioning levels, with means above one, for all ratios, and a significative relation for families with a female child disability.

[Hemogram reference values for Lisbon metropolitan area population]. / Valores de referência para hemograma na população da zona metropolitana de Lisboa.

The haemogram is, probably, one of the most requested analysis for laboratorial evaluation not only for ill patients but also in periodic evaluation of healthy subjects, allowing us to foil the presence of eventual illness, since there is an enormous variety of pathologies that can induce haemogram changes. The haematological parameters of healthy subjects are influenced by numerous factors. The ideal would be each laboratory should determine and establish his own reference values for each parameter, having in account all the variables. Since the available data for haematological parameters in the Portuguese population is very insufficient, it becomes necessary to report to exterior data based in populations with different characteristics from ours, which makes reference values' reliability questionable. To overcome this problem, we felt the necessity to evaluate our own population (healthy adults from metropolitan Lisbon area) concerning haemogram reference values, comparing the obtained results with those from the bibliography. We analyzed 363 blood samples from blood-donors that fulfilled the previously established protocol. The samples were collected before blood donation and the haemograms were done on the same day. We proceeded to the informatic registration of haemogram results, to the gathering of important data, to the characterization of the target population and to the statistical analysis of the obtained results. The sample population was globally analyzed and several groups were compared, according to sex, age group and possible history of smoking habits. Although we did not find in the bibliography data concerning the quantitative analysis of similar groups compared to ours, globally we concluded that the obtained results are similar to those described by other authors, both in qualitative and quantitative terms. The obtained results can only be of reference for this population and created subgroups. The definition of reference values for the Portuguese population requires the study of a much larger sample, due to the populational diversity that characterizes our country.

Diagnóstico e conduta clínica perante dentes supranumerários localizados em pré-maxila: relato de um caso / Diagnosis and clinical approach of supernumerary teeth in anterior maxila: a case report

Dentre os defeitos do desenvolvimento craniofacial, a Hiperdontia representa uma alteração de número do desenvolvimento dentário relevante, devido a sua alta prevalência e ao seu potencial para comprometer funcional e esteticamente os pacientes acometidos. O presente trabalho descreve o caso de um paciente de 5 anos de idade, acometido pelo desenvolvimento de dois elementos dentários supranumerários em região anterior de maxila. O caso foi diagnosticado a partir de avaliação radiográfica associada à erupção ectópica de um dos elementos supranumerários por face palatina dos incisivos superiores decíduos, os quais se apresentavam com mobilidade fisiológica devido ao desenvolvimento de seus sucessores. O tratamento eleito para o caso foi a extração dos elementos decíduos com mobilidade e do elemento supranumerário erupcionado, optando-se pela remoção do elemento supranumerário incluso em momento posterior, uma vez que este não se encontrava associado a nenhum comprometimento funcional ou estético e também pelo fato de que a remoção do mesmo geraria alta morbidade ao paciente pediátrico. O caso descrito salienta a importância do cirurgião no acompanhamento do desenvolvimento craniofacial humano, uma vez que este pode ser acompanhado de distúrbios significativos. Além disso, o presente caso alerta a comunidade odontológica para a importância do bom planejamento e conduta terapêutica adequados para cada caso

Among the defects of craniofacial development, Hyperdontia represents a relevant number of changes of the tooth development, due to its high prevalence and its potential for functional and aesthetically compromising the affected patients. This paper describes the case of a 5 years-old patient, affected by the development of two dental elements supernumerary in the anterior maxilla. The case was diagnosed from radiographic evaluation associated with clinical aspect of ectopic eruption of the supernumerary elements by palatal face of the upper deciduous incisors, which presented with physiological mobility due to the development of their successors. The treatment chosen for the case was the extraction of the deciduous elements mobility and supernumerary element erupted opting up by removal of the supernumerary element included at a later stage, since this was not associate with any functional or esthetic damage, and also by the fact that the removal of that would generate high morbidity to pediatric patient. This case emphasizes the importance of dental surgeon in monitoring of human craniofacial development, since this may be accompanied by significant disorders. Moreover, this case alerts the dental community to the importance of good planning and adequate therapeutic approach for each case

El método científico y la interdisciplinariedad en el abordaje del Análisis de la Situación de Salud / The scientific method and interdisciplinarity in approaching the Health Situation Analysis

La interdisciplinariedad en lo académico es un proceso basado en la correlación entre diversas disciplinas que mantienen su independencia, pero se vinculan en las proyecciones para el logro de objetivos docentes y educativos priorizados. El trabajo aborda esta temática y su objetivo principal es el identificar los nexos existentes entre las diversas manifestaciones del método científico en función de la interdisciplinariedad, como expresión de las categorías filosóficas de lo universal, lo general y lo particular en el abordaje del Análisis de la Situación de Salud (ASIS). El trabajo responde a un estudio cualitativo, basado en el análisis de los programas de estudio de las disciplinas, Filosofía y Sociedad, Medicina General Integral (MGI) e Informática Médica. Refleja la opinión de los autores, a partir de una reflexión desde el punto de vista filosófico y educativo en relación con el método científico y sus manifestaciones, en las tres unidades curriculares anteriormente mencionadas

Interdisciplinarity in the academic field is a process based on the correlation among several branches that keep their independence but get linked for the fulfilment of priority educational and teaching objectives. This paper dealt with this topic and is mainly aimed at identifying the connections among the several variants of the scientific method as a function of interdisciplinarity, viewed as expression of the philososophic categories of the universal, the general and the particular things in approaching the Health Situation Analysis (HSA). This paper was supported on a qualitative study about the analysis of the curricula of Philosophy and Society, General Family Medicine and Medical Informatics disciplines. It showed the authors´opinions based on a reflection, from the philosophical and educational viewpoints, made on the scientific method and its variants in the curricula of the above-mentioned subjects

Algunos factores de riesgo de la mortalidad infantil, en un area de salud / Some risk factors for infant mortality in a health ares

Se realiza un estudio del tipo de caso-control sobre lamortalidad infantil del area de salud del policlinico "Dr. Gustavo Aldereguia" del municipio Las Tunas, donde los casos fueron las defunciones en menores de 1 ano del area, ocurridas en 1991 y 1992, y los controles fueron una muestra de losnacidos vivos de 1990, 1991 y 1992. Se aplico una encuesta que incluia distintasvariables consideradas como diferenciales y factores de riesgo en la mortalidad infantil. Se expresan como resultados y conclusiones que el grupo de menores de 7 dias de nacidos resulto ser el mas afectado, pues estuvo muy relacionado con las cuasas de muerte perinatales. Se encontro una sobremortalidad en el sexo masculino que resulto 1,6 veces superior a la mortalidad en el sexo femenino; los factores biologicos de riesgo como: madre joven, bajo peso al nacer y gestacion pretermino, estuvieron asociados con gran intensidad a la mortalidad infantil; otros factores de riesgo de consideracion fueron la no lactancia materna, menor numero de asistencia a las consultas, dificultades de las visitas de terreno prenatales, intervalo intergenesico corto, y antecedentes de muertes infantiles y fetales