Microbeads as carriers for Bacillus pumilus: a biofertilizer focus on auxin production.

The study aimed to develop a solid biofertilizer using Bacillus pumilus, focusing on auxin production to enhance plant drought tolerance. Methods involved immobilising B. pumilus in alginate-starch beads, focusing on microbial concentration, biopolymer types, and environmental conditions. The optimal formulation showed a diameter of 3.58 mm ± 0.18, a uniform size distribution after 15 h of drying at 30 °C, a stable bacterial concentration (1.99 × 109 CFU g-1 ± 1.03 × 109 over 180 days at room temperature), a high auxin production (748.8 µg g-1 ± 10.3 of IAA in 7 days), and a water retention capacity of 37% ± 4.07. In conclusion, this new formulation of alginate + starch + L-tryptophan + B. pumilus has the potential for use in crops due to its compelling water retention, high viability in storage at room temperature, and high auxin production, which provides commercial advantages.

The immunophilin Zonda controls regulated exocytosis in endocrine and exocrine tissues.

Exocytosis is a fundamental process in physiology, that ensures communication between cells, organs and even organisms. Hormones, neuropeptides and antibodies, among other cargoes are packed in exocytic vesicles that need to reach and fuse with the plasma membrane to release their content to the extracellular milieu. Hundreds of proteins participate in this process and several others in its regulation. We report here a novel component of the exocytic machinery, the Drosophila transmembrane immunophilin Zonda (Zda), previously found to participate in autophagy. Zda is highly expressed in secretory tissues, and regulates exocytosis in at least three of them: the ring gland, insulin-producing cells and the salivary gland. Using the salivary gland as a model system, we found that Zda is required at final steps of the exocytic process for fusion of secretory granules to the plasma membrane. In a genetic screen we identified the small GTPase RalA as a crucial regulator of secretory granule exocytosis that is required, similarly to Zda, for fusion between the secretory granule and the plasma membrane.

Assessing on-site plastics fragmentation: Linking macroplastics litter to microplastics pollution in vegetable fields.

This study proposes a novel approach to determine whether farmers act as a pollution source of microplastics through macroplastic mismanagement or if they are temporary hosts of in-transit microplastics. Using a case-study approach, it was hypothesized that 90 % of soil microplastics would trace back to macroplastic waste mismanaged by farmers. To determine the amount of soil microplastics, linear transects were established and microplastic litter was counted and classified. Additionally, composite soil samples were used to count and colour-classify microplastics. The Kendall correlation was used to differentiate between the colour ranks of macro- and microplastics to discriminate between plastic on-site fragmentation or exogenous plastic pollution. For this, 37 vegetable farms in central Chile were assessed after the growing season. Farms showed lower microplastic counts than previously reported for similar productive conditions (3.68 ±â€¯3.28 u/kg). A median colour correlation of 0.43 (IQR = 0.18-0.55) was observed between macro- and microplastics. Only in 25 % of the studied fields did on-site plastic fragmentation predominate over exogenous plastic pollution. The applied approach is simple to implement and does not require specialized laboratory equipment. We hope that the proposed methodology will serve in environmental monitoring to evaluate adherence to good agricultural practices and to guide pollution-prevention measures.

Birth order and ratio of brothers to sisters in Spanish transsexuals.

Three Western studies have shown that male-to-female (MF) homosexual transsexuals tend to be born later than their siblings and to come from sibships with more brothers than sisters. The objective of this study was to determine whether these variables would be replicated in 530 MF and female-to-male (FM) Spanish transsexuals according to sexual orientation. The results showed that MF homosexual transsexuals had significantly more older brothers than the non-homosexual MF group. Compared with the expected rates in the general population, birth order was significantly higher in both MF (Slater's Index = 0.59; Fraternal Index = 0.61; Sororal Index = 0.58) and FM homosexual transsexuals (Slater's Index = 0.65; Fraternal Index = 0.68; Sororal Index = 0.67), and sibling sex ratio was significantly higher than expected in homosexual MF (sex ratio = 0.55) but not in homosexual FM transsexuals. No significant differences were found in the non-homosexual subgroups. The replication of the later birth order and sibling sex-ratio effect in MF homosexual transsexuals corroborates previous findings in a variety of groups from different cultures and may suggest a common mechanism underlying the etiology of transsexualism.

Current Status of Healthy Aging and Dementia Research: A Symposium Summary.

The purpose of the 'First Regional Healthy Aging and Dementia Research Symposium' was to discuss the latest research in healthy aging and dementia research, public health trends related to neurodegenerative diseases of aging, and community-based programs and research studying health, nutrition, and cognition. This symposium was organized by the Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), and was held in Lubbock, Texas, October 24-25, 2018. The Symposium joined experts from educational and research institutions across the United States. The two-day Symposium included all GIA staff and researchers. Students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members involved in dementia research presented at the Symposium. Healthcare professionals, from geriatricians to social workers working with patients with neurodegenerative diseases, also presented. In addition, experts traveled from across the United States to participate. This event was comprised of multiple sessions, each with several oral presentations, followed by questions and answers, and discussion.

The mediating role of work-family conflict in the relationship between organizational justice and work-related stress / Rol mediador del conflicto trabajo-familia en la relación entre justicia organizacional y estrés laboral

Abstract Although the effects of overall organizational justice on perceptions of work-related stress have been demonstrated in previous studies, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not explicit. Current research suggests that supervisors who are perceived as fair enhance employees' ability to balance their work and family roles, positively impacting their stress levels. The aim of this research is to examine the mediating role of work-family conflict in the relationship between perceptions of overall organizational justice and work-related stress in a Latin-American work context; also analyze gender differences in work-family/work-family conflict. 129 workers belonging to a Chilean public institution participated and answered a self-report questionnaire. Analyses were done using bivariate correlations of Pearson, Tau-b of Kendall, Student t-test and structural equation modeling. The results showed the existence of a significant negative correlation between perceptions of overall organizational justice and work-related stress. Furthermore, this relationship was partially mediated by work-family conflict, which means, perceptions of organizational justice were directly and indirectly associated with work-related stress, through work-family conflict. With respect to the gender variable and the work-family, no significant differences were found. This study contributes empirical evidence regarding the importance of perceptions of overall organizational justice and the work-family conflict on work-related stress, and the results obtained guide the diagnosis and the design of more specific models of prevention and intervention from the perspective of occupational health psychology.

Resumen Si bien los efectos de las percepciones de justicia organizacional global sobre las percepciones de estrés laboral han sido demostrados en estudios previos, los mecanismos que subyacen a esta relación no resultan explícitos. La investigación actual plantea que las jefaturas percibidas como más justas potencian la capacidad del trabajador para conciliar sus roles laborales y familiares, impactando positivamente sus niveles de estrés. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar, en un contexto laboral latinoamericano, el rol mediador del conflicto trabajo-familia en la relación entre las percepciones de justicia organizacional global y estrés laboral; y analizar diferencias entre hombres y mujeres respecto al conflicto trabajo-familia. Participaron 129 trabajadores pertenecientes a una institución pública chilena, quienes contestaron un cuestionario de autoreporte. Se efectuaron correlaciones bivariadas de Pearson, Tau-b de Kendall, prueba t de Student y modelamiento de ecuaciones estructurales. Los resultados mostraron la existencia de una correlación negativa y significativa entre las percepciones de justicia organizacional global y el estrés laboral. Además, esta relación estuvo mediada parcialmente por el conflicto trabajo-familia, es decir, las percepciones de justicia organizacional se asociaron de manera directa e indirecta al estrés laboral, a través del conflicto trabajo-familia. Respecto de la variable género y el conflict trabajo-familia, no se encontraron diferencias significativas. Este estudio aporta evidencia empírica sobre la importancia de las percepciones de justicia organizacional global, y sus resultados orientan el diagnóstico y la elaboración de modelos de prevención e intervención más específicos desde el campo de la psicología de la salud ocupacional.

Zonda is a novel early component of the autophagy pathway in Drosophila.

Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved process by which eukaryotic cells undergo self-digestion of cytoplasmic components. Here we report that a novel Drosophila immunophilin, which we have named Zonda, is critically required for starvation-induced autophagy. We show that Zonda operates at early stages of the process, specifically for Vps34-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) deposition. Zonda displays an even distribution under basal conditions and, soon after starvation, nucleates in endoplasmic reticulum-associated foci that colocalize with omegasome markers. Zonda nucleation depends on Atg1, Atg13, and Atg17 but does not require Vps34, Vps15, Atg6, or Atg14. Zonda interacts physically with Atg1 through its kinase domain, as well as with Atg6 and Vps34. We propose that Zonda is an early component of the autophagy cascade necessary for Vps34-dependent PI3P deposition and omegasome formation.

A key for hypoxia genetic adaptation in alpaca could be a HIF1A truncated bHLH protein domain / Una clave para la adaptacion genética de la hypoxia en las alpacas podria ser un dominio de proteina bHLH truncado con HIF1A

Animals exposed to hypobaric hypoxia triggers a physiological hypoxia response via Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) proteins that functions as transcriptional complexes. As the South American camelids inhabit at high Andean altitudes we have asked if they have developed genetic adaptations to live at high altitudes. In the present study we investigate genetic structures of the HIF1A proteins carried by members of the superorder Cetartiodactyla. During our investigation we discovered the existence of a genetic event that caused the loss of most of the bHLH domain in the proteins borne by the Alpaca and other members of the Cetartiodactyla superorder; we designate them as bHLH short sequences. Further analysis at the nucleotide level revealed in the 12 short sequences included in the study the presence at the 5´end of the bHLH domains stop codons. Seven out of the 12 short HIF1A proteins, have an identical or almost identical nucleotide sequence at their 5´end with a same TAA stop codon and at the same position. As the mutations affects to both the Artiodactyls and Cetaceans, we postulate that the mutation(s) occurred before their divergence about 55 million years ago. The relevance of these findings for genetic adaptation of Alpacas to hypobaric hypoxia of high altitude conditions is discussed.

Los animales expuestos a hypoxia hipobárica generan una respuesta hipóxica fisiológica debido a unas proteinas de Factor-Hipoxia Inducible (HIF) que funcionan como complejos transcripcionales. Debido a que los camelidos Americanos habitan en las grandes alturas andinas, nos hemos preguntado si han desarrollado una adaptación genética para vivir a grandes alturas. Eneste estudio hemos investigado la estructura genética de las proteinas HIF1A que llevan consigo los miembros de la superorden de los cetartiodáctilos. Durante nuestra investigación, descubrimos la existencia de un evento genético que causó la perdida de la mayoría del dominio bHLH en las proteinas transmitidas por la alpaca y otros miembros de la superorden de los cetartiodáctilos; las hemos designado como secuencias cortas de bHLH. Análisis posteriores a nivel nucleótido revelaron que en la doceava secuencia corta incluida en el studio, hubo presencia de codones de terminación en el extreme 5' del dominio de bHLH. Siete de las doce proteinas cortas HIF1A, tiene una secuencia idéntica o casi idéntica de nucleotidos en su extremo 5', con el mismo codón de terminación TAA y en la misma posición. Debido a que la mutación afecta tanto a Artiodáctilos como Cetáceos, proponemos que la mutación(es) ocurrió antes de su divergencia hace unos 55 millones de años. Analizamos la relevancia de estos descubrimientos sobre la adaptación genética de las alpacas a la hipoxia hipobárica en condiciones de grandes alturas.

Enfoques de estudio de casos en la investigación de enfermería / Case study approaches in nursing research

Los estudios de casos han sido usados en una variedad de disciplinas en las ciencias sociales y salud, al tener cualidades para comprender en profundidad un fenómeno en variados contextos y situaciones naturales. Sin embargo, su uso ha sido confuso por las diferentes visiones de los investigadores. Este artículo tiene como propósito hacer una distinción de los estudios de casos: con perspectiva cualitativa y como un diseño de investigación. Los estudios de casos cualitativos se originan por la forma particular de ver el caso como un todo: su contexto y sus límites, con análisis intensivo del caso o casos colectivos, y siempre bajo la concepción de su idiosincrasia y sin generalización. El diseño de estudios de casos como parte de una estrategia investigativa busca dar respuesta a una pregunta de investigación que permite usar diferentes métodos para hacer constantes comparaciones múltiples. En síntesis, los estudios de casos son usados en ambas formas por los investigadores y tienen un potencial de utilidad en situaciones y contextos de enfermería y salud...

Case studies have been used into social sciences and health disciplines because of their properties to understand complex phenomena in a variety of contexts and situations. However, its use has been confusing because of the different researcher's perspectives. This article aims to distinguish two types of two types of case studies approaches: the one with a qualitative perspective and as a design research strategy. The qualitative case study are originated by the particular way of seing the case as a whole: its contexts and limits, intensive case analysis or collective cases, and always under the conception of their idiosyncrasy without generalization. In a research design, case study is a research strategy that tries to answer a research question by applying different methods for data collection and analyzing by using constant comparison. Currently, both approaches of case studies are used by researchers, having a potential benefit for nursing and health settings and contexts...

Insuficiencia renal aguda intrahospitalaria / intrahospitable acute renal Insufficiency

La insuficiencia renal aguda, es una entidad patológica frecuente en nuestro medio y más aún en el área hospitalaria, donde el médico debe enfrentar situaciones graves, pero en su mayoría reversibles, generalmente asociada a yatrogenia, por lo cual nos proponemos determinar las principales causas. Estudiamos todos los casos de insuficiencia renal aguda ocurridos en el Hospital Pablo Arturo Suárez, en las áreas clínicas y quirúrgicas, excepto en Ginecobstetricia, en un período de seis meses, 35 pacientes (2.33 por ciento) presentaron elevación de la creatinina sérica con valores mayores del 50 por ciento del valor basal. Se analizó su etiología, factores desencadenantes, patologías preexistentes y tiempo de evolución. Se presentó con más frecuencia en mayores de 60 años, con una edad media de presentación de 62.9. Entre las causas que adquieren mayor importancia se encuentran las de tipo hemodinámico...