Interoceptive awareness in a clinical setting: the need to bring interoceptive perspectives into clinical evaluation.

Interoceptive awareness (IA) is crucial to understanding mental health. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) scale, available in approximately 30 languages, has gained global recognition for its research applicability. This review highlights the critical importance of integrating IA evaluation in clinical settings, advocating for the MAIA scale's potential as a screening tool. Through an examination of academic databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and J-STOR, our analysis spans seven mental health domains: eating disorders (ED), depression, stress, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), chronic pain, and suicide ideation (SI). Thirty-eight studies showed links between several dimensions of IA with different disorders. That is, ED was related to Body Trust and Self-Regulation; anxiety to Body Listening, Emotional Awareness, and Self-Regulation; depression to Noticing and Emotional Awareness; ASD to Trusting, Emotional Awareness, and Noticing; chronic pain to Not-Worrying and Self-Regulation; and SI with Trusting. These insights hold profound implications for both clinical practice and mental health research. Integrating IA assessments into standard clinical protocols has the potential to improve our understanding of pathology, enrich patient care, and enhance therapeutic strategies.

Comparative genomics of plant growth promoting phosphobacteria isolated from acidic soils.

Despite being one of the most abundant elements in soil, phosphorus (P) often becomes a limiting macronutrient for plants due to its low bioavailability, primarily locked away in insoluble organic and inorganic forms. Phosphate solubilizing and mineralizing bacteria, also called phosphobacteria, isolated from P-deficient soils have emerged as a promising biofertilizer alternative, capable of converting these recalcitrant P forms into plant-available phosphates. Three such phosphobacteria strains-Serratia sp. RJAL6, Klebsiella sp. RCJ4, and Enterobacter sp. 198-previously demonstrated their particular strength as plant growth promoters for wheat, ryegrass, or avocado under abiotic stresses and P deficiency. Comparative genomic analysis of their draft genomes revealed several genes encoding key functionalities, including alkaline phosphatases, isonitrile secondary metabolites, enterobactin biosynthesis and genes associated to the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gluconic acid. Moreover, overall genome relatedness indexes (OGRIs) revealed substantial divergence between Serratia sp. RJAL6 and its closest phylogenetic neighbours, Serratia nematodiphila and Serratia bockelmanii. This compelling evidence suggests that RJAL6 merits classification as a novel species. This in silico genomic analysis provides vital insights into the plant growth-promoting capabilities and provenance of these promising PSRB strains. Notably, it paves the way for further characterization and potential application of the newly identified Serratia species as a powerful bioinoculant in future agricultural settings.

CLI: A new protocol for the isolation of Lactic Acid Bacteria from complex plant samples.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are predominantly probiotic microorganisms and the most are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). LAB inhabit in the human gut ecosystem and are largely found in fermented foods and silage. In the last decades, LAB have also has been found in plant microbiota as a new class of microbes with probiotic activity to plants. For this reason, today the scientific interest in the study and isolation of LAB for agronomic application has increased. However, isolation protocols from complex samples such as plant tissues are scarce and inefficient. In this study, we developed a new protocol (CLI, Complex samples LAB Isolation) which yields purified LAB from plants. The sensitivity of CLI protocol was sufficient to isolate representative microorganisms of LAB genera (i.e. Leuconostoc, Lactococcus and Enterococcus). CLI protocol consists on five steps: i) sample preparation and pre-incubation in 1% sterile peptone at 30 °C for 24-48 h; ii) Sample homogenization in vortex by 10 min; iii) sample serial dilution in quarter-strength Ringer solution, iv) incubation in MRS agar plates with 0.2% of sorbic acid, with 1% of CaCO3, O2 < 15%, at pH 5.8 and 37 °C for 48 h.; v) Selection of single colonies with LAB morphology and CaCO3-solubilization halo. Our scientific contribution is that CLI protocol could be used for several complex samples and represents a useful method for further studies involving native LAB.

Proteomic response to phosphorus deficiency and aluminum stress of three aluminum-tolerant phosphobacteria isolated from acidic soils.

Aluminum (Al)-tolerant phosphobacteria enhance plant growth in acidic soils by improving Al complexing and phosphorus (P) availability. However, the impact of Al stress and P deficiency on bacterial biochemistry and physiology remains unclear. We investigated the single and mutual effects of Al stress (10 mM) and P deficiency (0.05 mM) on the proteome of three aluminum-tolerant phosphobacteria: Enterobacter sp. 198, Enterobacter sp. RJAL6, and Klebsiella sp. RCJ4. Cultivated under varying conditions, P deficiency upregulated P metabolism proteins while Al exposure downregulated iron-sulfur and heme-containing proteins and upregulated iron acquisition proteins. This demonstrated that Al influence on iron homeostasis and bacterial central metabolism. This study offers crucial insights into bacterial behavior in acidic soils, benefiting the development of bioinoculants for crops facing Al toxicity and P deficiency. This investigation marks the first proteomic study on the interaction between high Al and P deficiency in acid soils-adapted bacteria.

Microbiome engineering optimized by Antarctic microbiota to support a plant host under water deficit.

Climate change challenges modern agriculture to develop alternative and eco-friendly solutions to alleviate abiotic and/or biotic stresses. The use of soil microbiomes from extreme environments opens new avenues to discover novel microorganisms and microbial functions to protect plants. In this study we confirm the ability of a bioinoculant, generated by natural engineering, to promote host development under water stress. Microbiome engineering was mediated through three factors i) Antarctic soil donation, ii) water deficit and iii) multigenerational tomato host selection. We revealed that tomato plants growing in soils supplemented with Antarctic microbiota were tolerant to water deficit stress after 10 generations. A clear increase in tomato seedling tolerance against water deficit stress was observed in all soils over generations of Host Mediated Microbiome Engineering, being Fildes mixture the most representatives, which was evidenced by an increased survival time, plant stress index, biomass accumulation, and decreased leaf proline content. Microbial community analysis using 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data suggested a microbiome restructuring that could be associated with increased tolerance of water deficit. Additionally, the results showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus and Bacillus spp. which could be key taxa associated with the observed tolerance improvement. We proposed that in situ microbiota engineering through the evolution of three factors (long-standing extreme climate adaption and host and stress selection) could represent a promising strategy for novel generation of microbial inoculants.

A Comparative Study of the Synthesis and Characterization of Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles by Two Contrasting Endophytic Selenobacteria.

The present study examined the biosynthesis and characterization of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using two contrasting endophytic selenobacteria, one Gram-positive (Bacillus sp. E5 identified as Bacillus paranthracis) and one Gram-negative (Enterobacter sp. EC5.2 identified as Enterobacter ludwigi), for further use as biofortifying agents and/or for other biotechnological purposes. We demonstrated that, upon regulating culture conditions and selenite exposure time, both strains were suitable "cell factories" for producing SeNPs (B-SeNPs from B. paranthracis and E-SeNPs from E. ludwigii) with different properties. Briefly, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies revealed that intracellular E-SeNPs (56.23 ± 4.85 nm) were smaller in diameter than B-SeNPs (83.44 ± 2.90 nm) and that both formulations were located in the surrounding medium or bound to the cell wall. AFM images indicated the absence of relevant variations in bacterial volume and shape and revealed the existence of layers of peptidoglycan surrounding the bacterial cell wall under the conditions of biosynthesis, particularly in the case of B. paranthracis. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that SeNPs were surrounded by the proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides of bacterial cells and that the numbers of the functional groups present in B-SeNPs were higher than in E-SeNPs. Thus, considering that these findings support the suitability of these two endophytic stains as potential biocatalysts to produce high-quality Se-based nanoparticles, our future efforts must be focused on the evaluation of their bioactivity, as well as on the determination of how the different features of each SeNP modulate their biological action and their stability.

Evaluation of the quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in two health institutions, Bogotá, D. C., Colombia / Evaluación de la calidad de vida en niños y adolescentes con diabetes de tipo 1 en dos instituciones de salud, Bogotá, D. C., Colombia

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the pediatric and juvenile population that affects the quality of life of patients. Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of a pediatric population under 18 years of age diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from two pediatric institutions in the city of Bogotá. Material and methods: We collected of sociodemographic data and clinical variables and application of the PedsQL 4.0™ questionnaire, and the diabetes module 3.2 version validated in Spanish. The sociodemographic data, the clinical variables and the PedsQL™ were processed in the statistical software Stata 17™. Results: In the global score of the PedsQL™ 3.2, diabetes version, men presented better quality of life compared to women. The correlation between the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values and the PedsQL scale in the global score was evaluated. Patients with HbA1c values below 9% presented a better health-related quality of life, while in the group with HbA1c greater than 9% a perception of low quality of life was observed (p=0.025). Regarding the type of therapy and the relationship with the domains of the PedsQL 3.2, diabetes version, patients who used insulin pumps had better scores in the domains barriers, adherence, concern, communication and in the global score compared to patients who used multiple daily injections of insulin as treatment (p=0.0363). Conclusions: In our patients, a better metabolic control (measured by the HbA1c value) and the use of an insulin pump contribute to a better perception of quality of life.

Introducción. La diabetes mellitus es una de las enfermedades crónicas con mayor prevalencia en la población pediátrica y juvenil, con efectos en la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Objetivo. Evaluar la calidad de vida de una población pediátrica menor de 18 años con diagnóstico de diabetes de tipo 1, de dos instituciones pediátricas de la ciudad de Bogotá. Materiales y métodos. Se recolectaron los datos sociodemográficos, y se emplearon la versión validada en español del cuestionario PedsQL 4.0™ y el módulo 3.2 sobre diabetes. Los datos se procesaron en el software estadístico STATA 17™. Resultados. Con el puntaje global del módulo 3.2 sobre diabetes, de la versión validada del PedsQL™, se evaluó la correlación entre los valores de la hemoglobina A1c (HbA1c) y los del cuestionario. Los pacientes con valores por debajo del 9 % de HbA1c presentaron una mejor calidad de vida relacionada con la salud, mientras que, en el grupo con HbA1c mayor de 9 %, se observó una baja percepción de calidad de vida (p=0,025). En cuanto el tipo de terapia y la relación con los dominios del PedsQL™ 3.2, versión diabetes, los pacientes que utilizaban la bomba de insulina o microinfusor presentaban mejor puntaje en los dominios barreras, cumplimiento, preocupación y comunicación, y en el puntaje global, respecto a quienes usaban múltiples inyecciones de insulina como tratamiento (p=0,0363). Conclusiones. En nuestros pacientes, un mejor control metabólico (medido por el valor de HbA1c) y el uso de microinfusora contribuyen a una percepción de mejor calidad de vida.

Melanin Induction Restores the Pathogenicity of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici in Wheat Plants.

One of the most challenging aspects of long-term research based on microorganisms is the maintenance of isolates under ex situ conditions, particularly the conservation of phytopathological characteristics. Our research group has worked for more than 10 years with Gaumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt), the main biotic factor affecting wheat. In this sense we preserved the microorganisms in oil overlaid. However, several strains preserved for a long time lost their pathogenicity. These strains show white and non-infective mycelia. In this sense, we hypothesized that this is attributable to low melanin content. Melanin is a natural pigment mainly involved in UV protection, desiccation, salinity, oxidation, and fungal pathogenicity. Therefore, understanding the melanin role on Ggt pathogenicity is fundamental to developing melanin activation strategies under laboratory studies. In this study, we induce melanin activation by UV-A light chamber, 320 to 400 nm (T1) and temperature changes of 30 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C (T2). Fungal pathogenicity was evaluated by determination of blackening roots and Ggt was quantified by real-time PCR in inoculated wheat plants. Results revealed that Ggt grown under UV-A (T1) conditions showed around 40% higher melanin level with a concomitant effect on root infection (98% of blackened roots) and 4-fold more Ggt genome copy number compared with the control (non-infective mycelia) being T1, a more inductor factor compared with T2. These findings would support the role of melanin in pathogenicity in darkly pigmented fungi such as Ggt and could serve as a basis for activating pathogenicity under laboratory conditions.

Drimane Sesquiterpene Alcohols with Activity against Candida Yeast Obtained by Biotransformation with Cladosporium antarcticum.

Fungal biotransformation is an attractive synthetic strategy to produce highly specific compounds with chemical functionality in regions of the carbon skeleton that are not easily activated by conventional organic chemistry methods. In this work, Cladosporium antarcticum isolated from sediments of Glacier Collins in Antarctica was used to obtain novel drimane sesquiterpenoids alcohols with activity against Candida yeast from drimendiol and epidrimendiol. These compounds were produced by the high-yield reduction of polygodial and isotadeonal with NaBH4 in methanol. Cladosporium antarcticum produced two major products from drimendiol, identified as 9α-hydroxydrimendiol (1, 41.4 mg, 19.4% yield) and 3ß-hydroxydrimendiol (2, 74.8 mg, 35% yield), whereas the biotransformation of epidrimendiol yielded only one product, 9ß-hydroxyepidrimendiol (3, 86.6 mg, 41.6% yield). The products were purified by column chromatography and their structure elucidated by NMR and MS. The antifungal activity of compounds 1-3 was analyzed against Candida albicans, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis, showing that compound 2 has a MIC lower than 15 µg/mL against the three-pathogenic yeast. In silico studies suggest that a possible mechanism of action for the novel compounds is the inhibition of the enzyme lanosterol 14α-demethylase, affecting the ergosterol synthesis.

Biological Crusts to Increase Soil Carbon Sequestration: New Challenges in a New Environment.

The major priority of research in the present day is to conserve the environment by reducing GHG emissions. A proposed solution by an expert panel from 195 countries meeting at COP 21 was to increase global SOC stocks by 0.4% year-1 to compensate for GHG emissions, the '4 per 1000' agreement. In this context, the application of biocrusts is a promising framework with which to increase SOC and other soil functions in the soil-plant continuum. Despite the importance of biocrusts, their application to agriculture is limited due to: (1) competition with native microbiota, (2) difficulties in applying them on a large scale, (3) a lack of studies based on carbon (C) balance and suitable for model parameterization, and (4) a lack of studies evaluating the contribution of biocrust weathering to increase C sequestration. Considering these four challenges, we propose three perspectives for biocrust application: (1) natural microbiome engineering by a host plant, using biocrusts; (2) quantifying the contribution of biocrusts to C sequestration in soils; and (3) enhanced biocrust weathering to improve C sequestration. Thus, we focus this opinion article on new challenges by using the specialized microbiome of biocrusts to be applied in a new environment to counteract the negative effects of climate change.

Engineering Multigenerational Host-Modulated Microbiota against Soilborne Pathogens in Response to Global Climate Change.

Crop migration caused by climatic events has favored the emergence of new soilborne diseases, resulting in the colonization of new niches (emerging infectious diseases, EIDs). Soilborne pathogens are extremely persistent in the environment. This is in large part due to their ability to reside in the soil for a long time, even without a host plant, using survival several strategies. In this regard, disease-suppressive soils, characterized by a low disease incidence due to the presence of antagonist microorganisms, can be an excellent opportunity for the study mechanisms of soil-induced immunity, which can be applied in the development of a new generation of bioinoculants. Therefore, here we review the main effects of climate change on crops and pathogens, as well as the potential use of soil-suppressive microbiota as a natural source of biocontrol agents. Based on results of previous studies, we also propose a strategy for the optimization of microbiota assemblages, selected using a host-mediated approach. This process involves an increase in and prevalence of specific taxa during the transition from a conducive to a suppressive soil. This strategy could be used as a model to engineer microbiota assemblages for pathogen suppression, as well as for the reduction of abiotic stresses created due to global climate change.

Bactericidal and Virucidal Activities of Biogenic Metal-Based Nanoparticles: Advances and Perspectives.

Much progress has been achieved in the preparation and application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in the field of medicine, mainly for antibacterial and antiviral applications. In the war against bacteria and viruses, besides traditional antibiotics and antiviral drugs, metal-based nanoparticles, such as silver (AgNPs), copper (CuNPs), copper oxides (CuO-NPs), iron oxide (FeO-NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO-NPs), and titanium oxide (TiO2-NPs) have been used as potent antimicrobial agents. These nanoparticles can be synthesized by traditional methods, such as chemical and physical routes, or more recently by biogenic processes. A great variety of macro and microorganisms can be successfully used as reducing agents of metal salt precursors in the biogenic synthesis of metal-based NPs for antimicrobial activity. Depending on the nature of the biological agent, NPs with different sizes, aggregation states, morphology, surface coatings and charges can be obtained, leading to different antimicrobial effects. Considering the drug resistance to traditional therapies, the development of versatile nanomaterials with potent antimicrobial effects is under intensive investigation. In this sense, this review presents and discusses the recent progress in the preparation and application of metal-based nanoparticles biogenically synthesized for antibacterial and antivirus applications. The strength and limitations are critically discussed.

Antifungal Effects of Drimane Sesquiterpenoids Isolated from Drimys winteri against Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici.

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici is a soilborne pathogen that causes "take-all" disease, affecting cereal roots. In wheat, G. graminis var. tritici is the most important biotic factor, causing around 30 to 50% losses of yield. Chemical control of this fungal disease is difficult because G. graminis var. tritici is able to reside for a long time in soils. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly biotechnological strategies to diminish the incidence of soilborne diseases is highly desirable. Natural products are a promising strategy for biocontrol of plant pathogens. A special emphasis is on medicinal plants due to their reported fungitoxic effects. Drimys winteri (canelo) is a medicinal plant that is widely used by the Mapuche ethnic group from Chile due to its anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, inhibitory effects of canelo against phytopathogenic fungi and pest insects have been reported. In this study, we isolated, purified, and identified six drimane sesquiterpenoid compounds from canelo (drimenin, drimenol, polygodial, isodrimeninol, valdiviolide, and drimendiol). Then, we evaluated their antimicrobial effects against G. graminis var. tritici. Compounds were identified by comparing Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data and the retention time in thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with those of pure standards. The putative antagonistic effects were confirmed by assessing hyphal cell wall damage using confocal microscopy and lipid peroxidation. Here, we reported the high potential of drimane sesquiterpenoids as natural antifungals against G. graminis var. tritici. Polygodial and isodrimeninol were the most effective, with 50% lethal concentrations (LC50s) between 7 and 10 µg ml-1 and higher levels of fungal lipid peroxidation seen. Accordingly, natural sesquiterpenoids purified from canelo are biologically active against G. graminis var. tritici and could be used as natural biofungicides for sustainable agriculture.IMPORTANCE More than two billion tons of pesticides are used every year worldwide. An interesting sustainable alternative to control plant pathogens is the use of natural products obtained from plants, mainly medicinal plants that offer secondary metabolites important to human/animal health. In this study, we isolated and identified six pure drimane sesquiterpenoids obtained from the bark of Drimys winteri Additionally, we evaluated their antifungal activities against Gaeumannomyces graminis (the main biotic factor affecting cereal production, especially wheat) by assessing fungal cell wall damage and lipid peroxidation. The compounds obtained showed important antifungal properties against G. graminis var. tritici, mainly isodrimenol, which was the second-most-active compound after polygodial, with an LC50 against G. graminis var. tritici of around 9.5 µg ml-1 This information could be useful for the development of new natural or hemisynthetic antifungal agents against soilborne phytopathogens that could be used in green agriculture.

A new method for the inoculation of Phytophthora palmivora (Butler) into cacao seedlings under greenhouse conditions.

BACKGROUND: The black pod disease affects cacao plantations worldwide; it is caused by the oomycete species of the genus Phytophthora. The resistance of cacao plants to the black pod is commonly evaluated by artificial inoculation of the pathogen and the monitoring of the disease symptoms. However, it is difficult to identify resistant plants because the commonly used methods for the inoculation of the pathogens produce inconsistent results. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an efficient and reliable method to evaluate the resistance of Theobroma cacao seedlings to the infection by Phytophthora palmivora. RESULTS: Seedlings of different cacao genotypes were inoculated with P. palmivora under greenhouse conditions using the previously reported inoculation methods and a newly proposed method, the agar-water solution method. While none of the previously reported methods was effective, the agar-water solution method ensured a 100% seedling infection under greenhouse conditions. The proposed agar-water methodology is fast, simple and reproducible. Furthermore, the evaluation of this method in susceptible (CCN-51) and tolerant (SCA-6) T. cacao genotypes produced the expected contrasting results. CONCLUSIONS: The agar-water solution method presented in this study is an efficient alternative inoculation protocol for the identification of cacao genotypes that are resistant to black pod under greenhouse conditions.

Optimization of the genotyping-by-sequencing SNP calling for diversity analysis in cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) and related taxa.

A robust Genotyping-By-Sequencing (GBS) pipeline platform was examined to provide accurate discovery of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in a cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) and related taxa germplasm collection. A total of 176 accessions representing, wild, weedy, and commercial cultivars as well as related taxa from the Colombian germplasm bank and other world repositories were screened using GBS. The pipeline parameters mnLCov of 0.5 and a mnScov of 0.7, tomato and potato genomes, and cape gooseberry transcriptome for read alignments, were selected to better assess diversity and population structure in cape gooseberry and related taxa. A total of 7,425 SNPs, derived from P. peruviana common tags (unique 64 bp sequences shared between selected species), were used. Within P. peruviana, five subpopulations with a high genetic diversity and allele fixation (HE: 0.35 to 0.36 and FIS: -0.11 to -0.01, respectively) were detected. Conversely, low genetic differentiation (FST: 0.01 to 0.05) was also observed, indicating a high gene flow among subpopulations. These results contribute to the establishment of adequate conservation and breeding strategies for Cape gooseberry and closely related Physalis species.

Natural Holobiome Engineering by Using Native Extreme Microbiome to Counteract the Climate Change Effects.

In the current scenario of climate change, the future of agriculture is uncertain. Climate change and climate-related disasters have a direct impact on biotic and abiotic factors that govern agroecosystems compromising the global food security. In the last decade, the advances in high throughput sequencing techniques have significantly improved our understanding about the composition, function and dynamics of plant microbiome. However, despite the microbiome have been proposed as a new platform for the next green revolution, our knowledge about the mechanisms that govern microbe-microbe and microbe-plant interactions are incipient. Currently, the adaptation of plants to environmental changes not only suggests that the plants can adapt or migrate, but also can interact with their surrounding microbial communities to alleviate different stresses by natural microbiome selection of specialized strains, phenomenon recently called "Cry for Help". From this way, plants have been co-evolved with their microbiota adapting to local environmental conditions to ensuring the survival of the entire holobiome to improve plant fitness. Thus, the strong selective pressure of native extreme microbiomes could represent a remarkable microbial niche of plant stress-amelioration to counteract the negative effect of climate change in food crops. Currently, the microbiome engineering has recently emerged as an alternative to modify and promote positive interactions between microorganisms and plants to improve plant fitness. In the present review, we discuss the possible use of extreme microbiome to alleviate different stresses in crop plants under the current scenario of climate change.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) for morphological and yield-related traits in an oil palm hybrid (Elaeis oleifera x Elaeis guineensis) population.

BACKGROUND: The genus Elaeis has two species of economic importance for the oil palm agroindustry: Elaeis oleifera (O), native to the Americas, and Elaeis guineensis (G), native to Africa. This work provides to our knowledge, the first association mapping study in an interspecific OxG oil palm population, which shows tolerance to pests and diseases, high oil quality, and acceptable fruit bunch production. RESULTS: Using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), we identified a total of 3776 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were used to perform a genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) in 378 OxG hybrid population for 10 agronomic traits. Twelve genomic regions (SNPs) were located near candidate genes implicated in multiple functional categories, such as tissue growth, cellular trafficking, and physiological processes. CONCLUSIONS: We provide new insights on genomic regions that mapped on candidate genes involved in plant architecture and yield. These potential candidate genes need to be confirmed for future targeted functional analyses. Associated markers to the traits of interest may be valuable resources for the development of marker-assisted selection in oil palm breeding.

Occurrence of Soil Fungi in Antarctic Pristine Environments.

The presence of fungi in pristine Antarctic soils is of particular interest because of the diversity of this microbial group. However, the extreme conditions that coexist in Antarctica produce a strong selective pressure that could lead to the evolution of novel mechanisms for stress tolerance by indigenous microorganisms. For this reason, in recent years, research on cold-adapted microorganisms has increased, driven by their potential value for applications in biotechnology. Cold-adapted fungi, in particular, have become important sources for the discovery of novel bioactive secondary metabolites and enzymes. In this study, we studied the fungal community structure of 12 soil samples from Antarctic sites, including King George Island (including Collins Glacier), Deception Island and Robert Island. Culturable fungi were isolated and described according to their morphological and phenotypical characteristics, and the richness index was compared with soil chemical properties to describe the fungal community and associated environmental parameters. We isolated 54 fungal strains belonging to the following 19 genera: Penicillium, Pseudogymnoascus, Lambertella, Cadophora, Candida, Mortierella, Oxygenales, Geomyces, Vishniacozyma, Talaromyces, Rhizopus, Antarctomyces, Cosmospora, Tetracladium, Leptosphaeria, Lecanicillium, Thelebolus, Bjerkandera and an uncultured Zygomycete. The isolated fungi were comprised of 70% Ascomycota, 10% Zygomycota, 10% Basidiomycota, 5% Deuteromycota and 5% Mucoromycota, highlighting that most strains were associated with similar genera grown in cold environments. Among the culturable strains, 55% were psychrotrophic and 45% were psychrophilic, and most were Ascomycetes occurring in their teleomorph forms. Soils from the Collins Glacier showed less species richness and greater species dominance compared with the rest of the sites, whereas samples 4, 7, and 10 (from Fildes Bay, Coppermine Peninsula and Arctowski Station, respectively) showed greater species richness and less species dominance. Species richness was related to the C/N ratio, whereas species dominance was inversely related to C and N content. Thus, the structure of the fungal community was mainly related to soil chemical parameters more than sample location and altitude.

Effect of Daily Exposure to an Isolated Soy Protein Supplement on Body Composition, Energy and Macronutrient Intake, Bone Formation Markers, and Lipid Profile in Children in Colombia.

A soy protein-based supplement may optimize bone health, support physical growth, and stimulate bone formation. This study aimed to assess the effect of a daily soy protein supplement (SPS) on nutritional status, bone formation markers, lipid profile, and daily energy and macronutrient intake in children. One hundred seven participants (62 girls), ages 2 to 9, started the study and were randomly assigned to lunch fruit juice with (n = 57, intervention group) or without (n = 50, control group) addition of 45 g (230 Kcal) of a commercial SPS during 12 months; 84 children (51 girls, 33 boys) completed the study (45 and 39 intervention and control, respectively). Nutritional assessment included anthropometry and nutrient intakes; initial and final blood samples were taken; insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), osteocalcin, bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were analyzed. Statistically significant changes (p < .05) in body mass index and weight for age Z scores were observed between groups while changes in body composition were not. Changes in energy, total protein, and carbohydrate intakes were significantly higher in the intervention group (p < .01). Calorie intake changes were statistically significant between groups (p < .001), and BAP decreased in both groups, with values within normal ranges. Osteocalcin, IGFBP-3, and lipid profile were not different between groups. IGF-I levels and IGF/IGFBP-3 ratio increased significantly in both groups. In conclusion, changes in macronutrient and energy intake and nutritional status in the intervention group compared to control group may ensure harmonious and adequate bone health and development.

Microbial Community Composition in Take-All Suppressive Soils.

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) is the main soilborne factor that affects wheat production around the world. Recently we reported the occurrence of six suppressive soils in monoculture areas from indigenous "Mapuche" communities, and evidenced that the suppression relied on the biotic component of those soils. Here, we compare the rhizosphere and endosphere microbial community structure (total bacteria, actinomycetes, total fungi, and ascomycetes) of wheat plants grown in suppressive and conducive soils. Our results suggested that Ggt suppression could be mediated mostly by bacterial endophytes, rather than rhizosphere microorganisms, since the community structure was similar in all suppressive soils as compared with conducive. Interestingly, we found that despite the lower incidence of take-all disease in suppressive soils, the Ggt concentration in roots was not significantly reduced in all suppressive soils compared to those growing in conducive soil. Therefore, the disease suppression is not always related to a reduction of the pathogen biomass. Furthermore, we isolated endophytic bacteria from wheat roots growing in suppressive soils. Among them we identified Serratia spp. and Enterobacter spp. able to inhibit Ggt growth in vitro. Since the disease, but not always pathogen amount, was reduced in the suppressive soils, we propose that take all disease suppressiveness is not only related to direct antagonism to the pathogen.