Mortality attributable to secondhand smoke exposure in the autonomous communities of Spain.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) causes cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. The aim of this study was to estimate the mortality attributed to SHS in people aged ≥ 35 years in Spain and its autonomous communities (AC) by sex from 2016 to 2021. METHODS: Estimates of SHS-attributable mortality were calculated by applying the prevalence-dependent method where SHS exposure was derived from the adjustment of small-area models and based on the calculation of population-attributed fractions. Sex, age group, AC, and cause of death (ischemic heart disease and lung cancer) were included. The estimates of attributed mortality are presented with their 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Crude and age-standardized rates were estimated for each sex and AC. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2021, SHS exposure caused 4,970 (95%CI, 4,787-5,387) deaths, representing 1.6% of total mortality for ischemic heart disease and lung cancer. The burden of attributed mortality differed widely among the AC, with Andalusia having the highest burden of attributed mortality (crude rate: 46.6 deaths per 100 000 population in men and 17.0/100 000 in women). In all the AC, the main cause of death in both sexes was ischemic heart disease. The highest burden of mortality was observed in nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of SHS-attributable mortality was high and varied geographically. The results of this study should be considered to advance tobacco control legislation in Spain.

MCell4 with BioNetGen: A Monte Carlo simulator of rule-based reaction-diffusion systems with Python interface.

Biochemical signaling pathways in living cells are often highly organized into spatially segregated volumes, membranes, scaffolds, subcellular compartments, and organelles comprising small numbers of interacting molecules. At this level of granularity stochastic behavior dominates, well-mixed continuum approximations based on concentrations break down and a particle-based approach is more accurate and more efficient. We describe and validate a new version of the open-source MCell simulation program (MCell4), which supports generalized 3D Monte Carlo modeling of diffusion and chemical reaction of discrete molecules and macromolecular complexes in solution, on surfaces representing membranes, and combinations thereof. The main improvements in MCell4 compared to the previous versions, MCell3 and MCell3-R, include a Python interface and native BioNetGen reaction language (BNGL) support. MCell4's Python interface opens up completely new possibilities for interfacing with external simulators to allow creation of sophisticated event-driven multiscale/multiphysics simulations. The native BNGL support, implemented through a new open-source library libBNG (also introduced in this paper), provides the capability to run a given BNGL model spatially resolved in MCell4 and, with appropriate simplifying assumptions, also in the BioNetGen simulation environment, greatly accelerating and simplifying model validation and comparison.

Assessing conflict of interest reporting and quality of clinical trials on infant formula: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the quality, risk of bias, and conflicts of interest (COIs) of clinical trials conducted on the effects of fortified infant formula. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTTING: Systematic review including all randomized clinical trials targeting healthy children and using three arms: fortified infant formula; standard formula; and breastfeeding. We performed a descriptive analysis of the studies reviewed, assessed their quality using the "Risk of Bias 2- RoB 2" tool, and identified COIs. RESULTS: A total of 40 studies were included. All showed a high overall risk of bias, with this being especially noteworthy in the "deviations from intention to treat" and "missing outcome data" domains. Of the total included studies, 29 reported conclusions in favor of the fortified formula; 15 studies reported multiple conclusions that were either contradictory or not in line with the results. COIs with industry were identified in 33 studies, and in 17 studies, these conflicts were not declared in the appropriate section. CONCLUSION: From a methodological perspective, studies on fortified infant formula display low quality, made evident by the high risk of bias. Additionally, there are frequent COIs. These aspects must be considered by health professionals and the population when drawing up recommendations for the use of this product.

Evolution and characteristics of studies estimating attributable mortality to second-hand smoke: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have estimated the impact of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure on mortality in the population of different countries. This study aimed to identify and describe studies that have estimated the attributable mortality (AM) associated with SHS exposure in the adult population. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CINAHL databases up to January 2023. Studies that estimated the AM associated with SHS exposure in the adult population and used a prevalence-dependent method were included. The main characteristics of the studies and their results were described. RESULTS: Fifty-three studies were included. Most of them were conducted in North America (n = 13), Europe (n = 14) and China (n = 6) and included lung cancer (n = 46) or ischaemic heart disease (n = 22) as causes of death. There was considerable variety in the population under study regarding the relationship with tobacco: non-smokers (n = 30); never-smokers (n = 9); both non and never-smokers (n = 2); the whole population (n = 1) and not known (n = 11). The age at which AM was estimated also varied between studies, ranging from 15 to 40 years and older. CONCLUSIONS: Studies estimating AM associated with SHS exposure are heterogeneous in terms of the causes of death studied, the age at which mortality is attributed, or the population to which mortality referred: consensus should be reached. Despite their importance, studies assessing AM to SHS are infrequent in low- and middle-income countries.

Occupational exposure to endotoxins and small cell lung cancer: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

The relationship of occupational exposure to endotoxins with different histologic subtypes of lung cancer has not been established. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to assess the effect of exposure to endotoxins on the development of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). A bibliographic search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases until December 2022, including all cohort and/or case-control studies that examined occupational exposure to endotoxins and SCLC. Risk of bias was assessed using the U.S. Office of Health Assessment and Translation tool. A random effects model was applied, publication bias were assessed, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted. Four papers were selected for meta-analysis purposes. A total of 144 incident cases of SCLC and 897 population or hospital controls were included. Occupational exposure to endotoxins was considered for textile/leather industry and agricultural sector workers exposed to endotoxins originating from wool, cotton, or leather dust. Except for one study, all investigations were classified as having a low probability of risk of biases. The results of the meta-analysis were not statistically significant (pooled OR: 0.86; 95% CI:0.69-1.08). In addition, neither between-study heterogeneity (I2=0%;p=0.92) nor publication bias was observed (p=0.49). The results of the sensitivity analysis, after including five studies that assessed the risk of SCLC among textile industry and crop/livestock farm workers (not specifically exposed to endotoxins), showed a negative statistically non-significant association and low between-study heterogeneity (pooled OR: 0.90; 95% CI:0.79-1.02; I2=22%;p=0.23). Subjects exposed to occupational exposure to endotoxins seem to exhibit a negative association with the development of SCLC, although the results are not conclusive.

Towards stronger tobacco control policies to curb the smoking epidemic in Spain.

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke pose a significant risk to the health of populations. Although this evidence is not new, the commitment of countries to implement laws aimed at controlling consumption and eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke is uneven. Thus, in North America or in Europe, locations like California or Ireland, are pioneers in establishing policies aimed at protecting the population against smoking and secondhand smoke. Identifying measures that have worked would help control this important Public Health problem in other countries that are further behind in tobacco control policies. In Spain, there has been almost 15 years of little political action in legislation oriented to control the tobacco epidemic. If we want to achieve the tobacco endgame, new legislative measures must be implemented. In this paper, we have elucidated tobacco control policies that could be implemented and show how different countries have done so.

Endogenous pAKT activity is associated with response to AKT inhibition alone and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition in murine models of TNBC.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous and challenging-to-treat breast cancer subtype. The clinical introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for TNBC has had mixed results, and very few patients achieved a durable response. The PI3K/AKT pathway is frequently mutated in breast cancer. Given the important roles of the PI3K pathway in immune and tumor cell signaling, there is an interest in using inhibitors of this pathway to increase the response to ICI. This study sought to determine if AKT inhibition could enhance the response to ICI in murine TNBC models. We further sought to understand underlying mechanisms of response or non-response to AKT inhibition in combination with ICI. Using four murine TNBC-like cell lines and corresponding orthotopic mouse tumor models, we found that hyperactivity of the PI3K pathway, as evidenced by levels of phospho-AKT rather than PI3K pathway mutational status, was associated with response to AKT inhibition alone and in combination with ICI. Additional mutations in other growth regulatory pathways could override the response of PI3K pathway mutant tumors to AKT inhibition. Furthermore, we observed that AKT inhibition enhanced the response to ICI in an already sensitive model. However, AKT inhibition failed to convert ICI-resistant tumors, to responsive tumors. These findings suggest that analysis of both the mutational status and phospho-AKT protein levels may be beneficial in predicting which TNBC tumors will respond to AKT inhibition in combination with ICI.

First Report of Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 HG-I Causing Root and Basal Stem Rot on Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) in Mexico.

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is a crop of economic importance, refreshing drinks are prepared from its calyces, it is also attributed to antioxidant, antibacterial, and antihypertensive properties (Da-Costa-Rocha et al. 2014). In November 2022, in municipality of Iguala (18.355592N, 99.548546W, 749 m above sea level), Guerrero, México, roselle plants of approximately 1.5 months of age with basal rot were detected under greenhouse conditions. The symptoms consisted of wilting, yellowing, and root and stem rot with constriction in the base of the stem. The symptoms were detected in approximately 15% of plants at the operation. From symptomatic tissue, cuts were made into approximately 0.5 cm pieces, sterilized with 2% NaClO, washed with sterile distilled water, transferred to PDA medium amended with 50 mg/liter of Chloramphenicol, and incubated in the dark for four days at 28 °C. Rhizoctonia-like colonies were consistently obtained, and nine isolates were selected and purified by the hyphal-tip method. After four days, isolates developed a mycelium was light-white that became brown with age. Right-angled hyphal branching was also observed, in addition to a slight constriction at the base of the branches. In some older cultures, numerous dark brown sclerotia were observed. They were multinucleate cell with three to eight nuclei and measured from 1 to 2 mm in diameter. Together these characteristics were consistent with the description of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn (Parmeter 1970). The anastomosis group (AG) was confirmed by amplifying the ITS region with the primers ITS1 and ITS4 (White et al. 1990) of the RIJAM3 and RIJAM5 strains. The sequences were deposited in GenBank (Nos. OR364496 and OR364497 for RIJAM3 and RIJAM5, respectively). BLAST analysis, both isolates indicated 99.7 identity to R. solani AG-4 HG-I (GenBank: KM013470) strain ICMP 20043 (Ireland et al. 2015). The phylogenetic analysis of AGs sequences allowed assignment of isolates RIJAM3 and RIJAM5 to the AG-4 HG-1 clade. A pathogenicity test was performed on 20 one-month-old roselle plants. Mycelium of RIJAM3 isolate was inserted into the base of the stem with a sterile toothpick. As a control, a sterile toothpick with no mycelium was inserted in ten healthy plants. Additionally, 50 eight-day-old seedlings were inoculated by placing a 5-mm diameter agar plug colonized with mycelium of RIJAM3 at the base of the stem 10 mm below the soil surface. As control treatments, uncolonized PDA plugs were deposited at the base of 25 seedlings. The inoculated plants were incubated in a greenhouse with an average temperature and relative humidity of 28°C and 85%, respectively. Following inoculation, symptoms similar to those observed in the original outbreak were observed in plants after six days and only after four days in seedlings. In both experiments, the control plants and seedlings remained asymptomatic. R. solani was re-isolated from plants and seedlings, complying with Koch's postulates. The pathogenicity testing was repeated twice, with concordant results. In Nigeria and Malaysia R. solani was reported to seedling death to cause seedling dieback in roselle (Adeniji 1970; Eslaminejad and Zakaria 2011). In México R. solani AG-4 has been previously reported in crops of potato, chili and tomato (Montero-Tavera et al. 2013; Ortega-Acosta et al. 2022; Virgen-Calleros et al. 2000). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of R. solani AG-4 HG-I as a causing of root and basal stem rot on roselle in Mexico. This research provides information essential for informing the management of this disease, and may help design measures to prevent the spread of the pathogen to other regions.

Chronic restraint stress and social transfer of stress produce tactile allodynia mediated by the HMGB1/TNFα/TNFR1 pathway in female and male rats.

Previous studies have shown the relevance of high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in nerve or tissue injury-induced nociception. However, the role of these proteins in chronic stress and social transfer of stress (STS)-induced dysfunctional pain is not entirely known. The aim of this study was to determine the participation of the spinal HMGB1-TNFα signaling pathway and TNFα receptor 1 (TNFR1) in rats subjected to chronic restraint stress (CRS) and STS. Non-stressed female and male rats in contact with CRS rats increased sniffing behavior of the anogenital area, behavior related to STS. Rats subjected to CRS and STS reduced 50 % withdrawal threshold and reached the value of tactile allodynia after 21 days of stress. Rats return to the basal withdrawal threshold after 30 days without stress and return to allodynia values in only 5 days of stress sessions (priming). Female and male rats subjected to 28 days of CRS or STS were intrathecal injected with glycyrrhizin (inhibitor of HMGB1), thalidomide (inhibitor of the TNFα synthesis), and R7050 (TNFR1 antagonist), in all the cases, an antiallodynic effect was observed. Rats under CRS or STS enhanced HMGB1 and TNFR1 protein expression in DRG and dorsal spinal cord. Data suggest that the spinal HMGB1/TNFα/TNFR1 signaling pathway plays a relevant role in the maintenance of CRS and STS-induced nociceptive hypersensitivity in rats. These proteins could be helpful in developing pain treatments for fibromyalgia in humans.

Antibiotic Utilization in Hospitalized Children with Bronchiolitis: A Prospective Study Investigating Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics at a Secondary Hospital in Madrid (2004-2022).

Bronchiolitis is a viral respiratory infection, with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being the most frequent agent, requiring hospitalization in 1% of affected children. However, there continues to be a noteworthy incidence of antibiotic prescription in this setting, further exacerbating the global issue of antibiotic resistance. This study, conducted at Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid, Spain, focused on antibiotic usage in children under 2 years of age who were hospitalized for bronchiolitis between 2004 and 2022. In that time, 5438 children were admitted with acute respiratory infection, and 1715 infants (31.5%) with acute bronchiolitis were included. In total, 1470 (87%) had a positive viral identification (66% RSV, 32% HRV). Initially, antibiotics were prescribed to 13.4% of infants, but this percentage decreased to 7% during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to adherence to guidelines and the implementation of rapid and precise viral diagnostic methods in the hospital. HBoV- and HAdV-infected children and those with viral coinfections were more likely to receive antibiotics in the univariate analysis. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically independent association between antibiotic prescription and fever > 38 °C (p < 0.001), abnormal chest-X ray (p < 0.001), ICU admission (p = 0.015), and serum CRP (p < 0.001). In conclusion, following guidelines and the availability of rapid and reliable viral diagnostic methods dramatically reduces the unnecessary use of antibiotics in infants with severe bronchiolitis.

Cristae formation is a mechanical buckling event controlled by the inner mitochondrial membrane lipidome.

Cristae are high-curvature structures in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) that are crucial for ATP production. While cristae-shaping proteins have been defined, analogous lipid-based mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Here, we combine experimental lipidome dissection with multi-scale modeling to investigate how lipid interactions dictate IMM morphology and ATP generation. When modulating phospholipid (PL) saturation in engineered yeast strains, we observed a surprisingly abrupt breakpoint in IMM topology driven by a continuous loss of ATP synthase organization at cristae ridges. We found that cardiolipin (CL) specifically buffers the inner mitochondrial membrane against curvature loss, an effect that is independent of ATP synthase dimerization. To explain this interaction, we developed a continuum model for cristae tubule formation that integrates both lipid and protein-mediated curvatures. This model highlighted a snapthrough instability, which drives IMM collapse upon small changes in membrane properties. We also showed that cardiolipin is essential in low-oxygen conditions that promote PL saturation. These results demonstrate that the mechanical function of cardiolipin is dependent on the surrounding lipid and protein components of the IMM.

Performance of Family Health Strategy Nurses in LGBT+ Healthcare.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of Family Health Strategy (FHS) nurses in the health care of LGBT+ individuals. METHODS: This qualitative study is based on Institutional Analysis. Data was collected in August 2021 through semi-structured interviews with 14 Family Health Strategy nurses from municipalities in the state of São Paulo. The data was processed using the IRaMuTeQ® software and analyzed lexically. RESULTS: The textual corpus gave rise to three themes, which addressed the nurses' practice, the difficulties and challenges they face in providing care to LGBT+ individuals, and the direct association of LGBT+ individuals with sexually transmitted infections. CONCLUSION: Lack of preparedness, access to information, and the need for expanded listening skills are still gaps in the performance of FHS nurses in caring for LGBT+ individuals. However, fostering acceptance and building strong relationships have been effective strategies in bridging the gap in nursing care for the LGBT+ community.

The social perspective of euthanasia in Spain:variables that predict attitudes towards euthanasia / La perspectiva social de la eutanasia en España: variables relacionadas con las actitudes hacia la eutanasia

El debate sobre si la eutanasia debe ser o no una práctica legal está presente en la sociedad española desde los años 90. Recientemente, el gobierno español ha aprobado la Ley Orgánica 3/2021 sobre la regulación de la eutanasia. En relación con esta cuestión, que ha suscitado y sigue suscitando polémica tanto en la opinión pública como en el mundo político y jurídico, este trabajo explora la relación de las diferentes variables con las actitudes del público español hacia la eutanasia. Para ello, participaron en el estudio 182 personas residentes en España. Los resultados indican que no existen diferencias en cuanto a la edad o el sexo de los participantes en sus actitudes hacia la eutanasia. Las personas creyentes (independientemente de la religión) tienen actitudes menos favorables hacia la eutanasia que las personas no creyentes. La orientación política también se relaciona con las actitudes hacia la eutanasia. Finalmente, la confianza en el sistema de salud del país y la preocupación empática de las personas también está relacionada con sus actitudes hacia la eutanasia. La eutanasia acaba de aprobarse en España y se empieza a poner en práctica, es de vital importancia considerar la perspectiva social de la eutanasia.(AU)

The debate surrounding whether or not euthanasia should be a legal practice has been present in Spanish society since the 90’s. Recently, the Spanish government has passed Organic Law 3/2021 on the regulation of euthanasia. In relation to this question, which has raised and continues to raise controversy among both public opinion and the political and legal world, this work explores the relation of the different variables to the atti-tudes of the Spanish public towards euthanasia. For this purpose, 182 peo-ple residing in Spain took part in the study. The results indicate that there are no differences with regard to the age or gender of the participants in their attitudes towards euthanasia. Those who hold religious beliefs (irre-spective of their religion) hold less favourable attitudes towards euthanasia than non-believers. Political orientation also relates to attitudes towards eu-thanasia. Finally, trustin the country’s health system and people’s empathic concern is also related to their attitudes towards euthanasia. At this point in time, when euthanasia has only just been regulated and starts to be put into practice in this country, it is of vital importance to consider the social perspective of euthanasia.(AU)

Mitochondrial morphology governs ATP production rate.

Life is based on energy conversion. In particular, in the nervous system, significant amounts of energy are needed to maintain synaptic transmission and homeostasis. To a large extent, neurons depend on oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria to meet their high energy demand. For a comprehensive understanding of the metabolic demands in neuronal signaling, accurate models of ATP production in mitochondria are required. Here, we present a thermodynamically consistent model of ATP production in mitochondria based on previous work. The significant improvement of the model is that the reaction rate constants are set such that detailed balance is satisfied. Moreover, using thermodynamic considerations, the dependence of the reaction rate constants on membrane potential, pH, and substrate concentrations are explicitly provided. These constraints assure that the model is physically plausible. Furthermore, we explore different parameter regimes to understand in which conditions ATP production or its export are the limiting steps in making ATP available in the cytosol. The outcomes reveal that, under the conditions used in our simulations, ATP production is the limiting step and not its export. Finally, we performed spatial simulations with nine 3-D realistic mitochondrial reconstructions and linked the ATP production rate in the cytosol with morphological features of the organelles.

Biology and Ecology of Delia planipalpis (Stein) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), an Emerging Pest of Broccoli in Mexico.

Delia planipalpis (Stein) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) is a pest of crucifers, such as broccoli, radish, cauliflower, turnip and cabbage. It has been recently described in Mexico as a significant emerging pest of broccoli. Due the lack of knowledge of this pest, the present study aimed to determine its life cycle, female sexual maturation, copulation, oviposition behavior and adult longevity. The identity of the fly in Mexico was confirmed genetically by sequencing the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI). The mean development time of D. planipalpis was 32-33 days on radish at 24 °C under laboratory conditions. Females became sexually mature 1-2 days after emergence, and the highest incidence of matings was recorded on the second day (60%). Under choice conditions, D. planipalpis females preferred to oviposit on radish plants, rather than broccoli plants, possibly due to the use of radish for rearing the laboratory colony. Oviposition and the mean number of eggs laid varied among the broccoli varieties, with the highest oviposition observed on the Tlaloc variety. Repeated attempts to rear the laboratory colony on broccoli plants failed. Radish-reared insects of both sexes lived longer when individualized in the adult stage (14.5-22.5 days) than when adult flies were maintained in groups (10-11 days). This study contributes to the understanding of D. planipalpis biology and provides information that can be used to establish future control strategies against this pest.

First report of Phyllosticta capitalensis causing brown spot disease on guava fruits (Psidium guajava) in Mexico.

The guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a plant native to the tropical region of America. In Mexico, the area established with guava cultivation is 20,525 ha (SIAP 2021). Guava is commonly consumed as fresh fruit, being rich in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals (Murthy et al. 2020). During October 2020, in the municipality of Cocula (18.207835N, 99.670322W, 595 m above sea level), Guerrero, Mexico, severely infected immature guava fruits were observed. The incidence of disease in 150 sampled fruits was 12%. Were collected fifteen symptomatic fruits. The symptoms were circular to irregular dark brown spots that varied in size (0.5 to 2.5 cm). From symptomatic fruits, tissues were cut approximately 3 x 3 mm and disinfested with 1% NaOCl, washed three times with sterile distilled water, and transferred to PDA medium amended with streptomycin and tetracycline, and incubated at 28°C. Developing colonies were retransferred to new culture PDA medium, and purified by hyphal tip technique. Two representative isolates (PHYGUA7 and PHYGUA3) were selected for morphological and molecular characterization. After 15 days in PDA at 28°C in an incubator, colonies were flat, irregular, granular and greenish gray, pycnidia were black, granular, and grouped. The conidia were hyaline and ellipsoid, unicellular and smooth-walled, 7-11×5-6.5 µm (n=50), these characteristics were consistent with those described for the fungus Phyllosticta capitalensis (Wikee et al. 2013). Molecular identification was performed by partially sequencing the internal transcribed spacer gene (ITS), the actin gene (ACT), and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) gene, using primers ITS1 and ITS4, ACT-512F/ ACT-783R, and EF1-728F/EF1-986R, respectively (White et al. 1990; Carbone and Kohn 1999). The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank (PHYGUA7: OP810947, PHYGUA3: OP810948 for ITS, PHYGUA7: OP819845, PHYGUA3: OP819846 for ACT, and PHYGUA7: OP819847, PHYGUA3: OP819848 for EF-1α). Phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood concatenated sequences ITS, ACT and EF-1α with MEGA X, indicated that PHYGUA7 and PHYGUA3 isolated grouped with P. capitalensis (CPC 18848 type strain). For pathogenicity test of P. capitalensis, 15 healthy immature fruits in a field experiment in the fruits on the trees, and 15 healthy mature guava fruits (detached fruits) were superficially disinfected with 70% ethanol, wounded with a sterile toothpick, and inoculated at two equidistant points by inserting PHYGUA7 isolate mycelium. As a control treatment, 10 healthy immature fruits and 10 healthy mature fruits were only injured with a sterile toothpick. After 3 days symptoms were observed in mature fruits and numerous dark pycnidia developed, and seven days later symptoms were observed in immature fruits in all the points inoculated with the PHYGUA7 isolate, similar to the symptoms observed in the field. The control fruits remained asymptomatic. The fungus P. capitalensis was re-isolated from inoculated fruits, thus confirming Koch's postulates. In Mexico P. capitalensis has been reported in Mangifera indica, Epidendrum sp., and Schomburgkia tibicinis (Farr and Rossman, 2022). In Egypt and China P. capitalensis causes black spot on guava fruits (Arafat 2016; Liao et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. capitalensis as the cause of brown spot on immature guava fruit in Mexico. This research provides relevant information to the design of disease management strategies.

The Spanish version of the reflective functioning questionnaire: Validity data in the general population and individuals with personality disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Mentalization or reflective functioning (RF) is the capacity to interpret oneself or the others in terms of internal mental states. Its failures have been linked to several mental disorders and interventions improving RF have a therapeutic effect. Mentalizing capacity of the parents influences the children's attachment. The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) is a widely used tool for the assessment of RF. No instrument is available to assess general RF in Spanish-speaking samples. The aim of this study is to develop a Spanish version of the RFQ-8 and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the general population and in individuals with personality disorders. METHODS: 602 non-clinical and 41 personality disordered participants completed a Spanish translation of the RFQ and a battery of self-reported questionnaires assessing several RF related constructs (alexithymia, perspective taking, identity diffusion and mindfulness), psychopathology (general and specific) and interpersonal problems. Temporal stability was tested in a non-clinical sub-sample of 113 participants. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a one-factor structure in the Spanish version of the RFQ-8. RFQ-8 understood as a single scale was tested, with low scorings reflecting genuine mentalizing, and high scorings uncertainty. The questionnaire showed good internal consistence in both samples and moderate temporal stability in non-clinical sample. RFQ correlated significantly with identity diffusion, alexithymia, and general psychopathology in both samples; and with mindfulness, perspective taking, and interpersonal problems in clinical sample. Mean values of the scale were significantly higher in the clinical group. DISCUSSION: This study provides evidence that the Spanish version of the RFQ-8, understood as a single scale, has an adequate reliability and validity assessing failures in reflective functioning (i.e., hypomentalization) in general population and personality disorders.

Cristae formation is a mechanical buckling event controlled by the inner membrane lipidome.

Cristae are high curvature structures in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) that are crucial for ATP production. While cristae-shaping proteins have been defined, analogous mechanisms for lipids have yet to be elucidated. Here we combine experimental lipidome dissection with multi-scale modeling to investigate how lipid interactions dictate IMM morphology and ATP generation. When modulating phospholipid (PL) saturation in engineered yeast strains, we observed a surprisingly abrupt breakpoint in IMM topology driven by a continuous loss of ATP synthase organization at cristae ridges. We found that cardiolipin (CL) specifically buffers the IMM against curvature loss, an effect that is independent of ATP synthase dimerization. To explain this interaction, we developed a continuum model for cristae tubule formation that integrates both lipid and protein-mediated curvatures. The model highlighted a snapthrough instability, which drives IMM collapse upon small changes in membrane properties. We also showed that CL is essential in low oxygen conditions that promote PL saturation. These results demonstrate that the mechanical function of CL is dependent on the surrounding lipid and protein components of the IMM.

ALK Amplification and Rearrangements Are Recurrent Targetable Events in Congenital and Adult Glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) aberrations have been identified in pediatric-type infant gliomas, but their occurrence across age groups, functional effects, and treatment response has not been broadly established. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed a comprehensive analysis of ALK expression and genomic aberrations in both newly generated and retrospective data from 371 glioblastomas (156 adult, 205 infant/pediatric, and 10 congenital) with in vitro and in vivo validation of aberrations. RESULTS: ALK aberrations at the protein or genomic level were detected in 12% of gliomas (45/371) in a wide age range (0-80 years). Recurrent as well as novel ALK fusions (LRRFIP1-ALK, DCTN1-ALK, PRKD3-ALK) were present in 50% (5/10) of congenital/infant, 1.4% (3/205) of pediatric, and 1.9% (3/156) of adult GBMs. ALK fusions were present as the only candidate driver in congenital/infant GBMs and were sometimes focally amplified. In contrast, adult ALK fusions co-occurred with other oncogenic drivers. No activating ALK mutations were identified in any age group. Novel and recurrent ALK rearrangements promoted STAT3 and ERK1/2 pathways and transformation in vitro and in vivo. ALK-fused GBM cellular and mouse models were responsive to ALK inhibitors, including in patient cells derived from a congenital GBM. Relevant to the treatment of infant gliomas, we showed that ALK protein appears minimally expressed in the forebrain at perinatal stages, and no gross effects on perinatal brain development were seen in pregnant mice treated with the ALK inhibitor ceritinib. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support use of brain-penetrant ALK inhibitors in clinical trials across infant, pediatric, and adult GBMs. See related commentary by Mack and Bertrand, p. 2567.

Fruit Extract of Sechium chinantlense (Lira & F. Chiang) Induces Apoptosis in the Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cell Line.

Sechium edule (Cucurbitaceae) is a commercial species of chayote and is just one of several species in the genus Sechium, whose extracts inhibit proliferation in tumor cell lines. The capacity of the wild species Sechium chinantlense (SCH) as an antitumor agent is unknown, as is the mechanism of action. In the present study, HeLa cervical cancer and HaCaT normal cell lines were treated with SCH and cell proliferation was inhibited in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner similar to the effect of the antineoplastic agent cisplatin (Cis). Additionally, SCH arrested cell cycle progression but only in HeLa cells and induced apoptosis, as shown by phosphatidylserine translocation and caspase-3 activation, while Cis did so in both cell lines. Exploration of the mechanism of action of SCH in HeLa cells suggests that apoptosis was mediated by the intrinsic signaling pathway since there was no activation of caspase-8, but there was a release of cytochrome-c. These findings suggest that the SCH extract has the potential to selectively kill tumor cells by promoting apoptosis, without harming nontumor cells.