Association genetics studies on frost tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) reveal new highly conserved amino acid substitutions in CBF-A3, CBF-A15, VRN3 and PPD1 genes.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the genetic basis of frost tolerance (FT) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is essential for preventing yield losses caused by frost due to cellular damage, dehydration and reduced metabolism. FT is a complex trait regulated by a number of genes and several gene families. Availability of the wheat genomic sequence opens new opportunities for exploring candidate genes diversity for FT. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identity SNPs and insertion-deletion (indels) in genes known to be involved in frost tolerance and to perform association genetics analysis of respective SNPs and indels on FT. RESULTS: Here we report on the sequence analysis of 19 candidate genes for FT in wheat assembled using the Chinese Spring IWGSC RefSeq v1.0. Out of these, the tandem duplicated C-repeat binding factors (CBF), i.e. CBF-A3, CBF-A5, CBF-A10, CBF-A13, CBF-A14, CBF-A15, CBF-A18, the vernalisation response gene VRN-A1, VRN-B3, the photoperiod response genes PPD-B1 and PPD-D1 revealed association to FT in 235 wheat cultivars. Within six genes (CBF-A3, CBF-A15, VRN-A1, VRN-B3, PPD-B1 and PPD-D1) amino acid (AA) substitutions in important protein domains were identified. The amino acid substitution effect in VRN-A1 on FT was confirmed and new AA substitutions in CBF-A3, CBF-A15, VRN-B3, PPD-B1 and PPD-D1 located at highly conserved sites were detected. Since these results rely on phenotypic data obtained at five locations in 2 years, detection of significant associations of FT to AA changes in CBF-A3, CBF-A15, VRN-A1, VRN-B3, PPD-B1 and PPD-D1 may be exploited in marker assisted breeding for frost tolerance in winter wheat. CONCLUSIONS: A set of 65 primer pairs for the genes mentioned above from a previous study was BLASTed against the IWGSC RefSeq resulting in the identification of 39 primer combinations covering the full length of 19 genes. This work demonstrates the usefulness of the IWGSC RefSeq in specific primer development for highly conserved gene families in hexaploid wheat and, that a candidate gene association genetics approach based on the sequence data is an efficient tool to identify new alleles of genes important for the response to abiotic stress in wheat.

Effectiveness of a Mobile App to Increase Risk Perception of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Marijuana Use in Mexican High School Students: Quantitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Young people have the highest rate of drug use worldwide. Recent data from Mexico in this population show that the prevalence of illicit drug use doubled between 2011 and 2016 (2.9%-6.2%), with marijuana being the one with the highest increase (2.4%-5.3%), but also point out that alcohol and tobacco use have remained steady or decreased. Mexican adolescents are at high risk for drug use owing to a low perception of risk and the availability of drugs. Adolescence is an ideal period to reduce or prevent risky behaviors using evidence-based strategies. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to test the short-term effectiveness of a mobile intervention app ("What Happens if you Go Too Far?" ["¿Qué pasa si te pasas?"]) that seeks to increase risk perception of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use in a sample of Mexican high school students. METHODS: A nonexperimental evaluation based on pretest-posttest design was used to measure the effectiveness of a preventive intervention using a mobile app, "What Happens If You Go Too Far?" The dimensions analyzed were knowledge of drugs and their effects, life skills, self-esteem, and risk perception. The intervention was conducted on a high school campus with 356 first-year students. RESULTS: The sample included 359 first-year high school students (mean 15, SD 0.588 years; women: 224/359, 62.4% men: 135/359, 37.6%). The intervention increased the overall risk perception of tobacco (χ24=21.6; P<.001) and alcohol use (χ24=15.3; P<.001). There was no significant difference in the perception that it is dangerous to smoke 5 cigarettes, and there was a marginal difference in the perception that it is very dangerous to smoke 1 cigarette or to use alcohol or marijuana. We used a generalized estimating equation method to determine the impact of the variables on risk perception. The results showed that knowledge about smoking increased the risk perception of smoking 1 cigarette (odds ratio [OR] 1.1065, 95% CI 1.013-1.120; P=.01), and that knowledge about marijuana use (OR 1.109, 95% CI 1.138-1.185; P=.002) and self-esteem (OR 1.102, 95% CI 1.007-1.206; P=.04) produced significant increases in the risk perception of consuming 5 cigarettes. Resistance to peer pressure and assertiveness also increased the perceived risk of using tobacco and alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention has the potential to increase the perception of risk toward drug use in high school students by providing knowledge about the effects and psychosocial risks of drug use and by strengthening life skills that are associated with increased risk perception. The use of mobile technologies in intervention processes may broaden the scope of preventive work for adolescents.

Genome wide association study of frost tolerance in wheat.

Winter wheat growing areas in the Northern hemisphere are regularly exposed to heavy frost. Due to the negative impact on yield, the identification of genetic factors controlling frost tolerance (FroT) and development of tools for breeding is of prime importance. Here, we detected QTL associated with FroT by genome wide association studies (GWAS) using a diverse panel of 276 winter wheat genotypes that was phenotyped at five locations in Germany and Russia in three years. The panel was genotyped using the 90 K iSelect array and SNPs in FroT candidate genes. In total, 17,566 SNPs were used for GWAS resulting in the identification of 53 markers significantly associated (LOD ≥ 4) to FroT, corresponding to 23 QTL regions located on 11 chromosomes (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3D, 4A, 5A, 5B and 7D). The strongest QTL effect confirmed the importance of chromosome 5A for FroT. In addition, to our best knowledge, eight FroT QTLs were discovered for the first time in this study comprising one QTL on chromosomes 3A, 3D, 4A, 7D and two on chromosomes 1B and 2D. Identification of novel FroT candidate genes will help to better understand the FroT mechanism in wheat and to develop more effective combating strategies.

Metabolic syndrome and its components in relation to in vivo brain amyloid and neurodegeneration in late middle age.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with dementia, but it is unclear whether MetS is related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the association of MetS with brain amyloid, a key AD feature, and neurodegeneration. A community-based sample of 350 middle-aged Hispanics in New York City had cerebral amyloid ß (Aß) burden ascertained with 18F-Florbetaben positron emission tomography. Neurodegeneration was ascertained as cortical thickness in AD signature regions from 3T brain MRI. MetS and its components (glucose, blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, adiposity) were defined using the National Institutes of Health criteria. Neither the presence of MetS nor the MetS score was associated with Aß or neurodegeneration. Among the MetS components, elevated glucose was associated with lower Aß burden, and this association was not explained by diabetes treatment. Glucose and triglycerides were related to smaller cortical thickness. Our findings suggest that MetS as an arbitrary measure of aggregate metabolic and vascular risk does not capture the risk of AD neuropathology in late middle age and that other approaches to measure the aggregate risk should be examined.

In Vivo Amyloid, Neurodegeneration, and Verbal Learning in Late Middle-Aged Hispanics.

BACKGROUND: The National Institute on Aging (NIA)/Alzheimer's Association (AA) 2018 framework conceptualizes Alzheimer's disease (AD) biologically. Evidence of brain amyloid by biomarkers defines AD pathologic change and the Alzheimer's continuum. The presence of tau or neurodegeneration in the absence of amyloid defines non-AD pathologic change. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation of in vivo amyloid and neurodegeneration with verbal learning, one of the cognitive abilities affected early in AD, in late middle age. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of amyloid and neurodegeneration biomarkers in a community-based cohort of 350 late-middle aged Hispanics without dementia (mean age: 64.15±3.34; 72.0%women). Amyloid (A) was measured as global standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) with 18F-Florbetaben positron emission tomography (PET). Neurodegeneration (N) was ascertained as cortical thickness (CT) in AD signature areas using brain magnetic resonance imaging. We examined A/N continuously, categorically, by A/N profiles, and profile categories. The amyloid threshold for positivity was defined using the K means method. The CT threshold was defined as 2 standard deviations below the mean CT. Verbal learning was ascertained using total recall and delayed recall in the Buschke Selective Reminding test (SRT). RESULTS: Higher cortical thickness was associated with higher performance in SRT delayed recall. Amyloid SUVR was not related to SRT performance. The low CT category was associated with lower performance in SRT delayed recall, while Amyloid categories were not related to any SRT score. The non-AD pathologic change group (A-N+) performed worse in SRT delayed recall compared to the Normal A/N profile group (A-N-). CONCLUSION: In late middle-aged Hispanics without dementia, non-AD pathologic change, but not the Alzheimer's continuum, was related to verbal learning.

[Social determinants of psychological distress and stress in men who perpetrate family violence in Mexico City]. / Determinación social del malestar psicológico y el estrés en hombres que ejercen violencia familiar en la Ciudad de México.

The social determinants of psychological distress and stress are described and analyzed in two groups of men attending reeducation programs for family violence in Mexico City. A non-experimental, descriptive, transversal study was conducted employing a qualitative methodology and an interpretive approach, in which questionnaires were utilized and focus groups were held. Symptoms of stress that were reported included muscle aches, insomnia and nightmares, headaches or dizziness, irritability or bad mood, nausea, stomach pain and indigestion. The principal issues that could be identified as the root of these symptoms included personal and family finances, their own health or that of their family members, and mental distress, among others. Differences with respect to living conditions and the effects of domestic violence were present. We argue that initiatives directed at men and their particular conditions and problems which are based on a hegemonic view of masculinity and gender are likely to be limited in their capacity to explain and modify the causes of situations generated by and experienced by men.

El objetivo es describir y analizar la determinación social del malestar psicológico y el estrés en dos grupos de hombres de la Ciudad de México que asistían a programas reeducativos por violencia familiar. Para ello, se realizó un estudio no experimental, transversal, descriptivo con metodología cualitativa y enfoque interpretativo, en el que se aplicó un cuestionario y se realizaron grupos focales. Los síntomas de estrés reportados fueron dolores musculares; insomnio y pesadillas; náuseas, dolor de estómago e indigestión; dolores de cabeza, mareos, irritabilidad o mal humor. Los principales problemas que podrían estar generando esta sintomatología serían la economía personal y familiar; la salud de ellos y sus familiares y los malestares mentales, entre otros aspectos. Existen diferencias relacionadas con las condiciones de vida y los efectos de la violencia doméstica. Los abordajes que solo consideran la masculinidad hegemónica o el género para el trabajo con varones en sus diferentes condiciones y problemáticas, sin considerar la desigualdad social y, en especial, las condiciones de vida, pueden ser insuficientes para explicar y modificar las causas de las afectaciones generadas y experimentadas por los varones.

Pre-Diabetes, but not Type 2 Diabetes, Is Related to Brain Amyloid in Late Middle-Age.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is a dementia risk factor, but its relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is unclear. OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to examine the association of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes with brain amyloid-ß (Aß), the putative main culprit of AD. Our secondary objective was to examine the association of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes with neurodegeneration, cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and memory performance. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 350 late middle-aged Hispanics without dementia in New York City. We classified diabetes status as normal glucose tolerance (NGT), pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes following American Diabetes Association criteria. Brain Aß was ascertained as global Aß standardized value uptake ratio using PET with 18F-Florbetaben. Neurodegeneration was operationalized as cortical thickness in regions affected by AD using MRI. CVD was operationalized as white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH) on MRI, and memory as performance with the selective reminding test (SRT). RESULTS: Mean age was 64.15±3.34 years, 72.00% were women, and 35.43% were APOEɛ4 carriers. Pre-diabetes, but not type 2 diabetes, was associated with higher Aß compared with NGT. Type 2 diabetes treatment was related to lower Aß. Type 2 diabetes was related to lower cortical thickness, higher WMH, and lower SRT score. CONCLUSION: Pre-diabetes, but not type 2 diabetes, is associated with higher brain Aß in late middle age, and this observation could be explained by the relation of diabetes treatment with lower brain Aß. Whether type 2 diabetes treatment lowers brain Aß requires further study.

Apolipoprotein E genotype and in vivo amyloid burden in middle-aged Hispanics.

OBJECTIVE: To examine in vivo amyloid burden in relation to APOEε4 genotype in middle-aged Hispanics. We hypothesize higher amyloid levels among APOE ε4 carriers vs APOE ε4 noncarriers. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in a community-based sample of 249 middle-aged Hispanics in New York City who underwent a 3T brain MRI and PET with the amyloid radioligand 18F-florbetaben. APOE genotype was the primary exposure. The primary outcome was amyloid positivity. The secondary outcome was subthreshold amyloid levels examined as a continuous variable. RESULTS: APOE ε4 carriers (n = 85) had a higher frequency (15.3%) of amyloid positivity compared to APOE ε4 noncarriers (n = 164, 1.8%). In the subthreshold group of amyloid-negative participants (n = 233), APOE ε4 carriers (n = 72) had a 0.02 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01-0.04) higher global brain amyloid standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) compared to APOE ε4 noncarriers (n = 161). Compared to participants with the ε3/ε3 genotype, participants with ε4/ε4 had the highest frequency of amyloid positivity (28.6%), followed by those with ε3/ε4 (11%). Among amyloid-negative participants (n = 233), compared to participants with ε3/ε3 (n = 134), those with ε4/ε4 (n = 5) had a 0.12 (95% CI 0.07-0.17) higher global brain amyloid SUVR, and those with ε3/ε4 had a 0.02 higher SUVR (95% CI 0.003-0.04). Results were similar when a median split was used for elevated amyloid, when continuous amyloid SUVR was analyzed in all participants, and in nonparametric Mann-Whitney comparisons. CONCLUSION: Middle-aged Hispanic APOE ε4 carriers have higher in vivo brain amyloid burden compared with noncarriers, as reported in non-Hispanics.

Sex Differences in in vivo Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology in Late Middle-Aged Hispanics.

BACKGROUND: Females may have a higher risk of dementia than males. It is not clear if sex differences in Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology explain the higher risk of dementia in females. Sex differences in AD neuropathology might begin in middle age, decades before the sex differences in dementia are apparent. OBJECTIVE: To examine sex differences in in vivo AD neuropathology in late middle age. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional comparison of AD biomarkers among 266 Hispanic males and females (mean age: 64.0; 71.8% females) without dementia. Amyloid burden was measured as global standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) with18F-Florbetaben positron emission tomography (PET). Neurodegeneration was ascertained as cortical thickness in AD signature areas using brain magnetic resonance imaging. Tau burden was measured as tau SUVR in the middle/inferior temporal gyri and medial temporal cortex with 18F-MK-6240 in 75 of the 266 participants. RESULTS: Females had higher amyloid SUVR and tau SUVR in the middle/inferior temporal gyri than males. However, females had higher cortical thickness than males and performed better in a test of verbal memory despite having higher AD neuropathology burden. CONCLUSION: Higher amyloid and tau in females compared to males in late middle-age may explain the reported higher dementia risk in elderly females compared to males. Longitudinal follow-up is necessary to examine whether higher amyloid and tau burden in late middle age is followed by increased neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in females as compared with males.

Brain Amyloid Burden and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Late Middle-Aged Hispanics.

Non-linear relations of brain amyloid beta (Aß) with task- based functional connectivity (tbFC) measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been reported in late middle age. Our objective was to examine the association between brain Aß and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in late middle-aged adults. Global brain Aß burden was ascertained with 18F-Florbetaben Positron Emission Tomography (PET); rsFC was ascertained on 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) among 333 late middle-aged Hispanics adults without dementia in four major brain functional connectivity networks: default mode network (DMN), fronto-parietal control network (FPC), salience network (SAL) and dorsal attention network (DAN). We examined the relationship of global brain Aß with rsFC using multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, education, and APOE-ε4 genotype. We quantified the non-linear associations both with quadratic terms and by categorizing Aß into three groups: low Aß, intermediate Aß, and positive Aß. We found no significant linear or non-linear associations between Aß, measured either continuously or categorically, with rsFC in the examined networks. Our null findings may be explained by the younger age of our participants in whom amyloid burden is relatively low. It is also possible that the recently reported non-linear relationship is exclusive to task fMRI and not rsfMRI.

Quantitative monitoring of Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development using high-throughput plant phenotyping.

With the implementation of novel automated, high throughput methods and facilities in the last years, plant phenomics has developed into a highly interdisciplinary research domain integrating biology, engineering and bioinformatics. Here we present a dataset of a non-invasive high throughput plant phenotyping experiment, which uses image- and image analysis- based approaches to monitor the growth and development of 484 Arabidopsis thaliana plants (thale cress). The result is a comprehensive dataset of images and extracted phenotypical features. Such datasets require detailed documentation, standardized description of experimental metadata as well as sustainable data storage and publication in order to ensure the reproducibility of experiments, data reuse and comparability among the scientific community. Therefore the here presented dataset has been annotated using the standardized ISA-Tab format and considering the recently published recommendations for the semantical description of plant phenotyping experiments.

Determinación social del malestar psicológico y el estrés en hombres que ejercen violencia familiar en la Ciudad de México / Social determinants of psychological distress and stress in men who perpetrate family violence in Mexico City

RESUMEN El objetivo es describir y analizar la determinación social del malestar psicológico y el estrés en dos grupos de hombres de la Ciudad de México que asistían a programas reeducativos por violencia familiar. Para ello, se realizó un estudio no experimental, transversal, descriptivo con metodología cualitativa y enfoque interpretativo, en el que se aplicó un cuestionario y se realizaron grupos focales. Los síntomas de estrés reportados fueron dolores musculares; insomnio y pesadillas; náuseas, dolor de estómago e indigestión; dolores de cabeza, mareos, irritabilidad o mal humor. Los principales problemas que podrían estar generando esta sintomatología serían la economía personal y familiar; la salud de ellos y sus familiares y los malestares mentales, entre otros aspectos. Existen diferencias relacionadas con las condiciones de vida y los efectos de la violencia doméstica. Los abordajes que solo consideran la masculinidad hegemónica o el género para el trabajo con varones en sus diferentes condiciones y problemáticas, sin considerar la desigualdad social y, en especial, las condiciones de vida, pueden ser insuficientes para explicar y modificar las causas de las afectaciones generadas y experimentadas por los varones.

ABSTRACT The social determinants of psychological distress and stress are described and analyzed in two groups of men attending reeducation programs for family violence in Mexico City. A non-experimental, descriptive, transversal study was conducted employing a qualitative methodology and an interpretive approach, in which questionnaires were utilized and focus groups were held. Symptoms of stress that were reported included muscle aches, insomnia and nightmares, headaches or dizziness, irritability or bad mood, nausea, stomach pain and indigestion. The principal issues that could be identified as the root of these symptoms included personal and family finances, their own health or that of their family members, and mental distress, among others. Differences with respect to living conditions and the effects of domestic violence were present. We argue that initiatives directed at men and their particular conditions and problems which are based on a hegemonic view of masculinity and gender are likely to be limited in their capacity to explain and modify the causes of situations generated by and experienced by men.

Overexpression of Arabidopsis thaliana ERI, the homolog of C. elegans Enhancer of RNAinterference, leads to enhanced growth.

Organisms adopt a wide range of strategies to adapt to change. Gene silencing describes the ability of organisms to modulate the expression of susceptible genes at certain times at the transcriptional or the translational level. In all known eukaryotic organisms 21-nt long short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are the effector molecules of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), while 24-nt long siRNAs are involved in PTGS in plants. Mutant studies in Caenorhabditis elegans lead to the identification of the enzyme ERI (Enhancer of RNAinterference) with enhanced PTGS. Although the genes involved in growth vigor and growth rate are still unknown, it becomes clearer that the population of small RNAs plays a role in the very early phase of plant development. To pinpoint the link between growth and siRNAs, the expression of Arabidopsis uni-gene Enhancer of RNAi (ERI) homolog from C. elegans was modulated. Increased degradation of small RNAs was achieved by ectopic AtERI overexpression in planta. Based on global small RNA analysis, AtERI overexpression affects mainly the population of 21 mers, excluding miRNAs. To identify target genes, AtERI gain-of-function mutants were analyzed, and differentially abundant small RNAs were identified. Plants with an elevated level of AtERI were bigger in all three light intensities analyzed, indicating an inhibitory function of particular small RNAs in plant growth, with differences in relative growth rates depending on developmental stage and light intensity. Understanding the role of these siRNAs could open new avenues for enhancing plant growth.

Optimizing experimental procedures for quantitative evaluation of crop plant performance in high throughput phenotyping systems.

Detailed and standardized protocols for plant cultivation in environmentally controlled conditions are an essential prerequisite to conduct reproducible experiments with precisely defined treatments. Setting up appropriate and well defined experimental procedures is thus crucial for the generation of solid evidence and indispensable for successful plant research. Non-invasive and high throughput (HT) phenotyping technologies offer the opportunity to monitor and quantify performance dynamics of several hundreds of plants at a time. Compared to small scale plant cultivations, HT systems have much higher demands, from a conceptual and a logistic point of view, on experimental design, as well as the actual plant cultivation conditions, and the image analysis and statistical methods for data evaluation. Furthermore, cultivation conditions need to be designed that elicit plant performance characteristics corresponding to those under natural conditions. This manuscript describes critical steps in the optimization of procedures for HT plant phenotyping systems. Starting with the model plant Arabidopsis, HT-compatible methods were tested, and optimized with regard to growth substrate, soil coverage, watering regime, experimental design (considering environmental inhomogeneities) in automated plant cultivation and imaging systems. As revealed by metabolite profiling, plant movement did not affect the plants' physiological status. Based on these results, procedures for maize HT cultivation and monitoring were established. Variation of maize vegetative growth in the HT phenotyping system did match well with that observed in the field. The presented results outline important issues to be considered in the design of HT phenotyping experiments for model and crop plants. It thereby provides guidelines for the setup of HT experimental procedures, which are required for the generation of reliable and reproducible data of phenotypic variation for a broad range of applications.

Efectividad de las intervenciones en la violencia de pareja y ética / Effectiveness of Interventions in Intimate Partner Violence and Ethics / A efetividade das intervençöes na violência conjugal e a ética

Resumen Este artículo se propone identificar problemas metodológicos en el estudio de la efectividad de las intervenciones basadas en la terapia cognitivo conductual (TCC) dirigida a hombres que violentan a su pareja mujer y asisten de forma voluntaria al tratamiento. Con el método de revisión sistemática utilizado se obtuvo solo un estudio que cumplió con los criterios buscados, el cual mostró importantes limitaciones metodológicas. Luego, se realizó un comparativo con otras dos evaluaciones a fin de identificar explicaciones a tales limitaciones y la poca realización de estos estudios. Se corrobora que los estudios son escasos, con moderada o baja calidad en sus evidencias y no es posible elaborar conclusiones sobre su afectividad. Existen retos teórico-metodológicos en el diseño y la implementación de estas intervenciones que aumentan la probabilidad de resultados negativos cuando se evalúan a partir de diseños experimentales como parámetro ideal. Se identificaron evaluaciones desde una lógica experimental sobre el efecto del tratamiento, y trabajos multidisciplinarios que evalúan aspectos particulares del programa. Existen problemas teórico-metodológicos para las intervenciones y la evaluación de la efectividad, originadas en los estándares de programas con "visión restringida", así como en los estudios con diseños experimentales como parámetro ideal para conocer el impacto de las intervenciones. Es necesario incluir estos debates en la discusión ética de la salud pública.

Abstract This article intends to identify methodological problems in studying the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)-based interventions for men who abuse their female partners and who voluntarily attend treatment. Using the systematic review method, only one study was found that met the specified criteria but had significant methodological limitations. Subsequently, a comparison was made with two other assessments to identify explanations for such limitations and the poor conduct of these studies. We corroborated that studies are scarce, and their evidence is of moderate or low quality; thus, it is not possible to draw conclusions on their effectiveness. There are theoretical-methodological challenges in the design and implementation of these interventions that increase the probability of negative outcomes when evaluated based on experimental designs as an ideal parameter. We identified assessments of treatment effect from an experimental logic and multidisciplinary works that evaluate particular aspects of the program. There are theoretical-methodological problems in interventions and the assessment of effectiveness, arising from the standards of programs with a "restricted view," and in studies with experimental designs as an ideal parameter to know the impact of interventions. It is necessary to include these debates in the ethical discussion of public health.

Resumo Este artigo propöe-se a identificar problemas metodológicos no estudo sobre a efetividade de intervençöes baseadas na Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (TCC) para homens que violen tam sua parceira e que participam voluntariamente do tratamento. Com o método de revisão sistemática, obteve-se apenas um estudo que atendesse aos critérios buscados, o que apresen tou importantes limitaçöes metodológicas. Posteriormente, foi feita uma comparação com duas outras avaliaçöes para identificar explicaçöes para tais limitaçöes e o fraco desempenho desses estudos. É corroborado que os estudos são escassos, com qualidade moderada ou baixa em suas evidências e não é possível tirar conclusöes sobre sua afetividade . Existem desafios teórico-me-todológicos no desenho e implementação dessas intervençöes que aumentam a probabilidade de resultados negativos quando avaliados a partir de delineamentos experimentais como parâ metro ideal. As avaliaçöes são identificadas a partir de uma lógica experimental sobre o efeito do tratamento e trabalhos multidisciplinares que avaliam aspectos particulares do programa. Existem problemas teórico-metodológicos para as intervençöes e avaliação da efetividade, ori ginadas nos padröes de programas com "visão restrita" e nos estudos com delineamentos expe rimentais como parâmetro ideal para conhecer o impacto das intervençöes. É necessário incluir esses debates na discussão ética da saúde pública.

Malestar psicológico determinado socialmente y abuso expresivo en varones / Psychological distress socially determined and expressive abuse in men

El objetivo de este artículo es conocer y describir la experiencia subjetiva de hombres que asisten a un programa reeducativo para detener su violencia familiar, en torno al malestar psicológico determinado socialmente y su expresión por medio de actos violentos. El acercamiento metodológico de esta investigación es de tipo cualitativo y se trata de un estudio crítico con enfoque interpretativo. Participaron cinco hombres que se reúnen en un centro gubernamental especializado para la atención de la violencia familiar ubicado en una Delegación política del sur en el Distrito Federal. El malestar psicológico de la vida cotidiana se abordó a partir de instrumentos clínicos y del análisis de entrevistas grupales que exploran variables sociales. Además, se presentan los significados de los abusos realizados por los hombres con el fin de expresar el malestar. Se describió una lógica de acumulación de malestar con origen social expresado en un acto de abuso, y mediado por una razón o conflicto que justifica el ataque físico y/o verbal. La expresión de malestar, en ocasiones, se acompaña por sentimientos de culpa posteriores a los eventos violentos. Los elementos que permiten los abusos expresivos contra la pareja y otros familiares son las creencias sobre la superioridad del hombre, la inferioridad física de las mujeres e hijos, la propiedad de la persona por ser esposa, la obligación de la duración de una relación "para toda la vida" y las creencias sobre el uso de la violencia en las relaciones. En términos de intervención con esta población, se destaca la importancia de considerar el papel que juegan las determinantes sociales del malestar psicológico provenientes del nivel macro para los programas sociales e intervenciones comunitarias.

The meanings of the abuses made by men to express discomfort were explored. A logic of accumulation of discomfort with social origin expressed in an act of abuse and mediated for a reason or conflict that justified the physical and/or verbal attack was described. Sometimes, the expression of discomfort was accompanied by guilt feelings after violent events. The expressive elements that allow abuses to partners and other family members are the beliefs about the superiority of men, the physical inferiority of women and children or the belief about their inferiority, the notion that wives are a property, the perception that relationships should last a lifetime, and beliefs about the use of violence in relationships. In terms of the intervention with this population, the study highlights the importance of considering the role of social determinants of distress from the macro level to the social programs and community interventions.

Arabidopsis AtDGK7, the smallest member of plant diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs), displays unique biochemical features and saturates at low substrate concentration: the DGK inhibitor R59022 differentially affects AtDGK2 and AtDGK7 activity in vitro and alters plant growth and development.

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) regulates the level of the second messenger diacylglycerol and produces phosphatidic acid (PA), another signaling molecule. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes seven putative diacylglycerol kinase isozymes (named AtDGK1 to -7), structurally falling into three major clusters. So far, enzymatic activity has not been reported for any plant Cluster II DGK. Here, we demonstrate that a representative of this cluster, AtDGK7, is biochemically active when expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli. AtDGK7, encoded by gene locus At4g30340, contains 374 amino acids with an apparent molecular mass of 41.2 kDa. AtDGK7 harbors an N-terminal catalytic domain, but in contrast to various characterized DGKs (including AtDGK2), it lacks a cysteine-rich domain at its N terminus, and, importantly, its C-terminal DGK accessory domain is incomplete. Recombinant AtDGK7 expressed in E. coli exhibits Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol as substrate. AtDGK7 activity was affected by pH, detergents, and the DGK inhibitor R59022. We demonstrate that both AtDGK2 and AtDGK7 phosphorylate diacylglycerol molecular species that are typically found in plants, indicating that both enzymes convert physiologically relevant substrates. AtDGK7 is expressed throughout the Arabidopsis plant, but expression is strongest in flowers and young seedlings. Expression of AtDGK2 is transiently induced by wounding. R59022 at approximately 80 mum inhibits root elongation and lateral root formation and reduces plant growth, indicating that DGKs play an important role in plant development.