Genetic variation and heritability of agronomic traits in a native perennial forage species from drylands: breeding potential of Festuca pallescens.

Festuca pallescens is a native forage grass species of Patagonia, playing a crucial role in supporting sheep production in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study assessed genetic differentiation among populations and estimated the heritability of traits linked to biomass production and phenological development as part of its domestication effort. A common garden trial was established with ten half-sib families from four preselected populations, and phenological and morphological traits were measured over three seasons.

Longitudinal Profiling of Circulating Tumor DNA Reveals the Evolutionary Dynamics of Metastatic Prostate Cancer During Serial Therapy.

Treatment decisions in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) are mostly guided by clinical variables, but efforts to molecularly monitor the disease remain hampered by challenges in acquiring tumor tissue repeatedly. Here, we simultaneously profiled the genome copy number and exome in longitudinal plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) acquired before, during, and upon progression to serial treatments with androgen signaling inhibitors (ASI) and taxane chemotherapy from 60 mCRPC patients (2-10 samples per patient). The genomic data was used to delineate the clonal substructure and evolutionary dynamics of each patient, and an evolutionary dynamic index (EDI) was developed to measure the longitudinal changes of the tumor subclones.

Trends in psychological distress during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a population-based Costa Rican cohort study.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase of psychological distress. We hypothesized that the mental health of individuals has improved since the end of the pandemic.

Study Design: 1459 population-based participants of the RESPIRA cohort study (Costa Rica) METHODS: Psychological distress was measured at 6-month intervals using the Mental Health Inventory 5 (MHI-5) during the 2-year follow-up.