The N-Terminal Region of the BcWCL1 Photoreceptor Is Necessary for Self-Dimerization and Transcriptional Activation upon Light Stimulation in Yeast.

The BcWCL1 protein is a blue-light photoreceptor from the fungus . This protein has a central role in circadian regulation and is an ortholog to WC-1 from . The BcWCL1 and WC-1 proteins have similar protein domains, including a LOV (Light Oxygen Voltage) domain for light sensing, two PAS (Per Arnt Sim) domains for protein-protein interaction, and a DNA binding domain from the GATA family.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with wine fermentation and adaptation to nitrogen limitation in wild and domesticated yeast strains.

For more than 20 years, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has served as a model organism for genetic studies and molecular biology, as well as a platform for biotechnology (e.g., wine production).

Development of Single Molecule Techniques for Sensing and Manipulation of CRISPR and Polymerase Enzymes.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and polymerases are powerful enzymes and their diverse applications in genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics have revolutionized the biotechnology industry today. CRISPR has been widely adopted for genomic editing applications and Polymerases can efficiently amplify genomic transcripts via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Further investigations into these enzymes can reveal specific details about their mechanisms that greatly expand their use.

Expanding the molecular versatility of an optogenetic switch in yeast.

In the budding yeast , the FUN-LOV (FUNgal Light Oxygen and Voltage) optogenetic switch enables high levels of light-activated gene expression in a reversible and tunable fashion. The FUN-LOV components, under identical promoter and terminator sequences, are encoded in two different plasmids, which limits its future applications in wild and industrial yeast strains. In this work, we aim to expand the molecular versatility of the FUN-LOV switch to increase its biotechnological applications.

Differential Predictive Effect of Self-Regulation Behavior and the Combination of Self- vs. External Regulation Behavior on Executive Dysfunctions and Emotion Regulation Difficulties, in University Students.

The aim of this research was to establish linear relations (association and prediction) and inferential relations between three constructs at different levels of psychological research - (microanalysis), (molecular level), and vs. (molar level), in the prediction of emotion regulation difficulties. We hypothesized that personal and contextual regulatory factors would be negatively related to levels of executive dysfunction and emotion regulation difficulties; by way of complement, non-regulatory and dysregulatory personal, and contextual factors would be positively related to these same difficulties.

Interactions between Core Elements of the Circadian Clock Are Modulated by Light and Different Protein Domains.

possesses a complex light-sensing system composed of eleven photoreceptors. In , encodes for the BcWCL1 protein, the orthologue of the blue-light photoreceptor WC-1 from . The functional partner of BcWCL1 is the BcWCL2 protein, both interacting in the nucleus and forming the white collar complex (BcWCC).

Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children From the South of Colombia: One Year of Experience.

Background: Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is one of the most severe presentations of COVID-19 infection in pediatrics. Currently, we have few studies that describe the characteristics of this condition in Colombian children.

Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children hospitalized with MIS-C in Neiva, Colombia.

Abdominal manifestation of multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children.

Summary: Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) can develop as a complication of SARS CoV-2 infection, involving the gastrointestinal system mainly by vasoconstriction, edema, glandular hyperplasia, and a procoagulant state leading to direct tissue injury.

Method: ology: a series of cases including 8 patients with MIS-C treated in two highly complex institutions is presented. These patients, had abdominal symptoms of surgical management.

Modular and Molecular Optimization of a LOV (Light-Oxygen-Voltage)-Based Optogenetic Switch in Yeast.

Optogenetic switches allow light-controlled gene expression with reversible and spatiotemporal resolution. In , optogenetic tools hold great potential for a variety of metabolic engineering and biotechnology applications. In this work, we report on the modular optimization of the fungal light-oxygen-voltage (FUN-LOV) system, an optogenetic switch based on photoreceptors from the fungus .

Analysis of Psychosocial Adjustment in the Family During Confinement: Problems and Habits of Children and Youth and Parental Stress and Resilience.

The COVID-19 health crisis has led to a dramatic change in dynamics and habits of families, which may be a factor involved in the development and maintenance of problems and difficulties in children. The present study is a cross-sectional study that aims to describe and analyze the relationship between the difficulties in psychological adjustment and the change of habits of the infant-juvenile population as perceived by their parents and their stress and resilience during the total confinement of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, as well as analyzing the course of the changes and the relationships between weeks 3 to 6, that is, the score of different participants in each week of the confinement. The sample is comprised of 883 parents of children and adolescents between 3 and 18 years of age.

A low-cost computational approach to analyze spiking activity in cockroach sensory neurons.

Undergraduates use a spike sorting routine developed in Octave to analyze the spiking activity generated from mechanical stimulation of spines of cockroach legs with the inexpensive SpikerBox amplifier and the free software Audacity. Students learn the procedures involved in handling the cockroaches and recording extracellular action potentials (spikes) with the SpikerBox apparatus as well as the importance of spike sorting for analysis in neuroscience. The spike sorting process requires students to choose the spike threshold and spike selection criteria and interact with the clustering process that forms the groups of similar spikes.

The rise and shine of yeast optogenetics.

Optogenetics refers to the control of biological processes with light. The activation of cellular phenomena by defined wavelengths has several advantages compared with traditional chemically inducible systems, such as spatiotemporal resolution, dose-response regulation, low cost, and moderate toxic effects. Optogenetics has been successfully implemented in yeast, a remarkable biological platform that is not only a model organism for cellular and molecular biology studies, but also a microorganism with diverse biotechnological applications.

Transforaminal Sacral Nerve Neurostimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Chronic Pelvic Pain: Case Report.

This article aims to report the successful treatment of 2 patients with intractable chronic pelvic pain treated with transforaminal sacral nerve neurostimulation. At 18-month follow-up, both patients reported significant pain relief and improved performance. The implantation of a percutaneous transforaminal sacral nerve neurostimulator is usually reserved for the treatment of bladder incontinence.

Pituitary gigantism: a case series from Hospital de San José (Bogotá, Colombia).

Introduction: Gigantism is a rare pediatric disease characterized by increased production of growth hormone (GH) before epiphyseal closure, that manifests clinically as tall stature, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and multiple comorbidities.

Materials And Methods: Case series of 6 male patients with gigantism evaluated at the Endocrinology Service of Hospital de San José (Bogotá, Colombia) between 2010 and 2016.

Results: All patients had macroadenomas and their mean final height was 2.

Cytokine Release Syndrome Grade as a Predictive Marker for Infections in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated With Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells that target the CD19 antigen present a novel promising therapy for the treatment of relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Although cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity have emerged as predominant noninfectious complications of CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, infections associated with this treatment modality have not been well documented.

Methods: We analyzed infectious complications that followed CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in 53 adult patients with relapsed B-ALL enrolled in a phase I clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NCT01044069).

Oil industry and road traffic fatalities in contemporary Colombia.

This paper studies the effects that oil extraction activities in Colombia have on the number of dead/injured people as a consequence of road-related accidents. Starting in 2004, the increasing exploitation of oil wells in some Colombian departments has worsened the traffic conditions due to the increased presence of trucks transporting crude oil from the wells to the refineries; this phenomenon has not been accompanied by an improvement in the road system with dramatic consequences in terms of road viability. The descriptive and empirical analysis presented here focuses on the period 2004-2011; results from descriptive statistics indicate a positive relationship between the presence of oil extraction activities and the number of either dead/injured people.

Determining hydraulic conductivity using pumping data from low-flow sampling.

Hydraulic conductivity values computed using the steady-state discharge and drawdown attained while low-flow sampling were evaluated to determine if they were equivalent to those determined from slug testing. Based on testing 12 wells, it was found that the results were statistically equivalent. Conductivity values computed using low-flow sampling parameters were also evaluated as to their reproducibility in actual practice by analyzing consultant data for three wells sampled over three quarterly monitoring periods by four field technicians.

Antigenic differentiation of classical swine fever vaccinal strain PAV-250 from other strains, including field strains from Mexico.

Twenty-nine classical swine fever virus (CSFv) strains were grown in the PK15 or SK6 cell lines. Antigenic differentiation studies were performed using monoclonal antibodies (McAbs), produced at Lelystad (CDI-DLO), The Netherlands. The monoclonals which were classified numerically as monoclonals 2-13.

Palliative performance status, heart rate and respiratory rate as predictive factors of survival time in terminally ill cancer patients.

To determine which symptoms, signs, and characteristics that define the patient's functional status predict the survival time in terminally ill cancer patients, a prospective longitudinal study was conducted with terminally ill cancer patients followed by a Home Care Support Team. Patients were followed up with at least weekly visits until death, collecting variables at each visit. A Cox multivariate regression analysis took into account all the follow-ups in the same patient.

Technique paper for wet-spinning poly(L-lactic acid) and poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) monofilament fibers.

A simple and repeatable method is described for wet-spinning poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) monofilament fibers. These fibers are strong, elastic, and suitable for many applications, including use as tissue-engineering scaffolds. The PLLA wet-extruded fibers do not show additional strain-induced crystallization as a result of drawing the fibers during fabrication; however, there is an apparent increase in crystallinity late in the degradation process in saline at 37 degrees C.

Poly(L-Lactide) microfilaments enhance peripheral nerve regeneration across extended nerve lesions.

After injury, axonal regeneration occurs across short gaps in the peripheral nervous system, but regeneration across larger gaps remains a challenge. To improve regeneration across extended nerve defects, we have fabricated novel microfilaments with the capability for drug release to support cellular migration and guide axonal growth across a lesion. In this study, we examine the nerve repair parameters of non-loaded filaments.