Counting the costs: understanding the extra costs of living with disability in Indonesia to advance inclusive policies within the SDG framework.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a multidimensional framework for monitoring progress on disability inclusion over time and among countries where reliable, disability disaggregated data is available. However, the SDGs alone do not provide insights into the causes of the social and economic disparities that people with disabilities face or offer specific policy solutions to alleviate them. This paper highlights the extra costs of living with disability in Indonesia to advance the country's commitment to further the rights of people with disabilities.

Impact of pregestational obesity on perinatal complications: update in a Latin American cohort.

Objectives: While the association between pregestational obesity and perinatal complications has been established, it is necessary to update the current understanding of its impact on maternal and foetal health due to its growing prevalence. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between pregestational obesity with the leading perinatal complications during the last 6 years.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study was performed in San Felipe, Chile.

Endophytes Alleviate Drought-Derived Oxidative Damage in Achnatherum inebrians Plants Through Increasing Antioxidants and Regulating Host Stress Responses.

Endophytes generally increase antioxidant contents of plants subjected to environmental stresses. However, the mechanisms by which endophytes alter the accumulation of antioxidants in plant tissues are not entirely clear. We hypothesized that, in stress situations, endophytes would simultaneously reduce oxidative damage and increase antioxidant contents of plants and that the accumulation of antioxidants would be a consequence of the endophyte ability to regulate the expression of plant antioxidant genes.

Salivary Biomarkers for Oral Cancer Detection: An Exploratory Systematic Review.

Different efforts have been made to find better and less invasive methods for the diagnosis and prediction of oral cancer, such as the study of saliva as a source of biomarkers. The aim of this study was to perform a scoping review about salivary molecules that have been assessed as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A search was conducted using EBSCO, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and Web of Science.

Anti-herbivory defences delivered by Epichloë fungal endophytes: a quantitative review of alkaloid concentration variation among hosts and plant parts.

Background And Aims: In the subfamily Poöideae (Poaceae), certain grass species possess anti-herbivore alkaloids synthesized by fungal endophytes that belong to the genus Epichloë (Clavicipitaceae). The protective role of these symbiotic endophytes can vary, depending on alkaloid concentrations within specific plant-endophyte associations and plant parts.

Methods: We conducted a literature review to identify articles containing alkaloid concentration data for various plant parts in six important pasture species, Lolium arundinaceum, Lolium perenne, Lolium pratense, Lolium multiflorum|Lolium rigidum and Festuca rubra, associated with their common endophytes.

Global Change Factors Influence Plant- Associations.

There is an increasing interest in determining the influence of global change on plant-microorganism interactions. We review the results of experiments that evaluated the effects of the global change factors carbon dioxide, ozone, temperature, drought, flooding, and salinity on plant symbioses with beneficial endophytes. The factors affected the performance of both plants and endophytes as well as the frequency of plants symbiotic with the fungus.

Muscarinic receptors in the rat ovary are involved in follicular development but not in steroid secretion.

Acetylcholine (ACh) may be involved in the regulation of ovarian functions. A previous systemic study in rats showed that a 4-week, intrabursal local delivery of the ACh-esterase blocker Huperzine-A increased intraovarian ACh levels and changed ovarian follicular development, as evidenced by increased healthy antral follicle numbers and corpora lutea, as well as enhanced fertility. To further characterize the ovarian cholinergic system in the rat, we studied whether innervation may contribute to intraovarian ACh.

Environmental interference of plant-microbe interactions.

Environmental stresses can compromise the interactions of plants with beneficial microbes. In the present review, experimental results showing that stresses negatively affect the abundance and/or functionality of plant beneficial microbes are summarized. It is proposed that the environmental interference of these plant-microbe interactions is explained by the stress-mediated induction of plant signalling pathways associated with defence hormones and reactive oxygen species.

First wave of SARS-CoV-2 in Santiago Chile: Seroprevalence, asymptomatic infection and infection fatality rate.

Background: The first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Chile occurred during the cold season reaching a peak by the end of June 2020, with 80 % of the cases concentrated in its capital, Santiago. The main objective of this study was to estimate the attack rate during this first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in a large, densely populated city with more than seven million inhabitants. Since the number of confirmed cases provides biased information due to individuals' potential self-selection, mostly related to asymptomatic patients and testing access, we measured antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to assess infection prevalence during the first wave in the city, as well as estimate asymptomatic cases, and infection fatality ratio.

Factors controlling the effects of mutualistic bacteria on plants associated with fungi.

Plants interacting with mutualistic fungi (MF) or antagonistic fungi (AF) can form associations with bacteria. We assessed whether the performance gain conferred by mutualistic bacteria to fungal-associated plants is affected by the interaction between symbiont traits, type of bacterial-protective traits against AF and abiotic/biotic stresses. Results showed that (A) performance gain conferred by bacteria to MF-associated plants was greater when symbionts promoted distinct rather than similar plant functions, (B) bacterial-based alleviation of the AF's negative effect on plants was independent of the type of protective trait, (C) bacteria promoted a greater performance of symbiotic plants in presence of biotic, but not abiotic, stress compared to stress-free situations.

Vertically Transmitted Systemic Endophyte Enhances Drought Tolerance of Host Plants through Promoting Photosynthesis and Biomass Accumulation.

(drunken horse grass, DHG) plants, a dominant grass species in the arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China, symbiotic with an fungal endophyte, is well adapted to drought. However, little is known about how the presence of the foliar endophyte enhances the tolerance of DHG to drought at the molecular level. This study explored the positive effects of the presence of the endophyte on plant growth, biomass, and photosynthetic efficiency and processes of DHG under non-drought and two drought (moderate and severe) treatments, using RNA sequencing to compare transcriptomes.

Fungal Endophytes Influence Seed-Associated Bacterial Communities.

Seeds commonly harbour diverse bacterial communities that can enhance the fitness of future plants. The bacterial microbiota associated with mother plant's foliar tissues is one of the main sources of bacteria for seeds. Therefore, any ecological factor influencing the mother plant's microbiota may also affect the diversity of the seed's bacterial community.

Antagonism to Plant Pathogens by Fungal Endophytes-A Review.

is a genus of filamentous fungal endophytes that has co-evolved with cool-season grasses with which they form long-term, symbiotic associations. The most agriculturally important associations for pasture persistence for grazing livestock are those between asexual vertically transmitted strains and the pasture species, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescue. The fungus confers additional traits to their host grasses including invertebrate pest deterrence and drought tolerance.

The Plant Salicylic Acid Signalling Pathway Regulates the Infection of a Biotrophic Pathogen in Grasses Associated with an Endophyte.

The study of the contribution of the plant defence hormones, salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), in the resistance against pathogens of plants associated with fungal endophytes has been scanty. We hypothesised that spp., capable of inducing host plant SA-dependent defences, would increase the levels of plant resistance against biotrophic pathogens.

Fungal endophytes can eliminate the plant growth-defence trade-off.

A trade-off between growth and defence functions is commonly observed in plants. We propose that the association of plants with Epichloë fungal endophytes may eliminate this trade-off. This would be a consequence of the double role of these endophytes in host plants: the stimulation of plant growth hormones (e.

Complete Genome Sequence of sp. Strain E222, a Bacterial Symbiont of an Fungal Endophyte of Ryegrass.

We report on the whole-genome sequence of sp. strain E222, a bacterium isolated from a fresh culture of var. , a mutualistic fungal endophyte of perennial ryegrass.

Development and analytical validation of real-time PCR for the detection of Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women.

Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of invasive neonatal infection. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the analytical validation of qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a means to detect GBS.

Methods: Genomic DNA (gDNA) was purified from 12 ATCC bacterial strains, two belonging to GBS and the remainder acting as negative controls.

sensitivity to defences of and its endophytic fungus occultans.

Background: Plants possess a sophisticated immune system to defend from herbivores. These defence responses are regulated by plant hormones including salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). Sometimes, plant defences can be complemented by the presence of symbiotic microorganisms.

Surface Immunogenic Protein of Group B is an Agonist of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 and a Potential Immune Adjuvant.

Vaccine-induced protection against pathogens, especially subunit-based vaccines, are related to antigen properties but mainly in their ability to stimulate the immune system by the use of an adjuvant. Modern vaccines are formulated with a high level of antigen purity, where an efficient adjuvant is necessary. In this context, the use of protein Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) agonists as vaccine adjuvants has been highlighted because of their optimal immunogenicity and minimal toxicity.

Symbiotic bacteria of plant-associated fungi: friends or foes?

Many bacteria form symbiotic associations with plant-associated fungi. The effects of these symbionts on host fitness usually depend on symbiont or host genotypes and environmental conditions. However, bacterial endosymbionts, that is those living within fungal cells, may positively regulate host performance as their survival is often heavily dependent on host fitness.

The plant hormone salicylic acid interacts with the mechanism of anti-herbivory conferred by fungal endophytes in grasses.

The plant hormone salicylic acid (SA) is recognized as an effective defence against biotrophic pathogens, but its role as regulator of beneficial plant symbionts has received little attention. We studied the relationship between the SA hormone and leaf fungal endophytes on herbivore defences in symbiotic grasses. We hypothesize that the SA exposure suppresses the endophyte reducing the fungal-produced alkaloids.

Epichloë Fungal Endophytes and Plant Defenses: Not Just Alkaloids.

Although the role of fungal alkaloids in protecting grasses associated with Epichloë fungal endophytes has been extensively documented, the effects of the symbiont on the host plant's immune responses have received little attention. We propose that, in addition to producing protective alkaloids, endophytes enhance plant immunity against chewing insects by promoting endogenous defense responses mediated by the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway. We advance a model that integrates this dual effect of endophytes on plant defenses and test its predictions by means of a standard meta-analysis.