Bryophytes as Indicators of Disturbance in One of the Last Remnants of the Mountain Forests of El Oro Province, Ecuador.

Epiphytic bryophytes are an important component in terms of the diversity and functioning of montane forests known as biodiversity hotspots. Bryophytes are highly dependent on their external environments because they are sensitive to environmental changes related to disturbance, fragmentation, air pollution, and climate change. The richness and composition of bryophytes in remnants of primary and secondary forests were analyzed, where the richness and cover were recorded on trunk bases of 120 trees.

Antibiotic exposure is associated with minimal gut microbiome perturbations in healthy term infants.

Background: The evolving infant gut microbiome influences host immune development and later health outcomes. Early antibiotic exposure could impact microbiome development and contribute to poor outcomes. Here, we use a prospective longitudinal birth cohort of n = 323 healthy term African American children to determine the association between antibiotic exposure and the gut microbiome through shotgun metagenomics sequencing as well as bile acid profiles through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Trends in BMI in Latin American Children With New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes Over 3 Years.

This article reports the trends in BMI score (-BMI) and their correlation with insulin dose and A1C in children with new-onset type 1 diabetes from several Latin American centers. The researchers observed a significant increase in the -BMI from type 1 diabetes onset through the 3-year follow-up, with insulin dose as a significant covariate. Although insulin doses steadily increased, their impact on A1C did not appear to be optimal (mean A1C 8.

Cannabis use, oral dysbiosis, and neurological disorders.

Cannabis (marijuana) is a leafy plant that has medical, recreational, and other uses. Cannabis is socially accepted and widely used throughout the United States. Though cannabis use is increasingly gaining popularity, studies detail the deleterious effects of chronic cannabis smoking on mental health, as well as the immunosuppressive properties of cannabinoids.

Volatile Distribution in Flowers of L. by HS-SPME-GC Technique and Enantiomeric Separation Data.

L., commonly known as sweet pea, is a plant with a distinctive aroma that can develop in various habitats. An analysis of the aromatic profile of the species was conducted using the HS-SPME (solid-phase microextraction headspace) technique.

Abdominal Wall-targeted Myofascial Release Therapy in Pediatric Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: Myofascial release (MFR) is a form of massage therapy that involves identifying and releasing restrictions in the fascia and muscles. MFR-like techniques have shown improvement in abdominal pain, distention, constipation, and quality of life (QoL) in adults. Therefore, MFR may be helpful in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder of gut-brain interaction or functional gastrointestinal disorder, mainly presenting with prolonged abdominal pain, bloating, and altered defecation patterns, leading to impairment in QoL.

Implementation of a Social Media Strategy for Public Health Promotion in Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Individuals identifying as Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Hispanic or Latino lack access to culturally appropriate accurate information and are the target of disinformation campaigns, which create doubt in science and health care providers and might play a role in sustaining health disparities related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study aims to create and disseminate culturally and medically appropriate social media messages for Black, Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native communities in Wisconsin and evaluate their reach and effectiveness in addressing the information needs of these communities.

Methods: Our team identified relevant COVID-19 topics based on feedback from their respective community, developed lay format materials, and translated materials into culturally appropriate social media messages that community advocates delivered across their respective communities.

Two cardinal features of ALS, reduced STMN2 and pathogenic TDP-43, synergize to accelerate motor decline in mice.

Pathological TDP-43 loss from the nucleus and cytoplasmic aggregation occurs in almost all cases of ALS and half of frontotemporal dementia patients. Stathmin2 (Stmn2) is a key target of TDP-43 regulation and aberrantly spliced Stmn2 mRNA is found in patients with ALS, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease. STMN2 participates in the axon injury response and its depletion in vivo partially replicates ALS-like symptoms including progressive motor deficits and distal NMJ denervation.

Seroprevalence of and Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil: A Multi-Level Analysis.

This study assessed the seroprevalence of and risk factors among 428 pregnant women attending Basic Health Units (BHUs) in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The seroprevalence was 55.14%, indicating high exposure to the parasite in this population.

A QTL on chromosome 17 identified by Genome-Wide Association Mapping controls postharvest cold tolerance of Cucurbita pepo L.

The worldwide cultivated Cucurbita pepo L. is one of the most diverse species in the plant kingdom. In this study, chilling tolerance over a wide range of cultivars was characterized to discover the allelic variants to improving the postharvest quality of the immature fruit during cold storage.

A resource of identified and annotated lincRNAs expressed during somatic embryogenesis development in Norway spruce.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of many biological processes, although their regulatory roles remain poorly characterized in woody plants, especially in gymnosperms. A major challenge of working with lncRNAs is to assign functional annotations, since they have a low coding potential and low cross-species conservation. We utilised an existing RNA-Sequencing resource and performed short RNA sequencing of somatic embryogenesis developmental stages in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.

Analysis of the Volatile and Enantiomeric Compounds Emitted by L. Flowers Using HS-SPME-GC.

The volatile components emitted by fresh aromatic flowers of L., harvested in southern Ecuador during three different months were determined to evaluate the fluctuation of secondary metabolites. The volatile compounds were analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) using two types of columns: a non-polar (DB-5ms) and polar column (HP-INNOWax).

Oropouche Fever, Cuba, May 2024.

Phylogenetic analyses showed that the virus responsible for a May 2024 Oropouche fever outbreak in Cuba was closely related to viruses from Brazil in 2023. Pools of Ceratopogonidae spp. biting midges and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were positive for Oropouche viral RNA.

Genomics for Arbovirus Surveillance: Considerations for Routine Use in Public Health Laboratories.

The emergence and re-emergence of arthropod-borne viruses is a public health threat. For routine surveillance in public health laboratories, cost-effective and reproducible methods are essential. In this review, we address the technical considerations of high-throughput sequencing methods (HTS) for arbovirus surveillance in national health laboratories, focusing on pre-sequencing, sequencing, and post-sequencing approaches, underlining the importance of robust wet and dry laboratory workflows for reproducible analysis.

Results of Radical Nephrectomy and Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy.

Purpose Of Review: Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) with invasion into the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare and mortal condition. Patients with RCC have an average life expectancy of no more than six months, thus requiring an aggressive surgical approach. We analyze the outcomes of patients that underwent surgery at a single medical institution.

Increasing culturally relevant science media coverage: exploring the outcomes of a collaboration in Puerto Rico.

CienciaPR, a nonprofit that brings together the largest network of Puerto Rican scientists and one of the largest networks of Hispanic/Latine scientists in the world, has collaborated with El Nuevo Día (END), Puerto Rico's newspaper of record, to increase culturally relevant stories in their science section. This Practice Insight quantifies and compares the presence of culturally relevant elements (e.g.

SMYD5 methylation of rpL40 links ribosomal output to gastric cancer.

Dysregulated transcription due to disruption in histone lysine methylation dynamics is an established contributor to tumorigenesis. However, whether analogous pathologic epigenetic mechanisms act directly on the ribosome to advance oncogenesis is unclear. Here we find that trimethylation of the core ribosomal protein L40 (rpL40) at lysine 22 (rpL40K22me3) by the lysine methyltransferase SMYD5 regulates mRNA translation output to promote malignant progression of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) with lethal peritoneal ascites.

Breast Cancer Patient's Outcomes after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgery at 5 and 10 Years for Stage II-III Disease.

: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer offers the possibility to facilitate breast and axillary surgery; it is a test of chemosensibility in vivo with significant prognostic value and may be used to tailor adjuvant treatment according to the response. : A retrospective single-institution cohort of 482 stage II and III breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on anthracycline and taxans, plus antiHEr2 in Her2-positive cases, was studied. Survival was calculated at 5 and 10 years.

The memory binding test in a longitudinal study of cognitive aging and preclinical disease.

Objective: The Memory Binding Test (MBT) shows promise in detecting early cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study assesses the psychometric properties (i.e.

The transcription factor CpMYB62 controls the genetic network that leads to the determination of female flowers in .

In monoecious species, female flowering constitutes the developmental process that determines the onset and production of fruit and is therefore closely related to crop yield. This article presents the identification and phenotypic and molecular characterization of , an ethylmethane sulfonate loss-of-function mutation that completely blocks the female floral transition, converting all female flowers into male flowers. BSA-seq analysis coupled with WGS showed that corresponds to a C>T transition in the coding region of the gene , generating a premature stop codon and a truncated transcription factor without its N-terminal effector domain.

Presence of metabolic syndrome markers in very low birth weight ex-premature infants during early adolescence.

Objectives: To investigate the association of growth patterns with overweight/obesity and markers of metabolic syndrome in ex-premature adolescents; to assess the relationship between the increase (1 SD) in Z-score weight at term and at 2 years with outcomes in adolescents with or without intrauterine growth restriction; and to evaluate the association between the Cook criteria and overweight/obesity according to body mass index.

Methods: Cohort, retrospective, analytical study. Population: adolescents born weighting<1,500 g.

Exploring the ethnobiological practices of fire in three natural regions of Ecuador, through the integration of traditional knowledge and scientific approaches.

This study examines the convergence between traditional and scientific knowledge regarding the use of fire and its potential to trigger wildfires, with possible impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. The research encompasses three distinct natural regions of Ecuador: the coast, the highlands, and the Amazon. Data on traditional fire use were collected through semi-structured interviews with 791 members from five local communities.