Biostimulants: A sufficiently effective tool for sustainable agriculture in the era of climate change?

Climate change is currently considered as one of the main concerns of the agriculture sector, as it limits crop production and quality. Furthermore, the current context of global crisis with international political instability and war conflicts over the world is pushing the agriculture sector even more to urgently boost productivity and yield and doing so in a sustainable way in the current frame of climate change. Biostimulants can be an effective tool in alleviating the negative effects of environmental stresses to which plants are exposed, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals and extreme temperatures etc.

Fruit quality in organic and conventional farming: advantages and limitations.

Fruit quality is essential for nutrition and human health and needs urgent attention in current agricultural practices. Organic farming is not as productive as conventional agriculture, but it can provide higher quality in some fruit crops, thanks to the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhanced pollination, and the reduction of protection treatments, hence boosting antioxidant compound production. Although organic farming does not always provide healthier food than conventional farming, some lessons from organic farming can be extrapolated to new sustainable production models.

Association of laboratory test results with the bleeding history in patients with inherited platelet function disorders (the Bleeding Assesment Tool - LABoratory tests substudy): communication from the Platelet Physiology ISTH-SSC.

Background: In hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, the degree of alteration of laboratory assays correlates with bleeding manifestations. Few studies have assessed the predictive value for bleeding of laboratory assays in patients with inherited platelet function disorders (IPFDs).

Objectives: To assess whether there is an association between platelet function assay results and bleeding history, as evaluated by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) bleeding assessment tool (BAT).

Augmented Reality Holographic Visualization System for Surgery Auxiliary Visualization: Proof of Concept for Surgical Training.

An Augmented Reality (AR) system based on the holographic projection of the relevant anatomic structures is proposed for auxiliary visualization during surgeries. The current two-dimensional visualization systems require the surgeons to mentally extract the associated three-dimensional information during the interventions, which entails risks and complications. This work shows an AR holographic projection system for real-time three-dimensional representation of the relevant surgical information, thus overcoming this problem.

Multicenter evaluation of light transmission platelet aggregation reagents: communication from the ISTH SSC Subcommittee on Platelet Physiology.

Background: Light transmission aggregation (LTA) is used widely by the clinical and research communities. Although it is a gold standard, there is a lack of interlaboratory harmonization.

Objectives: The primary objective was to assess whether sources of activators (mainly adenosine diphosphate [ADP], collagen, arachidonic acid, epinephrine, and thrombin receptor activating peptide6) and ristocetin contribute to poor LTA reproducibility.

Mixing chia seeds and sprouts at different developmental stages: A cost-effective way to improve antioxidant vitamin composition.

Various approaches can be used to improve chemical food composition avoiding the low acceptance risks that imply the use of transgenic crops. Here, we evaluated the antioxidant vitamin composition of dry and germinating seeds and sprouts of chia and examined the potential of exploiting natural variation of developmental stages to improve vitamin contents in chia-derived foodstuffs. Results showed that dry seeds contained the highest contents of vitamin E, with values 8-fold higher compared to sprouts.

β-Carotene biofortification of chia sprouts with plant growth regulators.

Chia (Salvia hispanica) is a native plant species from South America that is very appreciated for its oleaginous seeds in the agri-food field. Chia seeds are natural sources of many bioactive compounds which provide benefits to human health. Nevertheless, chia sprouts have better nutritional properties than seeds, such as antioxidants, essential amino acids, and phenolic compounds.

Unraveling the Influence of Common von Willebrand factor variants on von Willebrand Disease Phenotype: An Exploratory Study on the Molecular and Clinical Profile of von Willebrand Disease in Spain Cohort.

The clinical diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD), particularly type 1, can be complex because several genetic and environmental factors affect von Willebrand factor (VWF) plasma levels. An estimated 60% of the phenotypic variation is attributable to hereditary factors, with the ABO blood group locus being the most influential. However, recent studies provide strong evidence that nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (SNVs) contribute to VWF and factor VIII phenotypic variability in healthy individuals.

MOF-Beads Containing Inorganic Nanoparticles for the Simultaneous Removal of Multiple Heavy Metals from Water.

Pollution of water with heavy metals is a global environmental problem whose impact is especially severe in developing countries. Among water-purification methods, adsorption of heavy metals has proven to be simple, versatile, and cost-effective. However, there is still a need to develop adsorbents with a capacity to remove multiple metal pollutants from the same water sample.

Deciphering predictive factors for choice of thrombopoietin receptor agonist, treatment free responses, and thrombotic events in immune thrombocytopenia.

Very few data exist on when a particular thrombopoietin-receptor agonist (TPO-RA) is favored in clinical practice for the treatment of patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), about novel risk factors for vascular events (VE) with these drugs, nor about predictive factors for therapy free responses (TFR). We conducted an observational, retrospective, long-term follow-up multicenter study from November 2016 to January 2018 of 121 adult ITP patients initiating TPO-RA between January 2012 to December 2014. Data reflected that a platelet count ≤25 × 10/l at the time when the TPO-RA was initiated was associated with a 2.

Identification of novel variants in ten patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome by high-throughput sequencing.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare inherited platelet disorder characterized by bleeding diathesis, oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) and a myriad of often-serious clinical complications. We established the clinical and laboratory phenotype and genotype of six unrelated pedigrees comprising ten patients with clinical suspicion of HPS; including platelet aggregation, flow cytometry, platelet dense granule content, electron microscopy and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). The clinical presentation showed significant heterogeneity and no clear phenotype-genotype correlations.

Joint status in Spanish haemophilia B patients assessed using the Haemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound (HEAD-US) score.

Aim: The use of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) following protocols for haemophilic arthropathy and the Haemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound (HEAD-US) score can help standardize monitoring in haemophilia. This study evaluated the joint status (elbows, knees and ankles) of patients with haemophilia B (HB) in Spain using MSK-US and the HEAD-US score.

Methods: Haemophilia B patients ≥14 years old were included in this observational, multicentre, cross-sectional study, regardless of their clinical condition, HB severity and treatment received.

Unraveling the effect of silent, intronic and missense mutations on splicing: contribution of next generation sequencing in the study of mRNA.

Large studies in von Willebrand disease patients, including Spanish and Portuguese registries, led to the identification of >250 different mutations. It is a challenge to determine the pathogenic effect of potential splice site mutations on mRNA. This study aimed to elucidate the true effects of 18 mutations on mRNA processing, investigate the contribution of next-generation sequencing to mRNA study in von Willebrand disease, and compare the findings with prediction.

Role of multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor (VWF) in von Willebrand disease (VWD) diagnosis: Lessons from the PCM-EVW-ES Spanish project.

The multimeric analysis (MA) of plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) evaluates structural integrity and helps in the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD). This assay is a matter of controversy, being considered by some investigators cumbersome and only slightly informative. The centralised study 'Molecular and Clinical Profile of von Willebrand Disease in Spain (PCM-EVW-ES)' has been carried out by including the phenotypic assessment and the genetic analysis by next generation sequencing (NGS) of the VWF gene (VWF).

Stanniocalcin 2 Regulates Non-capacitative Ca Entry and Aggregation in Mouse Platelets.

Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) is a fish protein that controls body Ca and phosphate metabolism. STC2 has also been described in mammals, and as platelet function highly depends on both extracellular and intracellular Ca, we have explored its expression and function in these cells. STC2 mice exhibit shorter tail bleeding time than WT mice.

Filamin A Modulates Store-Operated Ca Entry by Regulating STIM1 (Stromal Interaction Molecule 1)-Orai1 Association in Human Platelets.

Objective: Here, we provide evidence for the role of FLNA (filamin A) in the modulation of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE).

Approach And Results: SOCE is a major mechanism for calcium influx controlled by the intracellular Ca stores. On store depletion, the endoplasmic reticulum calcium sensor STIM1 (stromal interaction molecule 1) redistributes into puncta at endoplasmic reticulum/plasma membrane junctions, a process supported by the cytoskeleton, where it interacts with the calcium channels; however, the mechanism for fine-tuning SOCE is not completely understood.

Introducing high-throughput sequencing into mainstream genetic diagnosis practice in inherited platelet disorders.

Inherited platelet disorders are a heterogeneous group of rare diseases, caused by inherited defects in platelet production and/or function. Their genetic diagnosis would benefit clinical care, prognosis and preventative treatments. Until recently, this diagnosis has usually been performed Sanger sequencing of a limited number of candidate genes.

Molecular and clinical profile of von Willebrand disease in Spain (PCM-EVW-ES): comprehensive genetic analysis by next-generation sequencing of 480 patients.

Molecular diagnosis of patients with von Willebrand disease is pending in most populations due to the complexity and high cost of conventional molecular analyses. The need for molecular and clinical characterization of von Willebrand disease in Spain prompted the creation of a multicenter project (PCM-EVW-ES) that resulted in the largest prospective cohort study of patients with all types of von Willebrand disease. Molecular analysis of relevant regions of the , including intronic and promoter regions, was achieved in the 556 individuals recruited the development of a simple, innovative, relatively low-cost protocol based on microfluidic technology and next-generation sequencing.

Bleeding risk of surgery and its prevention in patients with inherited platelet disorders.

Excessive bleeding at surgery is a feared complication in patients with inherited platelet disorders. However, very few studies have evaluated the frequency of surgical bleeding in these hemorrhagic disorders. We performed a worldwide, multicentric, retrospective study to assess the bleeding complications of surgery, the preventive and therapeutic approaches adopted, and their efficacy in patients with inherited platelet disorders: the Surgery in Platelet disorders And Therapeutic Approach (SPATA) study.

Risk factors for bacteremia in urinary tract infections attended in the emergency department.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common in emergency departments (ED), and at least 15% of them are bacteremic. However, there are few data on how to predict which patients are at high risk of developing bacteremic UTI (b-UTI). We performed a retrospective observational cohort study including patients diagnosed with UTI who were admitted to the ED of a tertiary-care hospital in Spain.

Application of a molecular diagnostic algorithm for haemophilia A and B using next-generation sequencing of entire F8, F9 and VWF genes.

Currently, molecular diagnosis of haemophilia A and B (HA and HB) highlights the excess risk-inhibitor development associated with specific mutations, and enables carrier testing of female relatives and prenatal or preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Molecular testing for HA also helps distinguish it from von Willebrand disease (VWD). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows simultaneous investigation of several complete genes, even though they may span very extensive regions.