Publications by authors named "Miralles A"

Recent studies have demonstrated the association between constitutional ring chromosome 21 (r(21)c) and the development of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 (iAMP21). iAMP21 acts as a driver which is often accompanied by secondary alterations that influence disease progression. Here, we report an atypical case of iAMP21 B-ALL with a unique molecular profile in the context of r(21)c.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Post-weaning stress, together with , are two of the key factors in the occurrence of post-weaning diarrhea. There are different commercial vaccines that induce immunity at the local or systemic level, improving farm health and avoiding economic losses in the pork industry. That is why the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an oral enterotoxigenic F4/F18 vaccine on immunity and intestinal integrity in the middle and long term after inoculation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of the study is to develop a sensitive assay for the proper quantification of the acute phase protein Pig-MAP in pig saliva samples. A time-resolved immunofluorometric assay (TR-IFMA) was developed using two pig-MAP-specific monoclonal antibodies. The limit of detection of the assay was 4 ng/mL, enough to measure pig-MAP concentration in saliva.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Haplotype networks are useful for visualizing allele relationships, particularly in species diagnosis and taxonomy, especially when limited sequence data is available.
  • The newly developed program Hapsolutely streamlines the process by integrating haplotype phasing and network reconstruction, making it easier to visualize allele distribution for species delimitation.
  • Hapsolutely is user-friendly, written in Python, and offers downloadable executables for Windows and Mac, along with a detailed manual and source code on GitHub.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This chapter contains a glossary that defines key terms related to DNA barcoding.
  • The glossary focuses on essential terminology for better understanding.
  • The authors aim for readers to find the glossary helpful and clear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - DNA barcoding is crucial for identifying new species and understanding biodiversity; it's especially useful for classifying species using single-locus DNA sequences.
  • - Various tools have been created for species delimitation, but many were not initially user-friendly, despite their common goal of identifying distinct species.
  • - Recently, a standardized format called SPART has been introduced for sharing species partition data, and this chapter outlines protocols for using two specific bioinformatics tools, ASAP and LIMES, for species analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Traditional species differentiation relies on morphological traits, but molecular methods are becoming essential for cryptic species.
  • * The chapter presents protocols for the bioinformatics tool MolD, which helps identify diagnostic nucleotide combinations to improve DNA-based taxa differentiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The availability of user-friendly software for analyzing DNA barcodes is limited, often requiring complex procedures and manual formatting to perform basic functions like detecting gaps and calculating distance matrices.
  • - The iTaxoTools project aims to create user-friendly solutions to enhance the workflow in alpha-taxonomy, focusing on improving the tool TaxI2 for analyzing DNA barcodes.
  • - This chapter offers detailed protocols for using TaxI2, which can calculate genetic distances using various methods and format input data easily, while providing tools for comparing sequences against reference datasets and interpreting the results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The text discusses the significance of DNA barcoding in taxonomic research, highlighting its benefits, limitations, and the use of DNA sequence pairwise distances.
  • * It also offers a detailed species delimitation protocol that guides researchers through the steps necessary for effective taxonomic decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a prevalent childhood cancer with high cure rate, but poses a significant medical challenge in adults and relapsed patients. Philadelphia-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is a high-risk subtype, with approximately half of cases characterized by overexpression and frequent concomitant deletions. To address the need for efficient, rapid, and cost-effective detection of alterations, we developed a novel RT-qPCR technique combining SYBR Green and highresolution melting analysis on a single plate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The molecular landscape of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is highly heterogeneous, and genetic lesions are clinically relevant for diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment guidance. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has become an essential tool for clinical laboratories, where disease-targeted panels are able to capture the most relevant alterations in a cost-effective and fast way. However, comprehensive ALL panels assessing all relevant alterations are scarce.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

NG2-glia comprise a heterogeneous population of cycling cells that give rise to mature, myelinating oligodendrocytes. The mechanisms that regulate the process of differentiation from NG2-glia into oligodendrocytes are still not fully understood but over the last years the G Protein-coupled Receptor 17 (GPR17) has been on the spotlight as a possible key regulator. Interestingly, GPR17-expressing NG2-glia show under physiological conditions a slower and lower level of differentiation compared to NG2-glia without GPR17.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most of the unique and diverse vertebrate fauna that inhabits Madagascar derives from in situ diversification from colonisers that reached this continental island through overseas dispersal. The endemic Malagasy Scincinae lizards are amongst the most species-rich squamate groups on the island. They colonised all bioclimatic zones and display many ecomorphological adaptations to a fossorial (burrowing) lifestyle.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Lygodactylus madagascariensis species group, constituting the subgenus Domerguella, currently contains five valid species of inconspicuous dwarf geckos from Madagascars humid forests, but at least 18 deep genetic lineages have been revealed by recent molecular studies. Given the high morphological similarity of these lineages, taxonomic resolution of this astonishing diversity requires efforts to correctly delimit species, as well as assigning the available nomina to the species-level lineages identified. We here combine DNA sequences of one mitochondrial and two nuclear-encoded gene fragments with morphometric measurements and scale counts, and report evidence for a species status of most of the previously identified lineages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The evidence regarding non-front-fanged snake bites is mixed, with potential roles of atopy (allergy) and hypersensitivity often overlooked.
  • A case is described involving a captive African emerald snake bite that resulted in moderate Type IV hypersensitivity in a 44-year-old man, leading to persistent itching and a rash that took six days to heal.
  • The study emphasizes the need for formal documentation of snake bite cases to better understand the medical risks associated with less-known species and calls attention to the atopic risks in private snake collectors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Studying collection specimens, especially of extinct species, is crucial for understanding past extinctions and informing conservation efforts for living species, with a focus on insular species like the giant skink Chioninia coctei.
  • - Researchers used microscopy and DNA metabarcoding to analyze gut contents of the extinct giant skink, revealing a diet consisting primarily of plants and invertebrates, while indicating a decline in seabird populations may have negatively impacted the skink's survival.
  • - This study highlights the value of combining modern molecular techniques with traditional methods in ecological research, illustrating the need for comprehensive conservation strategies for threatened island species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The Endoscopic Healing Index (EHI) is a serum biomarker panel that can predict endoscopic inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: Paired serum samples with endoscopies from adult patients participating in a prospective biobank (June 2014 to December 2018) were analyzed post hoc. Diagnostic performance for EHI was assessed against the individual parameters of the Simple Endoscopic Score for CD using previously identified cutoffs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how empathy levels vary based on the phylogenetic closeness of species, focusing on the impact of neurocognitive predispositions, particularly in those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
  • It involved an online survey comparing empathic perceptions of 202 individuals with ASD to 1,100 control participants, who rated their feelings towards various organisms.
  • Findings reveal that both groups generally aligned in lower empathy scores as phylogenetic distance from humans increased, but individuals with ASD rated humans unusually low in empathy, suggesting a unique challenge in understanding human emotions compared to those of other species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parasitism is a key factor in the population dynamics of many herbivorous insects, although its impact on host populations varies widely, for instance, along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Understanding the sources of geographical variation in host-parasitoid interactions is crucial for reliably predicting the future success of the interacting species under a context of global change. Here, we examine larval parasitism in the butterfly Aglais urticae in south-west Europe, where it is a mountain specialist.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A variety of data types and computer tools exist for species delimitation (SD), but these methods are not commonly used by alpha-taxonomists due to challenges like lack of compatibility among different SD programs.
  • Researchers often face time-consuming processes when comparing species partitions from different SD approaches due to their varying results and the absence of a standard format.
  • The proposed standardized format, SPART, aims to improve compatibility among SD tools by reporting partitions and individual assignments, with options for including support values and original analysis details, while providing two user-friendly versions: matricial SPART and SPART.XML.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Burrowing is a common behavior in vertebrates that provides advantages and challenges, particularly the energy costs associated with digging.
  • Scolecophidians, a type of subterranean snake, show diversity in their burrowing methods, with typhlopids believed to generate their own burrows unlike some other related snakes.
  • Research reveals that typhlopids can produce greater push forces than other burrowing snakes of similar size, indicating distinct differences in their anatomy and muscle use related to burrowing mechanics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A healthy aging process is a requirement for good life quality. A relationship between physical activity, the consumption of antioxidants and brain health has been stablished via the activation of pathways that reduce the harmful effects of oxidative stress, by inducing enzymes such as SIRT1, which is a protector of brain function. We analyzed the cognitive and neurochemical effects of applying physical exercise in elderly rats, alone or in combination with the antioxidant catechin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The genus Scaphiophryne, part of the Madagascar-endemic subfamily Scaphiophryninae, includes nine species of robust burrowing frogs known for their unique larval features and explosive breeding behavior.
  • - A comprehensive molecular analysis reveals that both subgenera Scaphiophryne and Pseudohemisus are monophyletic, confirming that all recognized species are independent evolutionary lineages, with the subgenus Pseudohemisus showing three distinct species-level lineages.
  • - To clarify the confusing taxonomy in Pseudohemisus, the authors designate lectotypes for several species due to poor specimen preservation, which will help stabilize classifications in this group of frogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease involved in fibrinolysis. It is released by endothelial cells, but also expressed by neurons and glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Interestingly, this enzyme also contributes to pathological processes in the CNS such as neuroinflammation by activating microglia and increasing blood-brain barrier permeability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF