Spatial prioritisation of management zones in protected areas for the integration of multiple objectives

Biodiversity and Conservation - Biodiversity keeps declining in the European Union despite the large conservation effort done over the last decades. The Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to...     

Niche Divergence versus Neutral Processes: Combined Environmental and Genetic Analyses Identify Contrasting Patterns of Differentiation in Recently Diverged Pine Species

Background and Aims

Solving relationships of recently diverged taxa, poses a challenge due to shared polymorphism and weak reproductive barriers. Multiple lines of evidence are needed to identify independently evolving lineages. This is especially true of long-lived species with large effective population sizes, and slow rates of lineage sorting. North American pines are an interesting group to test this multiple approach. Our aim is to combine cytoplasmic genetic markers with environmental information to clarify species boundaries and relationships of the species complex of Pinus flexilis, Pinus ayacahuite, and Pinus strobiformis.

Methods

Mitochondrial and chloroplast sequences were combined with previously obtained microsatellite data and contrasted with environmental information to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of the species complex. Ecological niche models were compared to test if ecological divergence is significant among species.

Key Results and Conclusion

Separately, both genetic and ecological evidence support a clear differentiation of all three species but with different topology, but also reveal an ancestral contact zone between P. strobiformis and P. ayacahuite. The marked ecological differentiation of P. flexilis suggests that ecological speciation has occurred in this lineage, but this is not reflected in neutral markers. The inclusion of environmental traits in phylogenetic reconstruction improved the resolution of internal branches. We suggest that combining environmental and genetic information would be useful for species delimitation and phylogenetic studies in other recently diverged species complexes.     

Systemic host inflammatory and coagulation response in the Dengue virus primo-infection

BACKGROUND: Dengue virus infection has been rising in tropical countries. Clinical manifestations range from fever and general malaise to hemorrhagic manifestations and death. The role of endothelial damage and cytokines has not been well established for dengue infection. OBJECTIVE: Determine the profile of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and several markers of coagulopathy of dengue infection. METHODS: Patients admitted between September 2000 and April 2001, who met the WHO dengue diagnosis criteria, were enrolled. Blood samples were collected at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 h and 5 and 7 days after hospitalization. Profile of pro-inflammatory cytokines, markers of coagulopathy, protein C, protein S, d-dimer, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen and activated protein C levels were determined. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were enrolled. Median (range) age was 31 (13-70) years; 51.5% (17/33) were female. Ten of 33 (30%) presented with hemorrhagic manifestations. Patients were classified: Grade 1: 23/33 (70%), Grade II: 10/33 (30%). At study entry IL-6 was the most elevated, followed by IL-8 and TNF alpha. IL-10 was not elevated. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were demonstrated in the levels of any of the haemostatic or cytokine markers by disease severity (Grade I versus Grade II patients). CONCLUSION: The systemic host inflammatory and coagulation activation response occurs early in patients with dengue viral infection in the absence of severe hemorrhagic manifestations, and provides the basis for considering future clinical study in the use of recombinant human activated protein C to treat patients with severe sepsis from dengue infection.     

Encouraging Expressions Affect the Brain and Alter Visual Attention

Background

Very often, encouraging or discouraging expressions are used in competitive contexts, such as sports practice, aiming at provoking an emotional reaction on the listener and, consequently, an effect on subsequent cognition and/or performance. However, the actual efficiency of these expressions has not been tested scientifically.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To fill this gap, we studied the effects of encouraging, discouraging, and neutral expressions on event-related brain electrical activity during a visual selective attention task in which targets were determined by location, shape, and color. Although the expressions preceded the attentional task, both encouraging and discouraging messages elicited a similar long-lasting brain emotional response present during the visuospatial task. In addition, encouraging expressions were able to alter the customary working pattern of the visual attention system for shape selection in the attended location, increasing the P1 and the SP modulations while simultaneously fading away the SN.

Conclusions/Significance

This was interpreted as an enhancement of the attentional processes for shape in the attended location after an encouraging expression. It can be stated, therefore, that encouraging expressions, as those used in sport practice, as well as in many other contexts and situations, do seem to be efficient in exerting emotional reactions and measurable effects on cognition.     

Assessment of Environmental Hazards to Public Health in Temperate Urban Argentina

EcoHealth - Human health risk in urban areas depends on multiple environmental features. We performed a year-round survey in a highly urbanized district located in temperate Argentina (General San...     

cAMP increases mitochondrial cholesterol transport through the induction of arachidonic acid release inside this organelle in Leydig cells

We have investigated the direct effect of arachidonic acid on cholesterol transport in intact cells or isolated mitochondria from steroidogenic cells and the effect of cyclic-AMP on the specific release of this fatty acid inside the mitochondria. We show for the first time that cyclic-AMP can regulate the release of arachidonic acid in a specialized compartment of MA-10 Leydig cells, e.g. the mitochondria, and that the fatty acid induces cholesterol transport through a mechanism different from the classical pathway. Arachidonic acid and arachidonoyl-CoA can stimulate cholesterol transport in isolated mitochondria from nonstimulated cells. The effect of arachidonoyl-CoA is inhibited by the reduction in the expression or in the activity of a mitochondrial thioesterase that uses arachidonoyl-CoA as a substrate to release arachidonic acid. cAMP-induced arachidonic acid accumulation into the mitochondria is also reduced when the mitochondrial thioesterase activity or expression is blocked. This new feature in the regulation of cholesterol transport by arachidonic acid and the release of arachidonic acid in specialized compartment of the cells could offer novel means for understanding the regulation of steroid synthesis but also would be important in other situations such as neuropathological disorders or oncology disorders, where cholesterol transport plays an important role.