Diversity of Leaf Fungal Endophytes from Two Coffea arabica Varieties and Antagonism towards Coffee Leaf Rust.

Coffee has immense value as a worldwide-appreciated commodity. However, its production faces the effects of climate change and the spread of severe diseases such as coffee leaf rust (CLR). The exploration of fungal endophytes associated with Coffea sp. has already found the existence of nearly 600 fungal species, but their role in the plants remains practically unknown. We have researched the diversity of leaf fungal endophytes in two Coffea arabica varieties: one susceptible and one resistant to CLR. Then, we conducted cross-infection essays with four common endophyte species (three Colletotrichum sp. and Xylaria sp. 1) and Hemileia vastatrix (CLR) in leaf discs, to investigate the interaction of the endophytes on CLR colonisation success and severity of infection. Two Colletotrichum sp., when inoculated 72 h before H. vastatrix, prevented the colonisation of the leaf disc by the latter. Moreover, the presence of endophytes prior to the arrival of H. vastatrix ameliorated the severity of CLR. Our work highlights both the importance of characterising the hidden biodiversity of endophytes and investigating their potential roles in the plant-endophyte interaction.

Levels of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins/Furans (PCDD/Fs) and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in Human Breast Milk in Chile: A Pilot Study.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that resist biochemical degradation, moving long distances across the atmosphere before deposition occurs. Our goal was to provide up-to-date data on the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in breast milk from Chilean women and to estimate the exposure of infants due to breast milk consumption. In Chile, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on methodologies proposed by the WHO, with a sample of 30 women recruited from three defined areas: 10 from the Arica Region (urban; Arica and Parinacota Region), 10 from Coltauco (rural; O'Higgins Region), and 10 from Molina (40% rural; Maule Region). High-resolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) was performed on pooled samples from each area. We calculated equivalent toxic concentrations (WHO-TEQ) based on the current WHO Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEF). The minimum and maximum values of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs-TEQ were 4.317 pg TEQ/g fat in Coltauco and 6.31 pg TEQ/g fat in Arica. Molina had a total TEQ of 5.50 pg TEQ/g fat. The contribution of PCDD/Fs was approximately five-fold higher than that of DL-PCBs. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of ∑ PCDDs/Fs + DL-PCBs based on the three pooled samples ranged between 6.71 and 26.28 pg TEQ/kg body weight (bw)/day, with a mean intake of 16.11 (±6.71) pg TEQ/kg bw/day in breastfed children from 0 to 24 months old. These levels were lower than those reported in international studies. Despite the fact that the observed levels were low compared to those in most industrialized countries, the detection of a variety of POPs in breast milk from Chilean women indicates the need for follow-up studies to determine whether such exposures during childhood could represent a health risk in adulthood.

Consumo de bebidas alcohólicas en adolescentes del área de salud América I del municipio de Contramaestre / Alcoholic drinks consumption in adolescents from America I health area in Contramaestre municipality

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal de 200 adolescentes de 10-19 años de edad, pertenecientes al área de salud América I del municipio de Contramaestre, provincia de Santiago de Cuba, desde enero hasta diciembre del 2016, a fin de caracterizar a quienes consumían bebidas alcohólicas. Resultaron bebedores 177 y el inicio de la ingestión fue más frecuente entre los 10-16 años de edad. Se evidenció un riesgo de consumo patológico en el sexo masculino. Los consumidores de riesgo, perjudiciales y dependientes alcohólicos manifestaron la necesidad de ingerir alcohol en las actividades, puesto que les producía efectos favorables; por tanto, se propuso fomentar la educación antialcohólica entre los integrantes de este grupo poblacional.

A descriptive and cross-sectional study of 200 adolescents with 10-19 years belonging to America I health area in Contramaestre municipality, Santiago de Cuba province was carried out from January to December, 2016, in order to characterize those who consumed alcoholic drinks. There were 177 drinkers and the beginning of consumption was more frequent between 10-16 years. A risk of pathological consumption was evidenced in the male sex. The harmful and alcoholic risk consumers, manifested the necessity to drink alcohol in the activities, since it produced them favorable effects; therefore, it was proposed to foment the antialcoholic education among the members of this populational group.

Carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Peru: a case report and antimicrobial resistance discussion. / Klebsiella pneumoniae productora de carbapenemasas en Perú: reporte de caso y discusión de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos.

Carbapenemases are one of the major mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, usually due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The expansion of this mechanism of resistance at world level is imminent and control measures are limited. In the region of the Central Sierra of Peru - Huancayo, we report a case of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, with the purpose of discussing the problems related to this emerging mechanism of antibiotic resistance.

Las carbapenemasas son uno de los mecanismos enzimáticos de resistencia antimicrobiana, que compromete la mayor parte de los antibióticos betalactámicos. Por lo general, su producción se debe al uso indiscriminado de antimicrobianos. A nivel mundial, la expansión de este mecanismo de resistencia es inminente y las medidas de control son limitadas. Con el objeto de discutir los problemas relacionados a este mecanismo emergente de resistencia, reportamos un caso de Klebsiella pneumoniae productora de carbapenemasas en Huancayo, la Región de la Sierra Central de Perú.

The impact of an extreme climatic disturbance and different fertilization treatments on plant development, phenology, and yield of two cultivar groups of Solanum betaceum Cav.

Changing climatic conditions impose a challenge both to biodiversity and food security. The effects of climate change affect different aspects of the plant or crop, such as morphological and phenological aspects, as well as yield. The effects of greenhouse conditions might be comparable in some cases to a permanent extreme disturbance in climate and weather, thus, contributing to our knowledge on climate change impacts on plant species. We have investigated the differences for 23 traits in two cultivar groups of an Andean traditional crop, Solanum betaceum, under two different environmental conditions that correspond to the traditional practices in the open field and three cultural managements under greenhouse conditions (no fertilization or control, organic, and mineral). We found that traditional practices in the open field are the less productive. Moreover, in warmer and drier conditions the treatment with organic fertilization was the most productive. Greenhouse conditions, however, delay production. We further identified traits that differentiate both cultivar groups and traits that are linked to either the new climate conditions or the fertilization treatments. Fruit characteristics were quite homogeneous between the two cultivar groups. Overall, our results provide insight on the consequences that climate change effects might exert on crops such as tree tomato, reveal that greenhouses can be a robust alternative for tree tomato production, and highlight the need to understand how different managements are linked to different solutions to fulfil the farmers' demands.

Prevalence of blood circulation misconceptions among prospective elementary teachers.

Research shows that misconceptions about human blood circulation and gas exchange persist across grade levels. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to investigate the prevalence and persistence of blood circulation misconceptions among prospective elementary teachers and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of learning activities for discovering what students know and can explain about blood circulation and lung function. The context was an undergraduate introduction to biology course taught by two professors across three semesters at a state university. Independent reviewers identified five categories of erroneous ideas about blood circulation. Many categories still presented problems to students at the end of the course: 70% of prospective elementary teachers did not understand the dual blood circulation pathway, 33% were confused about blood vessels, 55% had wrong ideas about gas exchange, 19% had trouble with gas transport and utilization, and 20% did not understand lung function. Results show that an interview about a drawing as a final exam was significantly better at revealing different errors and a higher frequency of erroneous ideas compared with an essay exam. There is an urgent need for instructional tools to help undergraduate students realize the discrepancies between their own ideas about blood circulation and those of the scientific community.