Rebeca Rodríguez saw that a place was available a few metres from Karmela Restaurant
where she was cooking under the guidance of Daniel Peregrina
made Rebeca a proposal to become partners and she accepted
Today she is in charge of the kitchen of this new business that was launched just five months ago under the name of Vendaval in Calle Málaga in Alhaurín de la Torre
"The idea was to set up a seafood restaurant
something informal and with a lot of emphasis on fried fish
because there are not so many places to eat it here
but little by little people have been asking us for the more innovative cuisine that we do at Karmela and we have been incorporating other dishes such as the prawn pil pil rolls." explains Daniel Peregrina about a constantly evolving menu and an affordable average price (around 15-20 euros)
gildas (a salty tapa) and fried fish such as lemon anchovies
scrambled eggs with pork cheeks and flambéed kimchi aioli
among other proposals with which they aim to offer something different to the town's gastronomic offer
This is how Rebeca Rodríguez sees it: "Many people knew us from Karmela and are used to the creative cuisine that is done there
while at the same time offering the essence of a seafood restaurant"
Although some very peculiar drawings also hang on the walls: the ones left on the paper tablecloths by the youngest members of the family
in addition to the dishes 'For the little ones' and the location in a pedestrian street
says Peregrina about a space that can seat around twenty diners
A team of four people are in charge of running this new venture
which aspires to establish itself as a casual alternative to Alhaurinos' lunch and dinner
And another date for wine lovers: Barbadillo wine tasting with four courses on 14 May at 9pm (26 euros)
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EV Produce International announced strategic expansion plans to bolster its import and shipping operations
The company will diversify its product portfolio and extend its distribution network to encompass the entire continental United States
Building on eight years of market presence
the company supplies premium limes from its Mexican partner
which maintains operations in Martínez de la Torre
While limes and chayote have been core products
the company has recently integrated new offerings
it has commenced production and export of chiles (Jalapeño
The company has started its production of Serrano chiles
The company initiated the import and distribution of these new products in December 2024 on the West Coast
"We are now expanding our reach to serve the entire U.S
market through our distribution centers in California and McAllen
vice president of EV Produce International
the company primarily targeted the Latino market in the U.S
Carranza noted a significant increase in consumption across diverse demographics
driven by the growing popularity of Mexican cuisine
"While chiles have traditionally been a staple within the Latino community
the widespread appreciation of Mexican food has fueled increased consumption nationwide," he says
Tomatillos have also been added to the product line
EV Produce International has witnessed a surge in demand for limes as consumption extends beyond the Latino demographic to encompass the broader U.S
lime consumption was largely concentrated within the Latino market
which prompted us to establish a distribution center in California," Carranza says
we have observed a consistent increase in consumption
attributed to the prevalence of limes in cocktails
and various Mexican culinary preparations."
EV Produce International's operations extend beyond the U.S
with current lime exports to South Korea and Japan
For more information:Erick Carranza EV Produce Tel: +1 (619) 883-3865 http://evproduce.com/
FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 HortiDaily.com
Volume 15 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnana.2021.785840
This article is part of the Research TopicIn the Footsteps of the Prosomeric ModelView all 15 articles
The trigeminal column is a hindbrain structure formed by second order sensory neurons that receive afferences from trigeminal primary (ganglionic) nerve fibers
Classical studies subdivide it into the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus located next to the pontine nerve root
and the spinal trigeminal nucleus which in turn consists of oral
this column would be subdivided into segmental units derived from respective rhombomeres
Experimental studies have mapped the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus to pontine rhombomeres (r) r2-r3 in the mouse
The spinal trigeminal nucleus emerges as a plurisegmental formation covering several rhombomeres (r4 to r11 in mice) across pontine
retropontine and medullary hindbrain regions
In the present work we reexamined the issue of rhombomeric vs
we analyzed its subdivisions in an AZIN2-lacZ transgenic mouse
known as a reference model for hindbrain topography
together with transgenic reporter lines for trigeminal fibers
We screened as well for genes differentially expressed along the axial dimension of this structure in the adult and juvenile mouse brain
This analysis yielded genes from multiple functional families that display transverse domains fitting the mentioned rhombomeric map
The spinal trigeminal nucleus thus represents a plurisegmental structure with a series of distinct neuromeric units having unique combinatorial molecular profiles
The rostrocaudal organization of successive Pr5
and Sp5C units raises the question of the possible correspondence of their mutual boundaries with interrhombomeric limits
the hypothesis may be considered that the underlying rhombomeric scaffold may actually establish a finer
segment-by-segment organization of the trigeminal column
it is possible that the segmental units of the trigeminal column develop characteristic molecular and cellular identities
with probable neurochemical and/or functional implications
On the whole we propose a novel segmental map of the mouse trigeminal column according to gene expression
characterizing it as a plurineuromeric modular complex in relation to a series of rhombomere-derived domains
and care of laboratory animals were conducted in compliance with the current normative standards of the European Union (Directive 2010/63/EU)
the Spanish Government (Royal Decree 1201/2005 and 53/2013; Law 32/107) and had the approval of the University of Murcia Committee for Animal Experimental Ethics
We used adult brains of a heterozygotic mice line developed at the Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Murcia (López-Garcia et al., 2013)
These mice express recombinant beta-galactosidase protein under control of the Azin2 promoter
vibratome 120 μm thick serial sections were obtained
Serial sections were obtained in either sagittal or horizontal planes
Floating sections were then reacted for beta-galactosidase and were finally washed
Digital microphotographs were acquired using Aperio CS2 technology (Leica Microsystems GmbH
This database provides images from transgenic mice lines with EGFP as reporter for the expression of diverse genes
According to the recorded GENSAT procedures
the brain sections were processed for immunohistochemistry against EGFP
which normally leads to full labeling of the positive neurons including their soma and fibers
We searched for genes expressed in the trigeminal ganglion
whose axons reach the brain and form the ascending and descending trigeminal tracts
delimiting in this way the extent of the trigeminal sensory column
and cropped them to show our region of interest
We searched the AMBA and ADMBA for genes whose respective in situ hybridization (ISH) experiments included both sagittal and coronal section series at P56 as well as sagittal section series from stages P4, P14, and/or P28. We screened these image series visually
selecting the genes with significant expression within subregions of Sp5
This analysis was initially carried out by two of the authors independently
whose preliminary results were discussed to reach a consensus
Our criteria to select genes was firstly that they displayed discrete expression patterns
with positive and negative regions visible along the longitudinal axis of Sp5; secondly
we checked that these patterns were coherently reproduced in both sagittal and coronal P56 stage series
part of the image series from these juvenile stages displayed generalized low ISH signal or high background
so that these image series were discarded from analysis
As a result, we identified 12 genes (Table 1) that were differentially expressed in the trigeminal column
including the brightfield microphotographs or scanned images as well as their respective counterpart with color-coding of the expression level
both of them available for each brain section
the positive cells appear with a blue precipitate accordingly to standard ISH protocols
The sections corresponding to juvenile stages (P4
and P28) are counterstained with HP Yellow
In the color-coded images from adult and juvenile stages
the expression intensity ranges from blue (low expression intensity)
through green (medium intensity) to red (high intensity)
Summary of the expression of each gene in the rhombomeric portions of the trigeminal column
We downloaded the images that included the whole or part of the trigeminal column
cropping them to show the region of interest
the images from parasagittal sections are oriented with the rostral end to the left
while those from coronal sections are details of the right side of the original image
The list of the selected genes, together with the references of their respective experiments and downloaded images from the AMBA and ADMBA databases, is indicated in Supplementary Table 1
AZIN2-LacZ expression in the adult hindbrain
(A,B) Respective details of parasagittal and horizontal sections
In each of them the rostral end is to the left
The black or white dotted lines indicate interrhombomeric boundaries
The white dashed lines delimit the principal sensory (Pr5) and the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5)
The dot-dash line in B indicates the midline
The rectangles delimit the respective positions of A and B images
The dashed lines indicate the respective approximate positions of their sectioning planes
mandibular fibers of the trigeminal tract; sp5ot
ophthalmic fibers of the trigeminal tract; VC
Labeling of trigeminal primary afferent fibers in adult transgenic mice from the GENSAT database
processed for immunohistochemical detection of EGFP
(A,C) Respective parasagittal sections of adult brains from Calca and Avil mouse lines
The principal sensory (Pr5) and the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5)
the dorsal cochlear nuclei (DC) and the medial cerebellar peduncle (mcp) are
there is expression in the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VLL) and in the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF) in the section from the Calca line
(B,D) Respective details of the former sections
showing labeling in the trigeminal nerve root (5n)
and labeled ascending trigeminal fibers (black and white arrows) within Pr5
Schematic drawing showing a sagittal view of the hindbrain plus the first myelomere with the morphological landmarks used to delimit the rhombomeric domains in this work
CBN) and the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VLL) are located in r1
The medial cerebellar peduncle (mcp) crosses superficially r2 and r1
The dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei (DC
The trigeminal motor nucleus (5N) and the root of the trigeminal nerve (5n) are located across r2 and r3
The pontine nuclei (Pn) are located superficial and medially in r3 plus r4
The bundles of fibers of the vestibulocochlear nerve (8n) and the descending fibers of the facial nerve (7n) are in r4
The abducens motor nucleus (6N) is medially in r5
The superior olive (SO) and the trapezoid body (tz) are located principally in r5
The facial motor nucleus (7N) is located in r6
The inferior olive (IO) extends from r8 to r11
The complex formed by the hypoglossal and vagal motor nuclei (12N
The ambiguous motor nucleus (Amb) extends from r7 to r10
The external cuneatus nucleus (ECu) appears in r9 at lateral section levels
The area postrema (AP) is located at the midline in r10
The pyramidal decussation (pyx) is located in the first myelomere (my1)
the principal sensory nucleus (Pr5) is located in r2 and r3
while the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5) extends from r4 caudalwards
the limit between interpolar and caudal subnuclei is located at the r9/r10 limit
We have drawn Sp5 including the dorsal horn of the first myelomere
considering their similarity in morphology and gene expression
(B) Coronal section from adult brain at the level of the trigeminal motor nucleus (5N) crossing through r1
There is Baiap3 expression in KF and other parabrachial nuclei (PB) within r1
while Pr5 (encircled by dashed lines) remains negative in this section
(C) Coronal section from adult brain at the level of r10
showing Baiap3 expression in the gelatinous layer of Sp5 (encircled by dashed lines) as well as in the lateral reticular nucleus (LRt)
the trigeminal-solitary transition zone (5Sol) and the matrix region of the medulla (Mx)
(D,E) Respective brightfield and color-coded images of a parasagittal section from a P28 brain processed for detection of Camk2a expression
there is expression in the r10 and r11 portions of Sp5
with a laminar pattern showing higher intensity in its gelatinous layer
The r9 portion of Sp5 express this gene homogeneously
with a gradient expression extending into r8
there is expression in some scattered cells
(F,G) Respective coronal sections from adult brain at r9 and r10 levels of an adult brain
displaying their aforementioned expression pattern in the respective portions of Sp5
Positive zones for Camk2a expression close to Sp5 include Sol
as well as other structures indicated below
(A–D) Details of the expression pattern from an adult brain in Pr5
(A,B) Brightfield and color-coded images from a parasagittal section at lateral level
(C,D) Brightfield and color-coded images from a coronal section
R2 and r3 are delimited according to the position of 5N across both rhombomeres
7n and 8n bundles determine the position of r4
(E,F) Brightfield and color-coded images from a parasagittal section
There is mild expression in the r2 and r3 trigeminal portions
(G,H) Brightfield and color-coded images from a parasagittal section of a P14 brain
The pattern is similar to the one shown for the adult in the former figures
but with higher intensity and a greater number of labeled cells in the positive zones (r2
(A,B) Brightfield and color-coded images from a parasagittal section from an adult brain
There is homogenous expression within the r2 and r3 portions of Pr5
From r9 the expression extends gradientally into the r8 and r7 portions of Sp5
There are also some disperse labeled cells within the r4
in the brainstem this gene is expressed in KF
(C,D) Brightfield and color-coded images of a coronal section from an adult brain at the level of 5N
There is dense and homogenous expression within the r2 and r3 portions of Pr5
(E,F) Brightfield and color-coded images of a coronal section from an adult brain at the level of 7N
The limits of r4 are tentatively drawn enclosing the positions of the intraencephalic portion of 7n and the entry root of 8n
The r4 portion of Sp5 displays some labeled cells
This gene shows also expression in 5N and 7N as well as in VC
(G,H) Brightfield images of parasagittal sections
although in the r2 portion of this nucleus the labeled cells are located only in its dorsal region
Within Sp5 the expression pattern from r4 to r9 is similar to that described for the adult brain
(A,B) Brightfield and color-coded images of a parasagittal section of an adult brain
There are sparse labeled cells along all the trigeminal column
from the r2 to the r11 trigeminal portions
The expression is strongest in the r5 and r6 portions of Sp5
showing also moderate labeling in r4 and in r7 plus r8 within Sp5
(C) Brightfield image of a parasagittal section from a P4 brain
showing the aforementioned pattern described in the adult
(D–I) Pairs of brightfield and color-coded images of coronal sections from an adult brain
The principal landmarks used for their respective identification are 7n for r4
7N for r6 and the rostralmost end of the inferior olive (IO) plus the ambiguous motor nucleus (Amb) for r8
This gene shows also significant expression in VC (D–G)
(A–D) Pairs of brightfield and color-coded images of parasagittal sections
The rhombomeric expression pattern within the trigeminal column is similar to that described for Mafb in the former figure
(E,F) Brightfield and color-coded images of a coronal section from an adult brain at the level of r4
identified by the positions of the fibers of the facial (7n) (encircled by dashed lines) and vestibulocochlear (8n) nerves
There is moderate labeling in Sp5 and in the ventral cochlear nuclei (VC)
(G,H) Brightfield and color-coded images of a coronal section from an adult brain at the level of r6
as well as the dorsomedial subdivision of the latter (DMSp5) are
excluding DMSp5 which lacks expression of this gene
(I,J) Brightfield and color-coded images of a coronal section from an adult brain at the level of r8
showing weak expression in the portion of Sp5 in this rhombomere
Tac1 (A–C) and Tac2 (D–F) expression
In each image Pr5 and/or Sp5 are encircled by dashed lines
(A–C) Brightfield image details of a parasagittal (A) and a coronal (B) section from adult brains
and of a parasagittal section from a P28 brain (C) processed for detection of Tac1 expression
There is expression in the gelatinous layer of the r10 and r11 portions of Sp5
as well as in their caudal continuation in my1
there are sparse positive cells from r7 to r9
There is expression also in the part of the lateral reticular nucleus (LRt) close to Sp5
as well as disperse cells in the solitary nucleus (Sol) and the medullary reticular formation (Rt)
(D–F) Counterparts of the former images at similar levels
There is a decreasing graded expression in the gelatinous layer of Sp5 from my1 to r10
(C) Brightfield image of a P28 parasagittal section
reproducing the aforementioned Calb1 pattern
(D–I) Pairs of brightfield and color-coded images of respective coronal sections of an adult brain at the levels of r8
Besides the aforementioned pattern in the trigeminal column
in these section planes there is expression in the inferior olive (IO)
the trigeminal-solitary transition zone (5Sol) and part of the lateral reticular nucleus (LRt)
(J,K) Brightfield and color-coded images of a parasagittal section of an adult brain processed for detection of Calb2 expression
There is expression in the r10 and r11 portions of Sp5
showing a laminated pattern with higher intensity in the gelatinous layer
together with medium-high intensity in r2 and r3
and scattered positive cells from r4 to r8
(L) Brightfield image of a P28 parasagittal section
reproducing the aforementioned Calb2 pattern
(M–R) Pairs of brightfield and color-coded images of respective coronal sections of an adult brain at the levels of r8
Note the absence of Calb2 expression in r9
as compared to scattered cells in r8 and a laminar pattern in r10
There is also expression in the inferior olive (IO)
the trigeminal-solitary transition zone (5Sol)
the lateral reticular nucleus (LRt) and other parts of the medullary reticular formation (Rt)
Pde1c (A–D) an Zbtb16 (E–N) expression
(A) Brightfield image of a parasagittal section of an adult brain processed for Pde1c detection
showing specific expression in the r9 portion of Sp5
(B,C) Magnification detail of the latter image
(D) Brightfield image of a parasagittal section from a P28 brain
showing the aforementioned expression pattern for Pde1c
(E) Brightfield image of a parasagittal section of an adult brain processed for Zbtb16 detection
(F,G) Magnification detail of the latter image
(H) Brightfield image of a parasagittal section from a P28 brain
showing the aforementioned expression pattern for Zbtb16
(I–N) Pairs of brightfield and color-coded images of respective coronal sections of an adult brain at the levels of r8
Note the specific expression of Zbtb16 in the r9 portion of Sp5
as compared to few positive cells in the r8 and r10 portions of this nucleus
Other structures close to Sp5 -external cuneatus nucleus (ECu)
Amb and LRt- are indicated as reference landmarks
(A,D,E,H–N) Scale bars = 500 μm; (B,C,F,G) scale bars = 300 μm
The molecular mappings showed that the genes Baiap3 and Camk2a are expressed selectively in KF, while they show no significant expression in Pr5 (Figures 4A,B,D and data not shown). On the other hand, Irx2 is expressed by the Pr5 cells of r2, with no expression in KF (Figure 5A)
These patterns thus delimit the r1/r2 boundary as the rostral end of the trigeminal column
This region is primarily characterized by the mass of the migrated pontine nuclei aggregated at the ventral surface of r3 and r4; they originate at the rhombic lip from rhombomeres r6-r8 (Di Meglio et al., 2013; Tomás-Roca et al., 2016; Figure 3)
As regards our molecular characterization, Irx2 is expressed in the r2 portion of Pr5, with some disperse cells within r3, as can be observed in adult and juvenile sections (Figures 5A–H and Table 1)
this gene marks a rhombomeric subdivision of Pr5
in some sections Baiap3 appears expressed in scarce cells in r2 as compared to r3 (data not shown)
Similarly, Calb2 is significantly expressed in the r2 and r3 portions of Pr5, together with some positive cells in r4 (Figures 10J–L)
Irx2 and Kcng4 display also expression in more caudal hindbrain regions
abuts the first myelomere or spinal cord segment (my1) occupied ventromedially by the pyramidal decussation (pyx)
The rostrocaudal axis of the medulla oblongata follows more or less a straight horizontal direction
Its pronounced curvature (together with possible variations in the angle of the sectioning plane) causes that coronal sections through r11 or even r10 cross obliquely the hindbrain/spinal cord (r11/my1) boundary
including thus the pyx in the same sections than the caudalmost rhombomeres
the boundary between the interpolar and oral subnuclei of Sp5 is uncertain on a morphological basis
so that in the literature it has been located tentatively at different positions (see section “Discussion”)
The dorsal horn of the first 2 myelomeres or cervical segments (C1 and C2)
is functionally a continuation of the caudal subnucleus of Sp5
as commented above; it receives the terminals of the descending primary trigeminal afferents
and has a largely similar cyto- and myeloarchitectural aspect
In our molecular mappings we noted a continuous pattern from r10/r11 to my1 concerning the expressed genes and their laminar pattern
so that in our figures showing gene expression we have drawn the contour of Sp5 as including the dorsal horn of my1
The eventual continuation of this pattern into my2 could not be ascertained in the studied material
since seemingly the analyzed sagittal or coronal brain sections included only down to my1
Tac2 is expressed only in the gelatinous layer of the caudal subnucleus of Sp5 (Figures 9D–F). It displays a regionalized pattern within this subnucleus, with substantially fewer positive cells in r10 than in r11 or my1, as observed across juvenile and adult stages (Figures 9D,F; also compare Figure 9E with Figure 9B
from the analyzed genes Tac2 is the only one displaying a rostrocaudal regionalized pattern within the caudal Sp5
as compared with the homogeneous rostrocaudal expression of the aforementioned Baiap3 and Tac1
Considering the set of r7, r8 and r9 Sp5 domains (that is, the medullary part of Sp5, after excluding the caudal subnucleus), it is jointly characterized by Irx2 expression, present as a shared pattern of scattered positive cells, in contrast with the absence of expression in the rest of Sp5 (the retropontine region -r5 and r6- and the caudal subnucleus -r10 and r11) (Figures 5E–H)
We have described genoarchitecturally a segmental pattern of the trigeminal column
attending to morphologic landmarks of the different rhombomeres
and to the regionalized expression of genes that show specificity for one or several rhombomeric domains
we comment our results in the context of previous studies and knowledge about trigeminal subdivisions
hindbrain segmentation and molecular markers of trigeminal neurons
the oral and interpolar Sp5 subnuclei would consist
of the r4-r6 and r7-r9 portions of the plurineuromeric trigeminal column
Therefore, considering these multiple rostrocaudal subdivisions of Sp5, plus the modern concept of a neuromeric hindbrain (Tomás-Roca et al., 2016; Martínez-de-la-Torre et al., 2018)
a rhombomere-based framework needs to be developed that should facilitate the finding and characterization of trigeminal functional units
which apparently remain partly hidden if only the tripartite classic schema is assumed
An advantage of the rhombomeric model is that it would be underpinned by modern embryological and molecular criteria
Such a model would be also a basis for interspecies comparison
taking into account the conservation of the rhombomeric (neuromeric) pattern across vertebrates
but later the descriptor “cryptorhombomeres” was thought to be more appropriate
since these units are not false neuromeres
only separated by given molecular properties
these data suggest the existence of subtle molecular differences starting with differential Hox gene properties within the medullary and spinal portions of Sp5C
which may lead to functional properties that would need to be explored
Some of the molecular markers we report (Calb1
Tac2) have been previously described in relation to the regionalization of the trigeminal column
A significant novelty of our study is the identification of a segment-like portion of the interpolar subnucleus (r9) that is positive for Calb1 and negative for Calb2
This had not been noticed previously possibly because the scarce use of parasagittal sections in classical neuromorphological analyses
Another calcium-related gene, Camk2a (calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II α) is functionally involved in nociceptive pathways, as deduced from the study of mutant mice (Zeitz et al., 2004)
It was described as expressed in neurons of the marginal and gelatinous layers of the spinal dorsal horn
as well as in unmyelinated neurons of the trigeminal ganglion
We show now that its expression extends to the superficial layers of the caudal Sp5 subnucleus in r10 and r11
with a pattern similar to that described in the spinal cord
in addition to the expression in the non-laminar segment-like portion of the interpolar Sp5 in r9
This latter expression would support the correspondence of the r9 portion with the “caudal/interpolar transition zone,” which is involved in pain processing
Tac1 and Tac2 encode, respectively, the neurotransmitters substance P and neurokinin B. Both genes, or their protein products, have been described in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn and caudal trigeminal subnucleus (Del Fiacco and Cuello, 1980; Ribeiro-da-Silva and Hökfelt, 2000; Mar et al., 2012)
We have found that their expression patterns display segment-related differences
with Tac1 reaching up to the r10 trigeminal portion in a homogenous pattern
and Tac2 showing less positive cells in r10
It would exist also the possibility of a role in the differentiated mature neurons where it is expressed
all of which are involved in hindbrain segmentation
Our results show that Mafb maintains its expression in the trigeminal derivatives within r5 and r6 in the adult brain
suggesting additional roles in these neuronal populations
Fn1 encodes the extracellular matrix component fibronectin. Its mRNA expression appears in telencephalic migrating neurons while in the adult brain it is restricted to the subiculum (Sheppard et al., 1995; Kashima et al., 2019)
we describe that it is additionally expressed at least within given segmental portions of the trigeminal column
Its possible function in these neuronal populations would need to be tested
Pde1c encodes the calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and is expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (Yan et al., 1995), in migrating neurons in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex (Gong et al., 2003), and in lamina I neurons of the dorsal horn involved in nociception, principally at lumbar levels (Torsney et al., 2006)
our results show a specific expression of this gene in the r9 part of Sp5
delimiting the caudal/interpolar transition zone
We have described a novel feature of the expression pattern of this gene
namely its specific location in a single rhombomeric domain (r9)
We have described a strong and specific expression in the caudal Sp5 trigeminal nucleus
so that it might have a role in the nociceptive function of this region
we have tentatively traced the interrhombomeric boundaries within the mouse trigeminal sensory column according to current knowledge collected in the prosomeric model
based either on descriptive morphologic or molecular gene expression data
or on experimental approaches involving fate maps with avian chimeras or transgenic mice
Some of the dispersed sparse populations described in some parts of the trigeminal column may correspond to cells migrated tangentially from neighboring rhombomeric modules where a similar labeling is massive
in order to ascertain precisely our delimitation of the rhombomeric domains
as well as possible cell migration or intermingling across rhombomeric limits
it would be necessary to perform future ad hoc experiments
These would ideally combine our reported genetic markers of trigeminal subdivisions with experimental fate maps for each rhombomere
One difficulty we encountered was the obliquity of some interrhombomeric limits due to the pontine and cervical flexures of the neural tube (Figure 1A). Moreover, it should be remembered that the rhombomeric domains are known to adopt a degree of obliquity with respect to the mediolateral axis (Figure 1B) with their medial parts displaced anteriorly with respect to their lateral portions
These circumstances cause that standard coronal sections are necessarily variously oblique in relation to rhombomeric domains and their limits
We have tried to solve this handicap in coronal sections by taking into account the well-known rhombomeric landmarks found relatively close to the trigeminal column
like the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei
or the fibers of the facial and vestibulocochlear nerves
our rhombomeric map is consistent with the observations in sagittal sections
which display well some of the mentioned deformations
An issue that would require further insight is the possible dorsoventral regionalization within each of the trigeminal rhombomeric domains related to mandibular
the dorsomedial portion of the Pr5 and Sp5)
together with a more exhaustive molecular characterization of the radial layering in the caudal subnucleus of Sp5
It would also deserve further study the transition from the medullary to the cervical portions of the caudal subnucleus
considering that it crosses over such a significant landmark as the brain/spinal cord junction
we have succeeded in reporting segmental (transverse
rostrocaudally ordered) subregions along the trigeminal column based on molecular and fate mapping criteria delimiting rhombomeric domains
Our results are reliable since they are reproduced from sagittal to coronal section series of the adult brain
We focused this analysis on the adult brain
so that the segmental map should not be regarded as a transient developmental state but as an instance of the neuromeric pattern persisting in the mature brain
This mapping of the trigeminal system can provide the basis for further functional and/or pharmacological studies considering the molecular and embryological uniqueness of the different rhombomeric subdivisions of this structure
The animal study was reviewed and approved by the University of Murcia Committee for Animal Experimental Ethics
MM-D-L-T prepared and processed the brain sections from AZIN2-lacZ mice
and FM analyzed the data and performed the image analysis and figure preparation
All authors contributed to the article and approved the final submitted version
This work was funded by a Seneca Foundation grant to LP (Autonomous Community of Murcia
reference: 19904/GERM/15; 5672 Fundación Séneca; project name: Genoarchitectonic Brain Development and Applications to Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancer)
IG-G was the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from the FPU program at the University of Murcia
Infrastructure support was provided by the University of Murcia and IMIB-Arrixaca Institute of Murcia
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations
Any product that may be evaluated in this article
or claim that may be made by its manufacturer
is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher
Peñafiel (deceased) for the AZIN2-LacZ transgenic mouse line
We also thank the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the GENSAT Project at the Rockefeller University for public availability of their experimental data
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnana.2021.785840/full#supplementary-material
dorsomedial subdivision of the trigeminal spinal nucleus; ECu
spinal trigeminal sensory nucleus; Sp5C; subnucleus caudalis of the spinal trigeminal sensory nucleus; Sp5I
subnucleus interpolaris of the spinal trigeminal sensory nucleus; sp5md
mandibular fibers of the trigeminal tract; Sp5O
subnucleus oralis of the spinal trigeminal sensory nucleus; sp5ot
ophthalmic fibers of the trigeminal tract; SpVe
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almost suburban feel at Mexico City’s Mercado Martínez de la Torre in Colonia Guerrero
the market’s surrounding holes-in-the-wall cantinas are populated mostly by men in the laid-back stepdad look of plaid shirts tucked into comfortable jeans with cell phone holsters and tennis shoe/hiking boot hybrids
and a few blocks off the market can get a little sketchy
but it’s all full bellies and family smiles between Zarco and Calle Soto
Martínez de La Torre Market is the cultural and economic center of Colonia Guerrero and one of the best food markets in the city
The symphony of scissors snipping chickens into vendible pieces and the smell of piles of ripe guava make their way into the market’s exceptionally wide walkways – a gawking tourist’s dream
The quality of meats and sausages is way above par
and there are mountains of excellent moles to choose from
You can safely get lost wandering the abundance of delicious flavors
but we’ve picked out some particular culinary gems at Mercado Martínez de la Torre
Named for actress friends of the taquería’s owner
“Lola the Truck Driver,” played by Rosa Gloria Chagoyán
and “The Bottle Cap,” played by Carmen Salinas
La Corcholata is the most publicized eatery in the market and run as such – super attentive staff with pressed uniforms and name tags
The buttoned-up look is a little out of place in Guerrero
But the local favorites are the beef or chicken tacos with French fries
and a perfectly sweet and frothy horchata to balance the salt and heat
You don’t have to wait until the weekend for barbacoa at Mercado Martínez de la Torre
and their name is accurate – El Mejor is truly the best barbacoa in the market
The slow oven-roasted mutton is brought in daily from Mexico City’s agrarian outpost
Milpa Alta – the city’s southernmost borough known for its sheep
Ignacio Ramírez has manned the butcher block at El Mejor since 2000
and his barbacoa comes off the knife appropriately tender and stringy with the deep buttery
barbacoa taquito and a bowl of consommé for only 50 pesos is a wonderful pick-me-up any day of the week
and La Güera’s crispy carnitas pork bits are still one of the best reasons to come to the market
half-a-pig-sized chicharrón or just sidle up to the counter for a quick taco
La Güera won’t let you down on the pork front
Just outside the market entrance on Zarco is the tiny fried fish stand
The fish – Mexican sierra – are in the mackerel family
They’re about the size of a toothpaste tube
on the spot with a bit of mayo and hot sauce
the ideal last stop for the sweet tooth on the Martínez de la Torre tour
Their nostalgic milkshakes and shaved ices will warm your heart and cool your core on a hot day
Or go nuts with a fruit frappe rainbow of your design
If you’re looking for a drink of the alcoholic variety
head across Mosqueta/Eje 1 to La Frida for a pulque – the drinking person’s milkshake
fermented agave sap beverage provides a distinctive tingly buzz
providing a no-nonsense pulque experience – loud music
While the banner promotes over a dozen sweet and savory flavors
they’re likely to have only a couple in stock
Try celery or oatmeal flavored for something delicious and mellow
and ask for some baking soda to shake into it (for the extra bubbles) if you’re really looking to impress
Watch traffic whizz by out of the open doors and enjoy your pulque in a cracked glass
• Mercado Martínez de la Torre is on Eje 1/Mosqueta
This is the 11th in a series on the bazaars
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Defining the trajectory of cells during differentiation and disease is key for uncovering the mechanisms driving cell fate and identity
trajectories of human cells remain largely unexplored due to the challenges of studying them with human samples
we investigate the proteome trajectory of iPSCs differentiation to hepatic stellate cells (diHSCs) and identify RORA as a key transcription factor governing the metabolic reprogramming of HSCs necessary for diHSCs’ commitment
Using RORA deficient iPSCs and pharmacologic interventions
we show that RORA is required for early differentiation and prevents diHSCs activation by reducing the high energetic state of the cells
While RORA knockout mice have enhanced fibrosis
RORA agonists rescue multi-organ fibrosis in in vivo models
RORA expression correlates negatively with liver fibrosis and HSCs activation markers in patients with liver disease
This study reveals that RORA regulates cell metabolic plasticity
suggesting that understanding the trajectory of HSCs in development and disease may help to identify molecular pathways suitable for preventing HSCs activation or promoting the regression to a quiescent phenotype
thus mitigating fibrogenesis in chronic liver diseases
we performed a time-resolving proteome characterization of iPSCs to functional HSCs (diHSCs)
which mimic phenotypic and functional characteristics of primary human HSCs
we identified RORA as a TF regulating both diHSCs differentiation and favouring the maintenance of a quiescent phenotype by modulating the metabolic state of the cells
downregulation of RORA mediates a metabolic switch
increasing glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS)
we confirmed the anti-fibrogenic role of RORA in hepatic and extrahepatic pericytes
thus positioning RORA as a potential antifibrogenic multiorgan target
this work shows the potential of studying cell trajectories along differentiation and disease progression
this broad characterization enabled the construction of a proteomic roadmap detailing the differentiation of diHSCs from iPSCs
these data confirm that iPSCs progressively acquire the stellate proteomic phenotype along differentiation
thus enabling the use of diHSCs to further investigate their role in cell commitment and disease
Principal component analysis (PCA) of the proteome differentiation profile showed a time-dependent distribution of samples along the differentiation process (Fig. 2A). Proteins comprised in PC1 explained stellate cell commitment across time, as cells gained in proteins related to collagen metabolism, ECM organization, or wound healing processes.
A Principal component analysis (PCA) of the proteome during differentiation reveals a time-dependent separation of data
indicating distinct stages of the differentiation process
B Pearson correlation analysis identifies three phases of differentiation towards diHSCs: Phase 1 from day 0 (D0) to day 4 (D4)
and the final maturation phase (Phase 3) from day 8 (D8) to day 12 (D12)
C Dot plot showing protein enrichment throughout the differentiation process
D Volcano plot comparing phases 1 and 2 highlights the enrichment of mesothelial markers (DESP
WLS) and transcription factors (TFs) predicted in silico to regulate this transition
E Volcano Plot showing the comparison between phases 2 and 3 shows an increase in collagen and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (COL5A1
along with predicted TFs modulating this transition
F Volcano plot displaying the differentially expressed proteins between phase 3 (diHSCs) and primary HSCs
as well as the in silico predicted TFs involved in regulating the adult hepatic stellate cell phenotype
G Transcriptomic comparison of primary human activated and quiescent stellate cells with diHSCs
focusing on the predicted TFs modulating the adult stellate cell phenotype
These results indicate that the diHSCs differentiation takes place in three main phases
which mimic key stages of embryonic development
During diHSCs differentiation, the gene expression of RORA showed a significant increase at day 4 of differentiation and progressively declined at days 6, 8, 10, lowering the pHSCs expression at day 12 (Fig. 3A).
E Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showing transcriptomic differences between cells treated with the RORA agonist SR1078 from day 2 compared to the untreated group
F GOs upregulated (red) and downregulated (blue) in cells treated with the RORA agonist
G Heatmap of mesoderm markers in treated and untreated cells along differentiation with SR1078
H Heatmap of mesenchymal markers in treated and untreated cells along differentiation with SR1078
I Reactome pathways upregulated (red) and downregulated (blue) in cells treated with the RORA agonist
J Representative microscopy images of diHSCs from WT
iPSC- RORA+/- and treated iPSC- RORA+/- with the RORA agonist (SR1078) at day 12
K Gene expression of stellate cell markers (LRAT
RELN and ACTA2) of WT and treated iPSC- RORA+/- with the RORA agonist (SR1078) at day 12
n = 3 independent differentiations with two replicates
L Representative microscopy images of passaged (P1) diHSCs from WT and iPSC- RORA+/- SR1078 treated
M Gene expression of activated stellate cell markers (ACTA2
N Immunoflourescence images for COLLAGEN and aSMA in WT passaged cells treated and untreated with RORA agonist SR1078 for 24 h
O Gene expression of quiescent (LRAT and LHX2) and activated (ACTA2 and COL1A1) markers in cells treated with the RORA agonist at passage
P GOs upregulated (red) and downregulated (blue) in treated cells with the RORA agonist at passage
Q Reactome pathways upregulated (red) and downregulated (blue) in cells treated with the RORA agonist at passage
R Gene expression of activated (markers in cells treated with the RORA agonist at passage
after TGFβ stimulation (10 ng/μL) during 24 h and 7 days
n = 3 independent passaged cells with two replicates
S Gene expression of activated markers (ACTA2
COL1A1 and LOX) in liver spheroids after SR1078 3 mM treatment during 24 h
n = 3; Significant differences are indicated as *p < 0.05
T Gene expression of activated markers (ACTA2
COL1A1 and LOX) in liver spheroids after TGFβ stimuli during 24 h and SR1078 3 mM treatment during 24 h more
n = 3 independent spheroids experiments with 10 biological pool replicates each; All data is presented as mean ± SEM
**p < 0.01 was determined by One sample t and Wilcoxon test
These findings suggest that RORA plays a pivotal role in regulating cellular metabolism during diHSCs differentiation
these data indicate that RORA might act as a transcriptional regulator of the mesoderm and mesenchymal specification
these results position RORA as a potential transcriptional regulator of mesoderm and mesenchymal differentiation and key for the acquisition of the quiescent phenotype of diHSCs
Differentiated cells treated with the RORA agonist SR1078 showed enrichment in the signature of predicted genes
these results suggest that RORA plays a role in the deactivation of diHSCs and the maintenance of the quiescent diHSCs phenotype
which can be mediated by blocking metabolic adaptations required for HSCs activation
A Oxygen consumption rate (OCR) on day 4 WT control iPSC and iPSC RORA+/- treated and untreated from day 2
(B) OCR parameters of day 4 iPSC WT and iPSC RORA+/- treated and untreated from day 2
C Normalized adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production from OXPHOS and glycolysis of day 4 WT iPSCs and iPSC-RORA+/- treated and untreated from day 2
D Glucose consumption at day 4 of WT iPSC and iPSC RORA+/- differentiations treated and untreated from day 2
E Gene expression of key glycolytic and lipid synthesis markers (ALDOB
ACACA) and mesoderm and mesenchymal markers (EOMES and VIM)
F Immunofluorescence of mesoderm (EOMES) and mesenchymal (VIM) on day 4 of differentiated cells from WT
RORA+/- and RORA+/- treated with the RORA agonist from day 2
G OCR passaged diHSCs treated with the RORA agonist for 24 h
H OCR parameters of passaged diHSCs treated with the RORA agonist for 24 h
I Normalized ATP production from OXPHOS and glycolysis of passaged cells treated and untreated with RORA agonist for 24 h
J Glucose consumption at passaged cells treated and untreated with RORA agonist for 24 h
mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid beta-oxidation of passaged cells treated and untreated cells with RORA agonist for 24 h
L OCR of passaged cells treated with TGFβ 10 ng/mL for 24 h and rescued with RORA agonist treatment for 24 h more
M OCR parameters of passaged cells treated with TGFβ 10 ng/mL for 24 h and rescued with RORA agonist treatment for 24 h more
N Normalized ATP production from OXPHOS and glycolysis of TGFβ activation model rescued with the RORA agonist for 24 h
O Intracellular glucose levels of TGFβ activation model rescued with the RORA agonist for 24 h
P Gene expression of key glycolytic and lipid synthesis markers (ALDOB
GS6P and ACACA) of the TGFβ activation model rescued with the RORA agonist for 24 h
n = 3 independent differentiations; All data is presented as mean ± SEM
**p < 0.01 was determined by One sample t and Wilcoxon test in one two one comparisons and ANOVA 1-way test was performed in the comparison of three experimental groups
therefore suggesting that RORA’s influence on mesoderm differentiation may be context-dependent
these results indicate that RORA acts as a metabolic modulator in diHSCs trajectory which impacts the phenotype of diHSCs at different stages
including initial cell commitment and the quiescent cell identity at the end of differentiation
These findings suggest that RORA agonist treatment promotes a lipidomic profile consistent with quiescent stellate cells
A Schematic overview of a CCl4 fibrotic liver model in staggerer mice
(B) Representative images of the livers in 7 staggerer (sg/sg) and 7 WT mice after 4 weeks of CCl4 treatment
H&E staining and picrosirius staining for the staggerer and wildtype (WT) counterparts and immunohistochemistry of αSMA
C Gene expression of fibrogenic and HSCs activation markers (Acta2
Fn1 and Col1a2) in 7 sg/sg and 7 WT mice after CCl4 treatment
Significant differences are indicated as *p < 0.05
D Liver/body ratio of 5 Lrat-Cre-/Rora wt/fl (Cre-) mice vs 5 Lrat-Cre + /Rora wt/fl (Cre + ) after 4 weeks of CCl4 I.P
E Hydroxyproline content of the livers of 5 Cre- and 5 Cre+ mice after 4 weeks of CCl4 I.P
F Gene expression of Rora and Lhx2 in 5 Cre- and 5 Cre+ after 4 weeks of CCl4 I.P
G Representative images of the livers of the five Cre- and five Cre+ mice after 4 weeks of CCl4 I.P
these results confirm the role of RORA during fibrosis in vivo
therefore supporting our in vitro findings and confirming its specific impact on HSC-driven fibrosis
A Illustration of the experimental design of a CCl4 model treated with SR1078
B RORA gene expression of CCl4 model treated with SR1078; n = 14
C Representative images of the livers after 4 weeks of CCl4 I.P
H&E staining and Picrosirius staining for the untreated (Vehicle) and treated (SR1078) group and immunohistochemistry of αSMA
D Gene expression of fibrogenic and HSCs activation markers in 7 untreated (Vehicle) and 7 treated (SR1078) mice (Acta2
E Illustration of the experimental design of Isoproterenol cardiac injury model performed in two groups of 5 mice each
F Representative images of the hearts of vehicle (5 mice)
isoproterenol (ISO) (5 mice) and ISO and RORA agonist (5 mice) group of Masson’s trichrome
G Rora gene expression of 5 vehicle mice and 5 ISO mice group
H Gene expression of Rora and fibrogenic markers (Acta2 and Col3a1) and the hypertrophy marker Acta1 in 5 ISO mice and 5 ISO and RORA agonist mice group
suggesting a positive effect of RORA agonism against cardiac fibrosis independently of hypertrophy development
These results indicate that pharmacological activation of RORA is a promising strategy to mitigate fibrosis in multiple organs
demonstrating the therapeutic potential of targeting RORA to control fibrogenesis
Gene expression data is presented as mean ± SEM
Correlation analysis data was performed using pearson correlation analysis
we aimed to understand the differentiation trajectory of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) from iPSCs to mature phenotype
leading to the identification of key molecular drivers for diHSCs identity and activation
Understanding HSCs paths in differentiation and activation is essential to delineate how cells acquire their phenotype and how this is lost during disease
thereby providing pathophysiological insights for the development of novel anti-fibrogenic treatments
While animal models have advanced our understanding of disease progression
translating these findings to humans remains complex
and embryonic differentiation trajectories are difficult to fully capture
Human iPSC differentiation protocols offer a valuable alternative
enabling the study of dynamic cell paths during differentiation
we performed a time resolving proteomic characterization of the differentiation of diHSCs
leading to the identification of a unique protein signature of this differentiation
the comprehensive proteomic data generated in this study will be a useful resource for researchers interested in understanding different aspects of the biology of human HSCs and fibrosis
we lacked a detailed understanding of the human development of HSCs
and therefore we cannot ensure that diHSCs differentiation is faithfully recapitulating all the features and the natural path of the human embryonic development
our results indicate that RORA is not only implicated in diHSCs differentiation and maturation
Although their role at the different stages of HSCs maturation is not totally understood
these observations are consistent with our findings
where we also find RORA upregulated at initial stages of differentiation and downregulated during activation
suggesting that they may play a role throughout development and disease
This highlights the potential of iPSC-differentiation approaches for investigating cell trajectories and diHSCs are therefore a powerful tool that may be useful for better understanding the molecular drivers of cell differentiation and disease
ChIP-Seq analysis of RORA would have been valuable for further insights
but despite efforts suboptimal antibody quality for these assays or inefficient capture prevent the analysis
A core feature of fibrosis is the activation of fibrogenic cells
which undergo significant metabolic changes during activation
Our data suggest that diHSCs serve as a model for pericytes in other tissues
and that RORA regulates pericyte activation in multiple organs
making it a promising therapeutic target for anti-fibrogenic treatments
therefore suggesting a downregulation in fatty acid production
diHSCs treated with SR1078 shifted their lipidomic profile towards a more quiescent phenotype
confirming the role of RORA in regulating lipid metabolism in diHSCs
using two in vitro models we found that activated diHSCs
showed an increase in OXPHOS and glycolytic flux as compared to the cells treated with RORA agonist
thus reducing the metabolic requirements of the diHSCs and preventing their activation
our results showed similar results at early stages of differentiation
as iPSC-RORA+/- presented a metabolic profile characteristic of undifferentiated cells that was modified when treated with the RORA agonist
indicating that RORA regulates the metabolic activity during early stages of differentiation
These results indicate that metabolic flexibility is essential throughout the diHSCs differentiation trajectory and impairs the final phenotype of the cell
This metabolic regulation is mediated in part by RORA as alterations in RORα transcriptional activation are implicated in modulating the cellular physiological state
Our study proposes that changes in RORA expression levels are one of the underlying causes of the observed metabolic state alterations in HSCs and therefore is responsible for the repression of activation
being a potential target for anti-fibrogenic therapy
our study underlines the importance of examining cell trajectories during both differentiation and disease
We show that HSC differentiation and fibrosis mechanisms can be effectively modeled using iPSC-derived cells
enabling the identification of key transcription factors like RORA that regulate cell identity
and fibrogenesis and can lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies to mitigate fibrosis across multiple tissues
iPSCs cell line For the proteome characterization and all the subsequent in vitro assays
we have used the human KULi003-A iPSC line (BioSamples Cat#SAMEA110177409); iCas9-FL-BCL were used for the inducible system was obtained from Banco Nacional de Líneas Celulares (BNLC)
HepG2 cell line The HepG2 cell line was purchased from Sigma (Cat#8511430)
Staggerer mice All animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Animal Experimentation of the University of Barcelona and were conducted in accordance with the National Institute of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
For the fibrogenic experiments in staggerer mice (sg/sg)
mice homozygous for the staggerer spontaneous mutation
both genders of between 8-10 weeks of age were used
Staggerer mice were obtained from the laboratory of Benédicte Antoine
The presence of the floxed allele and the Cre transgene in offspring was confirmed by genotyping
including Cre- and Cre+ were used to stablish a CCl4 model of 4 weeks
with 0.5 mL/kg of CCl4 (diluted in corn oil) twice a week
Wild-type (WT) mice All animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Animal Experimentation of the University of Barcelona and were conducted in accordance with the National Institute of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
C57BL/6 J female and male mice of 8-10 weeks of age were used
Human samples Liver biopsies from patients diagnosed with liver diseases or controls from liver resections of metastic tumors who were admitted to the Liver Unit at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona were utilized for this study (HCB/2013/8175)
Informed consent was obtained from the patients
Cat# 562822) was added to the iPSCs 3 h (h) before nucleofection
HiFi Cas9 Nuclease V3 (IDT) was incubated with 120 pmol Alt-R® CRISPR-Cas9 sgRNA (IDT) at 25 °C for 10 min (min)
200,000 cells were dissociated with Accutase (Gibco
washed twice with PBS without Ca and Mg and resuspended with 20μl of P3/S1 Buffer
RNP complex was added to the cells prior to nucleofection in a 20ul cuvette
Cells were nucleofected with the 4-D Nucleofector System (Lonza
Nucleofected cells were cultured in a 12-well plate
1000 cells were seeded at a single-cell level in a 100 mm plate to generate single-cell colony
Genotyping was performed by PCR and Sanger sequencing from single-cell colonies to analyze the genotype
Two rounds of single-cell cloning were performed to ensure a single-cell clone
For the experiments concerning the constitutive mutation
we used as controls RORA iPSCs wild-type (WT) obtained after the nucleofection process
the iCas9-FL-BCL cell line was treated with doxycycline (1 µg/mL)
Liver spheroids were generated using diHSCs and HepG2 in a 1:2 ratio
3000 cells were seeded in a non-adherent U-Shape bottom 96-well plate in DMEM Glutamax
and experiments started after 5 days of culture
liver spheroids were treated with SR1078 at 3 mM for 24 h; 10 ng/mL for TGFβ during 48 h
liver spheroids were also treated with SR1078 3 mM
Samples were collected for further analysis
Rat NCMs were obtained from the ventricles of 1- to 3-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats
hearts were digested with a collagenase solution (Collagenase Type I; Life Technologies
Cat# 17100017) and differential plating was performed
NCMs were plated at a density of 0.5 × 106 cells/well on 6-well culture plates and grown for 24 h
NCMs were treated with phenylephrine PE (10 μmol/L; Sigma
as a pathological hypertrophic growth factor for 24 h
Rat neonatal cardiac fibroblasts (NCFs) were isolated from the ventricles of 1- to 2-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats
Passage 1 and 3 cells were plated at a density of 0.3 × 105 cells/cm2 on culture dishes and grown for 24 h
day 12 and pHSCs were washed once with DPBS -/- and 500 mL of buffer lysis was added to the culture (7 M urea
2 M thiourea and CHAPS 4%) following the filter aided FASP protocol described elsewhere 22 with minor modifications
Trypsin was added at a trypsin:protein ratio of 1:50
and the mixture was incubated overnight at 37oC
dried out in a RVC2 25 speedvac concentrator (Christ)
Peptides were desalted and resuspended in 0.1% FA using C18 stage tips (Millipore)
Samples were analyzed in a hybrid trapped ion mobility spectrometry—quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer (timsTOF Pro with PASEF
Bruker Daltonics) coupled online to a nanoElute liquid chromatograph (Bruker)
The sample (200 ng) was directly loaded in a 15 cm Bruker nanoelute FIFTEEN C18 analytical column (Bruker) and resolved at 400 nl/min with a 30 min gradient
The column was heated to 50oC using an oven
Protein identification and quantification was carried out with MaxQuant software using default settings
Searches were performed against a database consisting of human protein entries (Uniprot/Swissprot)
with precursor and fragment tolerances of 20ppm and 0.05 Da
Only proteins identified with at least two peptides at FDR < 1% were considered for further analysis
Data (LFQ intensities) was loaded onto a Perseus platform 25 and further processed (log2 transformation
Protein abundances were normalized against the day 0 for each individual
The lipidomics assay was conducted in collaboration with Olobion
cells were harvested using trypsin and subsequently washed with PBS to eliminate residual media and contaminants
We added 275 µL of methanol directly to the cells along with a ball for homogenization
1 mL of MTBE was incorporated into the mixture
we collected 100 µL of the upper organic phase
and resuspended the residue in 100 µL of methanol containing an internal standard
The lipids were separated using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column maintained at 65 °C and analyzed on a ZenoTOF 7600 system (SCIEX)
A sample volume of 4 μL was injected in both ESI positive and negative modes
and the lipidomics data were processed using oloMAP 2.0
Human liver sections were included in OCT and maintained at -80 °C
They were then washed in PBS for a few seconds and blocked in 100 µL 5% BSA in PBS + 0,3% TritonX100 per tissue section during 1 h
Tissue sections were incubated overnight with primary antibodies (RORA 1:50
Cat#ab70061) in 5%BSA/PBS/Triton at 4 °C in a dark moist chamber
the sections were incubated 1 h with secondary antibodies in 5%BSA/PBS/Triton at room temperature (RT) in a dark moist chamber
Tissue sections were mounted using the Vectashield Mounting medium for fluorescence with DAPI
To test the physiological role of RORA upon liver fibrosis in vivo
we established a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) model based on intraperitoneal (I.P.) injection of 0,5 ml/kg of CCl4 diluted in corn oil
Mice were injected two days a week during four 4 weeks
Blood and liver tissues were collected for further analysis
To examine the impact of RORA KO specifically in HSCs in the context of liver fibrosis
This was accomplished by crossing RORA floxed (fl/fl) mice with Lrat-Cre mice
The presence of the floxed allele and the Cre transgene in the offspring was confirmed through genotyping
n = 5 Lrat-Cre+ Rorafl/− and n = 5 Lrat-Cre- Rorafl/− mice were injected i.p
with 0.5 mL/kg of CCl4 (0.5 mL/kg of CCl4 diluted in corn oil) twice a week for four weeks
Animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last CCl4 injection and blood
and liver tissues were collected and analyzed
14 C57BL/6 J mice were injected twice a week with CCl4 0,5 ml/kg (25% corn oil) during 4 weeks
mice were divided into two groups: 1) n = 7 mice were injected ip with SR1078 (10 mg/kg) twice a week; 2) n = 7 mice were injected ip with vehicle DMSO at the same concentration
SR1078 was diluted in 5% DMSO to a final concentration of 2 mg/ml
n = 10 C57BL/6 J mice were administered isoproterenol (Sigma Aldrich
Cat#SLC62971) by continuous infusion of 60 mg/kg/day using minipumps (Model 1007D
animals were divided into two groups: 1) n = 5 treated with SR1078 (10 mg/kg) every 48 h IP and 2) n = 5 injected IP with the vehicle during 1
n = 19 C57BL/6 J mice underwent ligation of the left ureter and starting 3 days after surgery
the mice were divided into two groups: 1) n = 10 treated with SR1078 (10 mg/kg) from day 3 after surgery until day 15.; 2) n = 9 treated with vehicle from day 3 after surgery for 15 Blood and liver
heart and kidney tissues were collected for further analysis
The amount of collagen in liver tissues was determined by measuring the content of hydroxyproline using a Hydroxyproline assay kit (Abcam
Cat#MAK008-1KT) as described by the manufacturer
Absorbance was measured at 540 nm using a FLUOstar OPTIMA FL reader (BMG LABTECH)
Serum from mice included in the experimental studies was collected and analyzed for alanine transaminase (ALT)
phosphatase alkaline (AP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values
GraphPad Prism v8.0 was used for the statistical analyses
The D’Agostino-Pearson omnibus normality test
Anderson-Darling test and Shapiro-Wilk normality test were performed to assess data distribution
For statistical analysis of parametric data
the two-tailed unpaired Student’s t test was used for groups of two; one-way ANOVA followed by Sidak multiple comparison posthoc tests were used for comparison of more than two groups
the Mann-Whitney U test was used for groups of two while the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Dunn multiple comparison posthoc test was used for comparison of more than two groups
Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article
Building bridges between fields: bringing together development and homeostasis
Mesenchymal origin of hepatic stellate cells
and perivascular mesenchymal cells during mouse liver development
Septum transversum-derived mesothelium gives rise to hepatic stellate cells and perivascular mesenchymal cells in developing mouse liver
Targeting metabolic dysregulation for fibrosis therapy
Association between fibrosis stage and outcomes of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Hepatic stellate cells as key target in liver fibrosis
Hedgehog controls hepatic stellate cell fate by regulating metabolism
Hedgehog-YAP signaling pathway regulates glutaminolysis to control activation of hepatic stellate cells
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibition disrupts metabolic reprogramming during hepatic stellate cell activation
A deactivation factor of fibrogenic hepatic stellate cells induces regression of liver fibrosis in mice
GATA4 induces liver fibrosis regression by deactivating hepatic stellate cells
Age-related phenotypes in the staggerer mouse expand the RORα nuclear receptor’s role beyond the cerebellum
The ‘CholesteROR’ protective pathway in the vascular system
Melatonin suppresses activation of hepatic stellate cells through RORα-mediated inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase
inhibits fibrogenic activation of hepatic stellate cells via suppression of SMAD3
Generation of hepatic stellate cells from human pluripotent stem cells enables in vitro modeling of liver fibrosis
Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to hepatic stellate cells
Differentiation of hepatic stellate cells from pluripotent stem cells
Cell-type-resolved proteomic analysis of the human liver
A hepatic stellate cell gene expression signature associated with outcomes in hepatitis C cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection
Energy metabolism regulates stem cell pluripotency
Agonist of RORA attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver progression in mice via up-regulation of microRNA 122
Lipidomic profiling of rat hepatic stellate cells during activation reveals a two-stage process accompanied by increased levels of lysosomal lipids
Liver-specific RORα deletion does not affect the metabolic susceptibility to western-style diet feeding
Fate tracing reveals hepatic stellate cells as dominant contributors to liver fibrosis independent of its aetiology
Molecular characterization of chronic liver disease dynamics: from liver fibrosis to acute-on-chronic liver failure
Single-cell atlas of human liver development reveals pathways directing hepatic cell fates
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals a hepatic stellate cell–activation roadmap and myofibroblast origin during liver fibrosis in mice
Targeting fibrosis: mechanisms and clinical trials
MYC controls human pluripotent stem cell fate decisions through regulation of metabolic flux
The power of plasticity—metabolic regulation of hepatic stellate cells
Autophagy releases lipid that promotes fibrogenesis by activated hepatic stellate cells in mice and in human tissues
Generation of two heterozygous GATA2 CRISPR/Cas9-edited iPSC lines
Generation and characterization of a human iPSC cell line expressing inducible Cas9 in the “safe harbor” AAVS1 locus
Systematic and integrative analysis of large gene lists using DAVID bioinformatics resources
Gene set enrichment analysis: A knowledge-based approach for interpreting genome-wide expression profiles
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is supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) “PI20/00765”
23-0356; Dissecting the role of the 14q32 region in hepatoblastoma “Hblast14” Worldwide Cancer Research; PRYCO223102ARME; Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC); Q6922
(B-ORG) Plan Complementario de Biotecnología aplicada a la Salud del Plan de Recuperación
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and co-founded the European research and innovation program Horizon HORIZON-HLTH−2022-STAYHLTH-02 under agreement no
R.A M-G is funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III “FI18/00215”
received a grant from the Ministerio de Educación
C.M is funded by Centro de Investigación en Red Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd)
is supported by Competitiveness (MINECO PID2020-15591RB-100)
La Marató de TV3 (202001-32) and CERCA Programme/ Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support
is supported by La Marató de TV3 (202001-32)
is supported by Deutsche José Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung (DJCLS 13 R/2022)
was funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER
UE through the project grants PID2021-123652OB-I00 and RTI2018-097475-A-100; by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and El FSE invest in your future through the contract RYC 2016-19731; by Pfizer grant #77131383; P.R.B
was funded by Ministerio de Universidades fellowships FPU19/05357; M.F.F
is supported by Proyecto PID2020-119486RB-100 (funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033)
Proyecto LABAECC2024 (funded by Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Doctoral Networks 2021 (101073094)
and Redes de Investigación 2022 (RED2022-134485-T)
This study was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the Biobanks and Biomodels Platform and co‐funded by the European Union (PTC20/00013
PT23/00009 and PTC23/00002 to N.M.) and by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and European Union—Next Generation EU
Plan de Recuperación Transformación y Resiliencia (TERAV/ISCIII RD21/0017/0018) to N.M; M.C
was funded by Ramon y Cajal programme from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RYC2019-026662-I
is funded by la Caixa Foundation “100010434” and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie “847648”
MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa
The European Union grant agreement 101077312*
those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union
Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them”)
Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd)
Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona
Spanish National Research Council (IIBB-CSIC)
Maria Fernandez- Fernandez & Anna Moles
Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular
Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona
CIBER Fisitopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutrición
Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
Paula Sànchez-Fernàndez-de-Landa & Antonio Zorzano
Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL)
Damia Romero-Moya & Alessandra Giorgetti
Gene Regulatory Control in Disease Laboratory
Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS)
Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS)
UCL Institute for Liver & Digestive Health
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA)
Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)
Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE)
Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics
Alessandra Giorgetti & Marta Varela-Rey
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Oportunius Research Professor at CIMUS/USC
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM)
interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript
have a patent (EP2016/079464) regarding the hepatic stellate cell differentiation
The remaining authors declare no competing interests
Nature Communications thanks Scott Friedman
reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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Three hundred and fifty banana producers from the Mexican municipalities of San Rafael and Martinez de la Torre
are facing the worst marketing crisis in the last 30 years
An excess of fruit in Tabasco and a frost that damaged production in this area cause prices to drop so much that farmers have been forced to throw away their crops or feed them to livestock
banana market consists of imports from Mexico
such as Hurricane Grace which hit Veracruz in August 2021 and resulted in farmers having to spend their savings to rebuild their plantations because there was no federal support; and the increase of 200-300 percent for fertilizer due to global supply chain problems and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia
stated that production costs are $2.50-3.00 pesos per kilo while it is sold at the market for 80 cents
He said the surplus in Tabasco has flooded the national market
and the frosts from December 2021 caused the banana in the region to be affected and unable to compete in quality
and that causes it to lose value in the market because it no longer turns yellow
Veracruz is the fourth largest producer in the country
Get access to all the news and analysis you need to make the right decision --- delivered to your inbox
the country’s fastest-growing supplier in Q1
USDA Secretary Rollins says she has been at the negotiating table tirelessly advocating for American agriculture
The 2024-25 Chilean season has concluded with shipments of more than 90,000 tons of fresh blueberries
Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it has signed a development agreement to open restaurants in Mexico for the first time
Peru exported 562,093 tons of table grapes
representing a 7.4 percent increase compared to the previous campaign
The Department of Commerce’s decision to withdraw from the 2019 U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement is not a victory for anyone
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South Side Weekly
Leer en español
This story was published in collaboration with La Voz Chicago
the CEO and founder of CashDrop—an app designed to offer businesses a free mobile storefront that allows customers to eat the fees
rather than the businesses—outlined a vision for the kind of company he wanted to build
The once-undocumented immigrant from Mexico wanted to create an app that would give back to the Latino community
“I’m not just interested in the money,” Ruben Flores-Martinez said
The CashDrop platform can be adopted by small mom and pop shops and has been marketed to Latino communities in the U.S
via Spanish-language ads on social media.
Locally, the app has been used in events like Chi Michelada Fest 2022. Even nonprofits like Healthy Hood Chicago have announced they will exclusively use CashDrop.
Recently, the app hosted a bilingual workshop alongside the Little Village of Commerce at which 22nd Ward Alderperson Michael Rodriguez encouraged street vendors to go cashless with the app as a way to mitigate robberies.
“America has this real obsession with growth,” Flores-Martinez said in the Harvard case study
you have to be careful with it.’ Companies can get put into this fasttrack to keep pushing and spending more money until you lose control of where the company is going and just crash
CashDrop has been good to Flores-Martinez. It landed him on the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 Social Impact class list and most recently, in the Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 class of 2022. By mid-2020, CashDrop had raised around $2.7 million from investors such as Harlem Capital, Long Journey Ventures, and Michelle Phan. According to PitchBook
the latest round of investment this past November netted CashDrop more than $11 million.
three former CashDrop employees have collectively taken to social media to denounce workplace bullying
and a lack of transparency from Flores-Martinez
At least one of these and another former employee said the stress of working at CashDrop led to hair loss
South Side Weekly and La Voz Chicago interviewed these and other former employees of CashDrop
joined CashDrop as an affiliate in July 2021 and eventually became event manager for the company
“Me being Latino and all the employees being Latino was something that I wanted to be a part of,” he said in a testimonial he shared on Instagram.
Trejo was sold on the dream of becoming a millionaire, which was something he said Flores-Martinez would constantly tell his employees that he wanted to see them become. In May, Trejo would bring in one of the company’s biggest promotional events, a car show held in Georgia featuring hundreds of cars and bikes with general admission tickets starting at $250
“That’s where things took a turn,” Trejo stated in the video
Trejo said he had made a verbal agreement with Flores-Martinez in which Trejo would keep one hundred percent of commissions from the event
But the verbal agreement was apparently not honored—instead
Trejo said he received around fifty percent of commissions from the event
Trejo said there was never any paper trail for these decisions
which according to former CashDrop employees
was not out of the norm at the company.
Trejo said he also did not receive reimbursements for some work trips and activation expenses he had paid for out of pocket
Multiple employees said company credit cards were often declined
forcing them to cover costs on multiple occasions
especially during out-of-state trips.
Trejo was laid off and told that the company could not afford to keep him
CashDrop’s proposed severance package included only a healthcare stipend for twelve weeks
far less than what Trejo felt was owed to him
Trejo had to sign the agreement that included a nondisparagement clause that would have prevented him from criticizing CashDrop publicly
It’s a really disrespectful offer considering the verbal agreement that Ruben had with me regarding 100% commissions….I won’t be signing anything and I will exercise my right to speak freely about my experiences at CashDrop on social media and to the public
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disrespect you and punch down on you daily
Trejo wanted to bring attention to his experiences and reached out to other former employees
wondering if what he had gone through was shared.
He soon found former colleagues who said that Flores-Martinez had verbally harassed them
“They all kept telling me the same thing,” said Trejo
“They kind of sparked something inside of me to put a stop to this.”
He encouraged them to come forward and build public outcry on social media platforms
Ashley De La Torre and Jaqueline Rodriguez
who had been at CashDrop under a year and had since left the start-up
They came forward recounting instances of verbal abuse
and a toxic work environment that they said led them to walk out indefinitely
Their videos were liked by hundreds of people and received dozens of supportive comments.
“He would be very stressed out when it was close to paying the bills,” said Rodriguez
who remembered Flores-Martinez lashing out as regularly as once a week but especially in the final and first weeks of the month.
Flores-Martinez’s behavior described in the testimonials and interviews took the form of ridiculing interns
and in one instance patting an employee on the head.
“It’s unfortunate how much violation became normal—how being violated by a CEO
how the emotional abuse just kind of became a part of the day,” said De La Torre in the Instagram video.
In an interview with South Side Weekly and La Voz Chicago
Flores-Martinez denied the allegations.At first
Flores-Martinez said the allegations were due to “a combination of misunderstanding
there’s definitely a lot of emotions involved,” but later called them “completely baseless” and that he was considering legal action.
there’s nothing there,” said Flores-Martinez
thirsty for blood to cancel somebody.”“Am I an explosive character
It depends on how you slice the apple,” he said
where there are disagreements.” But he denied ever threatening employees or making them feel oppressed or controlled
Lisa Kowalczyk was part of the company’s customer success team and had joined CashDrop in January 2021
she and other CashDrop employees received a company-wide Slack message alerting them that ex-employees were criticizing the company on social media and demanding that current employees sign an NDA within two hours—or be fired.
Kowalczyk told Flores-Martinez that she had forwarded the document to her lawyer to review.
Before she could get a response from her lawyer
Kowalczyk said she was terminated two days later
De La Torre and Rodriguez shared their testimonials on Instagram
Kowalczyk said she suffered a work-related injury while on a work trip and that she never got the medical insurance to cover it that she was promised
She said around $10,000 in reimbursements are still owed to her from instances when company cards didn’t work
and that paychecks didn’t come on time on three separate occasions
the most recent being just before this past Christmas.
She also recalled not getting support when one of her coworkers was terminated
because there was nobody else even qualified that could help me,” Kowalczyk said.
She said the stress from the job eventually led to hair loss and other medical problems.
“There was a lot of blurred lines in the boundaries of work-life balance—where work ends and begins,” said De La Torre
adding that it was not out of character for the CEO and employees to drink on the job
and constantly be told that they were a family.
stating that she and her colleagues “trauma bonded” and felt as if Flores-Martinez had isolated them from their lives
According to a 2021 survey from the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI)
thirty percent of adult Americans are bullied at work
a number that at the time of the survey amounted to almost 49 million workers across the country.
The numbers for women working in tech are even more staggering. A 2020 study from Women Who Tech found that close to fifty percent of women working in tech experienced harassment
with forty-two percent reporting that harassment was perpetrated by a supervisor.
and therefore we treat it as not worthy of attention
and we need to start paying attention because it’s harming millions of workers,” said WBI director and social psychologist Dr
WBI is currently lobbying to pass the Healthy Workplace Bill in Massachusetts and New York
“to prevent and correct abusive work environments.” The bill was introduced in Illinois in February of 2021 but has not passed the Illinois House of Representatives.
When concerns were brought up to Benjamin Vear
the company’s president and the person who handled HR-like responsibilities according to employees
employees said Vear reduced Flores-Martinez’s outbursts to the CEO being stressed due to lack of investors.
Vear declined to comment or be quoted on the record
Team dinners at the expense of the CEO at notable Chicago restaurants like RPM Steakhouse
and Fulton Market Kitchen would later be leveraged in public shamings during company meetings
Employees felt stuck because some uprooted their lives and moved to Chicago for the job
while others lacked confidence to find a better workplace.
“Ruben was very intentional with who he picked to be around,” said Rodriguez
adding that his employees were mainly young Latinos belonging to marginalized communities
In response to an email that listed the allegations included in this story
Flores-Martinez wrote about the company needing to let go some employees last year for economic reasons
“We can’t and will not comment on specific statements made by current or former employees.” In the end
he claimed the questions contained “inaccurate” and “verifiable outright falsehoods” but declined to clarify what specifically he objected to
“We wish you the best of luck in sorting fact from fiction,” the email ended
Flores-Martinez said he wanted to give “opportunities to people that look like [him]
in a world where none of them would get opportunities,” adding that “perhaps they think I’m an asshole
not everybody’s gonna agree [with] the way that I move
Multiple employees said their health declined because of working at CashDrop.
“My mental health deteriorated quickly,” said Rodriguez
“I would be extremely anxious because I had not finished a deadline or was nervous about the next day
nervous that I was going to get yelled at.”
Former employees said deadlines and expectations were often changed last minute and with little notice by Flores-Martinez
Kowalczyk recounted a time in which she asked for clarification and Flores-Martinez said, “that’s not my fucking job
Namie said stress and hair loss are real responses to abusive conduct
A laundry list of health concerns can stem from verbal abuse including stress-related physical diseases
They’re reporting war wounds,” said Namie upon learning of the allegations
“Why should you suffer emotional injuries in exchange for a paycheck?”
After going public with their experience at CashDrop, the three employees who shared their stories received words of encouragement, and some vendors like Shop Ankata stopped using CashDrop altogether
But they also faced pushback from Flores-Martinez and others at CashDrop
in texts and social media posts that attacked the former employees’ characters
Flores-Martinez took to his personal Instagram to post a series of stories including one where he wrote
“People can say whatever they feel like for their 5 likes and 10 minutes of mini clout.”
who worked as a supervisor within the company and had a closer working relationship with Rodriguez
left voicemails and text messages invalidating Rodriguez’s testimonial
“you did your thing and rode that wave for a free laptop
“You’re a slime and don’t do no work,” and “Your child doesn’t deserve his dad to tarnish his image on Ig for likes
He doesn’t know he will probably be a slime like you too.”
Brewer Flores declined to comment for the story
their intent in speaking out is to hold Flores-Martinez accountable.
and realizes that he’s really taking advantage of those around him,” said De La Torre.
Yet Flores-Martinez’s continued denial of any wrongdoing and apparent refusal to engage with the criticisms makes them feel like things won’t change—and if they don’t
they believe CashDrop should cease to exist
“Abuse is at the fundamental core of it all and Ruben has made it a point to be intertwined with the company so it doesn’t change what I think should happen to CashDrop
which hopefully is to be dissolved,” said Rodriguez.
“Even when evidence is tacked against him his ego won’t let him be the better person,” said Trejo
CashDrop is used by vendors based in cities around the country
Vendors using CashDrop are later reimbursed processing fees.
Kowalczyk said some vendors were still owed those fees when she left CashDrop
including a business belonging to a friend she brought on.
She said the apparent financial troubles at the company—delayed paychecks
and layoffs—didn’t add up to what she described as Flores-Martinez’s lavish lifestyle.
“There are $15,000 spent on tequila for parties
maybe another $20,000 spent at a club in Miami,” said Kowalczyk
“There’s no reason for a CEO of a new startup
to be staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton.”
The former employees have concerns for the vendors still trusting CashDrop with a portion of their business. Customer fees were most recently advertised at five percent with a minimum charge of forty-five cents
this is because the fees were changed—a move that has not been reflected in CashDrop’s public-facing platforms.
CashDrop actually raised the rate that they charge the customers their convenience fee,” said Kowalczyk.
Flores-Martinez said the fee is “dynamic” and in some instances “the pricing can be as high at fifteen percent.” He assured the Weekly that CashDrop is completely transparent with its merchants and “if there was cracks in the systems
What’s more concerning to the group of former employees who have spoken out is the newly launched Latino Renaissance Fund
Flores-Martinez pledged $1 million of his own CashDrop equity to be distributed to 1,000 Latino-owned businesses who use the app.
Something similar was promised to employees at CashDrop
who never received paperwork for the equity they were told they would receive in the company
“If you’re going to be working under the pretense of being Latino Renaissance
you got to treat Latinos right,” said Trejo
“We’re not gonna take it especially from somebody that’s not even from Chicago.”
Though Flores-Martinez moved to Chicago from Milwaukee
he views himself as “a prominent member of the Latino community in Chicago.”
[from] the fucking intern all the way to the mayor,” he said
When asked if he was still “not just interested in the money,” he replied
it is about creating millionaires and billionaires that look like you and I.”
It would be those same words that once drew in employees like De La Torre.
“He might have the gift of gab and say all the right things
but he treats the people closest to him awfully,” she said
Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales is a Mexican-American from Belmont Cragin
As an independent journalist she’s passionate about covering communities of color with a social justice lens
and website in this browser for the next time I comment
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Volume 11 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1353983
The front-wave velocity of African swine fever (ASF) virus spread is depicted through a retrospective spatial and temporal analyses of wild boar outbreaks from Jan
Lithuania and Eastern Poland—regions responsible for more than 50% of all wild boar cases in the EU
The study uses empirical semivariograms in a universal kriging model to assess spatial autocorrelation in notification dates and identifies a discernable large-scale spatial trend
The critical parameter of ASF front-wave velocity was identified (Mean = 66.33 km/month
SD = 163.24) in the whole study area
and explored the variations across countries
Statistical differences in front-wave velocity values among countries and temporal clusters are explored
shedding light on potential factors influencing ASF transmission dynamics
The implications of these findings for surveillance and control strategies are discussed
ASF is present in wild boar populations in several EU countries (Germany
in addition to the Baltic countries and Poland
Lithuania and Eastern Poland collectively account for more than 50% of all of wild boar cases in the EU
The median annual percentage of notifications in wild boar vs
domestic pigs in these four countries has been 99% and has never been below 80%
Understanding the dynamics of ASF in wild boar populations is challenging due to limited data on population and movement patterns data
as well as logistical and cost constraints in surveillance efforts
Spatial modelling becomes crucial for anticipating the spread following confirmed ASF events in wild boar
identifying whether the spread is expected to be constant or increasing
or if further cases are expected in other areas and at which rate of occurrence
we hypothesize that the spatial dynamics of ASF virus in wild boar in the Baltic countries and Eastern Poland
where spill-over events at the domestic-wild boar interface have been infrequent along a 7-year period
Such rates can be modelled by estimating the velocity of a front epidemic wave
we propose a kriging method to interpolate monthly ASF notifications in wild boar
This method provides a comprehensive analysis of space and time parameters within the context of ASF spread dynamics
Lithuania and Eastern Poland affected by ASF in wild boar from January 2014 until January 2022
We utilized ASF notifications reported to the EU Animal Diseases Information System (ADIS)
provide details on the date of event confirmation
geographical coordinates where cases are found and any other epidemiologically relevant information as estimated by the reporting country
This additional information may include details such as whether the wild boar were found dead or shot
or the type of laboratory test employed for confirmation
we included information regarding the date and location
ASF notifications were mapped using the WGS84 projected coordinate system (ArcGIS Pro 3.0.3.) and depicted through a kernel density map
TSA is more often used when there is a known or hypothesized spatial trend that explains the observed variation in the notifications
Our approach avoids the need for conditioners or assumptions
thereby enabling a holistic investigation of spatial and temporal parameters within the framework of the dynamics of ASF propagation
The study area was rasterized into 50km2 cells and the date of the earliest monthly ASF notification in wild boar was extracted for each cell
Subsequently, a universal kriging model was applied to the earliest ASF monthly notifications in wild boar per cell throughout the study area. Under the universal kriging model the target variable at a given location si is given by the sum of a trend function, which is a linear combination of p + 1 auxiliary variables fj(si), multiplied by their respective beta coefficient, and a residual which shows spatial autocorrelation (17) (Eq. 1):
The kriging weights λi are determined based on the semivariogram model fitted to minimize the prediction error (18)
p(Z,s0) is estimated for the pixels covering the study area to yield maps of the predicted date of ASF notifications
The predicted kriging time was represented by monthly interval isochrones using ArcGIS Pro 3.0.3
To quantify the ASF front-wave epidemic velocity, the surface of the prediction time resulting from the kriging analysis was included with the 3D Analyst toolbox of ArcGIS Pro as a vector of the map slope (magnitude), following the approach described by Moore et al. (14)
The inverse of the slope surface corresponds to the front-wave velocity of ASF at each location within the study area
The relationship between velocity (V) and slope (Sp) is given by V = s/t and Sp = rise/s
where “s” is space and “t” is time
rise was defined as the predicted monthly ASF occurrence time
larger values of Sp mean slower velocity (1/Sp) and larger time interval “t” at similar distance result in slower V as well
a higher slope value implies slower ASF diffusion
while a larger vector of time (lower slope) leads to faster velocity of diffusion
Space–time cluster aggregations of velocity of ASF spread were additionally explored using retrospective seasonal and normal models (SaTScan v10.0; 22)
These models require the inclusion of case data and temporal information of each case
Cluster selection was implemented based with varying temporal window of 3 to 6 months to capture seasonal differences
Evaluation of cluster performance was conducted based on ranked relative risk (RR)
log-likelihood ratio (LLR) values and p-values obtained from Monte Carlo hypothesis testing (9,999 permutations)
The study area contains 9,693 grid cells of which 291 were selected for the universal kriging model, corresponding to 2,305 ASF wild boar notifications (Figure 1)
Study area (centroid of each cell grid) depicted in light green
overlaid is the kernel density of ASF wild boar notifications from January 2014 to January 2022
based on ADIS data shown in grey-blue shade
Red dots are the 291 earliest monthly ASF notifications in wild boar extracted for each cell grid
The empirical semivariogram shows strong spatial autocorrelation for notification dates and increasing large-scale semi-variance representing the spatial trend. Figure 2 shows the predicted kriging model fitted (γ) to the residual variogram and the linear combination γ + (β1 ∗ γX)2 (where γX is the variogram of the X coordinate) fitted to the not detrended variogram
The one-leave-out cross-validation resulted in a bias of −0.43%
and a mean ratio of squared residuals/kriging variance of 1.0031
Predicted kriging time surface of ASF infection in wild boar at 5-month intervals from January 2014 to January 2022
the green color spectrum represents the early phases of ASF prediction events over time
while the red color spectrum represents the later months
The front-wave velocity of ASF was obtained for 2,277 points with a median of 49.52 km/month (min.: 8.84; max.: 740.39) across the study area (Figure 3)
the median velocity was highest for Estonia (75.60 km/month (min.: 21.41; max.: 740.39)
n = 397) and lowest for Lithuania [36.52 km/month (min.: 8.84; max.: 344.29)
followed by Poland [42.47 km/month (min.: 13.03; max.: 732.96)
n = 1,179] and Latvia [53.95 km/month (min.: 11.98; max.: 697.05)
Predicted ASF front wave velocity in wild boar (km/month) during the period from January 2014 to January 2022
while the red colors represent higher velocity of the predicted ASF front-wave velocity in wild boar
the highest median ASF front-wave velocity in Estonia and Latvia were obtained in autumn [Estonia: 90.28 km/month (min.: 22.9
n = 190; Latvia: 61.11 km/month (min.: 11.98; max.: 329.78)
the second highest median in Estonia happened in winter [75.6 km/month (min.: 21.53
while in Latvia it was in summer [59.79 km/month (min.: 16.45; max.: 697.05)
the n was much smaller in Estonia in summer (n = 76) and in spring (n = 25)
the number of points in Latvia in spring was only 19
the maximum velocities were reached in summer for both countries (640.21 km/month in Estonia and 697.05 km/month in Latvia)
the number of predicted points was fewer than for the other countries (n = 258 in total)
but the distribution is even among the seasons (although spring has
the highest median front-wave velocity was achieved in summer (51.44 km/month) but the highest maximum was in autumn (344.23 km/month)
the number of predicted points was much higher in winter (n = 688) than in the other seasons (between 113 and 198)
the velocity median was homogeneous across seasons (between 35.45 and 48.34 km/month) although the maximum was reached in winter (732.96 km/month)
The results by month shed similar conclusions
there is a sufficient number of points to allow comparison for the months between August and January (>10% of the total predicted points per country)
but there are fewer points predicted from February to July (<5%)
May and June (<2%) to be considered in the comparative descriptive analysis
The maximum velocities were reached in October and November in Estonia (706.36 and 740.39 km/month respectively)
in Poland in February (732.96 km/month)
and in Latvia in August (697.06 km/month)
The highest median predicted velocity per year occurred in Estonia in 2015 (89.30 km/month) and in Latvia in 2014 (81.69 km/month)
The highest maximum velocity in Estonia was predicted in 2016 (740.39 km/month)
in Latvia in 2015 (697.05 km/month)
in Poland in 2018 (732.96 km/month) and in 2014 in Lithuania (344.29 km/month)
Similar results were obtained with SaTScan analysis
showing one higher velocity temporal cluster from August to November (Mean = 93.64
SD = 111.56; p = 0.001)
the majority of the predicted values (between 73 and 88%) fell in the maximum quality categories (5 and 6) of available habitat for wild boar
making comparisons among the rest of the categories at risk of misinterpretation due to sampling bias
The complete output from the descriptive analysis can be found as Supplementary material S1
The identification of a temporal cluster from August to November could indicate a potential period of increased transmission risk
but should be interpreted with caution due to potential sampling bias
The effect of habitat on wild boar movement was reviewed by Morelle et al. (31)
The quality of habitat is influenced by the distribution and abundance of food resources
and wild boar movements seem to increase particularly under high population density and low food availability
Further investigation into the relationship between habitat characteristics and ASF transmission dynamics may provide valuable insights
The velocity of ASF spread identified here allows us to explain the progress of the disease as an event
The intensity of this event is not defined here
other parameters such as the number of affected animals or serology data should be included
For the purposes of policy and prevention practices
the economic consequences could be considered similar
leads to indirect losses derived from the “news effect” of the disease’s presence (for example
in Belgium ASF was only notified in wild boar
but domestic pig trade decreased in some sectors)
the identification of a velocity front is a sufficient parameter to initiate the evaluation of consequences derived from the arrival of the virus
It is important to recognize that our findings may be influenced by bias and uncertainty inherent to the kriging methodology. Kriging, a method that explicitly captures spatial correlation, operates under the assumption that values in close proximity tend to exhibit greater similarity. This allows for the inference of correlation at locations that have not been sampled, based on the points that have been sampled (20)
Even though kriging offers certain benefits compared to TSA in terms of capturing spatial dependence and variation
it is still susceptible to potential biases
Factors such as the quality and quantity of input data
which can occur in disease notifications in wild animals whose surveillance is subject to fluctuations
can influence the accuracy of kriging predictions
due to the possible delay between disease progression and notifications
and the interaction between the grid size (which was chosen considering the spatial distribution of notifications) and potential jumps in the advancing front
overestimations of the advancement speed may occur
it is prudent to interpret our findings with caution
recognizing the inherent uncertainties associated with the methodology employed
Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of ASF front-wave velocity is crucial for designing effective surveillance and control strategies
Tailoring interventions based on country-specific patterns
and temporal clusters can enhance the efficiency of control measures and resource allocation
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material
further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author
The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research
This research was funded by the Horizon 2020 Program of the European Union through the European Project H2020 “VACDIVA-A Safe DIVA vaccine for African Swine Fever control and eradication” project (grant agreement no
The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Agriculture in Spain for facilitating ADIS data extraction and sharing
The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers
This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision
The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1353983/full#supplementary-material
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A cartographic tool for managing African swine fever in Eurasia: mapping wild boar distribution based on the quality of available habitats
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African swine fever: lessons to learn from past eradication experiences
Eight years of African swine fever in the Baltic States: epidemiological reflections
Seasonal occurrence of African swine fever in wild boar and domestic pigs in EU member states
Natural inactivation of African swine fever virus in tissues: influence of temperature and environmental conditions on virus survival
Behaviour of free ranging wild boar towards their dead fellows: potential implications for the transmission of African swine fever
The potential role of scavengers in spreading African swine fever among wild boar
Dynamics of the African swine fever spread in Poland
Citation: Martínez Avilés M
de la Torre A and Iglesias I (2024) Spatial and temporal analysis of African swine fever front-wave velocity in wild boar: implications for surveillance and control strategies
Received: 11 December 2023; Accepted: 13 March 2024; Published: 25 March 2024
Copyright © 2024 Martínez Avilés, Montes, Sacristán, de la Torre and Iglesias. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
*Correspondence: Irene Iglesias, aWdsZXNpYXNAaW5pYS5jc2ljLmVz
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Volume 15 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnana.2021.787913
The prosomeric model was postulated jointly by L
Rubenstein in 1993 and has been developed since by means of minor changes and a major update in 2012
This article explains the progressive academic and scientific antecedents leading LP to this collaboration and its subsequent developments
Other antecedents due to earlier neuroembryologists that also proposed neuromeric brain models since the late 19th century
as well as those who defended the alternative columnar model
The circumstances that apparently caused the differential success of the neuromeric models in the recent neurobiological field are also explored
The present special number of BBEV titled ‘Beyond the prosomeric brain model’ offers me the opportunity to present some notes explaining how I came to be involved in the birth of this model
I would not have space for reviewing relevant literature in too much detail
or even to mention all our publications using this brain model
I will rather highlight the major circumstances that
Although the account deals initially largely with my own experiences
the active participation of various colleagues and collaborators increases in importance afterward
strongly influenced by the published work of earlier scientists
which also need to be mentioned and placed in context
I think that this story began when I first found neuromeric ideas at the school of medicine of Granada (Spain)
I was photocopying selections from the Journal of Comparative Neurology
During the last year of my medical studies at the University of Granada (term 1970–1971), I started to attend the embryological laboratory of a newly incorporated professor of anatomy, Génis-Gálvez (1924-2003; see biographical notes on Génis-Gálvez in Velasco-Morgado, 2014)
He had transferred from Salamanca to Granada in 1968
I had passed my anatomy and embryology subjects with a different professor
After 3 years of preclinical subjects and two 2 of clinical studies
I had decided to finish my sixth and final year of medicine studies
for which I had found I had little vocation
I had chosen instead a research career in neurobiology
Understanding the mind had been my major interest since adolescence
when I first tried to explain to myself volatile adolescent amorous reactions observed within my school class (boys and girls half and half)
I was detoured from my consequent strong interest in psychology (then only approached in Spain as a third year subject in medical studies) by the dogmatic verbiage
offered by my psychology and psychiatry professors in Granada (third and fourth terms)
I had already decided to attempt a formation in neurobiological research
After short visits of the physiology and histology/pathology departments (where I found no neurobiological research was done)
a professor suggested to try the ‘new’ anatomy professor J
The idea was to occupy myself with brain development during the last year of medicine and then apply for entrance at a leading neurophysiology laboratory in Madrid
Professor Génis-Gálvez was very receptive
He explained to me mainly the possibilities to do experimental embryology in his lab
he showed me in the lab how one opens an incubated egg and finds inside the chick embryo
this morphological approach with experimental possibilities relegated to the far background my psychological and physiological interests on the mind
although they persisted up to the present as a reading hobby
that psychology apparently had nothing to offer me at that time point
It seemed that there was a lot of preliminary work to be done yet on basic brain structure before higher mental properties could be properly addressed
I estimated that the status of neurophysiology probably was not much more advanced in this sense than that of psychology
came out of the interview with a handful of reprints on brain development to read and a very vague idea that I wanted to study brain structure
hoping to develop more specific plans as I advanced
I read immediately the articles Génis-Galvez had given me
and entered his office again 20 min later to ask him for more
My tutor worked specifically on the developing eye (he was a non-practicing ophthalmologist originally)
and thus could not teach me much about the brain proper beyond what one learned then in medical neuroanatomy
he was happy to have in the lab somebody who would try to develop a line of work in central aspects of the visual system
He helped me by providing guiding literature (he had a good collection of basic books
and reprints obtained during his stays in the States)
and placed at my disposal a small laboratory
I started to work away with maximal dedication and dropped altogether attending my last term classes (I just crammed the subjects 3–4 days before the exams)
My intense readings during that first year represented an introduction to modern biology
although without systematic botany or zoology
complementing partially my standard medical formation in a direction helpful for research
I cannot say that I learned much about the brain
except what I saw personally at the microscope
The theory of evolution apparently was not studied at all in Granada at the time
I learned of its major conclusions only years later in books
I thus had no idea of comparative neuroanatomy or neuroembryology
I simply extrapolated what little I knew from the human brain to the chicken brain
I assumed that birds moved their eyes with comparable muscles and nerves
as Ramón y Cajal seemed to imply in his treatise
He was a pragmatic evolutionist and comparative morphologist
accepting a priori that vertebrate brains were comparable
but he never discussed theoretical issues such as the concept of homology
or Haeckel’s and Baer’s contrasting ideas on developmental recapitulation of evolutive change
there was no textbook on comparative neuroanatomy available nor an avian brain atlas
at least as regards the visual system and oculomotor mechanisms
equivalent structures could be expected in humans (mammals) and birds
but my initial rate of advance in learning to recognize chicken brain structures was extremely slow
The brain I had in front of me at the microscope was a large complex of structures I could not identify
with only a small area illuminated by understanding at the oculomotor nuclei
I needed many years of solitary toiling with reprints or photocopies and the microscope before I slowly expanded my neuroanatomic knowledge to neighboring areas
helped by avid exploration of literature on the brain of birds compared to those of other vertebrates
I expanded to the whole brain thanks to the prosomeric model
which allows prediction of structures you are going to see
The columnar model defended by Herrick (1910; 1933; 1948) and Kuhlenbeck (1927, 1973) was then absolutely prevalent and was implicitly assumed by all neuroanatomy book authors
All of us (experts and beginners alike) used that model
often without being aware of its existence or its fundaments (more on this model below)
It is like breathing without knowing that air exists
Over the summer of 1971, after finishing my medical studies, I returned to my parental home in Tenerife (Canary Islands) and married my girlfriend from preuniversitary studies and subsequent lab collaborator in Granada Margaret Martínez-de-la-Torre. After our honeymoon, I read the well-illustrated textbook of Embryology which had been published by Génis-Gálvez (1970)
This stimulating book confirmed my interest in embryology
as well as in its experimental possibilities
and I started to work on my doctoral thesis project (officially tutored by Génis-Gálvez
I also began to teach some anatomy and dissection for medical students as a part-time teaching auxiliary
although it was clear to all of us that a research career in the Spain of Franco was highly risky
my tutor applied for a transfer closer to his birthplace in Cadix
to a position at the anatomy department in the University of Sevilla (Granada
is the largest of them; its university also encompassed then the isolated medical school at Cadix)
Génis-Gálvez obtained the Sevilla position
and in his plans for transferring in 1972 the whole lab (including Margaret and me)
he got funding from the Granada faculty dean to photocopy any departmental journal article that was of interest to us
The job to decide which articles were to be photocopied in the Journal of Comparative Neurology fell to me (we had an ample collection)
I thus spent hours perusing systematically through hundreds of JCN articles
since I really knew little of such contents and nothing at all about the possible fame of the authors
If I found minimally interesting the title
not a result of understanding the need for such a schema
but of just noting a new possibility to visualize synthetically brain structure
It was the sort of spine-tingling emotion produced otherwise by sublime musical passages which one does not understand technically
The neuromeric article thus passed to the collection we brought to Sevilla
subsequent calm reading did not show how to relate those interesting theoretical ideas to my daily work in the lab on the oculomotor nuclei and the interstitial nucleus of Cajal (the subject of my thesis)
The needed context of being aware of alternative brain models and differential explanatory capabilities was wholly absent
without forgetting the impression it had made on me
and only returned to it several years later when its implicit content started to become meaningful
Figure 1. Neuromeric model of Bergquist and Källén (1954). Note that neuromeres I–VII are superposed by transversal bands 1–7. Also, neuromeres I–II imply an ending of the forebrain axis in the telencephalon (a columnar notion departing from the axial concept of His). In subsequent publications, Bergquist and Källèn corrected this error (see Figure 6)
noting that neither the telencephalon nor the eye vesicles represent true neuromeres
as well as my first experience with mammalian embryos
A major neurohistological figure I met at the INSERM U106 was Constantino Sotelo
an expatriated terminal member of Cajal’s school (direct student of Fernando de Castro
one of Cajal’s younger collaborators)
He was then famed as one of the major experts in brain electron microscopy and also was interested at the time in neuroembryological questions
He recommended trying Golgi impregnation methods on the oculomotor migration and particularly the variant of Stensaas (with glutaraldehyde substituting osmium tetroxide in the fixative solution)
which he thought worked better in embryos than the standard rapid Golgi procedure (osmium fix)
started a collection of Golgi-Stensaas impregnated rat embryos
which I brought with me to Sevilla at the end of the stay
I also tried out the Stensaas procedure on chick embryos and found it worked much better than in rats (unless the exceptional success was due to the water of Sevilla)
I concentrated on the increasing collection of chicken Golgi preparations
Apart from my teaching duties (several hours daily)
I generally processed one embryo per week (fixation
and mounting the thick celloidin sections strictly ordered on slides
and finally looking at them at the microscope)
Beautifully impregnated developing neurons and many other sorts of cells appeared filled up by the reddish-brown silver chromate precipitate
apart from the desired neuronal and glial cells
became an autodidact distant pupil of the school of Cajal
Figure 2. Selected neuromeric schemata from the work of Tello (1923)
showing sagittal sections through chick embryo brains at two different stages
wherein diverse reduced-silver-stained tracts clearly relate to neuromeric bulges
the growing optic tract is represented as a longitudinal tract relative to the diencephalic neuromeres
The school of Cajal had practically disappeared in the post-civil-war period and only the publications remained
who was active in his youth in comparative brain studies
and Tello (the only pupil of Cajal doing neuroembryology) died in 1958
having been expelled from the direction of the Cajal Institute in 1936
as a collateral result of the Spanish civil war
I received some technical advice and psychological support from Constantino Sotelo
since he was the first scientist of excellence I met
Sotelo also supported my ulterior first publication on the chick neuromeric model (see below)
The neuromeric papers of Tello were the second place where I encountered neuromeric concepts
although at this point I was concentrated on cellular differentiation details of the tectal neurons and was not attending at all to the issue of neuromeres
This gradient allows tentative differentiation stages to be checked rostralwards (where more advanced cells can be seen) and caudalwards (where less advanced cells are found)
as long as the preparations are as homogeneously Golgi-impregnated as mine were
This project took most of my research time during my last years in Sevilla (up to the end of the 1975/1976 term
I left aside momentarily the oculomotor migration problem
the tectal work advanced at a slower pace into later stages of development (9–12 days of incubation) with the help of a doctoral student and thereafter also dear friend
We jointly discovered an additional more retarded Type III sort of tectal cell prototype
She read her thesis on the chick tectum in 1978
when I was already in Cadix after spending a year in Badajoz
most of the late tectal data remained unpublished
I unexpectedly was offered a contract as full professor and director of the anatomy department at the University of Extremadura (at Badajoz
although this implied a transient rupture with Génis-Gálvez
my Golgi collection had to remain in Sevilla
started a new laboratory and a new Golgi collection in Badajoz
where I was wholly on my own as regards research and the sort of neuroanatomy I taught
I prepared there under singular conditions (no funding) the manuscript on early differentiation of tectal cell types
A comparable result has not been produced yet in anamniotes or mammals
although some of the published Golgi data in fish
and mammals show neuronal examples comparable to our cell types
and the optic tectum is known to be highly conservative in its connections
some added elements (perhaps novel cell types) might occur
given what we know of divergent superficial tectal stratification and the massive cellular development of the periaqueductal gray compared to that of sauropsids and anamniotes
The periaqueductal gray is often figured as if it was independent from the superior and inferior colliculi
but its cells underlying the colliculi arise late from the same progenitor domains
I think the Puelles and Bendala (1978) tectal report was my first important scientific publication (7 years after I started)
it is the most complex histogenetic analysis ever done with the Golgi method
I am proud that it was performed without other guidance than the rationale exemplified previously by Ramón y Cajal
This study taught me what sorts of differentiative and migratory complexities may be found in the histogenesis of a distinctly delimited progenitor area over time
The three distinct postmitotic neuron prototypes diversifying gradually into the various final neuronal forms strongly suggested that the genetic profile present at cell birth was highly important in determining the fundamental behavior of the cell
whereas the changing surroundings over time probably exert an epigenetic mechanistic modulatory role on the emerging phenotypes
Another paper I submitted jointly to Neuroscience while in Badajoz dealt on the earliest Golgi-impregnated shapes of developing tectal oligodendrocytes (Puelles, 1978a; Figure 3B)
It appeared slightly before the tectal one because it was accepted without any changes; this is the only time this happened to me
I think that these results still represent the only published visualization so far of young postmitotic oligodendrocytes in the process of enveloping axons with their lamellipodial processes
that I obtained part of the multi-volume comparative treatise of Kuhlenbeck (published by Karger between 1967 and 1978; ‘The Central Nervous System of Vertebrates’)
which I also studied with enormous interest
with whom I have had many mental discussions over the years
but he interpreted them as coursing oblique to his axis
The hp1 and hp2 domains are the two hypothalamo-telencephalic prosomeres postulated by us in the updated prosomeric model
The two cross-sections at left correspond to the section levels marked in the map as 44 and 41
They illustrate the differential histogenetic patterns and the abrupt boundaries corresponding to the interneuromeric borders
where Rendahl did not postulate neuromeres
He only represented the longitudinal sulcus limitans at p1 and p2
We extend this landmark through p3 and the hypothalamus as well
ending under the optic chiasma (blue line)
Figure 6. Comparison of the neuromeric models of Bergquist and Källén (1954) (A3) and Rendahl (1924) (C2) with our own chick model, extracted from Puelles et al. (1987a; B4)
The precociously populated basal plate neuromeric modules are emphasized
The B&K schemata show in (A1) their neuromeres (later corrected) and in (A2) their transversal bands
which we take as corresponding most realistically with our neuromeres
Our schemata include early stages in the emergence of the neuromeric pattern in the schemata (B1–B3)
The Rendahl schemata (C1,C2) reveal that this author postulated the telencephalon as a prosomere I lying rostral to the diencephalon
thus showing the influence of the columnar axis
it is clearly observed that the three sets of schemata are basically comparable in many aspects
I had checked in Badajoz whether the three tectal neuron prototypes were generally present in other parts of the brain
as was already suggested by existing Cajal data on the spinal cord
substantiating the conclusion that the brain wall was apparently divided into multiple areal progenitor units with differential histogenetic patterns and characteristic cell types (a concept we later used in the prosomeric model
Given the success of the Golgi study of the optic tectum
I chose to begin in Cadix a Golgi study of neuronal differentiation sequences in the developing chicken diencephalic visual centers
The latter were scattered over the hypothalamus
and pretectum according to the columnar model
I was helped in this project by a new thesis pupil
For the diencephalon, we initially applied the widely prevalent columnar model to the analysis of our Golgi data. We followed the columnar embryologic Nissl studies on chick diencephalic development done by Kuhlenbeck (reviewed in Kuhlenbeck, 1973)
According to the interpretation of this author
were cellularly homogeneous longitudinal masses of neurons displaying similar functional properties along their length (somatic versus visceral; motor versus sensory; somatosensory
Since all postulated diencephalic columns clearly received specific retinal input via the optic tract (some of them several distinct inputs)
we soon noted that it was absolutely unclear how viscero/somatic or sensitive/motor sorts of signals were distinguished from visual signals in the columnar diencephalon (i.e.
apart of entering its visual sensory input through the postulated diencephalic floor and basal plate equivalent region at the hypothalamic chiasma
a very odd pattern absent in the hindbrain)
the higher resolutive power of the Golgi-Stensaas method (showing differential details of the neuronal axons and dendrites) immediately refuted this assumption
Unexpected clear-cut boundaries separated distinct intracolumnar fields having different neuron types
crossing obliquely the theoretically homogeneous columns
and defining distinct non-columnar blocks of neurons in terms of observable early differentiation sequences
Instead of advancing nicely along a gradient
the diencephalic Golgi image was a mess of contradictory data we simply could not make meaningful using the Herrick/Kuhlenbeck columnar model
started doubting this model and looking around for some alternative model that would explain what we saw
Colleagues familiar with my subsequent work think that I moved in the 1990s into neuromeres due to evidence coming from gene expression patterns
I first learned about neuromeres some 20 years before
but only started to think they might be important for my research due to the problems I had with the interpretation of Golgi impregnations in the chick diencephalon in the late 1970s
at which moment I was the expert in neuromeres of the new generation
whom I met in his retirement during a private weekend visit in 2002
told me that he had never talked with Holmgren personally and that the members of the ‘school’ hardly interacted or met with each other
Even the closer collaborative research relationships of Källén with Bergquist were darkened by the repulse of Källén of the Nazi orientation of Bergquist (they never were friends
His former Nazi connection had reduced Bergquist to working after the war as a public school teacher
He was a sort of visiting scientist in Tornblad Embryological institute directed by Källén (a casual conversation of Bergquist with Källén’s father
He could use there the comparative collection of embryonic preparations of Ivar Broman
we hesitated about publishing this conclusion
since I feared that an attack on the solid columnar establishment based on ‘mere’ Golgi data
in the era of experimental neuroanatomic studies and immunocytochemistry
was going to be exceedingly difficult and probably unsuccessful
I started preparing instead a photographic documentation of the neuromeric pattern of the developing avian visual centers using Nissl data
because I was continually distracted by other preoccupations
such as obtaining tenure (in Cadix) and later two academic jobs I accepted in series in Murcia (vice dean of the medical school and later vicerrector of research)
an old friend from my German-school days in Tenerife lives in Stockholm
and he obtained for me photocopies of all relevant Swedish documents at the Karolinska Institute (all the works by Holmgren
(4) Early students of neuromeres did not attempt to investigate their possible modular functional properties in the adult brain
These aspects are increasingly being studied today (neuromeric analysis of modular aspects of serotonergic raphe nuclei
and still center their attention instead on the connectivity and circuit functions apparently performed by dedicated parts of the columns
There is to this day no columnar theory explaining how an embryonic column diversifies into a collection of distinct nuclei
the prosomeric model has incorporated dorsoventral and anteroposterior patterning and regionalization effects leading to molecular definition of the component progenitor areas that produce specific cell types or nuclei
The columnar model is incompatible with these experimentally demonstrated patterning effects because its arbitrary length axis ending in the telencephalon prohibits it (the implicit meanings of the columnar descriptive terms dorsal
and posterior are inconsistent with what we now know of brain patterning)
The speculative columnar structure of the forebrain has nevertheless become dogmatically established in the literature after a century as a conventional truth or fact
No expert acknowledges that there is an underlying theoretically fallible columnar model dating from 1910
that is responsible of a major scientific impasse
Criticisms of the columnar model of Herrick are labeled as unjust attacks on a ‘straw man’ (this is personal experience)
since modern neurobiologists no longer are conscious of following the columnar model
This factual character of the columnar model in practice was the barrier I had in front once I realized the obsolescence of this model and the need to substitute in its place a neuromeric brain model corrected from earlier errors throughout neuroscience
I needed a modern technique which could be used to reverse the status quo
what I obviously really needed were gene expression patterns and the experimental analysis of neural patterning
These new research instruments could not even be imagined in the late 1970s
where no molecular research was performed by anatomists; I was literally thought to be out of my mind when I expressed to colleagues interest in molecular genetics for progress in embryology and anatomy
A division of the heads through the midline helped the mapping of the stained neurons through the unstained ventricular zone in the translucent head halves
Soon I perfected the method by dissecting after the reaction the skin and meninges away under an operating microscope using sharp tungsten needles
Frozen or cryostat sections habitually used for histochemistry did not allow an overview
unless graphic reconstruction was attempted
a method hampered by the usually incomplete cryostat section series
Our study of AChE wholemounts accordingly increasingly concentrated most of my efforts during the last period in Cadix (1978
in which endeavor I was helped considerably by a new collaborator and thesis pupil
The same study still continued for several years more in Murcia before we first attempted publication in 1986
We proposed the introduction in the neuroanatomic terminology of the term pre-isthmus
alluding to this novel midbrain anatomic domain just in front of the isthmus proper and caudal to the inferior colliculus
At the beginning of the 1980–1981 term (September)
in whose medical school and anatomy department Margaret and I worked thereafter for 40 years
The laboratory had to be organized from zero
No silver or Golgi method worked because double distilled water contained too much organic material
so that silver and chromium salts systematically precipitated
This was the reason why I ceased to use those techniques and concentrated on the AChE material
We had to install a system for de-ionized water
which took some time and the arrival of national funding
We first obtained in 1981 a grant from the ministerial central funding agency in Madrid (I had not applied before
I do not know exactly why: perhaps no public grants were available during my previous formative years or at least they were not known to me; Génis-Gálvez had been funded habitually by a private foundation)
we continued having sufficient national grant support on a 3-year renovation basis up to my retirement in 2018 (the last 5–6 years we had an extremely hard to get Excellency grant—only two were given per year in Spain)
We also had extra help in parallel from several European projects
we also obtained some significant funding from the local regional government in Murcia (Séneca Foundation)
All this funding helped us to expand and modernize the lab to international standards
and we established infrastructure and know-how for molecular biology procedures
as well as automatized scanning of our slides
we studied neurogenetic patterns in the chick brain using thymidine autoradiography
This accompanied our whole-mount AChE visualization of differentiating young neurons
Parts of the autoradiographic data on the isthmus
and diencephalon (thalamus) were published
where an incipient but remarkably incomplete brain Bauplan was found
it had to be capable of application in all vertebrates
and its early forms might be already detectable in cephalochordates (this was indeed what we found in the cited Amphioxus paper
with unsuspected novel collateral aspects)
we worked much (demonstrating the wide usefulness of the prosomeric model in such studies
as noted also by other laboratories that incorporated to the quest) and obtained large amounts of histological material of various types
It was all very useful for advancing my evolutionary ideas
although we did not publish large parts of it since we first had to introduce the neuromeric model into the field (we only achieved this by publications in 1987 and 1993)
and then we had to lift our lab to the capacity to perform molecular mapping studies
The first published gene pattern I noticed that showed a neuromeric pattern appeared in the report of Gaunt et al. (1986) on Hox1.5 expression in mouse embryonic hindbrain
The authors showed that Hox1.5 expression had a distinct rostral limit at a constriction of the hindbrain neural wall
They apparently did not realize (as I immediately did) that this constriction was an interrhombomeric boundary
I noted the enormous relevance of that sort of data for our project
since all interneuromeric and intraneuromeric boundaries now probably could be explained and visualized as patterned gene expressions
I visited the laboratories of friends in Paris (Marion Wassef at L’ École Normale) and Madrid (Angela Nieto at the Cajal Institute) in order to learn personally in situ hybridization procedures and associated molecular concepts and techniques
we looked preferentially at intrinsic patterns of neurons inside the brain wall
it represented altogether a stronger basis for our attempt to attack the columnar establishment with our revamped neuromeric model
for the forthcoming morphologic interpretation of relevant gene expression data in the early 1990s
The Puelles et al. (1987a) manuscript on AChE data in a neuromeric pattern was first submitted in 1986 after first showing it to Sotelo in Paris
who passed it on with a favorable comment to S
the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Comparative Neurology
The paper evaded criticizing the columnar model; it just showed abundant photographs of what we had found and stated that the patterns were clearly consistent with the neuromeric models of the past
Palay sent back reviews suggesting that perhaps because we worked in a Spanish provincial city we were not aware that this subject of neuromeres had been discarded many years before and that we should examine modern literature in university libraries in Madrid or Barcelona
The rather supercilious reviewers apparently thought that we somehow were using ideas and literature citations left behind by our grandfathers
Palay nevertheless asked us to send back a shortened and appropriately modified version of the text
I highlighted the point that none of the reviewers had found anything to criticize or reinterpret about our photographic data
so that we did not see in which sense we should change our interpretation
Our results seemed indeed to revitalize old forgotten neuromeric notions
but the age of such notions and their conventionally disregarded status were not our responsibility
We just stood on a novel sort of evidence—unobjectionable wholemount AChE reactions—that strongly agreed with these old ideas
obviously disagreeing with the contrary columnar ideas a la mode
I made known to Palay the vast preliminary analysis of relevant literature I had performed over the previous 10 years (including not only everything in English but also in other important scientific languages)
I included a synopsis of the journal and book material obtained from the libraries of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm
the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen
and the second version was accepted without any further discussion
and he probably acted against the opinion of the reviewers
in agreement with the important supporting position of Sotelo
in our first decade working in Murcia (1981 to 1991)
three of them dealing with neuromeric subjects
Margaret and I traveled to La Jolla (California) to work 1 month on fish and amphibian brains with the comparative neuroanatomist Glenn R
Northcutt at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography
using his own material (previously unknown to us)
evidence in favor of the neuromeric brain model
We first tried some Ambystoma tigrinum (salamander) brain specimens cut sagittally, which we immunoreacted with calretinin (note that Ambystoma was the amphibian species most studied by Herrick in his columnar studies and also the object of his recapitulative book “The Brain of the Tiger Salamander,” Herrick, 1948)
I thought that the calretinin—CR—marker (used before by us in chick and lizard embryos) might be favorable for identifying a positive dorsal thalamus against the CR-negative ventral thalamus and pretectum domains (these represent the three diencephalic neuromeres in the alar plate)
Such differential staining should also show that the corresponding limits are transversal (i.e.
contrary to columnar expectations postulating at least one of them—the interthalamic zona limitans limit—to be longitudinal)
the yearly meeting of the American Society for Neuroscience was held nearby in San Diego
and I attended it as an observer (this was my first time at the SfN)
I heard an oral intervention by a young researcher from San Francisco—John R
Rubenstein—who presented the diencephalic and telencephalic expression pattern of a newly discovered gene then called Tess1 (for his daughter Tess; this was his first output in gene mapping)
This gene subsequently was reclassified as Dlx2 (a member of the important Dlx family
functionally involved in the generation of forebrain GABAergic neurons
among other properties; distalless refers to lack of terminal leg parts in Dlx-mutant Drosophila)
Rubenstein presented at the SfN a columnar interpretation of the diencephalic expression pattern of Dlx2
which seemed to me problematic in several aspects
I thought that a more significant interpretation was possible using the neuromeric model
Somebody he had recently consulted had given it to him as a possibility to explore alternative interpretations
he needed its application to mouse embryos
I assured him that this posed no difficulties
Figure 7. First version of the prosomeric model, from Bulfone et al. (1993). The genes mapped are color-coded. Note that, at variance with the bipartite chick hypothalamus of Puelles et al. (1987a; see Figure 6B4)
we postulated three hypothalamic prosomeres p4–p6 for the mouse
This was an error that we corrected subsequently
Figure 10. Comparison of the prosomeric models conceived by Puelles and Rubenstein (2003) (A) and Puelles et al. (2012a) (B) to visualize the significant changes introduced in the updated version, which were explained in detail in Puelles and Rubenstein (2015)
Equally important for the progress of the prosomeric model were the experimental embryologic contributions of my pupil Salvador Martínez on the analysis of the isthmic and mid-diencephalic secondary organizers
as well as on clone-isolating properties of interrhombomeric and forebrain limits
(B) Schema representing the whole set of prosomeric units in the adult brain (the cerebellum belongs to r0—the vermis—and r1—the hemispheres)
Note the large evaginated telencephalic development corresponding to hp1 (red)
while the rostral end of the brain corresponds to the acroterminal domain within hp2 (orange)
The bipartite hypothalamus is divided into peduncular hypothalamus (PHy) within hp1 and terminal hypothalamus (THy) within hp2
The axis of the brain clearly bends ventrally at the cephalic flexure
where a number of interneuromeric boundaries converge pialwards
and also shows a less marked dorsal bending at pontine levels
causing there also some convergence of neuromeric boundaries at the ventricular surface
apart what was already mentioned in the text
but I believe there are many possibilities implicit in the modular serial arrangement of neuromeric components as well as in the dorsoventral microzonal structural aspects
I expect a revolution in neurophysiology and a step forward in cognitive studies
the model has been already extraordinarily successful in the fields of developmental neurobiology (including particularly fate-mapping and patterning studies) and comparative evo-devo studies
It is difficult at the present stage to envisage what sort of neural model could be still better in order to improve studies on the nervous system
although time and the nature of things will probably modify sooner or later this impression
An eye needs to stay open in this direction to ensure that the prosomeric model does not become a centenary dogma
The validity of a model is limited by its utility and the credibility of its assumptions
The support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant BFU2014-57516P (with European Community FEDER support) and the Seneca Foundation (Autonomous Community of Murcia) Excellency Research contract
reference: 19904/GERM/15; project name: Genoarchitectonic Brain Development and Applications to Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancer (to LP)
by Seneca Foundation (5672 Fundación Séneca) are acknowledged
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
The handling editor declared a past co-authorship with the author LP
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Citation: Puelles L (2021) Recollections on the Origins and Development of the Prosomeric Model
Copyright © 2021 Puelles. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
*Correspondence: Luis Puelles, cHVlbGxlc0B1bS5lcw==; orcid.org/0000-0002-9541-7073
Asia Eng and Antonia Aguilar Cole [courtesy photo]With grit and dedication
the Villa Parke boxing program’s Golden Girls have punched and jabbed their way into the Golden Gloves State Championship this weekend
Asia Eng and Antonia Aguilar Cole will be fighting on April 1 and 2 in Concord
If they win the upcoming state championship
they will advance to the Golden Gloves nationals tournament to be held in Pennsylvania from May 8-13 and could potentially earn a spot at the Olympic qualifiers
The proud boxing instructor of the quartet
head boxing instructor at the Villa Parke Boxing Gym
said it is their dedication that sets these women apart from others
“They have put so much work and dedication into their workouts and into the sport,” he said
who will be fighting at the 178-pound division
has been with the Villa Parke boxing program since she was 11
“She lives and breathes boxing for all her life
That’s her,” De La Torre said of Martinez
having been listed as a finalist for the Olympic trials in the past
Martinez said she picked boxing as her sport because she experienced bullying when she was young
She said the sport strengthened her not only mentally but as well as physically
head boxing instructor at the Villa Parke Boxing Gym [Eddie Rivera/Pasadena Now]“What I love about this sport is that you’re able to express yourself through the sport
You’re able to leave it all in the ring
but it’s about being a smarter fighter
being able to show and display your hard work
“This sport has taught me so much discipline
It has taught me that I have to also prepare for life
I have to also make sure that I was able to get an education through the sport of boxing
It just helps you become a better person.”
Martinez’s goal is to make it to the Olympic trials again and get a gold medal
“I wasn’t able to get a gold medal a few years back
but now I want to try it again and test myself again
“She tries really hard to keep up with the team,” he said
“She doesn’t have a lot of experience
Machabie will be fighting in the Golden Gloves State finals at 146 pounds
She started boxing in 2018 but it was only over summer last year that she got into competitive boxing and truly dedicated herself to the sport
There’s so many layers to the sport that it really challenges you as an athlete
“And just like the intricacies of the art to really exercise discipline
see how far you can progress in something and learn the footwork like the different striking techniques and build your endurance.”
Machabie admitted being in male-dominated sports is hard at the beginning because as a female no one will take you seriously until you have proven yourself
you need to be a competitor or no one’s going to pick you up just because you’re a woman
Then everybody will skip on you to play a five-on-five game
but then when you prove yourself that you’re a competitor and you can score
And I feel like it’s the same in boxing.”
“You prove that you love the craft and you can compete and then more men are likely to spar with you
It’s kind of a ceiling because you are a woman
but we’re trying to break through that.”
The most important thing she learned from the sport is the importance of consistency and teachability
Machabie hopes to win on Sunday and make it to the Olympic team
“I think that’s the first goal — to see if I can try to make the Olympic team
It’s going to take a lot of training.”
Eng has been in the sport for about 10 years now but she has been with Villa Parke boxing program only for four years
Described by De La Torre as a “very strong” and “seasoned” fighter
will be fighting the State finals at 139 pounds
boxing for Eng is a “violent dance.”
so it’s really important for my mental [health]
“I feel like I give a little piece of myself in the ring and that person also gives a little piece of themselves in the ring and we just share like this very unique experience
There’s a lot of reasons why I like boxing and those are just a handful.”
Eng finds it satisfying to constantly grow in the sport
so I know I’m a [stronger] person this year than I was last year.”
She has also learned that while boxing is a one man sport when inside the ring
winning is impossible without the community
“I couldn’t be there without my coach or my stablemates
I also can’t do it without the people who helped me in the gym.”
“I’d be really nice if I could learn how to give back to teach it at the gym
I would like to become a referee or judge or just see where the sport can carry me.”
Described by De La Torre as a committed and hardworking boxer
Cole will be fighting in the 125-pound flyweight division
“I really love the sport,” said Cole
who started boxing when she was in college
People say boxing is the loneliest sport because it’s you in that ring
But what I found is that I have my coach in the corner
and it’s really been a journey of finding yourself and finding your capabilities.”
Cole has also tried other sports including basketball and weightlifting
“For me [boxing] has become a way of life
So it has really become the foundation for how I live my life and the way I train and the things I interact with.”
just fight the good fight and have fun,” Cole said when asked about her goal
De La Torre said the four are now undergoing rigorous training in preparation for their upcoming fight
The four go to the gym two to three times a day for workouts and training
“Three times out of the week we’re out sparring
So we go to different gyms and we spar with other girls or other males,” De La Torre added
“They can either be male or female just to keep them prepared
Golden Gloves is one of the most prestigious amateur boxing in the sport of amateur boxing
which features both male and female amateur boxers ages 18 and up from across Southern California
will serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics in France
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Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inborn metabolic error caused by mutations in the ALPL gene encoding tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) and leading to decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Although the main characteristic of this disease is bone involvement, it presents a great genetic and clinical variability, which makes it a systemic disease.
The two new mutations have been classified as pathogenic. At the clinical level, this study suggests that both mutations not only lead to pathognomonic symptoms of the disease, but may also play a role at the systemic level.
Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1320516
Introduction: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inborn metabolic error caused by mutations in the ALPL gene encoding tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) and leading to decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity
Although the main characteristic of this disease is bone involvement
it presents a great genetic and clinical variability
Methods: Patients were recruited based on biochemical assessments
Diagnosis was made by measuring serum ALP and pyridoxal 5-phosphate levels and finally by Sanger sequencing of the ALPL gene from peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Characterization of the new variants was performed by transfection of the variants into HEK293T cells
where ALP activity and cellular localization were measured by flow cytometry
The dominant negative effect was analyzed by co-transfection of each variant with the wild-type gene
measuring ALP activity and analyzing cellular localization by flow cytometry
Results: Two previously undescribed variants were found in the ALPL gene: leucine 6 to serine missense mutation (c.17T>C
L6S) affecting the signal peptide and threonine 167 deletion (c.498_500delCAC
T167del) affecting the vicinity of the active site
These mutations lead mainly to non-pathognomonic symptoms of HPP
Structural prediction and modeling tools indicated the affected residues as critical residues with important roles in protein structure and function
In vitro results demonstrated low TNSALP activity and a dominant negative effect in both mutations
The results of the characterization of these variants suggest that the pleiotropic role of TNSALP could be involved in the systemic effects observed in these patients highlighting digestive and autoimmune disorders associated with TNSALP dysfunction
Conclusions: The two new mutations have been classified as pathogenic
this study suggests that both mutations not only lead to pathognomonic symptoms of the disease
but may also play a role at the systemic level
Figure 1 Main functions of TNSALP in the body
(A) shows the correct function of TNASLP: PPi is hydrolyzed to Pi for subsequent conversion to hidroxyhapatite crystals (HAP) in microvesicles via the action of TNSALP
PLP is hydrolyzed to PL by TNSALP to cross the blood-brain barrier
where it is subsequently reconstituted into PLP and leads to the formation of neurotransmitters
(B) shows the molecular effects related to defective TNSALP: Loss of function in TNSALP produces an accumulation of its substrates
PPi inhibits bone mineralization while PLP cannot cross the blood-brain barrier
decreasing the production of neurotransmitters
(C) shows clinical manifestations related to defective TNSALP: The accumulation of PPi alters calcium/phosphate homeostasis
while increased levels of PLP lead to a decrease in B6 supply at the neurological level
the autoimmune and digestive implications have not been explored to date
although there appears to be a relationship between low in vitro TNSALP levels and disease severity
there are other variables that influence the development of clinical manifestations in affected patients
two previously undescribed mutations are presented in two patients recently diagnosed with childhood-onset HPP
with no familial relationship and with completely different clinical features
The aim is to characterize each of the new mutations at the genetic
structural and functional levels to establish a relationship with the clinical features
Clinical characteristics and biochemical parameters have been useful in establishing a correct diagnosis of the rest of the relatives
it is worth emphasizing the importance of establishing a geno-phenotypic relationship for each newly identified mutation to provide more information and better patient management
Two fifteen-year-old male patients were evaluated in the Endocrinology Unit of the University Hospital Clínico San Cecilio of Granada following the algorithm developed by García-Fontana et al. (4). Neither of the two patients took vitamin B6 supplements. Patients with secondary causes of hypophosphatasemia such as malnutrition, magnesium and zinc deficiencies, haemochromatosis or certain therapies, were excluded (2, 27)
Two venous blood samples were taken from each patient at the Clinical Analysis Unit of the University Hospital Clínico San Cecilio; one was for ALP and PLP determinations
and the other one was used for ALPL gene sequencing
Written informed consent was obtained from their legal guardians and an individualized and personal interview was conducted on potentially related HPP symptoms
This study was approved by the ethics committee of Granada following the principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (Project ID: 0777-M1-20
Research Ethics Committee of Granada Center [(CEI-Granada) on 8 May 2019]
Plasma PLP levels were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) at the Clinical Unit of the University Hospital Niño Jesús (Madrid)
Chromatographic determination was determined using an isocratic HPLC system
an emission laser at 320 nm and a fluorescence detector was used
Reference values (3.6-18 ng/mL) were established by University Hospital Niño Jesús and for fifteen-year-old males
a copy variant number study was performed by multiple ligation probe amplification (MLPA) (MRCHolland) and the results were analyzed using the SeqPilot program (JSI Medical System)
The Biomedical Diagnostic Center of the Clinic Hospital of Barcelona provided the sequencing results
After confirmation of the presence of mutations in the ALPL gene in the two patients
available relatives were recruited to perform ALP blood measurements
the reference values for adult males were 43-115 IU/L while for females were 33-98 IU/L
MutPred, PROVEAN and Mutation Taster algorithms were used to predict the consequences of protein mutations. Combined annotation-dependent depletion (CADD) was used to rank mutations according to impact and was compared to the mutation significance cut-off (MSC) obtained for CADD scores (30)
Both mutations have already been introduced into the VarSome database with references NM_000478:c.17T>C for the L6S variant and NM_001369805.2:c.498_500del for the T167del variant
For 3D modelling, the complete atomic model was predicted using AlphaFold2_advanced (32). The models with the highest scores in the local distance difference test (pLDDT) were chosen. Finally, the visualization and preparation of the figures were performed using Chimera X software (33)
Human embryonic kidney cells 293T (HEK293T) were used
cells were cultured at 37°C and 5% CO2 with Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) High Glucose (pH 7.2) (Biowest) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Capricorn scientific)
5% Ham’s F12 Nutrient Medium (Biowest) and 1% of 100X Antibiotic-Antimycotic (Biowest)
The vectors used were constructed by modifying the pcDNA3.1 plasmid
The ALPL gene with the study variants L6S (pcDNA3.1:ALPL c.17T>C) and T167del (pcDNA3.1:ALPL c.498_500delCAC) was inserted in this plasmid
The pcDNA3.1 plasmid with the WT ALPL gene insertion (pcDNA3.1: ALPL) was used as a positive control to functionally characterize the identified variants
The empty vector (EV) without insertion (pcDNA3.1) was used as a negative control to monitor the basal expression of the ALPL gene at the cellular level
The different variants of the ALPL gene were inserted between the HindIII and BamHI restriction sequences belonging to the multi-cloning site
150000 cells were grown per well in 24-well plates
transient transfection was performed by adding to each well 50 µL of serum-free DMEM containing 1.5 µL of LipoD293 DNA in vitro transfection reagent (SignaGen Laboratories) and 500 ng of the corresponding plasmid
Co-transfections were carried out by mixing 250 ng of each variant with 250 ng of WT obtaining 500 ng of total reaction
The cells were incubated for 18 hours with the mixture and after that time
2 mL of DMEM supplemented with serum was added
the cells were incubated for 24 hours and harvested for the different assays
The term homozygous will refer to cells transfected with a single plasmid while the term heterozygous will refer to cells co-transfected unless otherwise indicated
the results were analyzed by using the ΔΔCt method
Cell viability was determined by using FITC Annexin V Apoptosis Detection Kit I (BD Biosciences) following the manufacturer’s protocol
Cells that were negative for both propidium iodide and Annexin V expression were considered viable cells
while cells that were positive for Annexin V
individually or together with propidium iodide
Antigenic density was performed following the protocol developed by Lopez-Perez et al. (34)
the cells were washed with PBS and incubated with 2 µL of BV421 Mouse Anti-Human Alkaline Phosphatase (BD Biosciences) for 20 minutes
the cells were fixed with 4% formaldehyde for 20 minutes
the cells were washed twice with PBS and resuspended in 100 µL
To standardize the expression of TNSALP variants on cell membranes
5 µL of CountBright™ Absolute Count Beads (Invitrogen) were resuspended in 100 µL of PBS
All results were obtained with the BD FACSAria III Cell Sorter flow cytometer (BD Biosciences) on a logarithmic scale
Antigenic density was calculated as the ratio of the median intensities of the TNSALP-positive cells versus the median intensity obtained by the CountBrigh Absolute Count Beads
TNSALP activity was measured at a wavelength of 450 nm by spectrophotometry (Dynex Technologies) using the Alkaline Phosphatase Detection Kit (Abnova) from cell extracts according to the manufacturer’s recommended protocol
Each experiment was performed in triplicate
Saphiro-Wilk test was used to test the normal distribution of data
To evaluate the differences between groups
the one-way ANOVA test was used followed by Tukey HSD
P-values below 0.05 were considered significant
All tests were conducted with GraphPad Prism 9.5.1
Table 1 shows the results of the biochemical analyses of each patient
The blood ALP activity in Patient 1 (P1) and 2 (P2) had persistently low ALP activity (73 IU/L and 45 IU/L respectively) while the PLP concentration were 6.5 and 2.5 times higher (118 µg/L and 45.5 µg/L respectively) than the normal values
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dyspepsia
vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure (HBP) while P2 presented clinical manifestations related to autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and inverse psoriasis in addition to vitamin D deficiency
P2 was treated with calciferol and immunosuppressants
none of the patients presented pathognomonic symptoms of HPP
both patients maintained persistently low levels of ALP activity (P1: 42 IU/L; P2 38 IU/L)
Table 1 Anthropometric and clinical parameters of HPP patients
P1 presented a missense mutation in heterozygosis in the second exon of the ALPL gene (c.17T>C) changing a leucine for serine in position 6 of the protein sequence (L6S). P2 was found to be heterozygous for a three-nucleotide in-frame deletion (c.498_500del) that resulted in the loss of the threonine residue at position 167 (T167del) in the TNSALP sequence. Figure 2A shows a schematic context of the newly identified variants at genomic
Both mutations have not been previously described in the scientific literature as they have not been found in any database such as genomeAD LOVD or Clinical relevant Variation (ClinVar) (Web References)
The results of the pathogenicity predictions are shown in Table 2
P1 showed a disparity of results regarding the prognosis of the severity of the disease caused by the mutation
the P2 mutation was classified as pathogenic in all the programs used
Table 2 Features of new mutations found in patients 1 and 2
Table 3 Clinical results of relatives affected with HPP
To know the degree of conservation of the mutated amino acids, MSA was performed using TNSALP sequences. Twenty animal TNSALP sequences were chosen for MSA (Supplementary Figure S1)
The results obtained demonstrated that the beginning of the sequence is quite poorly conserved except for three amino acids, M1, L6 and L8, which match all the sequences analyzed. Regarding the mutation of P2, the T167 matches throughout all aligned sequences (Figure 2C)
After simulation in AlphaFold2_advanced, the highest-ranked predictions based on the pLDDT score were chosen for WT (Figure 3A) and both new variants
Figure 3 TNSALP 3D modelling based on the algorithm developed in AlphaFold2_advanced and visualized in Chimera X (Web References)
(A) shows the visualization of TNSALP WT top and bottom structure
(B) shows the representation of the WT TNSALP and variant L6S signal peptide
(C) shows the representation of the structural characteristics of the T167del mutation
The shortening of the loop due to the deletion of T167 causes the loss of most of the hydrogen bonds
including those that affect the catalytic site
Results of ALPL gene expression by RT-qPCR showed that cells transfected with the mutated vectors and with the WT vector had a 45-55 fold change compared to EV (p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the mutations and WT (Figure 4A)
Figure 4 In vitro characterization of TNSALP activity of studied variants
Results are expressed as mean with standard deviation
ANOVA was used for comparisons between groups (***p<0.001)
(A) shows relative mRNA expression after overexpression of new ALPL gene variants in HEK293T cells
The results were normalized using the housekeeping RPL13
(B) shows cell viability results obtained by flow cytometry
The results of survival and apoptosis were represented as a percentage concerning the total count of the cells in each culture
(C) shows TNSALP activity determination of the new ALPL variants
The quantitative results of the ALP assay were expressed in International Units per milligram of protein (IU/mg)
(D) shows determination of the dominant negative effect of the study variants
Determinations were made by TNSALP activity and normalized per mg of protein
Cell survival was not compromised in any of the cases. Figure 4B shows that all populations had high survival rates (92-89%) and low apoptosis rates (5-7%)
no statistically significant differences were observed between any of the study groups
TNSALP activity in transfected cells showed a decrease in two variants compared to the WT protein. As shown in Figure 4C
with no significant differences with respect to EV whereas the L6S variant had a statistically significant higher activity compared to EV and the T167del mutation
Regarding the measurements of the TNSALP activity in the co-transfections, lower activity is observed in those in which the mutations were used compared to those that used EV (Figure 4D)
EV: WT presents a percentage of activity of 53.06%
which represents half of the total activity obtained in cells transfected in homozygosis with the WT plasmid
while L6S: WT and T167del: WT in heterozygosis presented an average activity of 36.33
These results confirm that although both variants generate a DNE
the T167del variant exerts a greater effect than the L6S variant on the WT monomer
The expression of TNSALP in the cell membrane was analyzed by flow cytometry in homozygosity and heterozygosity of each variant
The WT variant expressed a significantly higher amount of surface protein (0.749) than the other variants
There were no differences between the populations that expressed the T167del (0.27) and L6S (0.24) variants; however
the cells that expressed T167del showed a greater amount of TNSALP on the surface than those cells that expressed EV (0.17)
Figure 5 Determination of TNSALP localization on the cell surface of HEK293T cells
(A) shows an example of flow cytometry gating and histogram in cells homozygous and heterozygous for TNSALP variants
The internal control is represented by the histogram in pink
C) show the percentage of TNSALP positive cells (B) and TNSALP relative expression on cell surface (C) in homozygosis
ANOVA was used for comparisons between groups (***p<0.001
E) show the percentage of TNSALP positive cells (D) and TNSALP relative expression on cell surface (E) in heterozygosis
previously undescribed variants in the ALPL gene have been identified in two 15-year-old male patients
leading to the genetic screening of the patients’ relatives for better understanding and personalized management for affected families
For T167del variant T167 could play an important role as a stabilizer of the active site
since we found that it has a structural function providing stability to E332
a direct Mg2+ ligand that is part of the catalytic center
Based on our results and previous scientific literature
T167del variant has been classified as pathogenic
This agrees with the results obtained for T167del (located close to the active center of the protein) which showed more severe DNE
We have observed a decrease not only in the percentage of cells that express TNSALP but also in the amount of protein in the membrane
the amino acid L6 could play an important role in the process of exporting TNSALP to the cell membrane which could explain the low antigenic density of TNSALP although the percentage of cells expressing this protein is higher
the underlying mechanisms in the alteration of the cellular localization of the protein are unknown to date
we suggest that the mutated protein could be taken to the proteasome for its complete degradation
which would explain the low activity and antigenic density of both homozygous and heterozygous
The computational 3D modeling and alignment linked to clinical results and functional analyses
suggest that L6S variant could be classified as likely pathogenic associated with a mild HPP phenotype
all the data collected suggest the classification of this variant as likely pathogenic with a moderate phenotype
offering valuable insights for forthcoming research endeavors
although it is difficult to establish a gene-phenotypic relationship of each variant described in HPP due to the participation of several external factors that enhance phenotypic variability
it is important to identify and characterize new variants that serve as a starting point for future research and patient management
we have identified two new previously undescribed variants that produce clinical manifestations of HPP more related to systemic diseases than to bone disorders
Considering the results shown in this study linked to previous scientific evidence
we suggest low ALP activity could be related to worsening of inflammatory/autoimmune disorders in HPP patients
In this study we show that both new identified mutations could be classified as likely pathogenic and have a DNE that affects both enzymatic activity and cell location through overexpression in HEK293T cells
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material
Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors
The studies involving humans were approved by Research Ethics Committee of Granada Center (Project ID: 0777-M1-20 approved on 8 May 2019)
The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements
Written informed consent for participation in this study was provided by the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin
This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III grant PI21/01069 co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)
by Junta de Andalucı́a grant PI-0268-2019 and by CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES;CB16/10/00475)
TG-C and BG-F are funded by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FI19/00118
VC-B is funded by Junta de Andalucı́a grant (RH-0141-2020)
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1320516/full#supplementary-material
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Received: 12 October 2023; Accepted: 04 December 2023;Published: 03 January 2024
Copyright © 2024 Martínez-Heredia, Muñoz-Torres, Sanabria-de la Torre, Jiménez-Ortas, Andújar-Vera, González-Cejudo, Contreras-Bolívar, González-Salvatierra, Gómez-Vida, García-Fontana and García-Fontana. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
*Correspondence: Manuel Muñoz-Torres, bW10QG1hbXV0by5lcw==; Cristina García-Fontana, Y2dmb250YW5hQHVnci5lcw==
Volume 15 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnana.2021.806815
The vestibular column is located in the hindbrain between the sensory auditory (dorsal) and trigeminal (ventral) columns
It contains the vestibular nuclear complex that receives sensory innervation from the labyrinthine end organs in the inner ear
Gene expression studies and experimental manipulations of developmental genes
particularly Hox genes and other developmental patterning genes
are providing insight into the morphological and functional organization of the vestibular nuclear complex
we will review studies of the classical vestibular nuclei and of vestibular projection neurons that innervate distinct targets in relation to individual rhombomeres and the expression of specific genes
Studies in different species have demonstrated that the vestibular complex is organized into a hodological mosaic that relates axon trajectory and target to specific hindbrain rhombomeres and intrarhombomeric domains
with a molecular underpinning in the form of transcription factor signatures
which has been highly conserved during the evolution of the vertebrate lineage
descending (spinal) vestibular nucleus; IC
descending (inferior) vestibular nucleus; Is
Their results suggest a plurisegmental subdivision of the vestibular column from r7 to r11
Expression of selected molecular markers in the cytoarchitectonic vestibular nuclei of the mouse according to existing literature in mammals (see main text)
Sagittal sections were obtained from ISH data of the Allen Brain platform
Anatomical landmarks with known rhombomeric locations are indicated
and rhombomeres are delimited based on Reference Atlas (Allen Developing Mouse Brain Atlas)
(A) Phox2b expression (experiment 100085299; image 7 of 18); (B,C) Slc6a5 expression (experiment 100057240; images 10 and 11 of 19
lateral vestibular nucleus (dorsal Deiterśnucleus); LVe (v)
descending (inferior) vestibular nucleus; LVe/VeL
Other types of vestibular projection neurons (vestibulo-vestibular
vestibulo-thalamic) remain to be characterized according to rhombomeric organization
Most of the analyzed vestibular projection neuron groups are plurisegmental in origin with some exceptions
such as the lateral vestibulospinal group (LVST group) and the ipsilateral medial vestibulospinal group (iMVST group) which derive
from r4 and r6 in the mouse and chicken (see below)
The vestibular “hodological mosaic” has been corroborated both in amniotes and anamniotes [see below; reviewed in Glover (2000; 2003, 2020a,b); Díaz and Glover (2002); Di Bonito et al. (2013); Straka and Baker (2013); Díaz and Puelles (2019)]
This implies that the patterning of the hodological mosaic reflects an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that links position
gene expression differences between rhombomeric domains contribute to creating functional diversity among vestibular projection neuron subpopulations
has not yet been characterized developmentally
Table 1. Transcription factor signatures of the vestibulospinal neuron groups relative to the rhombomeres [based on Lunde et al. (2019)]
Vestibulo-ocular projections to the abducens nucleus have not yet been defined in the same hodological context
With respect to the relationship between the hodologically defined vestibulo-ocular groups and rhombomeric domains, the cR-VO group relates to a single rhombomere (r1), whereas the iR-VO and cC-VO groups derive from multiple rhombomeres (r2-r3 and r5-r7, respectively; Pasqualetti et al., 2007)
so the cC-VO group should contain predominantly excitatory neurons
The cR-VO group is partially located in the ventral part of the caudal cerebellar peduncle in r1 (Figure 5E). This hodological cR-VO subpopulation was correlated with the infracerebellar nucleus by Pasqualetti et al. (2007)
based on a comparison with mammalian literature
Perhaps this r1-related cR-VO subpopulation
whose axons project in the brachium conjuctivum
is actually patterned as part of the cerebellar anlage by the isthmic organizer
rather than as part of the vestibular column per se
The relationship between hodologically defined vestibular groups with classically defined nuclei is summarized in Figure 6
contralateral vestibulo-ocular group; cMVST
contralateral medial vestibulospinal group; DVe (SPVe)
descending (spinal or inferior) vestibular nucleus; iMVST
ipsilateral medial vestibulospinal group; iR-VO
The vestibulo-thalamic and vestibulo-reticular projections have yet to be explored in any species in a rhombomeric context
contralateral caudal vestibulo-cerebellar group; cC-VO
contralateral caudal vestibulo-ocular group; cMVST
contralateral medial vestibulo-spinal group; cR-VC
contralateral rostral vestibulo-cerebellar group; cR-VO
contralateral rostral vestibulo-ocular group; iC-VC
ipsilateral caudal vestibulocerebellar group; iC-VO
ipsilateral caudal vestibulo-ocular group; iMVST
ipsilateral rostral vestibulocerebellar group; iR-VO
ipsilateral rostral vestibulo-ocular group; LVST
other hodologically defined cell groups are plurisegmental (for example
Interspecies variations have also been described in the mediolateral axis (Figure 7); indicating that comparative studies of the dorsoventral sources of these neuron groups are needed
a segmental interpretation of morphological
and developmental data has contributed to clarifying the anatomical and functional organization of the vestibular column
wherein each rhombomere has a unique gene expression signature
correlates with hodologically defined vestibular neuron groups with specific functional identities related to axon trajectory and synaptic target
The hodologically defined vestibular neuron groups are unisegmental or plurisegmental in origin; in contrast
the classical cytoarchitectonic nuclei are mainly plurisegmental
the hodological neuron pattern is highly conserved through vertebrate evolution
JCG: conceptualization and writing and revision
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Copyright © 2022 Diaz and Glover. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
*Correspondence: Carmen Diaz, Y2FybWVuLmRpYXpAdWNsbS5lcw==; Joel C. Glover, am9lbC5nbG92ZXJAbWVkaXNpbi51aW8ubm8=
Post hoc analysis of the ISAACC study, including 723 patients admitted for a first ACS (NCT01335087) in which RP was performed. To identify specific RP patterns, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using six RP parameters: AHI, oxygen desaturation index, mean and minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2), average duration of events and percentage of time with SaO2 < 90%. An independent HypnoLaus population-based cohort was used to validate the RP components.
A RP component, mainly characterized by intermittent hypoxemia, is associated with a high risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients without previous CVD who have suffered a first ACS.
Volume 9 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.870906
Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity is based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)
The AHI is a simplistic measure that is inadequate for capturing disease severity and its consequences in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
Deleterious effects of OSA have been suggested to influence the prognosis of specific endotypes of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
We aim to identify respiratory polygraphy (RP) patterns that contribute to identifying the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with ACS
Methods: Post hoc analysis of the ISAACC study
including 723 patients admitted for a first ACS (NCT01335087) in which RP was performed
a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using six RP parameters: AHI
average duration of events and percentage of time with SaO2 < 90%
An independent HypnoLaus population-based cohort was used to validate the RP components
PCA showed that two RP components accounted for 70% of the variance in the RP data
These components were validated in the HypnoLaus cohort
with two similar RP components that explained 71.3% of the variance in the RP data
The first component (component 1) was mainly characterized by low mean SaO2 and obstructive respiratory events with severe desaturation
and the second component (component 2) was characterized by high mean SaO2 and long-duration obstructive respiratory events without severe desaturation
component 2 was associated with an increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in the third tertile with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of 2.44 (1.07 to 5.56; p-value = 0.03) compared to first tertile
no significant association was found for the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events
mainly characterized by intermittent hypoxemia
is associated with a high risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients without previous CVD who have suffered a first ACS
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and more than half are consequences of coronary heart disease, which is often manifested for the first time as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Ranging from unstable angina to myocardial infarction, ACS is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide (1, 2)
The AHI does not provide information about apnea depth and length and is a simplistic measure that has many downsides and could result in inadequate capture of the severity of the disease
Respiratory polygraphy (RP) allows the evaluation of a large number of physiological signals associated with respiratory disorders during sleep
Polygraphic recordings include at least oronasal flow
Dimensionality reduction technique allows the transformation of data from a high-dimensional space into a low-dimensional space so that the low-dimensional representation retains some meaningful properties of the original data
The dimensionality reduction analysis of the signals of RP could contribute to the construction of models that would relate OSA to cardiovascular risk
Available evidence supports that the indicators of cardiovascular risk in patients with OSA
we aimed to evaluate the RP patterns that could contribute to identifying the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with a first ACS and without previous CVD
Acute coronary syndrome was defined as the acute presentation of coronary disease with or without ST elevation infarction
The ethics committee of each participating center approved the study (approval number in the coordinating center: 2010-852) and patients provided written informed consent
The RP components in the ISAACC cohort was externally validated in the HypnoLaus population-based cohort (3), a nested-study of CoLaus/PsyCoLaus (15, 16)
This study was designed to assess the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in a general population aged 35–75 years who were selected at random and were enrolled in the study
Questionnaires to record demographic and anthropometric characteristics
medical history and usual pharmacological treatment were administered the day before the sleep study along with questionnaires associated with quality of life (EuroQol-5D questionnaire) and the degree of daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale test)
All patients were evaluated at baseline and 1 month
All patients were monitored and followed up for a minimum of 1 year
sociodemographic and anthropometric variables previously related to increased cardiovascular risk were recorded
Each follow-up visit included assessments of the rate of a composite of cardiovascular events [cardiovascular death or non-fatal events (acute myocardial infarction
hospital admission for heart failure and new hospitalizations for unstable angina or transient ischemic attack)]
we explored RP parameters to identify specific components
We explored the contribution of RP components to the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events
The cardiovascular risk variables explored were age, sex, current cigarette smoking, current alcohol consumption, obesity, hypertension, previous cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥100 mg/dL or the use of lipid-lowering drugs). Moreover, on the basis of cardiovascular risk prediction models (17, 18)
we explored the following other cardiovascular variables: antihypertensive drugs
no in-hospital percutaneous coronary intervention troponin and mean SaO2
Participants underwent full polysomnography at home. Details of the sampling and procedure methodologies have been described elsewhere (3, 15)
we analyzed the data from 1941 HypnoLaus patients
The ethics committee of the University of Lausanne approved the CoLaus/PsyCoLaus cohort study and the HypnoLaus Sleep Cohort study
We obtained written informed consent from all participants
The main characteristics were described using medians (25th percentile and 75th percentile) or percentages. The P value for trend was evaluated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient when data were continuous and non-normally distributed and the chi-square test for trend when they were categorical (19)
Statistical analyses were conducted using R, version 3.6 (22)
and statistical significance was set at 0.05
Baseline characteristics of patients from the ISAACC cohort
The external validation cohort was 2,168 individuals from the HypnoLaus population-based cohort. Finally, 1941 individuals were selected without previous CVD and available data. The median age was 56.9 years, 47% were males, and the median AHI was 9.8 events per hour (Supplementary Table 3)
The mean time of follow-up (or CV event) was 4.25 (standard deviation: 1.77) years
Correlations between respiratory polygraphy parameters and components derived from the PCA
accounted for 43 and 26% of the total variance
accounted for 49.2 and 22.1% of the total variance
Dashed lines represent –0.5 and 0.5 correlations
Description of the respiratory polygraphy parameters by tertiles of the components derived from the PCA in the ISAACC cohort
ISAACC patients were characterized using sociodemographic and clinical characteristics by tertiles of the two RP components (Supplementary Table 7)
Patients with high adherence in component 1 had more comorbidities
as the third tertile showed a greater proportion of patients with obesity
Similar characteristics were shown by tertiles of component 2
In the same way, HypnoLaus subjects were described using sociodemographic and clinical characteristics by tertiles of the two RP components (Supplementary Table 8)
Subjects with high adherence in component 1 had more comorbidities
as third tertile showed a greater proportion of subjects with hypertension
dyslipidemia and a higher body mass index (BMI)
the third tertile showed a greater proportion of subjects with hypertension
a lower proportion of subjects with dyslipidemia and no differences regarding BMI and diabetes
In the present study, from the ISAACC study, we explored specific RP parameters and components (Supplementary Table 9) in the subgroup of patients admitted by a first ACS and without previous CVD (n = 723)
In the subgroup of patients without previous ACS, OSA severity (measured by AHI) showed a trend toward statistical association [HR (95% CI) of 1.62 (0.98–2.66)] with an increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events (Supplementary Table 10)
In the analysis of RP components and the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, it was observed that component 2 showed a significant independent association with the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with the highest adherence (3rd tertile) of component 2 with an adjusted HR (95% CI) of 2.44 (1.07 to 5.56). For component 1, no significant contribution was found to the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events (Table 3 and Figure 3)
The discriminatory power of the models showed a C-statistic for the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events of 72.3% for patients without previous CVD
Similar results were found exploring components from PCA as continuous [HR (95%CI): for Component 2: 1.38 (0.99–1.94) and for Component 1: 0.82 (0.6–1.13)]
Cox proportional hazard model for the primary composite endpoint in the ISAACC cohort
Hazard ratio for recurrent cardiovascular events by tertiles of respiratory polygraphy components in the ISAACC cohort
and lines represent 95% confidence intervals
hazard ratio (95% confidence interval); ACS
*Significant p values (p < 0.05)
In the HypnoLaus cohort the risk of recurrent cardiovascular event in patients with first ACS could not be assessed due to its population-based design
the RP components identified in the ISAACC cohort were also identified in the HypnoLaus population-based cohort
which captures only one aspect of this heterogeneous disease
The ability to dissect OSA heterogeneity using additional features is necessary for incorporating personalized approaches in disease management
we observed that the effect of OSA severity
showed a trend toward a statistical association (with an HR of 1.62) with the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in the group of patients without previous CVD
indicating an increase in the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events
we suggest that the analysis of other parameters from RP could contribute to the determination of RP components and their relationship with the development of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients who have suffered an ACS
an estimation of the depth and duration of respiratory-related desaturation
is an alternative metric associated with an increased risk of CVD mortality
the authors of that study admit that this measure does not fully characterize the components of hypoxic stress because it does not distinguish short and deep desaturations from long and shallow desaturations
we found that the component associated with recurrent cardiovascular events was component 2
The highest adherence to this component (3rd tertile)
showing the highest risk of recurrent cardiovascular events
higher mean SaO2 and longer event duration
This tertile would suggest an intermittent hypoxemia component
the lowest adherence to this component was characterized by lower AHI
which would suggest a sustained hypoxemia component
The results of the present study suggest that from available variables from RP
it is possible to improve the evaluation of the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events with an HR of 1.61 exclusively with AHI to 2.44 considering additional variables
The patients with the highest adherence to component 2 (3rd tertile)
which represents an intermittent hypoxemia component
strengthen the hypothesis that OSA exerts a risk in specific subgroups of patients with ACS
the patients with the lowest adherence to this component
would have a lower risk of recurrence of a cardiovascular event
the same RP components were found in the HypnoLaus cohort suggesting that these components are not specific to the ISAACC population
it was not possible to estimate the predictive nature of the identified RP components for recurrent cardiovascular events in this cohort
the low number of available cardiovascular events due to its population-based design
The existence of specific RP components that could be associated with detrimental effects in specific phenotypes of patients with ACS invites us to reconsider the design strategies of new interventional studies to demonstrate the possible beneficial effect of CPAP treatment on secondary CVD prevention. These preliminary results raise the possibility that, in studies such as the ISAACC study (8)
no beneficial effect was seen because of the inclusion of patients with different phenotypes of ACS where OSA could have different effects
The contribution of information about sleep phases should be explored in further studies
the results from the present study may not be extrapolated to a population different from that of patients admitted to the hospital for ACS
This fact makes it necessary to specifically identify phenotypes in patients with OSA who are attended in different clinical settings
in patients who have suffered a first ACS and without previous CVD
that is associated with a greater risk of recurrent cardiovascular events
These first exploratory results must be confirmed in future studies
which will evaluate the effect of RP components of specific ACS populations and the possible beneficial effect of CPAP treatment for patients with a first ACS and without previous CVD
in whom a deleterious effect of this RP component has been found
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material
further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors
The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study
Concepcioìn Rodriìguez-Garciìa
Francisco Javier Goìmez de Terreros Caro
Abel Jesuìs Martiìnez-Garciìa
and MS-d-l-T contributed to the study concept and design
and RH contributed to the data acquisition
and MS-d-l-T contributed to the data analysis and interpretation
All authors contributed to the drafting of the manuscript
critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content and approved the final version
MS-d-l-T is the guarantor of the manuscript
Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; PI10/02763
“Una manera de hacer europa,” IRBLleida – Fundació Pifarré
Associació Lleidatana de Respiratori (ALLER)
and Sociedad Española de Sueño (SES)
AZ is the recipient of a predoctoral fellowship “Ajuts 2021 de Promoció de la Recerca en Salut-9a edició” from IRBLleida/Diputació de Lleida
JD acknowledges receiving financial support from ISCIII (Miguel Servet 2019: CP19/00108)
co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)
“Investing in your future.” MS-d-l-T has received financial support from a “Ramón y Cajal” grant (RYC2019-027831-I) from the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación – Agencia Estatal de Investigación” co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)/“Investing in your future.” FB received funding from from ResMed (an Australian company that develops products related to sleep apnea)
The funders were not involved in the study design
or the decision to submit it for publication
We thank the individuals who participated in this trial and their families
the clinical and research teams of the various sleep and cardiology departments
and the Spanish Sleep Network for their work on the ISAACC study
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.870906/full#supplementary-material
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*Correspondence: Manuel Sánchez-de-la-Torre, c2FuY2hlemRlbGF0b3JyZUBnbWFpbC5jb20=; Geoffroy Solelhac, Z2VvZmZyb3kuc29sZWxoYWNAY2h1di5jaA==
†These authors share first authorship
‡These authors share senior authorship
Volume 7 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00155
This article is part of the Research TopicAfrican Swine FeverView all 11 articles
A correction has been applied to this article in:
Corrigendum: Evolution of the ASF Infection Stage in Wild Boar Within the EU (2014–2018)
African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most important emerging transboundary diseases of pigs
Nine countries in the continental European Union (Estonia
and Hungary) have been affected by ASF from 2014 to 2018 and it keeps spreading despite the efforts to control it
we have witnessed high case-fatality rates in wild boar found dead particularly in new infected areas
which is typical of the peracute and acute forms of the infection at the beginning of an ASF epidemic
Experimental evidence with currently circulating strains indicates that some infected animals can remain asymptomatic and might even survive the infection
An increased presence of virus of moderate virulence can complicate ASF diagnosis as well as the mitigation and control of the disease
We analyze the ASF surveillance data in wild boar in the four EU countries where ASF has been present for longer
comparing the spatial density of antibody positive notifications with the time ASF has been present per region
Results indicate an increasing annual distribution of notifications based on antibodies over nucleic acid detection in hunted wild boar in Estonia
and Poland seem to have experienced more acute forms in 2017 and 2018 than Latvia and Estonia
Overall there was a positive statistical correlation between time with infection (TWI) and antibody positive density
The increasing trend in potential survivors (hunted wild boar with confirmed PCR negative and antibody positive results) enhances the importance of surveillance design to sample and test shot wild boar
surveillance data based on ASFV detection by PCR and serology can be used to assess the status of the epidemic in wild boar
Despite the surveillance and control actions taken in the EU
ASF has since 2018 also quickly expanded in up to 10 countries in Asia including China
causing severe consequences within the pig industry
Of the 24 known genotypes of ASF virus (ASFV)
only two have caused epidemics outside Africa: genotype 1 (1960–1990's
affecting mainly Spain and Portugal in Europe and reaching some countries in Central and South America) and genotype 2 (current epidemic in Europe and Asia)
It has been hypothesized that under stressing conditions, like hunting, drought, lack of food or concomitant infections, survivors that have apparently cleared the infection (negative to virus detection but antibody positive) can become infectious again (11)
A prolonged shedding together with a higher percentage of survivors may therefore constitute a prolonged source of infection for other susceptible animals
possibly indicating the late phase of the epidemic
they recognize that ASF could become endemic instead of fading out
it is now clear that comprehensive surveillance and laboratory results based on ASFV detection by PCR and serology
can be used to assess the status of the epidemic in wild boar
The aim of this study is to analyze the ASF surveillance data notified through the EU Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS) with the objective of characterizing the infection in wild boar in those areas in which ASF has been present for longer (Estonia
one would expect to find a higher density of seropositive wild boar in those areas in which the infection has been present for longer
Each notification (confirmed ASF) in the ADNS database contains at least information on the host (wild boar/domestic pig)
There is space to add free text and countries generally include here other useful information in a non-systematic way: test results
We restricted the study to wild boar notifications
we were able to assign the category of dead/hunted for each wild boar notification
we searched for key terms like “hunted,” “shot,” “hunting,” “executed,” “killed,” “shoot,” to assign the “hunted” category
and “dead” or “found” for dead wild boar
some notifications included both the words hunted and dead in the text
and it was necessary to classify these on a one-by-one basis
When in the same notification there was information about both dead and hunted wild boar (n = 62)
we favored the category “hunted” since our interest is primarily to analyze the evolution of infection when the disease might be unnoticed
if there was no information on whether the wild boar were either hunted or dead
we favored the category “dead” (n = 1,213)
Notifications were also classified according to whether the confirmation of infection had been performed by PCR
which we assumed represented the initial stages of infection (Stage 1); by PCR and an antibody test (ELISA and/or IPT)
which we assumed would represent animals which had the infection for some time longer (Stage 2); or which were positive to the antibody test and the nucleic acid detection test was either not specified or negative
which we assume would represent the latest stage of infection
when ASFV detection decreases but immunity mounts
leading to an increased percentage of survivors (Stage 3)
For 1,160 notifications (<10% of the total 12,661) with no information on whether the wild boar was hunted or found dead or on the test used
we assumed they were dead wild boar tested with PCR
Wild boar notifications estimated to be in Stage 3 of infection comprise those with a positive antibody result together with either those that specifically state that a negative PCR has been obtained or those in which we assume the PCR has been negative because this diagnostic test result is not specified
The estimated TWI was explored spatially by representing the distribution of natural breaks (Jenks) classification in a choropleth map in each administrative unit
We explored whether there could be a correlation between the number of notifications in which antibodies were detected and the estimated TWI per administrative unit by computing Spearman's correlation coefficient Rho in R Core Team (24)
where a p <0.05 was considered statistically significant
The same analysis was also carried out with the proportion of notifications in which antibodies were detected and TWI
The ASF wild boar notifications with positive serology were fitted a kernel density function in a map
using geodesic distances between points and an output cell size of 0.034 sq km
Both maps were developed in ArcGIS 10.2 (ESRI) and were compared qualitatively
Lithuania and Poland mainly notified ASF in wild boar from dead animals
Lithuania and Poland have increased the number of notifications in wild boar each year
while Estonia's notifications in wild boar peaked in 2016 and Latvia's in 2017
Annual number of ASF notifications in wild boar
The annual distribution of notifications by diagnostic test used and estimated stage of infection is shown in Table 1
9,882) were based on PCR results (Stage 1)
The remaining 22% comprise 393 notifications that include both PCR and antibody positivity results (Stage 2) and 2,386 notifications based on antibody results only (Stage 3)
Annual distribution of ASF notifications in wild boar by diagnostic test/s used and estimated stage of infection
The apparent increase in notifications in Stage 3 can be better observed in Figure 2
where the proportion of notifications in each stage over the total ASF notifications in wild boar per year has been stratified by dead/hunted and by country
the predominant diagnostic result is obtained by PCR
In fact there are very few notifications (n = 15) in Stage 3 in dead wild boar: 2 from Latvia (one in 2015
the other in 2016) and the rest from Bialski
there are some differences by country but not statistically significant according to a factorial ANOVA test
the % of notifications based only on PCR results (Stage 1) has decreased since 2014 to give rise to the notifications based on antibody detection (Stage 3)
A factorial ANOVA test for hunted wild boar in Stage 3 showed statistically significant differences by year
particularly from 2016 onwards (Tukey's honest significant test
Only Lithuania has not increased the % of antibody notifications by year
1,218 Stage 3 notifications are truly PCR negative
antibody positive and in 1117 PCR is not mentioned
1,106 are from Latvia and exhibit an annual increasing trend (2015 = 158; 2016 = 282; 2017 = 297; 2018 = 369)
and the remaining 108 are from Poland (2016 =1; 2017 =19; 2018 = 88)
A Poisson regression model on the apparent annual increase of notifications in Stage 3 in Latvia indicates that it is statistically significant (p <0.01)
The correlation test indicated an overall strong positive statistical association between ASF serology notifications and TWI by administrative unit (rho = 0.77
the correlation was weaker when considering the proportion of notifications based on antibody detection (rho = 0.35
Proportion of ASF wild boar notifications by estimated stage of infection over total ASF annual wild boar notifications
Both Estonian virus were isolated from 2015 outbreaks
In both regions ASFV has continued to circulate since 2015
since Valga is classified in the longest TWI category (3.5–5 years) and Tartu in the second longest (2.5–3.5 years)
Both fall in an area corresponding to the second highest seroprevalence density category
the virus recovered from a 2017 outbreak in Engures was non-hemadsorbing (non-HAD)
This area has a TWI of only 1.5–2.5 years
however it also falls into an area with the second highest seroprevalence density category
Figure 4. Kernel density map of antibody-based ASF notifications in wild boar classified by natural breaks (darker color indicates higher density). Points indicate the location of ASF virus of attenuated virulence characterized at the EURL, from top to bottom: circle: ES15/WB/Tartu14 (5); square: ES15/WB/Valga6 (5); diamond: LV17/WB/Rie1 (6)
The analyses of the evolution of wild boar ASF notifications to the European Union (EU) surveillance database (ADNS) in Estonia
the four countries which have had ASF since its introduction in the EU in 2014
reveal a progressive and statistically significant increase in the percentage of notifications based on antibody positive results with either negative or assumed negative PCR result in the period 2014–2018 in hunted wild boar (Stage 3)
even if the number of notifications in hunted wild boar has remained relatively stable and much lower than notifications of wild boar found dead across the whole period
The annual increase in “truly” Stage 3 (PCR negative
antibody positive) notifications was tested only for Latvia since it was the only country with consistent data across the study period
that in pigs surviving acute or subacute infections
viral DNA has been detected in blood for up to 78 days
since there has been up to now an active component of surveillance for hunted boars in infected areas
this offered an opportunity to evaluate the likelihood of ASFV spread by “healthy” animals
more antibody positive and PCR negative field samples are to be expected if the surveillance design still contemplates hunting to test wild boar for control and eradication purposes at least
This is because antibodies for ASF are assumed to remain for life
it is with intermittent peaks and therefore easier to miss under surveillance conditions
the probability of finding more animals surviving the infection should not be considered a rare event in the current epidemiological situation
particularly if there are only a few hours of light like is the case in the Baltic countries in winter
it can also be difficult to find dead animals under harsh weather conditions
Wild boar surveillance data is imperfect by nature and its epidemiological interpretation is of utmost importance to understand the extent of the infection in the field
Both aspects could explain the increase in ASF wild boar found dead
there has been an increase in the proportion of antibody positive notifications
concentrates a high number of notifications with serology
there is a strong statistical correlation between the number of notifications with an antibody positive result and TWI per administrative unit
which is what was expected given the common regulatory framework that harmonizes surveillance efforts among countries
The continuous presence of ASF in certain areas together with the never-ending threat of reintroduction from endemic areas or with a tendency to become endemic should be considered to update the surveillance and control plans
the TWI provides a relatively fast and easy tool to assess the evolution of ASFV infection by geographical area even with limited population data
Surveillance based on ASFV detection by PCR and serology is a powerful source of data to assess the status of the epidemic in wild boar despite its imperfect nature
and allows to follow up the evolution of further potential survivors
Data were from the EU Animal Disease Notification System database. The authors don't have permission to share the datasets. Requests to access these datasets should be directed to Marta Martínez-Avilés, bWFydGEuc2FuaWRhZGFuaW1hbC5pbmZvQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ==
This study was funded by the INIA project AT2015_002
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Citation: Martínez-Avilés M
Iglesias I and De La Torre A (2020) Evolution of the ASF Infection Stage in Wild Boar Within the EU (2014–2018)
Received: 30 October 2019; Accepted: 03 March 2020; Published: 01 April 2020
Copyright © 2020 Martínez-Avilés, Iglesias and De La Torre. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
*Correspondence: Marta Martínez-Avilés, bWFydGEuc2FuaWRhZGFuaW1hbC5pbmZvQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ==
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Counselors — Jean Marius Andriatsitoherina
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end user computing manager; succeeding Dennis O
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general director; succeeding Vally Tshimanga Kapepula; wife
2022) President — Danny Joel Vasquez Aguirre
2022) President — Osvaldo Elias Martinez Carreño
Seminaries and Institutes of Religion director; succeeding Juan C
Counselors — Flavio Cristian Manfred Henriquez Sanchez
warehouse manager; succeeding Modesto Mendez; wife
Counselors — Luis Alberto Hernandez Moreno
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lawyer and Municipality of Sete Lagoas coordinator; succeeding Márcio Batista Souza; wife
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IDIBAPS researchers have published in Nature Protocols the process for the directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hepatic stellate cells (iPSC-HSCs)
Raquel Martínez García de la Torre and Julia Vallverdú
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INDIANAPOLIS — Sometimes obsession pays off.For the last 3 1/2 months
has been obsessed with catching Kerry Silvers.On Wednesday
was caught in Mexico as the result of a multi-agency effort Wojdylo coordinated
Police say Silvers may have critical information about the disappearance and death four years ago of Jill Behrman
a 19-year-old Indiana University student.Silvers was spotted in Mexico less than a week ago
and Mexican authorities closed a net around him and snatched him up
Silvers was working as a teacher and computer expert in his new home town
little Martinez de la Torre on the Gulf of Mexico."The last 109 days this case has been my life," Wojdylo said of the search for Silvers
whom he wanted to catch because Silvers might be able to provide key information in the Behrman case
although he is not a suspect himself.Jill Berhman\'s parents
attended the news conference.Wojdylo had good reason to seemed pleased with himself and his law enforcement colleagues Friday at a news conference in Indianapolis
They\'d apprehended perhaps Indiana\'s most-sought-after felon-at-large.Silvers was wanted for escape from the Lawrence County Jail in May 2000 and from the Orange County Jail in April 2002
even if meant a life on the lam: The escape forestalled Silvers serving a 63-year prison sentence in Lawrence County on his conviction there for multiple felonies
And it delayed his prosecution in Orange County on more than a dozen felony charges — including attempted murder — for the 2002 jailbreak in Paoli.Orange County Prosecutor Kelly Minton said at the news conference that any idea of cutting Silvers a deal to help with the Behrman case was
it was a huge frustration to Indiana State Police Detective Rick Lang.Lang heads the Behrman investigation and previously had interviewed Silvers about a conversation Silvers had with Uriah Clouse
the Ellettsville man who police have named as a suspect in the Behrman case.Two women told authorities that Clouse had hit Jill Behrman\'s bike with his truck
then had taken her to Salt Creek North Fork
stabbed her to death and dumped her in the creek
But the story crumbled when Behrman\'s bones were found in a forest in Morgan County in March 2003.Clouse and Silvers had been in jail together at one point
and investigators hoped Clouse may have told Silvers something about the case
Lang said he\'d taken "great interest" in things Silvers had told him before his escape and flight to Mexico
but Lang said he was not free to say what more he wants to learn from Silvers.Lang said since Silvers arrived in Indianapolis
"I can say at this point that he is cooperative
It remains to be seen what he will say to us Whether or not he will continue to speak with me is entirely up to him."As for Silvers\' capture
Wojdylo outlined the process that led to his apprehension in Mexico — as well as Silvers\' path there.Silvers and two other men had escaped from the Orange County Jail in Paoli on April 18
allegedly attempting to kill a dispatcher on the way out
but Silvers evaded capture in the forests of Orange County for two days.He then made his way to Louisville
just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville
then moved to the state of Veracruz east of Mexico City
eventually settling down in Martinez de la Torre.Wojdylo said every criminal makes "small but critical mistakes," and Silvers\' was that he was getting money from his mother in Lawrence County
Wojdylo said Vickie Silvers sent her son $15,000 over 15 months — something she may come to regret.Aiding a criminal in flight is a federal offense
and Vickie Silvers will be the subject of discussion for possible prosecution by U.S
and she knows I know it," Wojdylo said.He added that Silvers\' family had doubted marshals could catch him
So Wojdylo said he took great pleasure in calling Vickie Silvers late Thursday to inform her that he had her son in custody.Before his capture
Silvers had become a big man around town in Martinez de la Torre — and hardly for bad things
He was teaching English to children in the local school
and his computer expertise was a major asset
driving a new Volkswagen Jetta."He was very prominent in the community and was doing well," Wojdylo said.Until a week ago
marshals quickly put together a two-country
They then drove three hours to Martinez de la Torre
where they began to stake out places Silvers routinely visited.The fugitive was spotted tooling around in his Jetta
When Silvers stopped at a video store late in the day Wednesday
followed by the marshals.Silvers was taken "after a brief struggle," Barfield said at the news conference
decades of prison face him.Wojdylo said marshals flew back to the United States with Silvers early Thursday
after a night of doing the paperwork Mexico required for his extradition
They arrived in Indianapolis Thursday afternoon.Silvers initially was held in a cell at the Federal Building
he was transferred to the Indiana Department of Correction.Wojdylo praised all the officials and agencies
He and others also lauded the "America\'s Most Wanted" show for being instrumental in making the public aware of Silvers and the Behrman case.Another U.S
former Bloomington Police Chief Jim Kennedy
Just results," he said.Wojdylo said he was happy for Lawrence and Orange counties because Silvers "owes 61 years (of unserved time) to the county of Lawrence
and I\'m sure Orange County would like to add to that."And Wojdylo
whose obsession with catching Silvers began when he saw the "America\'s Most Wanted" account of the Behrman case
said he hopes the capture leads to its resolution."It was \'America\'s Most Wanted\' that brought the case into my living room," he said
adding he hopes it will lead to "closure" for Eric and Marilyn Behrman
whom he said "deserve peace."He said it now falls to Lang
who heads the ongoing Behrman investigation
to wrap that up."My job is done," Wojdylo said.<i>Reporter Kurt Van der Dussen can be reached at 331-4372 or by e-mail </i>at kvd@heraldt.com
IL — A new restaurant that serves up authentic Mexican food has opened in Lake in the Hills
Rinoconcito de Vercruz is located in the former Cachas Taco Bar at 2122 W. Algonquin Road. Restaurant owner Luis Landa has been thinking about opening a restaurant for a decade and decided on Lake in the Hills after realizing the village did not have an authentic Mexican restaurant
Business has been picking up at the new restaurant
which has an extensive menu and serves up seafood dishes that are popular in Veracruz
and the business is also working on acquiring a liquor license from the village of Lake in the Hills
Once that is approved, cocktails such as margaritas, pina coladas and Veracruz-inspired drinks, including a cantarito — which is served in a clay jar and includes orange juice, grape juice, lime and spices with tequila —will be added to the menu.
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MEXICO CITY — A weathered pastel image of the Virgin of Guadalupe hangs from German Herrera Hernandez's dashboard, watching over his passengers from her perch next to his cigarettes, gum and the handful of coins he uses to make change.
"We believe in her," said Herrera, a 55-year-old who has been driving a cab in Mexico City for about a decade. "She protects us, wherever we go."
When Pope Francis visits this week he'll make an emotional stop at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe — patron saint of Mexico and "empress of the Americas" — where millions of pilgrims flock each year to pray before the shroud that bears her image.
But she's also an ever-present part of life for millions of people like Herrera, not just at the basilica. Across the country, in private homes and public marketplaces, she gazes down beneficently from the walls of taco stands and police stations, from hair salon mirrors and even outside no-tell motels.
In poor barrios and posh shopping districts, perhaps nothing unites Mexicans more than their reverence for the Virgin. Grieving families light candles beneath her likeness in shrines to dead relatives, while young hipsters shell out big bucks for shirtsleeve tattoos of the Virgin.
"There's the old refrain in Mexico that Mexicans are 90 percent Catholic and 100 percent Guadalupan," said Andrew Chesnut, chair in Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "If there's one main constituent element of Mexican-ness, it's Guadalupe, because she obviously transcends the religious realm. ... So she sells products, she's tattoos, (even with) people who aren't necessarily her devotees."
According to tradition, the dark-skinned virgin appeared before the Indian peasant Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac, a hillside near Mexico City where Aztecs worshipped a mother-goddess, and her image was miraculously imprinted on his cloak.
The image helped priests inculcate Catholicism among indigenous Mexicans during Spanish colonial rule, and the church later made her patron of all the Americas. Juan Diego was canonized as the hemisphere's first Indian saint in 2002 during the papacy of John Paul II.
Juan Diego's cloak is on display today behind glass at the basilica, the most visited Marian shrine on the planet, where signs admonish against flash photography and long lines of worshippers are carried past along a self-moving walkway.
Chesnut called Francis "a very strongly Marian pontiff" and said his visit to the basilica will be one of the defining moments of his trip to Mexico, which has more Catholics than any other Spanish-speaking country.
Each year on Dec. 12, millions of people visit the basilica in northern Mexico City, many of them crawling or bearing statues of Guadalupe on their backs, to beseech all manner of favors: to be healed of an illness, freed from an addiction, for the welfare of loved ones.
The rest of the year, many Mexicans make the sign of the cross when they pass Guadalupe shrines found in just about every nook and cranny of the country. Custodians make sure the shrines are always well-kept with offerings of fresh flowers or candles.
At the Martinez de la Torre market in central Mexico City, a portrait of Guadalupe framed by neon tubes in the red, white and green of the Mexican flag graces a wall overlooking a meat counter.
"Why have a Virgin? Because our faith in her is very great, very important," said butcher Erlinda Olivares Zuniga, who choked up when asked about Guadalupe ahead of Francis' visit. "We are God's chosen, because the Virgin appeared here."
Volume 5 - 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00077
African swine fever (ASF) has spread from the Caucasus region to eastern European Union countries affecting domestic pig and wild boar populations
mitigation measures targeting both populations have been established
ASF has been reported in thirteen different countries (Georgia
In the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment to ASF
introduction and spread of ASF onto domestic pig farms can only be prevented by strict compliance to control measures
This study systematically reviewed available measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the EU domestic pig sector distinguishing between commercial
The search was performed in PubMed and using a common browser
A total of 52 documents were selected for the final review process
37 measures were identified as preventive measures for the introduction and spread of ASF
these measures were assessed by ASF experts for their relevance in the mitigation of ASF spread on the three mentioned types of farms
All experts agreed that some of the important preventive measures for all three types of farms were: the identification of animals and farm records; strict enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs
so as to not allow direct or indirect pig–pig and/or pig–wild boar contacts
Other important preventive measures for all farms were education of farmers
and operators; no contact between farmers and farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses
and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals
and abstaining from hunting activities during the previous 48 h (allowing a 48 h interval between hunting and being in contact with domestic pigs)
all experts identified that the important preventive measures for non-commercial and outdoor farms is to improve access of those farms to veterinarians and health services
The Directive lays down the measures to be taken in the infected area and the provisions to apply on the holdings of that area
All control and eradication measures applicable are based on classical disease control methods
These measures are applied in combination with strict quarantine and biosecurity measures on domestic pig holdings and animal movement control
The Directive also requires that Member States develop and implement plans for the eradication of the disease
the aim of this study is to review described measures to prevent the introduction and further spread of ASF in the domestic pig sector focused on the EU scenario
An additional aim of this review was to assess the importance of these identified measures depending on the different pig farming systems (see materials and methods section)
Adequate identification of relevant measures will allow for the creation of guidelines for pig producers to prevent the spread of ASF
which is one of the identified goals of the COST Action 15116 Understanding and combating African swine fever in Europe (ASF-STOP) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)
Scientific papers written in English (for reviewing convenience) between the last 39 years (1978 and 2017) were reviewed
A list of key words was combined into a Boolean query to identify titles and/or abstracts of documents of interest
The key words used (and any word containing the stem presented) were “African swine fever,” “Preventive measure/s,” “Biosecurity,” “Risk,” and “Pig farm.” The search terms applied were “African swine fever” AND [Preventive measure* OR Biosecurity OR Risk OR Pig farm]
To make sure other relevant documents such as technical guidelines
the literature search was performed following the same query on the internet using a common browser
A two step-process was followed to select the literature relevant for the aim of this review
A primary exclusion criteria was applied when reading title and abstract of found literature (abstract when available): (i) published before 1978; (ii) not related to the theme of this review; (iii) not related to the European scenario; and (iv) repeated document (already selected among retrieved results)
the piece of literature would be kept for the next stage
the full text of each selected piece of literature was screened
documents (v) which full text was not available; (vi) no preventive measures were described; (vii) described preventive measures were not focused on ASF; or (viii) information on the theme was insufficient
The explained process was individually performed by three reviewers following the mentioned exclusion criteria in order to cross-check selected literature and resolve any disagreement
A group of experts was invited to participate in an expert opinion session to assess the preventive measures identified in this review
Participants belonging to the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) action: “Understanding and combating African swine fever in Europe” (ASF-STOP) supported by COST (COST Action 15116) were encouraged to suggest experts with relevant expertise in ASF prevention
ASF epidemiology and the EU domestic pig sector
the list of measures were reviewed by authors to ensure measures were accurate and clear
20 experts were invited to participate and contacted by email
Experts were asked to assess the relevance of each described preventive measure by answering yes or no to the closed question: “Is this measure important for commercial
and outdoor-farms?” “Importance” was defined as the perceived need for each measure
Experts were asked to perform this assessment within the EU context
experts were encouraged to suggest additional measures if they thought they were missing
Results were recorded in an Excel datasheet (Microsoft Corp.
Figure 1 shows the literature selection process and Table 1 compiles the selected literature
The search made on PubMed database returned 168 scientific papers
After applying the primary exclusion criteria
69 were selected for the second step of the review
the full text was not available for 10 of them
59 scientific articles were selected for the second screening round
The same search on a common browser returned 5,100 results of potential interest
By applying the primary exclusion criteria
58 results were selected for the second round
Flowchart summarizing the literature selection process (A) on PubMed database and (B) on a common browser
Pieces of literature included in the review process
After applying the second exclusion criteria and completion of the screening rounds
34 articles (25 retrieved from PubMed and 9 retrieved from the browser search)
4 official recommendations (meaning information coming from governmental authorities)
and 5 technical guidelines were included in the review
The rest of the documents including reports
and guidelines were retrieved from the browser search
Preventive measures described hereinafter were obtained from the 52 pieces of literature selected during the systematic review
These measures were classified in four different groups: general prevented measures suggested for all types of farms (as some of them were common for commercial
and three groups of suggested measures for each of the identified types of farms
Specific preventive measures based on biosecurity have been proposed depending on the type of farm: commercial, outdoor, or non-commercial (15)
Commercial farms are significantly larger in size and number of animals (18) and so, the economic and animal health impact of ASF is greater than on outdoor and non-commercial farms (24, 29)
Finally, proper disposal of manure as well as dead animals and other removable material should be ensured (5, 58, 65). Containers and storage basins should accomplish with the minimum requirements for storage capacities recommended by the Best Available Techniques (71)
Table 2 compiles the general preventive measures and specific preventive measures for commercial
and outdoor farms described in this review
General measures to prevent African swine fever spread on domestic pig farms plus specific measures focused on commercial (CM)
A total of 12 experts participated in the assessment of the importance of identified preventive measures
All of them completed the questionnaire and therefore
their responses were included in the analysis
Around 3% of assessed measures (2.85%) were categorized as “not applicable” preventive measure
There was 100% agreement among experts (12 experts out of 12) that the identification of animals and farm records including animal movements; enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs to not allow contact with pigs from other farms
were important preventive measures for the three types of farms (commercial
Other important preventive measures identified for all farms were education of farmers
slaughter residues and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals; and a 48 h (minimum) interval between hunting and being in contact with domestic pigs for all farm staff
particularly those who work in an infected wild boar area
all experts identified as important preventive measures for non-commercial and outdoor farms
to improve access of those farms to veterinarians and health services
Between eight and nine of experts considered that logistical arrangement for the entry and exit of animals including protocols regarding entrance of vehicles
loading areas and role of pig transporters; quarantine period for purchased animals and quarantine rooms; and internal audits and evaluations to enforce biosecurity measures
were not important preventive measures for non-commercial farms
10 experts concluded that control measures against flies were not an important preventive measure on outdoor farms
Additional preventive measures were suggested by some experts such as the use of nets on animal facilities; establishment of pest control programs on farms; use of carbonic dioxide traps to check the presence of Ornithodoros ticks and change of boots before entering the farm and units
several respondents wanted to emphasize the importance of measures already included in the questionnaire
establishment of double fencing perimeter on outdoor farms; education of swine veterinarians and farmers paying especial attention to clinical signs and transmission routes; and discouragement of using the same injection syringes and instruments on different farms unless thoroughly disinfected sterilized
Figure 2 and Table 2 summarize the results obtained for preventive measures on commercial
Figure 2. Results of the assessment of identified preventive measures represented as percentage of yes (blue bars), no (red bars), and not applicable (gray bars) to (A) commercial farms, (B) non-commercial farms, and (C) outdoor farms. Listed preventive measures are described in Table 2
prevention is the main tool to avoid further spread of ASF or an endemic situation
Both the systematic literature review as well as the expert opinion elicitation
highlighted three main areas where preventive measures would be very relevant to halt ASF spread in the domestic pig population: (1) control of entries into the farm
and (3) improvement of health services and education
which contains the majority of measures reviewed in the systematic literature review
aim at the improvement of biosecurity measures dealing with the replacement of animals
in particular in relation with cleaning and disinfection facilities
Very few outbreaks have led to secondary spread in the EU and there has been a significant progress in EU advice to improve preventive measures against ASF in non-commercial farms
Farm location far from suitable wild boar areas and close to geographical barriers was classified as important by more than half of experts
such measures were relevant to more experts on outdoor farms (9 experts)
This slight difference might be explained because the likelihood of wild boar being in contact with pigs would be higher on outdoor farms (where biosecurity is intrinsically lower) than on commercial or non-commercial farms
Experts who declined to consider it important
refereed that this measure is almost unfeasible considering the ecological characteristics of the European continent
some of the experts who considered it important wanted to highlight that such a measure would only be applicable to new holdings
wild boar cases have continued being notified in the area suggesting that there is still room for improving the strategy
or insufficient enforcement are the most common reasons to fail to comply with these measures
and are directly related to the third main area of ASF prevention: improvement of health services and education
to be able to effectively influence farm workers
it is essential to analyze the “at-risk” practices that depended on human behavior which can perpetuate ASF spread and find out measures tailored to each specific situation
prevention of ASF becomes very challenging for the European pig sector
a safe and effective vaccine is still lacking
control and eradication of this disease still relies on rapid detection in field followed by the application of strict sanitary measures
biosecurity is the only tool farms have to prevent the introduction of ASF
joined efforts focusing on the domestic pig sector and wild boar need to be applied in parallel
we will move forward to the final goal of eradicating ASF from the second largest world’s pork producer
African swine fever is currently one of the major threats to the pig production in the EU
biosecurity is key to prevent its spread between and within domestic pig farms
This study identified thirty-seven preventive measures aimed at reducing the spread of ASF among domestic pigs
These measures were also assessed by ASF experts within the framework of the EU scenario
the most important preventive measures for commercial
and outdoor farms were the identification of animals and farm records; enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs to not allow contact with pigs from other farms
other measures were considered relevant in preventing ASF introduction
farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses
slaughter residues and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals
and abstention from hunting activities for a period of 48 h prior to any contact with domestic pigs
all experts considered important to facilitate and promote the access of veterinarians and health services to non-commercial and outdoor farms
Adequate implementation of these measures can lead to significant advances in ASF prevention and control
and possibility contributing to the eradication of ASF from the EU pig sector
All authors contributed to the literature review performed to build this review
CJ compiled the whole information and wrote the manuscript
and SB designed the questionnaire for the assessment of preventive measures
CJ analyzed results from the expert opinion
and AT participated in the creation of the argument line of this the text
All authors contributed to the critical review of the manuscript and approved the final version
HF was employed by company GD Animal Health Research Institute
All other authors declare no competing interests
The reviewer AB and handling Editor declared their shared affiliation
This article is based upon work from COST Action 15116 Understanding and combating African swine fever in Europe (ASF-STOP)
supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)
CJ is the recipient of a Spanish Government-funded PhD fellowship for the Training of Future Scholars (FPU) given by the Spanish Ministry of Education
MM-A has been financed by the INIA funded project AT-2015-002
Carla Rowe for her help during the review of the manuscript as well as the three referees for their valuable comments and great ideas suggested to get to the final version of this article
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Received: 13 November 2017; Accepted: 26 March 2018; Published: 16 April 2018
Copyright: © 2018 Jurado, Martínez-Avilés, De La Torre, Štukelj, de Carvalho Ferreira, Cerioli, Sánchez-Vizcaíno and Bellini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)
provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited
*Correspondence: Cristina Jurado, Y2pkaWF6QHVjbS5lcw==
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Mexico City is blessed with great weather all year round
Summer is not very hot because it’s the rainy season
things cool down very fast as soon as the rain starts falling
and even early afternoons in summertime can make us break out in a sweat
Two of the many delicious ways we have to cool down are paletas (popsicles) and raspados (shaved ice)
Paletas and raspados are popular treats all over Mexico
but they’re especially popular among schoolkids
It’s common to see paleta and raspado vendors around schools waiting for eager little customers at the end of any school day
Paletas in Mexico are divided into two main categories: de agua (generally made with fruit juice) and de leche (made with milk)
and the flavors are usually those that complement milk
arroz con leche (rice pudding) and chongos zamoranos (a typical dessert from the state of Michoacán that is made by boiling milk and adding sugar until only the curds are left)
Paletas de agua flavors can be anything from the classic lime and tamarind flavors to “exotic” ones such as kiwi
One of our favorite places to get a taste of these kinds of flavors
not only in paletas but also in ice cream and sorbets
a small shop in Colonia San Rafael that imports its products from Pachuca
It’s a great place to sit down for a while and enjoy a good exotic paleta
Ice cream parlors are abundant in the neighborhood of Coyoacán
One of our favorite parlors is Helados Siberia
which has been in business for almost a century and sells a delicious yogurt paleta
When you walk the streets of Mexico City, or any other Mexican city for that matter, the brand you see popping up everywhere is La Michoacana
This ice cream maker is one of the most recognized in Mexico
when a little ice cream parlor started selling popsicles and ice creams in the town of Tocumbo
and by the 1990s there was at least one La Michoacana in every plaza of Mexico’s most important cities
There are more than 30,000 stores nationwide
sometimes several in the same neighborhood
But is it worth stopping at one for a paleta or ice cream
La Michoacana products are made with natural ingredients and the paletas de agua and aguas frescas have a high fruit content
Raspados are another much-loved after-school treat for kids
you’ll see vendors pushing carts with big blocks of ice all over the city
They usually shave the ice by hand and place the shavings in a plastic bag or cup
One of our favorite places to get raspados is at Raspados Sonia in the Mercado Martinez de la Torre in the Guerrero neighborhood
Editor’s note: It’s Beat the Heat Week at Culinary Backstreets
we’re sharing some of our favorite spots to visit when the summer temperatures soar
loading map - please wait...Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!→ more information
volume 5 - 2011 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnana.2011.00011
This article is part of the Research TopicAdaptive Function and Brain EvolutionView all 20 articles
The expression of the Nkx2.2 gene is involved in the organization of the alar-basal boundary in the forebrain of vertebrates
Its expression in different diencephalic and telencephalic regions
helped to define distinct progenitor domains in mouse and chick
Here we investigated the pattern of Nkx2.2 protein distribution throughout the development of the forebrain of the anuran amphibian
We used immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques for its detection in combination with other essential territorial markers in the forebrain
No expression was observed in the telencephalon
Nkx2.2 positive cells were scattered in the suprachiasmatic territory
but also in the supraopto-paraventricular area
as defined by the expression of the transcription factor Orthopedia (Otp) and the lack of xDll4
In the basal hypothalamus Nkx2.2 expressing cells were localized in the tuberal region
In the diencephalon it was expressed in all three prosomeres (P1–P3) and not in the zona limitans intrathalamica
The presence of Nkx2.2 expressing cells in P3 was restricted to the alar portion
whereas in P1 the Nkx2.2 expressing cells were located in the basal plate and identified the alar/basal boundary
These results showed that Nkx2.2 and Sonic hedgehog are expressed in parallel adjacent stripes along the anterior–posterior axis
The results of this study showed a conserved distribution pattern of Nkx2.2 among vertebrates
crucial to recognize subdivisions that are otherwise indistinct
and supported the relevance of this transcription factor in the organization of the forebrain
particularly in the delineation of the alar/basal boundary of the forebrain
herein we have analyzed the pattern of distribution of Nkx2.2
a functionally and anatomically related transcription factor in vertebrates
We have characterized phenotypically the developing Nkx2.2 expressing forebrain subdivisions and neurons by means of the combination of Nkx2.2 expression with forebrain essential regulators and markers
The results of this study showed an extremely conserved distribution pattern of Nkx2.2 among vertebrates
crucial to delineate subdivisions that were otherwise indistinct
and supported the relevance of this transcription factor in the establishment and organization of the forebrain
For the present study, adults, juveniles, and tadpoles of X. laevis were used. Embryos and larvae were classified according to Nieuwkoop and Faber (1967)
and metamorphic (59–65) stages were used
minimizing as much as possible the number of animals used
All animals were treated according to the regulations and laws of the European Union (86/609/EEC) and Spain (Royal Decrees 1201/2005) for care and handling of animals in research
after approval from the University to conduct the experiments described
Adult Xenopus were purchased from commercial suppliers (Xenopus Express; France)
and the different developing specimens were obtained by in vitro fertilization and maintained in tap water at 20°C throughout their development
embryos and larvae were deeply anesthetized in a 0.4-mg/ml solution of tricaine methanesulfonate (MS222
and late larvae were perfused transcardially with 0.9% sodium chloride
followed by cold 4% paraformaldehyde in a 0.1-M phosphate buffer (PB
The brains were removed and kept in the same fixative for 2–3 h
they were immersed in a solution of 30% sucrose in PB for 4–6 h at 4°C until they sank
embedded in a solution of 20% gelatin with 30% sucrose in PB
and stored for 6 h in a 3.7% formaldehyde solution at 4°C
The brains were cut on a freezing microtome at 40 μm (adults) or 20–30 μm (juveniles and late larvae) in the transverse or sagittal plane and sections were collected and rinsed in cold PB
The embryos and premetamorphic larvae were fixed by immersion overnight at 4°C in MEMFA [0.1 M MOPS (4-morpholinopropanesulfonic acid) 2 mM ethyleneglycoltetraacetic acid
then they were processed in toto and finally sectioned at 14–16 μm thickness in the transverse
A immunohistofluorescence procedure was conducted with the primary antibody on the free-floating sections that
was diluted in 5–10% normal serum of the species in which the secondary antibody was raised in PB with 0.1% Triton X-100 (Sigma) and 2% bovine serum albumin (BSA
as follows: (1) Incubation for 72 h at 4°C in the dilution of the primary antibody mouse anti-Nkx2.2 (1:500; Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank
Clone: 74.5A5) and (2) the second incubation was conducted for 90 min at room temperature with the labeled secondary antibody Alexa 488- conjugated goat anti-mouse (1:500; Molecular Probes; catalog reference: A21042)
the sections were mounted on glass slides and coverslipped with Vectashield mounting medium (Vector Laboratories
The cocktails of primary antibodies were diluted in PB with 0.1% Triton X-100 and used for 60 h at 4°C. They always included mouse anti-Nkx2.2 (1:500; DSHB) in combination with: rabbit anti-Otp (1:1000; produced by “PickCell laboratories” Amsterdam, The Netherlands; according to the protocol described in Lin et al., 1999)
rabbit anti-MST (diluted 1:2000; donated by Dr
Guerné Université de Strasbourg
rabbit anti-Nkx2.1 (1:500; Biopat Immunotechnologies
rabbit anti-Tbr1 (1:250; Santa Cruz Biotechnology
rabbit anti-TH (diluted 1:1000; Chemicon International
and rabbit anti-GABA (1:3000; Sigma-Aldrich
The secondary antibodies were used in appropriated combinations and were: Alexa 488-conjugated goat anti-mouse (1:500
Molecular Probes) and Alexa 594-conjugated goat anti-rabbit (1:500
secondary antibodies were diluted in PB with 0.1% Triton X-100 for 90 min at room temperature
the sections were mounted on glass slides and coverslipped with Vectashield
For double histofluorescence labeling experiments, we combined the immunohistochemistry for Nkx2.2 with in situ hybridization for the following markers: xShh (provided by Dr. Randal Moon. University of Washington; Ekker et al., 1995) and xDll4 (provided by Dr. Nancy Papalopulu. University of Manchester; Papalopulu and Kintner, 1993)
Hybridization step was done with 3 μl/ml of a DIG-labeled RNA probe
in a 50% formamide containing medium overnight at 55°C
The solution used for prehybridization (at 60°C for 1 h) and hybridization contained 50% deionized formamide (Fluka
5× standard saline citrate (Sigma-Aldrich
0.5% 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS; Sigma-Aldrich)
5 mM of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Sigma-Aldrich)
and 50 g/ml of heparin (Sigma-Aldrich) in water
Hybridization was detected using an alkaline phosphatase coupled anti-DIG antibody (Roche Diagnostics
Alkaline phosphatase staining was developed with Fast red tablets (Roche Diagnostics)
The in situ hybridization was followed by the immunohistochemistry for mouse anti-Nkx2.2 (1:500; DSHB) revealed with Alexa 488-conjugated goat anti-mouse (diluted 1:500
embryos and early larvae were immersed in a solution of 30% sucrose in PB until they sank
embedded in a solution of 20% gelatin and 30% sucrose in PB
and stored overnight at 4°C in a solution of 4% formaldehyde and 30% sucrose in PB
Sections were cut at 14–25 μm thickness in the frontal
and horizontal plane on a freezing microtome
The sections were analyzed with an Olympus BX51 microscope that was equipped for fluorescence with appropriate filter combinations
Selected sections were photographed by using a digital camera (Olympus DP72)
Contrast and brightness of the photomicrographs were adjusted in Adobe PhotoShop CS3 (Adobe Systems
CA) and figures were mounted in Canvas 11 (ACD Systems
Photomicrographs of sagittal (A–D) and transverse (E–P) sections through the Xenopus forebrain subdivisions along the different representative developmental stages
The sagittal sections show the almost continuous Nkx2.2 expression from anterior hypothalamic areas to the most caudal regions of the forebrain (A–D)
Nkx2.2 is not expressed in telencephalic areas
Nkx2.2 expression starts in the SPV territory of the alar hypothalamus (E–H)
In the basal hypothalamus Nkx2.2 expression is restricted to the tuberal hypothalamus (I–L)
Nkx2.2 is observed in the three prosomeres (P1–P3) and the Zli lacks Nkx2.2 expressing cells (I–P)
preoptic commissural area/commissural septo-preoptic area; PO
100 μm (D,H) and 50 μm (A,B,C,F′,G′,I)
In Xenopus, Nkx2.2 immunoreactive (Nkx2.2-ir) cells were not observed in telencephalic areas, neither evaginated nor non-evaginated territories, from early developmental stages through the juvenile, when the brain morphology is close to that observed in adults (Figure 1)
In order to further characterize the localization of Nkx2.2-ir cells within the forebrain, we carried out double labeling experiments throughout development, using different prosencephalic markers (Figures 2–5)
Figure 5. Photomicrographs of transverse (A,B) and horizontal (C) sections through the forebrain illustrating Nkx2. 2 expression in combination with xShh. The expressions of Nkx2.2 and xShh extend along the anterior–posterior axis in parallel adjacent stripes, forming longitudinal columns along the forebrain. Abbreviations as in Figure 1
All the results obtained from the double labeling analysis confirmed the localization of the Nkx2.2-ir cells in the regions described above and summarized in Figure 6
Figure 6. Schematic drawings of sagittal and coronal sections through a premetamorphic brain of Xenopus laevis illustrating the distribution of Nkx2.2 expressing zones (green regions in the sagittal view) and cells (green dots in the coronal view) along the forebrain. The appropriated levels of the coronal sections are indicated in the sagittal view. Abbreviations as in Figure 1
To fully understand the precise topological distribution of Nkx2.2 expression
its combination with the respective expression of different forebrain markers has been shown to be extremely useful
we have analyzed the distribution of Nkx2.2 in combination with the localization of Nkx2.1
and in situ hybridization for the detection of xShh and xDll4
Shh and Nkx2.2 are not always expressed in the same regions
Nkx2.2 expression is not detected in a comparable region
given that the most anterior expression found coincides with the Otp SPV expressing zone within the hypothalamus (see below)
On the basis of combined expression analysis, at least two different longitudinal alar domains have been proposed in the chick hypothalamus: the Dlx- and Shh-negative SPV area, which lies under the border of the FoxG1-positive telencephalic field, and the subparaventricular area, which lies under it and is adjacent to the Shh-positive basal plate, and expresses Dlx5 and Nkx2.2 (Bardet et al., 2010)
the most anterior Nkx2.2 positive cells were localized in a Shh−/Nkx2.1−/xDll4−/Otp+ territory forming a thin strip of cells that delimit the region just anterior to the SC (present results) and their localization within this distinct region is highlighted because some of these cells contain both Otp and Nkx2.2
given the close spatial relationship between Shh
and TH expressing neurons in the SC of Xenopus
a possible implication of Shh/Nkx2.2 may exist for the acquisition of the dopaminergic phenotype in this region
suggesting that Nkx2.2 could be implicated in the acquisition of the GABAergic phenotype
Interestingly, also in Xenopus, Nkx2.2 expression is observed in the prethalamus, and its precise localization is corroborated by the colocalization of the Nkx2.2 expressing cells in the territory of P3 that is xDll4+/Nkx2.1+/Pax6+/TH+/xShh+ (present results; Bachy et al., 2002; Brox et al., 2003; Moreno et al., 2008a,b; Domínguez et al., 2010)
and that xShh-expression in the Zli could lead to establish the Nkx2.2 expression pattern in the P2/P3 territory of amphibians
This work supported by grants from Spanish MICINN and the UCM (Grant numbers: BFU2009-12315 and BSCH-UCM GR58/08)
Ruth Morona for the fruitful discussions about the diencephalic regionalization and to Dr
López for the critical reading of the manuscript
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González A and Moreno N (2011) Ontogenetic distribution of the transcription factor Nkx2.2 in the developing forebrain of Xenopus laevis
Copyright: © 2011 Domínguez
This is an open-access article subject to an exclusive license agreement between the authors and Frontiers Media SA
provided the original authors and source are credited
*Correspondence: Nerea Moreno, Faculty of Biology, Department of Cell Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, Madrid E-28040, Spain. e-mail:bmVyZWFAYmlvLnVjbS5lcw==
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DOWNEY – Sarah Sarofeem was crowned Miss Downey 2023 at the Downey Rose Float Association’s 66th annual Miss Downey Pageant on Saturday
Jessica Frometa was crowned Miss Teen Downey
The title of Junior Miss Downey went to Alexis Givens
Clover Curtice was crowned Little Miss Downey
Little princesses include Mavis Cortez and Jacqueline Ruelas
“We are extremely proud to have been hosting the Miss Downey Pageant for 66 years,” the Downey Rose Float Association said in a statement
“Downey produces amazing youth who are smart
They serve as ambassadors for the Downey Rose Float and the city in many local events throughout their reign
“We would like to thank all of the volunteers
parents and contestants for another successful year.”
Below is a complete list of competition winners:
Academic Little Miss Downey Contestant Clover Curtice
Junior Miss Downey Contestant Sophia Anaya
Athletic Little Miss Downey Contestant Jacqueline Ruelas
Miss Teen Downey Contestant Denise Cantero
Volunteer Little Miss Downey Contestant Mavis Cortez
Junior Miss Downey Contestant Leilah Simonian
Miss Teen Downey Contestant Jessica Frometa
Miss Downey Court (l-r) Princess Ruth Palmquist
Little Miss Downey Court (l-r) Princess Jacqueline Ruelas
Queen Clover Curtice and Princess Mavis Cortez
Junior Miss Downey Court (l-r) Princess Sophia Anaya
Queen Alexis Givens and Princess Emmarie Perez
Miss Teen Downey Court (l-r) Princess Miah Mount
Queen Jessica Frometa and Princess Aleezah Mackewicz
Copyright © 2023 The Downey Patriot Newspaper
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INDIANAPOLIS A fugitive who escaped from Lawrence and Orange County Indiana jails - and who may have information on the murder of IU student Jill Behrman - has been captured in Mexico and brought home
Behrman went missing while on a bike ride in Monroe County in May 2000
Her remains were found in a secluded area of Morgan County north of Paragon in March 2003
but investigators have said they believe that the escapee
has had conversations with a primary suspect in the case
1,900 miles away from the Orange County Jail where police had last seen him
Silvers\' was profiled twice on the FOX TV program "America\'s Most Wanted" in segments on Jill Behrman\'s death
Police have said that Silvers is not suspected of being involved in Behrman\'s disappearance and death
but police said he was being sought for questioning.While in jail
Silvers reportedly had conversations with Uriah Clouse
an Ellettsville man who had been named as a suspect in the Behrman case.Remains belonging to Behrman were found by a father and son out tracking game in early March 2003 in a wooded area near Duckworth and Warthen roads.Clouse has never been charged in her disappearance or death
Silvers had eluded authorities for nearly 1,000 days
and Orange County Sheriff Doyle Cornwell is happy to see him behind bars once more."That was a good Christmas present for me," Cornwell said
"He was a very dangerous type individual and I was scared to death that someone else would get hurt before we got him off the streets
he\'ll have 150 years to decide if it was worth it."Silvers escaped from the Orange County Jail on April 18
Two years earlier he had disappeared from Lawrence County Jail.Authorities finally caught up with Silvers late Wednesday in the small village of Martinez de La Torre
Marshals returned him to Indianapolis Thursday.Police officials held a press conference in Indianapolis this morning announcing Silvers\' capture
That press conference did not happen before press deadline this morning.Earlier
Cornwell said there is a chance that Silvers will return to his jail in the future."Extra
extra precautions will be taken if and when that person is incarcerated at my facility," he said
"During visitation is when it (the escape) happened
He will not have those privileges and will be in solitary confinement and will have no access to other inmates
He is an extremely intelligent con-artist."Cornwell said his department had learned from the experience and changes have been implemented
CAMAGÜEY.-The Ballet of Camagüey (BC) premiered this Friday a suite of the ballet The Nutcracker
allows us to follow the thread of the Christmas story around a broken gift and Clara's dream that motivated the work premiered in 1892 with choreography by Lev Ivanov
book by Marius Petipa and music by Piotr I
a former BC dancer and current artistic director of the Kentucky Ballet Theater
but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the process
I feel satisfied because it is a dream come true
they cannot be trusted because there is no perfection in ballet,” he declared to Adelante
He was a professional dancer at BC from 1988 to 1993
then he went to Mexico to work as a principal dancer
and since 2017 he has been collaborating as a guest choreographer for the company founded by Vicentina de la Torre and which counted Fernando Alonso
“Artistic maturity occurs with the same experience that dancers can use on stage
Shirley has to keep trying harder because her role is technically demanding and difficult to achieve,” he added
children from the Fernando Alonso Dance and Ballet Promotion Center
appear in the first act and in the party and snow scenes
which promotes the active role of the family and their union
Due to the injury of the prima ballerina Rosa María Rodríguez Armengol
assumed the leading role of Clara and she has been with the company for three years
“It is a great honor and a joy to have the opportunity that I have had
dealing with adverse situations but as long as there is passion and dedication
also with the aspiration of other roles in the repertoire
She looked elegant together with the couple Harold Báez Corona and claims to appreciate the choreography from the first moment: “It is a very beautiful version
but enjoyment must take precedence over everything and that was the case”
as well as a bit of nerves knowing that an audience eager to see good results awaited us
Former dancer and rehearsal teacher Liuba Corzo prefers to relate Shirley's first time as a leading lady with how new The Nutcracker is for the company:
“We are very happy because we have been trying to do it for years
therefore we cannot compare ourselves with ourselves”
the prevalence in the current BC of members at the beginning of their career is evident:
“There is a missing link between when you leave school and enter the company
because they come with the technique but details need to be polished”
the maître Hilda María "Lila" Martínez de la Torre and Regina Balaguer
received recognition from cultural institutions
higher education and the Union of Cultural Workers in the territory
president of the Provincial Council for the Performing Arts
described the 55th anniversary as an "act of sincere reverence for such commendable dedication," and highlighted the collective's understanding of art "as an event of vital relevance in the ethical
Regina Balaguer praised the dedication of BC workers
technicians and administrators to overcome obstacles in the country's circumstances
exemplified in sessions without electricity: "If six rehearsals have been done with music
That reason for discomfort in daily life made her doubt about the attendance of the public due to the blackouts
however she received the satisfaction of a full Principal Theater
it is not the complete choreography because the conditions did not allow it
We will continue perfecting our work because our public from Camagüey
and invited to the next performance of The Nutcracker suite this Sunday
Reproduction is allowed when mentioning the source
The chief of the Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11) has been relieved from his post effective Friday
PRO-11 said the relief of Brigadier General Aligre Martinez may have something to do with the serving of arrest warrants against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and five others on June 10
“It is one of the considerations,” PRO-11 Spokesperson
KOJC and former President Rodrigo Duterte have condemned and called the service of the warrants ‘excessive and overkill.’ However
police maintained that it was a lawful operation
Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III has replaced Martinez
“Confirmed na na-relieve po ang current Regional Director ng Police Regional Office 11 Police Brigadier General Aligre Martinez effective June 14
At siya po ay papalitan ni Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III,” Dela Rey said
Martinez was installed as PRO-11 chief on April 25
replacing Brigadier General Alden Delvo who retired from the police service
Martinez will be reassigned to the Police Holding and Accounting Unit in Camp Crame
was the former chief of the Quezon City Police District
He resigned from his post amid the investigation into the road rage incident involving a former policeman and a cyclist
He will leave his current post as director of the PNP Communications and Electronics Service to serve in PRO-11
The formal turnover of command is yet to be scheduled
gmaregionaltv.com is home to the latest stories produced by news teams of GMA Regional TV from stations in key areas across the Philippines
OrganisationAlhaurín de la Torre, first ‘Malaguistas to the Core’ of 2023 The nearby Málaga municipality was the star of the show during #MálagaTenerife last weekend at La Rosaleda, with representation in the stands and in the box. Alhaurín de la Torre kicks off the New Year for Malaguistas to the Core, repeating last season’s
Copy linkLast Saturday’s #MálagaTenerife fixture
corresponding to LaLiga SmartBank matchday 22
was dedicated to the ‘Malaguistas to the Core’ from Alhaurín de la Torre.
La Rosaleda once again hosted a large number of residents from the nearby Costa del Sol municipality
who travelled the 19 kilometres to experience the unique atmosphere of a stadium that enjoyed the second best attendance of the season
The 50 ‘Malaguistas to the Core’ from Alhaurín de la Torre
a national and international benchmark location in terms of quality of life
arrived at La Rosaleda by bus to enjoy the warm-up and receive the team's home jersey as soon as they entered the ground
One featured the 11 boys and girls who accompanied the players on the pitch within the Escort Kids initiative
The other group was located in the stands at the corner of Tribuna with Fondo Norte Alto
the Councillor for Sport in Alhaurín de la Torre
María del Mar Martínez and others enjoyed the warm-up together with Sebastián Fernández 'Basti' from the MCF Foundation’s Social Department
Alhaurín de la Torre’s presence was highlighted throughout Saturday afternoon
A promotional spot was featured in the run-up to play and at half-time the town’s residents received a warm welcome via the public address system as well as the ongoing appearance on the ‘U’ television during the match
The municipality was also represented in the VIP box by Councillor for Sport
together with Málaga CF’s board of directors and the political institutions from the city and the province
The municipality also installed a stand on the first floor of the VIP Area of Tribuna featuring typical regional festive goods
The support of the 'Malaguistas to the Core’ was crucial during their second visit to La Rosaleda
for the team to enjoy the necessary energy to go level
Exactly the same result as their previous invasion on 16th October 2021