Ana María

Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most serious disease affecting citrus production worldwide, and its management relies on controlling its vector, Diaphorina citri. Although Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) is widely used in biological control programmes, Diaphorencyrtus aligarhensis (Shafee et al.) has been proposed as a complementary agent; both species were reported in Colombia in 2016, yet their interaction dynamics under local conditions remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the development, morphometry, and interaction patterns of both parasitoids under controlled rearing conditions using a shared host population. Three treatments were established: non-parasitised nymphs, nymphs exposed to D. aligarhensis, and nymphs exposed to T. radiata, with parasitoids allowed to oviposit for 24 h. Developmental duration and morphometric traits were recorded daily. T. radiata completed its life cycle in less time (~11.7 days) than D. aligarhensis (~14.4 days) and than non-parasitized nymphs (~17 days). Morphometric traits were consistent with previously reported ranges, and this study provides the first detailed characterisation of the immature stages of D. aligarhensis in Colombia. Particularly, events of multiparasitoidism and superparasitoidism were documented under standardised conditions, demonstrating that both species can exploit the same host simultaneously. These findings offer new insights into parasitoid interaction dynamics and establish a biological foundation for developing integrated biological control strategies against D. citri.

The fig tree (Ficus carica L.) is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the Mediterranean region and represents an important genetic resource for both traditional and emerging production systems. Despite its agronomic and economic relevance, modern fig breeding remains limited, and large-scale phenotypic evaluations across Mediterranean germplasms are still scarce. The objective of this study was to assess phenotypic diversity and identify key agronomic traits relevant for fig breeding. A total of 257 female fig genotypes conserved in germplasm banks located in Spain, Turkey, and Tunisia were used. Over two consecutive seasons (2021 and 2022), a total of 27 morphological, phenological, and pomological traits were assessed according to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptors for fig (TG265/1), with 23 phenotypic traits retained for statistical analyses. Linear mixed models were used to estimate marginal means and to partition genetic and environmental variance, while multivariate analyses and trait correlations were employed to explore the structure of phenotypic diversity. The germplasm exhibits remarkable variation in productive type, reproductive behaviour, harvesting date, and fruit quality traits. Harvesting date spans nearly three months. Fruit weight ranges from 11.7 to 134.5 g, total soluble solids from 9 to 39 °Brix, and maturation index values reached high levels, indicating pronounced sweetness during fruit ripening. Most genotypes showed high skin scratch resistance, absence of cracking at maturity, and medium or small ostiole size, highlighting the presence of ideotypes specifically suited for fresh market production. Heritability estimates indicate strong genetic control of key traits, such as fruit weight, fruit size, and total soluble solids, highlighting their suitability for selection in breeding programs. Stakeholder prioritisation further confirmed the relevance of fruit size, sweetness, firmness, and ostiole characteristics, helping to identify best genotypes for breeding and agronomic purposes. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of Mediterranean fig germplasm as a reservoir of valuable agronomic and commercial traits and provides a robust phenotypic framework to support future breeding, conservation, and cultivar selection strategies.

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are essential for cardiomyocyte function. In this Review, Gomez and colleagues describe how Ca2+ signalling in microdomains and nanodomains links electrical excitation to cardiomyocyte contraction, gene transcription and mitochondrial bioenergetics, and how this coupling is altered and might be therapeutically targeted in disease states.

Road pavement rehabilitation increasingly incorporates innovative surface technologies aimed at improving pavement performance while reducing environmental impacts. In addition to conventional recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) maintenance strategies, advanced pavement surface systems such as reflective coatings, rejuvenator-based self-healing mixtures, and thin low-noise asphalt layers have been developed to enhance durability and functional performance. This study presents a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of four pavement surface technologies using primary inventory data obtained from full-scale road sections. The systems evaluated include a conventional maintenance mixture and three alternative surface solutions: reflective pavement coatings, RAP mixtures incorporating rejuvenator-based self-healing systems, and thin low-noise asphalt layers. The assessment follows ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and applies the ILCD 2011 midpoint+ (EF 2.0) method. To enable comparability between technologies with different durability, the functional unit was defined as 1 m2 of rehabilitated pavement per year of service life. The results indicate that thin low-noise asphalt layers provide the highest environmental benefits across most impact categories due to significant material savings associated with reduced layer thickness. Reflective pavement coatings decrease several impacts, particularly fossil resource depletion and atmospheric emissions, although higher burdens are observed in some categories due to synthetic binder production. RAP mixtures incorporating rejuvenator-based self-healing systems improve resource efficiency and extend pavement durability but may increase impacts associated with binder manufacturing. Overall, the findings highlight relevant environmental trade-offs between different pavement surface technologies and demonstrate that parameters such as layer thickness, binder composition, recycled material content, and service life strongly influence environmental performance. The study illustrates how comparative Life Cycle Assessment supports the development and selection of more sustainable pavement surface systems.

by José María Romero Otero Luis Nieto Roca Ana María Pello Lázaro and Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública México, Av. Universidad 655 Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca 62100, Morelos, Mexico

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of several minor components of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) on platelet thromboxane and vascular prostacyclin production in rat aortic rings under high-glucose conditions (300 mg/dL), in relation to their potential antioxidant actions. Under hyperglycaemic conditions, thromboxane production was 1.3 times higher, while prostacyclin production was 40.9% lower than in samples with 100 mg/dL glucose in aortic rings, accompanied by marked oxidative stress (65.6% higher than in samples with 100 mg/dL glucose). The compounds tested inhibited thromboxane production in a concentration-dependent manner, with relative potencies (secoiridoid derivatives (IC50 range: 10−6 M) = triterpenes (10−6 M) > alcoholic phenols (10−5 M for hydroxytyrosol and 10−4 M for the rest)), while preserving prostacyclin production (5–20% inhibition). All compounds also exerted vascular antioxidant effects, reducing oxidative stress markers and enhancing antioxidant parameters (IC50 range: 10−6–10−5 M), and these effects were observed under both normoglycaemic (100 mg/dL) and hyperglycaemic (300 mg/dL) conditions.

Defective proteostasis is a hallmark of aging cells and tissues. Among the different components of the proteostasis network, in this study, we focu...

by Ana María Montserrat Gala and Nursing Department, Escola Universitària Gimbernat, Adscrita a Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08174 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain

Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, 28034 Madrid, Spain Department of Medical Oncology, Vithas La Milagrosa University Hospital, 28010 Madrid, Spain