Influence of silvopastoral systems on the distribution of ticks in livestock farms in tropical dry forest

P?ginas 38-40.La corta de ?rboles en pasturas ha sido implementada en algunas regiones como una medida de control sanitario, ya que muchos productores creen dicen que los ectopar?sitos han sido encontrados bajo los ?rboles. El objetivo de este estudio fue generar informaci?n sobre la distribuci?n de garrapatas en el suelo de fincas ganaderas en el tr?pico seco. Este estudio fue realizado en cuatro fincas ganaderas de la provincia de Guanacaste, Costa Rica. La influencia de la cobertura de ?rboles individuales, en grupos, en cercas vivas y pasturas abiertas establecidas en pasturas de Brachiaria brizantha y Hyparrhenia rufa fueron evaluados. No se encontraron diferencias significativas (p = 0,77) en el n?mero de sitios con larvas de garrapatas larvas o en el total de n?mero de larvas en el suelo (p = 0,18) entre sistemas silvopastoriles y pasturas abiertas. Se encontr? una relaci?n significativa entre el n?mero total de larvas en el suelo y la presencia de ?rboles dispersos en la pastura (p=0,002), la humedad relativa (p=0,004) y la temperatura del aire (p=0,005). Se encontr? una relaci?n negativa entre el n?mero de sitios con larvas de garrapatas en el suelo y el ?rea de cobertura de dosel (p = 0,03). No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre la poblaci?n de larvas en el suelo bajo la cobertura de dosel entre sistemas silvopastoriles y pasturas abiertas, a pesar de encontrarse diferencias microclim?ticas (temperatura del aire y humedad relativa) entre estos sitios.ABSTRACT. The elimination of trees in pastures has been implemented in some regions as a control measurement due to lives-tock farmers think ectoparasites are found under tree canopy. The objective of the study was to generate information regarding the influence of tree cover in silvopastoral systems on tick distribution in soil of livestock (cattle) farms in the dry tropics. The influence of individual trees and trees in groups and live fences and open Brachiaria brizantha y Hyparrhenia rufa pastures was evaluated. No statistical differences (p=0.77) in the number of sites with tick larvae of or in the total number of larvae in soil (p = 0.18) between silvopastoral systems and open pastures. A significant relationship between the total number of tick larvae in the soil and presence of individual trees in pastures (p = 0.002), the relative humidity (p=0.004) and air?s temperature (p=0.005). A negative relationship was found between the number of sites with tick larvae in the soil and canopy tree area. No significant differences in larvae population in soil under tree cover between silvopastoral systems and open pastures, despite microclimatic conditions (air?s temperature and relative humidity) between both sites

Pharmaceutical companies information and antibiotic prescription patterns: A follow-up study in Spanish primary care

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of sources of drug information on antibiotic prescribing patterns (quantity and quality) among primary care physicians. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study on primary care physicians who were actively engaged in medical practice in 2010 in a region in north-west Spain (Galicia), fulfilling inclusion criteria (n = 2100). As the independent variable, we took the perceived utility of 6 sources of information on antibiotics, as measured by the validated KAAR-11 questionnaire. As dependent variables, we used: (1) a quality indicator (appropriate quality, defined as any case where 6 of the 12 indicators proposed by the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network [ESAC-Net] were better than the mean values for Spain); and, (2) a quantity indicator (high prescribing), defined as any case where defined daily doses (DDD) per 1 000 inhabitants per day of antibacterials for systemic use were higher than the mean values for Spain. The adjusted odds ratio for a change in the interquartile range (IqOR) for each sources of information on antibiotics was calculated using Generalized Linear Mixed Models. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 68%. Greater perceived utility of pharmaceutical sales representatives increases the risk of having high prescribing (1/IqOR = 2.50 [95%CI: 1.63-3.66]) and reduces the probability of having appropriate quality (1/IqOR = 2.28 [95%CI: 1.77-3.01]). Greater perceived utility of clinical guidelines increases the probability of having appropriate quality (1/IqOR = 1.25 [95%CI: 1.02-1.54]) and reduces the probability of high prescribing (1/IqOR = 1.25 [95%CI: 1.02-1.54]). CONCLUSIONS: Sources of information on antibiotics are an important determinant of the quantity and quality of antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Commercial sources of information influence prescribing negatively, and clinical guidelines are associated with better indicators.Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIThe European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)Mutua Madrileñ

Jost-Lehmann-Dyson Representation, Analyticity in Angle Variable and Upper Bounds in Noncommutative Quantum Field Theory

The existence of Jost-Lehmann-Dyson representation analogue has been proved in framework of space-space noncommutative quantum field theory. On the basis of this representation it has been found that some class of elastic amplitudes admits an analytical continuation into complex \cos\vartheta plane and corresponding domain of analyticity is Martin ellipse. This analyticity combined with unitarity leads to Froissart-Martin upper bound on total cross section.Comment: LaTeX, 15 pages, improved version, misprints corrected, the references added, to appear in Theor. Math. Phy

Characterization of New Proteomic Biomarker Candidates in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS) gene. Skeletal dysplasia and the related clinical features of MPS IVA are caused by disruption of the cartilage and its extracellular matrix, leading to a growth imbalance. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human GALNS has yielded positive results in activity of daily living and endurance tests. However, no data have demonstrated improvements in bone lesions and bone grow thin MPS IVA after ERT, and there is no correlation between therapeutic efficacy and urine levels of keratan sulfate, which accumulates in MPS IVA patients. Using qualitative and quantitative proteomics approaches, we analyzed leukocyte samples from healthy controls (n = 6) and from untreated (n = 5) and ERT-treated (n = 8, sampled before and after treatment) MPS IVA patients to identify potential biomarkers of disease. Out of 690 proteins identified in leukocytes, we selected a group of proteins that were dysregulated in MPS IVA patients with ERT. From these, we identified four potential protein biomarkers, all of which may influence bone and cartilage metabolism: lactotransferrin, coronin 1A, neutral alpha-glucosidase AB, and vitronectin. Further studies of cartilage and bone alterations in MPS IVA will be required to verify the validity of these proteins as potential biomarkers of MPS IVA

Grassroots Agency: Participation and Conflict in Buenos Aires Shantytowns seen through the Pilot Plan for Villa 7 (1971–1975)

open access articleIn 1971, after more than a decade of national and municipal policies aimed at the top-down removal of shantytowns, the Buenos Aires City Council approved the Plan Piloto para la Relocalización de Villa 7 (Pilot Plan for the Relocation of Shantytown 7; 1971–1975, referred to as the Pilot Plan hereinafter). This particular plan, which resulted in the construction of the housing complex, Barrio Justo Suárez, endures in the collective memory of Argentines as a landmark project regarding grassroots participation in state housing initiatives addressed at shantytowns. Emerging from a context of a housing shortage for the growing urban poor and intense popular mobilizations during the transition to democracy, the authors of the Pilot Plan sought to empower shantytown residents in novel ways by: 1) maintaining the shantytown’s location as opposed to eradication schemes that relocated the residents elsewhere, 2) formally employing some of the residents for the stage of construction, as opposed to “self-help” housing projects in which the residents contributed with unpaid labor, and 3) including them in the urban and architectural design of the of the new housing. This paper will examine the context in which the Pilot Plan was conceived of as a way of re-assessing the roles of the state, the user, and housing-related professionals, often seen as antagonistic. The paper argues that residents’ fair participation and state intervention in housing schemes are not necessarily incompatible, and can function in specific social and political contexts through multiactor proposals backed by a political will that prioritizes grassroots agency

Systematic meta-analyses, field synopsis and global assessment of the evidence of genetic association studies in colorectal cancer

OBJECTIVE: To provide an understanding of the role of common genetic variations in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, we report an updated field synopsis and comprehensive assessment of evidence to catalogue all genetic markers for CRC (CRCgene2). DESIGN: We included 869 publications after parallel literature review and extracted data for 1063 polymorphisms in 303 different genes. Meta-analyses were performed for 308 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 158 different genes with at least three independent studies available for analysis. Scottish, Canadian and Spanish data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were incorporated for the meta-analyses of 132 SNPs. To assess and classify the credibility of the associations, we applied the Venice criteria and Bayesian False-Discovery Probability (BFDP). Genetic associations classified as 'positive' and 'less-credible positive' were further validated in three large GWAS consortia conducted in populations of European origin. RESULTS: We initially identified 18 independent variants at 16 loci that were classified as 'positive' polymorphisms for their highly credible associations with CRC risk and 59 variants at 49 loci that were classified as 'less-credible positive' SNPs; 72.2% of the 'positive' SNPs were successfully replicated in three large GWASs and the ones that were not replicated were downgraded to 'less-credible' positive (reducing the 'positive' variants to 14 at 11 loci). For the remaining 231 variants, which were previously reported, our meta-analyses found no evidence to support their associations with CRC risk. CONCLUSION: The CRCgene2 database provides an updated list of genetic variants related to CRC risk by using harmonised methods to assess their credibility

Demographic predictors of wellbeing in Carers of people with psychosis: secondary analysis of trial data

Background: Carers of people with psychosis are at a greater risk of physical and mental health problems compared to the general population. Yet, not all carers will experience a decline in health. This predicament has provided the rationale for research studies exploring what factors predict poor wellbeing in carers of people with psychosis. Our study builds on previous research by testing the predictive value of demographic variables on carer wellbeing within a single regression model. Methods: To achieve this aim, we conducted secondary analysis on two trial data sets that were merged and recoded for the purposes of this study. Results: Contrary to our hypotheses, only carer gender and age predicted carer wellbeing; with lower levels of carer wellbeing being associated with being female or younger (aged under 50). However, the final regression model explained only 11% of the total variance. Conclusions: Suggestions for future research are discussed in light of the limitations inherent in secondary analysis studies. Further research is needed where sample sizes are sufficient to explore the interactive and additive impact of other predictor variables

Radical penectomy, a compromise for life: Results from the PECAD study

Background: The use of organ sparing strategies to treat penile cancer (PC) is currently supported by evidence that has indicated the safety, efficacy and benefit of this surgery. However, radical penectomy still represents up to 15-20% of primary tumor treatments in PC patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate efficacy in terms of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of radical penectomy in PC patients.Methods: Data from a retrospective multicenter study (PEnile Cancer ADherence study, PECAD Study) on PC patients treated at 13 European and American urological centers (Hospital "Sant'Andrea", Sapienza University, Roma, Italy; "G.D'Annunzio" University, Chieti and ASL 2 Abruzzo, Hospital "S. Pio da Pietrelcina", Vasto, Italy; Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA; Hospital of Budapest, Hungary; Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Urology and Andrology Unit II, University of Bari, Italy; Hospital "Spedali Civil", Brescia, Italy; Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain; Ceara Cancer Institute, Fortaleza, Brazil; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center, Warsaw, Poland) between 2010 and 2016 were used. Medical records of patients who specifically underwent radical penectomy were reviewed to identify main clinical and pathological variables. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate 1- and 5-year OS and DFS.Results: Of the entire cohort of 425 patients, 72 patients (16.9%) treated with radical penectomy were extracted and were considered for the analysis. The median age was 64.5 (IQR, 57.5-73.2) years. Of all, 41 (56.9%) patients had pT3/pT4 and 31 (43.1%) pT1/pT2. Moreover, 36 (50.0%) were classified as pN1-3 and 5 (6.9%) MI. Furthermore, 61 (84.7%) had a high grade (G2-G3) with 6 (8.3%) positive surgical margins. The 1- and 5-year OS rates were respectively 73.3% and 59.9%, while the 1- and 5-year DFS rates were respectively 67.3% and 35.1%.Conclusions: PC is an aggressive cancer particularly in more advanced stage. Overall, more than a third of patients do not survive at 5 years and more than 60% report a disease recurrence, despite the use of a radical treatment