Back from a Predicted Climatic Extinction of an Island Endemic: A Future for the Corsican Nuthatch

The Corsican Nuthatch (Sitta whiteheadi) is red-listed as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN because of its endemism, reduced population size, and recent decline. A further cause is the fragmentation and loss of its spatially-restricted favourite habitat, the Corsican pine (Pinus nigra laricio) forest. In this study, we aimed at estimating the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of the Corsican Nuthatch using species distribution models. Because this species has a strong trophic association with the Corsican and Maritime pines (P. nigra laricio and P. pinaster), we first modelled the current and future potential distribution of both pine species in order to use them as habitat variables when modelling the nuthatch distribution. However, the Corsican pine has suffered large distribution losses in the past centuries due to the development of anthropogenic activities, and is now restricted to mountainous woodland. As a consequence, its realized niche is likely significantly smaller than its fundamental niche, so that a projection of the current distribution under future climatic conditions would produce misleading results. To obtain a predicted pine distribution at closest to the geographic projection of the fundamental niche, we used available information on the current pine distribution associated to information on the persistence of isolated natural pine coppices. While common thresholds (maximizing the sum of sensitivity and specificity) predicted a potential large loss of the Corsican Nuthatch distribution by 2100, the use of more appropriate thresholds aiming at getting closer to the fundamental distribution of the Corsican pine predicted that 98% of the current presence points should remain potentially suitable for the nuthatch and its range could be 10% larger in the future. The habitat of the endemic Corsican Nuthatch is therefore more likely threatened by an increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires or anthropogenic activities than by climate change

Genome-Wide Analysis of Subependymomas Shows Underlying Chromosomal Copy Number Changes Involving Chromosomes 6, 7, 8 and 14 in a Proportion of Cases

Subependymomas (SE) are slow-growing brain tumors that tend to occur within the ventricles of middle-aged and elderly adults. The World Health Organization classifies these tumors within the ependymoma group. Previous limited analysis of this tumor type had not revealed significant underlying cytogenetic abnormalities

Uso combinado de modelos de estresse no trabalho e a saúde auto-referida na enfermagem

OBJETIVO: Identificar combinações de dois modelos do estresse psicossocial do trabalho em equipes de enfermagem e sua associação com a saúde auto-referida. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com trabalhadoras de três hospitais públicos do Município do Rio de Janeiro, RJ (N=1307). Foi aplicado questionário multidimensional que incluiu duas escalas de estresse no trabalho (modelo demanda-controle e desequilíbrio esforço-recompensa) em 2006. Foram considerados o modelo demanda e controle parcial e completo (inclui apoio social no trabalho), assim como o esforço e recompensa parcial e completo (inclui excesso de comprometimento com o trabalho). Modelos de regressão múltipla foram utilizados para estimar razões de chances ajustadas e seus respectivos intervalos com 95% de confiança. RESULTADOS: As dimensões de ambos os modelos estiveram independentemente associadas à situação de saúde, com odds ratios entre 1,70 e 3,37. O modelo parcial demanda-controle mostrou-se menos associado à saúde (OR = 1,79; IC95% 1,26;2,53) quando comparado ao de desequilíbrio esforço-recompensa (OR=2,27; IC95% 1,57;3,30). A incorporação do apoio social e do excesso de comprometimento com o trabalho aumentou a força de associação dos modelos demanda-controle e desequilíbrio esforço-recompensa, respectivamente. Foi observado aumento na força de associação quando os dois modelos parciais foram combinados. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados indicam melhor desempenho do modelo desequilíbrio esforço-recompensa para este grupo específico e para o desfecho avaliado e vantagem do uso de modelos completos ou do uso combinado em modelos parciais.OBJETIVO: Identificar combinaciones de dos modelos de estrés psicossocial del trabajo en equipos de enfermería y su asociación con la salud auto referida. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con trabajadoras de tres hospitales públicos del Municipio de Rio de Janeiro, Sureste de Brasil, (N=1307). Se aplicó cuestionario multidimensional que incluyó dos escalas de estrés en el trabajo (modelo demanda-control y desequilibrio esfuerzo-recompensa) en 2006. Se consideraron el modelo demando y control parcial y completo (incluye apoyo social en el trabajo), así como el esfuerzo y recompensa parcial y completo (incluye exceso de compromiso con el trabajo). Se utilizaron modelos estadísticos múltiples para estimar razones de probabilidades ajustadas y sus respectivos intervalos con 95% de confianza. RESULTADOS: Las dimensiones de ambos modelos estuvieron independientemente asociadas con la salud autoreferida, con odds ratios entre 1,70 y 3,37. El modelo parcial demanda-control se mostró menos asociado a la salud (OR=1,79; IC 95% 1,26;2,53) al compararlo con el desequilibrio esfuerzo-recompensa (OR=2,27; IC 95% 1,57;3,30). La incorporación del apoyo social y del exceso de compromiso con el trabajo aumentó la fuerza de asociación de los modelos demanda-control y desequilibrio esfuerzo-recompensa, respectivamente. Se observó aumento en la fuerza de asociación al combinarse los dos modelos parciales. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados indican mejor desempeño del modelo desequilibrio esfuerzo-recompensa para este grupo específico y para el resultado evaluado y ventaja en el uso de modelos completos o del uso combinado en modelos parciales.OBJECTIVE: To identify combinations of two models of psychosocial stress at work among nursing teams and their associations with self-rated health. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study among workers at three public hospitals in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil (N = 1307). In 2006, a multidimensional questionnaire including two scales for measuring stress at work (demand-control and effort-reward imbalance models) was administered. Partial and complete (including social support at work) demand-control models were considered, along with partial and complete (including excessive commitment to work) effort-reward models. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The dimensions of both models were independently associated with self-rated health, with odds ratios between 1.70 and 3.37. The partial demand-control model was less associated with health (OR = 1.79; 95%CI 1.26;2.53) than was the partial effort-reward imbalance model (OR = 2.27; 95%CI 1.57;3.30). Incorporation of social support and excessive commitment to work increased the strength of the demand-control and effort-reward imbalance models, respectively. Increased strength of association was observed when the two partial models were combined. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the effort-reward imbalance model performed better for this specific group and for the outcome evaluated, and that there was an advantage in using complete models or combinations of partial models

Differential Patterns of Food Appreciation during Consumption of a Simple Food in Congenitally Anosmic Individuals: An Explorative Study

Food is evaluated for various attributes. One of the key food evaluation domains is hedonicity. As food is consumed, its hedonic valence decreases (due to prolonged sensory stimulation) and hedonic habituation results. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in food pleasantness ratings during consumption of a simple food by individuals without olfactory experience with food as compared to normosmics. 15 congenital anosmics and 15 normosmic controls were each presented with ten 10 g banana slices. Each was visually inspected, then smelled and chewed for ten seconds and subsequently rated for hedonicity on a 21-point scale. There was a significant difference in pleasantness ratings between congenital anosmics and controls (F(1, 26) = 6.71, p = .02) with the anosmics exhibiting higher ratings than the controls, a significant main repeated-measures effect on the ratings (F(1.85, 48) = 12.15, p<.001), which showed a decreasing trend over the course of consumption, as well as a significant portion*group interaction (F(1.85, 48) = 3.54, p = .04), with the anosmic participants experiencing a less pronounced decline. The results of the present explorative study suggest that over the course of consumption of a simple food, congenitally anosmic individuals experience differential patterns of appreciation of food as compared to normosmics. In this particular case, the decrease of hedonic valence was less pronounced in congenital anosmics

Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance radiotherapy-induced cell death in tumor and metastatic tumor foci

We have recently shown that radiotherapy may not only be a successful local and regional treatment but, when combined with MSCs, may also be a novel systemic cancer therapy. This study aimed to investigate the role of exosomes derived from irradiated MSCs in the delay of tumor growth and metastasis after treatment with MSC + radiotherapy (RT). The tumor cell loss rates found after treatment with the combination of MSC and RT and for exclusive RT, were: 44.4% % and 12,1%, respectively. Concomitant and adjuvant use of RT and MSC, increased the mice surviving time 22,5% in this group, with regard to the group of mice treated with exclusive RT and in a 45,3% respect control group. Moreover, the number of metastatic foci found in the internal organs of the mice treated with MSC + RT was 60% less than the mice group treated with RT alone. We reasoned that the exosome secreted by the MSC, could be implicated in tumor growth delay and metastasis control after treatment. Our results show that exosomes derived form MSCs, combined with radiotherapy, are determinant in the enhancement of radiation effects observed in the control of metastatic spread of melanoma cells and suggest that exosome-derived factors could be involved in the bystander, and abscopal effects found after treatment of the tumors with RT plus MSC. Radiotherapy itself may not be systemic, although it might contribute to a systemic effect when used in combination with mesenchymal stem cells owing the ability of irradiated MSCs-derived exosomes to increase the control of tumor growth and metastasis.This work was supported by CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil, Junta de Andalucía, project of Excellence from Junta de Andalucía P12-CTS-383 to FJO, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness SAF2015-70520-R to FJO and JMRdA, RTICC RD12/0036/0026 and CIBER Cáncer ISCIII CB16/12/00421 to FJO