Estimación de la productividad primaria neta aérea y capacidad de carga ganadera: un estudio de caso en Sierras del Este, Uruguay

En los sistemas de producción ganadera bajo pastoreo es fundamental conocer la Capacidad de Carga (CC). La Productividad Primaria Neta Aérea (PPNA) es la variable más importante para estimar la CC ya que representa la principal fuente de energía para los herbívoros. La PPNA puede ser estimada a partir de cortes sucesivos de biomasa o a partir de información espectral. En este trabajo nos planteamos generar información de la PPNA, de dos unidades de pastizales (densos y abiertos), a partir de datos satelitales. Para ello se determinó la Eficiencia en el Uso de la Radiación (EUR) de las unidades de pastizal mediante la combinación de datos satelitales y datos de campo. A su vez estimamos, a partir de un método simplificado, la CC de un establecimiento ganadero representativo de la región de Sierras del Este. La EUR para pastizales densos fue de 0,38 grMS/MJ (Materia Seca/Mega Joules), mientras que para pastizales abiertos fue de 0,44 grMS/MJ. La EUR de los pastizales no mostró ser significativamente diferente, por lo que la EUR total fue de 0,36 grMS/MJ. La PPNA promedio para los 14 años de los pastizales densos y abiertos fue de 2876 y 1711 kgMS/ha*año, respectivamente. La CC promedio para el establecimiento analizado fue de 0,44 UG/ha. La CC varió entre los potreros dependiendo de la importancia relativa de cada unidad de pastizal. La información de PPNA generada y el procedimiento de estimación de CC empleado ponen a disposición de técnicos y productores, una forma sencilla para estimar la CC de sus potreros

Una experiencia de generación de conocimiento ecológico a través de un proceso compartido entre ganaderos e investigadores en Sierras del Este (Uruguay)

La ganadería extensiva en Uruguay se sustenta en la producción de forraje, uno de los principales servicios ecosistémicos proporcionado por los pastizales naturales. En las últimas décadas el avance de la forestación y la agricultura han profundizado el desplazamiento de productores familiares y medianos, con la consecuente sobreexplotación del pastizal. Con el fin de contribuir a la producción ganadera y la conservación de los pastizales, se llevó a cabo en Sierras del Este una experiencia de investigación e intercambio compartida entre investigadores de la Universidad de la República y productores ganaderos de la Cooperativa Agraria Quebrada de los Cuervos. El trabajo realizado consistió en la estimación de la productividad primaria neta aérea o producción de forraje de las comunidades dominantes de pastizal natural, lo cual es un insumo fundamental para la estimación de la capacidad de carga ganadera. El objetivo de este artículo es describir y analizar el proceso de trabajo que abarcó desde la toma de datos en el campo hasta la discusión de los resultados obtenidos y sus implicancias para el manejo ganadero. Se realizaron cuatro jornadas de obtención de datos en el campo y cuatro talleres en establecimientos de la zona. Participaron también diversas instituciones relacionadas a la producción ganadera a nivel local, departamental y nacional. La participación activa y el involucramiento de los productores promovieron a la comprensión y apropiación de los conocimientos obtenidos durante el proceso de investigación, los cuales a su vez contribuyeron a la implementación de un sistema de manejo ganadero de modalidad colectiva por parte de la Cooperativa

Harvest biomass method generates higher differences in grasslands productivity estimation than the type of grassland

En los pastizales la estimación de la Productividad Primaria Neta Aérea (PPNA) resulta clave ya que, entre otros aspectos, determina la cantidad de forraje disponible para el ganado. Los métodos tradicionales para estimar la PPNA en pastizales implican cortes de biomasa. La frecuencia y el momento de corte son generalmente reportados, no así la altura a la cual se realiza la cosecha de biomasa. La biomasa puede cortarse al ras del suelo o dejando unos pocos centímetros sobre el mismo. Esto determina importantes variaciones en la cantidad y calidad de biomasa remanente lo cual afectará el rebrote de las plantas. En este trabajo comparamos el efecto sobre la PPNA de cortar la biomasa a ras del suelo (método ras) y dejando un remanente de 2 cm (método rebrote) en las dos unidades de pastizal de Sierras del Este, una región geomorfológica de Uruguay con 90% de pastizales y que abarca más del 14% del país. Se cortó estacionalmente durante un año en cuatro sitios, dos en la unidad de pastizales abiertos y dos en la de pastizales densos. Nuestros resultados indicaron que el efecto del método de corte fue más importante que las diferencias en productividad debidas al tipo de pastizal. La PPNA anual de los pastizales abiertos fue 33% mayor cortando al ras del suelo que cortando a 2cm de altura, mientras que en los pastizales densos dicha diferencia fue del 40% a favor del corte al ras. Los pastizales densos fueron más productivos que los abiertos: 28% más cortando al ras y 20% más dejando un remanente de 2cm. El efecto del método de corte dependió de la estación del año, siendo mayor en verano. Resaltamos la necesidad de estandarizar el método de corte de biomasa para realizar comparaciones válidas de la productividad de pastizales de diferentes sitios. Cortar la biomasa dejando un remanente de 2 cm resulta más barato, más fácil y más conveniente ya que se evita la contaminación con partículas de suelo

Sleep duration and napping in relation to colorectal and gastric cancer in the MCC-Spain study

Sleep duration is a novel and potentially modifiable risk factor for cancer. We evaluated the association of self-reported sleep duration and daytime napping with odds of colorectal and gastric cancer. We included 2008 incident colorectal cancer cases, 542 gastric cancer cases and 3622 frequency-matched population controls, recruited in the MCC-Spain case-control study (2008-2013). Sleep information, socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics were obtained through personal interviews. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer, across categories of sleep duration (? 5, 6, 7, 8, ? 9 hours/day), daytime napping frequency (naps/week) and duration (minutes/nap). Compared to 7 hours of sleep, long sleep was associated with increased odds of colorectal (OR?9 hours: 1.59; 95%CI 1.30-1.94) and gastric cancer (OR?9 hours: 1.95; 1.37-2.76); short sleep was associated with increased odds of gastric cancer (OR?5 hours: 1.32; 0.93-1.88). Frequent and long daytime naps increased the odds of colorectal (OR6-7 naps/week, ?30 min: 1.32; 1.14-1.54) and gastric cancer (OR6-7 naps/week, ?30 min: 1.56; 1.21-2.02). Effects of short sleep and frequent long naps were stronger among participants with night shift-work history. Sleep and circadian disruption may jointly play a role in the etiology of colorectal and gastric cancer.Funding: The study was funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer”, approved on the Spanish Ministry Council on 11 October 2007, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PI09/00773-Cantabria, PI09/01286-León, PI09/01903-Valencia, PI09/02078-Huelva, PI09/01662-Granada, PI11/01403, PI11/01889-FEDER, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150), by the Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), by the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL (The ICGC CLL-Genome Project is funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) del ISCIII (RD12/0036/0036)), by the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22A10-2), by the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (2009-S0143), by the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP_061/10), by the Recercaixa (2010ACUP 00310), by the European Commission grants FOOD-CT-2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the Catalan Government DURSI grant 2009SGR1489. KP received a predoctoral grant PFIS (FI09/00385). MCT is funded by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-01892) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and cofunded by the European Social Fund. ISGlobal acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program. Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Catalan Government grant 2017SGR723. Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation. DC is supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness—Carlos III Institute of Health cofunded by FEDER funds/European Regional Develpment Fund (ERDF)—a way to build Europe (PI17/01280), the Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red: Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (CIBERESP, Spain) and the Agencia de Gestio d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR), CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional suport (2017SGR1085). VM is funded by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Catalan Government grant 2017SGR723; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, co-funded by FEDER funds—a way to build Europe—; Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation. Sample collection of this work was supported by the Xarxa de Bancs de Tumors de Catalunya sponsored by Pla Director d’Oncología de Catalunya (XBTC)", Plataforma Biobancos PT13/0010/0013" and ICOBIOBANC, sponsored by the Catalan Institute of Oncology. We thank CERCA Program, Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support

Population-based multicase-control study in common tumors in Spain (MCC-Spain): rationale and study design

Introduction: We present the protocol of a large population-based case-control study of 5 common tumors in Spain (MCC-Spain) that evaluates environmental exposures and genetic factors. Methods: Between 2008-2013, 10,183 persons aged 20-85 years were enrolled in 23 hospitals and primary care centres in 12 Spanish provinces including 1,115 cases of a new diagnosis of prostate cancer, 1,750 of breast cancer, 2,171 of colorectal cancer, 492 of gastro-oesophageal cancer, 554 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and 4,101 population-based controls matched by frequency to cases by age, sex and region of residence. Participation rates ranged from 57% (stomach cancer) to 87% (CLL cases) and from 30% to 77% in controls. Participants completed a face-to-face computerized interview on sociodemographic factors, environmental exposures, occupation, medication, lifestyle, and personal and family medical history. In addition, participants completed a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire and telephone interviews. Blood samples were collected from 76% of participants while saliva samples were collected in CLL cases and participants refusing blood extractions. Clinical information was recorded for cases and paraffin blocks and/or fresh tumor samples are available in most collaborating hospitals. Genotyping was done through an exome array enriched with genetic markers in specific pathways. Multiple analyses are planned to assess the association of environmental, personal and genetic risk factors for each tumor and to identify pleiotropic effects. Discussion: This study, conducted within the Spanish Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology & Public Health (CIBERESP), is a unique initiative to evaluate etiological factors for common cancers and will promote cancer research and prevention in Spain.The study was partially funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer”, approved on the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11th October 2007, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PS09/00773, PS09/01286, PS09/01903, PS09/02078, PS09/01662, PI11/01403, PI11/01889, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150), by the Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), by the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL, by the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22A10-2), by the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0571), by the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP 061/10), by the Recercaixa (2010ACUP 00310), by the Regional Government of the Basque Country by European Commission grants FOOD-CT- 2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the The Catalan Government DURSI grant 2009SGR1489

AG5 is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and immune regulator that preserves innate immunity

12 pages, 5 figures.-- This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND licenseAn archetypal anti-inflammatory compound against cytokine storm would inhibit it without suppressing the innate immune response. AG5, an anti-inflammatory compound, has been developed as synthetic derivative of andrographolide, which is highly absorbable and presents low toxicity. We found that the mechanism of action of AG5 is through the inhibition of caspase-1. Interestingly, we show with in vitro generated human monocyte derived dendritic cells that AG5 preserves innate immune response. AG5 minimizes inflammatory response in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury and exhibits in vivo anti-inflammatory efficacy in the SARS-CoV-2-infected mouse model. AG5 opens up a new class of anti-inflammatories, since contrary to NSAIDs, AG5 is able to inhibit the cytokine storm, like dexamethasone, but, unlike corticosteroids, preserves adequately the innate immunity. This is critical at the early stages of any naïve infection, but particularly in SARS-CoV-2 infections. Furthermore, AG5 showed interesting antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in humanized miceThis work has been supported by NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) through the PTI+ Global Health Platform of Spanish National Research Council, grants SGL2103023 (PBA), SGL2103053 (MMA) and SGL2103015 (MM); by Spanish National Research Council through the program “Ayudas extraodinarias a proyectos de investigacion en el marco de las medidas urgentes extraodinarias para hacer frente al impacto económico y social del COVID-19”, grants CSIC-COV19-093 (PBA) and CSIC-COV19-117 (MM); by Generalitat Valenciana through the program “Ayudas urgentes para proyectos de investigación, desarrollo tecnológico e innovación (I+D+i) por la COVID-19”, grant GVA-COVID19/2021/059 (PBA); by the Conference of Rectors of the Spanish Universities, Spanish National Research Council and Banco Santander through the FONDO SUPERA COVID-19, grant CAPriCORn (JSM, JMB); by Severo Ochoa center of excellence program (grant CEX2021-001230-S) (PBA)Peer reviewe

Dietary Inflammatory Index, Dietary Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity, and Colorectal and Breast Cancer Risk(Mcc-Spain Study)

Inflammation and antioxidant capacity have been associated with colorectal and breast cancer. We computed the dietary inflammatory index (DII®), and the total dietary non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (NEAC) and associated them with colorectal and breast cancer risk in the population-based multi case-control study in Spain (MCC-Spain). We included 1852 colorectal cancer and 1567 breast cancer cases, and 3447 and 1486 population controls, respectively. DII score and NEAC were derived using data from a semi-quantitative validated food frequency questionnaire. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for energy-adjusted DII (E-DII), and a score combining E-DII and NEAC. E-DII was associated with colorectal cancer risk (OR = 1.93, highest quartile versus lowest, 95%CI:1.60–2.32; p-trend:0.10). The combined score of high E-DII scores and low antioxidant values were associated with colorectal cancer risk (OR = 1.48, highest quartile versus lowest, 95%CI: 1.26–1.74; p-trend

El reto de la inclusión de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en la formación inicial de profesores de secundaria: creación del MOOC curso cero sobre educación y ODS, inclusión en asignaturas y en trabajos fin de máster

Memoria ID-041. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2021-2022

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation