Riparian or phreatophile woodland and shrubland vegetation in the Central Chilean biogeographic region: phytosociological study

The Mediterranean territory in Chile is an extensive area whose natural vegetation has suffered the impact of man-made activities far more severely than anywhere else in the country. Its northernmost section (the Atacama and Coquimbo regions) is characterised by ombroclimates that range from ultra-hyperarid to arid, and by highly irregular river courses with limited spaces for phreatophilic vegetation that have been exploited by humans as fertile farmlands. However, in the river valleys of the Central Chilean biogeographic province, where the ombroclimate is at least semiarid, there may be permanent watercourses that drain from the Andean mountain range towards the Pacific Ocean that contain representations of riparian or phreatophilic vegetation linked to riverbanks or alluvial terraces, in spite of the inevitable human influence. We studied the most conspicuous plant communities with the most highly developed biomass in these riparian environments, namely willow stands dominated by Salix humboldtiana and accompanied by some autochthonous woody species, in order to clarify their floristic composition and their correct ordination within the syntaxonomy of Chilean vegetation. The data collected suggest the existence of a phytosociological association: Otholobio glandulosi-Salicetum humboldtianae ass. nova, as the majority association in the Central Chilean province. Another possible association which replaces this (Baccharido salicifoliae-Myrceugenietum lanceolatae prov.) is also proposed in the transition to a humid ombroclimate and Temperate macrobioclimate.The floristic contents of these Chilean communities are compared with other associations dominated by Salix humboldtiana described for other territories bordering Chile: Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. However, given that they are all located in a Tropical macrobioclimate and their companion flora is therefore clearly different from the flora present in the Chilean communities, we propose the creation of a new phytosociological class to include these syntaxonomically: Mayteno boariae-Salicetea humboldtianae class. nova. This work also ascribes the association Tessario absinthioidis-Baccharidetum marginalis (representing a prior dynamic stage to Otholobio glandulosi-Salicetum humboldtianae) to the class Tessario integrifoliae-Baccharideteasalicifoliae.S

COVID-19 Infection among Nursing Students in Spain: The Risk Perception, Perceived Risk Factors, Coping Style, Preventive Knowledge of the Disease and Sense of Coherence as Psychological Predictor Variables: A Cross Sectional Survey

The exploration of patterns of health beliefs about COVID-19 among nursing students may be beneficial to identify behaviors, attitudes and knowledge about contagion risk. We sought to analyze the variables of risk perception, perceived risk factors, coping style, sense of coherence and knowledge of preventive measures as possible predictors of having suffered from COVID-19. Participants were nursing students from 13 universities in Spain. Sociodemographic and health variables were collected. To test the independent variables, the Perception Risk Coping Knowledge (PRCK-COVID-19) scale was created and validated because there was no specific survey for young people adapted to the pandemic situation of COVID-19. It was validated with adequate psychometric properties. A total of 1562 students (87.5% female, mean age 21.5 ± 5.7 years) responded. The high perception of the risk of contagion, the high level of knowledge and a coping style focused on the situation were notable. Significant differences by gender were found in the coping styles, problem-focused, avoidance and knowledge scales, with women scoring higher in all categories. The multiple regression analysis was significant (F = 3.68; p < 0.001). The predictor variables were the coping styles subscale search for support and the intrinsic and extrinsic perceived risk factors. Our model predicts that nursing students with a social support-based coping style are at a higher risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, based on their own health belief model.Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Acknowledgments: We are grateful to all participating institutions and students

Identification and characterization of Cardiac Glycosides as senolytic compounds

Compounds with specific cytotoxic activity in senescent cells, or senolytics, support the causal involvement of senescence in aging and offer therapeutic interventions. Here we report the identification of Cardiac Glycosides (CGs) as a family of compounds with senolytic activity. CGs, by targeting the Na+/K+ATPase pump, cause a disbalanced electrochemical gradient within the cell causing depolarization and acidification. Senescent cells present a slightly depolarized plasma membrane and higher concentrations of H+, making them more susceptible to the action of CGs. These vulnerabilities can be exploited for therapeutic purposes as evidenced by the in vivo eradication of tumors xenografted in mice after treatment with the combination of a senogenic and a senolytic drug. The senolytic effect of CGs is also effective in the elimination of senescence-induced lung fibrosis. This experimental approach allows the identification of compounds with senolytic activity that could potentially be used to develop effective treatments against age-related diseases.We thank Matthias Drosten, Alejo Efeyan and Sean Morrison for plasmids. F.T-M. is a postdoctoral fellow from CONACYT (cvu 268632); P.P. is a predoctoral fellow from Xunta de Galicia; M.C. is a "Miguel Servet II" investigator (CPII16/00015). P.P.-R. receives support from a program by the Deputacion de Coruna (BINV-CS/2019). Work in the laboratory of M.C. is funded by grant RTI2018-095818-B-100 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). P.J.F.-M. is funded by the IMDEA Food Institute, the Ramon Areces Foundation, (CIVP18A3891), and a Ramon y Cajal Award (MICINN) (RYC-2017-22335). M.P.I. is funded by Talento Modalidad-1 Program Grant, Madrid Regional Government (#2018-T1/BIO-11262). F.P. was funded by a Long Term EMBO Fellowship (ALTF-358-2017) and F.H-G. was funded by the PhD4MD Programme of the IRB, Hospital Clinic and IDIBAPS. Work in the laboratory of M.S. was funded by the IRB and by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (SAF2013-48256-R), the European Research Council (ERC-2014-AdG/669622), and "laCaixa" Foundation.S

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

FIGURES 4‒8. Localities L1 in Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

FIGURES 4‒8. Localities L1 (Figs 4‒6) and L2 (Figs 7,8). 4, 8: habitat; 5: drinking water construction at L1; 6, 7: window trap instalations.Published as part of Šafránek, Ondřej, Serrano, Verónica Lucía Caballero & Carrasco, Juan Carlos, 2023, Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), pp. 131-142 in Zootaxa 5353 (2) on page 134, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/842712

FIGURES 27‒30. Oxycheila pseudostrandi Wiesner, 1999, male. 27 in Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

FIGURES 27‒30. Oxycheila pseudostrandi Wiesner, 1999, male. 27: habitus; 28: head; 29: elytral apex; 30: aedeagus. Bars in mm.Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Šafránek, Ondřej, Serrano, Verónica Lucía Caballero &amp; Carrasco, Juan Carlos, 2023, Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), pp. 131-142 in Zootaxa 5353 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.2.3, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8427129"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/8427129&lt;/a&gt

FIGURES 15‒26. Oxycheila buestani Wiesner, 1999 in Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

FIGURES 15‒26. Oxycheila buestani Wiesner, 1999. (15‒21 male, 22‒26 female). 15, 22: habitus; 16, 23: head; 17, 24: labrum; 18, 25: mandible; 19, 26: elytral apex; 20, 21: aedeagus male. Bars in mm.Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Šafránek, Ondřej, Serrano, Verónica Lucía Caballero &amp; Carrasco, Juan Carlos, 2023, Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), pp. 131-142 in Zootaxa 5353 (2)&lt;/i&gt; on page 137, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.2.3, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8427129"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/8427129&lt;/a&gt

FIGURES 1‒3. 1. Satellite map Ecuador. 2 in Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

FIGURES 1‒3. 1. Satellite map Ecuador. 2. West sub Andean region north from the town of Cumandá-Bucay. 3. Study area with surveyed transects L1 (red line) and L2 (yellow line).Published as part of Šafránek, Ondřej, Serrano, Verónica Lucía Caballero & Carrasco, Juan Carlos, 2023, Rediscovery and redescription of Oxycheila buestani Wiesner with the first female record and new methodology for observation of Oxycheila Dejean and Oxygonia Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), pp. 131-142 in Zootaxa 5353 (2) on page 133, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/842712