IARA IGUASSU, A NEW TAXON OF AQUATIC ANGIOSPERM FROM THE CRATO PALAEOFLORA (LOWER CRETACEOUS, SANTANA FORMATION, ARARIPE BASIN, NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL)

Iara iguass, um novo taxon de angiosperma aquática da paleoflora do Crato (Eocretáceo, Formação Santana, Bacia do Araripe, nordeste do Brasil). Iara iguassu gen et sp. nov., uma angiosperma aquática pertencente à paleoflora do Crato é descrita. A inédita planta fóssil lança nova luz ao estudo da morfologia, diversidade e evolução das primeiras angiospermas do Cretáceo, já que o Gondwana ocidental pode ter sido o cenário dispersor destas. O Membro Crato consiste em calcários laminados de origem lacustre rasa com influência marinha, de idade neoaptiana/eoalbiana. Os espécimes, preservados como impressões, consistem num caule cilíndrico, articulado e sulcado, do qual emergem apicalmente folhas sésseis, arranjadas num verticilo. As longas folhas cilíndricas, sulcadas e flexíveis portam ápice arredondado ou filamentoso, além de denteações papilosas marginais. Longos, delgados e estriados pedúnculos emergem do nó e terminam numa estrutura fusiforme, também estriada, representando estruturas férteis flutuadoras. Características similares parecem ser compartilhadas com as atuais famílias de ervas aquáticas: Potamogetonaceae, Ruppiaceae e Cymodoceaceae (Monocots) e Podostemaceae (Eudicots). O hábito aquático é sugerido a partir da morfologia cilíndrica, filamentosa e flexível bem como da organização verticilada. A planta viveria parcialmente submersa em corpos lacustres, talvez em águas salinas, paleoambientes já descritos para o Membro Crato. Iara iguassu pode representar uma convergência de hábito e, assim, uma linhagem extinta de angiosperma aquática, não relacionada a monocots ou dicots.ABSTRACT – Iara iguassu gen. et sp. nov., a new taxon of aquatic angiosperm that occurs in the Crato Palaeoflora is described. The new species contributes to improve the knowledge of early angiosperms diversity and evolution, since the West Gondwana could be the spreading center of the first flowering plants in an older time. The Crato Member consists of laminated limestones of shallow lacustrine origin with marine influence and of Late Aptian/Early Albian age. Iara iguassu is an filamentous plant that consists of a cylindrical, articulate and furrowed stem that bear leaves elongated, tubular, flexible and inserted whorly. The fertile structures are represented by thin elongated flexible and striated peduncles that emerge near the stem nodal region. The peduncles distal portion consists of a spindle-shaped structure. The plant would live submersed in shallow lacustrine environments, probably with saline waters, depositional palaeoenvironments already suggested for the Crato Member. Iara iguassu features are partly found in extant and not related aquatic herbaceous families such as Potamogetonaceae, Cymodoceaceae and Ruppiaceae (Monocots) and also Podostemaceae (Dicot). Therefore, Iara iguassu may represent an extinct member of a putative lineage of aquatic flowering plants, not related to extant monocots or dicots (convergence habit)

NEW GYMNOSPERM RELATED WITH GNETALES FROM THE CRATO PALAEOFLORA (LOWER CRETACEOUS, SANTANA FORMATION, ARARIPE BASIN, NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL): PRELIMINARY STUDY

Um novo táxon gnetaliano da paleoflora do Crato é proposto. Os fitofósseis ocorrem nos calcários laminados do Membro Crato, unidade mais basal da Formação Santana, de idade neoaptiana/eoalbiana. Seu sistema deposicional é caracterizado como continental, formado por amplos e rasos corpos lacustres, sob um regime climático árido. A ordem Gnetales tem atraído grande atenção devido ao seu potencial de elucidar a filogenia das plantas com sementes. Previamente, micro e macrofósseis foram reportados no registro da Bacia do Araripe e recentes estudos têm contribuído para o incremento destes novos dados sobre a ocorrência e evolução de Gnetales. Os espécimes aqui estudados apresentam caules cilíndricos, articulados e estriados. Dois ramos opostos, portando folhas opostas e oblongas de venação paralela, emergem da porção basal do caule. As raízes, sulcadas centralmente, constituem um denso sistema. Um par de estróbilos emergem opostamente dos nós. A organização geral e o tamanho reduzido sugerem hábito rasteiro arbustivo lenhoso para esta planta. Este táxon compartilha de caracteres gnetalianos tais como folhas e ramos opostamente inseridos, nós distintos, venação paralela das folhas e estruturas férteis estrobilares. O mesmo habitaria as margens próximas dos ambientes lacustres já sugeridos para o Membro Crato.A new gnetalean taxon from the Crato palaeoflora is proposed. It occurs in the Crato Member, most basal unit of the Santana Formation, dated as Late Aptian/Early Albian and which consists of horizontal thin laminated limestones. Its deposition was in a continental lacustrine system with several shallow lakes and that evolved under semiarid climate. Gnetales has attracted attention because of its potential for understanding the seed plants phylogeny. Previously, diverse gnetalean macro and microfossils were reported to the Araripe Basin record and recent studies have provided important new data about the occurrence of the Gnetales. The specimens carry cylindrical, articulate and striate stems. Two opposite branches with opposite oblong parallel-veined leaves emerge from the stem basal portion. The roots constitute a dense system and exhibit a central furrow. A pair of strobili emerges oppositely from the nodes. The general organization indicates a woody plant while the small size suggests that it was a short shrub. This plant shares with gnetaleans characters, such as leaves and branches oppositely inserted, distinct nodes, parallel-veined leaves and also strobilar reproductive structure. This plant would live near of the shallow lacustrine environment, maybe in the stream margins, palaeoenvironment already suggested to the Crato Member

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Efficiency of Reading Processes

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that offers promise as an investigative method for understanding complex cognitive operations such as reading. This study explores the ability of a single session of tDCS to modulate reading efficiency and phonological processing performance within a group of healthy adults. Half the group received anodal or cathodal stimulation, on two separate days, of the left temporo-parietal junction while the other half received anodal or cathodal stimulation of the right homologue area. Pre- and post-stimulation assessment of reading efficiency and phonological processing was carried out. A larger pre-post difference in reading efficiency was found for participants who received right anodal stimulation compared to participants who received left anodal stimulation. Further, there was a significant post-stimulation increase in phonological processing speed following right hemisphere anodal stimulation. Implications for models of reading and reading impairment are discussed

Prescription appropriateness of anti-diabetes drugs in elderly patients hospitalized in a clinical setting: evidence from the REPOSI Register

Diabetes is an increasing global health burden with the highest prevalence (24.0%) observed in elderly people. Older diabetic adults have a greater risk of hospitalization and several geriatric syndromes than older nondiabetic adults. For these conditions, special care is required in prescribing therapies including anti- diabetes drugs. Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and the adherence to safety recommendations in the prescriptions of glucose-lowering drugs in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the REgistro POliterapie-Società Italiana Medicina Interna (REPOSI) that collected clinical information on patients aged ≥ 65 years acutely admitted to Italian internal medicine and geriatric non-intensive care units (ICU) from 2010 up to 2019. Prescription appropriateness was assessed according to the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria and anti-diabetes drug data sheets.Among 5349 patients, 1624 (30.3%) had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. At admission, 37.7% of diabetic patients received treatment with metformin, 37.3% insulin therapy, 16.4% sulfonylureas, and 11.4% glinides. Surprisingly, only 3.1% of diabetic patients were treated with new classes of anti- diabetes drugs. According to prescription criteria, at admission 15.4% of patients treated with metformin and 2.6% with sulfonylureas received inappropriately these treatments. At discharge, the inappropriateness of metformin therapy decreased (10.2%, P < 0.0001). According to Beers criteria, the inappropriate prescriptions of sulfonylureas raised to 29% both at admission and at discharge. This study shows a poor adherence to current guidelines on diabetes management in hospitalized elderly people with a high prevalence of inappropriate use of sulfonylureas according to the Beers criteria

The “Diabetes Comorbidome”: A Different Way for Health Professionals to Approach the Comorbidity Burden of Diabetes

(1) Background: The disease burden related to diabetes is increasing greatly, particularly in older subjects. A more comprehensive approach towards the assessment and management of diabetes’ comorbidities is necessary. The aim of this study was to implement our previous data identifying and representing the prevalence of the comorbidities, their association with mortality, and the strength of their relationship in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes, developing, at the same time, a new graphic representation model of the comorbidome called “Diabetes Comorbidome”. (2) Methods: Data were collected from the RePoSi register. Comorbidities, socio-demographic data, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), and functional status (Barthel Index), were recorded. Mortality rates were assessed in hospital and 3 and 12 months after discharge. (3) Results: Of the 4714 hospitalized elderly patients, 1378 had diabetes. The comorbidities distribution showed that arterial hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and COPD (22.7%), were the more frequent in subjects with diabetes. The graphic comorbidome showed that the strongest predictors of death at in hospital and at the 3-month follow-up were dementia and cancer. At the 1-year follow-up, cancer was the first comorbidity independently associated with mortality. (4) Conclusions: The “Diabetes Comorbidome” represents the perfect instrument for determining the prevalence of comorbidities and the strength of their relationship with risk of death, as well as the need for an effective treatment for improving clinical outcomes

Antidiabetic Drug Prescription Pattern in Hospitalized Older Patients with Diabetes

Objective: To describe the prescription pattern of antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs in a cohort of hospitalized older patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro POliterapuie SIMI—Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) registry from 2010 to 2019 and discharged alive were included. Results: Among 1703 patients with diabetes, 1433 (84.2%) were on treatment with at least one antidiabetic drug at hospital admission, mainly prescribed as monotherapy with insulin (28.3%) or metformin (19.2%). The proportion of treated patients decreased at discharge (N = 1309, 76.9%), with a significant reduction over time. Among those prescribed, the proportion of those with insulin alone increased over time (p = 0.0066), while the proportion of those prescribed sulfonylureas decreased (p < 0.0001). Among patients receiving antidiabetic therapy at discharge, 1063 (81.2%) were also prescribed cardiovascular drugs, mainly with an antihypertensive drug alone or in combination (N = 777, 73.1%). Conclusion: The management of older patients with diabetes in a hospital setting is often sub-optimal, as shown by the increasing trend in insulin at discharge, even if an overall improvement has been highlighted by the prevalent decrease in sulfonylureas prescription

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

Investigation of the splitting of quark and gluon jets

The splitting processes in identified quark and gluon jets are investigated using longitudinal and transverse observables. The jets are selected from symmetric three-jet events measured in Z decays with the Delphi detector in 1991-1994. Gluon jets are identified using heavy quark anti-tagging. Scaling violations in identified gluon jets are observed for the first time. The scale energy dependence of the gluon fragmentation function is found to be about two times larger than for the corresponding quark jets, consistent with the QCD expectation TeX . The primary splitting of gluons and quarks into subjets agrees with fragmentation models and, for specific regions of the jet resolution TeX , with NLLA calculations. The maximum of the ratio of the primary subjet splittings in quark and gluon jets is TeX . Due to non-perturbative effects, the data are below the expectation at small TeX . The transition from the perturbative to the non-perturbative domain appears at smaller TeX for quark jets than for gluon jets. Combined with the observed behaviour of the higher rank splittings, this explains the relatively small multiplicity ratio between gluon and quark jets

Search for scalar fermions and long-lived scalar leptons at centre-of-mass energies of 130 GeV to 172 GeV

Data taken by DELPHI during the 1995 and 1996 LEP runs have been used to search for the supersymmetric partners of electron, muon and tau leptons and of top and bottom quarks. The observations are in agreement with standard model predictions. Limits are set on sfermion masses. Searches for long lived scalar leptons from low scale supersymmetry breaking models exclude stau masses below 55~GeV/c$^2$ at the 95\% confidence level, irrespective of the gravitino mass

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population