Disease activity influences cardiovascular risk reclassification based on carotid ultrasound in patients with psoriatic arthritis

ABSTRACT: Objective. Because the addition of carotid ultrasound (US) into composite cardiovascular (CV) risk scores has been found effective for identifying patients with inflammatory arthritis and high CV risk, we aimed to determine whether its use would facilitate the reclassification of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) into the very high Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) risk category and whether this might be related to disease features. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving 206 patients who fulfilled ClASsification for Psoriatic ARthritis criteria for PsA, and 179 controls. We assessed lipid profile, SCORE, disease activity measurements, and the presence of carotid plaques and carotid intima-media thickness by ultrasonography. A multivariable regression analysis, adjusted for classic CV risk factors, was performed to evaluate whether the risk of reclassification could be explained by disease-related features and to assess the most parsimonious combination of risk reclassification predictors. Results. Forty-seven percent of patients were reclassified into a very high SCORE risk category after carotid US compared to 26% of controls (p < 0.001). Patients included in the low SCORE risk category were those who were more commonly reclassified (30% vs 14%, p = 0.002). The Disease Activity Index for PsA (DAPSA) score was associated with reclassification (? 1.10, 95% CI 1.02?1.19; p = 0.019) after adjusting for age and traditional CV risk factors. A model containing SCORE plus age, statin use, and DAPSA score yielded the highest discriminatory accuracy compared to the SCORE-alone model (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve 0.863, 95% CI 0.789?0.936 vs 0.716, 95% CI 0.668?0.764; p < 0.001). Conclusion. Patients with PsA are more frequently reclassified into the very high SCORE risk category following carotid US assessment than controls. This was independently explained by the disease activity.Funding: This work was supported by a grant to I.F-A. from the Spanish Ministry of Health, Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación, Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013-2016 and by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional -FEDER - (Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, FIS PI14/00394, PI17/00083) Professor González-Gay research was supported by European Union FEDER funds and by the “Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria” (grants PI06/0024, PS09/00748, PI12/00060, PI15/00525 and PI18/00043) of the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ (ISCIII, Health Ministry, Spain). It was also partially supported by RETICS Programs RD12/0009 (RIER), RD12/0009/0013 and RD16/0012 from the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ (ISCIII, Health Ministry, Spain)

Senda Darwin Biological Station: Long-term ecological research at the interface between science and society

Indexación: Web of Science; Scielo.La Estación Biológica Senda Darwin (EBSD) constituye un centro de investigación inmerso en el paisaje rural del norte de la Isla de Chiloé (42º S), donde fragmentos del bosque siempreverde original coexisten con praderas de uso ganadero, turberas de Sphagnum, matorrales sucesionales, plantaciones de Eucalyptus y otras formaciones de origen antropogénico. Desde 1994 hemos realizado estudios de largo plazo centrados en algunas especies de plantas (e.g., Pilgerodendron uviferum D. Don) y animales (e.g., Aphrastura spinicauda Gmelin, Dromiciops gliroides [Thomas]) catalogados como amenazados o escasamente conocidos y en ecosistemas nativos de importancia regional y global (e.g., turberas de Sphagnum, bosque Valdiviano y Nordpatagónico). Las investigaciones han considerado las respuestas de las especies y de los ecosistemas frente al cambio antropogénico del paisaje y cambio climático, así como los efectos de diferentes formas de manejo. Este escenario es semejante al de otras regiones de Chile y Latinoamérica lo que da generalidad a nuestros resultados y modelos. En este período, investigadores asociados a la EBSD han producido más de un centenar de publicaciones en revistas nacionales e internacionales y 30 tesis de pre y postgrado. Entendiendo el papel clave de los seres humanos en los procesos ecológicos de la zona rural, la EBSD ha desarrollado un programa de educación ecológica y vinculación del avance científico con la sociedad local y nacional. La integración de la EBSD a la naciente red de Sitios de Estudios Socio-Ecológicos de Largo Plazo en Chile consolidará y fortalecerá la investigación básica y aplicada que realizamos para proyectarla hacia la siguiente década.Senda Darwin Biological Station (SDBS) is a field research center immersed in the rural landscape of northern Chiloé island (42º S), where remnant patches of the original evergreen forests coexist with open pastures, secondary successional shrublands, Sphagnum bogs, Eucalyptus plantations and other anthropogenic cover types, constituting an agricultural frontier similar to other regions in Chile and Latin America. Since 1994, we have conducted long-term research on selected species of plants (e.g., Pilgerodendron uviferum) and animals (e.g., Aphrastura spinicauda, Dromiciops glirioides) that are considered threatened, poorly known or important for their ecological functions in local ecosystems, and on ecosystems of regional and global relevance (e.g., Sphagnum bogs, North Patagonian and Valdivian rain forests). Research has assessed the responses of species and ecosystems to anthropogenic land-use change, climate change, and the impact of management. During this period, more than 100 scientific publications in national and international journals, and 30 theses (graduate and undergraduate) have been produced by scientists and students associated with SDBS. Because of our understanding of the key role that humans play in ecological processes at this agricultural frontier, since the establishment of SDBS we have been committed to creative research on the communication of science to society and ecological education. The integration of SDBS to the nascent Chilean network of long-term socio-ecological research will consolidate and strengthen basic and applied research to project our work into the next decade.http://ref.scielo.org/vbm4r

An assessment of post-dispersal seed predation in temperate rain forest fragments in Chiloe Island, Chile

Seeds of seven tree species, six shrub species, and one epiphyte were tested for their rates of removal by seed predators in two remnant patches (15-20 ha) of old-growth temperate forest in Chiloe Island, southern Chile (42°30'S). Field assays were aimed at assessing the rates of post-dispersal seed consumption, mainly by rodents and understory birds. Assays were conducted in summer and early fall of 1996 and 1997. We investigated whether seed consumption differed among habitats, between seasons and among species differing in seed mass and abundance in the canopy of remnant patches. Trays containing 20 seeds each, 6-8 replicate trays per species and habitat, were placed in the forest floor in each of three habitats: forest edges adjacent to pastures, forest interior (100 m away from any edge), and inside canopy gaps formed by tree falls. Overall, 7-65% of the seeds in experimental trays were removed by predators from 43 to 93% of all the trays within five days. Removal rates increase

Seed rain of fleshy and dry propagules in different habitats in the temperate rainforests of Chiloé Island, Chile

In temperate rainforests on Chiloé Island in southern Chile (42°S), most canopy trees bear fleshy, avian-dispersed propagules, whereas emergent tree species have dry, wind-borne propagules. In the present study, the following hypothesis was tested: regardless of species, fleshy propagules are deposited in greater numbers in canopy gaps and in forest margins and hence have a more heterogeneous seed shadow than wind-dispersed propagules. To test this hypothesis, the seed rains of these two types of propagules were compared in the following forest habitats: (i) tree-fall gaps (edges and centre); (ii) forest margins with adjacent pastures; and (iii) under closed canopy (forest interior). Seed collectors (30-cm diameter) were placed in two (15 and 100 ha) remnant forest patches (n = 60-100 seed collectors per patch) distributed in the four habitats. Seeds were retrieved monthly from each collector during two reproductive seasons (1996, 1997). In both years, the seed rain was numerically do

Importance of native bamboo for understory birds in Chilean temperate forests

In South American temperate rainforests, five endemic understory birds (four Rhinocryptidae and one Furnariidae) are often associated with the main understory plant, the native bamboo Chusquea valdiviensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae). We studied the effects of bamboo cover on species abundance and richness of those understory birds and explored the functions of bamboo as food resource and escape cover. In Chiloé Island (42°S), southern Chile, we selected four old-growth forest patches &gt;100 ha and in each patch conducted bird surveys in six plots with &gt;70% understory cover. Three plots were dominated by native bamboo and three plots had a sparse bamboo cover. Bird abundance (point counts) was significantly correlated with both total understory cover and percentage of bamboo cover but was not correlated with other kinds of understory plant cover. Bird species richness was positively correlated with bamboo cover and negatively correlated with other kinds of understory cover but unrelated to

Linking forest structure and composition: Avian diversity in successional forests of Chiloé Island, Chile

We show how Chilean forest bird species richness, abundance and guild structure changes as a function of structural properties of forest stands. We surveyed bird assemblages in two old-growth (&gt;200 years), two mid-successional (30-60 years), and two early-successional forest stands (4-20 years), from November 1999 to September 2000, on Chiloé Island, southern Chile (42°S). Birds were grouped into four habitat-use guilds: large-tree users, vertical-profile generalists, understory species, and shrub-users that occasionally use forests. We recorded a total of 24 bird species: 21 in old-growth, 14 in mid-successional and 16 in early-successional stands. Large-tree users and understory birds were most abundant in old-growth stands, vertical-profile generalists were common in both old-growth and mid-successional stands, and shrub-users were only common in early-successional stands. For nine bird species we found significant relationships between their local abundance and forest structural e

Establecimiento de las condiciones para el trasplante de células de médula ósea en un modelo de enfermedad de Huntington y su efecto funcional a través de la conducta motora

Título en ingles: Establishment of the conditions for the bone marrow cells transplants in a model of Huntington´s disease and functional effect on the motor  behavior   Resumen  La enfermedad de Huntington  (EH) es un trastorno degenerativo hereditario que afecta a personas con predisposición genética. No existe hasta hoy un tratamiento efectivo; la enfermedad avanza lentamente y el paciente termina en incapacidad o muerte después de 15 o 20 años. Los estudios relacionados con el tratamiento de las manifestaciones clínicas que aparecen en la enfermedad, incluyen tratamientos medicamentosos y el uso de trasplante de células. En la actualidad se conoce que es posible reproducir  algunas características de la enfermedad en modelos experimentales para ensayar posibles terapéuticas (ej. el modelo de lesión estriatal por inyección de ácido quinolínico; [AQ]). No se conoce el efecto restaurativo de las células de médula ósea (CMO) en este modelo. Objetivos: 1) Caracterizar  morfológicamente la lesión por inyección intraestriatal de AQ. 2) Caracterizar inmunocitoquímicamente las CMO. 3) Evaluar la concentración óptima de CMO para el trasplante en el modelo y 4) Evaluar el estado funcional del trasplante de CMO, a través de la conducta motora. Resultados: Se estableció la dosis de AQ para lesionar de manera adecuada al estriado, se caracterizaron inmunofenotípicamente las CMO, se estableció la concentración celular óptima para el trasplante de CMO y se realizó la evaluación  funcional del trasplante. Conclusiones: 1) La dosis de 1,2 µL de AQ, fue capaz de lesionar adecuadamente el estriado, con una menor afectación de estructuras fuera del estriado. 2) Las CMO fueron positivas para los marcadores CD34, CD38, CD45 y CD90, lo que sugiere que esta población es heterogénea. 3) La mejor concentración de CMO para el trasplante fue la de 100 000 cél/ml,  ya que se obtuvo la mejor supervivencia y migración celular. 4) Las pruebas conductuales demostraron una mejoría en la conducta motora en los animales trasplantados con CMO. Este resultado sugiere la importancia de las CMO en el recobrado de las funciones perdidas, lo cual será de gran valor  para evaluar este proceder como método terapéutico en los pacientes aquejados de EH.   Palabras clave: corteza; enfermedad de Huntington; estriado; modelos experimentales; células de médula  ósea; trasplante de células.                                                    Abstract   Huntington Disease (HD) is a heritable neurodegenerative disease that affects people with genetic history. Until today, an effective treatment doesn't exist; the illness advances slowly and the patient finishes in inability or death after 15 or 20 years. The studies related with the treatment of the clinical manifestations, include treatments with medications and the use of cells transplant. At the present time it is known that it is possible to reproduce, some characteristics of the disease in experimental models for to use possible therapies [example: estriatal lesion of  quinolínico acid; (QA)]. the restorative effect of the bone marrow cells (BMC) is not known in this model. Objectives. 1) characterizationmorphofological of the estriatal lesion whith QA. 2) to characterization immunochemical of BMC. 3) to evaluate the BMC concentration for the transplant and 4) to evaluate the functional state of BMC transplant, through the motor behavior. Results.  Establishment of the QA dose for to injure the striatum  in appropriate way, immunophenotype of BMC was characterized, the good cellular concentration for the BMC transplant was established and was carried out the functional evaluation of the transplant. Conclusions. 1) the dose of 1.2 µL of QA, was able to injure appropriately of striatum, with a smaller affectation of structures striatum outside. 2) the BMC was positive for the markers CD34, CD38, CD45 and CD90, suggesting that this population is heterogeneous. 3) the best BMC concentration for the transplant was that of 100 000 cel / l, with the best survival and cellular migration. 4) we demonstrated an improvement in the motor behavior in the animals with BMC transplanted. This result suggests the importance of the BMC in the recovered of the lost functions and their importance to evaluate it as proceeding therapeutic in the HD.   Key words: cortex; Huntington Disease; Striatum; experimental models; Bone Marrow Cells; cells