Area selection for conservation of Mexican mammals

Three sets of priority cells for mammal conservation in Mexico were identified using distributional data. A complementarity approach was implemented through linear integer programming. The minimum set of sites required for the representation of each mammal species varied between 38 (5.4%) grid cells for at least one occurrence, 110 (15.6%) grid cells for at least three occurrences, and 173 (24.5%) grid cells for at least five occurrences. The complementary analyses mainly highlighted three regions of particular concern for mammal conservation in Mexico: (i) the trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and natural provinces of the Pacific Coast, (ii) Sierra Madre del Sur and the Highlands of Chiapas, and (iii) the northern portion of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The results reported here did not indicate absolute priority locations for conservation activities, but rather identified locations warranting further investigation at finer resolutions more appropriate to such activit

First Stars. I. Evolution without mass loss

The first generation of stars was formed from primordial gas. Numerical simulations suggest that the first stars were predominantly very massive, with typical masses M > 100 Mo. These stars were responsible for the reionization of the universe, the initial enrichment of the intergalactic medium with heavy elements, and other cosmological consequences. In this work, we study the structure of Zero Age Main Sequence stars for a wide mass and metallicity range and the evolution of 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 Mo galactic and pregalactic Pop III very massive stars without mass loss, with metallicity Z=10E-6 and 10E-9, respectively. Using a stellar evolution code, a system of 10 equations together with boundary conditions are solved simultaneously. For the change of chemical composition, which determines the evolution of a star, a diffusion treatment for convection and semiconvection is used. A set of 30 nuclear reactions are solved simultaneously with the stellar structure and evolution equations. Several results on the main sequence, and during the hydrogen and helium burning phases, are described. Low metallicity massive stars are hotter and more compact and luminous than their metal enriched counterparts. Due to their high temperatures, pregalactic stars activate sooner the triple alpha reaction self-producing their own heavy elements. Both galactic and pregalactic stars are radiation pressure dominated and evolve below the Eddington luminosity limit with short lifetimes. The physical characteristics of the first stars have an important influence in predictions of the ionizing photon yields from the first luminous objects; also they develop large convective cores with important helium core masses which are important for explosion calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 24 figures, 2 table

First Stars. II. Evolution with mass loss

The first stars are assumed to be predominantly massive. Although, due to the low initial abundances of heavy elements the line-driven stellar winds are supposed to be inefficient in the first stars, these stars may loose a significant amount of their initial mass by other mechanisms. In this work, we study the evolution with a prescribed mass loss rate of very massive, galactic and pregalactic, Population III stars, with initial metallicities $Z=10^{-6}$ and $Z=10^{-9}$, respectively, and initial masses 100, 120, 150, 200, and 250$\,M_{\odot}$ during the hydrogen and helium burning phases. The evolution of these stars depends on their initial mass, metallicity and the mass loss rate. Low metallicity stars are hotter, compact and luminous, and they are shifted to the blue upper part in the Hertzprung-Russell diagram. With mass loss these stars provide an efficient mixing of nucleosynthetic products, and depending on the He-core mass their final fate could be either pair-instability supernovae or energetic hypernovae. These stars contributed to the reionization of the universe and its enrichment with heavy elements, which influences the subsequent star formation properties.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science. 15 pages, 18 figure

Quantitative high-resolution 7T MRI to assess longitudinal changes in articular cartilage after anterior cruciate ligament injury in a rabbit model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis

Objective To demonstrate an ultra-high field (UHF) 7 T delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol for quantitative post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) detection and monitoring in a rabbit anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) model. Design ACL transections were performed unilaterally in 5 rabbits (33-weeks-old, 3.5 ± 0.5 kg) to induce PTOA. MRI exams were performed at 7 T prior to and 2, 4, 7 and 10-weeks after ACLT using a modified dGEMRIC protocol. Voxel-based T1 and T2 maps were created over manually drawn femoral cartilage ROIs from the center of the tibial plateau to the posterior meniscus. Femoral, tibial, and patellar epiphyses were harvested 10-weeks post-surgery and processed for μCT imaging and histology. Results Quantitative analysis revealed a 35% and 39% decrease in dGEMRIC index in the medial ACLT knee compartment 7- and 10-weeks post-surgery, respectively (p = 0.009 and p = 0.006) when compared to baseline. There was no significant change in the lateral ACLT compartment or in either compartment of the control knees. Visual inspection of histology confirmed PTOA in the ACLT knees. Osteophytes were found only in ACLT knees (osteophyte volume in femur: 94.53 ± 44.08 mm3, tibia: 29.35 ± 13.79 mm3, and patella: 3.84 ± 0.92 mm3) and were significantly larger in the medial compartments of the femur than lateral (p = 0.0312). Conclusion The dGEMRIC technique quantitatively applied at 7 T UHF-MRI demonstrates site-specific cartilage degeneration in a large animal PTOA model. This should encourage further investigation, with potential applications in drug and therapeutic animal trials as well as human studies

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the appendix stump: a case report

Primary lymphomas of the appendix occur in 0.015% of all gastrointestinal lymphomas. The most common manifestation is acute appendicitis secondary to luminal obstruction. The most common is immunophenotype B low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A 53-year-old male, with a previous three-week surgical history due to acute appendicitis, histopathological report of acute appendicitis and lymphoid hyperplasia. Later, he was admitted, with abdominal pain in the right iliac fossa, an abdominal ultrasound and simple abdominal tomography were performed, with suspicion of residual abscess. Surgical intervention is decided, observing paracecal tumor in the emergency site of the appendix, the tumor is removed. Pathological study that reports an appendicular base infiltrated by mucosa-associated lymphoma. The diagnosis of appendicular tumors is mostly, intraoperatively incidental. It is necessary to have the diagnostic possibility when performing an appendectomy, since it changes the prognosis and treatment of the patient

The impact of COVID-19 on Black women who binge-eat: a qualitative study

Background: Although studies have traced the impact of COVID-19 on those with eating disorders, little is known about the specific impact of the pandemic on Black American women who report disordered eating behaviors and are at risk for eating disorders. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on Black women who binge-eat. Methods: We recruited a purposive sample during the first wave of COVID-19 from the southeastern United States. Participants identified as Black women, reported binge-eating episodes in the last 28 days, and agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview. Prior to the interview, participants were administered a socio-demographic survey and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed independently using qualitative content analysis and open coding to identify relevant codes and themes. Results: On average, participants (N = 20) were 43.05 ± 16.2 years of age and reported 5.6 ± 5.7 binge-eating episodes in the last 28 days. We identified six themes to describe participants' experiences managing their eating behavior during COVID-19: (1) food as a coping strategy; (2) lack of control around food; (3) increased time in a triggering environment (e.g., being at home with an easy availability of food); (4) lack of structure and routine; (5) challenges with limited food availability; and (6) positive impact of the pandemic. Conclusion: In this study, Black women reported challenges managing their eating behavior during COVID-19. Results could inform the development and tailoring of treatments for Black women reporting disordered eating behaviors. Level of Evidence: Level V, qualitative interviews

Agrobacterium cavarae sp. nov., isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) roots

A bacterial strain designated as RZME10T was isolated from a Zea mays L. root collected in Spain. Results of analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that this strain belongs to the genus Agrobacterium with Agrobacterium larrymoorei ATCC 51759T being the most closely related species with 99.9 % sequence similarity. The similarity values of the rpoB, recA, gyrB, atpD and glnII genes between strain RZME10T and A. larrymoorei ATCC 51759T were 93.5, 90.0, 88.7, 87.9 and 90.1 %, respectively. The estimated average nucleotide identity using blast and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between these two strains were 80.4 and 30.2 %, respectively. The major fatty acids of strain RZME10T are those from summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω6c/C18 : 1 ω7c) and C16 : 0. Pathogenicity tests on tomato and carrot roots showed that strain RZME10T was not able to induce plant tumours. Based on the results of genomic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic analyses, we propose that strain RZME10T represents a novel species named Agrobacterium cavarae sp. nov. (type strain RZME10T=CECT 9795T=LMG 31257T)

Rosiglitazone as an option for patients with acromegaly: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>In the patient with acromegaly, pituitary surgery is the therapeutic standard. Despite undergoing surgery, a significant number of patients with acromegaly continue to have uncontrolled growth hormone secretion. These patients require other treatments such as external irradiation and/or drug therapy.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the clinical and laboratory responses to six months of treatment with rosiglitazone in four cases. In all four cases, the patients had persistent growth hormone overproduction despite previous surgical treatment and other conventional therapy. Case 1 is a 57-year-old Caucasian woman, case 2 is a 51-year-old Hispanic man, case 3 is a 32-year-old Hispanic woman, and case 4 is a 36-year-old Hispanic man. In three of these patients, basal and nadir growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels were significantly decreased (<it>P </it>< 0.05 and <it>P </it>< 0.01, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rosiglitazone could be a treatment option in select patients with acromegaly.</p