The distribution of littoral caprellids (Crustacea : Amphipoda : Caprellidea) along the Pacific coast of continental Chile

Many littoral caprellid species have a very ample distribution, some having been reported from all over the world. The cosmopolitan distribution of many littoral caprellid species might be facilitated by the fact that they are often associated with fouling communities on floating objects, which have a high potential of far-range dispersal. This dispersal potential may also have implications for the distribution of caprellids on local and regional scales. Herein we examined the distribution of littoral caprellid species on two spatial scales, local (tens of kilometers) and regional (hundreds of kilometers) along the Pacific coast of continental Chile. On the local scale, we studied the caprellid fauna in different habitats (intertidal boulders, subtidal algal and seagrass beds, fouling community on buoys and ropes); on the regional scale we focused only on caprellids associated with the fouling community on buoys and ropes. We found a total of six caprellid species, some of which were very abundant both on the local as well as on the regional scale. On the local scale we found a difference between the three studied habitat types with respect to the assemblage of caprellid species, some of which were found in more than one habitat. The highest species richness and abundance of caprellids was found in the fouling community associated with anchored buoys and ropes. On the regional scale we found very high numbers of caprellids in the fouling community of the northern region (n of 30°S), and decreasing abundances and species richness in the central region (30-37° S). No caprellids were found in the southern region of the study area (37-42° S). This pattern coincides with the global distribution of littoral caprellid species, which are most abundant and diverse at low latitudes but occur in low abundances and low diversity at high latitudes. Detached buoys that were found a few km off the coast harbored similar caprellid assemblages (including ovigerous females) as anchored buoys, suggesting that buoys and other floating substrata (litter, macroalgae) may facilitate dispersal of caprellids (and other epibiota) along the Pacific coast of Chile. Since artificial and natural floating substrata are also abundant at high latitudes it is inferred that the low diversity of littoral caprellids at high latitudes is not due to lack of dispersal vectors, but rather of other factorsMuchas especies de caprélidos del litoral presentan una amplia distribución, algunas han sido citadas a lo largo de todo el mundo. La distribución cosmopolita de muchas especies de caprélidos podría deberse al hecho de que se asocian frecuentemente a las comunidades "fouling" en objetos flotantes, que presentan una capacidad importante de dispersión a largas distancias. Esta capacidad de dispersión puede tener implicaciones en la distribución de caprélidos a escala local y regional. En este estudio, nosotros examinamos la distribución de las especies de caprélidos litorales en dos escalas espaciales, local (decenas de kilómetros) y regional (cientos de kilómetros), a lo largo de la costa Pacífico de Chile continental. A escala local se estudió la fauna de caprélidos en distintos hábitats (bolones intermareales, praderas de algas y fanerógamas marinas, comunidades "fouling" de boyas y cuerdas); a escala regional el estudio se centró solamente en los caprélidos asociados a boyas y cuerdas. Se encontraron un total de seis especies de caprélidos, algunos de los cuales fueron muy abundantes a escala local y regional. A escala local, existió una diferencia entre los tres tipos de hábitat con respecto a la fauna de caprélidos, algunos de los cuales estuvieron presentes en más de un hábitat. Los valores más altos de riqueza específica y abundancia se encontraron en la comunidad "fouling" asociada a boyas y cuerdas ancladas. A escala regional, los caprélidos fueron más abundantes y diversos en las comunidades "fouling" de la región norte (n de 30° S), mientras que la abundancia y riqueza de especies disminuyeron en la región central (30-37° S). No se encontraron caprélidos en la región sur del área de estudio (37-42° S). Este patrón coincide con la distribución global de especies de caprélidos litorales, mostrando los valores más altos de abundancia y riqueza de especies en las bajas latitudes y los valores más bajos en las altas latitudes. Boyas desprendidas desde sus amarras y encontradas a varios km de la costa albergaron asociaciones de caprélidos (incluyendo hembras ovígeras) similares a las de las boyas fijadas, sugiriendo que las boyas y otros sustratos flotantes pueden facilitar la dispersión de caprélidos (y otra epifauna) a lo largo de la costa Pacífico de Chile. Teniendo en cuenta que los sustratos flotantes naturales y artificiales son también abundantes en altas latitudes se infiere que la baja diversidad de caprélidos litorales en altas latitudes no se debe a la falta de vectores dispersantes sino a otros factore

Distribución geográfica y descripción de cuatro especies de cirripedios pelágicos a lo largo de la costa chilena del Pacífico sur este - una aproximación zoogeográfica

The majority of zoogeographic studies along the Chilean Pacific coast have focused on benthic organisms and oceanographic conditions are considered the main factors influencing their distributions. Herein we examined the geographic distribution of pelagic barnacles of the family Lepadidae collected from floating macroalgae at seven sampling areas between 23 and 50° S. Four species were encountered and they are briefly described herein. The most abundant northern species was Lepas anatifera, and it diminished in abundance towards the south (33° S). Moreover, this species was not found in waters with a sea surface temperature (SST) of less than ~18 ºC. Lepas australis, primarily a circumpolar West Wind Drift species, diminished in abundance towards the north (33° S). This species was restricted to waters of < 18 ºC SST. A third species, L. pectinata, was encountered throughout almost the entire study area, but it was most abundant between 29 and 33° S. The fourth species, Dosima fascicularis, was only found at two sampling areas, namely at 27° S and 33° S, and this is the first record of this species from the central coast of Chile. The distributional pattern of the pelagic barnacles found herein corresponds to the three main zoogeographic regions as revealed by the majority of previous studies based on littoral organisms: the northern Peru-Chilean Province, the southern Magellanic Province, and the central Chilean Transition Zone where the two provinces overlap. Even though the present study only considers four species of pelagic barnacles, the results support the hypotheses on the importance of oceanographic conditions (in particular SST) in determining the zoogeographic patterns along the south east Pacific coast of Chile

Geographic distribution and description of four pelagic barnacles along the south east Pacific coast of Chile - a zoogeographical approximation

The majority of zoogeographic studies along the Chilean Pacific coast have focused on benthic organisms and oceanographic conditions are considered the main factors influencing their distributions. Herein we examined the geographic distribution of pelagic barnacles of the family Lepadidae collected from floating macroalgae at seven sampling areas between 23 and 50° S. Four species were encountered and they are briefly described herein. The most abundant northern species was Lepas anatifera, and it diminished in abundance towards the south (33° S). Moreover, this species was not found in waters with a sea surface temperature (SST) of less than ~18 ºC. Lepas australis, primarily a circumpolar West Wind Drift species, diminished in abundance towards the north (33° S). This species was restricted to waters of < 18 ºC SST. A third species, L. pectinata, was encountered throughout almost the entire study area, but it was most abundant between 29 and 33° S. The fourth species, Dosima fascicularis, was only found at two sampling areas, namely at 27° S and 33° S, and this is the first record of this species from the central coast of Chile. The distributional pattern of the pelagic barnacles found herein corresponds to the three main zoogeographic regions as revealed by the majority of previous studies based on littoral organisms: the northern Peru-Chilean Province, the southern Magellanic Province, and the central Chilean Transition Zone where the two provinces overlap. Even though the present study only considers four species of pelagic barnacles, the results support the hypotheses on the importance of oceanographic conditions (in particular SST) in determining the zoogeographic patterns along the south east Pacific coast of Chile

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Increased expression of p2ry2, cd248 and ephb1 in gastric cancers from chilean patients

Artículo de publicación ISIBackground: Gastric cancer (GC) ranks as one of the major causes of mortality due to cancer worldwide. In Chile, it is currently the leading cause of cancer death. Identification of novel molecular markers that may help to improve disease diagnosis at early stages is imperative. Materials and Methods: Using whole-genome DNA microarrays we determined differential mRNA levels in fresh human GC samples compared to adjacent healthy mucosa from the same patients. Genes significantly overexpressed in GC were validated by RT-PCR in a group of 14 GC cases. Results: The genes CD248, NSD1, RAB17, ABCG8, Ephb1 and P2RY2 were detected as the top overexpressed in GC biopsies. P2RY2, Ephb1 and CD248 showed the best sensitivity for GC detection with values of 92.9%, 85.7% and 64.3% (p<0.05), respectively. Specificity was 85.7%, 71.4% and 71.4% (p<0.05), for each respectively.This work was funded by FONIS SA10I20042 grant. GB is currently supported by CORFO 12IDL2-16202 grant. The pilot Microarray facility at ICBM-Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile was funded by the Mecesup UCH0115 project. UU is currently supported by Fondecyt 1130292 grant