Lonchidion derenzii sp. nov., a new lonchidiid shark (Chondriychtyes, Hybodontiforms) from the Late Triassic of Spain with remarks on lonchidiid enameloid

Lonchidiidae Herman, 1977, represents one of the most diverse and controversial families of Hybodontiformes, the sister group of Neoselachii (i.e., modern sharks, skates, and rays). It was initially erected as a monogeneric family including only Lonchidion Estes, 1964, a genus of small euryhaline hybodonts from the Mesozoic. Recently, Cappetta (2012) recognized up to eight genera within the family: Baharyodon, Diplolonchidion, Vectiselachos, Hylaeobatis, Isanodus, Parvodus,Lissodus, andLonchidion, although the content of the family is still under discussion (see, e.g., Rees, 2008; Khamha et al., 2016). Major discrepancies concern the phylogenetic relationships between Lonchidion and Lissodus and the taxonomic status of the latter. Thus, based on the general similarity of their teeth,Duffin (1985, 2001) considered Lonchidion as a junior synonym of Lissodus. Subsequently, Rees and Underwood (2002) restored Lonchidion as a valid genus, closely related to Lissodus, within the family Lonchidiidae (togetherwith Vectiselachos, Parvodus, andHylaeobatis). This interpretation has been followed by several authors (e.g., Fischer, 2008; Cappetta, 2012; Johns et al., 2014). In contrast, Rees (2008) considered Lonchidion and Lissodus not so closely related to each other, excluding Lissodus from Lonchidiidae. The majority of Lonchidion species has been described on the basis of disarticulated teeth, and complete or partial articulated skeletons have been known only recently from juvenile specimens, assigned to Lonchidion sp., from the inland lacustrine Konservat- Lagerst¿atten outcrop of Las Hoyas (Lower Cretaceous, Spain) (Soler-Gij on et al., 2016). Currently, the stratigraphic distribution of the ranges from the Middle-Upper Triassic (Fischer et al., 2011; Johns et al., 2014) to the Upper Cretaceous (Estes, 1964). In the present study, we describe a new species assigned to Lonchidiidae, Lonchidion derenzii, sp. nov., based on distinctive isolated teeth from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of Spain, representing the earliest well-documented occurrence of the genus in Europe

A Serravallian (Middle Miocene) shark fauna from Southeastern Spain and its palaeoenvironment significance

The study of a new Serravallian (Middle Miocene) locality from the Southeastern Spain has yielded a shark assemblage characterized by microremains of at least seven taxa (Deania calcea, ¿Isistius triangulus, ¿Squaliolus cf. S. schaubi, ¿Paraetmopterus sp., Pristiophorus sp., Scyliorhinus sp. and a cf. Squaliformes indet) of three different orders (Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes and Carcharhiniformes). In addition, associated macroremains have also been found, including teeth of ¿Cosmopolitodus hastalis, Isurus sp., Hemipristis serra, Odontaspis sp., Carcharhinus spp. and ¿Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon. The assemblage contains taxa with disparate environmental preferences including not only neritic and epipelagic sharks but also an important number of meso and bathypelagic representatives. The migration of deep water taxa to shallower waters through submarine canyons/coastal upwelling is proposed as the most plausible cause for explaining the origin of such assemblage. Interestingly, the composition of the deep-water taxa here reported contrast with the chondrichthyans assemblages from the Pliocene and extant Mediterranean communities. This entails a complex biogeographic history, where the Messinian salinity crisis strongly affected the posterior evolution of the Mediterranean ecosystems but some other factors, such us the existence of anoxic events during the Quaternary, could have also played an important role

Oval Domes: History, Geometry and Mechanics

An oval dome may be defined as a dome whose plan or profile (or both) has an oval form. The word Aoval@ comes from the latin Aovum@, egg. Then, an oval dome has an egg-shaped geometry. The first buildings with oval plans were built without a predetermined form, just trying to close an space in the most economical form. Eventually, the geometry was defined by using arcs of circle with common tangents in the points of change of curvature. Later the oval acquired a more regular form with two axis of symmetry. Therefore, an “oval” may be defined as an egg-shaped form, doubly symmetric, constructed with arcs of circle; an oval needs a minimum of four centres, but it is possible also to build polycentric ovals. The above definition corresponds with the origin and the use of oval forms in building and may be applied without problem until, say, the XVIIIth century. Since then, the teaching of conics in the elementary courses of geometry made the cultivated people to define the oval as an approximation to the ellipse, an “imperfect ellipse”: an oval was, then, a curve formed with arcs of circles which tries to approximate to the ellipse of the same axes. As we shall see, the ellipse has very rarely been used in building. Finally, in modern geometrical textbooks an oval is defined as a smooth closed convex curve, a more general definition which embraces the two previous, but which is of no particular use in the study of the employment of oval forms in building. The present paper contains the following parts: 1) an outline the origin and application of the oval in historical architecture; 2) a discussion of the spatial geometry of oval domes, i. e., the different methods employed to trace them; 3) a brief exposition of the mechanics of oval arches and domes; and 4) a final discussion of the role of Geometry in oval arch and dome design

Present and Future of Parkinson’s Disease in Spain: PARKINSON-2030 Delphi Project

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive and irreversible disease and the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. In Spain, it affects around 120.000-150.000 individuals, and its prevalence is estimated to increase in the future. PD has a great impact on patients' and caregivers' lives and also entails a substantial socioeconomic burden. The aim of the present study was to examine the current situation and the 10-year PD forecast for Spain in order to optimize and design future management strategies. This study was performed using the modified Delphi method to try to obtain a consensus among a panel of movement disorders experts. According to the panel, future PD management will improve diagnostic capacity and follow-up, it will include multidisciplinary teams, and innovative treatments will be developed. The expansion of new technologies and studies on biomarkers will have an impact on future PD management, leading to more accurate diagnoses, prognoses, and individualized therapies. However, the socio-economic impact of the disease will continue to be significant by 2030, especially for patients in advanced stages. This study highlighted the unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment and how crucial it is to establish recommendations for future diagnostic and therapeutic management of PD

Sleep Problems Are Related to a Worse Quality of Life and a Greater Non-Motor Symptoms Burden in Parkinson’s Disease

COPPADIS Study Group.[Introduction] The aim of the present study was to examine the frequency of self-reported sleep problems and their associated factors in a large cohort of PD patients.[Methods] PD patients and controls, recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort were included in this cross-sectional study. Sleep problems were assessed by the Spanish version of the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale version 1 (PDSS-1). An overall score below 82 or a score below 5 on at least 1 item was defined as sleep problems.[Results] The frequency of sleep problems was nearly double in PD patients compared to controls: 65.8% (448/681) vs 33.5% (65/206) (p < 0.0001). Mean total PDSS score was lower in PD patients than controls: 114.9 ± 28.8 vs 132.8 ± 16.3 (p < 0.0001). Quality of life (QoL) was worse in PD patients with sleep problems compared to those without: PDQ-39SI, 19.3 ± 14 vs 13 ± 11.6 (p < 0.0001); EUROHIS-QoL8, 3.7 ± 0.5 vs 3.9 ± 0.5 (p < 0.0001). Non-motor symptoms burden (NMSS; OR = 1.029; 95%CI 1.015–1.043; p < 0.0001) and impulse control behaviors (QUIP-RS; OR = 1.054; 95%CI 1.009–1.101; p = 0.018) were associated with sleep problems after adjustment for age, gender, disease duration, daily equivalent levodopa dose, H&Y, UPDRS-III, UPDRS-IV, PD-CRS, BDI-II, NPI, VAS-Pain, VAFS, FOGQ, and total number of non-antiparkinsonian treatments.[Conclusion] Sleep problems were frequent in PD patients and were related to both a worse QoL and a greater non-motor symptoms burden in PD. These findings call for increased awareness of sleep problems in PD patients.Peer reviewe

Identifying comorbidities and lifestyle factors contributing to the cognitive profile of early Parkinson's disease

Background: Identifying modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment in the early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) and estimating their impact on cognitive status may help prevent dementia (PDD) and the design of cognitive trials. Methods: Using a standard approach for the assessment of global cognition in PD and controlling for the effects of age, education and disease duration, we explored the associations between cognitive status, comorbidities, metabolic variables and lifestyle variables in 533 PD participants from the COPPADIS study. Results: Among the overall sample, 21% of participants were classified as PD-MCI (n = 114) and 4% as PDD (n = 26). The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia was significantly higher in cognitively impaired patients while no between-group differences were found for smoking, alcohol intake or use of supplementary vitamins. Better cognitive scores were significantly associated with regular physical exercise (p < 0.05) and cognitive stimulation (< 0.01). Cognitive performance was negatively associated with interleukin 2 (Il2) (p < 0.05), Il6 (p < 0.05), iron (p < 0.05), and homocysteine (p < 0.005) levels, and positively associated with vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.005). Conclusions: We extend previous findings regarding the positive and negative influence of various comorbidities and lifestyle factors on cognitive status in early PD patients, and reinforce the need to identify and treat potentially modifiable variables with the intention of exploring the possible improvement of the global cognitive status of patients with PD

Management of Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders in women of childbearing age: Part 2

[spa] Introducción: Muchas enfermedades que cursan con trastornos del movimiento hipercinético comienzan o afectan a mujeres en edad fértil. Es importante conocer los riesgos que tienen las mujeres con estas enfermedades durante el embarazo, así como los posibles efectos de los tratamientos sobre el feto. Objetivos: Definir las características clínicas y los factores que condicionan la vida de la mujer en edad fértil con distonía, corea, síndrome de Tourette, temblor y síndrome de piernas inquietas. Definir una guía de actuación y manejo del embarazo y lactancia en las pacientes con esta enfermedad. Desarrollo: Este documento de consenso se ha realizado mediante una búsqueda bibliográfica exhaustiva y discusión de los contenidos llevadas a cabo por un Grupo de Expertos en Trastornos del Movimiento de la Sociedad Espanola ˜ de Neurología (SEN). Conclusiones: En todas las mujeres que padecen o comienzan con trastornos del movimiento hipercinéticos se debe valorar el riesgo-beneficio de los tratamientos, reducir al máximo la dosis eficaz o administrarlo de forma puntual en los casos en que sea posible. En aquellas enfermedades de causa hereditaria es importante un consejo genético para las familias. Es importante reconocer los trastornos del movimiento desencadenados durante el embarazo como determinadas coreas y síndrome de piernas inquietas. [eng] Introduction: Many diseases associated with hyperkinetic movement disorders manifest in women of childbearing age. It is important to understand the risks of these diseases during pregnancy, and the potential risks of treatment for the fetus. Objectives: This study aims to define the clinical characteristics and the factors affecting the lives of women of childbearing age with dystonia, chorea, Tourette syndrome, tremor, and restless legs syndrome, and to establish guidelines for management of pregnancy and breastfeeding in these patients. Results: This consensus document was developed through an exhaustive literature search and a discussion of the content by a group of movement disorder experts from the Spanish Society of Neurology. Conclusions: We must evaluate the risks and benefits of treatment in all women with hyperkinetic movement disorders, whether pre-existing or with onset during pregnancy, and aim to reduce effective doses as much as possible or to administer drugs only when necessary. In hereditary diseases, families should be offered genetic counselling. It is important to recognise movement disorders triggered during pregnancy, such as certain types of chorea and restless legs syndrome