Los Poyos del Molinillo (Frigiliana): new site of the Bronze Age in the East Axarquía (Málaga, Andalucía)

En este trabajo damos a conocer un nuevo yacimiento descubierto recientemente en el municipio de Frigiliana. La delimitación del área denominada Los Poyos del Molinillo permitió definir la existencia de un poblado y una covacha con restos de una inhumación. El estudio de los materiales arqueológicos, que incluye cerámica, piezas metálicas o elementos de molturación, o la datación AMS obtenida, permiten adscribir el yacimiento a la Edad del Bronce y ampliar el conocimiento de esta etapa en la Axarquía oriental (Málaga, Andalucía).In this work we present a new site recently discovered in the Frigiliana municipality (Málaga). The spatial delimitation of the so called Los Poyos del Molinillo area let us define a Bronze age settlement and an inhumation burial cave. The archaeological record includes ceramic, metallic items or grinding elements, all of them belonging to the Bronze Age, as well as an AMS Radiocarbon data. This site extends the knowledge about this period in the Eastern Axarquía (Málaga, Andalucía)

Eficacia de las microcuencas en la supervivencia del pino carrasco (Pinus halepensis Mill.) y de la encina (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) en distintos ambientes mediterráneos

Water is one of the most limiting factors in the forestation of Mediterranean areas, so that the survival and development of these areas is always connected to the availability of water resources. The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of a series of hydraulic structures linked to land preparation, called minicatchments, as runoff collectors meant to increase water availability in the forestation. In order to do so, the amount of overland runoff reaching every seedling, as well as the survival of the reforestation in four places with different climatic and edaphic characteristics have been assessed. Results obtained show how water availability depends both on the amount of water reaching the bank and on the physical properties of the land. The areas that have normally been considered more difficult to restore due to a de-structured profile, to the presence of superficial physical crusts and to a scarce vegetal cover are the ones showing a better response to the technique of runoff collection trough minicatchments.Uno de los factores más limitantes para las repoblaciones de las zonas mediterráneas es el agua, de forma que la supervivencia y desarrollo de éstas siempre aparece ligado a la disponibilidad de recursos hídricos. En este trabajo se valora la eficacia de unas estructuras hidráulicas asociadas a la preparación del terreno, las microcuencas, que actúan como captadoras de escorrentías para aumentar la disponibilidad de agua en la repoblación. Para ello se ha medido la cantidad de agua que llega a las banquetas de plantación construidas con y sin microcuencas cuantificando la precipitación + escorrentía superficial aportada por el área de impluvio de cada banqueta y la supervivencia de una repoblación de encinas y pinos en cuatro localidades con características climáticas y edáficas diferentes. Los resultados obtenidos muestran como la disponibilidad de agua depende tanto de la cantidad de agua que llega a la banqueta cómo de las propiedades físicas del suelo, siendo las zonas que normalmente se han considerado más difíciles de restaurar por su perfil desestructurado, la presencia de costras físicas superficiales y la escasa cubierta vegetal, las que responden mejor a la técnica de captación de escorrentías mediante microcuencas

Radon and material radiopurity assessment for the NEXT double beta decay experiment

The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT), intended to investigate the neutrinoless double beta decay using a high-pressure xenon gas TPC filled with Xe enriched in 136Xe at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory in Spain, requires ultra-low background conditions demanding an exhaustive control of material radiopurity and environmental radon levels. An extensive material screening process is underway for several years based mainly on gamma-ray spectroscopy using ultra-low background germanium detectors in Canfranc but also on mass spectrometry techniques like GDMS and ICPMS. Components from shielding, pressure vessel, electroluminescence and high voltage elements and energy and tracking readout planes have been analyzed, helping in the final design of the experiment and in the construction of the background model. The latest measurements carried out will be presented and the implication on NEXT of their results will be discussed. The commissioning of the NEW detector, as a first step towards NEXT, has started in Canfranc; in-situ measurements of airborne radon levels were taken there to optimize the system for radon mitigation and will be shown too.Comment: Proceedings of the Low Radioactivity Techniques 2015 workshop (LRT2015), Seattle, March 201

Validation of a Mass Spectrometry Method To Quantify Oak Ellagitannins in Wine Samples

[EN] Detection and individual quantification of oak wood ellagitannins in oak barrel aged red wine samples are difficult mainly due to their low levels and the similarity between their structures. In this work, a quantification method using mass spectrometry has been developed and validated to quantify wine ellagitannins after sample fractionation with a previously reported method. The use of an internal standard is a requirement to correct mass signal variability. (−)-Gallocatechin, among the different tested compounds, was the only one that proved to be a suitable internal standard making possible the accurate and individual quantification of the main oak wood ellagitannins. The developed methodology has been used to detect and quantify these ellagitannins in different Spanish commercial wines, proving its usefulness

Demographic and clinical profile of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in Spain: the SEPAR National Registry

BackgroundLittle is known on the characteristics of patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Spain. We aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical profile of IPF patients included in the IPF National Registry of the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR).MethodsThis is a prospective, observational, multicentre and nationwide study that involved 608 IPF patients included in the SEPAR IPF Registry up to June 27th, 2017, and who received any treatment for their disease. IPF patients were predominantly males, ex-smokers, and aged in their 70s, similar to other registries.ResultsUpon inclusion, meanSD predicted forced vital capacity was 77.6%+/- 19.4, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was 48.5%+/- 17.7, and the 6-min walk distance was 423.5m +/- 110.4. The diagnosis was mainly established on results from the high-resolution computed tomography in the proper clinical context (55.0% of patients), while 21.2% of patients required invasive procedures (surgical lung biopsy) for definitive diagnosis. Anti-fibrotic treatment was prescribed in 69.4% of cases, 51.5% pirfenidone and 17.9% nintedanib, overall with a good safety profile.Conclusions The SEPAR IPF Registry should help to further characterize current characteristics and future trends of IPF patients in Spain and compare/pool them with other registries and cohorts

α-Synuclein Genetic Variants Predict Faster Motor Symptom Progression in Idiopathic Parkinson Disease

Currently, there are no reported genetic predictors of motor symptom progression in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In familial PD, disease severity is associated with higher α-synuclein (SNCA) expression levels, and in postmortem studies expression varies with SNCA genetic variants. Furthermore, SNCA is a well-known risk factor for PD occurrence. We recruited Parkinson’s patients from the communities of three central California counties to investigate the influence of SNCA genetic variants on motor symptom progression in idiopathic PD. We repeatedly assessed this cohort of patients over an average of 5.1 years for motor symptom changes employing the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Of 363 population-based incident PD cases diagnosed less than 3 years from baseline assessment, 242 cases were successfully re-contacted and 233 were re-examined at least once. Of subjects lost to follow-up, 69% were due to death. Adjusting for covariates, risk of faster decline of motor function as measured by annual increase in motor UPDRS exam score was increased 4-fold in carriers of the REP1 263bp promoter variant (OR 4.03, 95%CI:1.57–10.4). Our data also suggest a contribution to increased risk by the G-allele for rs356165 (OR 1.66; 95%CI:0.96–2.88), and we observed a strong trend across categories when both genetic variants were considered (p for trend  = 0.002). Our population-based study has demonstrated that SNCA variants are strong predictors of faster motor decline in idiopathic PD. SNCA may be a promising target for therapies and may help identify patients who will benefit most from early interventions. This is the first study to link SNCA to motor symptom decline in a longitudinal progression study

Volatile fingerprinting differentiates diverse-aged craft beers

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2019.03.044.Beer ageing on wood is a complex and difficult to control process involving several reactions and compounds. Difficulties in understanding the underlying phenomena often lead to empirical and unpredictable processes and heterogeneous products. This work resorts to volatile fingerprinting along with multivariate analysis as tools to differentiate and highlight differences in beers derived from diverse production processes. Volatile composition of beers originating from barrel ageing processes and unaged beer were analyzed by GC-MS. The collected data was processed by principal component analysis, which allowed the evaluation of relations between samples and volatile compounds. Beers were distinguished by clusters comprising different groups of volatiles. Beer with the longest period in barrel was in the cluster with the most volatiles. Beer produced by resident barrel microbiota fermentation was characterized by presence of Brettanomyces sp. metabolites. Beer aged in barrel by a shorter time period showed characteristic content of ethyl esters and oak extractives. Beer produced in inox vat and beer fermented in barrel with pitching of S. cerevisiae appeared in the same cluster, relating with fermentative esters. Volatile fingerprinting was a viable approach to characterize and distinguish the analyzed beers, providing relevant information regarding the impact of production methodologies in volatile composition.This work had funding support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145 FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Fermentum –EngenhariadasFermentações Lda.also participated incofunding and supplying materials for this work. Authors would like to thank Mr. Paulo Coutinho and Quinta do Portal for supplying the oak barrels used in this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evolution of the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Spain between March and November 2020: SEMI-COVID national registry

Objectives: Since the results of the RECOVERY trial, WHO recommendations about the use of corticosteroids (CTs) in COVID-19 have changed. The aim of the study is to analyse the evolutive use of CTs in Spain during the pandemic to assess the potential influence of new recommendations. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted on adults hospitalised due to COVID-19 in Spain who were included in the SEMI-COVID- 19 Registry from March to November 2020. Results: CTs were used in 6053 (36.21%) of the included patients. The patients were older (mean (SD)) (69.6 (14.6) vs. 66.0 (16.8) years; p < 0.001), with hypertension (57.0% vs. 47.7%; p < 0.001), obesity (26.4% vs. 19.3%; p < 0.0001), and multimorbidity prevalence (20.6% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.001). These patients had higher values (mean (95% CI)) of C-reactive protein (CRP) (86 (32.7-160) vs. 49.3 (16-109) mg/dL; p < 0.001), ferritin (791 (393-1534) vs. 470 (236- 996) µg/dL; p < 0.001), D dimer (750 (430-1400) vs. 617 (345-1180) µg/dL; p < 0.001), and lower Sp02/Fi02 (266 (91.1) vs. 301 (101); p < 0.001). Since June 2020, there was an increment in the use of CTs (March vs. September; p < 0.001). Overall, 20% did not receive steroids, and 40% received less than 200 mg accumulated prednisone equivalent dose (APED). Severe patients are treated with higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%. Conclusions: Patients with greater comorbidity, severity, and inflammatory markers were those treated with CTs. In severe patients, there is a trend towards the use of higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%