The conservation status and distribution of Mediterranean saproxylic beetles

The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the conservation status at regional level of approximately 6,000 species of animals and plants. This report summarizes the results for a key group of Mediterranean biodiversity: saproxylic beetles. Despite their key role in the ecosystem´s health and food chain, saproxylic beetles are still largely misunderstood and the current information gaps on these species´ population status, trends, and distribution are a reflection on how little we still know about them. The geographical scope followed for this assessment is the Mediterranean region according to the Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot, with the exception of the Macaronesian islands, which have not been included in this study. All the obligate saproxylic beetles endemic or almost endemic to the Mediterranean region – 320 species and 1 subspecies – are included

Parque eólico como paisaje cultural "Eau de vent"

Le Vallée de l'Agly. Tema 4: Eólico

Parque eólico como paisaje cultural "Eau de vent"

Le Vallée de l'Agly. Tema 4: Eólico

Parque eólico como paisaje cultural "Eau de vent"

Le Vallée de l'Agly. Tema 4: Eólico

Transgenic tobacco plants expressing a fungal laccase are able to reduce phenol content from olive mill wastewaters

A biotechnological approach was applied to reduce phenol content in olive mill wastewaters by transgenic tobacco plants. The cDNA laccase of poxC gene from Pleurotus ostreatus, carrying its own signal peptide for extracellular secretion, was transferred into the Nicotiana tabacum genome. Transgenic tobacco plants were obtained and the recombinant enzyme was secreted into the rhizosphere by the plant root apparatus, confirming the ability of the plant machinery to recognize the fungal POXC peptide signal leader appropriately as secretory tag. Total laccase activity assayed by ABTS in transgenic lines increased sharply compared to control plants. Moreover, plants cultivated in a hydroponic solution with the addition of olive mill wastewaters were able to reduce the total phenol content up to 70%

Phenotypic APC resistance as a marker of hypercoagulability in primitive cerebral lymphoma

Thrombosis is the most frequent complication and the second cause of death in patients with malignant disease. Primary central nervous system non-Hodgkin's lymphoma represents a rare pathology. Resistance to APC is usually linked to a factor V (FV) gene mutation changing an Arg 506 to a Gln in the APC cleavage site

Tocilizumab for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The single-arm TOCIVID-19 prospective trial

BackgroundTocilizumab blocks pro-inflammatory activity of interleukin-6 (IL-6), involved in pathogenesis of pneumonia the most frequent cause of death in COVID-19 patients.MethodsA multicenter, single-arm, hypothesis-driven trial was planned, according to a phase 2 design, to study the effect of tocilizumab on lethality rates at 14 and 30 days (co-primary endpoints, a priori expected rates being 20 and 35%, respectively). A further prospective cohort of patients, consecutively enrolled after the first cohort was accomplished, was used as a secondary validation dataset. The two cohorts were evaluated jointly in an exploratory multivariable logistic regression model to assess prognostic variables on survival.ResultsIn the primary intention-to-treat (ITT) phase 2 population, 180/301 (59.8%) subjects received tocilizumab, and 67 deaths were observed overall. Lethality rates were equal to 18.4% (97.5% CI: 13.6-24.0, P=0.52) and 22.4% (97.5% CI: 17.2-28.3, P<0.001) at 14 and 30 days, respectively. Lethality rates were lower in the validation dataset, that included 920 patients. No signal of specific drug toxicity was reported. In the exploratory multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age and lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio negatively affected survival, while the concurrent use of steroids was associated with greater survival. A statistically significant interaction was found between tocilizumab and respiratory support, suggesting that tocilizumab might be more effective in patients not requiring mechanical respiratory support at baseline.ConclusionsTocilizumab reduced lethality rate at 30 days compared with null hypothesis, without significant toxicity. Possibly, this effect could be limited to patients not requiring mechanical respiratory support at baseline.Registration EudraCT (2020-001110-38); clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04317092)