35 research outputs found

    Les poblacions de pi roig de la Península Ibèrica amenaçades pel canvi climàtic

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    L'augment d'aridesa que prediuen els models climàtics per la Conca Mediterrània afectaria la Península Ibèrica, límit inferior latitudinal de la distribució del pi roig. Un estudi del CREAF/Unitat d'Ecologia de la UAB sobre els efectes d'un episodi extrem de sequera en una població de pi roig localitzada als Pirineus Occidentals Catalans preveu, si les projeccions dels models climàtics es fan realitat, una substitució d'aquesta espècie en aquelles altituds on actualment és dominant a favor de la migració ascendent d'alzines i roures, pròpies d'altituds més baixes, amb el risc de desaparèixer a les àrees més meridionals de la seva distribució.El aumento de aridez que predicen los modelos climáticos para la Cuenca Mediterránea afectaría a la Península Ibérica, límite inferior latitudinal de la distribución del pino silvestre. Un estudio del CREAF/Unidad de Ecología de la UAB sobre los efectos de un episodio extremo de sequía en una población de pino silvestre localizada en los Pirineos Occidentales Catalanes prevé, si las proyecciones de los modelos climáticos se hacen realidad, una sustitución de esta especie en aquellas altitudes donde actualmente es dominante a favor de la migración ascendente de encinas y robles, propias de altitudes más bajas, con el riesgo de desaparecer en las áreas más meridionales de su distribución

    Dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates in three Mediterranean woody species following long-term experimental drought

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    Stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) have been proposed as a key determinant of drought resistance in plants. However, the evidence for this role is controversial, as it comes mostly from observational, short-term studies. Here, we take advantage of a long-term experimental throughfall reduction to elucidate the response of NSC to increased drought 14 years after the beginning of the treatment in three Mediterranean resprouter trees (Quercus ilex L., Arbutus unedo L. and Phillyrea latifolia L.). In addition, we selected 20 Q. ilex individuals outside the experimental plots to directly assess the relationship between defoliation and NSC at the individual level. We measured the seasonal course of NSC concentrations in leaves, branches and lignotuber in late winter, late spring, summer, and autumn 2012. Total concentrations of NSC were highest in the lignotuber for all species. In the long-term drought experiment we found significant depletion in concentrations of total NSC in treatment plots only in the lignotuber of A. unedo. At the same time, A. unedo was the only species showing a significant reduction in BAI under the drought treatment during the 14 years of the experiment. By contrast, Q. ilex just reduced stem growth only during the first 4 years of treatment and P. latifolia remained unaffected over the whole study period. However, we found a clear association between the concentrations of NSC and defoliation in Q. ilex individuals sampled outside the experimental plots, with lower total concentrations of NSC and lower proportion of starch in defoliated individuals. Taken together, our results suggest that stabilizing processes, probably at the stand level, may have been operating in the long-term to mitigate any impact of drought on NSC levels, and highlight the necessity to incorporate long-term experimental studies of plant responses to drought

    Myofascial Induction Therapy Improves the Sequelae of Medical Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors: A Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Cross-Over Study

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    Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Yet, less than 60% of HNC survivors receive adequate therapy for treatment-related sequelae. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of myofascial induction therapy (MIT) in improving cervical and shoulder pain and range of motion, maximal mouth opening, and cervical muscle function in HNC survivors. This crossover, blinded, placebo-controlled study involved 22 HNC survivors (average age 56.55 ± 12.71) of which 13 were males (59.1%) who received, in a crossover fashion, both a single 30-min session of MIT in the form of manual unwinding and simulated pulsed shortwave therapy (placebo), with a 4-week washout interval between the two. Cervical and shoulder pain (visual analogue scale) and range of motion (cervical range of motion device and goniometer), maximum mouth opening (digital caliper), and cervical muscle function (deep cervical flexor endurance test) were measured before and after the treatment and placebo sessions. A single session of MIT improved cervical and affected side shoulder pain, cervical range of motion, maximum mouth opening, and cervical muscle function. The associated effect sizes ranged from moderate to large. The present study suggests that MIT, in the form of manual unwinding, improves cervical (−3.91 ± 2.77) and affected-side shoulder (−3.64 ± 3.1) pain, cervical range of motion (flexion: 8.41 ± 8.26 deg; extension: 12.23 ± 6.55; affected-side rotation: 14.27 ± 11.05; unaffected-side rotation: 11.73 ± 8.65; affectedside lateroflexion: 7.95 ± 5.1; unaffected-side lateroflexion: 9.55 ± 6.6), maximum mouth opening (3.36 ± 3.4 mm), and cervical muscle function (8.09 ± 6.96 s) in HNC survivors.European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the “University of Granada, Excellence Actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)” programUniversity of Granada: “Proyectos de Investigación Precompetitivos para Jóvenes Investigadores. Plan Propio 2020” Code: PPJIA2020.15

    Effect of mHealth plus occupational therapy on cognitive function, mood and physical function in people after cancer: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

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    Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.rehab.2022.101681Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013-2016)Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI14/01627)Fondos Estructurales de la Unión Europea (FEDER)Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/01069 and FPU18/03575)University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence Actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBU

    Plasticity of Fine-Root Traits Under Long-Term Irrigation of a Water-Limited Scots Pine Forest

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    CH va estar becat per la Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), Grant number SNF 31003A_149507. LG va rebre suport d'una beca postdoctoral de la Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation (AvH).Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to investigate plant strategies for resource acquisition, growth, or competition between individual organisms or across species. However, the characterization of responses to environmental stimuli by fine-root systems of trees at the trait level is rather limited, particularly regarding the timing and degree of plasticity of the traits involved. These aspects become especially relevant under current climate-driven shifts in environmental conditions. In the present study, we examined the responses of the fine roots of Scots pines to increased soil water availability from long-term irrigation starting in the year 2003. The Scots pine forest is situated in a water-limited region in the central European Alps where increased tree mortality has been observed over the last two decades. The fine-root traits investigated include root system traits, root dynamic traits, architectural traits, and morphological traits. A first survey of fine-root traits in 2005 using ingrowth cores did not reveal any trait-based responses resulting from the irrigation treatment over a three-year period. Fine-root biomass, as periodically recorded by coring the topsoil from 2003 to 2016, showed a significant increase compared to the non-irrigated controls between three and nine years after the start of treatment. Overall, a maximum biomass increase due to the irrigation treatment was recorded in 2016 with about 80% higher biomass compared to controls. The analysis of fine-root traits revealed that irrigation significantly increased biomass, length, and production, but did not alter morphological and architectural traits, such as diameter, frequency of tips, specific root length (SRL), and root tissue density (RTD). In contrast, clear significant differences were found for all traits except for length when comparing the two root sampling methods, namely, ingrowth cores and soil coring. However, there were no interactions between the irrigation treatment and the sampling methods used and, therefore, the methods used did not affect the documented patterns, just the actual measured trait values

    The effects of myofascial induction therapy in survivors of head and neck cancer: a randomized, controlled clinical trial

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    Purpose We aim to evaluate the effects of myofascial induction therapy (MIT) on the sequelae suffered by the survivors of HNC (sHNC). Methods We enrolled 46 sHNC in a randomized controlled trial (RCT), of whom 20 received a MIT protocol and 23 were placed on a waitlist while receiving the recommended treatment for 6 weeks. The MIT protocol included a total of 18 sessions, 3 days a week on alternate days for 6 weeks. Maximal mouth opening, the presence of temporomandibular dysfunction, cervical endurance, active range of motion (AROM), shoulder AROM, handgrip strength, and perceived physical fitness were assessed. Results Maximal mouth opening, temporomandibular dysfunction, cervical endurance, and AROM, affected shoulder abduction and unaffected shoulder flexion and external rotation significantly improved (p < .05) after an MIT protocol, but only cervical AROM and affected shoulder abduction changes were clinically meaningful. No statistically significant changes were observed in the other shoulder AROM, handgrip strength, or physical fitness perception (p > .05). Conclusion A 6-week MIT protocol improves mouth opening, TMD, cervical function (endurance and AROM), affected shoulder abduction and unaffected shoulder flexion, and external rotation AROM in the sHNC. However, no changes were observed in most of the shoulder AROM, muscular strength, or perceived physical fitness. Future studies should perform longer follow-up designs, increase the sample size, and include multimodal treatments to address these sequelae in the sHNC.Fondos Estructurales de la Union Europea (FEDER)University of Granada, Excellence Actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Junta de Andalucia PI-0171-2020 CSy

    Anillo vascular. Diagnóstico por ecocardiografía en periodo fetal

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    Congenital anomalies of the aortic arch and its branches may cause compression of the esophagus and trachea and be responsible of secondary compressive symptoms but frequently have an asymptomatic course. Advances in fetal echocardiography and the three vessel and trachea view (3VT) with a proper visualization of upper mediastinumallows accurate diagnosis of vascular rings. Detection of these abnormalities requires to rule out further congenital malformations and to detect genetic anomalies. Prenatal diagnosis contributes to detect postnatal asymptomatic cases and its systematic prenatal detection would allow estimating a real prevalence of vascular rings in the general population.Las alteraciones congénitas del arco aórtico, especialmente los anillos vasculares, pueden producir compresión de la tráquea y del esófago y originar síntomas secundarios aunque en muchas ocasiones son asintomáticos. El avance de la ecocardiografía prenatal, y especialmente la visualización del mediastino superior fetal con el plano tres vasos-tráquea (3VT), permite un diagnóstico preciso de los anillos vasculares en la vida fetal. La detección de estas anomalías obliga a descartar otras malformaciones fetales y anomalías genéticas. Su detección prenatal contribuye a detectar casos asintomáticos y su búsqueda sistemática permitiría una estimación de la prevalencia real en la población

    Non-structural carbohydrate dynamics associated with drought-induced die-off in woody species of a shrubland community

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    The relationship between plant carbon economy and drought responses of co-occurring woody species can be assessed by comparing carbohydrate (C) dynamics following drought and rain periods, relating these dynamics to species' functional traits. We studied nine woody species coexisting in a continental Mediterranean shrubland that experienced severe drought effects followed by rain. During drought, NSC concentrations were overall lower in stems and roots of plants experiencing leaf loss, while SS decreases were smaller. Roots had higher NSC concentrations than stems. After the rain, NSC concentrations continued to decrease, while SS increased. Green foliage recovered after rain, particularly in plants previously experiencing higher leaf loss, independently of NSC concentrations during drought. Species with lower WD tended to have more SS during drought and lower SS increases after rain. In low-WD species, plants with severe leaf loss had lower NSC relative to undefoliated ones. No significant relationship was found between H or SLA and C content or dynamics. Our community-level study reveals that, while responses were species-specific, C stocks overall diminished in plants affected by prolonged drought and did not increase after a pulse of seasonal rain. Dynamics were faster for SS than NSC. We found limited depletion of SS, consistent with their role in basal metabolic, transport and signalling functions. In a scenario of increased drought under climate change, NSC stocks in woody plants are expected to decrease differentially in coexisting species, with potential implications for their adaptive abilities and community dynamics

    Persistent pain management in an oncology population through pain neuroscience education, a multimodal program: PaiNEd randomized clinical trial protocol

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    Pain is one of the most persistent symptoms after cancer treatment. The central nervous system can erroneously stay in its alarm phase, altering the pain experience of patients who have cancer. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) with multimodal approaches may benefit these patients.“Subvenciones para la Financiación de la Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (I+D+I) Biomédica y en Ciencias de la Salud, Consejería de Salud y Familias”, of the Andalusian Regional Government (PI-0171-2020
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