Natural parasitism of the Citrus Leafminer (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) over eight years in seven citrus regions of São Paulo, Brazil

The citrus leafminer (CLM) Phyllocnists citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) was frst recorded in Brazil in 1996. In 1998, the parasitoid Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtdae) was introduced and established in many regions of the country. In this study, 130 onehour-samplings of sweet orange leaves (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck) hostng CLM pupal chambers were carried out to estmate the CLM parasitsm rate (%) by its parasitoids in 7 regions of São Paulo State between 2000 and 2008. The sample sizes varied from 10 to 275 leaves (mean = 65). The most abundant parasitoid was the encyrtd A. citricola (found in 91.8% of the samplings). The highest level of CLM parasitsm by A. citricola was recorded in the southern region (Botucatu), 70.2 ± 6.6 (mean ± SEM), and the lowest level was recorded in the northern region (Barretos), 12.8 ± 5.7%. CLM parasitsm by A. citricola and by natve parasitoids (Galeopsomyia fausta LaSalle, Cirrospilus spp. and Elasmus sp.) did not differ between seasons. The 6-fold increase in the use of insectcides in citrus groves, afer 2004 when the Huanglongbing (HLB) disease was found in São Paulo State, did not reduce the level of CLM parasitsm. The level of parasitsm was 50.8 ± 4.2% before the advent of HLB (2000–2004) and 56.0 ± 4.4% thereafer (2005–2008), indicatng adaptaton of A. citricola in a disturbed agroecosystem.A minadora das folhas dos citros (MFC), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), foi encontrada pela primeira vez no Brasil em 1996. Em 1998, o parasitoide Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) foi introduzido e se estabeleceu em várias regiões do país. Nesse estudo, foram feitas130 amostragens, de uma hora, de folhas de laranjeiras doces [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] com câmaras pupais da MFC, para se estimar o parasitismo da MFC em 7 regiões do estado de São Paulo, entre 2000 e 2008. O tamanho das amostras variou de 10 a 275 folhas (média = 65). O parasitoide mais abundante foi o encirtídeo A. citricola (encontrado em 91.8% das amostragens). O maior parasitismo da MFC por A. citricola foi observado na região sul do estado (Botucatu), 70,2 ± 6,6 (média ± EPM), e o menor parasitismo na região norte (Barretos), 12,8 ± 5,7%. O parasitismo da MFC por A. citricola e seus parasitoides nativos (Galeopsomyia fausta LaSalle, Cirrospilus spp. and Elasmus sp.) não diferiram entre as estações do ano. O aumento de seis vezes no uso de inseticidas nos pomares de citros, após 2004, quando o Huanglongbing (HLB) foi encontrado no estado de São Paulo, não reduziu o nível de parasitismo da MFC. O nível médio de parasitismo foi de 50,8 ± 4,2%, antes do HLB (2000-2004), e 56,0 ± 4,4%, após o HLB (2005-2008), indicando a adaptação de A. citricola a um agroecossistema perturbado.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stimulation of endothelial progenitor cells: a new putative effect of several cardiovascular drugs

The role of vascular endothelium in cardiovascular disorders is well recognized. Mature endothelial cells contribute to the repair of endothelial injury, but they only have a limited capacity to do so. This has led to growing interest and further investigation into circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and their role in vascular healing, repair, and postnatal neovascularization. The current perception of vascular health is that of a balance between ongoing injury and resultant vascular repair, mediated at least in part by circulating EPCs. Circulating EPCs play an important role in accelerating endothelialization at areas of vascular damage, and EPC enumeration is a viable strategy for assessing reparative capacity. Recent studies have shown that EPCs are affected both in number and function by several cardiovascular risk factors as well as various cardiovascular disease states, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and coronary artery disease. The present review summarizes the most relevant studies on the effects of cardiovascular drugs on vascular function and EPCs, focusing on their mechanisms of action

The WACMOS-ET project, part 2 : evaluation of global terrestrial evaporation data sets

The WAter Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy - EvapoTranspiration (WACMOS-ET) project aims to advance the development of land evaporation estimates on global and regional scales. Its main objective is the derivation, validation, and intercomparison of a group of existing evaporation retrieval algorithms driven by a common forcing data set. Three commonly used process-based evaporation methodologies are evaluated: the Penman-Monteith algorithm behind the official Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) evaporation product (PM-MOD), the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM), and the Priestley-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory model (PT-JPL). The resulting global spatiotemporal variability of evaporation, the closure of regional water budgets, and the discrete estimation of land evaporation components or sources (i.e. transpiration, interception loss, and direct soil evaporation) are investigated using river discharge data, independent global evaporation data sets and results from previous studies. In a companion article (Part 1), Michel et al. (2016) inspect the performance of these three models at local scales using measurements from eddy-covariance towers and include in the assessment the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model. In agreement with Part 1, our results indicate that the Priestley and Taylor products (PT-JPL and GLEAM) perform best overall for most ecosystems and climate regimes. While all three evaporation products adequately represent the expected average geographical patterns and seasonality, there is a tendency in PM-MOD to underestimate the flux in the tropics and subtropics. Overall, results from GLEAM and PT-JPL appear more realistic when compared to surface water balances from 837 globally distributed catchments and to separate evaporation estimates from ERA-Interim and the model tree ensemble (MTE). Nonetheless, all products show large dissimilarities during conditions of water stress and drought and deficiencies in the way evaporation is partitioned into its different components. This observed inter-product variability, even when common forcing is used, suggests that caution is necessary in applying a single data set for large-scale studies in isolation. A general finding that different models perform better under different conditions highlights the potential for considering biome- or climate-specific composites of models. Nevertheless, the generation of a multi-product ensemble, with weighting based on validation analyses and uncertainty assessments, is proposed as the best way forward in our long-term goal to develop a robust observational benchmark data set of continental evaporation

Provision of education for sustainability development and sustainability literacy in business programs in three higher education institutions in Brazil, Colombia and Peru

Purpose: This paper aims to report on the status and the development of education for sustainable development (ESD) and sustainability literacy (SL) in three Latin American (LA) higher education institutions (HEIs) business programs in Peru, Brazil and Colombia. The paper examines institutional efforts to both introduce and implement ESD curricula and provide SL. Design/methodology/approach: The methods used in this paper included reviews of university Web pages and course materials. Structured interviews were also conducted with program leaders, to examine the level of ESD, as input affecting the business programs curricula of the universities concerned. Findings: Initial findings suggest that, in the three HEIs surveyed, there is still a tendency to talk about issues related to ESD but actions that confirm this interest are not sufficiently advanced. The authors surveys a sample of business programs curricula and interviewed its leaders and a mixed and dated picture emerged. When compared to other regions particularly the USA and Europe, the findings show that the HEIs surveyed still have not developed enough work to distinguish conceptually between sustainable development, ESD and SL making the embedment of these concepts in the curriculum not fully developed. Originality/value: In LA HEIs, the ESD message seems to be slowly taking ground, equipping HEIs to respond to SL concerns. Implementation and practice in some HEIs are still at an embryonic and conceptually confused stage with regard to LA HEIs SL. This paper sheds light to help ESD delivery. It offers some strategies for moving on from this inception phase to a more structured SL provision and ESD outlook

Mental health screening using the MINI test in medical students

Introducción: Los trastornos de salud mental constituyen un problema prevalente en alumnos de educación superior, siendo los estudiantes de medicina una población especialmente vulnerable. Objetivos: Determinar la frecuencia de trastornos de salud mental en los alumnos de una escuela de medicina. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo, transversal. Institución: Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Católica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, Chiclayo, Lambayeque, Perú. Participantes: Alumnos de una escuela de medicina. Intervenciones: En el semestre académico 2010-I, se evaluó la frecuencia de trastornos de salud mental en los alumnos utilizando el test Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), validado en español, como método de tamizaje. Principales medidas de resultados: Frecuencia de problemas de salud mental. Resultados: Se evaluó 159 estudiantes, 94 del sexo femenino (59,1%) y 65 de sexo masculino (40,8%); la media de la edad fue de 18,6+/- 2,1 años; 35 alumnos (22%) tuvieron al menos un trastorno mental. Los diagnósticos más frecuentes fueron: episodio hipomaniaco pasado (16 alumnos; 10,2%), riesgo suicida (11; 6,9%), trastorno depresivo actual (9; 5,6%), trastorno de angustia actual (8; 5%), agorafobia (8; 5%). En 20 (12,6%) y 11 estudiantes (6,9%), respectivamente, algún profesional de la salud le había diagnosticado previamente ansiedad y depresión. Conclusiones: Los problemas de salud mental fueron frecuentes en esta población de estudiantes, siendo el episodio hipomaniaco pasado, el riesgo suicida y el episodio depresivo actual los más frecuentes.Introduction: Mental health disorders are prevalent in higher education students and medical students are especially vulnerable. Objectives: To determine mental health problems frequency in students of Medicine. Design: Descriptive, transversal study. Setting: School of Medicine, Universidad Catolica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, Chiclayo, Lambayeque, Peru. Participants: Medical students. Interventions: During the 2010-I academic semester, frequency of mental health problems were determined using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) test, validated in Spanish, as a screening test for mental health. Main outcome measures: Frequency of mental health problems. Results: From 159 students interviewed, 94 were women (59,1%) and 65 men (40,8%). Average age was 18,7+/- 2,1 years; 35 students (22%) had at least one mental disorder. There were 16 (10,2%) students with history of hypomania episode, 11 with suicide risk (6,9%), 9 with current depressive disorder (5,6%), 8 with agoraphobia (4,8%), 8 with current anxiety disorder (4,8%); 20 (12,6%) and 11 (6,9%) students respectively mentioned that a health care provider had previously diagnosed anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Mental health disorders were frequent in these medical students; past hypomania episode, suicidal risk and current depressive disorder were the most frequently diagnosed mental health disorders

Relative adrenal insufficiency and hemodynamic status in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery patients. A prospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objectives of this study were to determine the risk factors for relative adrenal insufficiency in cardiopulmonary bypass patients and the impact on postoperative vasopressor requirements.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Prospective cohort study on cardiopulmonary bypass patients who received etomidate or not during anesthetic induction. Relative adrenal insufficiency was defined as a rise in serum cortisol ≤ 9 μg/dl after the administration of 250 μg of consyntropin. Plasma cortisol levels were measured preoperatively, immediately before, 30, 60, and 90 minutes after the administration of cosyntropin, and at 24 hours after surgery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>120 elective cardiopulmonary bypass patients were included. Relative adrenal insufficiency (Δcortisol ≤9 μg/dl) incidence was 77.5%. 78 patients received etomidate and 69 (88%) of them developed relative adrenal insufficiency, (<it>P </it>< 0.001). Controlling for clinical characteristics with a propensity analysis, etomidate was the only independent risk factor associated with relative adrenal insufficiency (OR 6.55, CI 95%: 2.47-17.4; <it>P </it>< 0.001). Relative adrenal insufficiency patients showed more vasopressor requirements just after surgery (<it>P </it>= 0.04), and at 4 hours after surgery (<it>P </it>= 0.01). Pre and post-test plasma cortisol levels were inversely associated with maximum norepinephrine dose (ρ = -0.22, <it>P </it>= 0.02; ρ = -0.18, <it>P </it>= 0.05; ρ = -0.21, <it>P </it>= 0.02; and ρ = -0.22, <it>P </it>= 0.02, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Relative adrenal insufficiency in elective cardiopulmonary bypass patients may induce postoperative vasopressor dependency. Use of etomidate in these patients is a modifiable risk factor for the development of relative adrenal insufficiency that should be avoided.</p

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Effectiveness of a psycho-educational program for improving quality of life of fibromyalgia patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most fibromyalgia patients are seen in primary care (PC). However, the effectiveness of the treatments prescribed by general practitioners is usually minimal. The main objective of the present research is to assess the efficacy of structured psycho-educational intervention, combined with relaxation, developed to improve the quality of life of patients suffering fibromyalgia (FM). The second objective is to assess the cost-effectiveness of this multimodal intervention.</p> <p>Method/Design</p> <p><it>Design</it>. Randomized controlled trial with a 12-month follow-up involving two groups, one of which is the intervention group that includes patients receiving a psychoeducational program and the other the control group consisting of patients treated for FM in the usual way.</p> <p><it>Setting</it>. Three urban PC centers in the province of Barcelona (Spain).</p> <p><it>Sample</it>. The total sample comprises 218 patients (over 18 years of age) suffering FM, selected from a database (Rheumatology service-Viladecans Hospital) of patients with this illness. Only those patients introduced in the database between the years 2005 and 2007 were included in the selection. Selected patients will be asked for written informed consent to participate in the study.</p> <p><it>Intervention</it>. Multi-component program including information about the illness, counselling about physical exercise and training in autogenic relaxation. The intervention consists of nine 2-hour sessions delivered during a two-month period. The pharmacological treatment prescribed by the physician was maintained in both groups.</p> <p><it>Main variables</it>. Sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life, use and cost of healthcare and social services.</p> <p><it>Measures</it>. Quality of life is to be measured with the FIQ and the EuroQol-5D, and the use of healthcare services with an adapted version of the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI). These variables will be measured before the beginning of the program (baseline) and 1, 2, 6 and 12 months later.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This research project is an attempt to demonstrate that a psycho-educational program implemented in the context of PC can produce a significant increase in the quality of life for patients with FM, as well as a decrease in the use of healthcare and social services, compared with usual care.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00550966</p

Clinical features and risk factors for severe and critical pregnant women with 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza infection in China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) influenza posed an increased risk of severe illness among pregnant women. Data on risk factors associated with death of pregnant women and neonates with pH1N1 infections are limited outside of developed countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective observational study in 394 severe or critical pregnant women admitted to a hospital with pH1N1 influenza from Sep. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009. rRT-PCR testing was used to confirm infection. In-hospital mortality was the primary endpoint of this study. Univariable logistic analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the potential factors on admission that might be associated with the maternal and neonatal mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>394 pregnant women were included, 286 were infected with pH1N1 in the third trimester. 351 had pneumonia, and 77 died. A PaO₂/FiO₂≤ 200 (odds ratio (OR), 27.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.64-279.70) and higher BMI (i.e. ≥ 30) on admission (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.47) were independent risk factors for maternal death. Of 211 deliveries, 146 neonates survived. Premature delivery (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.19-14.56) was associated neonatal mortality. Among 186 patients who received mechanical ventilation, 83 patients were treated with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and 38 were successful with NIV. The death rate was lower among patients who initially received NIV than those who were initially intubated (24/83, 28.9% vs 43/87, 49.4%; <it>p </it>= 0.006). Septic shock was an independent risk factor for failure of NIV.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Severe hypoxemia and higher BMI on admission were associated with adverse outcomes for pregnant women. Preterm delivery was a risk factor for neonatal death among pregnant women with pH1N1 influenza infection. NIV may be useful in selected pregnant women without septic shock.</p