Analgesia em modelo animal superior para ortopedia

O teste de novos biomateriais para aplicações clínicas em ortopedia, ou noutras áreas da medicina, em modelos animais vivos e sencientes, em prol do benefício humano, deve ser objecto de planeamento cuidado e ponderado, dado o conflito ético que se coloca. Compete-nos a nós, enquanto investigadores, garantir que as condições de vida, saúde e bem-estar são asseguradas. O uso de ovinos como modelo superior pré-clínico, para investigação em Ortopedia, tem-se evidenciado devido às suas características translacionais para a espécie humana. Neste estudo retrospectivo deu-se ênfase ao plano anestésico/ analgésico instituído em três tipos de técnicas cirúrgicas ortopédicas, realizadas em ovinos. Os animais intervencionados foram adquiridos com 2 meses de antecedência em relação às cirurgias e mantidos em rebanho, com condições condignas de abrigo e alimentação. As técnicas cirúrgicas inovadoras foram treinadas previamente em peças anatómicas adquiridas no matadouro. Todas as cirurgias e anestesias foram realizadas por médicos veterinários devidamente qualificados. Durante os períodos pós-operatórios os animais foram mantidos no Hospital Veterinário, sob vigilância e tratamento, após o que regressaram ao pasto. Considera-se que os protocolos anestésico e analgésico instituídos foram suficientes para eliminar a dor ortopédica/ neuropática causada pelas técnicas cirúrgicas referidas

Rainfall-triggered landslides in the Lisbon region over 2006 and relationships with the North Atlantic Oscillation

Landslides occurred in the Lisbon area during the last 50 years were almost always induced by rainfall and have been used to establish rainfall thresholds for regional landslide activity. In 2006, three new rainfall-triggered landslide events occurred in the study area, namely on the 20 March, the 25–27 October, and the 28 November. Landslide events occurred in March and October 2006 include shallow translational slides and few debris flows, and the corresponding absolute antecedent rainfall was found to be above the threshold for durations ranging from 4 to 10 days. These events also fit the combined threshold of daily precipitation and 5 days calibrated antecedent rainfall values. Likewise the landslide event that took place in late November 2006 includes some slope movements with deeper slip surfaces, when compared with landslides dating from March and October. Moreover, the corresponding absolute antecedent rainfall was also found to be above the 40-day period rainfall threshold. Here we characterize in detail the short and long-term atmospheric circulation conditions that were responsible for the intense rainfall episodes that have triggered the corresponding landslide events. It is shown that the three rainfall episodes correspond to considerably different synoptic atmospheric patterns, with the March episode being associated to an intense cut-off low system while the October and November episodes appear to be related to more typical Atlantic low pressure systems (and associated fronts) travelling eastwards. Finally, we analyse the role played by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during those months marked by landslide activity. It is shown that the NAO index was consistently negative (usually associated with above average precipitation) for the months prior to the landslide events, i.e. between October 2005 and March 2006, and again between August and October 2006.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammal traits and soil biogeochemistry: Functional diversity relates to composition of soil organic matter

Mammal diversity affects carbon concentration in Amazonian soils. It is known that some species traits determine carbon accumulation in organisms (e.g., size and longevity), and are also related to feeding strategies, thus linking species traits to the type of organic remains that are incorporated into the soil. Trait diversity in mammal assemblages – that is, its functional diversity – may therefore constitute another mechanism linking biodiversity to soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed across 83 mammal assemblages in the Amazon biome (Guyana), the elemental (by ED‐XRF and CNH analysis) and molecular (FTIR‐ATR) composition of SOM of topsoils (401 samples) and trait diversity (functional richness, evenness, and divergence) for each mammal assemblage. Lower mammal functional richness but higher functional divergence were related to higher content of carbonyl and aliphatic SOM, potentially affecting SOM recalcitrance. Our results might allow the design of biodiversity management plans that consider the effect of mammal traits on carbon sequestration and accumulation in soils.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/32Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D 2019/024National Science Foundation | Ref. BE/CNH 05 0809

Prevalence, geographic distribution, and geographic variability of major cardiovascular risk factors in Spain: pooled analysis of data from population-based epidemiological studies: the ERICE study

[Abstract] Introduction and objectives. To determine the prevalence and geographic distribution of major cardiovascular risk factors in the Spanish population. To investigate whether geographic variability exists. Methods. Data were pooled from eight cross-sectional epidemiologic studies carried out in Spain between 1992 and 2001 whose methodological quality satisfied predefined criteria. Individual data were reassessed and analyzed by age group (20-44 years, 45-64 years, and [.greaterequal] 65 years), sex, and geographic area. The study population included 19 729 individuals. Mean values and unadjusted and adjusted prevalence rates were derived for various risk factors. Results. The most common cardiovascular risk factors in the Spanish population were, in descending order: hypercholesterolemia (ie, total cholesterol >200 mg/dL) in46.7%, hypertension in 37.6%, smoking in 32.2%, obesity in 22.8%, and diabetes mellitus in 6.2%. The mean values for blood pressure, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glycemia varied considerably with age, sex, and geographic area. The highest levels of cardiovascular risk factors were observed in Mediterranean and south-eastern areas of the country and the lowest, in northern, and central areas. Conclusions. The prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors in Spain was high. Their distribution varied considerably with geographic area.[Resumen] Introducción y objetivos. Estimar la prevalencia y la distribución geográfica de los principales factores de riesgo cardiovascular en la población española. Investigar la existencia de diferencias geográficas. Métodos. Agregación de ocho estudios epidemiológicos transversales, realizados en España entre 1992 y 2001, que superaron criterios de calidad metodológica. Reanálisis conjunto de los datos individuales por grupos de edad (20-44, 45-64 y [.greaterequal] 65 años), sexo y grandes áreas geográficas. Población de estudio: 19.729 sujetos. Estimación de valores medios y prevalencias crudas y ajustadas. Resultados. Por orden decreciente, los factores de riesgo cardiovascular más frecuentes en la población española fueron la hipercolesterolemia (colesterol total > 200 mg/dl, 46,7%), hipertensión arterial (37,6%), tabaquismo (32,2%), obesidad (22,8%) y diabetes mellitus (6,2%). Los valores medios de presión arterial, índice de masa corporal, colesterol de las lipoproteínas de alta densidad y glucemia varían ampliamente con la edad, el sexo y las áreas geográficas. La mayor carga de factores de riesgo cardiovascular se observa en las zonas sureste y mediterránea y la menor, en las áreas norte y centro. Conclusiones. En España la prevalencia de los principales factores de riesgo cardiovascular es elevada. Hay marcadas diferencias geográficas en su distribución

Visual encounters on line transect surveys under-detect carnivore species: Implications for assessing distribution and conservation status

We compared the distribution and occurrence of 15 carnivore species with data collected monthly over three years by trained native trackers using both sign surveys and an encounter-based, visual-distance method in a well-preserved region of southern Guyana (Amazon / Guiana Shield). We found that a rigorously applied sign-based method was sufficient to describe the status of most carnivore species populations, including rare species such as jaguar and bush dog. We also found that even when accumulation curves for direct visual encounter data reached an asymptote, customarily an indication that sufficient sampling has occurred to describe populations, animal occurrence and distribution were grossly underestimated relative to the results of sign data. While other researchers have also found that sign are better than encounters or camera traps for large felids, our results are important in documenting the failure of even intensive levels of effort to raise encounter rates sufficiently to enable statistical analysis, and in describing the relationship between encounter and sign data for an entire community of carnivores including felids, canids, procyonids, and mustelids. © Copyright: © 2019 Fragoso et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Line Transect Surveys Underdetect Terrestrial Mammals: Implications for the Sustainability of Subsistence Hunting

Conservation of Neotropical game species must take into account the livelihood and food security needs of local human populations. Hunting management decisions should therefore rely on abundance and distribution data that are as representative as possible of true population sizes and dynamics. We simultaneously applied a commonly used encounter-based method and an infrequently used sign-based method to estimate hunted vertebrate abundance in a 48,000-km² indigenous landscape in southern Guyana. Diurnal direct encounter data collected during three years along 216, four-kilometer -long transects consistently under-detected many diurnal and nocturnal mammal species readily detected through sign. Of 32 species analyzed, 31 were detected by both methods; however, encounters did not detect one and under-detected another 12 of the most heavily hunted species relative to sign, while sign under-detected 12 never or rarely collected species relative to encounters. The six most important game animals in the region, all ungulates, were not encountered at 11–40% of village and control sites or on 29–72% of transects where they were detected by sign. Using the sign methodology, we find that tapirs, one of the terrestrial vertebrates considered most sensitive to overexploitation, are present at many sites where they were never visually detected during distance sampling. We find that this is true for many other species as well. These high rates of under-detection suggest that behavioral changes in hunted populations may affect apparent occurrence and abundance of these populations. Accumulation curves (detection of species on transects) were much steeper for sign for 12 of 16 hunted species than for encounters, but that pattern was reversed for 12 of 16 species unhunted in our area. We conclude that collection of sign data is an efficient and effective method of monitoring hunted vertebrate populations that complements encounter and camera-trapping methods in areas impacted by hunting. Sign surveys may be the most viable method for large-scale, management-oriented studies in remote areas, particularly those focused on community-based wildlife management.Data Availability Statement: Data not provided includes village names, hunters, and hunting details due to ethical human rights concerns linked to indigenous peoples of the area. Agreements with indigenous people limit data to use by our research group. All other relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files

Dating historical droughts from religious ceremonies, the international pro pluvia rogation database

Climate proxy data are required for improved understanding of climate variability and change in the pre-instrumental period. We present the first international initiative to compile and share information on pro pluvia rogation ceremonies, which is a well-studied proxy of agricultural drought. Currently, the database has more than 3500 dates of celebration of rogation ceremonies, providing information for 153 locations across 11 countries spanning the period from 1333 to 1949. This product provides data for better understanding of the pre-instrumental drought variability, validating natural proxies and model simulations, and multi-proxy rainfall reconstructions, amongst other climatic exercises. The database is freely available and can be easily accessed and visualized via http://inpro.unizar.es/.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Structural evolution from neutron powder diffraction of nanostructured snte obtained by arc melting

Among chalcogenide thermoelectric materials, SnTe is an excellent candidate for intermediate temperature applications, in replacement of toxic PbTe. We have prepared pure polycrystalline SnTe by arc melting, and investigated the structural evolution by temperature-dependent neutron powder diffraction (NPD) from room temperature up to 973 K. In this temperature range, the sample is cubic (space group Fm-3m) and shows considerably larger displacement parameters for Te than for Sn. The structural analysis allowed the determination of the Debye model parameters and provided information on the Sn-Te chemical bonds. SEM images show a conspicuous nanostructuration in layers below 30 nm thick, which contributes to the reduction of the thermal conductivity down to 2.5 W/m center dot K at 800 K. The SPS treatment seems to reduce the number of Sn vacancies, thus diminishing the carrier density and increasing the Seebeck coefficient, which reaches 60 mu V K^(-1) at 700 K, as well as the weighted mobility, almost doubled compared with that of the as-grown sample

Enxaqueca em 746 pacientes com esclerose múltipla

Enxaqueca piora o sofrimento do paciente que tem esclerose múltipla (EM). ID-migraine é uma ferramenta útil para seleção de pacientes com enxaqueca e Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) é um questionário que avalia o impacto da doença. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a presença e impacto de enxaqueca em pacientes com EM. Métodos: Pacientes diagnosticados com EM e tratados em clínicas especializadas foram convidados a responder um questionário online se também apresentassem cefaleia. Resultados: O estudo incluiu 746 participantes com cefaleia e EM que preencheram completamente as respostas. Foram 625 mulheres e 121 homens, sendo 69% dos pacientes com idade entre 20 e 40 anos. Enxaqueca foi identificada em 404 pacientes (54,1%) e moderado a grave impacto da doença foi observado em 68,3% dos casos. Conclusão: Enxaqueca é uma cefaleia primária frequente e incapacitante relatada por pacientes com EM.Migraine adds to the burden of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). The ID-migraine is a useful tool for screening migraine, and the Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire can evaluate disease burden. The aim of the present study was to assess the presence and burden of migraine in patients with MS. Methods: Patients diagnosed with MS attending specialized MS units were invited to answer an online survey if they also experienced headache. Results: The study included 746 complete responses from patients with MS and headache. There were 625 women and 121 men, and 69% of all the patients were aged between 20 and 40 years. Migraine was identified in 404 patients (54.1%) and a moderate-to-high burden of disease was observed in 68.3% of the patients. Conclusion: Migraine is a frequent and disabling type of primary headache reported by patients with MS