Home range of the parthenogenetic lizard Aspidoscelis maslini (FRiTTS, 1969), on a beach strand

Se logró la caracterización del ámbito hogareño de una lagartija microendémica de la Península de Yucatán.he average home range size of A. maslini represents the smallest within the genus Aspidoscelis recorded to date (P ERRY & G ARlANd 2002), including both parthe - nogenetic [616 m 2 in Aspidosceli s unipa - rens (W RiGHT & l OWE , 1965), H ulSE 1981; 45.1 m 2 in A. cozumelus , H ERNáNdEZ -G Al - lEGOS et al. 2015] and gonochoristic species [400 m 2 in Aspidoscelis tigris (B AiRd & G iRARd , 1852), j ORGENSEN & T ANNER 1963; 306 m 2 in Aspidoscelis hyperythrus (C OPE , 1863), R OWlANd 1992]. This result con- trasts with theoretical predictions of broad home ranges for widely foraging species (H ulSE 1981; R OWlANd 1992; V ERWAijEN & V AN d AmmE 2008). Reduced home ranges at coastal habitats in other species of lizards including both sit and wait predators (R O - CHA 1999; k ACOliRiS et al. 2009) and wide foraging species (H iRTH 1963) have been recorded previously

Clinical Effects of Liraglutide in a Real-World Setting in Spain: eDiabetes-Monitor SEEN Diabetes Mellitus Working Group Study

Introduction: A limitation with randomized controlled trials is that, while they provide unbiased evidence of the efficacy of interventions, they do so under unreal conditions and in a very limited and highly selected patient population. Our aim was to provide data about the effectiveness of liraglutide treatment in a real-world and clinical practice setting. Methods: In a retrospective and observational study, data from 753 patients with type 2 diabetes were recorded through an online tool (eDiabetes-Monitor). Results: Mean baseline glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was 8.4 ± 1.4% and mean body mass index (BMI) was 38.6 ± 5.4 kg/m2. After 3–6 months of treatment with liraglutide, we observed a change in HbA1c of -1.1 ± 1.2%, -4.6 ± 5.3 kg in weight and -1.7 ± 2.0 kg/m

Proteomic characterization of human coronary thrombus in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) initiates with intraluminal thrombosis and results in total occlusion of the coronary artery. To date, characterization of the coronary thrombus proteome in STEMI patients has not been yet accomplished. Therefore, we aimed to perform an in-depth proteomic characterization of the human coronary thrombus by means of three different approaches: 2-DE followed by mass spectrometry (MALDI MS/MS), 1-DE combined either with liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in a MALDI TOF/TOF (LC-MALDI-MS/MS), or in a LTQ-Orbitrap (LC-ESI-MS/MS). This approach allowed us to identify a total of 708 proteins in the thrombus. Expression in coronary thrombi (n=20) of 14 proteins was verified, and the expression of fibrin and 6 cell markers (platelets, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, T-cells and B-cells) quantified by selected reaction monitoring (SRM). A positive correlation of 5 proteins (fermitin homolog 3, thrombospondin-1, myosin-9, beta parvin and ras-related protein Rap-1b) with CD41 was found, pointing out the potential activation of a focal adhesion pathway within thrombus platelets. DIDO1 protein was found to correlate negatively with thrombus fibrin, and was found up-regulated in the plasma of these STEMI patients, which may constitute a starting point for further analyses in the search for biomarkers of thrombosis. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The proteomic characterization of the human coronary thrombus may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in acute coronary syndrome, and thus pave the road for the identification of new therapeutic targets that may help addressing this and other thrombotic diseases. A novel methodology to characterize thrombus composition and expression of a sub-group of proteins is hereby described, which allowed linking protein expression with cellular and ECM matrix composition of the thrombus. Five proteins (fermitin homolog 3, thrombospondin-1, myosin-9, beta parvin and ras-related protein Rap-1b) co-express within the human coronary thrombus with CD41, pointing out the potential activation of a focal adhesion pathway within thrombus platelets during thrombus formation. Besides, the protein death-inducer obliterator 1, found to be expressed within the human coronary thrombus, has been proved to increase in the plasma of STEMI patients, which constitutes an important starting point for further analyses in the search for biomarkers of thrombosis.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS PI070537, PI11/02239), Fondos Feder, Redes temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RD12/0042/ 0071, RD06/0014/1015), and Fundación para la Investigación Sanitaria de Castilla-La Mancha (FISCAM PI2008-08, PI2008-28, PI2008-52). These results are lined up with the Spanish initiative on the Human Proteome Project (SpHPP). The CNIC is supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and the Fundacion Pro-CNIC. We would like to thank Dr. Gloria Alvarez-Llamas for her kind suggestions for the manuscript; Gemma Barroso from Proteomic Unit, Hospital Nacional de Paraplejicos, for her help and dedication to this work, as well as Veronica Moral and Ana Gallardo from the same Unit, and TamaraSastre andCarmenBermudez for their technical support.S

Pharmacokinetics of Echinocandins in Suspected Candida Peritonitis: a Potential Risk for Resistance.

A possible increase of Candida resistance, specially in C. glabrata, has been speculated according to a poor diffusion of echinocandins to peritoneal fluid. Peritoneal and serum concentrations of Caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin were analyzed in surgical patients with suspected candida peritonitis. After four days of starting therapy serum and peritoneal samples (through peritoneal drainage) were obtained at baseline, 1 h, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h of drug administration. Micafungin and anidulafungin concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/F), whereas caspofungin concentration were stablished by bioassay. A total of 23 critically ill patients with suspected abdominal fungal infection who were receiving an echinocandin were prospectively recruited. No specific criteria were applied to prescribe one specific echinocadin. No special clinical differences were observed among the 3 groups of patients. All were receiving antibiotic therapy, 80% required inotropic drugs and finally fungal peritonitis were confirmed in 74% of them. The AUC0_24h (mg*h/L) obtained in serum and peritoneal fluid were: 126.84 and 34.38; 98.52 and 18.83; and 66.9 and 8.78 for anidulafungin, micafungin and caspofungin, respectively. The median concentration in peritoneal fluid ranged from 0.66 to 1.82 μg/ml for anidulafungin, 0.68 to 0.88 μg/mL for micafungin and 0.21 to 0.46 μg/ml for caspofungin. The results show a moderate penetration of echinocandins into the peritoneal fluid in these patients. These levels are below the threshold of resistance mutant selection published by other authors. It could justify a potential risk of resistance in patients with prolonged treatments with echinocandins and suboptimal control of the abdominal infection.The study received funding from the “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS PI 15/1536). The work was supported by Plan Nacional de I + D+i 2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16), and co-financed by European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe”, Operative program Intelligent Growth 2014-2020.S

Effect of the implementation of clinical guidelines on management of candidemia in elderly patients

Introduction: Mortality from candidemia is higher in elderly population than in younger patients, which may be related to suboptimal management. The aim of the present study is to evaluate adherence to the recommendations for the clinical management of candidemia in a population over 75 years before and after implementing specific training. Patients and Methods: We recorded retrospectively data from candidemia episodes in elderly patients during two periods of time: 2010–2015 years (before training) and 2017–2022 years (after training), as well as adherence to the recommendations of the clinical practice guidelines, mortality and consultation to infectious disease specialists. Results: Forty-five episodes of candidemia were recorded in the first period and 29 episodes in the second period. A better compliance to the recommendations of the clinical practice guidelines was observed in the second period: echocardiogram performance (75.9% vs. 48.9% p= .021), fundoscopy (65.5% vs. 44.4% p= .076), follow-up blood cultures (72.4% vs. 42.2% p= .011), removal of central venous catheter (80% vs. 52.9% p= .080) and adequate antifungal treatment (82.6% vs. 52.6% p= .018). A trend towards lower mortality was observed during the second period (27.6% vs. 44.4% p= .144). Conclusion: The improvement of knowledge of clinical guidelines on candidemia and the participation of infectious disease specialists may increase the quality of care in elderly patients with candidemia. It would be necessary to enlarge the sample size to evaluate the real impact of this intervention on mortality

Antibiotic treatment for ocular toxoplasmosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis: Study protocol

Background: Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is the most common cause of posterior uveitis, leading to visual impairment in a high proportion of patients. Antibiotics and corticosteroids lower the risk of permanent visual impairment by reducing the size of the retinochoroidal scar, the risk of recurrence, and the severity and duration of acute symptoms. Although OT is a very common cause of infectious posterior uveitis, its treatment remains controversial. Through our systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to provide the best possible evidence-based information on the safety and effectiveness of the different antibiotic regimes for OT. Methods: This systematic review protocol has been developed based on PRISMA-P guidelines for reporting systematic reviews evaluating health care interventions. We will include all published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different antibiotics used for the treatment of OT. We will consider changes in visual acuity, number of recurrences, improvement or worsening of ocular inflammation, size of lesion, and adverse effects as our outcomes. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment will be undertaken by two reviewers with disagreements resolved through discussion. Studies that compared antibiotics with placebo will be excluded. The reviews will be assessed for quality and relevance. We will assess the risk of bias in five domains according to Cochrane group's tool. The type of data will dictate measures of treatment effect. We will use a random-effects model to calculate our meta-analysis, as eligible studies represent clinically varied populations of participants. Discussion: The strength of our study will lie in the exhaustive and systematic nature of the literature search, as well as in its methods for assessing quality and analyzing RCT data. Considering the controversial efficacy of the treatment for OT, our study will contribute to improving the existing evidence on the effectiveness of different antibiotics. Future studies may be conducted to increase physicians' awareness of antibiotic therapies, improving the health of patients with OT. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42018085468. © 2019 The Author(s)

Difficulty of Chemistry concepts. How to make easy the learning. Gamification

Chemistry is considered highly complex by students. To achieve meaningful learning, it is necessary to show its usefulness in daily life, in the development of a country and a society. Learning will be significant when the student can incorporate it into the structures of prior knowledge that they possess, acquiring significance for them. In this specific case, the research aims to contribute to the improvement of the teaching-learning processes of Chemistry in the studies of the Degree in Engineering. In this work we studied how gamification facilitates the learning of our students. For this reason, the research group has used an Escape Room based on the topics of our subject. The Escape Room is called Was it a murder or a suicide? They will find material in the classroom, and they will have to decide if it was a murder. In the end, the students who participate in these activities have increased their calcification in the matter by around 1-2 points. And in the final questionnaire, they have said that they would like to use gamification in other subjects. Some students told us that it was their first time taking an exam and that it was fun.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A Survey of key methods, traits, parameters, and conditions for measuring texture in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.)

In the cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) industry, the textural properties and firmness of the fruit are priority traits for producing processed products, such as sweetened dried cranberry (SDC), which have gained popularity in recent years. However, there is currently no reliable methodology for screening these traits in breeding programs. In this study, we examine the key methodologies, textural traits, parameters, and conditions that are necessary to accurately and efficiently measure the texture of cranberry fruit. Double compression, single compression, puncture, shearing and Kramer shear cell methodologies were successfully implemented in cranberry, resulting in a total of 47 textural features. These features allowed the evaluation of the texture of the cranberry fruit based on key factors such as flesh, structure, and skin. This study also examined factors than can affect the performance of texture measurements, including the optimal sample size, storage time, fruit texture-size correlation, fruit temperature and orientation, optimal speed/strain combinations, and the effect of probe diameter. The results of the study suggests that certain texture traits of the compression and puncture methodologies could potentially be used to test varieties and aid in breeding program

Genomic Validation of Endometrial Cancer Patient-Derived Xenograft Models as a Preclinical Tool

Bioinformatics; Endometrial cancer; Molecular markerBioinformática; Cáncer endometrial; Marcador molecularBioinformàtica; Càncer d'endometri; Marcador molecularEndometrial cancer (EC) is the second most frequent gynecological cancer worldwide. Although improvements in EC classification have enabled an accurate establishment of disease prognosis, women with a high-risk or recurrent EC face a dramatic situation due to limited further treatment options. Therefore, new strategies that closely mimic the disease are required to maximize drug development success. Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are widely recognized as a physiologically relevant preclinical model. Hence, we propose to molecularly and histologically validate EC PDX models. To reveal the molecular landscape of PDXs generated from 13 EC patients, we performed histological characterization and whole-exome sequencing analysis of tumor samples. We assessed the similarity between PDXs and their corresponding patient’s tumor and, additionally, to an extended cohort of EC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Finally, we performed functional enrichment analysis to reveal differences in molecular pathway activation in PDX models. We demonstrated that the PDX models had a well-defined and differentiated molecular profile that matched the genomic profile described by the TCGA for each EC subtype. Thus, we validated EC PDX’s potential to reliably recapitulate the majority of histologic and molecular EC features. This work highlights the importance of a thorough characterization of preclinical models for the improvement of the success rate of drug-screening assays for personalized medicine.This research was funded by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) grant number PI17/02071, PI20/01566, and from the Ministerio de ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through a RETOS Colaboración (RTC-2017-6261-1), both co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER); from Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) grant number GCTRA1804MATI, Biomedical Research Center Network (CIBERONC) grant number CB16/12/00328 and Generalitat de Catalunya, grant number 2017SGR1661. B.V.-M. is supported by a predoctoral fellowship (PERIS-SLT017/20/000183) from Generalitat de Catalunya. E.C. is supported by an Investigator Grant from AECC (INVES20051COLA)