Biochronological data for the Early Pleistocene site of Quibas (SE Spain) inferred from rodents assemblage

In this paper, the rodent fauna from the Early Pleistocene of Gruta1 (Quibas karstic complex, Murcia, SE Spain) is described. The assemblage includes one arvicoline (Allophaiomys sp.), two murines (Apodemus ex gr. mystacinus-epimelas, Castillomys rivas) and one glirid (Eliomys quercinus). The rodent assemblage indicates an age very close to the age of Fuente Nueva 3 and Barranco León 5 in the Guadix-Baza Basin, and Sima del Elefante in the Atapuerca karstic complex, between ca. 1.2-1.4My.

INTRABEAM: precision hypo-fractionated radiotherapy with a systemic immune response

Purpose or Objective: To evaluate the changes in immune-cell phenotype in peripheral blood following intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in breast cancer patients

Single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation and catalytic properties of new hybrid perhalidometallates

Two new organic–inorganic salts of perhalidometallates with protonated organic amine cations have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. (CHBMAH2) ZnBr4·3/2H2O 1 and (CHBMAH2 )ZnCl4 4 [(CHBMAH2 )2+: 1, 3-cyclohexanebis(methylammonium)] were obtained in single-crystal form. The crystal packing in all of the obtained compounds is governed by the formation of various non-covalent intermolecular forces between tetrahalidometallate anions and organic cations, assisted by water molecules in the hydrates. Hirshfeld surface analysis denotes that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are X···H/H···X (X: Cl, Br, I) and H···H interactions. Interestingly, the compound 1, 3-cyclohexanebis(methylammonium)tetrachlorido-zincate (II) dihydrate, (CHBMAH2 )ZnCl4·2H2O 2, undergoes thermally-triggered single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation upon dehydration to produce a supramolecular solid compound, 1, 3-cyclohexanebis(methylammonium) tetrachloridozincate (II), (CHBMAH2 )ZnCl4 4. The SCSC transformation causes changes in the lattice parameters and a structural rearrangement. Furthermore, the catalytic properties of (CHBMAH2 )ZnCl4·2H2O 2 and (CHBMAH2 )CdI4·2H2O 3 have been explored in the acetalization process using various uncommon alcohols, beyond methanol or ethanol, for the first time in the literature, with outstanding results, and opening the door to the formation of alternative acetals. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

La Piquera in central Iberian Peninsula : A new key vertebrate locality for the Early Pliocene of western Europe

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaWe introduce the new vertebrate site of La Piquera (Duero Basin, central Iberian Peninsula), provide a detailed description of the lithostratigraphy and present a preliminary faunal list. The fossil vertebrate association includes amphibians (with representatives of the families Salamandridae, Alytidae, Pelodytidae, and Bufonidae), squamate reptiles (with members of the families Agamidae, Lacertidae, Anguidae, Scincidae, Blanidae, ?Erycidae, and Colubridae/Psammophiidae), and mammals (with representatives of the families Soricidae, Erinaceidae, Muridae, Cricetidae, Gerbillidae, Gliridae, Sciuridae, Vespertilionidae, Rhinolophidae, Miniopteridae, Megadermatidae, Leporidae, Prolagidae, and Bovidae). The association indicates an intermediate biostratigraphic position between the southern Iberian sites of Sifón-413 (at about 5.33-5.23 Ma) and Botardo-D (between 4.79 and 4.63 Ma), the new locality being correlated with the earliest Ruscinian (lower part of the MN14 unit). The ecological affinities of the identified small vertebrates suggest the presence of a landscape dominated by open herbaceous meadows in the surroundings of the fossil-site during the earliest Pliocene, with the occasional presence of woodland patches and stable water bodies under relatively dry and warm environmental conditions. La Piquera therefore enhances our knowledge on the vertebrate community recorded in central Iberian Peninsula during the earliest Pliocene. With more than 1200 remains, La Piquera becomes a key locality for the Early Pliocene of southwestern Europe, central Spain, where this time-span is poorly represented

Erratum to “Palaeoecological context for the extinction of the Neanderthals: A small mammal study of Stratigraphic Unit V of the El Salt site, Alcoi, eastern Spain” [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 530 (2019) 163–175]

El Salt is an important reference site for understanding the extinction of Neanderthal populations in the eastern Iberian Peninsula during MIS 3. In this paper, we describe the small mammal assemblage from Stratigraphic Unit V, the youngest unit with evidence of human presence, based on nearly 1300 specimens. A total of seven rodents (Microtus arvalis, Microtus duodecimcostatus, Microtus cabrerae, Sciurus vulgaris, Arvicola sapidus, Eliomys quercinus and Apodemus sylvaticus), three insectivores (Talpa occidentalis, Crocidura sp., Sorex sp.) and one lagomorph (Oryctolagus cf. cuniculus) were identified. Palaeocological analyses point to drier conditions in this part of the stratigraphic sequence, supporting the hypothesis that an aridification scenario may have played a role in the extinction of the Neanderthal groups inhabiting this region of the Iberian Peninsula.Fil: Fagoaga, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Laplana, César. Museo Arqueológico Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid; EspañaFil: Marquina Blasco, Rafael. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Machado, Jorge. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Marin Monfort, María Dolores. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Crespo Roures, Vicente Daniel. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Museo Paleontológico de Alpuente; EspañaFil: Hernández, Cristo M.. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Mallol, Carolina. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Galván, Bertila. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Ruiz Sánchez, Francisco Javier. Universidad de Valencia; España. Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena; Ecuado

Association of complement receptor 2 polymorphisms withinnate resistance to HIV-1 infection

HIV-1 induces activation of complement through the classical and lectin pathways. However, the virus incorporates several membrane-bound or soluble regulators of complement activation (RCA) that inactivate complement. HIV-1 can also use the complement receptors (CRs) for complement-mediated antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (Ć-ADE). We hypothesize that hypofunctional polymorphisms in RCA or CRs may protect from HIV-1 infection. For this purpose, 139 SNPs located in 19 RCA and CRs genes were genotyped in a population of 201 Spanish HIV-1-exposed seronegative individuals (HESN) and 250 HIV-1-infected patients. Two SNPs were associated with infection susceptibility, rs1567190 in CR2 (odds ratio (OR)=2.27, P=1 × 10-4) and rs2842704 in C4BPA (OR=2.11, P=2 × 10-4). To replicate this finding, we analyzed a cohort of Italian, sexually HESN individuals. Although not significant (P=0.25, OR=1.57), similar genotypic proportions were obtained for the CR2 marker rs1567190. The results of the two association analyses were combined through a random effect meta-analysis, with a significant P-value of 2.6x10-5 (OR=2.07). Furthermore, we found that the protective CR2 genotype is correlated with lower levels CR2 mRNA as well as differences in the ratio of the long and short CR2 isoforms.Genes and Immunity advance online publication, 8 January 2015; doi:10.1038/gene.2014.71.This work was supported by Spanish Health Ministry [PI021476, PI051778 and PI10/01232 to JF, JAP and ACar]; Instituto de Salud Carlos III-RETIC [RD06/006 to JAP]; Fundació Marató TV3 [020730 and 020732 to JF and ACar]; Junta de Andalucía [PI-0335/2009 to ACar]; Fundación Progreso y Salud of the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía [AI-0021 to JAP]; and Universidad de Jaen [UJA2013/10/03 to ACar]

El yacimiento kárstico del Pleistoceno Superior de la Cueva del Camino en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid)

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

Axillary lymph node dissection versus radiotherapy in breast cancer with positive sentinelnodes after neoadjuvant therapy (ADARNAT trial)

Introduction: Breast cancer surgery currently focuses on de-escalating treatment without compromising patient survival. Axillary radiotherapy (ART) now replaces axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients with limited sentinel lymph node (SLN) involvement during the primary surgery, and this has significantly reduced the incidence of lymphedema without worsening the prognosis. However, patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) cannot benefit from this option despite the low incidence of residual disease in the armpit in most cases. Data regarding the use of radiotherapy instead of ALND in this population are lacking. This study will assess whether ART is non-inferior to ALND in terms of recurrence and overall survival in patients with positive SLN after NST, including whether it reduces surgery-related adverse effects. Methods and analyses: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial will enroll 1660 patients with breast cancer and positive SLNs following NST in approximately 50 Spanish centers over 3 years. Patients will be stratified by NST regimen and nodal involvement (isolated tumoral cells or micrometastasis versus macrometastasis) and randomly assigned 1:1 to ART without ALND (study arm) or ALND alone (control arm). Level 3 and supraclavicular radiotherapy will be added in both arms. The primary outcome is the 5-year axillary recurrence determined by clinical and radiological examination. The secondary outcomes include lymphedema or arm dysfunction, quality of life based (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires), disease-free survival, and overall survival. Discussion: This study aims to provide data to confirm the efficacy and safety of ART over ALND in patients with a positive SLN after NST, together with the impact on morbidity. Ethics and dissemination: The Research Ethics Committee of Bellvitge University Hospital approved this trial (Protocol Record PR148/21, version 3, 1/2/2022) and all patients must provide written informed consent. The involvement of around 50 centers across Spain will facilitate the dissemination of our results