Does the current taxonomic delimitation of Galianthe find support in phylogenetic perspective?

Galianthe Griseb. is a neotropical genus comprising 50 species divided into two subgenera: G. subgen. Galianthe (41 spp.), characterized by homogeneous morphological traits, with species further divided into two sections (G. secc. Galianthe and G. secc. Laxae); and G. subgen. Ebelia (14 spp.) with more heterogeneous morphological characteristics. Due to its morphological similarity with other genera, Galianthe has historically been associated with Borreria, Spermacoce, Diodia (based on fruit type), as well as Denscantia and Emmeorhiza (based on inflorescence type). In recent years, molecular studies have established Galianthe as a basal genus within the Spermacoce clade, closely related to other genera such as Carajasia and Schwendenera. Despite the progress made in recent molecular studies, the studies have focused on a limited number of species within the genus, failing to encompass all infrageneric categories. Questioning of the current taxonomic delimitation of the genus, this study aims to test the monophyly of Galianthe and explore its infrageneric and interspecific phylogenetic relationships. Three markers (two nuclear: ITS, ETS, and one plastid: rps16) were utilized, encompassing 107 entities, including 42 Galianthe species, thereby representing 76% of the current genus diversity, as well as 17 closely related genera within the Spermacoce clade. The phylogenetic results confirm the monophyly of Galianthe, revealing the presence of three major subclades. Subclades I and II comprise several G. subgen. Ebelia species, whereas subclade III consists of all G. subgen. Galianthe species plus G. angulata. Regarding the sections, monophyly was not supported. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that G. subgen. Ebelia is paraphyletic, G. subgen. Galianthe is potentially paraphyletic due to G. angulata, and there is no clear distinction between the sections

Surgical Approach to a Large Left Adrenocortical Mass with Associated Tumour Thrombosis of the Left Renal Vein: Preservation of the Ipsilateral Kidney

A sixty-years-old male with diagnosis of a left adrenal mass (146 × 99 × 126 mm) with associated tumour thrombosis of the left renal vein with no clear signs of thrombosis of the inferior vena cava was admitted for elective surgery Finally an adrenalectomy and excision of tumour thrombus preserving the ipsilateral kidney was made. Despite of the complex vascular management, this kind of approaches allow to preserve normal renal function in patients with future nephrotoxic treatment like cisplatin

Development and validation of a software application to analyze thermal and kinematic multimodels of Stirling engines

The work developed presents, for the first time, a tool to analyze all the thermodynamic models used in the study and development of Stirling engines: isothermal, ideal adiabatic and adiabatic with losses, combined adiabatic thermodynamic with finite speed (CAFS), thermodynamic with finite speed (FST), ideal polytropic and polytropic with losses (PSVL), allowing a comparative study of them. This software (ASCE-UMA), designed and implemented in a Matlab GUI® allows to obtain the operating parameters of these engines, calculating the thermodynamic parameters, power output and efficiency. Additionally, the thermodynamic models can be evaluated with different me- chanical configurations, for which different drive mechanisms are implemented: Sinusoidal, Alfa Ross yoke types, Alfa Ross V yoke, Beta rhombic type and free piston Stirling engine (FPSE). Thermoacoustic and other, models could be analyzed by virtue of their similarity of movement with some of the implemented models. In the same way, ASCE-UMA allows the study of various exchanger configurations, as well as various regenerator models. The versatility of ASCE-UMA allows the development analysis of all the fundamental elements of a new prototype as well as the analysis of experimental data by performing a customized and detailed calculation. To test the effectiveness of ASCE-UMA, its performance is verified by analyzing Ross Yoke D-90 models and a GM GPU-3 engine. This is a tool that allows to analyze and comparing the different models and the different existing mechanisms for the multiple configurations of Stirling engines in an easy and intuitive application with a high-quality graphical interface.Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Thy-1 (CD90)-Induced Metastatic Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion Are β3 Integrin-Dependent and Involve a Ca²⁺/P2X7 Receptor Signaling Axis.

Cancer cell adhesion to the vascular endothelium is an important step in tumor metastasis. Thy-1 (CD90), a cell adhesion molecule expressed in activated endothelial cells, has been implicated in melanoma metastasis by binding to integrins present in cancer cells. However, the signaling pathway(s) triggered by this Thy-1-Integrin interaction in cancer cells remains to be defined. Our previously reported data indicate that Ca <sup>2+</sup> -dependent hemichannel opening, as well as the P2X7 receptor, are key players in Thy-1-α <sub>V</sub> β <sub>3</sub> Integrin-induced migration of reactive astrocytes. Thus, we investigated whether this signaling pathway is activated in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and in B16F10 melanoma cells when stimulated with Thy-1. In both cancer cell types, Thy-1 induced a rapid increase in intracellular Ca <sup>2+</sup> , ATP release, as well as cell migration and invasion. Connexin and Pannexin inhibitors decreased cell migration, implicating a requirement for hemichannel opening in Thy-1-induced cell migration. In addition, cell migration and invasion were precluded when the P2X7 receptor was pharmacologically blocked. Moreover, the ability of breast cancer and melanoma cells to transmigrate through an activated endothelial monolayer was significantly decreased when the β <sub>3</sub> Integrin was silenced in these cancer cells. Importantly, melanoma cells with silenced β <sub>3</sub> Integrin were unable to metastasize to the lung in a preclinical mouse model. Thus, our results suggest that the Ca <sup>2+</sup> /hemichannel/ATP/P2X7 receptor-signaling axis triggered by the Thy-1-α <sub>V</sub> β <sub>3</sub> Integrin interaction is important for cancer cell migration, invasion and transvasation. These findings open up the possibility of therapeutically targeting the Thy-1-Integrin signaling pathway to prevent metastasis

Mixed-method research protocol: Development and evaluation of a nursing intervention in patients discharged from the intensive care unit

Alta de la UCI; Diseño de un método mixto; Intervención de enfermeríaAlta de la UCI; Disseny d'un mètode mixt; Intervenció d'infermeriaICU discharge; Mixed-method design; Nursing interventionAim (a) To understand patients’ lived experience at intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and (b) to evaluate the impact of a nursing empowerment intervention (NEI) on patients’ anxiety and depression levels at ICU discharge. Design A mixed-methods approach will be applied. Methods In the qualitative phase, the hermeneutic phenomenological method will be used. Participants will be patients from three university hospitals who will be selected by purposive sampling. Data will be gathered through in-depth interviews and analysed using content analysis. The qualitative data obtained will be employed to develop the nursing intervention. Subsequently, a multicenter, parallel-group, experimental pre-test/post-test design with a control group will be used to measure the effectiveness of the nursing empowerment intervention in the quantitative phase by means of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Simple random probabilistic sampling will include 172 patients in this phase

From Raw Data to FAIR Data: The FAIRification Workflow for Health Research

BackgroundFAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) guidingprinciples seek the reuse of data and other digital research input, output, and objects(algorithms, tools, and workflows that led to that data) making themfindable, accessible,interoperable, and reusable. GO FAIR - a bottom-up, stakeholder driven and self-governedinitiative-defined a seven-step FAIRificationprocessfocusingondata,butalsoindicatingtherequired work for metadata. This FAIRification process aims at addressing the translation ofraw datasets into FAIR datasets in a general way, without considering specific requirementsand challenges that may arise when dealing with some particular types of data.This work was performed in the scope of FAIR4Healthproject. FAIR4Health has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovationprogramme under grant agreement number 824666

Predictors of overload in parents of children with neuromuscular diseases

IntroductionParents of children with neuromuscular diseases experience multiple difficulties in their daily lives that affect their physical and psychological health. The risk factors for these health issues have not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the potential predictors of overload in these parents, including QoL, somatic symptomatology, life satisfaction, psychological adjustment and certain sociodemographic variables.MethodsA cross-sectional research study was conducted among parents who are caregivers for children with NMD in Spain. A convenience sample of 110 parents who were contacted by associations and hospitals was used. Variables were evaluated using the sociodemographic questionnaire, CarerQol-7D, PHQ-15, Barthel Index, Psychological Adaptation Scale, Zarit Overload Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale.ResultsOne of the most relevant findings of the present study is the identification of 3 overload groups (mild to moderate, moderate to severe, and severe overload) based on life satisfaction and somatic symptom scores within the predictive model of the discriminate analysis. Wilk’s lambda of the discriminant function was 0.568, χ2 (2, n = 55) = 8.815, p < 0.001.DiscussionThis study presents a model that reveals the influence of unemployment, having a child with a severe level of dependency, the presence of somatic symptomatology and life satisfaction on caregiver overload. Likewise, the caregiver’s self-esteem could be a protective factor against overload

Crosstalk Between LXR and Caveolin-1 Signaling Supports Cholesterol Efflux and Anti-Inflammatory Pathways in Macrophages

© 2021 Ramírez, Torrecilla-Parra, Pardo-Marqués, de-Frutos, Pérez-García, Tabraue, de la Rosa, Martín-Rodriguez, Díaz-Sarmiento, Nuñez, Orizaola, Través, Camps, Boscá and Castrillo.Macrophages are immune cells that play crucial roles in host defense against pathogens by triggering their exceptional phagocytic and inflammatory functions. Macrophages that reside in healthy tissues also accomplish important tasks to preserve organ homeostasis, including lipid uptake/efflux or apoptotic-cell clearance. Both homeostatic and inflammatory functions of macrophages require the precise stability of lipid-rich microdomains located at the cell membrane for the initiation of downstream signaling cascades. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is the main protein responsible for the biogenesis of caveolae and plays an important role in vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis. The Liver X receptors (LXRs) are key transcription factors for cholesterol efflux and inflammatory gene responses in macrophages. Although the role of Cav-1 in cellular cholesterol homeostasis and vascular inflammation has been reported, the connection between LXR transcriptional activity and Cav-1 expression and function in macrophages has not been investigated. Here, using gain and loss of function approaches, we demonstrate that LXR-dependent transcriptional pathways modulate Cav-1 expression and compartmentation within the membrane during macrophage activation. As a result, Cav-1 participates in LXR-dependent cholesterol efflux and the control of inflammatory responses. Together, our data show modulation of the LXR-Cav-1 axis could be exploited to control exacerbated inflammation and cholesterol overload in the macrophage during the pathogenesis of lipid and immune disorders, such as atherosclerosis.We thank MINECO FPI predoctoral fellowship granted to MCO (BES-2015-075339). Experimental work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia, Investigación y Universidades, y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) Grant REF: PID2019-104284RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (to AC) and support from Networks of Excellence from MINECO (Nuclear Receptors in Cancer, Metabolism and Inflammation [NuRCaMeIn] SAF2017-90604-REDT to AC. Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Ministerio de Ciencia, Investigación y Universidades, and Agencia Estatal de Investigación (SAF2017-82436-R, RTC2017-6283-1), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CB16/11/00222), Consorcio de Investigación en Red de la Comunidad de Madrid, S2017/BMD-3686 and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (to LB). Ministerio de Ciencia, Investigación y Universidades, and Agencia Estatal de Investigación Proyectos de I+D+i Retos Investigación 2018 (RTI2018-095061-B-I00); TALENTO Grant from Madrid Government, Spain (2017-T1/BMD-5333); Consejería de Ciencia, Universidades e Innovación Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (PEJD-2018-POST/BMD-8900 and PEDJ-2018-AI/BDM-9724) to CMR

Autophagy modulates endothelial junctions to restrain neutrophil diapedesis during inflammation

The migration of neutrophils from the blood circulation to sites of infection or injury is a key immune response and requires the breaching of endothelial cells (ECs) that line the inner aspect of blood vessels. Unregulated neutrophil transendothelial cell migration (TEM) is pathogenic, but the molecular basis of its physiological termination remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that ECs of venules in inflamed tissues exhibited a robust autophagic response that was aligned temporally with the peak of neutrophil trafficking and was strictly localized to EC contacts. Genetic ablation of EC autophagy led to excessive neutrophil TEM and uncontrolled leukocyte migration in murine inflammatory models, while pharmacological induction of autophagy suppressed neutrophil infiltration into tissues. Mechanistically, autophagy regulated the remodeling of EC junctions and expression of key EC adhesion molecules, facilitating their intracellular trafficking and degradation. Collectively, we have identified autophagy as a modulator of EC leukocyte trafficking machinery aimed at terminating physiological inflammation

Factibilidad y resultados de un programa de rehabilitación cardiaca intensiva. Perspectiva del estudio aleatorizado MxM (Más por Menos)

Introducción y objetivos Los programas de rehabilitación cardiaca (PRC) engloban intervenciones encaminadas a mejorar el pronóstico de la enfermedad cardiovascular influyendo en la condición física, mental y social de los pacientes, pero no se conoce su duración óptima. Nuestro objetivo es comparar los resultados de un PRC estándar frente a otro intensivo más breve tras un síndrome coronario agudo, mediante el estudio Más por Menos. Métodos Diseño prospectivo, aleatorizado, abierto, enmascarado a los evaluadores de eventos y multicéntrico (PROBE). Se aleatorizó a los pacientes al PRC estándar de 8 semanas u otro intensivo de 2 semanas con sesiones de refuerzo. Se realizó una visita final 12 meses después, tras la finalización del programa. Se evaluó: adherencia a la dieta, esfera psicológica, hábito tabáquico, tratamiento farmacológico, capacidad funcional, calidad de vida, parámetros cardiometabólicos y antropométricos, eventos cardiovasculares y mortalidad por cualquier causa durante el seguimiento. Resultados Se analizó a 497 pacientes (media de edad, 57, 8 ± 10, 0 años; el 87, 3% varones; programa intensivo, n = 262; estándar, n = 235). Las características basales de ambos grupos eran similares. Al año, más del 93% había mejorado en al menos 1 MET el resultado de la ergometría. Además, la adherencia a la dieta mediterránea y la calidad de vida mejoraron significativamente con el PRC, sin diferencias significativas entre grupos. Los eventos cardiovasculares ocurrieron de manera similar en ambos grupos. Conclusiones La PRC intensiva podría ser tan efectiva como la PRC estándar en lograr la adherencia a las medidas de prevención secundaria y ser una alternativa para algunos pacientes y centros. Introduction and objectives: Cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRP) are a set of interventions to improve the prognosis of cardiovascular disease by influencing patients’ physical, mental, and social conditions. However, there are no studies evaluating the optimal duration of these programs. We aimed to compare the results of a standard vs a brief intensive CRP in patients after ST-segment elevation and non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome through the Más por Menos study (More Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs in Less Time). Methods: In this prospective, randomized, open, evaluator-blind for end-point, and multicenter trial (PROBE design), patients were randomly allocated to either standard 8-week CRP or intensive 2-week CRP with booster sessions. A final visit was performed 12 months later, after completion of the program. We assessed adherence to the Mediterranean diet, psychological status, smoking, drug therapy, functional capacity, quality of life, cardiometabolic and anthropometric parameters, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality during follow-up. Results: A total of 497 patients (mean age, 57.8 ± 10.0 years; 87.3% men) were finally assessed (intensive: n = 262; standard: n = 235). Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. At 12 months, the results of treadmill ergometry improved by = 1 MET in = 93% of the patients. In addition, adherence to the Mediterranean diet and quality of life were significantly improved by CRP, with no significant differences between the groups. The occurrence of cardiovascular events was similar in the 2 groups. Conclusions: Intensive CRP could be as effective as standard CRP in achieving adherence to recommended secondary prevention measures after acute coronary syndrome and could be an alternative for some patients and centers. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02619422)