Reproductive traits and change in body shape of neonates in the Oak Forest Skink, Plestiodon lynxe

Reproductive traits are critically important for understanding how organisms adapt to their respective environments. In this study, we provide information on relative litter mass (RLM) and other litter and neonate related characters of nine female Plestiodon lynxe captured in the field. We also recorded seven body dimensions in 16 neonates and 15 two-month juveniles, and on the basis of these dimensions we compared the body shape of these two age classes to detect changes in the proportions of body parts. The average litter size (4.55) is larger than that found in other viviparous species of Plestiodon, but smaller than those of congeneric oviparous species of similar size. However, the average body size of newborns (25.49 mm) is similar to that of other oviparous and viviparous species of Plestiodon. The average RLM was relatively high (0.36). The relative size of the head and limbs becomes proportionally smaller, whereas the axilla-groin length becomes proportionally larger in the first 2 months of life. We suggest that these changes are related to changes in locomotion and microhabitat use

Anti-tumour necrosis factor discontinuation in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: study protocol of a prospective, multicentre, randomized clinical trial

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who achieve remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs may have treatment withdrawn due to safety concerns and cost considerations, but there is a lack of prospective, controlled data investigating this strategy. The primary study aim is to compare the rates of clinical remission at 1?year in patients who discontinue anti-TNF treatment versus those who continue treatment. Methods: This is an ongoing, prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis who have achieved clinical remission for ?6?months with an anti-TNF treatment and an immunosuppressant. Patients are being randomized 1:1 to discontinue anti-TNF therapy or continue therapy. Randomization stratifies patients by the type of inflammatory bowel disease and drug (infliximab versus adalimumab) at study inclusion. The primary endpoint of the study is sustained clinical remission at 1?year. Other endpoints include endoscopic and radiological activity, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, work productivity), safety and predictive factors for relapse. The required sample size is 194 patients. In addition to the main analysis (discontinuation versus continuation), subanalyses will include stratification by type of inflammatory bowel disease, phenotype and previous treatment. Biological samples will be obtained to identify factors predictive of relapse after treatment withdrawal. Results: Enrolment began in 2016, and the study is expected to end in 2020. Conclusions: This study will contribute prospective, controlled data on outcomes and predictors of relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease after withdrawal of anti-TNF agents following achievement of clinical remission. Clinical trial reference number: EudraCT 2015-001410-1

Filogenia morfológica y molecular del grupo de especies Plestiodon brevirostris (Squamata: Sincidae) /

\ua0tesis que para obtener el grado de Doctor en Ciencias Biológicas, presenta Manuel Feria Ortiz ; asesor Adrián Nieto Montes de Oca, Luis Medrano González, Virginia León Régagnon. 147 páginas :\ua0ilustraciones, diagramas, fotografías. Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas\ua0UNAM, Facultad de Ciencias,\ua0201

FIGURE 3 in A new species of Plestiodon (Squamata: Scincidae) from Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero, México

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of the members of the Plestiodon brevirostris group in Guerrero, México. Discontinuous lines represent state limits. The stars denote the localities of P. nietoi sp. nov. The solid squares represent localities of P. brevirostris, open squares and open circles represent the closest localities of P. indubitus and P. ochoterenae, respectively

Propuesta de diseño de un sistema de costos con metodología ABC en la producción de productos de pastelería personalizada para la empresa Pastelarte Cali S.A.S.

El presente trabajo de grado aborda una propuesta de un diseño de un sistema de costos con metodología ABC para la línea de pastelería personalizada para la empresa Pastelarte Cali S.A.S, dado que al costear un diseño de una torta personalizada no se realizaba una correcta asignación de los costos indirectos, así mismo al tener un producto con características variables según la solicitud de decoración no se tiene tiempo ni materiales que se consumen extras en cada diseño. Se realiza una descripción del modelo de costos basado en actividades con el fin de comprender los elementos con que cuenta dicho modelo, así mismo se mapean los procesos de producción creando criterios de estandarización de la variable de diseño personalizado para una correcta asignación y distribución de los elementos del costo de la línea de pastelería personalizada. Por último, se representa la propuesta del sistema de costeo basado en actividades en la producción de pastelería personalizada mediante un recurso tecnológico Excel, en el que se estructura un proceso de entrada, transformación y salida de información de cada elemento del costo relacionando su consumo con la actividad por medio de un inductor, que permite conocer el costo de un paste con diseño personalizado.PregradoCONTADOR(A) PÚBLIC

Anolis boulengerianus Thominot, 1887, a senior synonym of Anolis isthmicus Fitch, 1978 (Squamata: Dactyloidae)

Oca, Adrián Nieto-Montes De, Köhler, Gunther, Feria-Ortiz, Manuel (2014): Anolis boulengerianus Thominot, 1887, a senior synonym of Anolis isthmicus Fitch, 1978 (Squamata: Dactyloidae). Zootaxa 3794 (1): 125-133, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3794.1.

Bermuda as an Evolutionary Life Raft for an Ancient Lineage of Endangered Lizards

Oceanic islands are well known for harboring diverse species assemblages and are frequently the basis of research on adaptive radiation and neoendemism. However, a commonly overlooked role of some islands is their function in preserving ancient lineages that have become extinct everywhere else (paleoendemism). The island archipelago of Bermuda is home to a single species of extant terrestrial vertebrate, the endemic skink Plestiodon (formerly Eumeces) longirostris. The presence of this species is surprising because Bermuda is an isolated, relatively young oceanic island approximately 1000 km from the eastern United States. Here, we apply Bayesian phylogenetic analyses using a relaxed molecular clock to demonstrate that the island of Bermuda, although no older than two million years, is home to the only extant representative of one of the earliest mainland North American Plestiodon lineages, which diverged from its closest living relatives 11.5 to 19.8 million years ago. This implies that, within a short geological time frame, mainland North American ancestors of P. longirostris colonized the recently emergent Bermuda and the entire lineage subsequently vanished from the mainland. Thus, our analyses reveal that Bermuda is an example of a “life raft” preserving millions of years of unique evolutionary history, now at the brink of extinction. Threats such as habitat destruction, littering, and non-native species have severely reduced the population size of this highly endangered lizard

Bermuda as an Evolutionary Life Raft for an Ancient Lineage of Endangered Lizards

Oceanic islands are well known for harboring diverse species assemblages and are frequently the basis of research on adaptive radiation and neoendemism. However, a commonly overlooked role of some islands is their function in preserving ancient lineages that have become extinct everywhere else (paleoendemism). The island archipelago of Bermuda is home to a single species of extant terrestrial vertebrate, the endemic skink Plestiodon (formerly Eumeces) longirostris. The presence of this species is surprising because Bermuda is an isolated, relatively young oceanic island approximately 1000 km from the eastern United States. Here, we apply Bayesian phylogenetic analyses using a relaxed molecular clock to demonstrate that the island of Bermuda, although no older than two million years, is home to the only extant representative of one of the earliest mainland North American Plestiodon lineages, which diverged from its closest living relatives 11.5 to 19.8 million years ago. This implies that, within a short geological time frame, mainland North American ancestors of P. longirostris colonized the recently emergent Bermuda and the entire lineage subsequently vanished from the mainland. Thus, our analyses reveal that Bermuda is an example of a “life raft” preserving millions of years of unique evolutionary history, now at the brink of extinction. Threats such as habitat destruction, littering, and non-native species have severely reduced the population size of this highly endangered lizard

Impact of Epstein-Barr virus infection on inflammatory bowel disease clinical outcomes

Objective: to evaluate the role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) on the intestinal mucosa in the evolution of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The risk factors for EBV infection and the frequency of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders in IBD patients were also investigated.Methods: intestinal biopsies of IBD patients with available EBV status determined by Epstein-Barr-encoding RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization were identified in the Pathology Database of our center. Clinical information, including phenotypic characteristics of IBD, previous treatments, diagnosis of lymphoma and patient outcome were reviewed in all cases.Results: fifty-six patients with IBD (28 Crohn's disease, 27 ulcerative colitis and one unclassified colitis) were included. EBV in intestinal mucosa was positive in 26 patients (46 %) and was associated to a lymphoproliferative syndrome in one case. EBV positivity was associated with severe histological activity (52 % vs 17.2 %; p 0.007), the presence of a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate (50 % vs 33.3 %; p 0.03) and active steroid treatment (61.5 % vs 33.3 %; p 0.03). Multi-variate analyses only found an association between EBV and lymphoplasmacytosis (p 0.001). Escalation in previous treatment was significantly more frequent in the EBER+ group (53.8 % vs 26.7 %; p 0.038). No cases developed lymphoma during follow-up.Conclusions: EBV on the intestinal mucosa is associated with a poor outcome of IBD and the need for escalation of therapy. Lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate is associated with EBV infection. EBER+ patients used steroids more frequently compared with EBER- patients. No EBER+ patients developed lymphoma during follow-up