Estudios de taxonomía integrativa en el género Orthotrichum Hedw., subgénero Pulchella (Schimp.) Vitt (Bryophyta)

Tesis doctoral inédita. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología. Fecha de lectura: 16-05-201

An overview of the health effects of bisphenol a from a one health perspective

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound, considered as an “emerging pollutant”, that appears ubiquitously, contaminating the environment and food. It is an endocrine disruptor, found in a multitude of consumer products, as it is a constituent of polycarbonate used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins. Many studies have evaluated the effects of BPA, using a wide range of doses and animal models. In this work, we carried out a review of relevant research related to the effects of BPA on health, through studies performed at different doses, in different animal models, and in human monitoring studies. Numerous effects of BPA on health have been described; in different animal species, it has been reported that it interferes with fertility in both females and males and causes alterations in their offspring, as well as being associated with an increase in hormone-dependent pathologies. Similarly, exposure to BPA has been related to other diseases of great relevance in public health such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or neurodevelopmental disorders. Its ubiquity and nonmonotonic behavior, triggering effects at exposure levels considered “safe”, make it especially relevant when both animal and human populations are constantly and inadvertently exposed to this compound. Its effects at low exposure levels make it essential to establish safe exposure levels, and research into the effects of BPA must continue and be focused from a “One Health” perspective to take into account all the factors that could intervene in the development of a disease in any exposed organism

Analysis of Indirect Biomarkers of Effect after Exposure to Low Doses of Bisphenol A in a Study of Successive Generations of Mice

Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered as being an emerging pollutant, to which both animal and human populations are continuously and inadvertently exposed. The identification of indirect biomarkers of effect could be a key factor in determining early adverse outcomes from exposure to low doses of BPA. Thus, this study on mice aims to evaluate and identify indirect biomarkers of effect through the analysis of their blood biochemistry, and of certain reproduction parameters after exposure to different BPA concentrations (0.5, 2, 4, 50, and 100 µg/kg BW/day) in drinking water over generations. Our results showed that there were no modifications in the reproductive parameters evaluated, like estrous cycle duration, litter size, or the percentage of the young alive at reaching the weaning stage, at the exposure levels evaluated. However, there were modifications in the biochemical parameters, e.g., alterations in the glucose levels, that increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the breeders at the higher exposure doses (50 and 100 µg/kg BW/day in F1; 50 µg/kg BW/day in F2 and 100 µg/kg BW/day in F3), that would suggest that the BPA could induce hyperglycemia and its complications in adult animals, probably due to some damage in the pancreas cells; albumin, that increased in the breeders exposed to the highest dose in F1 and F3, inferring possible hepatic alterations. Further, total proteins showed a diminution in their values in F1 and F2, except the group exposed to 100 µg/kg BW/day, whereas in F3 the values of this parameter increased with respect to the control group, this aspect likely being related to a possible hepatic and renal alteration. Based on these results, glucose, albumin, and total proteins could initially be considered as early indicators of indirect effect after prolonged exposure to low BPA doses over generations

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

350 My of Mitochondrial Genome Stasis in Mosses, an Early Land Plant Lineage

Among land plants, angiosperms have the structurally most labile mitochondrial (mt) genomes. In contrast, the so-called early land plants (e.g., mosses) seem to have completely static mt chromosomes. We assembled the complete mt genomes from 12 mosses spanning the moss tree of life, to assess 1) the phylogenetic depth of the conserved mt gene content and order and 2) the correlation between scattered sequence repeats and gene order lability in land plants. The mt genome of most mosses is approximately 100 kb in size, and thereby the smallest among land plants. Based on divergence time estimates, moss mt genome structure has remained virtually frozen for 350 My, with only two independent gene losses and a single gene relocation detected across the macroevolutionary tree. This is the longest period of mt genome stasis demonstrated to date in a plant lineage. The complete lack of intergenic repeat sequences, considered to be essential for intragenomic recombinations, likely accounts for the evolutionary stability of moss mt genomes.National Science Foundation grantsDepto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

A new look at Orthotrichum scanicum Grönvall (Orthotrichaceae, Bryophyta)

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, grant nos. CGL2004-03513 and CGL2007-61389.Orthotrichum scanicum Grönvall has been considered a European endemic whose main range corresponded to the central and northern region of the continent, and it is currently included in the 2007 IUCN World Red List as Vulnerable. However, a large number of recent reports and the examination of herbarium specimens have remarkably expanded the limits of its area in the Mediterranean and Caucasian regions. Additionally, the revision of the original collections of Orthotrichum holmenii from Kazakhstan shows that this taxon is conspecific with O. scanicum. An updated description of the species comprising the known range of its morphological variability is provided, and its exclusion from the World Red List is suggested.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

On the presence of Orthotrichum patens Bruch & Brid. in the Iberian Peninsula

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (Grant CGL2004-03513).Orthotrichum patens Bruch & Brid., considered to be a rare moss in the Iberian Peninsula, is reported from two localities in Northern Spain (Asturias and Navarra). After revision of the herbarium material corresponding to previous records of this species in the Iberian Peninsula, we conclude that most of them (Asturias, Álava, León and La Rioja provinces) are erroneous. However, two early records (Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Ancares) remain uncertain since the corresponding herbarium material has not been found. We also provide details of two new localities of Orthotrichum patens in Romania and two in Turkey, where the species has been poorly recorded. Finally, we discuss the characters that allow the discrimination of Orthotrichum patens from related species, especially from O. stramineum Hornsch., the moss that has most often been confused with it in Spain.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Orthotrichum Norrisii (Orthotrichaceae), A New Epiphytic Californian Moss

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, Grants CGL2004-03513 and CGL2007-61389A new Orthotrichum species, O. norrisii, is described from California. The new taxon is recognized by a unique combination of sporophytic characters: capsule narrowly cylindrical and not contracted below mouth when dry, exothecial bands narrow and formed by 2(–3) cell rows, peristome with eight pairs of exostome teeth and eight endostome segments, stomata cryptopore and located in the lower part of the urn, lid plane and rostrate and vaginula hairy. Widely distributed throughout California, the new taxon has been overlooked and confused with O. tenellum.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Northeastern Turkey, an unnoticed but very important area for the Orthotrichaceae (Bryophyta)

This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, Grants CGL2004–03513 and CGL2007–61389.In the course of a prospecting trip in square A4 in Turkey, the authors have recorded a total of 29 species of Orthotrichaceae. This increases by 19 the number of species in this moss family in the area. Among the discoveries are 11 new records for Turkey: Orthotrichum callistomum, O. consobrinum, O. crenulatum, O. hispanicum, O. rogeri, O. sordidum, O. stellatum, O. vladikavkanum, Ulota coarctata, U. rehmannii and Zygodon dentatus, some of them previously unknown in Asia. Furthermore, Orthotrichum microcarpum is reported for the fi rst time from Anatolia and new populations of some other little known mosses in Turkey are documented: O. alpestre, O. patens, O. scanicum, and O. vittii. Data on distribution and habitat in the prospected territory are provided for each of the species. The novelties are discussed and comments provided on global distribution and key characters for differentiation, in some cases accompanied by illustrations. In the light of the new data, North-eastern Turkey is shown to be one of the most diverse and interesting areas for Orthotrichaceae in the Palaearctic.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu

Unnoticed diversity within the disjunct moss <i>Orthotrichum tenellum</i> s.l. validated by morphological and molecular approaches

The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation gave financial support to the study through grants CGL2007-61389, CGL2010-15693 and CGL2011-28857/BOS. The National Science Foundation funded this research through grants EF-0531557 and DEB-0919284.LITERATURE CITEDFig. 13.Geographical distribution of a selection of specimens of Orthotrichum coulteri, O. cucullatum, O. franciscanum (Califor nia) and O. comosum (western Mediterranean Region and Canary Islands).Transoceanic disjunctions are thought to be common in species of bryophytes. While much effort focuses on identifying the causes of these disjunctions, few studies test the assumption that the disjunct populations are conspecific. The moss Orthotrichum tenellum is considered to be disjunct between western North America and the western Old World. A thorough morphological revision together with molecular analyses using four plastid (atpB-rbcL, rps4, trnG, trnL-F) and two nuclear loci (adk, ort-LFY) reveals that this putative taxon is composed of six well-supported species, each of them diagnosable by morphological and phylogenetic criteria. Furthermore, these species, which were previously treated as a single, morphologically variable taxon, belong to different lineages within the genus and are the result of separated evolutionary histories. Only two of them (O. tenellum s.str., O. norrisii) are sister species that may have resulted from speciation following a transatlantic disjunction. Today, all species are either restricted to the Old World (i.e., O. tenellum s.str., O. comosum sp. nov.) or endemic to North America (i.e., O. coulteri, O. norrisii, O cucullatum sp. nov., O. franciscanum sp. nov.). This work emphasizes the relevance of integrative approaches to solve taxonomic problems and to provide more solid bases for biodiversity assessment.Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu