Catálogo de los briófitos epífitos que crecen en bosques de quercíneas del cuadrante noroccidental ibérico

[ES] En las últimas décadas se han producido importantes avances en el conocimiento de la brioflora ibérica. Gracias a ello se puede decir que hoy día la flora muscinal ibérica se conoce relativamente bien a nivel taxonómico. Sin embargo, en cuanto a las distribuciones de las especies aún queda mucho trabajo por hacer. La mayor parte de los estudios se han centrado en zonas montanas y/o singulares o bien en los entornos de las residencias de los especialistas. Esto ha producido un importante sesgo en el conocimiento de las distribuciones que es necesario solventar realizando estudios sistemáticos centrados en conseguir una muestra representativa de los principales gradientes ambientales y geográficos de la Península. Precisamente, el objetivo del presente trabajo es contribuir a reducir de forma significativa las lagunas en el conocimiento de la distribución de los briófitos epífitos ibéricos. Para ello, se ha estudiado buena parte de las mesetas centrales, incluyendo las porciones españolas de las cuencas del Duero y del Tajo, dos de las regiones menos exploradas de la Península Ibérica. El catálogo resultante incluye 89 especies de briófitos, entre las que hay 9 hepáticas y 80 musgos. El presente estudio aporta además 72 nuevas citas provinciales y amplía significativamente la distribución conocida de un buen número de especies. Queda patente la importancia de llevar a cabo muestreos sistemáticos representativos de los gradientes ambientales y geográficos en zonas poco exploradas de modo que se vayan rellenando los huecos en el conocimiento de las distribuciones de los briófitos ibéricos.[EN] Knowledge on the diversity and distributions of the Iberian bryophytes has experienced a remarkable progress in the last decades. As a consequence, the taxonomy of the Iberian bryophytes is relatively well known. However, regarding the distribution and abundance of species across the territory large knowledge gaps e xist. To date, most of the studies have been centered either in mountainous regions or in singular areas or accessible sites in the vicinity of specialist's residences. This has produced important sampling biases in the knowledge on the species distributions. Thus, to improve the quality of the data at hand, it is necessary to perform systematic surveys focused on attaining a representative sample of the main geographic and environmental gradients of the Iberian Peninsula. Within this broad objective the specific aim of this work is to contribute to significantly reduce the knowledge gaps on the distribution of Iberian epiphytic bryophytes. To do so, we have studied a large part of the Iberian plateaus including the Duero and Tajo basins within the Spanish territory, two of the least explored regions within the Iberian Peninsula. The obtained catalogue includes 89 bryophyte species including 9 liverworts and 80 mosses. Besides, we provide 72 provincial novelties that significantly enlarge the known distribution of a number of species. Altogether these results evidence that to fill in current knowledge gaps it is necessary to perform systematic survey campaigns aimed at representing the geographic and environmental variability of the territory.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por los proyectos concedidos por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CGL2013-43246-P) y el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CGL2011-28857/BOS) españoles. N.G. Medina realizó el trabajo con una beca del Ministerio de Educación (AP2007-00905).Peer Reviewe

Patient Choice for Older People in English NHS Primary Care: Theory and Practice

In the English National Health Service (NHS), patients are now expected to choose the time and place of treatment and even choose the actual treatment. However, the theory on which patient choice is based and the implementation of patient choice are controversial. There is evidence to indicate that attitudes and abilities to make choices are relatively sophisticated and not as straightforward as policy developments suggest. In addition, and surprisingly, there is little research on whethermaking individual choices about care is regarded as a priority by the largest NHS patient group and the single largest group for most GPs—older people.This conceptual paper examines the theory of patient choice concerning accessing and engaging with healthcare provision and reviews existing evidence on older people and patient choice in primary care

Effects of ammonium nitrate, cesium chloride and tetraethylammonium on high-affinity potassium uptake in habanero pepper plantlets (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)

Potassium (K+) is an essential nutrient and the most abundant cation in plant cells. Plants have a wide variety of transport systems for K+ acquisition that catalyze K+ uptake across a wide spectrum of external K+ concentrations and mediate K+ movement within the plant, as well as its release into the environment. The KUP/HAK/KT transporter family plays a key role in K+ homeostasis in plant cells. The present study demonstrates that habanero pepper plantlets have a clear pattern of K+ uptake when resupplemented with K+ after K+ starvation. Habanero pepper plantlets, re-supplemented with a solution containing low concentrations of K+ after 72, 96 or 120 h of K+ starvation were able to decrease the amount of K+ in the solution at different time points. To study the effect of NH4+, we added different concentrations of NH4NO3 to the medium solution and demonstrated that NH4+ inhibited K+ uptake in a dose-dependent manner. When the plantlets were subjected to K+ starvation for 72 h and then resupplemented with 50 or 100 μM K+, exposure to K+ channel blockers (10 mM CsCl and 20 mM TEA) decreased their K+ uptake compared with the control treatment. A model demonstrating the process of K+ uptake through an NH4+-insensitive component was proposed.Key words: Potassium, high affinity transporters, channel blockers, ammonium

Secretory carcinoma of the breast containing the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion gene in a male: case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Secretory carcinoma (SC) of the breast is a rare and indolent tumor. Although originally described in children, it is now known to occur in adults of both sexes. Recently, the tumor was associated with the ETV6-NTRK3 gene translocation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old male was diagnosed with secretory breast carcinoma and underwent a modified radical mastectomy. At 18 months the tumor recurred at the chest wall and the patient developed lung metastases. He was treated concurrently with radiation and chemotherapy without response. His tumor showed the ETV6-NTRK3 translocation as demonstrated by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). CONCLUSION: SC is a rare slow-growing tumor best treated surgically. There are insufficient data to support the use of adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy. Its association with the ETV6-NTRK3 fusion gene gives some clues for the better understanding of this neoplasm and eventually, the development of specific therapies

Cost effectiveness analysis of clinically driven versus routine laboratory monitoring of antiretroviral therapy in Uganda and Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Despite funding constraints for treatment programmes in Africa, the costs and economic consequences of routine laboratory monitoring for efficacy and toxicity of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have rarely been evaluated. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted in the DART trial (ISRCTN13968779). Adults in Uganda/Zimbabwe starting ART were randomised to clinically-driven monitoring (CDM) or laboratory and clinical monitoring (LCM); individual patient data on healthcare resource utilisation and outcomes were valued with primary economic costs and utilities. Total costs of first/second-line ART, routine 12-weekly CD4 and biochemistry/haematology tests, additional diagnostic investigations, clinic visits, concomitant medications and hospitalisations were considered from the public healthcare sector perspective. A Markov model was used to extrapolate costs and benefits 20 years beyond the trial. RESULTS: 3316 (1660LCM;1656CDM) symptomatic, immunosuppressed ART-naive adults (median (IQR) age 37 (32,42); CD4 86 (31,139) cells/mm(3)) were followed for median 4.9 years. LCM had a mean 0.112 year (41 days) survival benefit at an additional mean cost of $765 [95$7386 [3277,dominated] per life-year gained and $7793 [4442,39179] per quality-adjusted life year gained. Routine toxicity tests were prominent cost-drivers and had no benefit. With 12-weekly CD4 monitoring from year 2 on ART, low-cost second-line ART, but without toxicity monitoring, CD4 test costs need to fall below$3.78 to become cost-effective (<3xper-capita GDP, following WHO benchmarks). CD4 monitoring at current costs as undertaken in DART was not cost-effective in the long-term. CONCLUSIONS: There is no rationale for routine toxicity monitoring, which did not affect outcomes and was costly. Even though beneficial, there is little justification for routine 12-weekly CD4 monitoring of ART at current test costs in low-income African countries. CD4 monitoring, restricted to the second year on ART onwards, could be cost-effective with lower cost second-line therapy and development of a cheaper, ideally point-of-care, CD4 test

The Power of High Precision Broadband Photometry: Tracing the Milky Way Density Profile with Blue Horizontal Branch stars in the Dark Energy Survey

Blue Horizontal Branch (BHB) stars, excellent distant tracers for probing the Milky Way's halo density profile, are distinguished in the $(g-r)_0$ vs $(i-z)_0$ color space from another class of stars, blue straggler stars (BSs). We develop a Bayesian mixture model to classify BHB stars using high-precision photometry data from the Dark Energy Survey Data Release 2 (DES DR2). We select $\sim2100$ highly-probable BHBs based on their $griz$ photometry and the associated uncertainties, and use these stars to map the stellar halo over the Galactocentric radial range $20 \lesssim R \lesssim 70$ kpc. After excluding known stellar overdensities, we find that the number density $n_\star$ of BHBs can be represented by a power law density profile $n_\star \propto R^{-\alpha}$ with an index of $\alpha=4.28_{-0.12}^{+0.13}$, consistent with existing literature values. In addition, we examine the impact of systematic errors and the spatial inhomogeneity on the fitted density profile. Our work demonstrates the effectiveness of high-precision $griz$ photometry in selecting BHB stars. The upcoming photometric survey from the Rubin Observatory, expected to reach depths 2-3 magnitudes greater than DES during its 10-year mission, will enable us to investigate the density profile of the Milky Way's halo out to the virial radius, unravelling the complex processes of formation and evolution in our Galaxy.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures. Submitted AAS Journal. Comments Welcome Code used in this work can be found at: https://github.com/sazabi4/Yu2024_BHB

Economic analysis of alternative nutritional management of dual-purpose cow herds in central coastal Veracruz, Mexico

Market information was combined with predicted input–output relationships in an economic analysis of alternative nutritional management for dual-purpose member herds of the Genesis farmer organization of central coastal Veracruz, Mexico. Cow productivity outcomes for typical management and alternative feeding scenarios were obtained from structured sets of simulations in a companion study of productivity limitations and potentials using the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System model (Version 6.0). Partial budgeting methods and sensitivity analysis were used to identify economically viable alternatives based on expected change in milk income over feed cost (change in revenues from milk sales less change in feed costs). Herd owners in coastal Veracruz have large economic incentives, from $584 to$1,131 in predicted net margin, to increase milk sales by up to 74% across a three-lactation cow lifetime by improving diets based on good quality grass and legume forages. This increment is equal to, or exceeds, in value the total yield from at least one additional lactation per cow lifetime. Furthermore, marginal rates of return (change in milk income over feed costs divided by change in variable costs when alternative practices are used) of 3.3 ± 0.8 indicate clear economic incentives to remove fundamental productivity vulnerabilities due to chronic energy deficits and impeded growth of immature cows under typical management. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the economic outcomes are robust for a variety of market conditions

Diseño de encapsulados de Lactobacillus casei y su efecto en el peso de ratones Balb/c.

Los probióticos son reconocidos como microorganismos vivos que cuando se integran a la microbiota presentan efectos benéficos sobre el individuo que los consume. El objetivo del estudio consiste en diseñar cápsulas conteniendo Lactobacillus casei con capacidad de liberación a pH7, comparar la ganancia de peso de los ratones Balb/c alimentados con alimento comercial y capsulas de L. casei. El estudio experimental se llevó acabó con 30 ratones cepa Balb/c desde el destete hasta los 55 días de nacidos, el estudio radica en la distribución de dos grupos de estudio, 1) Grupo: 15 ratones alimentados con cápsulas conteniendo un concentrado L. casei, 2) Grupo: 15 ratones alimentados con alimento comercial. Se observó que el grupo con mayor promedio de ganancia de peso fue el grupo que recibió alimento comercial + cápsulas de L. casei, el cual presentó un peso de 23.86g y el peso del control fue de 18.33 g. Otro parámetro evaluado fue la determinación de las UFC/ ml, el cual se observó con un valor de 39x106 para el grupo alimentado con alimento comercial + cápsulas con L. casei, en tanto que el grupo alimentado solo con alimento comercial presentó un valor de 98 x105 UFC

Evidence-Based Practice and Trends in Visual Rehabilitation for Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common, chronic, and progressive eye disease that is considered the leading cause of visual loss among the elderly in developed countries. Advanced AMD, including choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or geographic atrophy (GA), is associated with substantial and progressive visual impairment that can lead to a significant reduction in functional independence and quality of life (QoL) for affected individuals, whose number is expected to increase in the coming years in line with population growth and ageing. In this context, while an important part of medical care is focused on preventing the progression of the disease, Visual Rehabilitation (VR) aims to address its consequences by providing these patients with a number of strategies to achieve their goals and participate autonomously, actively and productively in society. This chapter aims to provide an update on evidence-based practices in the field and how modern technologies play an important role in the development of new VR approaches

Limitations and potentials of dual-purpose cow herds in Central Coastal Veracruz, Mexico

Feed chemical and kinetic composition and animal performance information was used to evaluate productivity limitations and potentials of dual-purpose member herds of the Genesis farmer organization of central coastal Veracruz, Mexico. The Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System model (Version 6.0) was systematically applied to specific groups of cows in structured simulations to establish probable input–output relationships for typical management, and to estimate probable outcomes from alternative management based on forage-based dietary improvements. Key herd vulnerabilities were pinpointed: chronic energy deficits among dry cows of all ages in late gestation and impeded growth for immature cows. Regardless of the forage season of calving, most cows, if not all, incur energy deficits in the final trimester of gestation; thus reducing the pool of tissue energy and constraining milking performance. Under typical management, cows are smaller and underweight for their age, which limits feed intake capacity, milk production and the probability of early postpartum return to ovarian cyclicity. The substitution of good-quality harvested forage for grazing increased predicted yields by about one-third over typical scenarios for underweight cows. When diets from first parturition properly supported growth and tissue repletion, milk production in second and third lactations was predicted to improve about 60%. Judiciously supplemented diets based on good quality grass and legume forages from first calving were predicted to further increase productivity by about 80% across a three-lactation cow lifetime. These dual-purpose herd owners have large incentives to increase sales income by implementing nutritional strategies like those considered in this study