Local and remote moisture sources for extreme precipitation: a study of the two catastrophic 1982 western Mediterranean episodes

Floods and flash floods are frequent in the south of Europe resulting from heavy rainfall events that often produce more than 200 mm in less than 24 h. Even though the meteorological conditions favourable for these situations have been widely studied, there is a lingering question that still arises: what humidity sources could explain so much precipitation? To answer this question, the regional atmospheric Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with a recently implemented moisture tagging capability has been used to analyse the main moisture sources for two catastrophic flood events that occurred during the autumn of 1982 (October and November) in the western Mediterranean area, which is regularly affected by these types of adverse weather episodes. The procedure consists in selecting a priori potential moisture source regions for the extreme event under consideration, and then performing simulations using the tagging technique to quantify the relative contribution of each selected source to total precipitation. For these events we study the influence of four possible potential sources: (1) evaporation in the western Mediterranean; (2) evaporation in the central Mediterranean; (3) evaporation in the North Atlantic; and (4) advection from the tropical and subtropical Atlantic and Africa. Results show that these four moisture sources explain most of the accumulated precipitation, with the tropical and subtropical input being the most relevant in both cases. In the October event, evaporation in the western and central Mediterranean and in the North Atlantic also had an important contribution. However, in the November episode tropical and subtropical moisture accounted for more than half of the total accumulated rainfall, while evaporation in the western Mediterranean and North Atlantic played a secondary role and the contribution of the central Mediterranean was almost negligible. Therefore, remote sources were crucial: in the October event they played a similar role to local sources, whereas in the November case they were clearly dominant. In both episodes, long-distance moisture transport from the tropics and subtropics mostly occurred in mid-tropospheric layers, via well-defined moisture plumes with maximum mixing ratios at medium levels

Climatology and ranking of hazardous precipitation events in the western Mediterranean area

The western Mediterranean region often suffers from the devastating effects of flooding, caused by enormous rain accumulations that sometimes resemble the values produced by tropical systems. Despite the climatic and social relevancy of this type of episodes, there are some fundamental questions that would still be difficult to answer today, for example: where within the region are more cases recorded? or, which were the most potentially dangerous episodes? In this study, we identify, and then gather and unify information from, all the daily events occurred from 1980 to 2015. Using the MESCAN high-resolution gridded rainfall dataset, events are detected and for each case, the date and affected regions are recorded. Subsequently, events are ranked according to their magnitude and classified by weather type. In addition, flood data from the FLOODHYMEX and EM-DAT databases are used to check whether the precipitation episodes resulted in flooding. All this information is collected into a publicly available single database. Results show that the highest number of events per year is recorded in the Languedoc-Roussillon region (France) and in the Valencian Community (Spain). The cases of greatest magnitude, which are associated with a larger number of floods, present a very marked seasonality, with about 80% of them occurring in September, October and November. Finally, we show that only four weather types are present in most of the days with hazardous rainfall in the western Mediterranean. The most hazardous situation is characterized by a low-pressure area at all tropospheric levels in the eastern Atlantic, forming a block pattern with an anticyclonic ridge that tends to extend from the Central Mediterranean to Central Europe. About 40% of the most extraordinary cases are associated with this configuration. As an example, the infamous Piedmont (Italy) 1994 episode, in the top 10 of the ranking, was produced by an atmospheric pattern of this typeFunding comes from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad OPERMO (CGL2017-89859-R to GMM and DIC), CLICES (CGL2017-83866-C3-2-R to MLC) and M-CostAdapt (CTM2017-83655-C2-2-R to MCLL) projects, the European Union Interreg V POCTEFA project (EFA210/16 PIRAGUA to MCLL) and the CRETUS strategic partnership (AGRUP2015/02 to GMM and DIC). All these programs are co-funded by the European Union ERDF. DIC and MLC were awarded a pre-doctoral FPI (PRE2018-084425) and FPU (FPU2017/02166) grant, respectively, both from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and UniversitiesS

Fábrica magnética de los diques permo-triásicos del área de La Esperanza, macizo norpatagónico, Argentina

Se presentan los resultados preliminares de un estudio de anisotropía de susceptibilidad magnética (ASM) en diques de composiciones ácidas y básicas que intrusionan a rocas del Complejo Plutónico La Esperanza (Provincia de Río Negro, Macizo Norpatagónico, Argentina), con el fin de entender su mecanismo de emplazamiento y posibles edades relativas. El mismo fue complementado con estudios de mineralogía magnética y petrografía. Se distinguen diversas facies composicionales y texturales en los diques. El portador magnético más destacado sería magnetita multi-dominio. Se observa una buena correlación entre la fábrica magnética y el rumbo de las estructuras, pudiéndose asignar esto a direcciones de flujo y ascenso magmático.Preliminary results from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) studies of acid and basic dikes intruding the La Esperanza Plutonic Complex (Rio Negro province, North Patagonian Massif, Argentina) are presented, with the purpose of understanding their emplacement mechanism and possible relative ages. These studies were complemented with magnetic mineralogy and petrographic analysis. Several types are distinguished, both compositional and textural. The most important magnetic carrier is interpreted to be multi-domain magnetite. A very good correlation is observed between the magnetic fabric of the dikes, and their attitudes, which is interpreted to reflect magmatic flow and emplacement kinematics.Fil: Miguez, Maximilano R.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Geología; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Dopico, Carmen Irene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica; ArgentinaFil: Rapalini, Augusto Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Monica Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotopica; ArgentinaFil: Luppo, Tomas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Basicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Perinatal depression in the Spanish context: consensus report from the general council of psychology of Spain

Background: Perinatal depression is a major public health problem, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 15% during the first postpartum year. Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depression, there is no consensus regarding assessment and treatment in the Spanish context. The General Council of Psychology of Spain convened a working group of experts in the field, including both academics and healthcare professionals, to review and propose recommendations based on evidence and best practices that could be applied in the Spanish context. Method: A literature search was completed in various databases (e.g., Medline, PsychInfo) including a combination of terms related to peripartum depression (PPD) assessment and diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cost-effectiveness. A narrative synthesis of the literature has been conducted together with a critical overview of PPD with a special focus on the Spanish context. Results: In this consensus report, developing questions including prevalence and assessment tools, comparative effectiveness of preventive and treatment interventions, and cost-effectiveness of PPD management have been analyzed. Conclusions: The General Council of Psychology of Spain network advocates the establishment of compulsory screening protocols in all the autonomous regions. Also, it is necessary to promote the inclusion in maternal education of programs for the promotion of mental well-being and selective/indicated prevention carried out by a psychology professional with specialized training in the area. This consensus document also promotes the presence of a psychology professional with specialized training in the area. Antecedentes. La depresión perinatal es un importante problema de salud pública, con una prevalencia estimada de aproximadamente el 15% durante el primer año posparto. A pesar de la gran prevalencia de depresión posparto (DPP), no existe consenso sobre la evaluación y el tratamiento en el contexto español. El Consejo General de Psicología de España convocó a un grupo de trabajo de expertos en la materia, tanto académicos como profesionales sanitarios, para revisar y proponer recomendaciones basadas en evidencias y mejores prácticas que puedan aplicarse en el contexto español. Método. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en varias bases de datos (p. ej., Medline, PsychInfo) que incluía una combinación de términos relacionados con la evaluación y el diagnóstico de la DPP, prevención, tratamiento y coste-eficacia. Se ha realizado una síntesis narrativa de la literatura junto con una visión crítica de la DPP con un enfoque especial en el contexto español. Resultados. Las preguntas de desarrollo que incluyen prevalencia y herramientas de evaluación, la eficacia comparativa de las intervenciones preventivas y de tratamiento y la relación coste-efectividad de la gestión de la PPD se han analizado en este informe de consenso. Conclusiones. La red del Consejo General de Psicología de España aboga por el establecimiento de protocolos obligatorios de cribado en todas las Comunidades Autónomas. Asimismo, es necesario promover la inclusión en la educación materna de programas de promoción del bienestar mental y la prevención selectiva indicada llevadas a cabo por un profesional de la psicología con formación especializada en el área

Evaluación de la eficacia de distintas soluciones fungicidas para el control de enfermedades foliares del cultivo de Maíz: Avaliação da eficácia de diferentes soluções fungicidas para o controle de doenças foliares na cultura do milho

Para evaluar el impacto de diversas soluciones fungicidas en el rendimiento y las características agronómicas del cultivo de maíz, se implementó un experimento con un diseño de bloques completamente al azar (DBCA) con cuatro tratamientos y cuatro repeticiones. El primer tratamiento involucró la aplicación de los fungicidas Lictus, Renaste y Abacus, mientras que el segundo consistió en Bravo y Pamona. El tercero utilizó Kempro y TopGun, y el cuarto fue un grupo de control sin tratamiento fungicida. Se realizó un análisis de varianza en los datos recopilados y se llevaron a cabo comparaciones de medias entre tratamientos mediante la prueba de Tukey (P≤ 0.05). Los resultados revelaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la mayoría de las variables estudiadas. En lo que respecta a las características agronómicas, se observó una uniformidad en los promedios del diámetro del tallo, pero se destacó una clara superioridad del primer tratamiento en la altura de las plantas. Este patrón se repitió en los parámetros productivos, incluyendo la longitud y el diámetro de las mazorcas, el peso de 100 semillas y el rendimiento del grano (t ha-1), a excepción del número de hileras de mazorcas, en el cual no se identificaron diferencias estadísticas significativas. Además, se registró una baja incidencia de enfermedades foliares en todos los tratamientos, y no se identificaron daños visibles relacionados con estas enfermedades, ni siquiera en el grupo de control

Tuberculosis prophylaxis with levofloxacin in liver transplant patients is associated with a high incidence of tenosynovitis: safety analysis of a multicenter randomized trial

This work was supported by the Ayudas para el fomento de la investigacion clinica independiente [EC 10-120] and Programa Intramural Consorcio de Apoyo a la Investigación Biomédica en Red 2010. Other funding sources: National R&D&I Plan 2008–2011 and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases [RD06/0008, RD12/0015] - co-financed by European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe” ERDF. Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas is financed by the ISCIII.Background: It is necessary to develop a safe alternative to isoniazid for tuberculosis prophylaxis in liver transplant recipients. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin. Methods: An open-label, prospective, multicenter, randomized study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin (500 mg q24h for 9 months) initiated in patients awaiting liver transplantation and isoniazid (300 mg q24h for 9 months) initiated post-transplant when liver function was stabilized. Efficacy was measured by tuberculosis incidence at 18 months after transplantation. All adverse events related to the medication were recorded. Results: CONSORT guidelines were followed in order to present the results. The safety committee suspended the study through a safety analysis when 64 patients had been included (31 in the isoniazid arm and 33 in the levofloxacin arm). The reason for suspension was an unexpected incidence of severe tenosynovitis in the levofloxacin arm (18.2%). Although the clinical course was favorable in all cases, tenosynovitis persisted for 7 weeks in some patients. No patients treated with isoniazid, developed tenosynovitis. Only 32.2% of patients randomized to isoniazid (10/31) and 54.5% of patients randomized to levofloxacin (18/33, P = .094) completed prophylaxis. No patient developed tuberculosis during the study follow-up (median 270 days). Conclusions: Levofloxacin prophylaxis of tuberculosis in liver transplant candidates is associated with a high incidence of tenosynovitis that limits its potential utility.Ayudas para el fomento de la investigación clínica independiente [EC 10-120]Programa Intramural Consorcio de Apoyo a la Investigación Biomédica en Red 2010National R&D&I Plan 2008–2011Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RD06/0008, RD12/0015European Development Regional Fun

Maternal and food microbial sources shape the infant microbiome of a rural Ethiopian population

The human microbiome seeding starts at birth, when pioneer microbes are acquired mainly from the mother. Mode of delivery, antibiotic prophylaxis, and feeding method have been studied as modulators of mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, but other key influencing factors like modern westernized lifestyles with high hygienization, high-calorie diets, and urban settings, compared with non-westernized lifestyles have not been investigated yet. In this study, we explored the mother-infant sharing of characterized and uncharacterized microbiome members via strain-resolved metagenomics in a cohort of Ethiopian mothers and infants, and we compared them with four other cohorts with different lifestyles. The westernized and non-westernized newborns’ microbiomes composition overlapped during the first months of life more than later in life, likely reflecting similar initial breast-milk-based diets. Ethiopian and other non-westernized infants shared a smaller fraction of the microbiome with their mothers than did most westernized populations, despite showing a higher microbiome diversity, and uncharacterized species represented a substantial fraction of those shared in the Ethiopian cohort. Moreover, we identified uncharacterized species belonging to the Selenomonadaceae and Prevotellaceae families specifically present and shared only in the Ethiopian cohort, and we showed that a locally produced fermented food, injera, can contribute to the higher diversity observed in the Ethiopian infants’ gut with bacteria that are not part of the human microbiome but are acquired through fermented food consumption. Taken together, these findings highlight the fact that lifestyle can impact the gut microbiome composition not only through differences in diet, drug consumption, and environmental factors but also through its effect on mother-infant strain-sharing patterns

Remdesivir in Very Old Patients (≥80 Years) Hospitalized with COVID-19: Real World Data from the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Background: Large cohort studies of patients with COVID-19 treated with remdesivir have reported improved clinical outcomes, but data on older patients are scarce. Objective: This work aims to assess the potential benefit of remdesivir in unvaccinated very old patients hospitalized with COVID-19; (2) Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of patients >= 80 years hospitalized in Spain between 15 July and 31 December 2020 (SEMI-COVID-19 Registry). Differences in 30-day all-cause mortality were adjusted using a multivariable regression analysis. (3) Results: Of the 4331 patients admitted, 1312 (30.3%) were >= 80 years. Very old patients treated with remdesivir (n: 140, 10.7%) had a lower mortality rate than those not treated with remdesivir (OR (95% CI): 0.45 (0.29-0.69)). After multivariable adjustment by age, sex, and variables associated with lower mortality (place of COVID-19 acquisition; degree of dependence; comorbidities; dementia; duration of symptoms; admission qSOFA; chest X-ray; D-dimer; and treatment with corticosteroids, tocilizumab, beta-lactams, macrolides, and high-flow nasal canula oxygen), the use of remdesivir remained associated with a lower 30-day all-cause mortality rate (adjusted OR (95% CI): 0.40 (0.22-0.61) (p < 0.001)). (4) Conclusions: Remdesivir may reduce mortality in very old patients hospitalized with COVID-19

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group