Book reviews

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43178/1/24_2004_Article_BF00879508.pd

Effect of mivacurium 200 and 250 μg/kg in infants during isoflurane anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN07742712]

BACKGROUND: Infants usually respond differently to a neuromuscular relaxant compared to children or adults. Isoflurane is commonly used as an anesthetic gas in infants. In an RCT design, we investigated whether a dose of mivacurium 250 μg/kg results in faster onset of action than 200 μg/kg in infants under isoflurane anesthesia. Spontaneous recovery times and cardiovascular response were also evaluated. METHODS: Twenty-four low surgical risk children, aged 6–24 months, undergoing an elective surgery and requiring tracheal intubation were selected. After anesthetic induction, patients randomly received an iv bolus dose of mivacurium 200 or 250 μg/kg. After maximal relaxation, the patient was intubated. Isoflurane was administered to maintain anesthetic level during the surgical procedure. Neuromuscular function was monitored by accelerometry (TOF-Guard) at the adductor pollicies. The first twitch (T) of the TOF and the T4/T1 were measured. The time-course of heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were analysed by transforming them into their respective areas under the curve. RESULTS: Mivacurium 250 μg/kg produced a maximal T block faster than 200 μg/kg, i.e. 2.4 ± 1.1 vs. 3.5 ± 1.4 min (p < 0.05). Spontaneous recovery times were similar in both groups. Heart rate was similar between doses while systolic and diastolic blood pressures were lower with the higher dose (p < 0.05). Flushing was observed in two cases, one in each group. CONCLUSIONS: The maximal effect of mivacurium 250 μg/kg, in infants under isoflurane anesthesia, was present one minute faster than 200 μg/kg. However, it produced a significant cardiovascular response

The DNA methylation drift of the atherosclerotic aorta increases with lesion progression

Background: Atherosclerosis severity-independent alterations in DNA methylation, a reversible and highly regulated DNA modification, have been detected in aortic atheromas, thus supporting the hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. One yet unaddressed issue is whether the progression of atherosclerosis is associated with an increase in DNA methylation drift in the vascular tissue. The purpose of the study was to identify CpG methylation profiles that vary with the progression of aterosclerosis in the human aorta. Methods: We interrogated a set of donor-matched atherosclerotic and normal aortic samples ranging from histological grade III to VII, with a high-density (>450,000 CpG sites) DNA methylation microarray. Results: We detected a correlation between histological grade and intra-pair differential methylation for 1,985 autosomal CpGs, the vast majority of which drifted towards hypermethylation with lesion progression. The identified CpG loci map to genes that are regulated by known critical transcription factors involved in aterosclerosis and participate in inflammatory and immune responses. Functional relevance was corroborated by crossing the DNA methylation profiles with expression data obtained in the same human aorta sample set, by a transcriptome-wide analysis of murine atherosclerotic aortas and from available public databases. Conclusions: Our work identifies for the first time atherosclerosis progression-specific DNA methylation profiles in the vascular tissue. These findings provide potential novel markers of lesion severity and targets to counteract the progression of the atherom

Enfermedades crónicas

Adherencia al tratamiento farmacol&oacute;gico y relaci&oacute;n con el control metab&oacute;lico en pacientes con DM2Aluminio en pacientes con terapia de reemplazo renal cr&oacute;nico con hemodi&aacute;lisis en Bogot&aacute;, ColombiaAmputaci&oacute;n de extremidades inferiores: &iquest;est&aacute;n aumentando las tasas?Consumo de edulcorantes artificiales en j&oacute;venes universitariosC&oacute;mo crecen ni&ntilde;os normales de 2 a&ntilde;os que son sobrepeso a los 7 a&ntilde;osDiagn&oacute;stico con enfoque territorial de salud cardiovascular en la Regi&oacute;n MetropolitanaEfecto a corto plazo de una intervenci&oacute;n con ejercicio f&iacute;sico, en ni&ntilde;os con sobrepesoEfectos de la cirug&iacute;a bari&aacute;trica en pacientes con s&iacute;ndrome metab&oacute;lico e IMC &lt; 35 KG/M2Encuesta mundial de tabaquismo en estudiantes de profesiones de saludEnfermedades cr&oacute;nicas no transmisibles: Consecuencias sociales-sanitarias de comunidades rurales en ChileEpidemiolog&iacute;a de las muertes hospitalarias por patolog&iacute;as relacionadas a muerte encef&aacute;lica, Chile 2003-2007Estado nutricional y conductas alimentarias en adolescentes de 4&ordm; medio de la Regi&oacute;n de CoquimboEstudio de calidad de vida en una muestra del plan piloto para hepatitis CEvaluaci&oacute;n del proceso asistencial y de resultados de salud del GES de diabetes mellitus 2Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en poblaci&oacute;n universitaria de la Facsal, universidad de Tarapac&aacute;Implicancias psicosociales en la g&eacute;nesis, evoluci&oacute;n y tratamiento de pacientes con hipertensi&oacute;n arterial esencialInfarto agudo al miocardio (IAM): Realidad en el Hospital de Puerto Natales, 2009-2010Introducci&oacute;n de nuevas TIC y mejor&iacute;a de la asistencia a un programa de saludNi&ntilde;os obesos atendidos en el Cesfam de Puerto Natales y su entorno familiarPerfil de la mortalidad por c&aacute;ncer de cuello uterino en R&iacute;o de JaneiroPerfil del paciente primo-consultante del Programa de Salud Cardiovascular, Consultorio Cordillera Andina, Los AndesPrevalencia de automedicaci&oacute;n en mujeres beneficiarias del Hospital Comunitario de Til-TiPrevalencia de caries en poblaci&oacute;n preescolar y su relaci&oacute;n con malnutrici&oacute;n por excesoPrevalencia de retinopat&iacute;a diab&eacute;tica en comunas dependientes del Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Occidente (SSMOC)Problemas de adherencia farmacol&oacute;gica antihipertensiva en poblaci&oacute;n mapuche: Un estudio cualitativoRol biol&oacute;gico de los antioxidantes innatos en pacientes portadores de VIH/SidaSobrepeso en empleados de un restaurante de una universidad p&uacute;blica del estado de S&atilde;o Paul

Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions

Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species$^{1,2}$. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies$^{3,4}$. Here, leveraging global tree databases$^{5,6,7}$, we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key to predicting whether a location is invaded, but that invasion severity is underpinned by native diversity, with higher diversity predicting lower invasion severity. Temperature and precipitation emerge as strong predictors of invasion strategy, with non-native species invading successfully when they are similar to the native community in cold or dry extremes. Yet, despite the influence of these ecological forces in determining invasion strategy, we find evidence that these patterns can be obscured by human activity, with lower ecological signal in areas with higher proximity to shipping ports. Our global perspective of non-native tree invasion highlights that human drivers influence non-native tree presence, and that native phylogenetic and functional diversity have a critical role in the establishment and spread of subsequent invasions

The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit

Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17-34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling

The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit.

Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17-34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling