Inventario herpetológico en hábitats mediterráneos de un municipio del sur de Álava (País Vasco).

La todavía frecuente escasez de datos de biodiversidad en los territorios municipales ha propiciado la realización de un inventario herpetológico en los cuatro tipos de hábitat más significativos del término de Navaridas (Álava) (laguna, carrascal, matorral mediterráneo y viñedo). Entre 2015 y 2016 se llevaron a cabo dos tipos de muestreo (transectos y mangueos de puntos de agua) para identificar las especies, que permitieron la obtención de estimaciones poblacionales. Se encontraron 15 especies, ocho de anfibios y siete de reptiles (39 % de los herpetos del País Vasco). Los dos espacios protegidos con los que cuenta el municipio (laguna y carrascal de Navaridas) presentaron una mayor diversidad biológica, destacando especialmente la laguna. Los resultados sugieren un posible beneficio de los linderos con muros bajos de piedra entre los viñedos para la especie Podarcis liolepis, que mostró las máximas abundancias (71,5 individuos / ha). El presente estudio aporta una base de conocimiento para el desarrollo de futuros proyectos de inventariado basados en densidades poblacionales de herpetos, su evolución y la evaluación de la incidencia que la actividad agrícola podría tener sobre dichas poblaciones

Calidad del sueño del personal de enfermería en atención primaria y especializada

Introducción: el personal de enfermería es un colectivo que en numerosas ocasiones trabaja a turnos rotatorios, incrementando esto el riesgo de padecer alteraciones a nivel fisiológico y psicológico. Objetivo: analizar la influencia de la turnicidad en la calidad del sueño en el personal de enfermería comparando una muestra de enfermeros/as que trabajan a turnos en el servicio de urgencias del Hospital Universitario de León con respecto a profesionales de atención primaria del centro de salud de José aguado de León, que trabajan a turno fijo de mañanas o tardes. Método: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal, un total de 96 enfermeros/ as con edades entre 24 y 65 años fueron divididos en dos grupos (turno rotatorio y turno fijo de mañana o tarde). El instrumento utilizado fue el índice de calidad del sueño de Pittsburgh. Se realizó un análisis bivariante mediante la prueba de χ² para establecer diferencias entre ambos grupos. Resultados: ambos grupos presentaban una calidad subjetiva del sueño «bastante mala», obteniendo puntuaciones de 8,3 para el trabajo a turnos vs. 5,8 para turno fijo. El grupo que trabajaban a turnos duermen una media de 5,3 horas frente a las 7,5 horas en atención primaria. Se aprecian diferencias significativas en la latencia del sueño, alteraciones del sueño y el uso de medicamentos para dormir, siendo resultados más negativos para el grupo que trabaja a turnos. Conclusiones: el trabajo a turnos rotatorio produce una mala calidad del sueño en comparación con los turnos fijos, mostrando un sueño más reparador el personal de atención primaria frente a los enfermeros/ as de urgencias

In vitro and in vivo anti-Candida activity of citral in combination with fluconazole

[EN] Background The ability of Candida to develop biofilms on inert surfaces or living tissues favors recalcitrant and chronic candidiasis associated, in many instances, with resistance to current antifungal therapy. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of citral, a phytocompound present in lemongrass essential oil, in monotherapy and combined with fluconazole against azole-resistant Candida planktonic cells and biofilms. The effect of citral combined with fluconazole was also analysed with regard to the expression of fluconazole resistance-associated genes in Candida albicans and the effectiveness of the combination therapy in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of candidiasis. Results Citral reduced biofilm formation at initial stages and the metabolic activity of the mature biofilm. The combination of citral with fluconazole was synergistic, with a significant increase in the survival of C. elegans infected with Candida. RNA analysis revealed a reduction of the expression of the efflux pump encoded by MDR1, leading to a greater effect of fluconazole. Conclusion Citral in monotherapy and in combination with fluconazole could represent an interesting therapy to treat recalcitrant Candida infections associated to biofilms.This research was supported by Gobierno Vasco-Eusko Jaurlaritza [Eusko Jaurlaritza GIC15/78 IT-990-16] and by Fundacion ONCE "Oportunidad al Talento" and Fondo Social Europeo CM-A [C.M.-A.]; Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espan [PID2020-117983RB-I00]

Microstructure and secondary phases in coevaporated CuInS2 films: Dependence on growth temperature and chemical composition

The microstructure of CuInS2-(CIS2) polycrystalline films deposited onto Mo-coated glass has been analyzed by Raman scattering, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Samples were obtained by a coevaporation procedure that allows different Cu-to-In composition ratios (from Cu-rich to Cu-poor films). Films were grown at different temperatures between 370 and 520-°C. The combination of micro-Raman and AES techniques onto Ar+-sputtered samples has allowed us to identify the main secondary phases from Cu-poor films such as CuIn5S8 (at the central region of the layer) and MoS2 (at the CIS2/Mo interface). For Cu-rich films, secondary phases are CuS at the surface of as-grown layers and MoS2 at the CIS2/Mo interface. The lower intensity of the MoS2 modes from the Raman spectra measured at these samples suggests excess Cu to inhibit MoS2 interface formation. Decreasing the temperature of deposition to 420-°C leads to an inhibition in observing these secondary phases. This inhibition is also accompanied by a significant broadening and blueshift of the main A1 Raman mode from CIS2, as well as by an increase in the contribution of an additional mode at about 305 cm-1. The experimental data suggest that these effects are related to a decrease in structural quality of the CIS2 films obtained under low-temperature deposition conditions, which are likely connected to the inhibition in the measured spectra of secondary-phase vibrational modes

Assessing site quality using the National Forest Inventory

A pre-print version of the same manuscript is also available, which entitles "Assessing site quality using the National Forest Inventory"Sustainable production of wood is one of the main services provided by forest systems. Site productivity in the case of forests is often evaluated through the site quality. However, most of the works addressing the site quality have been done at local or regional scale. In this work, we aim to develop site quality models for five dominant species in Spanish forests (Fagus sylvatica, Pinus pinaster atlantica, Quercus pyrenaica, Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris) and create site quality maps at a national-scale from these models. First, we develop site quality models using site form (height-diameter relationship) as the reference index and the Spanish National Forest Inventory as dataset. Then, we fit spatial additive models entering physiographic and climatic variables in order to predict the site quality over the whole country. Additionally, we plot site form maps for the five species in order to describe spatial pattern in site quality at a national scale. Altitude and aspect appeared to be fundamental variables in the assessment of site quality. The accuracy of the spatial additive models ranged from 38.2% to 47.9%. The correspondence between the predicted and observed maps of site qualities is clear. Our results provide a tool which could be used by forest managers in land use planning as well as in forest policy decision-making at a national scale. We suggest that this method could be used in other countries and that the maps could be expanded to the European scale to assessing the way in which site quality varies across Europe always considering that the relationships between forest productivity and environmental variables could vary among biogeoclimatic zonesMarie Sklodowska-Curie Action, Towards a worldwide quantification of forest degradation (QUAFORD) 699884 AEI/FEDER, UE, AGL, AGL2016-76769-C2-2-R AEI/FEDER, UE, IJCI-2014-20614S

Validation of a simple method for the interpretation of uterine cytology in cows

One of the main drawbacks of using endometrial cytology in cows is the time required for sample collection and interpretation. It is recommended to count a large number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and to calculate their overall percentage. However, since counting a large number of cells is a laborious method, it would be preferable to simplify the analysis by counting the number of PMN in few microscopic fields. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether a simple test, based on calculating the average number of PMN in 10 fields at 1000×, could be a reliable technique for the diagnosis of endometritis. Two hundred and sixty endometrial samples were taken from Holstein cows at different postpartum stages using an adapted cytobrush. Smears obtained were air-dried for fixing and stained with a Romanowsky-type procedure. To evaluate the counting method, the percentage of PMN in 150 cells was calculated as well as the average number of PMN in 10 fields at 1000×. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was constructed to evaluate both methods, the percentage of PMN (used as reference) and the average number of PMN. It was observed that the area under the curve is (regardless of cut-off used) higher than 0.99 and the correspondence between both methods were 1.58 PMN/field for the cut-off value of 15% and 2.40 PMN/field for the cut-off value of 20%. These results show that this simple method could be used to determine the percentage of PMN in endometrial cytological samples and to diagnose endometritis in cowsSupported by the Xunta de Galicia (Galician Plan for Research and Technological Development; Grant No. PGIDIT07MRU002E) and the Friesian Federation of Galician, A Coruna, SpainS

Perinatal and childhood factors and risk of breast cancer subtypes in adulthood

BACKGROUND: Accumulated exposure to hormones and growth factors during early life may influence the future risk of breast cancer (BC). This study examines the influence of childhood-related, socio-demographic and anthropometric variables on BC risk, overall and by specific pathologic subtypes. METHODS: This is a case-control study where 1539 histologically-confirmed BC cases (23-85 years) and 1621 population controls, frequency matched by age, were recruited in 10 Spanish provinces. Perinatal and childhood-related characteristics were directly surveyed by trained staff. The association with BC risk, globally and according to menopausal status and pathologic subtypes, was evaluated using logistic and multinomial regression models, adjusting for tumor specific risk factors. RESULTS: Birth characteristics were not related with BC risk. However, women with high socioeconomic level at birth presented a decreased BC risk (OR=0.45; 95% CI=0.29-0.70), while those whose mothers were aged over 39 years at their birth showed an almost significant excess risk of hormone receptor positive tumors (HR+) (OR=1.35; 95% CI=0.99-1.84). Women who were taller than their girl mates before puberty showed increased postmenopausal BC risk (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.03-1.54) and increased HR+ BC risk (OR=1.26; 95% CI=1.04-1.52). Regarding prepubertal weight, while those women who were thinner than average showed higher postmenopausal BC risk (OR=1.46; 95% CI=1.20-1.78), associated with HR+ tumors (OR=1.34; 95% CI=1.12-1.61) and with triple negative tumors (OR=1.56; 95% CI=1.03-2.35), those who were heavier than average presented lower premenopausal BC risk (OR=0.64; 95% CI=0.46-0.90) and lower risk of epidermal growth factor receptor positive tumors (OR=0.61; 95% CI=0.40-0.93). CONCLUSION: These data reflect the importance of hormones and growth factors in the early stages of life, when the mammary gland is in development and therefore more vulnerable to proliferative stimuli

El Castru (Vigaña, Balmonte de Miranda, Asturias): un pequeño poblado fortificado de las montañas occidentales cantábricas durante la Edad del Hierro

p. 211-237Este artículo presenta los datos arqueológicos recuperados en las excavaciones del poblado castreño de El Castru, en Vigaña (Balmonte de Miranda, Asturias) realizadas en 2012 y 2013. Dicho yacimiento constituye un buen ejemplo de los pequeños castros de la Edad del Hierro en las montañas del área occidental cantábrica. Por ello, el análisis de las informaciones obtenidas y su contextualización a escala regional ofrecen interesantes aportaciones al debate sobre las formas de poblamiento y subsistencia adoptadas por las comunidades del I milenio a.C. en el Noroeste ibérico.S

¿Descendió el producto agrario por habitante en la Europa moderna? El caso castellano

Este trabajo cuantifica el crecimiento del producto agrario y del producto agrario per cápita en cuatro provincias castellanas entre las últimas décadas del siglo XVI y el tercer cuarto del XVIII. Para ello utiliza la vía del producto y se basa en la documentación decimal generada por las diócesis de Ávila, Burgos, Salamanca y Segovia para el reparto del subsidio y del excusado. Su principal conclusión no corrobora la imagen negativa que ofrece parte de la historiografía reciente sobre la evolución del sector primario castellano en los siglos XVI y XVIII: entre 1588-1592 y 1771-1775, tanto el producto agrario como el producto agrario por habitante, lejos de reducirse, crecieron en la región estudiada

Helicobacter pylori Diagnostic Tests Used in Europe : Results of over 34,000 Patients from the European Registry on Helicobacter pylori Management

Funding Information: This study was funded by Richen; however, clinical data were not accessible and the company was not involved in any stage of the Hp-EuReg study (design, data collection, statistical analysis, or manuscript writing). We want to thank Richen for their support. This project was promoted and funded by the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG), the Spanish Association of Gastroenterology (AEG) and the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd). The Hp-EuReg was co-funded by the European Union programme HORIZON (grant agreement number 101095359) and supported by the UK Research and Innovation (grant agreement number 10058099). The Hp-EuReg was co-funded by the European Union programme EU4Health (grant agreement number 101101252). Acknowledgments We want to especially thank Sylva-Astrik Torossian for her assistance in language editing. Natalia García Morales is the first author who is acting as the submission’s guarantor. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD