Nuevos registros de los mixomicetos de Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico

Seven species of myxomycetes are reported as new records for the Mona Island Commonwealth Reserve, Puerto Rico. They are Ceratiomyxa, fruticulosa, Cribaria intricata, Dictydium cancellatum, Fuligo septica, Lycogala sp., Stemonitis axifera and Tubifera ferruginosa.Siete especies de mixomicetos son informados oomo nuevos registros para la Reserva Estatal Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico. Estos son Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa, Cribaria intricata, Dictydium cancellatum, Fuligo septica, Lycogala sp., Stemonitis axifera y Tubifera ferruginosa

Hongos acuáticos de los estuarios en Puerto Rico: Boca del Río Manatí

Aquatic fungi were isolated from sea foam, leaf litter, beach sand, and driftwood in an estuary known as "La Boca" (river mouth) of the Manatí River in Barceloneta, northern Puerto Rico. Observations of the baits (sterilized balsa wood) and incubated organic debris, revealed the presence of 28 species of aquatic fungi, 13 of which belong to the ascomycetes and 15 to the mitosporic fungi. The species Arenariomyces triseptatus, Corollospora cf. colossa, C. filiformis, Halosphaeria sp., Kirschsteiniothelia sp., Astrosphaeriella aff. mangrovei, Torpedospora radiata (Ascomycota), Brachiosphaera tropicalis, Campylospora sp., and Clavatospora bulbosa (Mitosporic fungi) were the most common in the samples. Eleven species are new records for Puerto Rico; six fungal isolates could not be identified. Se aislaron hongos acuáticos de la espuma de mar, hojarasca, arena playera y madera a la deriva de un estuario conocido como "La Boca" (boca de río) del Río Manatí en Barceloneta, al norte de Puerto Rico. Las observaciones de los cebos (madera de balsa esterilizada) y material orgánico incubado, revelaron la presencia de 28 especies de hongos acuáticos, de los cuales 13 pertenecen a los ascomicetos y 15 a los hongos mitospóricos. Las especies Arenariomyces triseptatus, Corollospora cf. colossa, C. filiformis, Halosphaeria sp., Kirschsteiniothelia sp., Astrosphaeriella aff. mangrovei, Torpedospora radiata (Ascomycota), Brachiosphaera tropicalis, Campylospora sp. y Clavatospora bulbosa (Hongos Mitospóricos) fueron las más comunes en las muestras. Once especies son registros nuevos para Puerto Rico y se aislaron seis hongos que no pudieron ser identificados

On the components of the unstable set of isolated invariant sets

The aim of this note is to shed some light on the topological structure of the unstable set of an isolated invariant set K. We give a bound on the number of essential quasicomponents of the unstable set of K in terms of the homological Conley index of K. The proof relies on an explicit pairing between Čech homology classes and Alexander–Spanier cohomology classes that takes the form of an integral.Depto. de Álgebra, Geometría y TopologíaFac. de Ciencias MatemáticasTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidadespu

Notas sobre los Agaricales del Páramo de Guasca, departamento de Cundinamarca, Colombia

Se han informado pocas especies de los Agaricales (Basidiomycota) de los páramos colombianos. Guzmán y Yarda (1978), Pulido (1983), Saldarriaga et al. (1988) y Guzmán et al. (1994) entre otros, ofrecen valiosa información sobre la taxonomía y distribución de éstos

The polyamine spermine potentiates the propagation of negatively charged molecules through the astrocytic syncytium

The interest in astrocytes, the silent brain cells that accumulate polyamines (PAs), is growing. PAs exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant, neuroprotective, and other beneficial effects, including increasing longevity in vivo. Unlike neurons, astrocytes are extensively coupled to others via connexin (Cx) gap junctions (GJs). Although there are striking modulatory effects of PAs on neuronal receptors and channels, PA regulation of the astrocytic GJs is not well understood. We studied GJ-propagation using molecules of different (i) electrical charge, (ii) structure, and (iii) molecular weight. Loading single astrocytes with patch pipettes containing membrane-impermeable dyes, we observed that (i) even small molecules do not easily permeate astrocytic GJs, (ii) the ratio of the charge to weight of these molecules is the key determinant of GJ permeation, (iii) the PA spermine (SPM) induced the propagation of negatively charged molecules via GJs, (iv) while no effects were observed on propagation of macromolecules with net-zero charge. The GJ uncoupler carbenoxolone (CBX) blocked such propagation. Taken together, these findings indicate that SPM is essential for astrocytic GJ communication and selectively facilitates intracellular propagation via GJs for negatively charged molecules through glial syncytium

High frequency of lumbar fusion in patients denied surgical treatment of the sacroiliac joint

Purpose: Effective treatment of medical conditions relies on proper diagnosis. Clinical trials show the safety and effectiveness of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fusion in patients with chronic SI joint dysfunction. To what extent is the condition under recognised? Objective: To determine whether under recognition of SIJ pain affects healthcare trajectories in Spanish patients with low back pain. Methods: Retrospective study of characteristics and consequences of 189 patients with persistent SIJ pain seen in an outpatient neurosurgery clinic. Results: Patients with SIJ pain who were denied surgical treatment had a longer pain duration, higher likelihood of prior lumbar fusion, and a high rate (63%) of lumbar fusion within 2 years prior to SIJ pain diagnosis, which, in most cases, provided little benefit. Conclusions: Lack of knowledge of the role of the SIJ in chronic low back pain probably results in diagnostic confusion and may lead to misdirected treatment

Targeting Cytokine Signaling and Lymphocyte Traffic via Small Molecules in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: JAK Inhibitors and S1PR Agonists

The inflammatory Bowel diseases (IBDs) are a chronic, relapsing inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract with heterogeneous behavior and prognosis. The introduction of biological therapies including anti-TNF, anti-IL-12/23, and anti-integrins, has revolutionized the treatment of IBD, but these drugs are not universally effective. Due to the complex molecular structures of biologics, they are uniformly immunogenic. New discoveries concerning the underlying mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of IBD have allowed for progress in the development of new treatment options. The advantage of small molecules (SMs) over biological therapies includes their lack of immunogenicity, short half-life, oral administration, and low manufacturing cost. Among these, the Janus Kinases (JAKs) inhibition has emerged as a novel strategy to modulate downstream cytokine signaling during immune-mediated diseases. These drugs target various cytokine signaling pathways that participate in the pathogenesis of IBD. Tofacitinib, a JAK inhibitor targeting predominantly JAK1 and JAK3, has been approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), and there are other specific JAK inhibitors under development that may be effective in Crohn’s. Similarly, the traffic of lymphocytes can now be targeted by another SM. Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1PR) agonism is a novel strategy that acts, in part, by interfering with lymphocyte recirculation, through blockade of lymphocyte egress from lymph nodes. S1PR agonists are being studied in IBD and other immune-mediated disorders. This review will focus on SM drugs approved and under development, including JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, filgotinib, upadacitinib, peficitinib) and S1PR agonists (KRP-203, fingolimod, ozanimod, etrasimod, amiselimod), and their mechanism of action

Level of blood pressure control in a hypertensive population when measurements are performed outside the clinical setting

Background: To determine whether the number of optimally controlled hypertensive patients is higher using self-measurement of blood pressure at home and ambulatory monitoring, compared to using conventional blood pressure measurements at the doctor&#8217;s office. Method: An observational, cross-sectional, multicentre, descriptive study of a random sample of 237 primary health care patients, known to be hypertensive, from Badajoz (Spain). Blood pressure was measured at the doctor&#8217;s office and by self-measurement at home. Those patients showing good control by self-measurement were subjected to 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. Optimal control was understood as blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg when measured at the doctor&#8217;s office, and < 135/85 mm Hg when self-measured at home and by daytime ambulatory monitoring. Results: Mean systolic/diastolic measurements at the doctor&#8217;s office and by self-measurement were 145.6/83.9 and 134.0/78.7 mm Hg, respectively (p < 0.000). In the population optimally controlled by self-measurement and who subsequently received ambulatory monitoring, the mean blood pressure was 121.8/73.4 and 125.6/76.2 mm Hg, respectively (p = 0.002; p < 0.000). When measured at the doctor&#8217;s office blood pressure was controlled in about 29.5% (95% CI 23.7-35.3%) of patients, in 38% when self-measured (95% CI 31.4-44.2%; p < 0.000), and in 24.5% when it was confirmed through ambulatory monitoring (95% CI 15.4-33.6%). Sensitivity and positive predictive values of the office measurements for the detection of patients who were well-controlled by self-measurement were 50% and 64.3%, respectively, and 53.4% and 73.8% as regards ambulatory monitoring. Conclusions: A higher level of control is achieved with self-measurement at home not confirmed by ambulatory monitoring. Therefore, the white coat effect does not seem to influence the percentage of well-controlled patients detected at the doctor&#8217;s office. Office blood pressure does not appear to be useful in distinguishing which individual patients are optimally controlled

Deep-sea habitat characterization using acoustic data and underwater imagery in Gazul mud volcano (Gulf of Cádiz, NE Atlantic)

Gazul is the shallowest mud volcano (MV) within the Shallow Field of Fluid Expulsion (SFFE) of the northeastern Gulf of Cádiz (NE Atlantic; 300–1200 m depth). The SFFE represents an important geo- and biodiversity area that was designated as a Site of Community Importance under the European Habitats Directive in 2014. In this study, geological features, habitats and associated biodiversity, as well as anthropogenic impacts, were characterized at Gazul MV from underwater imagery and multibeam bathymetry. Multivariate methods using the Bray-Curtis similarity index identified six main habitats, each of which harbored a characteristic faunal assemblage that included: (1) sandy ripple bottoms typified by the actiniarian Actinauge richardi; (2) sandy, muddy, coarse sand and bioclastic bottoms dominated by the solitary coral Flabellum chunii; (3) coarse sand and bioclastic bottoms, together with soft sediments covered by scattered methane-derived authigenic carbonates (MDACs) (mixed bottoms), characterized by the echinoid Cidaris cidaris; (4) hard bottoms comprising MDACs dominated by a wide variety of sponges and gorgonians; (5) coral-rubble bottoms typified by the presence of colonial scleractinian communities dominated by Madrepora oculata; and (6) mixed bottoms characterized by the presence of a styelid ascidian. Slope and water depth were the main factors explaining assemblages’ distribution, which was also supported by the presence of MDACs such as slabs, crusts and chimneys on the seafloor, as well as by the geomorphologic diversity of Gazul MV. The results highlight Gazul MV as an eco-biologically important area harboring different vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) elements with indicator taxa such as scleractinians, sponges, gorgonians and black corals. ROV images revealed abandoned or lost fishing gears and marine debris on the seafloor, indicating anthropogenic impacts in Gazul MV and adjacent areas. Indeed trawling fisheries activities have also been detected in Vessel Monitoring System datasets. A fishery restricted area is recommended in Gazul MV due to the occurrence of diverse VMEs and species included in different conservation directives and conventions.Postprin