Cuarto Congreso Latinoamericano y Octavo Congreso Boliviano de Mastozoología

The Fourth Latin American Congress and the Eighth Bolivian Congress of Mastozoology was held in the city of La Paz between July 10 and 13, 2018 and was the scenario in which researchers from the entire region converged in order to dialogue in around the conservation and investigation of mammals. According to official figures, more than 200 people from across the region gathered at a congress that, as predicted, was highlighted by the excellent keynote speakers who were part of the 8 sessions addressed, for the diversity of topics that were presented in each one of the generated symposiums, and especially for its excellent organization by the hand of the committee in charge, of the volunteers, and of the logistical support.El Cuarto congreso Latinoamericano y el Octavo congreso Boliviano de Mastozoología se llevó a cabo en la ciudad de La Paz entre el 10 y el 13 de julio de 2018 y fue el escenario en el cual confluyeron investigadores de toda la región con el fin de dialogar en torno a la conservación e investigación de los mamíferos. De acuerdo con cifras oficiales, más de 200 personas provenientes de toda la región se reunieron en un congreso que, como se pronosticaba, se destacó por losexcelentes conferencistas magistrales que hicieron parte de las 8 sesiones abordadas, por la diversidad de temáticas que fueron presentadas en cada uno de los simposios generados, y sobre todo por su excelente organización de la mano del comité encargado, de los voluntarios, y del apoyo logístico

Structural differences in mammal assemblages between savanna ecosystems of the Colombian Llanos

The Colombian Orinoquia region is characterized by a high diversity of mammals, which is associated with complex ecosystems that include large extensions of Neotropical savannas (known locally as “Llanos Orientales”). Despite accelerated anthropogenic transformations in savanna ecosystems, the knowledge to design effective conservation strategies, such as the distribution of mammal assemblages, is still lacking for this region. In this paper, we evaluate if assemblages of medium and large mammals (i.e., species richness, relative abundance and the contribution of the different trophic guilds) are homogeneous across the Colombian Llanos by comparing three savanna ecosystems: floodplains savannas associated with an Andean river, aeolian floodplains savannas and highland savannas. After a sampling effort of 3,150 camera trap/days, we recorded 16 mammal species from the three savanna ecosystems. We compared the three assemblages and their constituent trophic guilds by ANOSIM and SIMPER non-parametric permutation tests. The three assemblages differed in composition, structure and trophic guilds. The floodplains savannas, associated to an Andean river, present the highest diversity, contrastingly, the high-plain associated with the Guyanese Shield presents the lowest diversity. This pattern could be explained due to the greatest floristic diversity, complex vegetation structure and more fertile soils present in the riparian forests of the floodplains savannas, despite being the most anthropogenically transformed. The carnivores were the most variable category and herbivores were the most abundant. Our results show that the diversity of medium and large mammals is heterogeneously distributed in the Colombian Llanos. Therefore, it is necessary to implement targeted conservation strategies according to the characteristics, local fragility of each ecosystem in the territory and each species response by local conditions

Structural differences in mammal assemblages between savanna ecosystems of the Colombian Llanos

The Colombian Orinoquia region is characterized by a high diversity of mammals, which is associated with complex ecosystems that include large extensions of Neotropical savannas (known locally as “Llanos Orientales”). Despite accelerated anthropogenic transformations in savanna ecosystems, the knowledge to design effective conservation strategies, such as the distribution of mammal assemblages, is still lacking for this region. In this paper, we evaluate if assemblages of medium and large mammals (i.e., species richness, relative abundance and the contribution of the different trophic guilds) are homogeneous across the Colombian Llanos by comparing three savanna ecosystems: floodplains savannas associated with an Andean river, aeolian floodplains savannas and highland savannas. After a sampling effort of 3,150 camera trap/days, we recorded 16 mammal species from the three savanna ecosystems. We compared the three assemblages and their constituent trophic guilds by ANOSIM and SIMPER non-parametric permutation tests. The three assemblages differed in composition, structure and trophic guilds. The floodplains savannas, associated to an Andean river, present the highest diversity, contrastingly, the high-plain associated with the Guyanese Shield presents the lowest diversity. This pattern could be explained due to the greatest floristic diversity, complex vegetation structure and more fertile soils present in the riparian forests of the floodplains savannas, despite being the most anthropogenically transformed. The carnivores were the most variable category and herbivores were the most abundant. Our results show that the diversity of medium and large mammals is heterogeneously distributed in the Colombian Llanos. Therefore, it is necessary to implement targeted conservation strategies according to the characteristics, local fragility of each ecosystem in the territory and each species response by local conditions

Distribución, morfología y reproducción del murciélago rayado de orejas amarillas Vampyriscus nymphaea (Mammalia: Chiroptera) en Colombia

We present information related on the distribution, morphology and reproductive biology of Vampyriscus nymphaea in Colombia, based in the analysis of voucher specimens housed in Colombia collections. The known distribution of V. nymphaea in Colombia previously restricted to the western lowlands of the Cordillera Occidental in the Pacific region is extended to the Caribbean region and to the north-eastern part of the Cordillera Occidental, lower Cauca River Basin of Colombia. Both external and the skull morphology of the species were homogeneous; the analysis of the secondary sexual dimorphism among specimens from the Pacific area do not show significant differences, although, the length of the tibia and the deep of the skull were proportionally larger in males, and the zygomatic width in females. Concerning to the reproductive biology, we suggest that the populations of V. nymphaea present a poliestric pattern along the year but without defined peaks.Presentamos información sobre la distribución geográfica, morfología y reproducción de Vampyriscus nymphaea en Colombia, basándonos en la revisión de especímenes museológicos de colecciones colombianas. Previamente la distribución de V. nymphaea en Colombia se consideraba restringida a las tierras bajas al occidente de la cordillera Occidental en la región Pacífico; en este trabajo confirmamos la presencia de esta especie en la región Caribe y en el nororiente de la cordillera Occidental de los Andes colombianos en el Bajo Río Cauca. La morfología externa y craneana de la especie fue homogénea y el análisis de dimorfismo sexual secundario de las poblaciones de la región Pacífico no mostró diferencias significativas, sin embargo la longitud de la tibia y la profundidad de la caja craneana son proporcionalmente mayores en los machos y el ancho zigomático en las hembras. Respecto a labiología reproductiva sugerimos que las poblaciones de V. nymphaea presentan un patrón poliéstrico sin picos definidos a lo largo del año

Joint analysis of species and genetic variation to quantify the role of dispersal and environmental constraints in community turnover

Spatial turnover of biological communities is determined by both dispersal and environmental constraints. However, we lack quantitative predictions about how these factors interact and influence turnover across genealogical scales. In this study, we have implemented a predictive framework based on approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to quantify the signature of dispersal and environmental constraints in community turnover. First, we simulated the distribution of haplotypes, intra‐specific lineages and species in biological communities under different strengths of dispersal and environmental constraints. Our simulations show that spatial turnover rate is invariant across genealogical scales when dispersal limitation determines the species ranges. However, when environmental constraint limits species ranges, spatial turnover rates vary across genealogical scales. These simulations were used in an ABC framework to quantify the role of dispersal and environmental constraints in 16 empirical biological communities sampled from local to continental scales, including several groups of insects (both aquatic and terrestrial), molluscs and bats. In seven datasets, the observed genealogical invariance of spatial turnover, assessed with distance–decay curves, suggests a dispersal‐limited scenario. In the remaining datasets, the variance in distance–decay curves across genealogical scales was best explained by various combinations of dispersal and environmental constraints. Our study illustrates how modelling spatial turnover at multiple genealogical scales (species and intraspecific lineages) provides relevant insights into the relative role of dispersal and environmental constraints in community turnover.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. CGL2016-76637-PAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2020-112935GB-I00Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PGC2018- 099363-B-I00Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. RYC-2015-18241Xunta de Galici

Access to credit and firm survival during a crisis: the case of zero-bank-debt firms

El presente documento estudia el acceso al crédito y la propensión a salir del mercado de las empresas sin deuda bancaria (la principal fuente de financiación de las empresas españolas no cotizadas) en torno a la crisis del COVID-19. La metodología implementada permite distinguir entre oferta y demanda de crédito, dado que no tener deuda bancaria puede deberse a restricciones financieras o a una estrategia deliberada por parte de las empresas. Antes de la crisis del COVID-19, las empresas sin deuda bancaria tenían mayores dificultades para acceder a los préstamos bancarios que las empresas con deuda bancaria previa, en especial las arriesgadas, debido a carecer de historial crediticio. Estas restricciones crediticias se endurecieron a causa del shock del COVID-19, con independencia del riesgo de las empresas, probablemente como consecuencia del incremento de las asimetrías de información durante un período de gran incertidumbre macroeconómica. No obstante, el uso de garantías públicas mitigó las restricciones crediticias a las que se enfrentaban las empresas seguras y sin deuda bancaria. Las empresas sin deuda bancaria, incluso aquellas con una baja probabilidad de impago, también tenían una probabilidad de salir del mercado mucho mayor que las empresas con deuda bancaria previa durante la crisis del COVID-19. Puede existir una relación causal entre los dos resultados, dado que la concesión de nuevo crédito a empresas sin deuda bancaria redujo su probabilidad de salida de mercado. Más allá del contexto específico de la pandemia, este documento contribuye a la literatura que busca una mejor comprensión de las restricciones a la financiación externa de las empresas tanto por el lado de la oferta como por el de la demanda, reflejadas en las empresas sin deuda.We study the access to credit and the propensity to exit the market of firms with no bank debt (the main funding source of Spanish non-listed firms) around the COVID-19 crisis. Our methodology allows us to disentangle credit supply from credit demand, as having no bank debt may be the result of financial constraints or a deliberate strategy. Before the COVID-19 crisis, zero-bank-debt firms, especially risky ones, faced more difficult access to bank loans than firms that had previously held bank debt owing to their lack of credit history. These credit constraints were tightened by the COVID shock, regardless of firms’ risk, arguably because of increased information asymmetries during a period of high macroeconomic uncertainty. Zero-bank-debt firms, even those with a low probability of default, were much more likely to leave the market during the COVID-19 crisis than firms with a history of bank debt. Moreover, granting new credit to zero-bank-debt firms reduced their probability of exit, which suggests a causal relationship between the two aforementioned findings. Beyond the specific setting of the pandemic, this paper adds to the broader literature on a better understanding of supply and demand-side constraints for corporate external funding, as crystalised in zero-debt firms

EGFR-Based Immunoisolation as a Recovery Target for Low-EpCAM CTC Subpopulation

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) play a key role in the metastasis process, as they are responsible for micrometastasis and are a valuable tool for monitoring patients in real-time. Moreover, efforts to develop new strategies for CTCs isolation and characterisation, and the translation of CTCs into clinical practice needs to overcome the limitation associated with the sole use of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) expression to purify this tumour cell subpopulation. CTCs are rare events in the blood of patients and are believed to represent the epithelial population from a primary tumour of epithelial origin, thus EpCAM immunoisolation is considered an appropriate strategy. The controversy stems from the impact that the more aggressive mesenchymal tumour phenotypes might have on the whole CTC population. In this work, we first characterised a panel of cell lines representative of tumour heterogeneity, confirming the existence of tumour cell subpopulations with restricted epithelial features and supporting the limitations of EpCAM-based technologies. We next developed customised polystyrene magnetic beads coated with antibodies to efficiently isolate the phenotypically different subpopulations of CTCs from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with metastatic cancer. Besides EpCAM, we propose Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) as an additional isolation marker for efficient CTCs detection.This work was supported by Axencia Galega de Innovación (Xunta de Galicia) and InveNNta (Innovation in Nanomedicine), cofinanced by the European Union (EU) through the Operational Programme for Cross-border Cooperation: Spain-Portugal (POCTEP 2007-2013), and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)S

Enfermedades Respiratorias de Mayor Prevalencia Por Heces de Aves Migratorias en Zona Céntrica Del Municipio de Tibú Norte de Santander. Colombia

En la presente investigación, se pretende identificar las enfermedades de mayor prevalencia en la zona céntrica del municipio, las cuales son causadas por las heces de las aves presentes en dicho lugar. Además, se busca establecer medidas preventivas que contribuyan a reducir el impacto del riesgo biológico. Este estudio exploratorio descriptivo tiene como objetivo analizar el impacto que la problemática ambiental en la zona céntrica del Municipio de Tibú, Norte de Santander, Colombia, tiene en la calidad de vida de sus habitantes, desde la perspectiva de estos últimos y cómo han enfrentado la situación. La investigación se enmarca en un enfoque cuantitativo, de campo y de nivel descriptivo. Para recopilar la información necesaria, se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semi-estructuradas aplicadas a la población seleccionada. El análisis de dichas entrevistas se realizó mediante codificación abierta de la Teoría Empíricamente Fundamentada. Los resultados obtenidos revelan que la problemática ambiental ha ocasionado graves perjuicios en la calidad de vida de los residentes del sector, afectando principalmente su entorno físico, salud, economía, costumbres y relaciones sociales. A pesar de que los habitantes de la zona se organizaron y movilizaron para hacer frente a la situación, se encontraron con obstáculos como el poder de las empresas locales, la falta de respaldo gubernamental y la desesperanza ante la ausencia de soluciones efectivas. En la fase final del estudio, se aborda la problemática ambiental como un problema social y se discuten las implicaciones que esto tiene en las políticas públicas.In this research, the aim is to identify the most prevalent diseases in the central area of ​​the municipality, which are caused by the feces of the birds present in said place. In addition, it seeks to establish preventive measures that contribute to reducing the impact of biological risk. This descriptive exploratory study aims to analyze the impact that the environmental problems in the central area of ​​the Municipality of Tibú, Norte de Santander, Colombia, have on the quality of life of its inhabitants, from the perspective of the latter and how they have faced the situation. The research is framed in a quantitative, field and descriptive level approach. To collect the necessary information, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the selected population. The analysis of these interviews was carried out using open coding of the Empirically Grounded Theory. The results obtained reveal that the environmental problem has caused serious damage to the quality of life of the residents of the sector, mainly affecting their physical environment, health, economy, customs and social relationships. Although the residents of the area organized and mobilized to confront the situation, they encountered obstacles such as the power of local companies, the lack of government support, and hopelessness in the absence of effective solutions. In the final phase of the study, the environmental problem is addressed as a social problem and the implications this has on public policies are discussed

Factores pronósticos de mortalidad asociados a las pancreatitis agudas intervenidas quirúrgicamente en Camagüey

RESUMENIntroducción: Los métodos quirúrgicos para el tratamiento de las pancreatitis son variados, sin embargo sigue siendo un tema controvertido definir el mejor. Objetivo: Identificar los factores pronósticos de mortalidad asociados a las pancreatitis agudas intervenidas quirúrgicamente en Camagüey, entre enero de 2003 y febrero de 2013. Diseño metodológico: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal. El universo estuvo constituido por 41 pacientes. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva e inferencial. Los datos se presentaron en tablas y gráficos. Resultados: La media de edad fue de 55,80 años, mientras que las medias de leucograma y la amilasa sérica fueron de 11,83 x109/L y 513,10U/L respectivamente. De los 21 pacientes que recibieron laparotomía exploratoria con toilette y drenaje de la cavidad 9 fallecieron (OR=4,2) y 5 de los 7 pacientes que presentaron como causa el alcoholismo son del sexo masculino (OR= 9,6) Conclusiones El factor pronóstico de mortalidad encontrado en los pacientes estudiados fue la laparotomía exploratoria con toilette y drenaje de la cavidad como técnica quirúrgica.ABSTRACTIntroduction: There are many surgical methods for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, though still controversial to define the best. Objective: To identify predictors of mortality associated with acute pancreatitis surgically intervened in Camagüey, between January 2003 and February 2013. Material and Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The universe consisted of 41 patients. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Data were presented in tables and graphs. Results: Mean age was 55.80 years, while the averages of leukogram and serum amylase were 11.83 x 109/L and 513.10 U/L respectively. Of the 21 patients who received exploratory laparotomy with toilet and drainage cavity 9 died (OR=4.2) and 5 of the 7 patients who presented as caused by alcoholism are males (OR=9.6). Conclusions: The predictor factor of mortality found in the patients studied was the exploratory laparotomy with toilet and drain the cavity as surgical technique

Molecular Profiling of Circulating Tumour Cells Identifies Notch1 as a Principal Regulator in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying metastasis colonization in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) remains incomplete. A complete overview integrating driver mutations, primary tumour heterogeneity and overt metastasis lacks the dynamic contribution of disseminating metastatic cells due to the inaccessibility to the molecular profiling of Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs). By combining immunoisolation and whole genome amplification, we performed a global gene expression analysis of EpCAM positive CTCs from advanced NSCLC patients. We identified an EpCAM+ CTC-specific expression profile in NSCLC patients mostly associated with cellular movement, cell adhesion and cell-to-cell signalling mediated by PI3K/AKT, ERK1/2 and NF-kB pathways. NOTCH1 emerged as a driver connecting active signalling pathways, with a reduced number of related candidate genes (NOTCH1, PTP4A3, LGALS3 and ITGB3) being further validated by RT-qPCR on an independent cohort of NSCLC patients. In addition, these markers demonstrated high prognostic value for Progression-Free Survival (PFS). In conclusion, molecular characterization of EpCAM+ CTCs from advanced NSCLC patients provided with highly specific biomarkers with potential applicability as a “liquid biopsy” for monitoring of NSCLC patients and confirmed NOTCH1 as a potential therapeutic target to block lung cancer dissemination.This work was funded by InveNNta (Innovation in Nanomedicine); Operational Programme for Cross-border Cooperation: Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Javier Mariscal is recipient of a fellowship from Escola de Doutoramento Internacional Campus Vida of the University of Santiago de Compostela. Laura Muinelo-Romay is supported by ISCIII as Responsible of the Liquid Biopsy Analysis UnitS