Human appropriation of primary production in the Dry Chaco

El Chaco Seco experimenta altas tasas de deforestación y transformación productiva. Estimamos la magnitud de la apropiación humana de la productividad primaria neta (PPN) aérea de esta región por vías directas (producción ganadera, forestal y agrícola) e indirectas (fuego), su distribución regional, su relación con variables climáticas y socioeconómicas y sus contrastes entre vegetación natural, pasturas y cultivos. Para 69 departamentos se utilizaron datos censales, climáticos y satelitales (período 2002-2006) a partir de los que se estimó la PPN aérea con modelos climáticos, la apropiación de forraje por ganadería con datos de stock animal y modelos metabólicos, la apropiación de productos agrícolas y forestales con estadísticas nacionales y apropiación indirecta de biomasa por fuego a partir sensores remotos. La ganadería, desarrollada bajo vegetación natural y pasturas (90.9% del área), involucró una apropiación de 248 kgMS.ha-1.año-1, y aumentó en departamentos con mayor fracción de pasturas, ganado agrupado en rodeos más grandes y menores niveles de pobreza. La apropiación forestal, desarrollada bajo vegetación natural (88.7%), alcanzó 64 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 representados predominantemente por carbón vegetal y leña, y fue mayor en departamentos de clima más húmedo. En la fracción agrícola del territorio (6.3%), la apropiación directa trepó a 2293 kgMS.ha-1.año-1, representada principalmente por grano de soja y maíz. La apropiación indirecta por fuego promedió 746 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 para todo el territorio. Este flujo estuvo positivamente asociado a la tasa de desmonte, ascendiendo de ~450 a >2000 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 al pasar de departamentos con mínimo a máximo desmonte. En la actualidad, la baja apropiación de la PPN de la vegetación natural del Chaco Seco constituye un incentivo para su reemplazo por pasturas y cultivos anuales. Una actividad ganadera y/o forestal más eficiente en los bosques representa un desafío tecnológico y político prioritario capaz de reconciliar la producción y la conservación en esta región.The Dry Chaco undergoes high rates of deforestation and productive transformation. Here we estimate human appropriation of net aboveground primary productivity (NPP) for this region, both through direct (livestock, logging, and agricultural production) and indirect pathways (burning), and present their regional distributions and their association with climatic and socioeconomic variables and their contrast between natural vegetation, pastures and crops. For all the 69 counties encompassed by the region we collected productive and climatic statistics and remote sensing data (2002-2006 period). We estimated aboveground NPP based on existing climatic models, forage appropriation based on livestock statistics and metabolic models, forest and agricultural product appropriation using national statistics, and indirect appropriation or consumption by fires based on remote sensing information. Livestock production, based on natural vegetation and pastures (90.9% of the area) appropriated 248 kgDM.ha-1.yr- 1 , increasing in counties with larger pasture proportion, cattle grouped in large herds, and lower poverty levels. The appropriation of forest products, restricted natural vegetation (88.7% of the area), reached 64 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1, represented predominantly by charcoal and firewood, increasing in more humid counties. In the agricultural fraction of the territory (6.3% of the area), direct appropriation reached 2293 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1, represented mainly by soy and corn grain. The indirect appropriation of NPP through fires averaged 746 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1 for the whole territory. This flux was positively associated to the rate of deforestation, climbing from ~450 to >2000 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1 from counties with minimum to maximum deforestation rates. Currently, the low direct appropriation of NPP under natural vegetation in the Dry Chaco involves a strong incentive for its replacement with pastures and annual crops. More efficient livestock and forestry activities in these forest ecosystems represent a technological challenge and a policy making priority capable of reconciling production and conservation in the region.Fil: Rueda, Carla Vanezza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Baldi, Germán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Verón, Santiago Ramón. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Clima y Agua; ArgentinaFil: Jobbagy Gampel, Esteban Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis; Argentin

Are allergic diseases and internalizing and externalizing behaviours in children related? A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The prevalence of allergies in children has grown in last few decades. Allergies are very often associated with physical, mental, and emotional problems that could be detected through child’s behaviour and feelings

The relationship between allergic diseases and internalising and externalising behaviours in Spanish children: a cross-sectional study

Introduction and objectives: the relationship between allergic diseases and behavioural disorders is still unclear. The objective of this study is to describe and compare children’s behaviour (internalising and externalising) across a sample of children between 6 and 11-years-old with and without allergic diseases. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional, observational case-control study that comprises a survey of 366 families (194 cases and 172 controls) including a Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and a sociodemographic questionnaire with questions related to family, school education, health conditions, and allergy symptoms was administered. Results: children with a diagnosis of allergy showed higher scores in the overall CBCL score (standardised mean differences [SMD] = 0.47; CI: 0.26–0.68) and in the internalising and externalising factors (SMD = 0.52 and SMD = 0.36, respectively) than non-allergic children. Odds ratio analyses showed a higher risk (OR = 2.76; CI 95% [1.61 to 4.72]) of developing a behavioural difficulty in children diagnosed with allergies. Age and level of asthma appears as modulatory variables. Conclusions: children diagnosed with allergies at age 6 to 11 years show larger behavioural problems than non-allergic children, especially in internalising behaviours. These findings suggest the importance of attending to them and treating them in the early stages of the diagnosis to avoid future psychological disorders

Apropiación humana de la producción primaria en el Chaco Seco

El Chaco Seco experimenta altas tasas de deforestación y transformación productiva. Estimamos la magnitud de la apropiación humana de la productividad primaria neta (PPN) aérea de esta región por vías directas (producción ganadera, forestal y agrícola) e indirectas (fuego), su distribución regional, su relación con variables climáticas y socioeconómicas y sus contrastes entre vegetación natural, pasturas y cultivos. Para 69 departamentos se utilizaron datos censales, climáticos y satelitales (período 2002-2006) a partir de los que se estimó la PPN aérea con modelos climáticos, la apropiación de forraje por ganadería con datos de stock animal y modelos metabólicos, la apropiación de productos agrícolas y forestales con estadísticas nacionales y apropiación indirecta de biomasa por fuego a partir sensores remotos. La ganadería, desarrollada bajo vegetación natural y pasturas (90.9% del área), involucró una apropiación de 248 kgMS.ha-1.año-1, y aumentó en departamentos con mayor fracción de pasturas, ganado agrupado en rodeos más grandes y menores niveles de pobreza. La apropiación forestal, desarrollada bajo vegetación natural (88.7%), alcanzó 64 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 representados predominantemente por carbón vegetal y leña, y fue mayor en departamentos de clima más húmedo. En la fracción agrícola del territorio (6.3%), la apropiación directa trepó a 2293 kgMS.ha-1.año-1, representada principalmente por grano de soja y maíz. La apropiación indirecta por fuego promedió 746 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 para todo el territorio. Este flujo estuvo positivamente asociado a la tasa de desmonte, ascendiendo de -450 a >2000 kgMS.ha-1.año-1 al pasar de departamentos con mínimo a máximo desmonte. En la actualidad, la baja apropiación de la PPN de la vegetación natural del Chaco Seco constituye un incentivo para su reemplazo por pasturas y cultivos anuales. Una actividad ganadera y/o forestal más eficiente en los bosques representa un desafío tecnológico y político prioritario capaz de reconciliar la producción y la conservación en esta región.The Dry Chaco undergoes high rates of deforestation and productive transformation. Here we estimate human appropriation of net aboveground primary productivity (NPP) for this region, both through direct (livestock, logging, and agricultural production) and indirect pathways (burning), and present their regional distributions and their association with climatic and socioeconomic variables and their contrast between natural vegetation, pastures and crops. For all the 69 counties encompassed by the region we collected productive and climatic statistics and remote sensing data (2002-2006 period). We estimated aboveground NPP based on existing climatic models, forage appropriation based on livestock statistics and metabolic models, forest and agricultural product appropriation using national statistics, and indirect appropriation or consumption by fires based on remote sensing information. Livestock production, based on natural vegetation and pastures (90.9% of the area) appropriated 248 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1, increasing in counties with larger pasture proportion, cattle grouped in large herds, and lower poverty levels. The appropriation of forest products, restricted natural vegetation (88.7% of the area), reached 64 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1, represented predominantly by charcoal and firewood, increasing in more humid counties. In the agricultural fraction of the territory (6.3% of the area), direct appropriation reached 2293 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1, represented mainly by soy and corn grain. The indirect appropriation of NPP through fires averaged 746 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1 for the whole territory. This flux was positively associated to the rate of deforestation, climbing from ~450 to >2000 kgDM.ha-1.yr-1 from counties with minimum to maximum deforestation rates. Currently, the low direct appropriation of NPP under natural vegetation in the Dry Chaco involves a strong incentive for its replacement with pastures and annual crops. More efficient livestock and forestry activities in these forest ecosystems represent a technological challenge and a policy making priority capable of reconciling production and conservation in the region.Instituto de Clima y AguaFil: Rueda, Carla V. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Fil: Rueda, Carla V. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Fil: Rueda, Carla V. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Baldi, Germán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Veron, Santiago Ramón. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Clima y Agua; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires.Fil: Jobbagy, Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis. Instituto de Matemática Aplicada de San Luis. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentin

Risk factors and bronchopulmonary dysplasia severity: data from the Spanish Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Research Network

GEIDIS is a national-based research-net registry of patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) from public and private Spanish hospitals. It was created to provide data on the clinical characterization and follow-up of infants with BPD until adulthood. The purpose of this observational study was to analyze the characteristics and the impact of perinatal risk factors on BPD severity. The study included 1755 preterm patients diagnosed with BPD. Of the total sample, 90.6% (n = 1591) were less than 30 weeks of gestation. The median gestational age was 27.1 weeks (25.8–28.5) and median birth weight 885 g (740–1,070 g). A total of 52.5% (n = 922) were classified as mild (type 1), 25.3% (n = 444) were moderate (type 2), and 22.2% (n = 389) were severe BPD (type 3). In patients born at under 30 weeks’ gestation, most pre-and postnatal risk factors for type 2/3 BPD were associated with the length of exposure to mechanical ventilation (MV). Independent prenatal risk factors were male gender, oligohydramnios, and intrauterine growth restriction. Postnatal risk factors included the need for FiO 2 of > 0.30 in the delivery room, nosocomial pneumonia, and the length of exposure to MV. Conclusion: In this national-based research-net registry of BPD patients, the length of MV is the most important risk factor associated with type 2/3 BPD. Among type 3 BPD patients, those who required an FiO2 > .30 at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age had a higher morbidity, during hospitalization and at discharge, compared to those with nasal positive pressure but FiO2 < .30

Prevalence and Geographic Variations in Asthma Symptoms in Children and Adolescents in Galicia (Spain)

[Resumen] Objetivos. Determinar la prevalencia y variaciones geográficas de síntomas relacionados con asma en niños y adolescentes gallegos. Población y métodos. Estudio transversal según la metodología ISAAC (Internacional Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) mediante cuestionario escrito distribuido en el medio escolar. Se incluyeron 10.371 niños de 6-7 años y 10.372 adolescentes de 13-14 años de todas las Áreas Sanitarias de Galicia. Se analizaron las variaciones geográficas mediante un modelo de regresión logística. Resultados. Las sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses oscilaron en los pequeños, del 11,4 (Santiago) al 15,7% (Vigo) y en los adolescentes del 8,8 (Ourense) al 18,8% (Vigo). Según el género se observó una mayor frecuencia en varones de 6-7 años (p < 0,001) y con tendencia a la significación estadística en las chicas de 13-14 años (p = 0,08). El riesgo (Odds ratio [OR]) de sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses, en el área de mayor prevalencia con respecto a la de menor, fue 1,45 (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 1,12-1,88) en niños y 2,39 (IC 95%: 1,82-3,13) en adolescentes. La prevalencia de asma estimada para Galicia fue de 13,6% en niños y 12,2% en adolescentes. Conclusiones. La prevalencia de sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses en las diferentes áreas gallegas es sensiblemente superior al resto de ciudades españolas participantes en el ISAAC en los pequeños, siendo muy similar en los adolescentes, salvo en Vigo donde es sensiblemente superior. Encontramos un patrón geográfico muy definido en los adolescentes, siendo mayores las prevalencias en la costa que en el interior.[Abstract] Objectives. To determine the prevalence and geographic variations of the symptoms associated with asthma in Galician children and adolescents. Population and methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study following ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) methodology, and using a written questionnaire distributed in schools. The study sample included 10,371 6-7 year-old children and 10,372 13-14 year-old adolescents, all of them from Galician Health Areas. A logistic regression model was used to analyse geographic variations. Results. In the 6-7 year-old group, wheezing in the last 12 months varied from 11.4% (Santiago) to 15.7% (Vigo) and in the adolescents varied from 8.8% (Ourense) to 18.8% (Vigo). The distribution by gender showed a predominant significance in 6-7 year-old males (P < .001), and near to be statistically significant in 13-14 year-old females (P = .08). The risk (odds ratio [OR]) of wheezing in the last 12 months in the area with highest prevalence in comparison with the area of lowest prevalence was 1.45 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.12-1.88) for children and 2.39 (95% CI, 1.82-3.13) for adolescents. The estimated prevalence of asthma in the Autonomous Community of Galicia was 13.6% in younger children and 12.2% in adolescents. Conclusions. The prevalence of wheezing in the last 12 months in the different areas of Galicia is considerably higher than the rest of Spanish ISAAC cities in the 6-7 years group and very similar in the 13-14 years group, except in Vigo where it is considerably higher. We found a clearly defined geographic pattern in the adolescent group, with higher prevalences in coastal areas than in the interior

Importancia de la ruta de señalización JAK/STAT en la sepsis

El transductor de señal Janus-Kinasa y la vía de activación de la transcripción conocida como JAK/STAT es una ruta de señalización principal para la transducción de información en muchas citocinas inflamatorias implicadas durante la sepsis. Se ha demostrado que la vía JAK/STAT está fuertemente relacionada con el fallo multiorgánico, además que muchas citocinas pueden ejercer sus efectos biológicos a través de esta ruta. En los últimos años, se ha logrado un progreso significativo en la comprensión de las funciones de este complejo, sin embargo, su rol en la sepsis como objetivo terapéutico permanece en experimentación. En esta revisión se describen las funciones específicas de la vía JAK/STAT, su rol en la sepsis y presentamos un enfoque traslacional respecto a la perspectiva terapéutica para inhibir esta ruta de señalización durante la sepsis y su interacción con enfermedades inflamatorias como la COVID-19

Prevalencia de síntomas de asma en los niños y adolescentes de la Comunidad Autónoma de Galicia (España) y sus variaciones geográficas

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and geographic variations of the symptoms associated with asthma in Galician children and adolescents. POPULATION AND METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study following ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) methodology, and using a written questionnaire distributed in schools. The study sample included 10,371 6-7 year-old children and 10,372 13-14 year-old adolescents, all of them from Galician Health Areas. A logistic regression model was used to analyse geographic variations. RESULTS: In the 6-7 year-old group, wheezing in the last 12 months varied from 11.4% (Santiago) to 15.7% (Vigo) and in the adolescents varied from 8.8% (Ourense) to 18.8% (Vigo). The distribution by gender showed a predominant significance in 6-7 year-old males (P<.001), and near to be statistically significant in 13-14 year-old females (P=.08). The risk (odds ratio [OR]) of wheezing in the last 12 months in the area with highest prevalence in comparison with the area of lowest prevalence was 1.45 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.12-1.88) for children and 2.39 (95% CI, 1.82-3.13) for adolescents. The estimated prevalence of asthma in the Autonomous Community of Galicia was 13.6% in younger children and 12.2% in adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of wheezing in the last 12 months in the different areas of Galicia is considerably higher than the rest of Spanish ISAAC cities in the 6-7 years group and very similar in the 13-14 years group, except in Vigo where it is considerably higher. We found a clearly defined geographic pattern in the adolescent group, with higher prevalences in coastal areas than in the interior

Regulatory sites for splicing in human basal ganglia are enriched for disease-relevant information

Genome-wide association studies have generated an increasing number of common genetic variants associated with neurological and psychiatric disease risk. An improved understanding of the genetic control of gene expression in human brain is vital considering this is the likely modus operandum for many causal variants. However, human brain sampling complexities limit the explanatory power of brain-related expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and allele-specific expression (ASE) signals. We address this, using paired genomic and transcriptomic data from putamen and substantia nigra from 117 human brains, interrogating regulation at different RNA processing stages and uncovering novel transcripts. We identify disease-relevant regulatory loci, find that splicing eQTLs are enriched for regulatory information of neuron-specific genes, that ASEs provide cell-specific regulatory information with evidence for cellular specificity, and that incomplete annotation of the brain transcriptome limits interpretation of risk loci for neuropsychiatric disease. This resource of regulatory data is accessible through our web server, http://braineacv2.inf.um.es/

Identification of novel risk loci, causal insights, and heritable risk for Parkinson's disease: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Parkinson's disease have increased the scope of biological knowledge about the disease over the past decade. We aimed to use the largest aggregate of GWAS data to identify novel risk loci and gain further insight into the causes of Parkinson's disease. Methods We did a meta-analysis of 17 datasets from Parkinson's disease GWAS available from European ancestry samples to nominate novel loci for disease risk. These datasets incorporated all available data. We then used these data to estimate heritable risk and develop predictive models of this heritability. We also used large gene expression and methylation resources to examine possible functional consequences as well as tissue, cell type, and biological pathway enrichments for the identified risk factors. Additionally, we examined shared genetic risk between Parkinson's disease and other phenotypes of interest via genetic correlations followed by Mendelian randomisation. Findings Between Oct 1, 2017, and Aug 9, 2018, we analysed 7·8 million single nucleotide polymorphisms in 37 688 cases, 18 618 UK Biobank proxy-cases (ie, individuals who do not have Parkinson's disease but have a first degree relative that does), and 1·4 million controls. We identified 90 independent genome-wide significant risk signals across 78 genomic regions, including 38 novel independent risk signals in 37 loci. These 90 variants explained 16–36% of the heritable risk of Parkinson's disease depending on prevalence. Integrating methylation and expression data within a Mendelian randomisation framework identified putatively associated genes at 70 risk signals underlying GWAS loci for follow-up functional studies. Tissue-specific expression enrichment analyses suggested Parkinson's disease loci were heavily brain-enriched, with specific neuronal cell types being implicated from single cell data. We found significant genetic correlations with brain volumes (false discovery rate-adjusted p=0·0035 for intracranial volume, p=0·024 for putamen volume), smoking status (p=0·024), and educational attainment (p=0·038). Mendelian randomisation between cognitive performance and Parkinson's disease risk showed a robust association (p=8·00 × 10−7). Interpretation These data provide the most comprehensive survey of genetic risk within Parkinson's disease to date, to the best of our knowledge, by revealing many additional Parkinson's disease risk loci, providing a biological context for these risk factors, and showing that a considerable genetic component of this disease remains unidentified. These associations derived from European ancestry datasets will need to be followed-up with more diverse data. Funding The National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (USA), The Michael J Fox Foundation, and The Parkinson's Foundation (see appendix for full list of funding sources)