Trans-equatorial migration and mixing in the wintering areas of a pelagic seabird

Despite increasing interest in long-distance migration, the wintering areas, migration corridors, and population mix in winter quarters of most pelagic marine predators are unknown. Here, we present the first study tracking migration movements of shearwaters through the non-breeding period. We used geolocators (global location sensing [GLS] units based on ambient light levels) to track 22 Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) breeding in three different areas. Most birds wintered in one or more of three relatively small areas, all clearly associated with major coastal upwelling systems of the tropical and south Atlantic. Trans-equatorial movements were dominated by prevailing trade winds and westerlies, while calm, oligotrophic areas were avoided. Breeding populations clearly differed in their preference amongst the three major wintering areas, but showed substantial mixing. This illustrates the exceptional value of GLS, not only for determining and describing the influence of oceanographic features on migration patterns, but also for assessing population mix in winter quarters. This knowledge is essential to understanding the impacts of population-level threats, such as longlining, offshore windfarms, and oil spills on multiple breeding sites, and will be critical in devising conservation policies that guarantee the sustainable exploitation of the oceans

Parental body condition does not correlate with offspring sex-ratio in Cory's shearwater

We analyzed offspring sex ratio variation in Mediterranean Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris d. diomedea) during two consecutive breeding seasons in two colonies. We test for differential breeding conditions between years and colonies looking at several breeding parameters and parental condition. We then explored the relationship between offspring sex ratio and parental condition and breeding parameters. This species is sexually dimorphic with males larger and heavier than females; consequently we expected differential parental cost in rearing sexes, or a greater sensitivity of male chicks to adverse conditions, which may lead to biased sex ratios. Chicks were sexed molecularly by the amplification of the CHD genes. Offspring sex ratio did not differ from parity, either at hatching or fledging, regardless of the colony or year. However, parental body condition and breeding parameters such as egg size and breeding success were different between years and colonies. Nevertheless, neither nestling mortality nor body condition at fledging varied between years or colonies, suggesting that male and female chicks were probably not differentially affected by variability in breeding conditions

Ecological and physiological variance in T-cell mediated immune response in Cory's shearwaters

T-cell mediated immune response (CMI) hasbeen widely studied in relation to individual andfitness components in birds. However, few studieshave simultaneously examined individual and socialfactors and habitat-mediated variance in theimmunity of chicks and adults from the samepopulation and in the same breeding season. Weinvestigated ecological and physiological variancein CMI of male and female nestlings and adults in abreeding population of Cory's Shearwaters(Calonectrisdiomedea) in theMediterranean Sea. Explanatory variables includedindividual traits (body condition, carbon andnitrogen stable isotope ratios, plasma totalproteins, triglycerides, uric acid, osmolarity,β-hydroxy-butyrate, erythrocyte meancorpuscular diameter, hematocrit, andhemoglobin) and burrow traits(temperature, isolation, and physicalstructure). During incubation, immune responseof adult males was significantly greater than thatof females. Nestlings exhibited a lower immuneresponse than adults. Ecological and physiologicalfactors affecting immune response differed betweenadults and nestlings. General linear models showedthat immune response in adult males was positivelyassociated with burrow isolation, suggesting thatmales breeding at higher densities suffer immunesystem suppression. In contrast, immune response inchicks was positively associated with bodycondition and plasma triglyceride levels.Therefore, adult immune response appears to beassociated with social stress, whereas a trade-offbetween immune function and fasting capability mayexist for nestlings. Our results, and those fromprevious studies, provide support for anasymmetrical influence of ecological andphysiological factors on the health of differentage and sex groups within a population, and for theimportance of simultaneously considering individualand population characteristics in intraspecificstudies of immune response

Noninsulin Antidiabetic Drugs for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Are We Respecting Their Contraindications?

Aim. To assess prescribing practices of noninsulin antidiabetic drugs (NIADs) in T2DM with several major contraindications according to prescribing information or clinical guidelines: renal failure, heart failure, liver dysfunction, or history of bladder cancer. Methods. Cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter study. Electronic medical records were retrieved from all T2DM subjects who attended primary care centers pertaining to the Catalan Health Institute in Catalonia in 2013 and were pharmacologically treated with any NIAD alone or in combination. Results. Records were retrieved from a total of 255,499 pharmacologically treated patients. 78% of patients with some degree of renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 mL/min) were treated with metformin and 31.2% with sulfonylureas. Even in the event of severe renal failure (GFR < 30 mL/min), 35.3% and 22.5% of patients were on metformin or sulfonylureas, respectively. Moreover, metformin was prescribed to more than 60% of patients with moderate or severe heart failure. Conclusion. Some NIADs, and in particular metformin, were frequently used in patients at high risk of complications when they were contraindicated. There is a need to increase awareness of potential inappropriate prescribing and to monitor the quality of prescribing patterns in order to help physicians and policymakers to yield better clinical outcomes in T2DM

Prevención de riesgos laborales en la maricultura artesanal de Ecuador.

La maricultura es un sector en desarrollo que está asociado a diversos riesgos de trabajar en el mar. En Ecuador no se ha realizado estudios exhaustivos de estos peligros, y existe una gran incertidumbre sobre su alcance. La pregunta que se abordó en esta investigación fue: ¿Qué se sabe sobre los riesgos ocupacionales para los maricultores artesanales? Mediante entrevistas abiertas y visitas realizadas a todas las Cooperativas de Pescadores Artesanales que se dedican a esta actividad se identificó y valoró los riesgos laborales utilizando el índice de riesgo de seguridad ocupacional.  En este análisis, las causas de muerte incluyen ahogamiento, y lesión cerebral fatal.; las causas de incapacidad se asocian con  lesiones dorsolumbares; las causas de lesiones graves incluyen caídas en la embarcación,  riesgos asociados al buceo, proyecciones de partículas a los ojos, cortes o abrasión en la piel, y enfermedades en la piel provocadas por la exposición prolongada a la radiación solar sin protección adecuada; y en las causas de lesiones moderadas se determinaron afecciones dermatológicas provocados por contacto directo con organismos acuáticos

Noninsulin Antidiabetic Drugs for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus : Are We Respecting Their Contraindications?

Aim. To assess prescribing practices of noninsulin antidiabetic drugs (NIADs) in T2DM with several major contraindications according to prescribing information or clinical guidelines: renal failure, heart failure, liver dysfunction, or history of bladder cancer. Methods. Cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter study. Electronic medical records were retrieved from all T2DM subjects who attended primary care centers pertaining to the Catalan Health Institute in Catalonia in 2013 and were pharmacologically treated with any NIAD alone or in combination. Results. Records were retrieved from a total of 255,499 pharmacologically treated patients. 78% of patients with some degree of renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 mL/min) were treated with metformin and 31.2% with sulfonylureas. Even in the event of severe renal failure (GFR < 30 mL/min), 35.3% and 22.5% of patients were on metformin or sulfonylureas, respectively. Moreover, metformin was prescribed to more than 60% of patients with moderate or severe heart failure. Conclusion. Some NIADs, and in particular metformin, were frequently used in patients at high risk of complications when they were contraindicated. There is a need to increase awareness of potential inappropriate prescribing and to monitor the quality of prescribing patterns in order to help physicians and policymakers to yield better clinical outcomes in T2DM

Control of occult hepatitis B virus infection

Background: The diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection requires HBV DNA testing and serologic testing for detection of the surface antigen (HBsAg) and the hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc). There is a population of patients with occult HBV infection (OBI), which is not detected by HBsAg or HBV DNA quantification in blood, despite the presence of active replication in the liver.Scope: This document provides a definition of OBI and describes the diagnostic techniques currently used. It also addresses the detection of patients with risk factors and the need for screening for OBI in these patients.Summary:Correct diagnosis of OBI prevents HBV reactivation and transmission. Diagnosis of OBI is based on the detection of HBV DNA in patients with undetectable HBsAg in blood.Perspectives: A high number of patients with OBI may remain undiagnosed; therefore, screening for OBI in patients with factor risks is essential. For a correct diagnosis of OBI, it is necessary that new markers such as ultrasensitive HBsAg are incorporated, and a more comprehensive marker study is performed by including markers such as cccDNA

Rol de juglas neotropica diels en la silvicultura urbana en la parroquia San Francisco del cantón Ibarra, provincia Imbabura

The present case study called "Role of Juglans neotropica Diels in urban forestry" was developed in the San Francisco parish of the city of Ibarra, in which the importance of the species in the sector was evaluated through decision-making instruments. information (surveys) and data collection of the trees with greater relevance and influence in the community, which allows analyzing the affectation of the unplanned urban part and of the civil infrastructure with the purpose of establishing corrective measures according to the criteria of forestry urban. For this study, the descriptive method was used since the description of the behavior of the walnut tree in the San Francisco parish in relation to the urban trees was carried out, in addition to the inductive method that allows analyzing the results of the current situation of the species and the community. With the results obtained, a proposal was raised that contributes to providing solutions to the problem of inadequate planning of this species on roads with power lines, for which it was proposed to plan an adequate management for the walnut species by applying urban woodland techniques, in the which contemplates the removal and replacement of individuals as well as maintenance and phytosanitary control that will contribute to the development of trees and the landscape beauty of the parish.El presente estudio de caso denominado "Rol del Juglans neotropica Diels en la silvicultura urbana" se desarrolló en la parroquia San Francisco de la ciudad de Ibarra en el cual se evaluó la importancia que tiene la especie en el sector a través de instrumentos de toma de información (encuestas) y recolección de datos de los árboles con mayor relevancia e influencia en la comunidad, que permita analizar la afectación de la parte urbana no planificada y de la infraestructura civil con el propósito de establecer medidas correctoras acorde a los criterios de la silvicultura urbana. Para este estudio se utilizó el método descriptivo ya que se realizó la descripción del comportamiento del nogal en la parroquia San Francisco en relación con el arbolado urbano, además del método inductivo que permite analizar resultados de la situación actual de la especie y de la comunidad. Con los resultados obtenidos se planteó una propuesta que contribuya a dar soluciones al problema de la inadecuada planificación de esta especie en las vías con tendido eléctrico, para ello se propuso planificar un adecuado manejo para la especie del nogal aplicando técnicas de arbolado urbano, en el cual contempla la remoción y reposición de individuos como también del mantenimiento y el control fitosanitario que contribuirán al desarrollo de los árboles y de la belleza paisajística de la parroquia

Evaluación de la capacidad de carga turística, como base del manejo sostenible para el campus Yuyucocha de la universidad técnica del norte

The load capacity of visits is of great value since it determines the value of people that supports the place in question, per day, week, month or year. This area may not necessarily be of a purely tourist nature, it may also be for educational purposes and connection with the community, which is what the Yuyucocha Campus represents, which is why it is important for the city of Ibarra considering that apart from helping educationally and in Scientific research also provides environmental services. For this reason, managing carrying capacity correctly is essential to maintain the balance that exists. In this work, variables such as physical load capacity, real load capacity and handling capacity will be analyzed, reflecting the current situation of the property and establishing interpretations that help mitigate possible risks of affection to the flora and fauna of the place, in In this context, the selected methodology was descriptive and inductive through the analysis and observation of reliable scientific documentation, to satisfy the objective set out in the investigation. The results will be presented in an interpretive manner in accordance with the pertinent work, highlighting some characteristics of the Campus and through these, arriving at a concrete and tentative proposal on the subject.La capacidad de carga de visitas es de gran valía dado que determina el valor de personas que soporta el lugar en cuestión, al día, semana, mes o año. Esta área no necesariamente puede ser de índole netamente turístico, puede ser también con fines educativos y vinculación con la comunidad, que es lo que representa el Campus Yuyucocha por lo cual es de importancia para la ciudad de Ibarra considerando que aparte de ayudar educativamente y en investigación científica también da servicios ambientales es por esta razón que manejar correctamente la capacidad de carga es esencial para mantener el equilibrio que existe. En este trabajo se analizarán variables como la capacidad de carga física, la capacidad de carga real y la capacidad de manejo, reflejando la situación actual del predio y estableciendo interpretativos que ayuden a mitigar posibles riesgos de afección a la flora y fauna del lugar, en este contexto la metodología seleccionada fue descriptiva e inductiva mediante el análisis y observación de documentación científica de confiabilidad, para satisfacer el objetivo planteado en la investigación. Los resultados se presentarán de manera interpretativa de acuerdo con el trabajo pertinente, sobresaltando algunas características del Campus y mediante éstos llegar a realizar una propuesta concreta y tentativa sobre el tema

A Collaborative Effort to Define Classification Criteria for ATM Variants in Hereditary Cancer Patients

Background Gene panel testing by massive parallel sequencing has increased the diagnostic yield but also the number of variants of uncertain significance. Clinical interpretation of genomic data requires expertise for each gene and disease. Heterozygous ATM pathogenic variants increase the risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer. For this reason, ATM is included in most hereditary cancer panels. It is a large gene, showing a high number of variants, most of them of uncertain significance. Hence, we initiated a collaborative effort to improve and standardize variant classification for the ATM gene. Methods Six independent laboratories collected information from 766 ATM variant carriers harboring 283 different variants. Data were submitted in a consensus template form, variant nomenclature and clinical information were curated, and monthly team conferences were established to review and adapt American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) criteria to ATM, which were used to classify 50 representative variants. Results Amid 283 different variants, 99 appeared more than once, 35 had differences in classification among laboratories. Refinement of ACMG/AMP criteria to ATM involved specification for twenty-one criteria and adjustment of strength for fourteen others. Afterwards, 50 variants carried by 254 index cases were classified with the established framework resulting in a consensus classification for all of them and a reduction in the number of variants of uncertain significance from 58% to 42%. Conclusions Our results highlight the relevance of data sharing and data curation by multidisciplinary experts to achieve improved variant classification that will eventually improve clinical management.FEDER funds-a way to build Europe PI19/00553 PI16/00563 PI16/01898 SAF2015-68016-RGeneralitat de Catalunya 2017SGR1282 2017SGR496CERCA Program: Government of CataloniaXunta de GaliciaInstituto de Salud Carlos III. AES PI19/00340Spanish Government SAF2016-80255-REuropean Commission EFA086/15Instituto de Salud Carlos III European Commissio