Valoración económica de los servicios ecológicos que prestan los murciélagos "Tadarida brasiliensis" como controladores de plagas en el norte de México

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo realizar una primera aproximación al valor económico del servicio ambiental que la subespecie de murciélagos "Tadarida brasiliensis" mexicana ofrece como controlador natural de plagas en el estado de Nuevo León. Se parte de un estudio de los hábitos alimentarios de la población que habita la Cueva de la Boca ubicada en Santiago, Nuevo León. Se identifican los insectos de la dieta que representan potenciales plagas agrícolas en la región. De acuerdo con información primaria y secundaria sobre la importancia económica de los cultivos de sorgo, maíz, cítricos y nuez en la zona de influencia y a la intensidad en la aplicación de compuestos químicos para el control de sus plagas, se estima el valor económico de este servicio ambiental en un rango entre $6.5 y$16.5 millones de pesos, con un valor promedio de $260 por hectárea para estos cultivos. Los resultados de este estudio podrán ser utilizados como herramienta de conservación para apoyar la protección de los ecosistemas alrededor de los sitios de percha, que además del control biológico de enfermedades y plagas aportan de manera integral otros importantes servicios ambientales.México, murciélagos, Monterrey, Nuevo León

Effect of comprehensive smoke-free legislation on the tourism industry in countries of the Caribbean Community

Objective. To assess whether the introduction of comprehensive smoke-free legislation affected tourism in four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries – Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Methods. We compared the evolution of three tourism variables – tourist arrivals, tourist expenditure, and aver- age length of stay – in a country implementing smoke-free environments (treated country) with the evolution of these variables in the same country if smoke-free legislation had not been implemented. We used a synthetic control method to recreate this counterfactual scenario by constructing a synthetic country using a weighted average of several donor-pool CARICOM countries that did not introduce legislation on smoke-free environ- ments during the period analyzed. We quantified the effect of the smoke-free environments on tourism as the difference between tourism variables in the treated and synthetic country. To assess whether the estimated effect of the smoke-free environments was the result of chance, we compared the effects of legislation in the treated country to placebo effects in the donor pool by assuming comprehensive smoke-free legislation was introduced in the same year as in the treated country. Results. Implementing smoke-free environments did not affect the arrival of tourists, tourism expenditure, or the average length of stay in the four countries. Conclusions. Our findings provide strong evidence that public policies banning smoking in public places do not affect hospitality and tourism businesses. Given the economic significance of this industry in the Carib- bean, the local evidence provided by this study will help to effectively counteract interference by the tobacco industry and advance towards a smoke-free Caribbean.Pan American Journal of Public Healt

Social Determinants of Health Predict Readmission Following Covid-19 Hospitalization: a Health information Exchange-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: Since February 2020, over 104 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, or COVID-19, with over 8.5 million reported in the state of Texas. This study analyzed social determinants of health as predictors for readmission among COVID-19 patients in Southeast Texas, United States. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted investigating demographic and clinical risk factors for 30, 60, and 90-day readmission outcomes among adult patients with a COVID-19-associated inpatient hospitalization encounter within a regional health information exchange between February 1, 2020, to December 1, 2022. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In this cohort of 91,007 adult patients with a COVID-19-associated hospitalization, over 21% were readmitted to the hospital within 90  days

CEO Compensation and Hospital Financial Performance

Growing interest in pay-for-performance and the level of CEO pay raises questions about the link between performance and compensation in the health sector. This study compares the compensation of non-profit hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in Ontario, Canada to the three longest reported and most used measures of hospital financial performance. Our sample consisted of 132 CEOs from 92 hospitals between 1999 and 2006. Unbalanced panel data were analyzed using fixed effects regression. Results suggest that CEO compensation was largely unrelated to hospital financial performance. Inflation-adjusted salaries appeared to increase over time independent of hospital performance, and hospital size was positively correlated with CEO compensation. The apparent upward trend in salary despite some declines in financial performance challenges the fundamental assumption underlying this paper, that is, financial performance is likely linked to CEO compensation in Ontario. Further research is needed to understand long-term performance related to compensation incentives

Extraction and characterization of mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica cultivated on hydroponic system

An interesting component of Opuntia ficus-indica is the mucilage for its properties and industrial uses. However, the great variability of its quantity and quality caused by different growing conditions, the hydroponic system is an alternative. The objective of the present study was cultivating 4 species of Mexican Nopal in a hydroponic system, extract and characterize the mucilage. The characterization consists of pH, ºBrix, colour, proximal analysis, phenols, antioxidant activity, crystallinity, and chemical bonding constituents. ‘Copena F1’ is the best alternative for production of biomass and mucilage. ‘Villanueva’ had high levels of phenols (1,311.83 mg GAE g-1), antioxidant capacity ABTS·+ (6,301.12 mg TE g-1) and FRAP (536.26 mg GAE g-1). A large amount of lipids (1.39%), and nitrogen-free extract (49.27%). The functional groups of the mucilage were identified (-OH, -CH, -CH2, -CH3, C=C, HCH, -CHO) and gypsum, cellulose, SiO2 CaSO4, C2H2K2O5, CaCO3 and CaH2 by X-ray diffraction. The hydroponic system is a viable alternative for production of nopal and mucilage of high-quality mucilage that can be used in several sectors of the industry

Morphology and thermal stability of alf3 on Cu(100) thin films

Se estudió el crecimiento de películas epitaxiales ultra-delgadas de fluoruro de aluminio en Cu (100) mediante una combinación de técnicas experimentales de física de superficies. La deposición a temperatura ambiente resulta en la decoración de escalones seguida por la formación de islas dendríticas bidimensionales que coalescen para formar películas porosas. Las películas ultra-delgadas (de hasta dos monocapas de espesor) resultan morfológicamente inestables al calentar; parte de la película deja de mojar la superficie del sustrato a alrededor de 430 K con la formación de islas tridimensionales y dejando expuesta un área extensa de la superficie de Cu. En cambio, películas de varios nanómetros de espesor son estables hasta temperaturas cercanas a los 730 K cuando ocurre la desorción molecular. El efecto de la irradiación electrónica también ha sido caracterizado mediante diferentes técnicas espectroscópicas; encontrando que incluso dosis de irradiación reducidas de electrones pueden producir una descomposición significativa del fluoruro de aluminio, resultando en la liberación de moléculas de flúor y la formación de aluminio metálico. Estas características hacen del fluoruro de aluminio un material interesante para aplicaciones en espintrónica.Fil: Ruano Sandoval, Gonzalo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Moreno López, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Passeggi, Mario Cesar Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Ricardo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Ferron, Julio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química (i); ArgentinaFil: Niño, M. A.. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: Miranda, R.. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; EspañaFil: de Miguel, J. J.. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Españ

Social determinants of health predict readmission following COVID-19 hospitalization: a health information exchange-based retrospective cohort study

IntroductionSince February 2020, over 104 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, or COVID-19, with over 8.5 million reported in the state of Texas. This study analyzed social determinants of health as predictors for readmission among COVID-19 patients in Southeast Texas, United States.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted investigating demographic and clinical risk factors for 30, 60, and 90-day readmission outcomes among adult patients with a COVID-19-associated inpatient hospitalization encounter within a regional health information exchange between February 1, 2020, to December 1, 2022.Results and discussionIn this cohort of 91,007 adult patients with a COVID-19-associated hospitalization, over 21% were readmitted to the hospital within 90  days (n = 19,679), and 13% were readmitted within 30  days (n = 11,912). In logistic regression analyses, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Asian patients were less likely to be readmitted within 90  days (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7–0.9, and aOR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.8–0.8), while non-Hispanic Black patients were more likely to be readmitted (aOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0–1.1, p = 0.002), compared to non-Hispanic White patients. Area deprivation index displayed a clear dose–response relationship to readmission: patients living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods were more likely to be readmitted within 30 (aOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0–1.2), 60 (aOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.2–1.2), and 90  days (aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1–1.2), compared to patients from the least disadvantaged neighborhoods. Our findings demonstrate the lasting impact of COVID-19, especially among members of marginalized communities, and the increasing burden of COVID-19 morbidity on the healthcare system

Optimal Timing for Cardiac Surgery in Infective Endocarditis with Neurological Complications: A Narrative Review

In patients with infective endocarditis and neurological complications, the optimal timing for cardiac surgery is unclear due to the varied risk of clinical deterioration when early surgery is performed. The aim of this review is to summarize the best evidence on the optimal timing for cardiac surgery in the presence of each type of neurological complication. An English literature search was carried out from June 2018 through July 2022. The resulting selection, comprising observational studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews and society guidelines, was organized into four sections according to the four groups of neurological complications: ischemic, hemorrhagic, infectious, and asymptomatic complications. Cardiac surgery could be performed without delay in cases of ischemic vascular neurological complication (provided the absence of severe damage, which can be avoided with the performance of mechanical thrombectomy in cases of major stroke), as well as infectious or asymptomatic complications. In the presence of intracranial hemorrhage, a delay of four weeks is recommended for most cases, although recent studies have suggested that performing cardiac surgery within four weeks could be a suitable option for selected cases. The findings of this review are mostly in line with the recommendations of the current European and American infective endocarditis guidelines

Glutaminase and MMP-9 downregulation in cortex and hippocampus of LPA1 receptor null mice correlate with altered dendritic spine plasticity

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is an extracellular lipid mediator that regulates nervous system development and functions acting through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Here we explore the crosstalk between LPA1 receptor and glutamatergic transmission by examining expression of glutaminase (GA) isoforms in different brain areas isolated from wild-type (WT) and KOLPA1 mice. Silencing of LPA1 receptor induced a severe down-regulation of Gls-encoded long glutaminase protein variant (KGA) (glutaminase gene encoding the kidney-type isoforms, GLS) protein expression in several brain regions, particularly in brain cortex and hippocampus. Immunohistochemical assessment of protein levels for the second type of glutaminase (GA) isoform, glutaminase gene encoding the liver-type isoforms (GLS2), did not detect substantial differences with regard to WT animals. The regional mRNA levels of GLS were determined by real time RT-PCR and did not show significant variations, except for prefrontal and motor cortex values which clearly diminished in KO mice. Total GA activity was also significantly reduced in prefrontal and motor cortex, but remained essentially unchanged in the hippocampus and rest of brain regions examined, suggesting activation of genetic compensatory mechanisms and/or post-translational modifications to compensate for KGA protein deficit. Remarkably, Golgi staining of hippocampal regions showed an altered morphology of glutamatergic pyramidal cells dendritic spines towards a less mature filopodia-like phenotype, as compared with WT littermates. This structural change correlated with a strong decrease of active matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of KOLPA1 mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that LPA signaling through LPA1 influence expression of the main isoenzyme of glutamate biosynthesis with strong repercussions on dendritic spines maturation, which may partially explain the cognitive and learning defects previously reported for this colony of KOLPA1 mice

Three novel and the common Arg677Ter RP1 protein truncating mutations causing autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa in a Spanish population

BACKGROUND: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of retinal degeneration disorders affecting the photoreceptor cells, is one of the leading causes of genetic blindness. Mutations in the photoreceptor-specific gene RP1 account for 3–10% of cases of autosomal dominant RP (adRP). Most of these mutations are clustered in a 500 bp region of exon 4 of RP1. METHODS: Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis and direct genomic sequencing were used to evaluate the 5' coding region of exon 4 of the RP1 gene for mutations in 150 unrelated index adRP patients. Ophthalmic and electrophysiological examination of RP patients and relatives according to pre-existing protocols were carried out. RESULTS: Three novel disease-causing mutations in RP1 were detected: Q686X, K705fsX712 and K722fsX737, predicting truncated proteins. One novel missense mutation, Thr752Met, was detected in one family but the mutation does not co-segregate in the family, thereby excluding this amino acid variation in the protein as a cause of the disease. We found the Arg677Ter mutation, previously reported in other populations, in two independent families, confirming that this mutation is also present in a Spanish population. CONCLUSION: Most of the mutations reported in the RP1 gene associated with adRP are expected to encode mutant truncated proteins that are approximately one third or half of the size of wild type protein. Patients with mutations in RP1 showed mild RP with variability in phenotype severity. We also observed several cases of non-penetrant mutations