Masdevallia hortensis

Masdevallia hortensis is similar to most other species of Masdevallia subgenus Meleagris, it can be distinguished by the callus at the apex of the dorsal sepal and the revolute, white, lateral sepals with a red-purple mid vein. For a long time known only from the type locality where it became extinct by over-collecting, it has been recently rediscovered in two other nearby localities in the Cordillera Occidental in Antioquia and Risaralda, Colombia, where it grows as an epiphyte in shaded and very humid areas of the montane forests around 2600 m elevation.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Platystele colombiana

The relatively large flowers with long-cuadate sepals of Platystele colombiana are somewhat reminiscent of P. caudatisepala (C. Schweinf.) Garay, P. posadarum Luer & R. Escobar and P. baqueroi L. Jost & Iturralde. The new species is easily distinguished from those by the completely glandular-hirsute tepals, the very narrowly linear to acuminate petals that are about a third the width of the sepals, but almost the same in length (vs. tepals glabrous [only marginally hirsute in P. baqueroi], petals broader, at least half the width of the sepals, and less than half the length). Platystele speckmaieri Luer & Sijm is also superficially similar with its long-attenuate tepals, with sepals and petals similar in length. However, its flowers are glabrous, tepals are very narrowly caudate and the lip is broad below the middle and contracted apically.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Andinia pseudocaulescens

Andinia pseudocaulescens has a wide distribution and has been found on all three Cordilleras in Colombia as well as in Ecuador. It frequently grows together with other species of Andinia subgen. Brachycladium (Luer) Karremans & S.Vieira-Uribe, but can be rec ognized by the small plants with elliptical leaves that are margin ally ciliate, the burgundy fowers almost as big as the leaves, borne on short inforescences, with ovate, acuminate sepals, and trans versally bilobed, pubescent petals with narrowly oblong lobes.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Andinia chaoae

Descripción de Andinia chaoaeUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Phylogenetic analysis of Andinia (Pleurothallidinae; Orchidaceae) and a systematic re-circumscription of the genus

Most of the species studied in this paper have previously been placed in either Pleurothallis or Lepanthes. However, at one time or another, members of the group have also been placed in the genera Andinia, Brachycladium, Lueranthos, Masdevalliantha, Neooreophilus, Oreophilus, Penducella, Salpistele and Xenosia. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ITS and plastid matK sequences indicate that these species form a strongly supported clade that is only distantly related to Lepanthes and is distinct from Pleurothallis and Salpistele. Since this clade includes the type species of Andinia, A. dielsii, and it has taxonomic precedence over all other generic names belonging to this group, Andinia is re-circumscribed and expanded to include 72 species segregated into five subgenera: Aenigma, Andinia, Brachycladium, Masdevalliantha and Minuscula. The required taxonomic transfers are made herein. We hypothesize that convergent evolution towards a similar pollinator syndrome involving deceit pollination via pseudocopulation by Diptera resulted in a similar floral morphology between species of subgenus Brachycladium and species of Lepanthes; hence the prior placement of the species of subgenus Brachycladium in Lepanthes. Species of the re-circumscribed Andinia are confined exclusively to the Andes, ranging from about 1,200 to 3,800 m, from Colombia south to Bolivia, making the generic name very apt. Elevational distributions of the individual clades are discussed in relation to the possible evolutionary diversification of the most species-rich clade, subgenus Brachycladium.La mayoría de las especies aquí estudiadas han sido previamente incluidas ya sea en el género Pleurothallis o en Lepanthes. Sin embargo, en un momento u otro, miembros del grupo también han sido colocados en los géneros Andinia, Brachycladium, Lueranthos, Masdevalliantha, Neooreophilus, Oreophilus, Penducella, Salpistele y Xenosia. Análisis filogenéticos de secuencias de las regiones ITS y matK indican que estas especies forman un clado fuertemente soportado que está solo distantemente relacionado con Lepanthes y que es diferente de las especies de Pleurothallis y Salpistele. Ya que este clado incluye la especie tipo de Andinia, A. dielsii y que tiene precedencia taxonómica sobre los demás nombres genéricos que pertenecen al grupo, se re-circunscribe y expande el género Andinia para incluir 72 especies segregadas en cinco subgéneros: Aenigma, Andinia, Brachycladium, Masdevalliantha y Minuscula y se hacen las transferencias taxonómicas requeridas. Hipotetizamos que la evolución convergente hacia un síndrome de polinización similar que involucra la polinización por engaño por medio de la pseudocópula por Diptera, resultó en una morfología floral similar entre las especies del subgénero Brachycladium y las especies de Lepanthes; de ahí la ubicación previa de las especies del subgénero Brachycladium en Lepanthes. Las especies de Andinia están confinadas exclusivamente a los Andes, distribuidas aproximadamente desde 1200 m a 3800 m desde Colombia hasta Bolivia, haciendo del nombre genérico uno muy adequado. Se discuten las distribuciones altitudinales de los clados individuales en relación a la posible diversificacion evolutiva del clado con más especies, el cual corresponde al subgénero Brachycladium.Universidad de Costa Rica/[814-B1-239]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[814-B3-075]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels - Volume I.

Subtribe Pleurothallidinae is the largest and one of the most recently and intensely diversified groups in the Orchidaceae family. Estimates suggest that with a whopping 5500 species recognized today, pleurothallids represent about one fifth of all known orchids. They are endemic to the tropical forests of the new world, being one of its major floristic components. Those who have had the pleasure to set foot in a neotropical cloud forest have probably been amazed by the overwhelming diversity of Pleurothallidinae, both species and genera, that a single site can host. “Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels” is a tribute to the beauty and comlpexity of the most specious group of orchids on Earth. The unparalleled diversity of pleurothallids is showcased through color photographs here for the first time. This comprehensive treatment incorporates the most up-to-date classification of the subtribe, its genera and species, and is richly complemented by notes on taxonomy, morphology, distribution, ecology and pollination. Each volume includes a general introduction followed by specific generic treatments. This first volume features about 500 different species, across 17 of the 44 pleurothallid genera. It is generously illustrated with more than one thousand color photographs covering phylogenetic, morphological, ecological and geographical variation as best as possible. With an average of two thirds of the species in each genus featured, “Pleurothallids Neotropical Jewels” is an essential guide for anyone interested in Pleurothalliidinae, from the avid hobbyist to the highly specialized professional. This book is the physical expression of a decade of collecting, photographing and studying Pleurothallidinae by the authors. It has only been made possible thanks to the joint efforts of researchers and growers belonging to the pleurothallid community worldwide.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

The anglerfish Specklinia (Orchidaceae), an astonishing new species from the western Andes in Colombia

Se describe e ilustra una nueva especie de Specklinia perte- neciente al subgénero Acostaea de los Andes occidentales de Colombia. Specklinia caulophryne está relacionada con S. campylotyle, pero puede distinguirse fácilmente por el sépalo dorsal largo acuminado, los pétalos oblongos, ampliamente falcados y, especialmente, por tener en el labelo un callo basal delgado y largo, que es dorsalmente pubescente. Se corri- ge el nombre subgenérico para este grupo de especies.A new species of Specklinia belonging to subgenus Acostaea from the western Andes of Colombia is described and illustrated. Specklinia caulophryne is related to S. campylotyle but can be easily distinguished by the long acuminate dorsal sepal, the oblong, broadly falcate petals and especially in having a slender and long basal callus, that is dorsally pubescent, on the lip. The subgeneric name for this group of species is corrected.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL