Contribución al conocimiento florístico de las Sierras de Algeciras (Cádiz, España)

Se relaciona un total de 745 taxones para 1as sierras cercanas a la población de Algeciras (Cádiz), de las que se indica su distribución en la zona, abundancia y época de floración.A number of 745 taxa are indicated from mountains near Algeciras (Cádiz), with distribution in this area, abundance and flowering date

Ethyl-cellulose rumen-protected methionine alleviates inflammation and oxidative stress and improves neutrophil function during the periparturient period and early lactation in Holstein dairy cows.

The periparturient period is the most critical phase in the productive cycle of dairy cows and is characterized by impairment of the immune system. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of feeding ethyl-cellulose rumen-protected methionine (RPM) starting at d -28 from expected parturition through 60 d in milk on biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and liver function as well as leukocyte function. Sixty multiparous Holstein cows were used in a block design and assigned to either a control or the control plus ethyl-cellulose RPM (Mepron, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH). Mepron was supplied from -28 to 60 d in milk at a rate of 0.09% and 0.10% dry matter during the prepartum and postpartum period. That rate ensured that the ratio of Lys to Met in the metabolizable protein was close to 2.8:1. Blood samples from 15 clinically healthy cows per treatment were collected at d -30, -14, 1, 7, 21, 30, and 60 and analyzed for biomarkers of liver function, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Neutrophil and monocyte function in whole blood was measured in vitro at -14, 1, 7, 21, and 30 d in milk. The statistical model included the random effect of block and fixed effect of treatment, time, and its interaction. Compared with control, ethyl-cellulose RPM increased plasma cholesterol and paraoxonase after parturition. Among the inflammation biomarkers measured, ethyl-cellulose RPM led to greater albumin (negative acute-phase protein) and lower haptoglobin than control cows. Although concentration of IL-1β was not affected by treatments, greater IL-6 concentration was detected in response to ethyl-cellulose RPM. Cows supplemented with ethyl-cellulose RPM had greater plasma concentration of ferric-reducing antioxidant power, β-carotene, tocopherol, and total and reduced glutathione, whereas reactive oxygen metabolites were lower compared with control cows. Compared with control, ethyl-cellulose RPM enhanced neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst. Overall, the results indicate that ethyl-cellulose RPM supply to obtain a Lys-to-Met ratio of 2.8:1 in the metabolizable protein during the periparturient period and early lactation is an effective approach to help mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation as well as enhance liver and neutrophil function in dairy cows

Doubly Periodic Instanton Zero Modes

Fermionic zero modes associated with doubly periodic SU(2) instantons of unit charge are considered. In cases where the action density exhibits two `instanton cores' the zero mode peaks on one of four line-segments joining the two constituents. Which of the four possibilities is realised depends on the fermionic boundary conditions; doubly periodic, doubly anti-periodic or mixed.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Autonomic adaptation after traditional and reverse swimming training periodizations

The objective of the present study was to analyze the autonomic response of trained swimmers to traditional and reverse training periodization models. Seventeen swimmers were divided in two groups, performing a traditional periodization (TPG) or a reverse periodization (RPG) during a period of 10 weeks. Heart rate variability and 50 m swimming performance were analyzed before and after the training programs. After training, the TPG decreased the values of the high frequency band (HF), the number of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals longer than 50 ms (NN50) and the percentage of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals more than 50 ms (pNN50), and the RPG increased the values of HF and square root of the mean of the sum of the squared differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals (RMSSD). None of the groups improved significantly their performance in the 50-m test. The autonomic response of swimmers was different depending on the periodization performed, with the reverse periodization model leading to higher autonomic adaption. Complementary, the data suggests that autonomic adaptations were not critical for the 50-m swimming performance

Feasibility and effects of enhanced recovery vs. conventional care after emergency colon surgery for patients with left colon perforation

The impact of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programme in emergency colorectal surgery has not yet been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the results of patients included in an ERAS protocol following emergency colon surgery for left colon perforation. For this purpose, patients with a low to moderate risk of mortality, according to a Peritonitis Severity Score (PSS), and treated with an ERAS protocol (ERAS group) after emergency surgery for left colon perforation were compared for a period of 40 months (March 2014–June 2017) with a control group of patients treated with conventional care (CC group) during the 38 months prior to implementation of the new ERAS protocol (January 2011–February 2014). The main endpoint was 90-day postoperative morbidity according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. Secondary endpoints included length of postoperative hospital stay, 90-day readmission rate, protocol compliance and mortality. Fifty patients were included in the study, 29 in the ERAS group and 21 in the CC group. There were no significant differences between the groups in the demographic data or in the operative characteristics. A reduction in the incidence of postoperative complications (20.7% vs. 38%; p > 0.05) and in the postoperative hospital stay (7.7 + /- 3.85 vs. 10.9 + /- 5.6 days; p = 0.009) were observed in the ERAS group. The 90-day readmission rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (2 vs. 1). No 90-day mortality was observed in either group. The ERAS group showed better results than the CC group in protocol compliance. We conclude that ERAS protocols are feasible and help to reduce morbidity and length of hospital stay without adversely affecting the rate of readmission or mortality

Reticulo-rumen mass, epithelium gene expression, and systemic biomarkers of metabolism and inflammation in Holstein dairy cows fed a high-energy diet

Feeding a higher-energy diet by increasing cereal grains at the expense of forage during the last 3 to 4 wk prepartum is a traditional approach to help the rumen "adapt" to the traditional diets fed at the onset of lactation. Increasing grain/concentrate in the diet changes ruminal fermentation and in sheep and goats elicits marked changes in mRNA expression of immune-related genes in ruminal epithelium. Whether such changes at the epithelial and systemic levels occur in dairy cows when the dietary energy content increases at a fixed level of concentrate is unknown. Fourteen nonpregnant, nonlactating Holstein cows were fed a control lower-energy (CON, 1.30 Mcal/kg of dry matter) diet to meet 100% of estimated nutrient requirements for 3 wk, after which half of the cows were assigned to a higher-energy diet (OVE, 1.60 Mcal/kg of dry matter) and half of the cows continued on CON for 6 wk. Levels of forage and concentrate for CON and OVE were 80 and 79% and 20 and 21%, respectively. Plasma samples were collected 1 d before slaughter to examine biomarkers of metabolism, liver function, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The reticulo-rumen mass was recorded at slaughter, and samples of epithelium were harvested from all cows. The expression of 29 genes associated with tight junctions, immune function, and nutrient transport (volatile fatty acids, urea, and trace minerals) was examined. Overfeeding energy led to consistently greater dry matter intake over time, and lowered plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, paraoxonase, bilirubin, fatty acids, and myeloperoxidase (secreted by neutrophils). In contrast, OVE resulted in greater hydroxybutyrate and cholesterol concentrations. A greater reticulo-rumen mass in cows fed OVE did not alter genes associated with tight junctions (CDLN1, CDNL4, OCLN, TJP1), immune function (IL1B, IL10, NFKB1, TLR2, TLR4, TNF), oxidative stress (SOD1, SOD2), or most nutrient transporters. However, feeding OVE upregulated the acute-phase protein SAA3 by 3.5-fold and downregulated a volatile fatty acid transporter (SLC16A1) and a Fe and Cu transporter (SLC11A2). The lack of effect on mRNA expression along with lower plasma concentrations of inflammation biomarkers indicates that long-term intake of a higher-energy diet ad libitum was not detrimental to ruminal epithelium integrity. In that context, a protective function of SAA3 could be envisioned with a role in opsonizing gram-negative bacteria that produce endotoxins. The long-term control of volatile fatty acid absorption and trace minerals from the rumen in cows overfed energy does not seem to be controlled at the gene transcription level. The relevance of these findings to the nutritional management of pregnant dry cows merits further research