Ecological considerations on a population of Lycium athium (Solanaceae) and extention of its distribution area

Lycium athium (Solanaceae) ha sido descripta como una especie endémica de la provincia de Formosa con muy pocos ejemplares citados a la fecha. Se cita por primera vez una población nativa para la provincia argentina de Santiago del Estero, lo que amplía su área de distribución y sugiere que podría extenderse a Paraguay. Nuevas colectas son necesarias para conocer su estatus en la naturaleza. Asimismo, se realizan contribuciones sobre las características de la población y de su hábitat. La población fue encontrada en la región del interfluvio de los ríos Dulce-Salado, tanto en sitios de vegetación arbustiva como de bosque. Se realizó un estudio comparativo entre ambos sitios. Para la caracterización de la población se tuvieron en cuenta las siguientes variables: densidad de la población, altura media de los individuos, abundancia y cobertura absolutas y relativas a las leñosas arbustivas, y patrón de distribución espacial. Para caracterizar el hábitat se determinó salinidad y acidez/alcalinidad del suelo y la diversidad de especies leñosas y suculentas de cada comunidad. L. athium se encontró en suelos con elevada salinidad tanto en sitios con arbustivas halófilas como en áreas abiertas dentro del bosque, aunque estuvo mejor representada en el arbustal. Presentó un patrón de distribución espacial agregado en ambiente de arbustal y aleatorio en bosque. En ambos casos se presentó como una especie dominante en los estratos arbustivos bajos. La composición y diversidad de especies en ambos sitios fue la esperada para el tipo de ambiente dentro de la región.. L. athium has been described as endemic to Formosa province with very few specimens cited to date. Cited for the first time a native population for Santiago del Estero Argentina province, extending its range and suggests that it could be extended to Paraguay. New collections are necessary to know its status in the wild. It also contributions on the characteristics of the population and its habitat are made. The population was found in the interfluve Dulce-Salado Rivers, both shrub vegetation and forest. A comparative study was performed between both sites. Population density, average height of individuals, absolute and relative abundance, cover, and spatial distribution pattern were taken into account. Salinity, acidity / alkalinity of the soil and diversity of woody and succulent species were determined. L. athium was found in soils with high salinity both sites halophytic shrub and open areas within the forest, although it was best represented in the scrub. It presented a spatial distribution pattern added in shrubland and random in forest. In both cases it was presented as a dominant species in the low shrub strata. The composition and diversity of species at both sites was expected for the type of environment within the region. In both cases it was presented as a dominant species in the low shrub strata. The composition and species diversity at both sites was expected for the type of environment in the region.Fil: Figueroa, María Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Instituto de Silvicultura y Manejo de Bosques; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Ana Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Instituto de Silvicultura y Manejo de Bosques; Argentin

Quantification and qualification of dead wood in a forest of Semiarid Chaco

Las evaluaciones cualitativas y cuantitativas del material biológico muerto son utilizadas en los inventarios forestales, dado que juegan un papel clave en el ciclo de nutrientes y agua, constituyendo un verdadero indicador de biodiversidad, reserva de carbono y sustrato. El objetivo del trabajo fue cuantificar, calificar y evaluar el volumen y grado de deterioro de la madera muerta en un bosque bajo clausura de 20 años del Chaco Semiárido. El estudio se realizó en Quimilí Paso, Departamento Salavina, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Sobre la base de un inventario forestal estratificado, se determinó las existencias del sitio mediante parcelas rectangulares de 10x100m. Se estudió la madera muerta en base a: calificación según posición en el terreno (árboles muertos en pie, troncos caídos y tocones) y diámetro del leño (grueso diámetro>2,5cm; fino diámetro2.5 cm, slim when diameter <2.5 cm, standing dead trees diameter and stump diameter); and quantification from the volume of firewood, and determination of the deterioration extent based on 5 states (I, bark keeps fixed; II, bark peels and remains 50%; III, bark peels but remains less than 50%; IV, without bark the trunk breaks easily; V, most of the trunk is sawdust). The estimated deadwood volume is 7 m3 /ha. Of the total quantified volume, 66% corresponds to standing dead trees. The Acacia praecox and Prosopis ruscifolia are the most representative species that comprise 49% and 24% of that volume. This study lays the foundation for further research on the importance of dead wood in the Semiarid Chaco.Fil: Diaz Zirpolo, Jose Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Ana Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentin

Comparative wood anatomy of tree native species of Schinopsis (Anacardiaceae)

Schinopsis, género endémico de Sudamérica, incluye ocho especies que habitan en los bosques xerófilos chaqueños de Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay y Brasil. Son cuatro las especies nativas de Argentina, dos de gran importancia económica. El objetivo del trabajo es comparar anatómicamente el xilema de: S. lorentzii (Griseb.) Engl., S. balansae Engl. y Schinopsis marginata Engl. Se trabajó con 5 árboles por especie. Se usó la terminología del Comité de Nomenclatura de IAWA y Tortorelli en las descripciones. Se utilizaron los índices de vulnerabilidad y mesomorfía propuestos por Carlquist para determinar el tipo de comportamiento. Se analizó comparativamente los rasgos anatómicos relevantes. Se analizaron estadísticamente cinco variables cuantitativas: frecuencia de poros/mm2 (Fv); diámetro tangencial (Vd) y longitud de los elementos vasculares (VI); altura del radio (Rh). El leño homogéneo, presenta diferencias en las variables cuantitativas como frecuencia, diámetro y longitud de vaso. El rasgo anatómico predominante es la presencia de canales secretores de tanino radiales y vasos del duramen ocluidos por tilosis. Los leños de S. lorentzii y S. marginata mostraron gran afinidad y rasgos mesofiticos con tendencia a xerofíticos; mientras que S. balansae presenta signos mesofíticos.Schinopsis, endemic genus of South America, includes eight species that inhabit the Chaco dry forests of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. Four species are native to Argentina; two of great economic importance. The aim of this work is to perform comparative wood anatomy of S. lorentzii, S. balansae and S. marginata. It worked with 5 trees of each species. The terminology of IAWA Committee on Nomenclature and Tortorelli were used in wood descriptions. Vulnerability and mesomorphy index proposed by Carlquist, to determine the type of behavior, were used. Relevant anatomical features were comparatively analyzed. Five variables were statistically analyzed: vessel frequency/ mm2 (Fv); tangential vessel diameter (Vd); length of vascular elements (VI) and ray height (Rh). The anatomy of wood is homogeneous, with significant differences in the variables: frequency, diameter and vessel length. Secretory radial tannin channels and tilosis occluding vessel, are predominant anatomical features. Wood anatomy of S. lorentzii and S. marginata showed high affinity and mesophitic to xeric trait; while S. balansae presents mesophitic signs.Fil: Gimenez, Ana Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Instituto de Silvicultura y Manejo de Bosques; ArgentinaFil: Calatayu, Federico. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Diaz Zirpolo, Jose Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Figueroa, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Damian. Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica; Argentin

Evaluación de la calidad de la Madera de Prosopis alba en rodales semilleros

El algarrobo blanco, es una de las especies de mayor valor e importancia económicaen el país por el volumen que se comercializa, produce madera de buenas características físicas y mecánicas y dado su potencial forestal y maderero constituye un importante recurso para los pueblos de zonas áridas y semiáridas. Los objetivos del Proyecto PIA 10050, fueron estudiar y evaluar la variación de los parámetros de calidad de la madera de los rodales semilleros de Prosopis alba, futuras fuente de semilla con la finalidad de caracterizarlos e identificar los rodales más promisorios para uso sólido.Fil: Moglia, Juana Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Cisneros, Ana Belén. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Ana Maria Isabel. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; ArgentinaFil: López Launstein, Diego. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentin

Impact of the implementation of best practice guidelines on nurse's evidence-based practice and on nurses' work environment: research protocol

Abstract Aim: To determine the impact of the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® initia- tive on nurses' perception of their work environment and their attitudes to evidence- based practice. Design: Quasi-experimental, multicentre study. The intervention is the participation in Best Prectice Spotilight Organizations to implement Best Practice Guidelines. Methods: The study will include seven centres in the interventional group and 10 in the non-equivalent control group, all of them belonging to the Spanish national health system. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, and the Health Sciences Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire will be administered to a sample of 1,572 nurses at the beginning of the programme and at 1 year. This 3-year study started in April 2018 and will continue until December 2021. Statistical analy- ses will be carried out using the SPSS 25.0. This project was approved by the Drug Research Ethics Committee of the Parc de Salut Mar and registered in Clinical Trials. Discussion: The study findings will show the current state of nurses' perception of their work environment and attitudes to evidence-based practice, and possible changes in these parameters due to the programme. Impact: The findings could provide a strong argument for health policymakers to scale up the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® initiative in the Spanish national health system

MM, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and inpatient mortality

There is limited information on the characteristics, pre-admission prognostic factors, and outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This retrospective case series investigated characteristics and outcomes of 167 MM patients hospitalized with COVID-19 reported from 73 hospitals within the Spanish Myeloma Collaborative Group network in Spain between March 1 and April 30, 2020. Outcomes were compared with a randomly selected contemporary cohort of 167 age-/sex-matched non-cancer patients with COVID-19 admitted at 6 participating hospitals. Common demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome variables were collected; specific disease status and treatment data were collected for MM patients. Among the MM and non-cancer patients, median age was 71 years and 57% of patients were male in each series, and 75% and 77% of patients, respectively, had at least one comorbidity. COVID-19 clinical severity was moderate-severe in 77% and 89% of patients and critical in 8% and 4%, respectively. Supplemental oxygen was required by 47% and 55% of MM and non-cancer patients, respectively, and 21%/9% vs 8%/6% required non-invasive/invasive ventilation. Inpatient mortality was 34% and 23% in MM and non-cancer patients, respectively. Among MM patients, inpatient mortality was 41% in males, 42% in patients aged >65 years, 49% in patients with active/progressive MM at hospitalization, and 59% in patients with comorbid renal disease at hospitalization, which were independent prognostic factors of inpatient mortality on adjusted multivariate analysis. This case series demonstrates the increased risk and identifies predictors of inpatient mortality among MM patients hospitalized with COVID-19.This study was supported by PETHEMA FoundationN

Genetic landscape of 6089 inherited retinal dystrophies affected cases in Spain and their therapeutic and extended epidemiological implications

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), defined by dysfunction or progressive loss of photoreceptors, are disorders characterized by elevated heterogeneity, both at the clinical and genetic levels. Our main goal was to address the genetic landscape of IRD in the largest cohort of Spanish patients reported to date. A retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 6089 IRD affected individuals (from 4403 unrelated families), referred for genetic testing from all the Spanish autonomous communities. Clinical, demographic and familiar data were collected from each patient, including family pedigree, age of appearance of visual symptoms, presence of any systemic findings and geographical origin. Genetic studies were performed to the 3951 families with available DNA using different molecular techniques. Overall, 53.2% (2100/3951) of the studied families were genetically characterized, and 1549 different likely causative variants in 142 genes were identified. The most common phenotype encountered is retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (55.6% of families, 2447/4403). The most recurrently mutated genes were PRPH2, ABCA4 and RS1 in autosomal dominant (AD), autosomal recessive (AR) and X-linked (XL) NON-RP cases, respectively; RHO, USH2A and RPGR in AD, AR and XL for non-syndromic RP; and USH2A and MYO7A in syndromic IRD. Pathogenic variants c.3386G > T (p.Arg1129Leu) in ABCA4 and c.2276G > T (p.Cys759Phe) in USH2A were the most frequent variants identified. Our study provides the general landscape for IRD in Spain, reporting the largest cohort ever presented. Our results have important implications for genetic diagnosis, counselling and new therapeutic strategies to both the Spanish population and other related populations.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS; PI16/00425 and PI19/00321), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER, 06/07/0036), IIS-FJD BioBank (PT13/0010/0012), Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, RAREGenomics Project, B2017/BMD-3721), European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE), Fundación Ramón Areces, Fundación Conchita Rábago and the University Chair UAM-IIS-FJD of Genomic Medicine. Irene Perea-Romero is supported by a PhD fellowship from the predoctoral Program from ISCIII (FI17/00192). Ionut F. Iancu is supported by a grant from the Comunidad de Madrid (CAM, PEJ-2017-AI/BMD7256). Marta del Pozo-Valero is supported by a PhD grant from the Fundación Conchita Rábago. Berta Almoguera is supported by a Juan Rodes program from ISCIII (JR17/00020). Pablo Minguez is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CP16/00116). Marta Corton is supported by a Miguel Servet program from ISCIII (CPII17/00006). The funders played no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation and/or publication decisions

Rate of severe and fatal infections in a cohort of patients with interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter prospective study

ObjectiveTo describe severe infection, foci of infection, microorganisms, associated factors, and impact on mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis–associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).Patients and methodsThe study was based on a multicenter prospective cohort of patients with RA-ILD followed up from 2015 to 2023. The main outcome measures were incident severe infection and fatal infection. We evaluated infectious foci, etiologic agents, vaccination status, variables associated with lung function, and clinical-therapeutic variables in RA. The incidence rate (IR) for infection and mortality was calculated per 100 person-years, and 3 multivariate models were constructed to explore factors associated with infection.ResultsWe followed up 148 patients with RA-ILD for a median 56.7 months (699.3 person-years). During this period, 142 patients (96%) had at least 1 infection. A total of 368 infectious episodes were recorded, with an IR of 52.6 per 100 person-years. Of the 48 patients who died, 65% did so from infection. Respiratory infections were the most common first infection (74%), infection overall (74%), and fatal infection (80%) and were caused mostly by SARS CoV-2, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and influenza A virus. The factors associated with an increased risk of infection and death in patients with RA-ILD were age, inflammatory activity, and therapy with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.ConclusionPatients with RA-ILD have a high risk of serious infection, especially respiratory infection. Infection develops early, is recurrent, and is frequently fatal. The presence of associated factors such as advanced age, joint inflammation, and treatment highlight the importance of integrated and preventive medical care

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat