Notes fitocenologiques IV

En connexion avec un travail monographique sur la vallée de Ribes (Pyrénées orientales), l'auteur décrit huit associations nouvelles: Veronico (urticifoliae)-Betuletum, forêt acidophile et hygrophile propre aux versants très ombragés; Allio-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, mégaphorbiée de l'alliance Calamagrostion; Bellardiochloo-Festucetum nigrescentis, pelouse' très acidophile peuplant les pentes rocheuses et chaudes de l'étage subalpin; Rhinantho (mediterranei)-Trisetetum flavescentis et Astrantio-Avenuletum pubescentis, prairies de fauche, la première ( al. Arrhenatherion') très étendue dans tout l'étage montagnard, la deuxième (al. Polygono-Trisetion) assez localisée dans le montagnard supérieur ; Gentianô' (luteae)-Trisetetum, type de prairie faisant le passage entre l'Arrhenatherion et le Mesobromion; et Swertio-Caricetum nigrae, bas marais d'haute montagne, silicicole mais pas nettement acidophile. Au sein de l'association Prunello-Sarothamnetum, l'auteur propose deux nouvelles sous-associations: buxetosum, la plus commune dans l'étage montagnard, et genistetosum purgantis, en contact avec le Genistion purgantis.

Illa gran i fecunds. 'Amphilaphés píeira nesos' (A.R. Arg.IV 982-1222)

Un episodio del retorno de los argonautas, en el Libro IV de Apolonio, inserta bruscamente un escenario homérico. Desde la isla de Eea, donde han sido purificados por Circe, son conducidos bajo la protección de Hera hasta Corcira -Esqueria en Odisea-, en una veloz travesía que ve sucederse sin riesgos los otrora peligrosos escollos de la ruta de Odiseo. La idea de hacer coincidir a los argonautas con los feacios homéricos aparece solo claramente en los poetas helenísticos. Calímaco parece haber dedicado especial atención a la escala feacia, en terminus similares -peso no idénticos- a los de Apolonio',y Filitas menciona unas hadas de Medea y Jason en el palacio de Alcinoa'. Testimonios anteriores asocian asimismo a Medea, Jason y sus hijos con Corcina...

De vegetatione notulae, IV

Descripció de tres associacions noves dels Betulo-Adenostyletea observades en els Pirineus Catalans: Valerlano-Aconitetum pyrenaici (calcícola, Serra de Cadí), Phyteumo-Chaerophylletum hirsuti (estatge montà, Ripollès) i Veratro-Salicetum bicoloris (comunitat arbustiva del Salicion pentandrae)

IV paracetamol versus IV ibuprofen for the treatment of PDA in LBW infants: a randomized controlled trial

Patent ductus arteriosus is a prevalent problem in low birth weight infants and it has an important morbidity and mortality in this group of patients. Classical treatment options include drugs (intravenous cyclooxygenase inhibitors: indomethacin and ibuprofen) and surgical ligation, but these treatments are associated with significant adverse effects. An alternative treatment with fewer side effects is needed. The role of oral paracetamol has gained importance in recent years, this new therapeutic option is being widely studied, and there are already many studies which support oral paracetamol as first line treatment for PDA, due to its better safety profile than classical drugs. In LBW infants is difficult to administer enteral treatment, since they are often multi pathological patients with several complications that preclude oral administration and they usually receive intravenous treatments. This multicenter, prospective, single blinded, randomized, controlled, parallel-group and noninferiority trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous paracetamol versus intravenous ibuprofen in the treatment of PDA in LBW infants. Sixty eight infants with echocardiography confirmed PDA will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous paracetamol or intravenous ibuprofen. The main endpoints will be the rate of ductal closure of each drug and adverse events in each group of treatment

Triggering the generation of an iron(IV)-oxo compound and its reactivity toward sulfides by RuII photocatalysis

The preparation of [FeIV(O)(MePy2tacn)]2+ (2, MePy2tacn = N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-picolyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) by reaction of [FeII(MePy2tacn)(solvent)]2+ (1) and PhIO in CH3CN and its full characterization are described. This compound can also be prepared photochemically from its iron(II) precursor by irradiation at 447 nm in the presence of catalytic amounts of [Ru II(bpy)3]2+ as photosensitizer and a sacrificial electron acceptor (Na2S2O8). Remarkably, the rate of the reaction of the photochemically prepared compound 2 toward sulfides increases 150-fold under irradiation, and 2 is partially regenerated after the sulfide has been consumed; hence, the process can be repeated several times. The origin of this rate enhancement has been established by studying the reaction of chemically generated compound 2 with sulfides under different conditions, which demonstrated that both light and [Ru II(bpy)3]2+ are necessary for the observed increase in the reaction rate. A combination of nanosecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopy with laser pulse excitation and other mechanistic studies has led to the conclusion that an electron transfer mechanism is the most plausible explanation for the observed rate enhancement. According to this mechanism, the in-situ-generated [RuIII(bpy)3] 3+ oxidizes the sulfide to form the corresponding radical cation, which is eventually oxidized by 2 to the corresponding sulfoxide