Aspectos biológico pesqueros de los recursos pelágicos peruanos durante febrero - abril 1997

Describe las capturas y muestreos biológicos de 132 lances de comprobación ejecutados durante el crucero BIC SNP-1 9702-03 y BIC HUmboldt 9704. Las capturas estuvieron conformadas por anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) 51,7%; sardina (Sardinops sagax) 0,4%; jurel (Trachurus picturatus) 9,7% y caballa (Scomber japonicus) 2,8%. Otras especies fueron la múnida (Pleuroncodes monodon) 10,1%; camotillo (Normanichthys crockeri) 3,1%; bagre con faja (Galeichthys peruvianus) 1,4%. La samasa (Anchoa nasus) 17,7% fue capturada en un volumen importante en sólo 4 lances ubicados en área muy costeras al norte de Punta Falsa. La anchoveta se distribuyó a lo largo de toda la costa, desde la frontera sur hasta Talara, ocupado hasta las 70 mn entre Huacho y San Juan mientras que al norte de Huacho se ubicó dentro de las 15 mn. La sardina se distribuyó en la región norte-centro, entre las 10 y 90 mn. Los tamaños de anchoveta fueron predominantemente adultos, la moda más representativa fue 15,5 cm. Se localizaron reclutas de 10,5 cm en la región sur, pero no en gran volumen. La sardina capturada fue principalmente adulta aunque en la región norte se encontraron reclutas de 3 años de edad. El jurel capturado fue mayormente juvenil. La anchoveta ha desovado normalmente durante el verano. La sardina en cambio parece haber prolongado su desove hasta abril

Are adolescents with chronic conditions particularly at risk for bullying?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence and intensity of victimization from bullying, and the characteristics of the victims of bullying, comparing adolescents with and without chronic conditions. DESIGN: School survey. SETTING: Post-mandatory schools. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7005 students (48% females) aged 16-20 years, distributed into adolescents with chronic conditions (728, 50% females) and controls (6277, 48% females). Chronic condition was defined as having a chronic disease and/or a physical disability.OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of bullying; intensity of bullying; and socio-demographic, bio-psychosocial, familial, school, and violence context characteristics of the victims of bullying. RESULTS: The prevalence of bullying in our sample was 13.85%. Adolescents with chronic conditions were more likely to be victims of bullying (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.53), and to be victims of two or three forms of bullying (AOR 1.92). Victims of bullying with chronic conditions were more likely than non-victims to be depressed (Relative Risk Ratio [RRR] 1.57), to have more physical symptoms (RRR 1.61), to have a poorer relationship with their parents (RRR 1.33), to have a poorer school climate (RRR 1.60), and to have been victims of sexual abuse (RRR 1.79) or other forms of violence (RRR 1.80). Although these characteristics apply to victims in general, in most cases they are less pronounced among victims without chronic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions seem to be a risk factor for victimization from bullying. Therefore, as adolescents with chronic conditions are increasingly mainstreamed, schools should be encouraged to undertake preventive measures to avoid victimization of such adolescents.

Hallux valgus: résumé pratique [Hallux valgus: practical summary].

Hallux valgus arises from static and dynamic unbalance of the forefoot. Possibilities of conservative treatment are limited. This paper recalls the essentials of physiopathology and exposes briefly to the non-operators the most current amongst 150 operative techniques described. While becoming more complex, the surgery of hallux valgus has proven to gain efficiency. Surgical indication, based on biomechanics, should be very careful, which gives a greater interest to this discipline.

Mineralização de compostos nitrogenados após aplicações de lodos de esgoto em quatro cultivos de milho

O teor de N disponível em solos tratados com lodo de esgoto é um dos fatores restritivos à aplicação do resíduo em grandes volumes na agricultura, e deve ser utilizado nas normas que regulamentam seu uso agrícola com o fim de evitar a contaminação ambiental do solo e corpos d'água com nitrato. Quando se aplica o resíduo pela primeira vez em um solo, a disponibilização de N mineral a partir de compostos orgânicos naturais do solo não é diretamente considerada no cálculo da taxa de aplicação máxima, e este procedimento é comum também nas recomendações de adubação mineral. Porém, a aplicação continuada desses resíduos pode causar efeitos residuais acumulativos na geração de N mineral, o que implicaria recomendações específicas para reaplicações em uma mesma área. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a disponibilidade potencial de N mineral em um Latossolo previamente tratado com lodos de esgoto e com quatro cultivos sucessivos de milho. Amostras de solo da camada de 0-20 cm foram coletadas em subparcelas de um experimento realizado em campo, entre 1999 e 2002, em Jaguariúna (SP), onde foram aplicados 0, 14.716, 29.432, 58.864 e 117.728 kg ha-1 de lodo de origem urbana (Franca, SP) e 0, 22.700, 45.400, 90.800 e 181.600 kg ha-1 de lodo produzido a partir de esgotos urbanos e industriais (Barueri, SP). As doses foram parceladas em quatro aplicações anuais consecutivas. Em laboratório, essas amostras foram incubadas durante 15 semanas. As análises iniciais dos solos evidenciaram que houve efeito residual das aplicações prévias dos lodos sobre o acúmulo de N orgânico e de nitrato. No final da incubação, houve acúmulo de N inorgânico no solo e diminuição do pH em função da maior geração de nitrato com as doses crescentes dos lodos de esgoto. O potencial de mineralização estimado pelo modelo exponencial simples foi de 28 mg kg-1 de N no tratamento sem lodo, e crescente, de 28 para 100 mg kg-1 de N, nos tratamentos com lodo de Franca, e de 40 para 113 mg kg-1 de N tratamentos com lodo de Barueri. Concluiu-se que os efeitos residuais acumulados no solo devem ser considerados quando se pretender fazer novas aplicações de lodos de esgoto num mesmo local. Os potenciais de mineralização de compostos de N do solo e do lodo que será utilizado, além do acúmulo de nitrato no perfil do solo, devem ser determinados e considerados para o cálculo da dose da próxima aplicação.

Binding of double-strand breaks in DNA by human Rad52 protein.

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA are caused by ionizing radiation. These chromosomal breaks can kill the cell unless repaired efficiently, and inefficient or inappropriate repair can lead to mutation, gene translocation and cancer. Two proteins that participate in the repair of DSBs are Rad52 and Ku: in lower eukaryotes such as yeast, DSBs are repaired by Rad52-dependent homologous recombination, whereas vertebrates repair DSBs primarily by Ku-dependent non-homologous end-joining. The contribution of homologous recombination to vertebrate DSB repair, however, is important. Biochemical studies indicate that Ku binds to DNA ends and facilitates end-joining. Here we show that human Rad52, like Ku, binds directly to DSBs, protects them from exonuclease attack and facilitates end-to-end interactions. A model for repair is proposed in which either Ku or Rad52 binds the DSB. Ku directs DSBs into the non-homologous end-joining repair pathway, whereas Rad52 initiates repair by homologous recombination. Ku and Rad52, therefore, direct entry into alternative pathways for the repair of DNA breaks.

Alcohol-attributable mortality in Switzerland in 2011--age-specific causes of death and impact of heavy versus non-heavy drinking.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use causes high burden of disease and injury globally. Switzerland has a high consumption of alcohol, almost twice the global average. Alcohol-attributable deaths and years of life lost in Switzerland were estimated by age and sex for the year 2011. Additionally, the impact of heavy drinking (40+grams/day for women and 60+g/day for men) was estimated. METHODS: Alcohol consumption estimates were based on the Addiction Monitoring in Switzerland study and were adjusted to per capita consumption based on sales data. Mortality data were taken from the Swiss mortality register. Methodology of the Comparative Risk Assessment for alcohol was used to estimate alcohol-attributable fractions. RESULTS: Alcohol use caused 1,600 (95% CI: 1,472 - 1,728) net deaths (1,768 deaths caused, 168 deaths prevented) among 15 to 74 year olds, corresponding to 8.7% of all deaths (men: 1,181 deaths; women: 419 deaths). Overall, 42,627 years of life (9.7%, 95% CI: 40,245 - 45,008) were lost due to alcohol. Main causes of alcohol-attributable mortality were injuries at younger ages (15-34 years), with increasing age digestive diseases (mainly liver cirrhosis) and cancers (particularly breast cancers among women). The majority (62%) of all alcohol-attributable deaths was caused by chronic heavy drinking (men: 67%; women: 48 %). CONCLUSION: Alcohol is a major cause of premature mortality in Switzerland. Its impact, among young people mainly via injuries, among men mainly through heavy drinking, calls for a mix of preventive actions targeting chronic heavy drinking, binge drinking and mean consumption.

Hyponatremia and short-term outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism

BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia, a marker of neurohormonal activation, is associated with poor outcomes in acute cardiorespiratory diseases such as myocardial infarction, right and left ventricular heart failure, and pneumonia. The prognostic value of hyponatremia in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. We sought to assess whether hyponatremia at presentation was associated with mortality and hospital readmission in patients hospitalized with PE. METHODS: We studied patient discharges with a primary diagnosis of PE from 185 acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania (1/2000-11/2002). We defined hyponatremia as a serum sodium level ≤135 mmol/l, measured at the time of patient presentation. The study outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality and hospital readmission. We used random-intercept logistic regression to examine the association between hyponatremia and mortality. We adjusted for baseline patient (race, insurance, severity of illness using the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index) and hospital characteristics (region, hospital size and teaching status). We used the same approach to examine the association between hyponatremia and readmission among patients who were discharged alive. RESULTS: Among 13,728 patient discharges with PE, 2907 (21.1%) had hyponatremia at the time of presentation. Patients with hyponatremia were older (P<0.001) and more likely to have a history of cancer (P<0.001), heart failure (P<0.001), or chronic lung disease (P=0.002) than patients without hyponatremia. Patients with hyponatremia had a higher unadjusted cumulative 30-day mortality (15.2% vs 8.0%;P<0.001) and readmission rate (15.9% vs 11.8%; P< 0.001) than patients without hyponatremia (Figure). After adjustment for race, insurance, severity of illness, and hospital factors, hyponatremia was associated with a significantly greater odds of death (OR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.50-1.95) and hospital readmission (OR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.14-1.46). CONCLUSIONS: In this large, statewide sample of unselected patients with acute PE, hyponatremia was relatively common and was an independent predictor of short-term mortality and hospital readmission. Given that sodium is a low-cost, easily available laboratory parameter, it may be potentially useful in risk-stratifying patients with PE.

Implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in colorectal surgery is highly cost-effective

Objective: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) clinical pathways in¦colorectal surgery are known to reduce postoperative complications leading¦to shortened hospital stay. However, the implementation of such an ERAS¦pathway requires time and financial investment. This study evaluates whether¦the savings related to the reduction in the length of stay (LOS) outweigh the¦costs of implementing an ERAS pathway.¦Methods: An ERAS pathway was implemented in our institution for colorectal¦surgery. The first 50 consecutive patients subjected to this ERAS pathway¦(ERAS group) were compared to 50 consecutive patients that were operated one¦year before its introduction (control group). Primary LOS, readmission within¦30 days, and total costs based on costs per day were compared. The mean costs¦per day were: 3,263 CHF for intensive care, 1,152 CHF for intermediate care,¦and 728 CHF for basic care.¦Results: Primary LOS was shorter in the ERAS group than in the control¦group: median 7 (interquartile range 5-12·25) versus 10 (7-18) days (P =¦0·0025). The readmission within 30 postoperative days was similar in both¦groups (2 patients each). In the ERAS group, the added primary LOS was¦485 days (379 in basic care, 99 in intermediate care, 7 in intensive care) compared¦to 706 days in the control group (533 in basic care, 146 in intermediate care,¦27 in intensive care). The total costs were significantly lower for the 50 ERAS¦patients compared to the control group: 412,801 CHF versus 644,317 CHF (P <¦0·01). Investments required for the 50 first ERAS patients were approximately¦83,544 CHF, including 348 working hours as well a full-time ERAS dedicated¦nurse. The overall cost saving was approximately 2,959 CHF per patient.¦Conclusion: Implementation of an ERAS pathway significantly reduced LOS¦after colorectal surgery. The financial investment to introduce and maintain¦such a pathway is clearly inferior to the cost-saving of reduced hospital stay.

Conversão e balanço energético de sistemas de produção de grãos com pastagens sob plantio direto

Foram avaliados dados obtidos de experimentos conduzidos, no período de 1990 a 1995, na Universidade de Passo Fundo, RS, objetivando estudar a conversão e o balanço energético de quatro sistemas de produção de grãos com pastagens anuais de inverno. Os quatro sistemas foram constituídos por: sistema I (trigo/soja, aveia-preta/soja e aveia-preta/soja); sistema II (trigo/soja e aveia-preta + ervilhaca/milho); sistema III (trigo/soja, aveia-preta + ervilhaca/soja e aveia-preta + ervilhaca/milho); e sistema IV (trigo/soja, aveia-branca/soja e aveia-branca/soja). As culturas, tanto de inverno como de verão, foram estabelecidas sob sistema plantio direto. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, e parcelas totalizando 500 m². Os sistemas II e III apresentaram conversão energética (5,78 e 5,44) e balanço energético (23.728 e 21.741 kg/Mcal) superiores aos sistemas I (3,79 e 11.553 kg/Mcal) e IV (4,33 e 12.879 kg/Mcal), respectivamente. Ficou evidenciado que a integração lavoura-pecuária sob sistema plantio direto foi viável, pois a conversão e o balanço energético foram positivos, tendo sido significativamente maiores nos sistemas que incluíram a cultura de milho.

Variation in the proportion of flower visitors of Arum maculatum along its distributional range in relation with community‐based climatic niche analyses

Here, we investigate the geographical constancy in the specificity level of the specialized lure-and-trap pollination antagonism involving the widespread European Arum maculatum and its associated Psychodid pollinators. Until now, studies concurred in demonstrating that one single insect species, Psychoda phalaenoides, efficiently cross-pollinated plants; researches were, however, performed locally in western Europe. In this study we characterize for the first time the flower visitors' composition at the scale of the distribution range of A. maculatum by intensively collecting plants and insects throughout the European continent. We further correlate local climatic characteristics with the community composition of visiting arthropods.Our results show that flowers are generally visited by P. phalaenoides females, but not over the whole distribution range of the plant. In some regions this fly species is less frequent or even absent and another species, Psycha grisescens, becomes the prevailing visitor. This variability is geographically structured and can be explained by climatic factors: the proportion of P. grisescens increases with higher annual precipitations and lower precipitations in the warmest trimester, two characteristics typical of the Mediterranean zone. Climate thus seems driving the specificity of this interaction, by potentially affecting the phenology of one or both interacting species, or even of volatile and heat production in the plant. This result therefore challenges the specificity of other presumably one-to-one interactions covering wide distribution ranges, and provides an example of the direct effect that the abiotic environment can have on the fate of plant-insect interactions.

Prognostic importance of hyponatremia in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Rationale: Although associated with adverse outcomes in other cardiopulmonary conditions, the prognostic value of hyponatremia, a marker of neurohormonal activation, in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. Objectives: To examine the associations between hyponatremia and mortality and hospital readmission rates for patients hospitalized with PE. METHODS: We evaluated 13,728 patient discharges with a primary diagnosis of PE from 185 hospitals in Pennsylvania (January 2000 to November 2002). We used random-intercept logistic regression to assess the independent association between serum sodium levels at the time of presentation and mortality and hospital readmission within 30 days, adjusting for patient (race, insurance, severity of illness, use of thrombolytic therapy) and hospital factors (region, size, teaching status). Measurements and Main Results: Hyponatremia (sodium ?135 mmol/L) was present in 2,907 patients (21.1%). Patients with a sodium level greater than 135, 130-135, and less than 130 mmol/L had a cumulative 30-day mortality of 8.0, 13.6, and 28.5% (P < 0.001), and a readmission rate of 11.8, 15.6, and 19.3% (P < 0.001), respectively. Compared with patients with a sodium greater than 135 mmol/L, the adjusted odds of dying were significantly greater for patients with a sodium 130-135 mmol/L (odds ratio [OR], 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-1.76) and a sodium less than 130 mmol/L (OR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.48-4.29). The adjusted odds of readmission were also increased for patients with a sodium of 130-135 mmol/L (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.12-1.46) and a sodium less than 130 mmol/L (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02-2.02). Conclusions: Hyponatremia is common in patients presenting with PE, and is an independent predictor of short-term mortality and hospital readmission.

Stereoselective block of hERG channel by (S)-methadone and QT interval prolongation in CYP2B6 slow metabolizers.

Methadone inhibits the cardiac potassium channel hERG and can cause a prolonged QT interval. Methadone is chiral but its therapeutic activity is mainly due to (R)-methadone. Whole-cell patch-clamp experiments using cells expressing hERG showed that (S)-methadone blocked the hERG current 3.5-fold more potently than (R)-methadone (IC50s (half-maximal inhibitory concentrations) at 37 degrees C: 2 and 7 microM). As CYP2B6 slow metabolizer (SM) status results in a reduced ability to metabolize (S)-methadone, electrocardiograms, CYP2B6 genotypes, and (R)- and (S)-methadone plasma concentrations were obtained for 179 patients receiving (R,S)-methadone. The mean heart-rate-corrected QT (QTc) was higher in CYP2B6 SMs (*6/*6 genotype; 439+/-25 ms; n=11) than in extensive metabolizers (non *6/*6; 421+/-25 ms; n=168; P=0.017). CYP2B6 SM status was associated with an increased risk of prolonged QTc (odds ratio=4.5, 95% confidence interval=1.2-17.7; P=0.03). This study reports the first genetic factor implicated in methadone metabolism that may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. This risk could be reduced by the administration of (R)-methadone.

Evolution of specialization: a phylogenetic study of host range in the red milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetraophthalmus).

Specialization is common in most lineages of insect herbivores, one of the most diverse groups of organisms on earth. To address how and why specialization is maintained over evolutionary time, we hypothesized that plant defense and other ecological attributes of potential host plants would predict the performance of a specialist root-feeding herbivore (the red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus). Using a comparative phylogenetic and functional trait approach, we assessed the determinants of insect host range across 18 species of Asclepias. Larval survivorship decreased with increasing phylogenetic distance from the true host, Asclepias syriaca, suggesting that adaptation to plant traits drives specialization. Among several root traits measured, only cardenolides (toxic defense chemicals) correlated with larval survival, and cardenolides also explained the phylogenetic distance effect in phylogenetically controlled multiple regression analyses. Additionally, milkweed species having a known association with other Tetraopes beetles were better hosts than species lacking Tetraopes herbivores, and milkweeds with specific leaf area values (a trait related to leaf function and habitat affiliation) similar to those of A. syriaca were better hosts than species having divergent values. We thus conclude that phylogenetic distance is an integrated measure of phenotypic and ecological attributes of Asclepias species, especially defensive cardenolides, which can be used to explain specialization and constraints on host shifts over evolutionary time.