Search

Background: Lapidus arthrodesis is one of the most commonly used techniques in the correction of moderate and severe hallux valgus. We analyzed the clinical and radiological outcomes after using the Phantom® Lapidus intramedullary nail to find an effective technique with low complications., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 52 patients who underwent a modified Lapidus arthrodesis with an intramedullary nail at our center from November 2019 to September 2022. The mean follow-up period was 27 (range, 18-34) months. Clinical results were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS), the European Foot and Ankle Society score (EFAS) and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score (AOFAS); three different radiological measures were analyzed., Results: The mean AOFAS score increased from 44.8 to 82 points. The mean EFAS score increased from 11.2 to 20.1 points. The mean VAS score decreased by 4.7 points. The mean EFAS Sport score was increased from 9.2 (SD 4.6) to 12.6 (SD 5.4) points. The intermetatarsal angle decreased from 15° to 6.9° and the hallux valgus angle by a mean of 17.9°. The forefoot width reduced from 93.6 to 84.7 mm. All results were statistically significant (p < .001). One case of nonunion was recorded. No implant-related complications were observed., Conclusions: This device was effective in correcting moderate to severe hallux valgus, with significant patient satisfaction. Its complication rate was not higher than that of other fixation devices. Correct compression of the arthrodesis, absence of extraosseous material, and multidirectional stability are important qualities of this implant for the correct treatment of this pathology., Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 European Foot and Ankle Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We present a theoretical investigation of the Goös-Hanchen shift (GHS) experienced by acoustic and optical vibrational modes reflected and transmitted from the surfaces of a semiconductor thin film sandwiched between two semi-infinite media. Our study focuses on the impact of the incident angle on the GHS, considering the coupling between longitudinal and transverse modes. For acoustic vibrations, our findings reveal that the GHS can reach magnitudes up to seven times larger than the thickness of the thin film and up to 20 times larger than the incident wavelength. Besides, it is shown that this significant amplification of the GHS highlights the strong influence of the incident angle and the frequency of the modes involved. In the case of optical vibrations, we observe even more pronounced GHS values, exceeding 30 times the incident wavelength. This demonstrates the potential of GHS in acoustical systems, which opens up possibilities for applications in the design of acoustic devices., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze the diagnostic process and the time until the start of treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in relation to the publication of successive clinical practice guide., Material and Methods: Multicenter, observational, ambispective study, in which patients includes in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis registry of the Spanish Society of Pulmonologist and Thoracic Surgery were analyzed. An electronic data collection notebook was enabled on the society's website. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected at diagnosis and follow-up of the patients., Results: From January 2012 to december 2019, 1064 patients were included in the registry, with 929 finally analyzed. The diagnosis process varied depending on the year in which it was performed, and the radiological pattern observed in the high-resolution computed tomography. Up to 26.3% of the cases (244) were diagnosed with chest high-resolution computed tomography and clinical evaluation. Surgical biopsy was used up to 50.2% of cases diagnosed before 2011, while it has been used in 14.2% since 2018. The median time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 360 days (IQR 120-720), taking more than 2 years in the 21.0% of patients. A percentage of 79.4 of patients received antifibrotic treatment. The average time from diagnosis to the antifibrotic treatment has been 309 ± 596.5 days, with a median of 49 (IQR 0-307)., Conclusions: The diagnostic process, including the time until diagnosis and the type of test used, has changed from 2011 to 2019, probably due to advances in clinical research and the publication of diagnostic-therapeutic consensus guidelines., (© 2024 Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Background: Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) is an immune-mediated interstitial lung disease caused by sensitisation to chronic allergen inhalation. This study aimed to determine prognostic indicators of progression and mortality in fHP., Methods: This was a retrospective, multicentre, observational, cross-sectional cohort study of consecutive patients diagnosed with fHP from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals for predictors of progression and survival., Results: A total of 403 patients were diagnosed with fHP: median (interquartile range) age 66.5 (14.0) years, 51.9% females and 55.1% never-smokers. The cause of fHP was mainly fungal (39.7%) or avian (41.4%). Lung biopsy was performed in 269 cases (66.7%). In the whole cohort the variables that were related to mortality or lung transplant were older age (HR 1.08; p<0.001), percentage predicted forced vital capacity (HR 0.96; p=0.001), lymphocytosis in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (HR 0.93; p=0.001), presence of acute exacerbation during follow-up (HR 3.04; p=0.001) and GAP (gender, age and lung physiology) index (HR 1.96; p<0.01). In the group of biopsied patients, the presence of fibroblastic foci at biopsy (HR 8.39; p<0.001) stands out in multivariate Cox regression analyses as a highly significant predictor for increased mortality or lung transplant. GAP index (HR 1.26; p=0.009), lymphocytosis in BAL (HR 0.97; p=0.018) and age (HR 1.03; p=0.018) are also predictors of progression., Conclusions: The study identified several prognostic factors for progression and/or survival in fHP. The presence of fibroblastic foci at biopsy was a consistent predictor for increased mortality and the presence of lymphocytosis in BAL was inversely related to mortality., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: E. Cano-Jiménez has received grants and fees for research purposes or speaking from Roche, Bristol Myers and Boehringer Ingelheim. Conflict of interest: A. Villar Gómez has received travel grants, consulting fees, speaking fees or research grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Glaxo and Chiesi. Conflict of interest: M. Aburto Barrenechea reports lecture fees and support for attending meetings from Boehringer Ingelheim in the last 36 months, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: J. Sellarés Torres has received funding from Boehringer and Roche, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: D. Castillo Villegas reports personal fees and nonfinancial support from Roche; grants, personal fees and nonfinancial support from Boehringer Ingelheim; grants from Fujirebio; and personal fees from Veracyte, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: C. González Fernández has participated in conferences, scientific meetings, consulting, research and scientific dissemination activities funded by AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Teva, Sanofi, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb and Roche. Conflict of interest: M. Molina-Molina has received grants and fees for research purposes and scientific advice from Ferrer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Esteve-Teijin, Chiesi and Janssen. Conflict of interest: E. Velez Segovia, J. Francesqui, O. Acosta Fernández, J. Bordas-Martinez, K. Portillo Carroz, A.J. Solis Solis, A.B. Llanos Gonzáles, E. Cabrera Cesar, E. Balcells Vilarnau, A. Reyes Pardessus, M. García Moyano, A. Urrutia Gajate and A. Blanco Hortas have no conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright ©The authors 2024.)

The comeback of wheat stem rust in Europe, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici , and the prevalence of the alternate (sexual) host in local areas have recently regained attention as a potential threat to European wheat production. The aim of this study was to investigate a potential epidemiological link between the aecia found on an indigenous barberry species and stem rust infections on nearby cereals and grasses. Aecial infections collected from Berberis vulgaris subsp. seroi were inoculated on a panel of susceptible genotypes of major cereal crop species. In total, 67 stem rust progeny isolates were recovered from wheat (51), barley (7), and rye (9), but none from oat, indicating the potential of barberry derived isolates to infect multiple cereals. Molecular genotyping of the progeny isolates and 20 cereal and grass stem rust samples collected at the same locations and year, revealed a clear genetic relatedness between the progeny isolated from barberry and the stem rust infections found on nearby cereal and grass hosts. Analysis of Molecular Variance indicated that variation between the stem rust populations accounted for only 1%. A Principal Components Analysis using the 62 detected multilocus genotypes also demonstrated a low degree of genetic variation among isolates belonging to the two stem rust populations. Lastly, pairwise comparisons based on fixation index (Fst), Nei's genetic distances and number of effective migrants (Nm) revealed low genetic differentiation and high genetic exchange between the two populations. Our results demonstrated a direct epidemiological link and functionality of an indigenous barberry species as the sexual host of P . graminis in Spain, a factor that should be considered when designing future strategies to prevent stem rust in Europe and beyond., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Rodriguez-Algaba, Villegas, Cantero-Martínez, Patpour, Berlin, Hovmøller, Jin and Justesen.)

The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a surgical procedure used to treat hip dysplasia in young adults, but it carries the risk of neurological complications, including injury to the motor ascending branch of the rectus femoris (MABRF). This study aimed to describe anatomical considerations to prevent MABRF injuries during PAO. A cadaveric study was conducted on seven specimens. The original and modified PAO approaches were used, with and without disinsertion of the rectus femoris muscle origin. The femoral nerve was dissected in all specimens from the endopelvic position to the MABRF origin (T-point). The average distance from the anterosuperior iliac spine to the T-point was 10.2 ± 0.4 cm. To protect the MABRF, a safety zone was identified for the osteotome placement during the ischial cut. The osteotome was slid over the joint capsule, deflecting the iliocapsularis muscle medially and distally. This manoeuvre shields the MABRF with the iliocapsularis muscle, reducing the risk of neurological injury. Both the original and modified PAO approaches were considered safe techniques with low risk to the rectus femoris innervation. These findings offer valuable insights for surgeons performing PAO, emphasizing the significance of understanding anatomical relationships and implementing protective measures to enhance patient outcomes and minimize complications. In conclusion, implementing these anatomical considerations can help prevent MABRF injuries during PAO, contributing to safer and more successful surgical interventions for hip dysplasia in young adults., Competing Interests: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Vaccination against Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been the cornerstone of reducing morbidity and mortality of this disease, as it has been shown to decrease the risk of viral transmission, severity of disease, hospitalization, and intubation. However, true understanding of its impact is skewed by heterogeneous vaccine administration due to lack of equitable access, vaccine hesitancy, and varying social determinants of health. Therefore, this study aims to identify groups that are less likely to be vaccinated and understand whether the resultant differences in vaccination rates affect morbidity and mortality in socially marginalized COVID-19 patients. A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on a randomized and stratified population of 939 COVID-19 patients from January 2021 to December 2021. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression were used to assess demographic and clinical characteristic trends in unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated groups. No one age (P = .21), gender (P = .9), race (P = .12), ethnicity (P = .09), or health insurance status (P = .13) group was more vaccinated than the other. Similarly, no subgroup was at increased odds of intubation (P = .08) or death. However, patients with all categories of comorbidities including cardiopulmonary disease (P = <.001, effect size .17), renal disease (P = <.001, effect size 0.138), metabolic disease (P = .04), and immunocompromised (P = .01) states were found to have significantly higher vaccination rates. Our study also shows that full vaccination protects against mortality and decreases the odds of intubation by 55% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.453, P value = .015) compared to no vaccination or partial vaccination. Findings from this study show an encouraging trend that sicker patients had higher rates of vaccination against COVID-19. This trend highlights the need for further identification of motivators that may be applied to vaccine-hesitant populations, which can help guide population-level policy, increase vaccination campaign yield, and reach for health equity., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: To analyse, from a gender perspective, the characteristics and perception of the effects of leadership of nurses in a hospital of the Andalusian Public Health System., Methodology: Qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. The participants were nurses in care and intermediate positions with a contract of more than 6 months. A qualitative content analysis was carried out. Four phases were established for data analysis, from which 5 categories resulted. NVivo 11 software was used to analyse the dialogues., Results: The participants' discourses endow the leader with characteristics that define him as a reference person. The contribution of middle management is necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the care units and the cohesion of the group, although this group perceives it only in relation to the management of resources. Access to management positions is not linked to gender., Conclusions: The participants' discourses endow the leader with characteristics that define him as a reference person. The contribution of middle management is necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the care units and the cohesion of the group, although this group perceives it only in relation to the management of resources. Access to management positions is not linked to gender., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sciatic nerve entrapment is an entity that generates disabling pain, mainly when the patient is sitting on the involved side. According to some studies, the presence of fibrovascular bands has been described as the main cause of this pathology, and the sciatic nerve's decompression by endoscopic release has been described as an effective treatment generally associated with a piriformis tenotomy. The aim of this study was to present the medium-term functional results of endoscopic release of the sciatic nerve without resection of the piriformis tendon., Methods: This prospective, observational study included 57 patients who underwent an endoscopic operation for sciatic nerve entrapment between January 2014 and January 2019. In all cases, a detailed medical history was obtained and a physical examination and a functional evaluation were performed using the modified Harris hip score (mHHS), the 12-item International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. All patients had pelvic radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the hip on the involved side and underwent a prior evaluation by a spine surgeon., Results: This study included 20 male and 37 female patients with a mean age of 43.6 years (range, 24 to 88 years) and a mean follow-up of 22.7 months. The median mHHS improved from 59 to 85 points. The median iHOT-12 improved from 60 to 85 points. The median VAS decreased from 7 to 2. Postoperative complications occurred in 12% of patients: 1 patient with extensive symptomatic hematoma, 3 patients with hypoesthesia, and 3 patients with dysesthesia., Conclusions: Endoscopic release of the sciatic nerve by resection of fibrovascular bands without piriformis tenotomy is a technique with good to excellent functional results comparable with those of techniques in the literature incorporating piriformis tenotomy., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article ( http://links.lww.com/JBJS/H470 )., (Copyright © 2023 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.)

Bernese periacetabular osteotomy has diverse complications associated with incisions, such as dehiscence, hypertrophy, depression, and hyperpigmentation on scars, which affect patient satisfaction. The objective was to evaluate aesthetics and satisfaction outcomes in four different incisions. We evaluated 176 incisions in 148 patients. The incisions performed were the original modified (16, group I), straight and shortened, (64, group II), "Z" shaped (16, group III), and oblique inguinal (48, group IV). The scars were evaluated for width and length, development of a hypertrophic scar, depression or hyperpigmentation, and dehiscence and resuture. A scale of satisfaction was applied (points ranging from 1 to 10). The Bartlett test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. The mean width and length of the scars were 20.3 and 6.8 cm for group I, 6.5 and 8.1 for group II, 12.1 and 7.1 cm for group III, 13 and 1.4 cm for group IV, respectively. Hypertrophic scars were found in 18% in group I, 12.5% in group II, and 31.2% in group III. Depressed scars were found in 10.8% in group I and 7.1% in group II. Hyperpigmentation was found in 16% in groups I and II, 37% in group III, and 2% in group IV. Dehiscence was found in 8.1% in group I and 8.9% in group II. Satisfaction for group IV was nine points. The difference in length and width and satisfaction were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The oblique inguinal incision (group IV) showed a smaller percentage of complications, with an adequate aesthetic result, and a high grade of patient's satisfaction., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)

Background: Different clinical predictors of physical activity (PA) have been described in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but studies are lacking evaluating the potential role of muscle strength and anxiety and depression symptoms in PA limitation. Moreover, little is known about the impact of changes in PA in the course of the disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between baseline PA and a wide range of variables in IPF, to assess its longitudinal changes at 12 months and its impact on progression free-survival., Methods: PA was assessed by accelerometer and physiological, clinical, psychological factors and health-related quality of life were evaluated in subjects with IPF at baseline and at 12 month follow-up. Predictors of PA were determined at baseline, evolution of PA parameters was described and the prognostic role of PA evolution was also established., Results: Forty participants with IPF were included and 22 completed the follow-up. At baseline, subjects performed 5765 (3442) daily steps and spent 64 (44) minutes/day in moderate to vigorous PA. Multivariate regression models showed that at baseline, a lower six-minute walked distance, lower quadriceps strength (QMVC), and a higher depression score in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale were associated to lower daily step number. In addition, being in (Gender-Age-Physiology) GAP III stage, having a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 and lower QMVC or maximum inspiratory pressure were factors associated with sedentary behaviour. Adjusted for age, gender and forced vital capacity (FVC) (%pred.) a lower progression-free survival was evidenced in those subjects that decreased PA compared to those that maintained, or even increased it, at 12 months [HR 12.1 (95% CI, 1.9-78.8); p = 0.009]., Conclusion: Among a wide range of variables, muscle strength and depression symptoms have a predominant role in PA in IPF patients. Daily PA behaviour and its evolution should be considered in IPF clinical assessment and as a potential complementary indicator of disease prognosis., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The analysis of the core biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is recommended in the clinical units where it is available. Because of the absence of universal validated values, the determination of specific cut-off points for each center and its population is recommended. The main objective of the CORCOBIA study was to determine the cut-off points of core AD CSF biomarkers for several centers (Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona and Hospital General de Granollers), which work with the same reference laboratory (Laboratori de Referència de Catalunya)., Methods: Prospective study including cognitively unimpaired individuals (CU, n = 42), subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI, n = 35) and patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease (AD, n = 48), in whom clinical and neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, APOE genotyping and lumbar puncture to analyse amyloid beta peptides (Aβ42, Aβ40), total tau (tTau) and phosphorylated Tau (pTau181) using the Lumipulse G600II (Fujirebio) was performed. The values of sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), predictive values and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated, determining the cut-off point according to the Youden index by comparing the CU and AD groups., Results: The resulting cut-offs and their AUC were the following: Aβ42 750 pg/mL (AUC 0.809); Aβ42/Aβ40 0.062 (AUC 0.78); pTau181 69.85 pg/mL (AUC 0.81); tTau 522.0 pg/mL (AUC 0.79); Aβ42/tTau 1.76 (AUC 0.86); Aβ42/pTau181 10.25 (AUC 0.86)., Conclusions: The determination of cut-off points of core AD CSF biomarkers for the participating centers allows a better diagnostic accuracy. The ratio CSF Aβ42/pTau181 shows the highest AUC and better balance between sensitivity and specificity., (Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published in Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 36 (2022) 2793-2802, http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2021.10.030. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Neuburger is a consultant for Medtronic. The remaining authors do not have any financial or personal conflicts of interest to disclose.

While marijuana use rates are significantly high within college students, less is known about use patterns and correlates in Latinx groups. This study assessed the relationships between ever use and frequency of use of marijuana, polysubstance use, expectancies, motives, and mental illness symptoms among Latinx college students ( n  = 345). Results indicated more frequent marijuana use was positively associated with: enjoyment, celebration, social anxiety, low risk, sleep and availability and was negatively associated with: experimentation, boredom, altered perception, and anxiety. Other dual use with tobacco expectancies were also observed. These constructs should be explored prospectively and inform prevention and intervention efforts.

The objective of this study was to investigate the re-emergence of a previously important crop pathogen in Europe, Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, causing wheat stem rust. The pathogen has been insignificant in Europe for more than 60 years, but since 2016 it has caused epidemics on both durum wheat and bread wheat in local areas in southern Europe, and additional outbreaks in Central- and West Europe. The prevalence of three distinct genotypes/races in many areas, Clade III-B (TTRTF), Clade IV-B (TKTTF) and Clade IV-F (TKKTF), suggested clonal reproduction and evolution by mutation within these. None of these genetic groups and races, which likely originated from exotic incursions, were detected in Europe prior to 2016. A fourth genetic group, Clade VIII, detected in Germany (2013), was observed in several years in Central- and East Europe. Tests of representative European wheat varieties with prevalent races revealed high level of susceptibility. In contrast, high diversity with respect to virulence and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers were detected in local populations on cereals and grasses in proximity to Berberis species in Spain and Sweden, indicating that the alternate host may return as functional component of the epidemiology of wheat stem rust in Europe. A geographically distant population from Omsk and Novosibirsk in western Siberia (Russia) also revealed high genetic diversity, but clearly different from current European populations. The presence of Sr31 -virulence in multiple and highly diverse races in local populations in Spain and Siberia stress that virulence may emerge independently when large geographical areas and time spans are considered and that Sr31 -virulence is not unique to Ug99. All isolates of the Spanish populations, collected from wheat, rye and grass species, were succesfully recovered on wheat, which underline the plasticity of host barriers within P. graminis . The study demonstrated successful alignment of two genotyping approaches and race phenotyping methodologies employed by different laboratories, which also allowed us to line up with previous European and international studies of wheat stem rust. Our results suggest new initiatives within disease surveillance, epidemiological research and resistance breeding to meet current and future challenges by wheat stem rust in Europe and beyond., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Patpour, Hovmøller, Rodriguez-Algaba, Randazzo, Villegas, Shamanin, Berlin, Flath, Czembor, Hanzalova, Sliková, Skolotneva, Jin, Szabo, Meyer, Valade, Thach, Hansen and Justesen.)

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis , is a destructive group of diseases. The pathogen uses Berberis species as alternate hosts to complete its life cycle. B . vulgaris and the endemic species B. hispanica and B. garciae are present in Spain. The objective of this study was to investigate the functionality of the indigenous barberry as alternate hosts. Field surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019 in Huesca, Teruel and Albacete provinces of Spain. Aecial samples on barberry were analysed via infection assays and DNA analysis. B . garciae was predominant in Huesca and Teruel provinces, often found in the field margins of cereal crops. Aecial infections on B . garciae were observed in May and uredinial infections on cereal crops in June. Scattered B . hispanica bushes were occasionally found near cereal crops in Albacete, where aecial infections on B . hispanica were observed in June when most cereal crops were mature. Infection assays using aeciospores resulted in stem rust infections on susceptible genotypes of wheat, barley, rye and oat, indicating the presence of the sexual cycle for P . graminis f. sp. tritici , f. sp. secalis and f. sp. avenae . Sequence analyses from aecial samples supported this finding as well as the presence of Puccinia brachypodii . This study provides the first evidence that indigenous Berberis species play an active role in the sexual cycle of P . graminis under natural conditions in Spain., (© 2022 The Authors. Plant Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Society for Plant Pathology. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.)

In recent years, personalized or precision medicine has made effective inroads into the management of diseases, including respiratory diseases. The route to implementing this approach must invariably start with the identification and validation of biological biomarkers that are closely related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of respiratory patients. In this respect, biological biomarkers of greater or lesser reliability have been identified for most respiratory diseases and disease classes, and a large number of studies are being conducted in the search for new indicators. The aim of this review is to update the reader and to analyze the existing scientific literature on the existence and diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic validity of the most important biological biomarkers in the main respiratory diseases, and to identify future challenges in this area., (Copyright © 2022 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: During the COVID-19 crisis it was necessary to generate a specific care network and reconvert operating rooms to attend emergency and high-acuity patients undergoing complex surgery. The aim of this study is to classify postoperative complications and mortality and to assess the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the results., Methods: this is a non-inferiority retrospective observational study. Two different groups of surgical patients were created: Pre-pandemic COVID and Pandemic COVID. Severity of illness was rated according to the Diagnosis-related Groups (DRG) score. Comparisons were made between groups and between DRG severity score-matched samples. Non-inferiority was set at up to 10 % difference for grade III to V complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification, and up to 2 % difference in mortality., Results: A total of 1649 patients in the PreCOVID group and 763 patients in the COVID group were analysed; 371 patients were matched for DRG severity score 3-4 (236 preCOVID and 135 COVID). No differences were found in relation to re-operation (22.5 % vs. 21.5 %) or late admission to critical care unit (5.1 % vs. 4.5 %). Clavien grade III to V complications occurred in 107 patients (45.3 %) in the PreCOVID group and in 56 patients (41.5 %) in the COVID group, and mortality was 12.7 % and 12.6 %, respectively. During the pandemic, 3 % of patients tested positive for Covid-19 on PCR: 12 patients undergoing elective surgery and 11 emergency surgery; there were 5 deaths, 3 of which were due to respiratory failure following Covid-19-induced pneumonia., Conclusions: Although this study has some limitations, it has shown the non-inferiority of surgical outcomes during the COVID pandemic, and indicates that resuming elective surgery is safe., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04780594 ., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici , which causes yellow (or stripe) rust on wheat, is a macrocyclic and heteroecious fungus. In this study, we investigated whether Berberis vulgaris subsp. seroi and B. vulgaris subsp. australis , which are indigenous in Spain, may serve as alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici . Wheat leaves bearing telia of an isolate of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici were harvested and used to inoculate plants of both barberry subspecies. Pycnia were observed on the adaxial side of the leaves from 10 days after inoculation (dai). Following successful fertilization, aecia were observed on the abaxial side of the leaves from 16 dai. At 27 dai, barberry leaves bearing aecia were detached and used to inoculate susceptible wheat seedlings of cultivar Morocco. Uredinia were observed on wheat seedlings from 12 days after aeciospore exposure. Eighty-three single lesions were recovered from individual wheat leaves, of which 43 were genotyped using 19 P. striiformis f. sp. tritici simple sequence repeat markers (SSR). In total, 19 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were identified among the 43 progeny isolates. The SSR genotyping confirmed that all 43 isolates were derived from the parental isolate. Seven heterozygous SSR markers showed segregation among the progenies, whereas none of the 12 homozygous markers resulted in segregation. These results demonstrated that B. vulgaris subspp. seroi and australis can serve as alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici , which may result in novel virulence combinations that can have a detrimental impact on wheat production. Although P. striiformis f. sp. tritici has not been detected on these barberry species in nature, this study highlights the importance of rust surveillance in barberry areas where suitable conditions for completion of the sexual life cycle may be present.

A panel of 172 Mediterranean durum wheat landraces and 200 modern cultivars was phenotyped during three years for 21 agronomic and physiological traits and genotyped with 46,161 DArTseq markers. Modern cultivars showed greater yield, number of grains per spike (NGS) and harvest index (HI), but similar number of spikes per unit area (NS) and grain weight than the landraces. Modern cultivars had earlier heading but longer heading-anthesis and grain-filling periods than the landraces. They had greater RUE (Radiation Use Efficiency) up to anthesis and lower canopy temperature at anthesis than the landraces, but the opposite was true during the grain-filling period. Landraces produced more biomass at both anthesis and maturity. The 120 genotypes with a membership coefficient q > 0.8 to the five genetic subpopulations (SP) that structured the panel were related with the geographic distribution and evolutionary history of durum wheat. SP1 included landraces from eastern countries, the domestication region of the "Fertile Crescent." SP2 and SP3 consisted of landraces from the north and the south Mediterranean shores, where durum wheat spread during its migration westward. Decreases in NS, grain-filling duration and HI, but increases in early soil coverage, days to heading, biomass at anthesis, grain-filling rate, plant height and peduncle length occurred during this migration. SP4 grouped modern cultivars gathering the CIMMYT/ICARDA genetic background, and SP5 contained modern north-American cultivars. SP4 was agronomically distant from the landraces, but SP5 was genetically and agronomically close to SP1. GWAS identified 2,046 marker-trait associations (MTA) and 144 QTL hotspots integrating 1,927 MTAs. Thirty-nine haplotype blocks (HB) with allelic differences among SPs and associated with 16 agronomic traits were identified within 13 QTL hotspots. Alleles in chromosomes 5A and 7A detected in landraces were associated with decreased yield. The late heading and short grain-filling period of SP2 and SP3 were associated with a hotspot on chromosome 7B. The heavy grains of SP3 were associated with hotspots on chromosomes 2A and 7A. The greater NGS and HI of modern cultivars were associated with allelic variants on chromosome 7A. A hotspot on chromosome 3A was associated with the high NGS, earliness and short stature of SP4., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Royo, Ammar, Villegas and Soriano.)

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), mainly anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO) antibodies, have been frequently identified in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, their role remains unclear, and only 7-23% of these patients develops clinically overt vasculitis. We aimed to investigate the clinical, serological, and radiological features and prognosis of anti-MPO-positive interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. Fifty-eight consecutive patients firstly referred for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia and showing serological positivity of anti-MPO antibodies were retrospectively enrolled. For each patient, clinical data, lung function testing, chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) pattern, and survival were recorded. Thirteen patients developed a rheumatic disease during a median follow-up of 39 months. Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) was the most frequent ILD pattern, significantly influencing the patients' survival. In fact, while the 52-week survival of the overall population was 71.4 ± 7.5%, significantly higher than IPF, survivals of anti-MPO patients with UIP pattern and IPF were similar. Forced vital capacity and diffusion lung capacity for CO significantly declined in 37.7 and 41.5% of cases, respectively, while disease progression at chest HRCT was observed in 45.2%. A careful clinical history and evaluation should always be performed in ILD patients with anti-MPO antibodies to quickly identify patients who are developing a systemic rheumatic disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease whose main extra-articular organ affected is the lung, sometimes in the form of diffuse interstitial lung disease (ILD) and conditions the prognosis. A multicenter, observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of consecutive patients diagnosed with RA-ILD. Demographic, analytical, respiratory functional and evolution characteristics were analyzed to evaluate the predictors of progression and mortality. 106 patients were included. The multivariate analysis showed that the diagnostic delay was an independent predictor of mortality (HR 1.11, CI 1.01-1.23, p = 0.035). Also, age (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.09-1.62, p = 0.0045), DLCO (%) (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.98, p = 0.0246), and final SatO2 (%) in the 6MWT (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, p = 0.0465) were independent predictor variables of mortality, as well as GAP index (HR 4.65, 95% CI 1.59-13.54, p = 0.0051) and CPI index (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.22, p = 0.0092). The withdrawal of MTX or LFN after ILD diagnosis was associated with disease progression in the COX analysis (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.14-4.18, p = 0.019). This is the first study that highlights the diagnostic delay in RA-ILD is associated with an increased mortality just like happens in IPF.

The inadequate management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in fast-developing nations is a major public health problem. Trash collection is often inconsistent, leaving residents to use unsafe disposal methods such as incineration or unregulated dumping. The issue is especially pronounced in marginalized communities, where public service provision is scarce. Past research has identified factors that perpetuate harmful disposal practices. The current study expanded on previous work by exploring how individuals' perceptions of political, spatial, and economic marginalization affected their agency with regards to waste management. Researchers focused on a marginalized community in the Dominican Republic known as Esfuerzo de Paraíso. There, they conducted semi-structured interviews to explore residents' perceptions of marginalization at the individual, interpersonal, community, and institutional levels, and its effects on their agency. A qualitative coding process revealed that most community members were discontent with their trash disposal practices, but that long-standing marginalization left them feeling ill equipped to generate change at the individual level. Interviewees believed that change should be initiated at the community level and implemented with the support of institutional-level actors, namely the municipal government. Residents did not identify any non-governmental organizations as possible sources of help, which may suggest a limited view of institutional support networks.

Background: Human myometrium is a therapeutic target for labor induction and preterm labor., Objective: This study aimed to assess the physiological role of alternative calcium conductance on contractions triggered by uterotonic drugs in human myometrium. Membrane conductances, supported by TRPV channels, may provide alternative pathways to control either free intracellular and/or submembrane Ca 2+ -concentration, which in turn will modulate membrane polarization and contractile responses., Study Design: Uterine biopsies were obtained from consenting women undergoing elective caesarean delivery at term without labor (N = 22). Isometric tension measurements were performed on uterine smooth muscle strips (n = 132). Amplitude, frequency, and area under the curve (AUC) of phasic contractions, as well as resting tone, were measured under various experimental conditions. Immuno histo- and cyto-chemistry, as well as Western blot analyses, have been performed with specific antibodies against TRPV1, TRPV3, and TRPV4 proteins. TRPV4 agonists; GSK1016790A, 4αPDD, and 5,6-EET were used to assess the role of TRPV4 channels on rhythmic activity triggered by 30-300 nM oxytocin. 5 μM of ruthenium red was used as an efficient blocker of ionic current through TRPV4 channels. Nanomolar concentrations of iberiotoxin (IbTX) were also used to confirm the downstream involvement of BKCa channels in controlling uterine reactivity and contractility., Results: The expression of TRPV3 and TRPV4 isoforms has now been demonstrated in human myometrial tissue and cell culture. Nanomolar concentrations of the TRPV4 agonists, (either GSK1016790A or 4αPDD) abolished the rhythmic contractions, resulting in a rapid and consistent tocolytic effect. While 5 μM of ruthenium reversed this tocolytic effect. The addition of IbTX (a BKCa channel blocker) reversed the effects of GSK1016790A. Carvacrol, a TRPV3 agonist, had similar tocolytic effects on rhythmic contractions albeit at higher concentrations. This inhibitory effect was also reversed by ruthenium red., Conclusion: Collectively, these data suggest that activation of TRPV4 leads to a Ca 2+ entry and subsequent BKCa channel activation (increase in open state probability), which in turn hyperpolarizes the myometrial cell membrane, inactivating L-type Ca 2+ channels and efficiently abrogates contractile activity. Consequently, alternative Ca 2+ conductance supported by TRPV4 plays a physiological role in the modulation of myometrial reactivity., Competing Interests: The authors report no declarations of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the model structure, reliability, and validity of the Grit-S for veterans with mental illnesses. Method: A total of 156 veterans with mental illnesses ( M age = 37.85, SD = 10.74) were recruited from Amazon MTurk to complete an online survey consisting of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S), the Brief Resilience Scale, the PERMA-Profiler, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II. Results: Results revealed that grit is a multidimensional construct in veterans with mental illnesses. The Grit-S was found to have acceptable reliability and concurrent validity. Grit was found to be negatively associated with functional disability in veterans with mental illnesses after controlling for demographic variables. Conclusions and Implications: The Grit-S is a multidimensional, reliable, and valid scale for measuring grit in veterans with mental illnesses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Previous safety issues involving medical devices have stressed the need for better safety signal detection. Various European Union (EU) national competent authorities have started to focus on strengthening the analysis of vigilance data. Consequently, article 90 of the new EU regulation states that the European Commission shall put in place systems and processes to actively monitor medical device safety signals., Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize the current state of knowledge and investigate the present tools used for medical device safety signal detection. An electronic literature search was performed in Embase, Medline, Cochrane, Web of science, and Google scholar from inception until January 2017. Articles that included terms related to medical devices and terms associated with safety were selected. A further selection was based on the abstract review. A full review of the remaining articles was conducted to decide on which articles finally to consider relevant for this review. Completeness was assessed based on the content of the articles., Results: Our search resulted in a total of 20,819 articles, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria and were subject to data extraction and completeness scoring. A wide range of data sources, especially spontaneous reporting systems and registries, used for the detection and assessment of product problems and patient harms associated with the use of medical devices, were studied. Coding is remarkably heterogeneous, no agreement on the preferred methods for signal detection exists, and no gold standard for signal detection has been established thus far., Conclusion: Data source harmonization, the development of gold standard signal detection methodologies and the standardization of coding dictionaries are amongst the recommendations to support the implementation of a new proactive approach to signal detection. The new safety surveillance system will be able to use real-world evidence to support regulatory decision-making across all jurisdictions., Competing Interests: Josep Pane and Dorian Villegas are employees of Alcon. Laura Gamez and Irene Rebollo are employees of Novartis. Katia M.C. Verhamme reports working for a research group that received/receives unconditional research grants from Yamanouchi, Pfizer/Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, GSK, and Chiesi, none of which are related to the content of this manuscript. Miriam C.J.M. Sturkenboom reports being a principal investigator on post-authorization safety studies for Novartis, non-related to this study. The authors report no other potential conflicts of interest for this work., (© 2021 Pane et al.)

The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been an unprecedented global health problem, causing more than 20 million infections and more than 900,000 deaths (September 2020). The SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as COVID-19, has various clinical presentations, from asymptomatic or mild catarrhal processes to severe pneumonia that rapidly progresses to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure. In the last few months, much scientific literature has been devoted to descriptions of different aspects of the coagulation disorders and arterial and venous thrombotic complications associated with COVID-19, particularly venous thromboembolism (VTE). These studies have revealed that SARS-CoV-2 could lead to a prothrombotic state reflecting the high cumulative incidence of associated thrombotic events, particularly in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). As regards the coagulopathy observed in association with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the mechanisms that activate coagulation have been hypothesized as being linked to immune responses, through the release of pro-inflammatory mediators that interact with platelets, stimulate the expression of tissue factor, induce an upregulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, suppress the fibrinolytic system and lead to endothelial dysfunction, triggering thrombogenesis. D-dimer elevation has been recognized as a useful biomarker of poor prognosis, although the best cut-off point for predicting VTE in COVID-19 patients has still not been clarified. This review will try to update all the available scientific information on this important topic with enormous clinical and therapeutic implications., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-20-3062). All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the intermediary role of physical health quality of life and ability to participate social roles and activities in the relationship between pain intensity and mental health quality of life in veterans with mental illnesses., Methods: This is a cross-sectional correlational design study. Our participants are 156 veterans with self-reported mental illness (M age  = 37.85; SD age  = 10.74). Descriptive, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted for the current study., Results: Pain intensity was negatively correlated with physical health QOL, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and mental health QOL. Physical health QOL and ability to participate in social roles and activities were positively associated with mental health QOL, respectively. Physical health QOL was positively correlated with a ability to participate in social roles and activities. Study results indicate that the effect of pain intensity on mental health QOL can be explained by physical health QOL and ability to participate., Conclusions: Specific recommendations for practitioners include implementing treatment goals that simultaneously focus on physical health and ability to participate in social roles and activities for clients who present with both physical pain and low mental health QOL.

This study analysed the effect of flowering time as influenced by photoperiod sensitivity genes on yield and yield stability in durum wheat. Twenty-three spring genotypes harbouring different allele combinations at Ppd-A1 and Ppd-B1 were grown in 15 field experiments at three sites at latitudes from 41° to 19° N (Spain, Mexico-North and Mexico-South). Low temperature and solar radiation before flowering and long day length during grain-filling characteristic for the Spanish site resulted in high grain number/m 2 (GN) and yield (GY), while a moderate GN combined with high solar radiation during grain-filling at Mexico-North led to heavier grains. Allele combination GS100- Ppd-A1a / Ppd-B1a reduced the flowering time up to nine days when compared with Ppd-A1b / Ppd-B1a . Differences in flowering time caused by Ppd-A1 / Ppd-B1 allele combinations did not affect yield. Combinations GS105- Ppd-A1a / Ppd-B1b and Ppd-A1b / Ppd-B1b resulted in the highest GN, linked to spikelets/spike, which was higher in GS105- Ppd-A1a / Ppd-B1b due to more grains/spikelet. Flowering time caused by Eps had a minor effect on GN, spikes/m 2 and grains/spike, but late flowering resulted in reduced grain weight and GY. Allele combinations harbouring alleles conferring a similar photoperiod sensitivity response at Ppd-A1 and Ppd-B1 resulted in greater yield stability than combinations that carry alleles conferring a different response. Allele combination GS100- Ppd-A1a / Ppd-B1a was the most suitable in terms of yield and yield stability of durum wheat cultivated under irrigation within the studied latitudes.

In Chile, erosion processes (on-site and off-site impact) affect at least 36.9 million ha -1 , representing 49% of the total land area. Different regions show severe soil degradation mainly caused by water erosion processes. The importance of sediment-associated transport and the key role of soil erosion affect the fertility of the land and the contamination of water bodies. The aim of this work was to estimate the erosion rate, caused by the rainfall in Apalta vineyards in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region of Chile using isotope techniques, assessing the 7 Be runoff during four years (2009-2012). The 7 Be distribution mass depth at a reference site ranged from 7 to 24 kg m -2 in the first two centimetres soil layer. Even when the vineyards have been well managed, the topographic characteristics and the climatic conditions facilitated soil erosion, with average rates of 50.4, 23.5, 50.6 and 67.3 tons ha -1 y -1 in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. The robustness of the 7 Be technique demonstrated the advantage of a non-soil-destructive methodology to calculate soil distribution and erosion rates.

Phytoene synthase 1 ( Psy1 ) and lipoxygenase 1 ( Lpx -1) are key genes involved in the synthesis and catalysis of carotenoid pigments in durum wheat, regulating the increase and decrease in these compounds, respectively, resulting in the distinct yellow color of semolina and pasta. Here, we reported new haplotype variants and/or allele combinations of these two genes significantly affecting yellow pigment content in grain and semolina through their effect on carotenoid pigments. To reach the purpose of this work, three complementary approaches were undertaken: the identification of QTLs associated to carotenoid content on a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, the characterization of a Mediterranean panel of accessions for Psy1 and Lpx-1 genes, and monitoring the expression of Psy1 and Lpx-1 genes during grain filling on two genotypes with contrasting yellow pigments. Our data suggest that Psy1 plays a major role during grain development, contributing to semolina yellowness, and Lpx-1 appears to be more predominant at post-harvest stages and during pasta making.

Wheat adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions is mostly determined by allelic diversity within genes controlling vernalization requirement ( Vrn-1 ) and photoperiod sensitivity ( Ppd-1 ). We characterized a panel of 151 durum wheat Mediterranean landraces and 20 representative locally adapted modern cultivars for their allelic composition at Vrn-1 and Ppd-1 gene using diagnostic molecular markers and studied their association with the time needed to reach six growth stages under field conditions over 6 years. Compared with the more diverse and representative landrace collection, the set of modern cultivars were characterized by a reduction of 50% in the number of allelic variants at the Vrn-A1 and Vrn-B1 genes, and the high frequency of mutant alleles conferring photoperiod insensitivity at Ppd-A1 , which resulted on a shorter cycle length. Vrn-A1 played a greater role than Vrn-B1 in regulating crop development ( Vrn-A1 > Vrn-B1 ). The results suggest that mutations in the Vrn-A1 gene may have been the most important in establishing the spring growth habit of Mediterranean landraces and modern durum cultivars. The allele Vrn-A1d , found in 10 landraces, delayed development. The relative effects of single Vrn-A1 alleles on delaying the development of the landraces were vrn-A1 = Vrn-A1d > Vrn-A1b > Vrn-A1c . Allele vrn-B1 was present in all except two landraces and in all modern cultivars. The null allele at Ppd-A1 (a deletion first observed in the French bread wheat cultivar 'Capelle-Desprez') was found for the first time in durum wheat in the present study that identified it in 30 landraces from 13 Mediterranean countries. Allele Ppd-A1a ( GS105 ) was detected in both germplasm types, while the allele Ppd-A1a ( GS100 ) was found only in modern North American and Spanish cultivars. The relative effect of single Ppd-A1 alleles on extending phenological development was Ppd-A1 ( DelCD ) > Ppd-A1b > Ppd-A1a ( GS105 ) > Ppd-A1a ( GS100 ). Sixteen Vrn-1+Ppd-1 allelic combinations were found in landraces and six in modern cultivars, but only three were common to both panels. Differences in the number of days to reach anthesis were 10 days in landraces and 3 days in modern cultivars. Interactive effects between Vrn-1 and Ppd-1 genes were detected., (Copyright © 2020 Royo, Dreisigacker, Soriano, Lopes, Ammar and Villegas.)

Modern intensively managed pastures that receive large external nitrogen (N) inputs account for high N losses in form of nitrate (NO 3 - ) leaching and emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O). The natural plant capacity to shape the soil N cycle through exudation of organic compounds can be exploited to favor N retention without affecting productivity. In this study, we estimated the relationship between biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), N 2 O emissions and plant productivity for 119 germplasm accessions of Guineagrass ( Megathyrsus maximus ), an important tropical forage crop for livestock production. This relation was tested in a greenhouse experiment measuring BNI as (i) rates of soil nitrification; (ii) abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA); and (iii) the capacity of root tissue extracts to inhibit nitrification in vitro . We then measured N 2 O emissions, aboveground biomass and forage nutrition quality parameters. Reductions on nitrification activity ranging between 30 and 70% were found across the germplasm collection of M. maximus . Accessions with low nitrification rates showed a lower abundance of AOB as well as a reduction in N 2 O emissions compared to accessions of high nitrification rates. The BNI capacity was not correlated to N uptake of plants, suggesting that there may be intraspecific variation in the exploitation of different N sources in this grass species. A group of accessions (cluster) with the most desirable agronomic and environmental traits among the collection was identified for further field validation. These results provide evidence of the ability of M. maximus to suppress soil nitrification and N 2 O emissions and their relationship with productivity and forage quality, pointing a way to develop N conservative improved forage grasses for tropical livestock production., (Copyright © 2020 Villegas, Arevalo, Nuñez, Mazabel, Subbarao, Rao, De Vega and Arango.)

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) has been recognized to be a condition leading to osteoarthritis. Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) has showed good results on hip preservation treatment for these cases. Nevertheless, intra-articular damage may be responsible for persistent post-operative symptoms, so treat the articular damage before or during the PAO has emerged as an alternative to address it. The objective is to identify the prevalence of intra-articular damage, functional outcomes of patients undergoing PAO with untreated intra-articular lesions and the survivorship free total hip arthroplasty (THA) at long-term follow-up. A retrospective review of 103 hips in 92 patients, mean age 26 years old (19-31), 96% females. Mean follow-up 7 years (range: 3-16). Intra-articular damage was evaluated with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) previous to perform the PAO, the chondral damage was evaluated using International Cartilage Repair Society classification. Harris Hip Score (HHS) was obtained in all patients. One hundred per cent of the cases had labral tears on MRI, hypertrophic labrum in 80.8% and paralabral cysts in 20.8%. Acetabular chondral damage was Grade 2 in 88.5% of the hips. HHS was good and excellent in 94%. Survivorship free of THA at 15 years was 87%. Chondrolabral damage is a common finding in patients with DDH. Despite that, excellent results are obtained with PAO without labral repair. We think the focus should be in the biomechanical and anatomical correction of the hip in patients with DDH., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Flowering time is the most critical developmental stage in wheat, as it determines environmental conditions during grain filling. Thirty-five spring durum genotypes carrying all known allele variants at Ppd-1 loci were evaluated in fully irrigated field experiments for three years at latitudes of 41°N (Spain), 27°N (northern Mexico) and 19°N (southern Mexico). Relationships between weight of central grains of main spikes ( W ) and thermal time from flowering to maturity were described by a logistic equation. Differences in flowering time between the allele combination causing the earliest (GS100/ Ppd-B1a ) and the latest ( Ppd-A1b/Ppd-B1a ) flowering were 7, 20 and 18 days in Spain, northern Mexico and southern Mexico, respectively. Flowering delay drastically reduced the mean grain filling rate ( R ) and W at all sites. At autumn-sowing sites, an increase of 1°C in mean temperature during the first half of the grain filling period decreased W by 5.2 mg per grain. At these sites, W was strongly dependent on R . At the spring-sowing site (southern Mexico), W depended on both R and grain filling duration. Our results suggest that incorporating the allele combinations GS100/ Ppd-B1a and GS105/ Ppd-B1a (alleles conferring photoperiod insensitivity) in newly released varieties can reduce the negative effects of climate change on grain filling at the studied latitudes., (© 2019 Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentaries. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

In order to identify genome regions related to pasta-making quality traits, association mapping (AM) was performed in a set of 165 durum wheat landraces from 21 Mediterranean countries. The collection was genotyped using 1149 DArT markers and 872 of them with a known genetic position were used for AM. The collection was grown in north-east Spain during 3 years. Results of ANOVA showed that trait variation for quality traits, except for grain protein content (GPC), was mainly explained by genetic effects. Landraces showed higher GPC than modern cultivars but lower gluten strength (GS). Modern and eastern landraces showed the highest yellow color index (YI). Balkan landraces showed the lowest test weight (TW). A total of 92 marker-trait associations were detected, 20 corresponding to GS, 21 to GPC, 21 to YI and 30 to TW. With the aim of detecting new genomic regions involved in grain quality, the position of the associations was compared with previously mapped QTL by a meta-QTL analysis. A total of 249 QTLs were projected onto the same map used for AM, identifying 45 meta-QTL (MQTL) regions and the remaining 15 QTLs as singletons. The position of known genes involved in grain quality was also included, and gene annotation within the most significant regions detected by AM was carried out using the wheat genome sequence.

The neuropathological hallmark of the C9orf72 intronic hexanucleotide expansion in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the presence of small ubiquitin/p62-positive and transactive response DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43)-negative cytoplasmic inclusions in several brain areas. The identification of this histopathological signature is highly predictive of an underlying mutation. In this study, we screened 1800 cases of the Barcelona IDIBAPS Brain Bank, independently of the clinical and final neuropathological diagnosis of the brain donor, for the presence of ubiquitin/p62-positive inclusions in the cerebellum (UPPI). Positive cases were also stained for dipeptide repeats. We identified a total of 21 donors with UPPI and in all of them the C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansion was genetically confirmed. Most donors had an FTLD or to a lesser extent ALS clinico-pathological phenotype. However, 3 cases had been previously classified as having clinically and neuropathologically Lewy body disease. Other co-existing pathologies, especially of the PART-type, were also frequently encountered. This study highlights the importance of the evaluation of ubiquitin/p62-positive cytoplasmic inclusions in all neurodegenerative diseases as a good screening method for the detection of C9orf72 expansion mutation, since this mutation is not rare and can overlap with other neurodegenerative entities.

The main yield components in durum wheat are grain number per unit area (GN) and thousand kernel weight (TKW), both of which are affected by environmental conditions. The most critical developmental stage for their determination is flowering time, which partly depends on photoperiod sensitivity genes at Ppd-1 loci. Fifteen field experiments, involving 23 spring durum wheat genotypes containing all known allelic variants at the PHOTOPERIOD RESPONSE LOCUS ( Ppd-A1 and Ppd-B1 ) were carried out at three sites at latitudes ranging from 41° to 27° N (Spain, Mexico-north, and Mexico-south, the latter in spring planting). Allele GS100 at Ppd-A1 , which causes photoperiod insensitivity and results in early-flowering genotypes, tended to increase TKW and yield, albeit not substantially. Allele Ppd-B1a , also causing photoperiod insensitivity, did not affect flowering time or grain yield. Genotypes carrying the Ppd-B1b allele conferring photoperiod sensitivity had consistently higher GN, which did not translate into higher yield due to under-compensation in TKW. This increased GN was due to a greater number of grains spike -1 as a result of a higher number of spikelets spike -1 . Daylength from double ridge to terminal spikelet stage was strongly and positively associated with the number of spikelets spike -1 in Spain. This association was not found in the Mexico sites, thereby indicating that Ppd-B1b had an intrinsic effect on spikelets spike -1 independently of environmental cues. Our results suggest that, in environments where yield is limited by the incapacity to produce a high GN, selecting for Ppd-B1b may be advisable.

Genetic diversity of durum wheat landraces is a powerful tool for the introgression of new alleles of commercial interest in breeding programs. In a previous study, our team structured a collection of 172 durum wheat landraces from 21 Mediterranean countries in four genetic populations related to their geographical origin: east Mediterranean (17), east Balkan and Turkey (23), west Balkan and Egypt (25), and West Mediterranean (73), leaving 34 genotypes as admixed, and association mapping was carried out for important agronomic traits. Using a subset of this collection, the current study identified 23 marker alleles with a differential frequency in landraces from east and west regions of the Mediterranean Basin, which affected important agronomic traits. Eastern landraces had higher frequencies than the western ones of alleles increasing the number of spikes (wPt-5385 on chromosome 1B), grains per m 2 (wPt-0841 on chromosome 7B), and grain filling duration (7 significant marker trait associations). Eastern landraces had higher frequencies of marker alleles located on chromosomes 4A, 5B, and 6B associated with reduced cycle length, and lighter grains than the western ones. Also for lower kernel weight, four marker alleles were located on chromosome 1A. Breeders may use the molecular markers identified in the current study for improving yield under specific Mediterranean environments.

Objective: To present a modification in the technique of an anterior approach for Bernese periacetabular osteotomy through an oblique inguinal incision., Introduction: Reorientation of the acetabulum in Bernese periacetabular osteotomy provides adequate coverage of the femoral head, improving biomechanical conditions of the joint without the risk of osteonecrosis. The principal author modified this procedure through an anterior approach with no detachment of the rectus femoris, allowing early rehabilitation. Evolution of scars is an issue both in the original technique and in our modification in terms of hypertrophy, depression, or hyperpigmentation and dehiscence. We introduce an oblique inguinal incision reducing both static and dynamic tension of the skin, allowing healing and avoiding development of unsatisfactory scars., Methods: Thirty-five surgeries with a modified technique were performed in 27 patients between 2014 and 2016. The average patient age was 27.09 years. No patients were excluded. Development of hypertrophic, depressed, and hyperpigmented scars was evaluated in addition to dehiscence., Results: The average length of the scar was 14.1 cm, and average diastasis was 1.3 mm. There were no hypertrophic, depressed, or hyperpigmented scars. No patients had dehiscence or resutures of surgical wounds., Conclusion: Oblique inguinal incision for the anterior approach in Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is a technique that allows healing of surgical wounds without dehiscence or hypertrophic changes by respecting tension lines. It has a high rate of patient satisfaction, with no complications., Competing Interests: Dr. Lara or an immediate family member serves as a paid consultant to Stryker. None of the following authors or any immediate family member has received anything of value from or has stock or stock options held in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Dr. Villegas, Dr. Besomi, and Dr. Tobar.

Introduction: Nutritional information directed to consumers has evolved in some key aspects such as nutritional parameters, qualitative characteristics of the product and the necessary requirements for their communication., Objectives: To provide a general overview of legislative developments in nutrition communication in the last 50 years., Materials and Methods: Literature review of available literature and European and Spanish Regulations., Results: The main changes have occurred on the two key regulations. Regulation 1924/2006 covering for the first times in Europe the characteristics that must be declared by foods and beverages to make certain nutritional claims and their commercial communications. Additionally, Regulation 432/2012 provides a positive list of health claims. On the other hand, Regulation 1169/2011 offers an updated view of the information provided to the consumer, the compulsory and voluntary aspects of it and its application in the labeling, presentation and advertising of food and beverage products. In addition, there are other regulations and initiatives, at the non-institutional level, to promote this communication with the consumer, such as GDAs or color schemes, based on the dietary reference intakes of different nutrients included in Regulation 1169/2011., Conclusion: Food legislation has tried to regulate the existing situation in the market by creating a harmonized framework to guarantee the consumer protection, offering nutritional information based in the scientific evidence and increasingly comprehensive and understandable.

We study the tunneling of optical vibrational modes with transverse horizontal polarization that impinge, at a given angle, on a semiconductor heterostructure. We find a large influence of the Goos-Hänchen shift on tunneling times. In particular, a Goos-Hänchen shift larger than the barrier thickness is reported for the first time. The relation between Goos-Hänchen and Hartman effects is also discussed. The identity that equals the dwell time to the sum of transmission and interference times, previously derived for one-dimensional tunneling problems, is extended to the two-dimensional case. Closed-form expressions are developed for the relevant quantities. Instead of using the standard approach, the interference time is computed from the vibrational energy density. The present study could be useful for the design of semiconductor devices.

Background: Cervical Cancer (CC) has become a public health concern of alarming proportions in many developing countries such as Mexico, particularly in low income sectors and marginalized regions. As such, an early detection is a key medical factor in improving not only their population's quality of life but also its life expectancy. Interestingly, there has been an increase in the number of reports describing successful attempts at detecting cancer cells in human tissues or fluids using trained (sniffer) dogs. The great odor detection threshold exhibited by dogs is not unheard of. However, this represented a potential opportunity to develop an affordable, accessible, and non-invasive method for detection of CC., Methods: Using clicker training, a male beagle was trained to recognize CC odor. During training, fresh CC biopsies were used as a reference point. Other samples used included cervical smears on glass slides and medical surgical bandages used as intimate sanitary pads by CC patients. A double-blind procedure was exercised when testing the beagle's ability to discriminate CC from control samples., Results: The beagle was proven able to detect CC-specific volatile organic compounds (VOC) contained in both fresh cervical smear samples and adsorbent material samples. Beagle's success rate at detecting and discriminating CC and non-CC odors, as indicated by specificity and sensitivity values recorded during the experiment, stood at an overall high (>90%). CC-related VOC in adsorbent materials were detectable after only eight hours of use by CC patients., Conclusion: Present data suggests different applications for VOC from the uterine cervix to be used in the detection and diagnosis of CC. Furthermore, data supports the use of trained dogs as a viable, affordable, non-invasive and, therefore, highly relevant alternative method for detection of CC lesions. Additional benefits of this method include its quick turnaround time and ease of use while remaining highly accurate and robust.

Background: Malignancy is one of the most common long-term complications in renal transplant patients, often related to immunosuppressive treatment although other factors could be considered. Vitamin D plays an important role in reducing cancer risk. After kidney transplantation (KT), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OH-D, or calcidiol) insufficiency concerns >85%. The main aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between calcidiol blood levels and cancer development in KT recipients., Methods: This was a retrospective observational case-control study including patients who received transplants in our hospital from 2003 to 2009 with a follow-up period to 2015. A total of 738 patients were included; 94 of them developed malignancy process, 80 of whose tumor data were analyzed in the cancer group, and the rest composed the control group. At the moment of cancer presentation, age, sex, primary kidney disease, time after surgery, immunosuppressant schedule, and 25OH-D blood levels were collected., Results: The mean patient age was 57 years. The percentages of man and women were 59.5% and 41.5%. The predominant etiology of kidney disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in 31.9%. There were no significant differences between sex, primary kidney disease, immunosuppressant schedule, or incidence of neoplasm in each group of patients. There were no significant differences in 25OH-D blood levels. The incidence of cancer was 7.1%-13.7% per year. The mean time between the graft surgery and the event was 5.6 years., Conclusions: In patients with functioning KT, we found no correlation between blood levels of calcidiol and the incidence of cancer., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

A collection of 172 durum wheat landraces from 21 Mediterranean countries and 20 modern cultivars were phenotyped in 6 environments for 14 traits including phenology, biomass, yield and yield components. The genetic structure of the collection was ascertained with 44 simple sequence repeat markers that identified 448 alleles, 226 of them with a frequency lower than 5%, and 10 alleles per locus on average. In the modern cultivars all the alleles were fixed in 59% of the markers. Total genetic diversity was HT = 0.7080 and the genetic differentiation value was GST = 0.1730. STRUCTURE software allocated 90.1% of the accessions in five subpopulations, one including all modern cultivars, and the four containing landrace related to their geographic origin: eastern Mediterranean, eastern Balkans and Turkey, western Balkans and Egypt, and western Mediterranean. Mean yield of subpopulations ranged from 2.6 t ha-1 for the western Balkan and Egyptian landraces to 4.0 t ha-1 for modern cultivars, with the remaining three subpopulations showing similar values of 3.1 t ha-1. Modern cultivars had the highest number of grains m-2 and harvest index, and the shortest cycle length. The diversity was lowest in modern cultivars (HT = 0.4835) and highest in landraces from the western Balkans and Egypt (HT = 0.6979). Genetic diversity and AMOVA indicated that variability between subpopulations was much lower (17%) than variability within them (83%), though all subpopulations had similar biomass values in all growth stages. A dendrogram based on simple sequence repeat data matched with the clusters obtained by STRUCTURE, improving this classification for some accessions that have a large admixture. landraces included in the subpopulation from the eastern Balkans and Turkey were separated into two branches in the dendrogram drawn with phenotypic data, suggesting a different origin for the landraces collected in Serbia and Macedonia. The current study shows a reliable relationship between genetic and phenotypic population structures, and the connection of both with the geographic origin of the landraces.