Search

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), metabolic rewiring and resistance to standard therapy are closely associated. PDAC cells show enormous requirements for glucose‐derived citrate, the first rate‐limiting metabolite in the synthesis of new lipids. Both the expression and activity of citrate synthase (CS) are extraordinarily upregulated in PDAC. However, no previous relationship between gemcitabine response and citrate metabolism has been documented in pancreatic cancer. Here, we report for the first time that pharmacological doses of vitamin C are capable of exerting an inhibitory action on the activity of CS, reducing glucose‐derived citrate levels. Moreover, ascorbate targets citrate metabolism towards the de novo lipogenesis pathway, impairing fatty acid synthase (FASN) and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) expression. Lowered citrate availability was found to be directly associated with diminished proliferation and, remarkably, enhanced gemcitabine response. Moreover, the deregulated citrate‐derived lipogenic pathway correlated with a remarkable decrease in extracellular pH through inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and overall reduced glycolytic metabolism. Modulation of citric acid metabolism in highly chemoresistant pancreatic adenocarcinoma, through molecules such as vitamin C, could be considered as a future clinical option to improve patient response to standard chemotherapy regimens.

Synanthropic birds might play an important role as reservoirs of many zoonotic endoparasites; however, little information is available on many parasites and their prevalence. Here, we use an approach based on targeted metagenomic detection through the use of DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples to screen for circulating parasites in alien parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus and Psittacula krameri) and urban landfill-feeding storks (Ciconia ciconia) and gulls (Larus fuscus). We focus especially on potentially zoonotic parasites, with the aim of better understanding the zoonotic risk that these birds’ faeces may pose. We detected a total of 23 genera of eukaryotic parasites: six fungi, three protists, five nematodes, two cestodes and seven trematodes. Among them, six stood out for their relevance to human health: Cryptococcus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. (fungi); Cryptosporidium spp. (a protist); and Ascaris spp. and Halicephalobus spp. (nematodes). In parakeets, we detected Cryptococcus spp. and Ascaris spp., the latter being detected in 10–20% of the samples. In the White Stork and the Lesser Black-backed Gull, we found a high prevalence of Aspergillus spp. (in 15% and 50% of the samples, respectively) and Candida spp. (in 63% and 82% of the samples, respectively), and the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in 10% of the samples. We detected Halicephalobus spp. in one gull sample (2%). Our results show that synanthropic birds may act as vectors and reservoirs of zoonotic parasites and their faeces could pose a risk to human health associated with the zoonotic parasites present in them. This should be taken into account when developing management plans for urban populations of these bird species.

Introduction Over the past decade, the growth of accelerated three-year MD (3YMD) programs has flourished. In 2015, with support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Consortium of Medical Pathway Programs (CAMPP) started with eight North American medical schools. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the current state of the 3YMD programs.Material and Methods Since 2015, the CAMPP has tracked new and prospective 3YMD programs. An electronic survey collecting curricular and programmatic information about the programs was disseminated to all members of the CAMPP in August 2023. The survey included elements related to year of initiation, number of graduates, and curricular elements.Results Of the schools with known established three-year MD programs, 29 of 32 programs responded (response rate 90%). There is growth of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs over time with almost 20% of United States Allopathic Medical Schools having or developing an accelerated program. There have been 817 graduates from these programs from 2013–2023. Most schools include an opportunity for a ‘directed pathway’ experience for students. A directed pathway is where a student completes the MD degree in three-years and then has a direct placement into an affiliated residency program, provided they meet the goals and objectives of the curriculum. Most of the schools report a mission to reduce medical student debt and build a workforce for a specialty, for a population of patients, or geographical distribution.Conclusions Accelerated three-year medical pathway programs have grown significantly over the last decade, consistent with an overall effort to redesign medical curricula, reduce debt and contribute to the workforce.

Abstract Solar photovoltaic (PV) has become the second renewable energy source, giving rise to potential conflicts with biodiversity conservation. However, the information available about the impacts and mitigation measures of solar PV energy is scarce and scattered, and a rigorous and comprehensive review on the topic is lacking. Here, we review the state of knowledge on its impacts and mitigation measures and identify main knowledge gaps. For that, we reviewed more than 2000 articles, out of which only 180 assessed the impacts of solar PV (N = 138) and/or propose mitigation measures (65). Even though Asia and Europe head the list of regions with the highest PV installed capacity (59% and 22%, respectively), a large portion of the existing knowledge is drawn from North American environmental contexts (48% of the studies), specifically from deserts (41%). Impacts were addressed on plants (26%), arthropods (14%), birds (10%), microorganisms (10%), reptiles (7%), mammals (4%), and bats (1%), but also on abiotic factors (e.g., humidity and temperature; 20%) and ecosystem services (3%). Most studies addressed the impact of PV on habitat alteration at landscape (33%) and microhabitat scale (20%), and on microclimate at microhabitat scale (17%), but other topics have been scarcely addressed (e.g., impact on microclimate at landscape scale or the potential of agrivoltaic systems). Lastly, 53% of the studies employed a single PV facility, and preconstruction situations were rarely reported (8%). There is a strong environmental context bias in the current understanding of PV impacts, which might not be extrapolable to other environmental situations like farmlands, where most of the solar PV capacity is being installed. Moreover, standardized and robust sampling designs are lacking to address cumulative, long‐term, and long‐scale impacts and produce comparable findings across contexts. Given the lack of empirical evidence and the irrepressible development of PV energy, it is advisable to apply an iterative monitoring and adaptive process to guarantee a safe energy transition. This review may provide useful guidance on prioritizing research efforts for a smooth shift to renewable energy.

Non cooperative on-orbit operations, such as rendezvous, docking or berthing operations, have become more relevant, mainly due to the necessity of expanding mission lifetimes, the increase of space debris and the reduction of human dependency. In order to automate these operations, the relative pose calculation between the target and the chaser must be determined autonomously. In recent years, LiDAR sensors have been introduced for this problem, achieving good accuracies. The critical part of this operation is the first relative pose calculation, since there is no previous information about the attitude of the target. In this work, a methodology to carry out this first relative pose calculation using LiDAR sensors is presented. A template matching algorithm has been developed, which uses the 3D model of the target to calculate the relative pose of the target regarding the LiDAR sensor. Three different study cases, with different distances and rotations, have been simulated in order to validate the algorithm, reaching an average error of 0.0383m.

Abstract Dispersal of individuals and gene flow are crucial aspects to maintain genetic diversity and viability of populations, especially in the case of threatened species. Landscape composition and structure may facilitate or limit individual movement within and among populations. We used a landscape genetics approach to assess the connectivity patterns of the threatened Dupont's lark (Chersophilus duponti subsp. duponti), considering their genetic patterns and the landscape features associated with its gene flow in Spain. We analysed the genetic relatedness based on 11 species‐specific polymorphic microsatellites on 416 Dupont's lark individuals sampled across peninsular Spain between 2017 and 2019, covering most of the European distribution of the species. To assess the relationship between the landscape composition and the species gene flow, we estimated genetic distance at the individual level (Dps). Next, we built a set of environmental surfaces from two time periods (years 1990 and 2018), based on factors such as land use and topography, influencing individuals' movement. We then obtained resistance surfaces from an optimization process on landscape variables. Landscape genetics analyses were done for single and composite surface models for each year separately. Our findings from both time points show that scatter or mosaic‐structured vegetation composed by low agricultural and tree cover and high presence of sclerophyllous shrubs favoured Dupont's lark dispersal, while dense and continuous tree cover, as well as areas of intensive agriculture, were limiting factors. Our results suggest the importance of steppe habitat patches for the species' establishment and dispersal. In addition, our results provide key information to develop conservation measures, including conserving and restoring steppe habitats as scattered and/or mosaic‐structured vegetation that could warrant the connectivity and persistence of Dupont's lark populations.

A 13-year-old male was diagnosed with a glenoid fracture following direct shoulder trauma, for which surgical treatment was considered. After referral to a center for pediatric orthopedic care, physical examination, contralateral shoulder X-ray, and detailed computed tomography examination ruled out the presence of fracture; these findings were later confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Normal ossification patterns in the adolescent shoulder may simulate a fracture in traumatic settings. To accurately diagnose and manage pediatric shoulder pathology, orthopedic surgeons must be aware of the normal anatomy of the growing shoulder, its secondary ossification centers, and growth plates. Level of evidence V.

Este trabajo presenta una investigación sobre la situación de los humedales como unidad de planificación y gestión, a partir de un estudio de casos en Argentina. Se basa conceptualmente en el planteo observado en Traba (2020), que es repasado de forma sintética, porque además otorga el marco metodológico al relevamiento realizado. Ese planteo parte de la gobernanza como enfoque para las políticas públicas y los procesos de participación socioinstitucional, aplicado esto a escenarios socioambientales; en este caso, los humedales como unidad territorial-ambiental en el marco de una cuenca. El proceso consistió en un relevamiento de sitios de interés con un formulario web confeccionado con base en los criterios de análisis de esos procesos que emergen del citado trabajo. Los contactos fueron referentes locales ―un nivel de gestión central en estos temas― que estaban a cargo o participaban de espacios o dispositivos institucionales donde se lleva a cabo la gestión de los mismos. Los emergentes detectados terminan de afirmar, por presencia o ausencia, la pertinencia de los factores de “éxito” en esos escenarios, es decir, aquellas condiciones que permiten lograr los objetivos de la sociedad en su conjunto, donde se destaca en particular la importancia de las cuestiones metodológicas para el tratamiento de lo sustantivo en todos los órdenes. Esta situación no es precisamente común, son escenarios ambientales complejos que hoy son eje de preocupación en todos los ámbitos y donde debería jerarquizarse el nivel local de gestión como eje de las acciones en el territorio.

En esta contribución se formula una hipótesis para dar cuenta del cambio semántico experimentado por adjetivos que designan el concepto pleasant smelling en inglés americano, los cuales se han vuelto cada vez más frecuentes para designar aromas artificiales en detrimento de aromas naturales. Los desarrollos sociales y tecnológicos que tuvieron lugar en la sociedad estadounidense durante la Primera y Segunda Revolución Industrial bien podrían constituir una de las causas subyacentes detrás de dicho cambio semántico. Para comprobar esta hipótesis, se utilizan métodos frecuentes en la investigación sobre la interrelación entre lengua y sociedad. En concreto, primero se recurre a un enfoque basado en diccionarios, cuyos resultados se complementan posteriormente con análisis semánticos distribucionales para así examinar como se conceptualiza una serie de categorías semánticas que podrían reflejar los desarrollos extralingüísticos mencionados anteriormente. Los resultados apoyan la hipótesis de que el cambio semántico experimentado por los adjetivos del dominio del olfato con toda probabilidad se ha visto influenciado por los desarrollos sociales que tuvieron lugar en los Estados Unidos en el período examinado. Este cambio hacia un mayor grado de artificialidad, por lo tanto, no parece ser una coincidencia, sino el resultado de alguna causa subyacente.

Food availability plays a key role affecting almost every aspect of bird ecology, including bird population, distribution, reproduction, and behavior. Understanding the functional relationship between prey availability and insectivorous birds’ diet is important in the current scenario of habitat loss and declining of insect and bird populations. We used a fecal metabarcoding approach coupled with prey availability sampling (arthropod abundance and biomass) to test for evidence of selective foraging in a shrub-steppe passerine assemblage over the 2017–2019 breeding seasons in semi-natural steppes of central Spain. The results showed that the six bird species selected specific arthropod taxa. Heteroptera, Orthoptera, Araneae, Lepidoptera and some Coleoptera families were the main selected prey taxa, while Formicidae appeared to be avoided, suggesting that shrub-steppe passerines tend to select prey items providing essential nutrients and energy during the breeding season, while poor quality ones are neglected. Our findings highlight the utility of metabarcoding dietary data to assess prey selection patterns in insectivorous passerines and provide valuable information for the development of conservation and management programs to ensure the long-term availability of crucial food resources for shrub-steppe birds and other insectivores.

La formación en gestión de la innovación desde el pregrado representa una necesidad para la sociedad actual. Constituye, por tanto, una prioridad que los estudiantes universitarios incorporen competencias que permitan un desempeño profesional pertinente en el contexto laboral una vez graduados. Ante tal reto que emana de las funciones de la universidad como actor del Sistema de Gestión de Gobierno Basado en Ciencia e Innovación, se realiza una propuesta metodológica para la formación en gestión de la innovación desde pregrado en la Universidad de Granma.

Las devoluciones en caliente en Melilla, una ciudad española ubicada en la frontera terrestre entre Europa y Marruecos, en el norte de África, vulneran la normativa europea de protección de derechos humanos al no contemplar la identificación del migrante que salta la valla que separa ambos territorios, lo que impide reclamar esa decisión administrativa. De esta forma se le priva del derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva, consagrado en la Constitución Española. Tampoco se le permite solicitar asilo o acceder a servicios de intérprete o asistencia letrada junto a la alambrada, y se le devuelve por la vía de hecho a un país (Marruecos) donde ser migrante irregular es un delito. Se obvia así el principio de no devolución a un lugar que no es seguro y, en la mayoría de los casos, la prohibición de las expulsiones colectivas. Este artículo estudia el marco legal de las devoluciones en caliente, en vísperas de la sentencia del Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos de febrero de 2020, que exoneró a España de responsabilidad al poner la seguridad de un Estado por encima de los derechos humanos.

In their Comment in @CommsEarth, Manuel Morales and colleagues argue that we must act now to protect green agricultural policies in the EU to ensure food security in the future.

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), metabolic rewiring and resistance to standard therapy are closely associated. PDAC cells show enormous requirements for glucose‐derived citrate, the first rate‐limiting metabolite in the synthesis of new lipids. Both the expression and activity of citrate synthase (CS) are extraordinarily upregulated in PDAC. However, no previous relationship between gemcitabine response and citrate metabolism has been documented in pancreatic cancer. Here, we report for the first time that pharmacological doses of vitamin C are capable of exerting an inhibitory action on the activity of CS, reducing glucose‐derived citrate levels. Moreover, ascorbate targets citrate metabolism towards the de novo lipogenesis pathway, impairing fatty acid synthase (FASN) and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) expression. Lowered citrate availability was found to be directly associated with diminished proliferation and, remarkably, enhanced gemcitabine response. Moreover, the deregulated citrate‐derived lipogenic pathway correlated with a remarkable decrease in extracellular pH through inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and overall reduced glycolytic metabolism. Modulation of citric acid metabolism in highly chemoresistant pancreatic adenocarcinoma, through molecules such as vitamin C, could be considered as a future clinical option to improve patient response to standard chemotherapy regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Zoonoses are a growing threat to human health. Therefore, their surveillance is especially important in densely populated areas such as cities. Modern cities are, in fact, urban agglomerations where the population lives in urban centers and surrounding towns interspersed with agricultural land, forest patches and parks, where it is common to come into contact with several animal species, some of which may act as vectors of zoonoses. In this work, we evaluated, using molecular techniques, the zoonotic parasites carried by urban birds (White Stork, Lesser Black-backed Gull and two species of exotic parakeets), with the aim of better understanding the zoonotic risk that their faeces may pose. We detected a total of 23 genera of eukaryotic parasites, including six that are potentially harmful to human health: three fungi, one protist, and two nematodes. Our results show that the faeces of these four bird species could pose a risk to human health associated with the zoonotic parasites present in them. This should be taken into account when developing management plans for urban populations of these bird species. Synanthropic birds might play an important role as reservoirs of many zoonotic endoparasites; however, little information is available on many parasites and their prevalence. Here, we use an approach based on targeted metagenomic detection through the use of DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples to screen for circulating parasites in alien parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus and Psittacula krameri) and urban landfill-feeding storks (Ciconia ciconia) and gulls (Larus fuscus). We focus especially on potentially zoonotic parasites, with the aim of better understanding the zoonotic risk that these birds' faeces may pose. We detected a total of 23 genera of eukaryotic parasites: six fungi, three protists, five nematodes, two cestodes and seven trematodes. Among them, six stood out for their relevance to human health: Cryptococcus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. (fungi); Cryptosporidium spp. (a protist); and Ascaris spp. and Halicephalobus spp. (nematodes). In parakeets, we detected Cryptococcus spp. and Ascaris spp., the latter being detected in 10–20% of the samples. In the White Stork and the Lesser Black-backed Gull, we found a high prevalence of Aspergillus spp. (in 15% and 50% of the samples, respectively) and Candida spp. (in 63% and 82% of the samples, respectively), and the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in 10% of the samples. We detected Halicephalobus spp. in one gull sample (2%). Our results show that synanthropic birds may act as vectors and reservoirs of zoonotic parasites and their faeces could pose a risk to human health associated with the zoonotic parasites present in them. This should be taken into account when developing management plans for urban populations of these bird species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la influencia de las distintas variables de juego en el resultado final de los partidos de hockey sobre patines. Se analizó la influencia de la localización del partido, marcar el primer gol del encuentro, ir ganando al finalizar la primera parte e ir ganando al finalizar la primera parte por más de un gol. Se analizaron un total de 480 partidos de la primera división española (OK Liga) disputados durante las temporadas 2017-2018 y 2018-2019. El análisis de regresión logística mostró que la variable que obtuvo una asociación más fuerte con la victoria fue ganar en la media parte por más de un gol (OR 4.47). Además, las variables ganar en la media parte (OR 3.35), marcar primero (OR 2.05) y localización del partido (OR 1.83) también fueron factores que mostraron una asociación positiva con el resultado final del partido. Los factores identificados pueden ayudar a los entrenadores y jugadores de hockey sobre patines a adaptar mejor sus estrategias y objetivos de entrenamiento antes de cada competición, estableciendo un mejor conocimiento y comprensión del juego