The seasonal sensitivity of brown bear denning phenology in response to climatic variability.

BACKGROUND: For brown bears (Ursus arctos), hibernation is a critical part of the annual life cycle because energy savings during hibernation can be crucial for overwintering, and females give birth to cubs at that time. For hibernation to be a useful strategy, timing is critical. However, environmental conditions vary greatly, which might have a negative effect on the functionality of the evolved biological time-keeping. Here, we used a long-term dataset (69 years) on brown bear denning phenology recorded in 12 Russian protected areas and quantified the phenological responses to variation in temperature and snow depth. Previous studies analyzing the relationship between climate and denning behavior did not consider that the brown bear response to variation in climatic factors might vary through a period preceding den entry and exit. We hypothesized that there is a seasonal sensitivity pattern of bear denning phenology in response to variation in climatic conditions, such that the effect of climatic variability will be pronounced only when it occurs close to den exit and entry dates. RESULTS: We found that brown bears are most sensitive to climatic variations around the observed first den exit and last entry dates, such that an increase/decrease in temperature in the periods closer to the first den exit and last entry dates have a greater influence on the denning dates than in other periods. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that climatic factors are modulating brown bear hibernation phenology and provide a further structuring of this modulation. The sensitivity of brown bears to changes in climatic factors during hibernation might affect their ability to cope with global climate change. Therefore, understanding these processes will be essential for informed management of biodiversity in a changing world.

Prospecting and dispersal: their eco-evolutionary dynamics and implications for population patterns.

Dispersal is not a blind process, and evidence is accumulating that individual dispersal strategies are informed in most, if not all, organisms. The acquisition and use of information are traits that may evolve across space and time as a function of the balance between costs and benefits of informed dispersal. If information is available, individuals can potentially use it in making better decisions, thereby increasing their fitness. However, prospecting for and using information probably entail costs that may constrain the evolution of informed dispersal, potentially with population-level consequences. By using individual-based, spatially explicit simulations, we detected clear coevolutionary dynamics between prospecting and dispersal movement strategies that differed in sign and magnitude depending on their respective costs. More specifically, we found that informed dispersal strategies evolve when the costs of information acquisition during prospecting are low but only if there are mortality costs associated with dispersal movements. That is, selection favours informed dispersal strategies when the acquisition and use processes themselves were not too expensive. When non-informed dispersal strategies evolve, they do so jointly with the evolution of long dispersal distance because this maximizes the sampling area. In some cases, selection produces dispersal rules different from those that would be 'optimal' (i.e. the best possible population performance--in our context quantitatively measured as population density and patch occupancy--among all possible individual movement rules) for the population. That is, on the one hand, informed dispersal strategies led to population performance below its highest possible level. On the other hand, un- and poorly informed individuals nearly optimized population performance, both in terms of density and patch occupancy.

Influence and presumption of the vaccine against Covid-19 in South American families.

Faced with the uncertainty of whether the vaccines against Covid-19 are effective or not and faced with living or dying, it is important to know the perception and expectation of their acceptance. The main aim of the study to analyze the perception and expectation of the vaccine against Covid- 19 that South American families have in an urban area of De Pasco. Descriptive, cross-sectional study, simple random sampling of 197 families. The participants were recruited digitally through a neighborhood leadership and an online survey was applied with prior consent. The logistic regression analysis was performed in EPIDAT 4.1 with a significance level of 5%. Regarding the desire to be vaccinated, it is worth noting that a family member died from the coronavirus, hence the health personnel must continue with the preventive promotional work of vaccination in order to obtain favorable results in the entire population. The majority (100%) have a favorable perception and expectation about the vaccine against Covid- 19 ( X c 2 =132.83) and the p-value (0.00); As regards the desire to be vaccinated, it is worth noting having had a family member die from the coronavirus, hence the health personnel must continue with the preventive promotional work of vaccination in order to obtain favorable results in the entire population.

Clinical case: complicated diabetic foot ulcer.

Description of a clinical case of a long-standing diabetic patient, who on admission to prison presents ulcerations on both feet, of ten years of evolution. Until his admission to the Penitentiary Center he has suffered repeated hospital admissions, repeatedly proposing amputation, which the patient refused. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the importance of performing an etiological diagnosis of the lesion, taking into account all the factors that are present in a diabetic foot lesion.

Cardiovascular health education intervention in the Prison of Soria.

OBJECTIVE: To promote awareness of healthy lifestyles, to help decrease the risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, through Health Education (HE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between November and December 2014 in the prison of Soria, HE intervention in cardiovascular diseases was performed. Participation was offered to 160 inmates at the Prison. The intervention consisted of individual interviews with anthropometric assessment and review of medical records and three group sessions with theoretical and practical content of these diseases, as well as dietary recommendations, Mediterranean diet and exercise. Knowledge gained from surveys conducted for that purpose was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 33 (21%) of 160. Average age 38.2 (35.2 to 41.3). PREVALENCE: Normal weight (BMI 18 to 24.9) 18 (54.5%), overweight BMI (25.0 to 29.9) 11 (33.3%), obesity (IBMI from 30) 4 (12. 1%). Cardiovascular risk (CVR) as ICC (waist hip ratio) 10 (30%) high risk, REGICOR 4 (12.1%) moderate risk. Relative risk of comorbidity in 2 (6.0%) had a slightly increased risk, 4 (12.1%) had increased risk. CONCLUSIONS: HE interventions are necessary and effective in modifying lifestyles. The calculation of CVT should serve to implement preventive measures to reduce the factors of cardiovascular risk.

Dermatophytosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: clinical aspects and etiologic agents.

Dermatophytosis in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus infection seems to manifest with atypical, multiple, or extensive lesions more frequently. In addition, there are reports of presentations with little inflammation, called anergics. Less common etiologic agents have been isolated in these individuals, such as Microsporum species. To describe clinical aspects and etiologic agents of dermatophytosis in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Patients with clinical diagnosis of dermatophytosis underwent scarification for mycological diagnosis through direct microscopic examination and fungal isolation in culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Sixty individuals had a clinical hypothesis of dermatophytosis. In 20 (33.3%) of the 60 patients, dermatophytosis was confirmed through a mycological study. Tinea corporis, diagnosed in 14 patients, was the most frequent clinical form, followed by tinea unguium in 7, tinea cruris in 5, and tinea pedis in 1 patient. Most of the lesions of tinea corporis were anergic. Five patients with tinea unguium had involvement of multiple nails, with onychodystrophy as the predominant subtype. Multiple cutaneous lesions occurred in 3 patients and extensive cutaneous lesions in 4. Regarding the agent, Trichophyton rubrum was the most commonly isolated. The high occurrence of anergic skin lesions and involvement of multiple nails, especially as onychodystrophy, corroborates the hypothesis that atypical, disseminated, and more severe presentations are common in individuals with HIV infection. However, no Microsporum species was isolated even in atypical, extensive, or disseminated cases, in disagreement with previous reports. Therefore, the approach of squamous lesions in HIV-positive patients must include a mycological study, in view of the possibility of anergic dermatophytosis, to promote the introduction of a suitable therapeutic agent.

Postnatal development of the Ammon's horn (CA1 and CA3 fields). A karyometric and topographic study.

We have performed a karyometric study of the pyramidal neurons of CA1 and CA3 fields of the Ammon's horn, in male mice aged from the 5th to the 190th postnatal day. Nuclear sizes were measured with the aid of a Magiscan Analysis System, used in an interactive form, in both superficial and deep layers of the stratum pyramidal in those fields. The measurements were made at three different topographic levels: rostral; intermediate; and caudal, to detect any possible difference related to the topography of the neuron in the same field. We have found that both CA1 and CA3 fields are correlated in the postnatal development of their nuclear pyramidal sizes and that all topographic levels of the hippocampus reach their highest karyometric sizes at the 10th-15th postnatal day. Caudal levels show higher karyometric values than the other levels and some differences between neurons of the superficial and deep layers of both fields are also described here and analysed in relation to the different ontogenetic gradients of these cells.

Effect of hypertension and captopril treatment on the vasopressin in the rat median eminence and posterior lobe of the hypophysis. An immunohistochemical study.

The present study analyses the effects of hypertension and/or its oral treatment with captopril (angiotensine-converting enzyme inhibitor) on the rat median eminence (ME) and the posterior lobe of the hypophysis (PL). After an immunohistochemical reaction using an antibody against arginine-vasopressin, we compared by densitometry the amount of vasopressin immunoreactive material (vasopressin-ir) of these centers in 4 groups of animals: control Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), WKY rats treated with captopril (WKY-T) and SHR rats also treated with the same drug (SHR-T). Captopril was administrated at a dosage of 0.1 mg/ml in the drinking water from the 8th to the 15th weeks. We have found that the rats showing the lowest level of vasopressin-ir, in both ME and PL, were those from the SHR group, the concentration increasing after oral captopril treatment (SHR-T), although without reaching the values of WKY rats. Then, ACE inhibition by captopril influences vasopressin content in brain areas where the hormone is concentrated before being released, which supports the hypothesis that suggests a central modulatory effect of ACE inhibitors, contributing to their therapeutic action on hypertension.

Effect of hypertension on the angiotensin II fibres arriving at the posterior lobe of the hypophysis of the rat. An immunohistochemical study.

We studied immunohistochemically the posterior lobe of the hypophysis (PL) of 15-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and of matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), by using our own polyclonal antibody raised in mice against Angiotensin II (mouse-antiangiotensin II, MAAII). The blood pressure, water intake and volume of the PL were also recorded. The SHR rats were hypertensive, drank more water and showed a clear hypertrophy of their hypophysial PL. Also the PL of the SHR animals showed an increase in the immunoreactivity to the anti-angiotensin II antibody in the fibres arriving at the PL, with respect to the PL of WKY rats. This increase is compatible with the hyperactivity of the brain RAS, depletion of vasopressin content in the PL and increase in plasmatic levels of vasopressin described in SHR rats with respect to normotensive animals, as angiotensin II could locally stimulate vasopressin release to plasma from the neurohypophysis.

The effects of chronic administration of captopril on the mouse median eminence.

The effects of Captopril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) on the median eminence (ME) of the male albino mouse have been examined using morphometric and immunohistochemical procedures. We measured the nuclear area of the ependymocytes of the ME and of the glial cells of the reticular external zone of the ME. We also determined the cell/neuropil coefficient (CNC), which expresses the relation between cellular area and neuropil of the ME, and the global volume of the ME in each animal. For the immunohistochemical study we used rabbit antiarginine-vasopressin, and compared the results in the different groups of mice. We detected an increased in the immunoreactive material (arginine-vasopressin, A-V) and an increase in the global volume of the organ and also an increase of the neuropil of the ME after the longest exposure to the drug. These alterations could be related to the inhibition of the brain angiotensin II by captopril and the accumulation of vasopressin in the fibrous tract that runs from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to the neurohypophysis.

Effects of alcohol and aging on the cingular (area 24) and frontal (area 6) cortical areas of the mouse.

We have studied the morphometric changes of the neurons of the cingular area 24 and frontal area 6 of the mouse, produced by age and/or chronic alcohol intake. The parameters analyzed were nuclear area of these cortical neurons and cellular density (cell/neuropil coefficient). We detected a decrease in the number of neurons with age in practically all layers of the control animals. In the animals that chronically ingested the alcoholic solution, we also detected a decrease in the number of neurons with age, but only in layer V of the frontal cortex and in layer VI of the cingular area 24. The comparison between the control and the alcoholic group showed that alcohol intake caused an increase in the nuclear area of the neurons in layer II-III of the frontal cortex at 180 days, while in the cingular cortex the increase in nuclear area of its neurons was significative at 180 days in layer II-III and at 35 and 180 days in layers V and VI. We think that these changes are the expression of the neuronal plasticity in both cortical areas in response to the alcohol exposure.

Effects of gonadectomy on the karyometric development of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus in the mouse.

We studied the karyometric development of 3 subdivisions (ventral, central and dorsal) of the ventromedial nucleus in male albino mice from the 5th to the 190th day of life. All subdivisions exhibited a similar development pattern. Another group of animals were castrated at the 20th day of life and examined from the 25th to the 85th day. The increase of the nuclear size at the 35th day and the decrease at the 85th day, observed in the control group, were not present after castration.

Effects of hypothyroidism on the karyometric development of the paraventricular and ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus in the mouse.

We studied the karyometric development of 4 subdivisions of the paraventricular nucleus (rostral, caudal, medial and lateral) and 3 subdivisions of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (ventral, central and dorsal) in a hypothyroid group of male albino mice treated with propylthiouracil with or without interruption of the treatment at the 35th postnatal day. Hypothyroidism produces an increase of the nuclear-size values of the paraventricular and ventromedial nuclei, and the continued treatment increases this effect. The caudal and the rostral subdivisions of the paraventricular nucleus show more significant changes of their nuclear sizes compared to the medial and lateral subdivisions. The ventromedial nucleus responds similarly to hypothyroidism in all its subdivisions.

Brainstem projections to the medial preoptic region containing the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone perikarya in the rat. An immunohistochemical and retrograde transport study.

The afferent projections to the anterior medial preoptic area (MPA) from the brainstem have been studied, in female Wistar rats, by retrograde tracing with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The HRP was injected by iontophoresis into the preoptic region containing the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) perikarya. The brain sections including the MPA were reacted with diaminobenzidine (DAB) to reveal the injection site; the LHRH cells were then immunohistochemically identified using DAB with ammonium nickel sulphate. When the injection site incorporated the LHRH cells, the brainstem sections were reacted with the DAB nickel solution to detect lysosomal HRP and then immunohistochemically processed to locate the adrenaline-synthesizing cells using DAB alone. The results confirm the brainstem projections to the MPA from the central grey matter, ventral tegmental area, subcoeruleus area, the dorsal raphe nucleus, the lateral parabrachial nucleus, the raphe pontis nucleus, the raphe obscurus nucleus, the region of the paragigantocellular nucleus and the nucleus of the solitary tract. Given the considerable evidence implicating the ascending adrenergic systems in the regulation of LHRH, we focused our attention on the afferents from the locus coeruleus, area postrema and the adrenaline-synthesizing cell groups (C1-3). The only cells which were retrogradely labelled and immunopositive for phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase were found in C3.

Changes in the secretory activity of the subcommissural organ of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a glandular circumventricular organ secreting glycoproteins into the cerebrospinal fluid. The SCO of 15-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and of matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) was studied immunocytochemically by using an antibody against the glycoproteins secreted by the SCO. The blood pressure, water intake and volume of brain ventricles of SHR and WKY rats were also recorded. The SHR were hypertensive, drank more water and did not display dilatation of the brain ventricles. The SCO of the SHR rats showed a drastic decrease of the immunoreactive material stored in the rough endoplasmic reticulum whereas the amount of immunoreactive apical secretory granules did not vary with respect to the SCO of WKY rats. These changes are compatible with an increased secretory activity of the SCO of the SHR rats. It is suggested that the changes in the SCO of SHR rats, and their hypertensive state, are interrelated phenomena.

Morphometric changes in alcoholic mice of neurons of areas 6 and 17 and ependyma of the subcommissural organ.

We have performed a karyometric study of the postnatal development of the subcommissural organ (SOC), the subjacent thalamic ependyma, and the pyramidal neurons of layer V of the motor and visual cortical areas, in alcoholic male albino mice, aged 25-100 days. Ethyl alcohol was added to the drinking water at a concentration of 20%, from birth until the day of sacrifice. Our results show that alcoholism affects the SOC ependyma and the motor cortex, and, apparently, does not affect the ventricular thalamic ependyma and the visual cortex. We suggest a neuroendocrine mechanism to explain the SOC answer, and a functional deprivation to explain the changes in the motor cortex.

Effect of ethanol on liver cell-development in the male albino mouse.

The aim of this study is to determine the influence of ethanol on the development of periportal and pericentral hepatocytes and their nuclei, comparing it with the development of these cells and nuclei in a control, age-matched population. In male albino mice fed with 20% ethanol added to drinking water and sacrificed at day 25, 35, 85 and 180 of life haematoxylin-eosin stained liver specimens were studied with the aid of a LEITZ ASM semiautomatic autoanalyzer. The nuclear area of at least 25 hepatocytes with evident nucleoli was measured at each of 3 periportal and 3 pericentral fields. The area of the cells of the same fields was estimated by dividing the area of the fields by the number of hepatocyte nuclei present in them. Both cellular and nuclear areas of periportal and pericentral hepatocytes of the 25-day-old animals were smaller than those of age-matched controls. By contrast, the experimental group showed a striking increase both in cellular and nuclear size in the pericentral hepatocytes, but not in the periportal ones. Thus, ethanol seems to inhibit the initial growth of cells and nuclei; but, after maturation, it causes a marked increase not only in cellular size of pericentral hepatocytes, especially in 180-day-old animals, but also in nuclear size, already evident in the 35-day-old mice.

Effect of propylthiouracil on liver cell development in the male albino mouse: protective effect against ethanol-induced alterations.

The aim of the present study is to analyze whether the addition of propylthiouracil reverts the influence of ethanol on the development of periportal and pericentral hepatocytes and their nuclei in male albino mice. Propylthiouracil-treated animals showed decreased cellular and nuclear areas when compared with the control animals, except for the 180-day-old animals, whose pericentral cells and nuclei were greater than those of the controls and exhibited fatty infiltration. Pericentral hepatocytes and nuclei of the ethanol-fed animals showed an increase of their sizes, especially in 180-day-old animals. In contrast, hepatocyte and nuclear sizes of the animals treated with both propylthiouracil and ethanol were similar to those of the control group, suggesting a protective effect of propylthiouracil against the ethanol-induced alterations.

Alcohol effects on the morphometric development of the subfornical organ and area postrema of the albino mouse.

We have studied the development of the nuclear sizes of ependymocytes and neurons of two circumventricular organs of the male alcoholic mouse: the Subfornical Organ (SFO) and the Area Postrema (AP), comparing the results with a control group. The global volume of both centers was also studied. The results show that the SFO, a structure related to the control of fluid balance, responds to alcoholism with an increase of the global volume. This increase could be related to the variations of salt-water balance and/or blood pressure in chronic alcoholism. However, the size of cell nuclei in the SFO is not affected. In contrast, the AP responds to chronic alcoholism like other nervous centres, with a decrease of the nuclear size of its cells. The global volume of AP does not change.