Autecology, feeding preferences and reproductive biology of Chorthippus (Glyptobothrus) vagans (Eversmann, 1848) (Orthoptera: Gomphocerinae) in Mediterranean ecosystems.

Chorthippus vagans is a common species of Gomphocerinae (Orthoptera) on the Iberian Peninsula. It is endangered in Central Europe where information about its ecological requirements is available; however, aspects of its biology are almost unknown in Mediterranean ecosystems, where it is widespread and common. The focus of this study was to determine how C. vagans adjusts its biology to environmental features of this ecosystem and to interpret how it may be affected by the ecological changes related to the re-vegetation programme linked to the construction of the Breña dam (SW Spain). The research parameters included the autoecology, feeding response and some aspects of reproduction of this species in the Southern Iberian Peninsula. To determine the local distribution and phenology of C. vagans, monthly samplings were conducted (2007-2010) in 12 sampling plots. For the food selection tests, ten nymphs and ten adults were placed individually in insectaries under controlled conditions. Grasses (Lolium sp.) and shrubs (Cistus sp.) were supplied ad libitum in two types of tests, monospecific and mixed diet. The reproductive biology was analysed by both observations of anatomical structures (integument, bristles, tibial spines, tarsal claws and mandibles) and ovarian dissections of 29 females and in laboratory rearing experiments with 15 pairs of adults. The results indicate that C. vagans shows an extended activity period which peaks at the end of summer. It is a polyphagous grasshopper, although adults show a slight preference for grasses. In addition, it is a univoltine species with spring-summer breeding activity.

Elimination of Taenia solium Transmission in Northern Peru / Eliminación de la transmisión de Taenia solium en el norte del Perú

Background: Taeniasis and cysticercosis are major causes of seizures and epilepsy. Infection by the causative parasite Taenia solium requires transmission between humans and pigs. The disease is considered to be eradicable, but data on attempts at regional elimination are lacking. We conducted a three-phase control program in Tumbes, Peru, to determine whether regional elimination would be feasible. Methods: We systematically tested and compared elimination strategies to show the feasibility of interrupting the transmission of T. solium infection in a region of highly endemic disease in Peru. In phase 1, we assessed the effectiveness and feasibility of six intervention strategies that involved screening of humans and pigs, antiparasitic treatment, prevention education, and pig replacement in 42 villages. In phase 2, we compared mass treatment with mass screening (each either with or without vaccination of pigs) in 17 villages. In phase 3, we implemented the final strategy of mass treatment of humans along with the mass treatment and vaccination of pigs in the entire rural region of Tumbes (107 villages comprising 81,170 people and 55,638 pigs). The effect of the intervention was measured after phases 2 and 3 with the use of detailed necropsy to detect pigs with live, nondegenerated cysts capable of causing new infection. The necropsy sampling was weighted in that we preferentially included more samples from seropositive pigs than from seronegative pigs. Results: Only two of the strategies implemented in phase 1 resulted in limited control over the transmission of T. solium infection, which highlighted the need to intensify the subsequent strategies. After the strategies in phase 2 were implemented, no cyst that was capable of further transmission of T. solium infection was found among 658 sampled pigs. One year later, without further intervention, 7 of 310 sampled pigs had live, nondegenerated cysts, but no infected pig was found in 11 of 17 villages, including all the villages in which mass antiparasitic treatment plus vaccination was implemented. After the final strategy was implemented in phase 3, a total of 3 of 342 pigs had live, nondegenerated cysts, but no infected pig was found in 105 of 107 villages. Conclusions: We showed that the transmission of T. solium infection was interrupted on a regional scale in a highly endemic region in Peru. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others).

Introducción: La teniasis y la cisticercosis son causas importantes de convulsiones y epilepsia. La infección por el parásito causal Taenia solium requiere la transmisión entre humanos y cerdos. La enfermedad se considera erradicable, pero faltan datos sobre los intentos de eliminación regional. Llevamos a cabo un programa de control de tres fases en Tumbes, Perú, para determinar si sería factible la eliminación regional. Métodos: Probamos y comparamos sistemáticamente las estrategias de eliminación para demostrar la viabilidad de interrumpir la transmisión de la infección por T. solium en una región de enfermedad altamente endémica en Perú. En la fase 1, evaluamos la eficacia y viabilidad de seis estrategias de intervención que incluyeron detección de humanos y cerdos, tratamiento antiparasitario, educación preventiva y reemplazo de cerdos en 42 aldeas. En la fase 2, comparamos el tratamiento masivo con la detección masiva (cada una con o sin vacunación de cerdos) en 17 aldeas. En la fase 3, implementamos la estrategia final de tratamiento masivo de humanos junto con el tratamiento masivo y vacunación de cerdos en toda la región rural de Tumbes (107 aldeas que comprenden 81.170 personas y 55.638 cerdos). El efecto de la intervención se midió después de las fases 2 y 3 con el uso de necropsia detallada para detectar cerdos con quistes vivos, no degenerados capaces de causar una nueva infección. El muestreo de necropsia fue ponderado de manera que incluimos preferentemente más muestras de cerdos seropositivos que de cerdos seronegativos. Resultados: Sólo dos de las estrategias implementadas en la fase 1 dieron como resultado un control limitado sobre la transmisión de la infección por T. solium, lo que destacó la necesidad de intensificar las estrategias posteriores. Después de que se implementaron las estrategias en la fase 2, no se encontró ningún quiste capaz de transmitir más la infección por T. solium entre los 658 cerdos muestreados. Un año después, sin más intervenciones, 7 de los 310 cerdos muestreados tenían quistes vivos, no degenerados, pero no se encontró ningún cerdo infectado en 11 de las 17 aldeas, incluidas todas las aldeas en las que se implementó el tratamiento antiparasitario masivo más la vacunación. Después de que se implementó la estrategia final en la fase 3, un total de 3 de 342 cerdos tenían quistes vivos, no degenerados, pero no se encontró ningún cerdo infectado en 105 de las 107 aldeas. Conclusiones: Demostramos que la transmisión de la infección por T. solium se interrumpió a escala regional en una región altamente endémica del Perú. (Financiado por la Fundación Bill y Melinda Gates y otros).

Chromatography-olfactometry study of the aroma of fino sherry wines.

The aroma of Fino sherry wines produced by industrial biological aging for 0, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, and 6 years in the Montilla-Moriles region (southern Spain) was studied by gas chromatography-olfactometry. The aroma sensations detected by 3 trained sniffers were classified according to their odor descriptors into 8 odorant series (fruity, empyreumatic, chemical, fatty, balsamic, vegetable, floral, and spicy), describing the aroma profile of the studied wines. The results showed 47 detected odors in the unaged wines, 50 in the 1.5-years-old wines and 59, 61 and 69 in the wines aged 2.5, 4.5, and 6 years, respectively. According to the frequency of the perceived aromas, the fruity and empyreumatic series were the most characteristic odorant series. By exception of chemical, floral and balsamic series without changes during aging of the wines, the remainder series increased their participation during the aging, mainly the fruity, empyreumatic, and fatty series.

q-deformed statistical-mechanical property in the dynamics of trajectories en route to the Feigenbaum attractor.

We demonstrate that the dynamics toward and within the Feigenbaum attractor combine to form a q -deformed statistical-mechanical construction. The rate at which ensemble trajectories converge to the attractor (and to the repellor) is described by a q entropy obtained from a partition function generated by summing distances between neighboring positions of the attractor. The values of the q indices involved are given by the unimodal map universal constants, while the thermodynamic structure is closely related to that formerly developed for multifractals. As an essential component in our demonstration we expose, in great detail, the features of the dynamics of trajectories that either evolve toward the Feigenbaum attractor or are captured by its matching repellor. The dynamical properties of the family of periodic superstable cycles in unimodal maps are seen to be key ingredients for the comprehension of the discrete scale invariance features present at the period-doubling transition to chaos. Elements in our analysis are the following. (i) The preimages of the attractor and repellor of each of the supercycles appear entrenched into a fractal hierarchical structure of increasing complexity as period doubling develops. (ii) The limiting form of this rank structure results in an infinite number of families of well-defined phase-space gaps in the positions of the Feigenbaum attractor or of its repellor. (iii) The gaps in each of these families can be ordered with decreasing width in accordance with power laws and are seen to appear sequentially in the dynamics generated by uniform distributions of initial conditions. (iv) The power law with log-periodic modulation associated with the rate of approach of trajectories toward the attractor (and to the repellor) is explained in terms of the progression of gap formation. (v) The relationship between the law of rate of convergence to the attractor and the inexhaustible hierarchy feature of the preimage structure is elucidated. (vi) A "mean field" evaluation of the atypical partition function, a thermodynamic interpretation of the time evolution process, and a crossover to ordinary exponential statistics are given. We make clear the dynamical origin of the anomalous thermodynamic framework existing at the Feigenbaum attractor.

Detección de marcadores de malignidad en nódulos tiroideos por transcripción reversa y reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (RT-PCR) / Detection of malignancy markers in thyroid nodules by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

BACKGROUND: Nodular thyroid disease is a very common disorder with a low frequency of malignancy. The most accurate diagnostic test is fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of nodules with cytological analysis of the sample. However, this procedure has some limitations in the diagnosis of follicular and papillary thyroid carcinoma. AIM: To detect mRNA from specific malignancy markers in thyroid nodules and to evaluate their potential correlation with cytological and pathological diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 20 patients with thyroid nodules FNAB was performed prior to surgery. The main part of the FNAB sample was used to perform classical cytology. In the remaining of the sample were detected MUC-1, CD26, galectin-3 and TSH receptor mRNAs by RT-PCR technique. RESULTS: Eight patients had positive cytology for papillary cancer, which was confirmed by pathology. Nine had suspicious or non conclusive cytological findings and 3 were negative for neoplastic cells; all 12 were pathologically benign. We detected TSH receptor and galectin-3 mRNA in almost all benign and malignant nodules. MUC-1 was present in 5/8 papillary carcinoma (62.5%), and 1/12 benign nodules (8.3%). CD26 was detected in 7/8 papillary carcinomas but also in 8/12 benign nodules. CONCLUSIONS: RT-PCR can be performed in very small samples of thyroid tissue to detect several mRNA markers. MUC-1 can be a potentially useful marker of malignancy in thyroid nodules. It can be detected by RT-PCR as a complementary technique in the diagnostic evaluation of thyroid nodules.

Response of the aroma fraction in sherry wines subjected to accelerated biological aging.

The effect of an acceleration assay, carried out with a periodic aeration and an increased surface/volume ratio, on various aroma compounds of "fino" Sherry wines aging under a veil of a pure culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae race capensis G1 flor film yeast was studied. The results were subjected to multifactor analysis of variance, and the compounds simultaneously depending on acceleration conditions and aging time at p < 0.01 were subjected to principal component analysis. The first component, accounting for 86.14% of the overall variance, was mainly defined by acetaldehyde and its derivatives 1,1-diethoxyethane and acetoin. These compounds reached higher concentrations in accelerated aging wines in a shorter time than they did in control wines, and no browning problems were detected. Taking into account that these compounds can be used as indicators for biological aging of "fino" Sherry wines, the acceleration condition assayed can be applied to shorten the time of this process.

Papulas y placas urticarianas pruriginosas del embarazo / Papules and urticarean plates pruriginous of the pregnancy

Las pápulas y placas urticarianas pruriginosas del embarazo (PPUPE) constituyen una afección benigna de la segunda mitad de la gestación, que es necesario diferenciar de las formas iniciales del herpes gestationis, de muy distinto pronóstico. Es imprescindible para ello el empleo de métodos inmunohistológicos, en que la ausencia o presencia de C3 en la membrana basal epidérmica confirma o excluye respectivamente, la PPUPE. Se presenta el caso de una paciente primigrávida de 19 años, que refiere prurito severo, con lesiones típicas de PPUPE, que remiten con corticoterapia local; el laboratorio de rutina era normal y la histología de las lesiones inespecifica. Se confirmó el diagnóstico de PPUPE por ausencia de C3 en inmunomarcación. La tinción con C3 de algunos vasos dérmicos nos permite excluir un falso negativo