Selecting native perennial plants for ecological intensification in Mediterranean greenhouse horticulture.

Natural control by predators and parasitoids provides an important and often unnoticed ecosystem service to agricultural landscapes by reducing pest populations in crops. The current model of horticultural intensification in south-eastern Spain produces high yields but has also resulted in a landscape almost completely covered by plastic. Promoting natural areas among greenhouses could enhance biodiversity, by being beneficial insects, and reduce pest pressure outdoors. The first step is to ascertain how pests and their natural enemies (NEs) use Mediterranean vegetation for selecting the best plants for pest suppression outdoors. The abundance of the two major horticultural pests, the tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, and the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, together with their NEs, were assayed in 22 flowering perennial plants, which were newly planted in an experimental field surrounded by greenhouses. Eight plant species were identified as the most critical species for sustaining pest populations outdoors. A set of five plant species supported a medium level of pests, and another set of ten plant species supported the lowest level of both pests. Tobacco whitefly occurred in a few plants species, whereas western flower thrips occurred on almost all the plant species studied, and was favoured by the presence of flowers in perennial plants. The results suggest that plant diversity may provide relatively few acceptable host plants for tobacco whitefly than for western flower thrips. NEs were generally collected in plants that also supported abundance of pests, indicating that host/prey availability, more than food resources from flowers, was a stronger predictor of NE abundance in perennial plants. Field trials using the plants with the lowest host acceptance by pests are needed in order to ascertain whether pest abundance outdoors is reduced.

Neuregulin-2 ablation results in dopamine dysregulation and severe behavioral phenotypes relevant to psychiatric disorders.

Numerous genetic and functional studies implicate variants of Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) and its neuronal receptor ErbB4 in schizophrenia and many of its endophenotypes. Although the neurophysiological and behavioral phenotypes of NRG1 mutant mice have been investigated extensively, practically nothing is known about the function of NRG2, the closest NRG1 homolog. We found that NRG2 expression in the adult rodent brain does not overlap with NRG1 and is more extensive than originally reported, including expression in the striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and therefore generated NRG2 knockout mice (KO) to study its function. NRG2 KOs have higher extracellular dopamine levels in the dorsal striatum but lower levels in the mPFC; a pattern with similarities to dopamine dysbalance in schizophrenia. Like ErbB4 KO mice, NRG2 KOs performed abnormally in a battery of behavioral tasks relevant to psychiatric disorders. NRG2 KOs exhibit hyperactivity in a novelty-induced open field, deficits in prepulse inhibition, hypersensitivity to amphetamine, antisocial behaviors, reduced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze and deficits in the T-maze alteration reward test-a task dependent on hippocampal and mPFC function. Acute administration of clozapine rapidly increased extracellular dopamine levels in the mPFC and improved alternation T-maze performance. Similar to mice treated chronically with N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists, we demonstrate that NMDAR synaptic currents in NRG2 KOs are augmented at hippocampal glutamatergic synapses and are more sensitive to ifenprodil, indicating an increased contribution of GluN2B-containing NMDARs. Our findings reveal a novel role for NRG2 in the modulation of behaviors with relevance to psychiatric disorders.

Association of Brain-Dead Donors' Terminal Inflammation With Delayed Graft Function in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammation affects kidney function in a wide range of diseases. Even in kidney transplant recipients, higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are invariably associated with both worse short- and long-term graft outcomes. However, little is known about systemic inflammation in kidney donors and, notably, brain death causes a strong systemic inflammatory response. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of systemic inflammation of brain-dead donors on short-term kidney graft outcomes (ie, delayed graft function [DGF], defined as the need of dialysis during the first week after transplantation). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of clinical and biochemical characteristics of all brain-dead kidney donors generated in the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona in the 2006 to 2015 period (n = 194). Donors who were tested for CRP in the 24 hours before BD declaration were included (n = 97, 50% of initial population). Clinical and biochemical features of their respective recipients (n = 165) were analyzed, comparing recipients who developed DGF (n = 30) with recipients who did not (n = 135). RESULTS: Donors whose recipients later developed DGF had much higher CRP values (10.58 [5.1-18.21] vs 4.81 [1.42-12.2] mg/dL, P = .025). Other characteristics associated with the development of DGF were renal biopsy score and recipient dialysis vintage (P = .025 and P = .002, respectively). In logistic regression analysis, PCR maintained significance in the non-expanded criteria donor (ECD) group (odds ratio [OR], 1.102; P = .027), but it lost significance in the ECD group (P = .67). CONCLUSIONS: Terminal donor CRP was associated with DGF in kidney transplant recipients and proved to be mostly significant in younger donors.

Actividad antioxidante y marcha fitoquímica de los capítulos de Tagetes filifolia Lag. "pacha anís" / Antioxidant activity and phytochemical screening of capitula of Tagetes filifolia Lag. or "pacha anís"

Objetivo: Estudiar la actividad antioxidante y marcha fitoquímica de los capítulos de Tagetes filifolia Lag. "pacha anís".Materiales y métodos: Estudio de tipo experimental en el cual se empleó 5 kg de los capítulos de la planta medicinal Tagetes filifolia lag., provenientes de Junín. Se usó el método de cribado fitoquímico de Olga Lock para la marcha fitoquímica y el método DPPH para la determinación de la actividad antioxidante. Se dividió la muestra en 3 grupos: etéreo, alcohol etílico y agua destilada a concentraciones de 100, 50 y 5 µg/ml.Resultados: Se encontró fenoles en cantidades abundantes tanto en el extracto en agua destilada como en el extracto en alcohol etílico, además este último tuvo cantidades moderadas de quinonas. Por otro lado, el extracto en alcohol etílico fue el que presentó el mayor porcentaje de captación de radicales libres (91.26%) a una concentración de 100 µg/ml, similares resultados se encontró con el extracto etéreo (88.94%) y el extracto en agua destilada (75.58%).Conclusiones: Los principales componentes químicos fueron fenoles y quinonas. El mayor efecto antioxidante se obtuvo del extracto etanólico de la planta Tagetes filifolia a una concentración de 100 µg/ml.

Spanish consensus document for acceptance and rejection of kidneys from expanded criteria donors.

In the recent years, more than 60% of available deceased donors are either older than 50 yr or have significant vascular comorbidities. This makes the acceptance and rejection criteria of renal allografts very rigorous, especially in cases of younger recipients, and at the same time encourages live donations. In our country, there is a lack of homogeneity in the percentages of use of expanded criteria donor (ECD) allografts between the different autonomous communities. Furthermore, the criteria vary greatly, and in some cases, great importance is given to the biopsy while in others very little. In this study, we present a unified and homogenous criteria agreed upon by consensus of a 10-member Panel representing major scientific societies related to renal transplantation in Spain. The criteria are to be used in accepting and/or rejecting kidneys from the so-called ECDs. The goal was to standardize the use of these organs, to optimize the results, and most importantly to provide for the maximum well being of our patients. Finally, we believe that after taking into account the Panel's thorough review of specific scientific literature, this document will be adaptable to other national renal transplant programmes.

[Efficiency of minor surgery in primary care according to the costs]. / Eficiencia de la cirugía menor en atención primaria según el nivel de facturación.

AIM: To quantify the cost of minor surgery in our health district during a year, by examining the amounts charged. To find the degree of clinical/pathological correlation and the number of complications, as indirect indicators of quality. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study. SETTING: Primary care, Río Nacimiento Health District, Abla (Almería). PARTICIPANTS: The study included all those patients attended within the minor surgery programme in the year 2000, and all the procedures used (84 patients and 95 procedures). MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The variables analysed were: type of procedure and surgery, clinical/pathological correlation, early surgical complications, and cost per procedure. We calculated the cost of our activity on the basis of: a) cost occasioned at the health centre; b) what a medical insurance company would bill; c) what a primary care district would bill, and d) what a health service hospital would bill. RESULTS: 95 procedures in 84 patients were examined. 31 samples were sent to pathology with a clinical-pathological correlation of 77.42%. No complications were recorded. At our centre the cost was 817.18 euros. An insurance company would have charged 8803.63 euros; a PC district, 4852.03 euros; and a health service hospital, 14 015.39 euros. CONCLUSION: The minor surgery performed at our health centre by our team was more cost-effective than if it was performed in other public or private centres with high standards of quality.

Síndrome hemolítico urémico post-parto / Post-partum hemolytic uremic

Se presenta un caso visto en el Hospital San Ignacio, informando las manifestaciones clínicas, los hallazgos histopatológicos, su manejo terapéutico, seguimiento y se hace una revisión literaria