Digging in a 120 years-old lunch: What can we learn from collection specimens of extinct species?

Studying collection specimens is often the only way to unravel information about recent extinctions. These can reveal knowledge on threats and life traits related to extinction, and contribute, by extrapolation, to the conservation of extant species. However, high-throughput sequencing methods have rarely been applied to extinct species to reveal information on their ecology. Insular species are especially prone to extinction. We studied the gut contents of three specimens of the extinct giant skink Chioninia coctei of the Cabo Verde Islands using microscopy and DNA-metabarcoding. The presence of Tachygonetria adult nematodes suggests plants as important diet items. Our metabarcoding approach also identified plants and, additionally, invertebrates, supporting the hypothesis of C. coctei's generalist diet. The absence of vertebrates in the digestive contents may reflect the decline of seabirds on the Desertas Islands that could have contributed to the debilitation of the giant skink, already depleted by persecution and severe droughts. Even with a small sample size, this study contributes to shedding light on the trophic roles of this enigmatic extinct species and emphasizes the need to develop holistic conservation plans for island threatened taxa. Additionally, it illustrates the potential of integrating up-to-date molecular methods with traditional approaches to studying collection specimens to help to solve ecological puzzles in other ecosystems.

Acupuntura y Cefalea Vascular Migrañosa de debut por estrés / Acupuncture and migranoid vascular cephalalgia of debut due to stress

Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, comparativo, de corte transversal, en pacientes con cefalea vascular migrañosa de debut por estrés, donde se analizó la efectividad del tratamiento acupuntural. La muestra tenia 24 pacientes con edades comprendidas entre 20 a 60 años, de ambos sexos, del Municipio San Nicolás atendidos en las consultas externas de Neurología del Hospital Psiquiátrico de La Habana y de Medicina General Integral del propio Municipio. Fueron formados dos grupos: Grupo A: con tratamiento acupuntural, y Grupo B: con tratamiento convencional. Durante el análisis de los resultados se encontró que predominó el sexo femenino. Los pacientes tratados con el método acupuntural comenzaron desde las primeras sesiones de tratamiento su mejoría, y el 66,6 por ciento tuvieron una evolución clínica de bien. Se encontró –entre otras cosas- que a menor tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad, mejores resultados con la acupuntura. En ambos grupos de estudio, hubo mejoría en los síntomas, siendo más evidente en el grupo con tratamiento oriental(AU)

A comparative prospective transversal cut study was carried out on patients suffering from migranout vascular cephalalgia of debut by stress, where the efectivences of acupuncture treatment was analyzed. A simple of 24 patients with ages between 20 and 60, both sexs, from San Nicolas Municipality treated at the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana in outpatient neurology services and General Integral Medicine services in San Nicolas was selected. They were devided into two groups: group A with the acupuncture treatment, and group B with the convention treatment. Female was the predominant sex in the analysis of the results. Those patients treated with the acupuncture methods started to improve since the very beginning of their treatment and 66.6 per cent of then had a satisfactory clinical evolution. Among other things, it was observed that at a lesier evolution time, better results were obtained with acupuncture. In both groups, there was an improvement of the symptoms, being more significant in the groups treated with eastern methods(AU)

Acupuntura y Cefalea Vascular Migrañosa de debut por estrés / Acupuncture and migranoid vascular cephalalgia of debut due to stress

Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, comparativo, de corte transversal, en pacientes con cefalea vascular migrañosa de debut por estrés, donde se analizó la efectividad del tratamiento acupuntural. La muestra tenia 24 pacientes con edades comprendidas entre 20 a 60 años, de ambos sexos, del Municipio San Nicolás atendidos en las consultas externas de Neurología del Hospital Psiquiátrico de La Habana y de Medicina General Integral del propio Municipio. Fueron formados dos grupos: Grupo A: con tratamiento acupuntural, y Grupo B: con tratamiento convencional. Durante el análisis de los resultados se encontró que predominó el sexo femenino. Los pacientes tratados con el método acupuntural comenzaron desde las primeras sesiones de tratamiento su mejoría, y el 66,6 por ciento tuvieron una evolución clínica de bien. Se encontró –entre otras cosas- que a menor tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad, mejores resultados con la acupuntura. En ambos grupos de estudio, hubo mejoría en los síntomas, siendo más evidente en el grupo con tratamiento oriental.

A comparative prospective transversal cut study was carried out on patients suffering from migranout vascular cephalalgia of debut by stress, where the efectivences of acupuncture treatment was analyzed. A simple of 24 patients with ages between 20 and 60, both sexs, from San Nicolas Municipality treated at the Psychiatric Hospital of Havana in outpatient neurology services and General Integral Medicine services in San Nicolas was selected. They were devided into two groups: group A with the acupuncture treatment, and group B with the convention treatment. Female was the predominant sex in the analysis of the results. Those patients treated with the acupuncture methods started to improve since the very beginning of their treatment and 66.6 per cent of then had a satisfactory clinical evolution. Among other things, it was observed that at a lesier evolution time, better results were obtained with acupuncture. In both groups, there was an improvement of the symptoms, being more significant in the groups treated with eastern methods.