Sentiment analysis of the Twitter response to Netflix's Our Planet documentary.

The role of nature documentaries in shaping public attitudes and behavior toward conservation and wildlife issues is unclear. We analyzed the emotional content of over 2 million tweets related to Our Planet, a major nature documentary released on Netflix, with dictionary and rule-based automatic sentiment analysis. We also compared the sentiment associated with species mentioned in Our Planet and a set of control species with similar features but not mentioned in the documentary. Tweets were largely negative in sentiment at the time of release of the series. This effect was primarily linked to the highly skewed distributions of retweets and, in particular, to a single negatively valenced and massively retweeted tweet (>150,000 retweets). Species mentioned in Our Planet were associated with more negative sentiment than the control species, and this effect coincided with a short period following the airing of the series. Our results are consistent with a general negativity bias in cultural transmission and document the difficulty of evoking positive sentiment, on social media and elsewhere, in response to environmental problems.

Análisis de sentimientos de la respuesta en Twitter al documental Nuestro Planeta de Netflix Resumen No está claro el papel que tienen los documentales sobre naturaleza en la formación de actitudes públicas y respuestas a los temas de conservación y vida silvestre. Aplicamos un análisis automático de sentimientos basado en reglas y el diccionario al contenido emocional de más de dos millones de tuits relacionados a Nuestro Planeta, un importante documental estrenado en Netflix. También comparamos entre los sentimientos asociados a las especies mencionadas en el documental y un conjunto de especies control con características similares pero que no mencionan en el documental. En general, los tuits contenían sentimientos negativos cuando se estrenó la serie. Relacionamos este efecto a la distribución sesgada de retuits particularmente de un solo tuit negativo con retuits masivos (>150,000). Las especies mencionadas estuvieron asociadas con más sentimientos negativos que las especies control. Este efecto coincidió con un periodo corto después de la emisión de la serie. Nuestros resultados son coherentes con un sesgo generalizado de negatividad en la transmisión cultural y documentan lo difícil que es provocar sentimientos positivos, en redes sociales o en demás sitios, como respuesta a los problemas ambientales.

Importance of timely metadata curation to the global surveillance of genetic diversity.

Genetic diversity within species represents a fundamental yet underappreciated level of biodiversity. Because genetic diversity can indicate species resilience to changing climate, its measurement is relevant to many national and global conservation policy targets. Many studies produce large amounts of genome-scale genetic diversity data for wild populations, but most (87%) do not include the associated spatial and temporal metadata necessary for them to be reused in monitoring programs or for acknowledging the sovereignty of nations or Indigenous peoples. We undertook a distributed datathon to quantify the availability of these missing metadata and to test the hypothesis that their availability decays with time. We also worked to remediate missing metadata by extracting them from associated published papers, online repositories, and direct communication with authors. Starting with 848 candidate genomic data sets (reduced representation and whole genome) from the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration, we determined that 561 contained mostly samples from wild populations. We successfully restored spatiotemporal metadata for 78% of these 561 data sets (n = 440 data sets with data on 45,105 individuals from 762 species in 17 phyla). Examining papers and online repositories was much more fruitful than contacting 351 authors, who replied to our email requests 45% of the time. Overall, 23% of our email queries to authors unearthed useful metadata. The probability of retrieving spatiotemporal metadata declined significantly as age of the data set increased. There was a 13.5% yearly decrease in metadata associated with published papers or online repositories and up to a 22% yearly decrease in metadata that were only available from authors. This rapid decay in metadata availability, mirrored in studies of other types of biological data, should motivate swift updates to data-sharing policies and researcher practices to ensure that the valuable context provided by metadata is not lost to conservation science forever.

Importancia de la curación oportuna de metadatos para la vigilancia mundial de la diversidad genética Resumen La diversidad genética intraespecífica representa un nivel fundamental, pero a la vez subvalorado de la biodiversidad. La diversidad genética puede indicar la resiliencia de una especie ante el clima cambiante, por lo que su medición es relevante para muchos objetivos de la política de conservación mundial y nacional. Muchos estudios producen una gran cantidad de datos sobre la diversidad a nivel genético de las poblaciones silvestres, aunque la mayoría (87%) no incluye los metadatos espaciales y temporales asociados para que sean reutilizados en los programas de monitoreo o para reconocer la soberanía de las naciones o los pueblos indígenas. Realizamos un "datatón" distribuido para cuantificar la disponibilidad de estos metadatos faltantes y para probar la hipótesis que supone que esta disponibilidad se deteriora con el tiempo. También trabajamos para reparar los metadatos faltantes al extraerlos de los artículos asociados publicados, los repositorios en línea y la comunicación directa con los autores. Iniciamos con 838 candidatos de conjuntos de datos genómicos (representación reducida y genoma completo) tomados de la colaboración internacional para la base de datos de secuencias de nucleótidos y determinamos que 561 incluían en su mayoría muestras tomadas de poblaciones silvestres. Restauramos con éxito los metadatos espaciotemporales en el 78% de estos 561 conjuntos de datos (n = 440 conjuntos de datos con información sobre 45,105 individuos de 762 especies en 17 filos). El análisis de los artículos y los repositorios virtuales fue mucho más productivo que contactar a los 351 autores, quienes tuvieron un 45% de respuesta a nuestros correos. En general, el 23% de nuestras consultas descubrieron metadatos útiles. La probabilidad de recuperar metadatos espaciotemporales declinó de manera significativa conforme incrementó la antigüedad del conjunto de datos. Hubo una disminución anual del 13.5% en los metadatos asociados con los artículos publicados y los repositorios virtuales y hasta una disminución anual del 22% en los metadatos que sólo estaban disponibles mediante la comunicación con los autores. Este rápido deterioro en la disponibilidad de los metadatos, duplicado en estudios de otros tipos de datos biológicos, debería motivar la pronta actualización de las políticas del intercambio de datos y las prácticas de los investigadores para asegurar que en las ciencias de la conservación no se pierda para siempre el contexto valioso proporcionado por los metadatos.

Evolution of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Follow-up study in a Spanish simple.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition with long-term associated risks. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical status, occupation, and daily life difficulties of two cohorts of children diagnosed with ADHD (2004 and 2009) after five and 10 years. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Descriptive, longitudinal study using the WOMI database corresponding to Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Children with ADHD detected by their primary care pediatrician were included. A voluntary follow-up telephone interview was requested. Outcome variables were current clinical and occupational status, ADHD symptoms according to SNAP-IV, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: The interviewed sample consisted of 95 subjects, out of whom 71 answered the SNAP-IV and SDQ questionnaires; 60.70% of the sample did not receive treatment at the time of follow-up, 4.7% had no occupation, 25.40% still had ADHD global symptoms above the clinical cutoff point, and 66.2% had difficulties with moderate interference. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD symptoms decline as people grow up. Mental health comorbidities and academic dropout were not confirmed in the sample.

ANTECEDENTES: El trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) constituye una condición crónica con riesgos asociados a largo plazo. OBJETIVO: Analizar el estado clínico, la ocupación y las dificultades de la vida diaria de dos cohortes de niños con diagnóstico de TDAH (2004 y 2009) después cinco y 10 años. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Estudio descriptivo y longitudinal de la base de datos WOMI correspondiente a Oviedo, Asturias, España. Se incluyeron niños detectados con TDAH por su pediatra de atención primaria. Se solicitó una entrevista telefónica voluntaria de seguimiento. Las variables de resultado fueron estado clínico y ocupacional al momento de la entrevista, síntomas de TDAH según SNAP-IV y Cuestionario de Fortalezas y Dificultades (SDQ). RESULTADOS: La muestra entrevistada estuvo formada por 95 sujetos, de los cuales 71 respondieron a los cuestionarios SNAP-IV y SDQ; 60.7 % de la muestra no recibía tratamiento en el momento del seguimiento, 4.7 % no tenía ninguna ocupación, 25.4 % mantenía síntomas globales de TDAH en nivel superior al punto de corte clínico y 66.2 % presentaba dificultades con interferencia moderada. CONCLUSIONES: Los síntomas del TDAH disminuyen conforme las personas crecen. Las comorbilidades de salud mental y el abandono académico no se confirmaron en la muestra.

Evolution of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis cured with direct-acting antivirals. Long-term follow-up. / Evolución de los pacientes con infección crónica por hepatitis C con fibrosis avanzada o cirrosis curados con antivirales de acción directa. Seguimiento a largo plazo.

AIMS: To analyze laboratory parameters, clinical and fibrosis evolution in F3-F4 patients cured with direct-acting antivirals (DAA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Unicenteric, observational and prospective study. All F3-F4 hepatitis C patients cured with DAA from 01/11/2014 to 31/08/2019 were included. A basal visit (BV) was performed and at 12 weeks (12w), 1, 2, 3 and 4 years after treatment. Demographic and laboratory variables, fibrosis measured by non-invasive tests, indirect markers of portal hypertension, the presence of esophageal varices, cirrhosis decompensation and hepatoceullar carcinoma were collected. RESULTS: 169 patients were treated: 123 (72.8%) men, age 57.5±12 years; 117 (69.2%) with cirrhosis, 99 (84.6%) ChildA. 96,4% achieved SVR. The study was conducted for a median follow-up of 46.14 (2.89-62.55) months. It was observed a significant increase in platelets [155×103/µL (BV); 163×103/µL (12w)], cholesterol [158mg/dL (BV); 179mg/dL (12w)] and albumin [4.16g/dL (BV); 4.34g/dL (12w)] and a significant decrease in ALT [82UI/L (BV); 23UI/L (12w], AST [69UI/L (BV); 26UI/L (12w)], GGT [118UI/L (BV); 48UI/L (12w)] and bilirrubin [0.9mg/dL (BV); 0.7mg/dL (12w)]. Fibrosis also improved early in follow-up, both by serological methods and Fibroscan [19.9kPa (BV); 14.8kPa (12w; P<.05]. 8.1% of compensated cirrhosis patients had some decompensation. 4.5% developed esophageal varices. Nine patients (5.52%) had de novo hepatocellular carcinoma; 6 (3.68%) had hepatoceullar carcinoma in BV and 40% had a recurrence. During follow-up mortality was 9.2%. CONCLUSIONS: There is an improvement in laboratory parameters and fibrosis measured by non-invasive methods in F3-F4 patients cured with DAA. However, the risk of decompensation and the incidence/recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma still remain, so there is a need to follow these patients.

Evolution of the stage of chronic kidney disease from the diagnosis of hypertension in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the evolution of the stages of CKD and the progression of the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SITE: Family Medicine Unit No. 31, Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with hypertension who have been diagnosed in primary care and have developed chronic kidney disease. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The eGFR was calculated with the CKD Epi formula in three moments, the first measurement was at the time of diagnosis of hypertension, the second measurement was made when it arrived a change in CKD stage and the last one at the end of the study, with which the evolution time from one stage to another was obtained, as well as the drop in eGFR. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 207 electronic health records of patients, with an average follow-up of 10.2 years from the moment of diagnosis of hypertension until the end of the study. The average time to go from one baseline stage of CKD to another was 7 years (average decline in eGFR of 5.8ml/min/year) and to have a second stage change was 3.2 years (average decline in eGFR of 6.8ml/min/year), with a statistically significant repeated measures ANOVA (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with newly diagnosed hypertension remain longer in the initial stages of CKD, to later evolve and change more quickly.

The uses and implications of avian vocalizations for conservation planning.

There is a growing recognition that animal behavior can affect wildlife conservation, but there have been few direct studies of animal behavior in conservation programs. However, a great deal of existing behavioral research can be applied in the context of conservation. Research on avian vocalizations provides an excellent example. The conspicuous nature of the vocal behavior of birds makes it a useful tool for monitoring populations and measuring biodiversity, but the importance of vocalizations in conservation goes beyond monitoring. Geographic song variants with population-specific signatures, or dialects, can affect territory formation and mate choice. Dialects are influenced by cultural evolution and natural selection and changes can accumulate even during the timescale of conservation interventions, such as translocations, reintroductions, and ex situ breeding. Information from existing research into avian vocalizations can be used to improve conservation planning and increase the success of interventions. Vocalizations can confer a number of benefits for conservation practitioners through monitoring, providing baseline data on populations and individuals. However, the influence of cultural variation on territory formation, mate choice, and gene flow should be taken into account because cultural differences could create obstacles for conservation programs that bring birds from multiple populations together and so reduce the success of interventions.

Implicaciones y Usos de las Vocalizaciones de Aves para la Conservación de la Planeación Resumen Hay un creciente reconocimiento de que el comportamiento animal puede afectar a la conservación de la fauna, pero ha habido pocos estudios directos del comportamiento animal en los programas de conservación. Sin embargo, una gran cantidad de la investigación existente sobre el comportamiento puede aplicarse en el contexto de la conservación. Las investigaciones sobre las vocalizaciones de aves son un excelente ejemplo. La naturaleza conspicua del comportamiento vocal de las aves hace que sea una herramienta útil para el monitoreo de las poblaciones y las medidas de la biodiversidad, pero la importancia de las vocalizaciones en la conservación va más allá del monitoreo. Las variantes geográficas de canto con firmas específicas para cada población, también conocidas como dialectos, pueden afectar a la formación del territorio y a la elección de pareja. Los dialectos están influenciados por la evolución cultural y la selección natural y los cambios pueden acumularse incluso durante la escala de tiempo de las intervenciones de conservación, como las reubicaciones, las reintroducciones y la reproducción ex situ. La información disponible a partir de las investigaciones existentes sobre las vocalizaciones de aves puede usarse para mejorar la planeación de la conservación e incrementar el éxito de las intervenciones. Las vocalizaciones pueden otorgar un número de beneficios para quienes practican la conservación a través del monitoreo, proporcionando información de la línea base de las poblaciones y los individuos. Sin embargo, la influencia de la variación cultural sobre la formación del territorio, la elección de pareja y el flujo génico deberían considerarse ya que las diferencias culturales podrían crear obstáculos para los programas de conservación que agrupan a aves de diferentes poblaciones y con ello reducen el éxito de las intervenciones.

A genoscape-network model for conservation prioritization in a migratory bird.

Migratory animals are declining worldwide and coordinated conservation efforts are needed to reverse current trends. We devised a novel genoscape-network model that combines genetic analyses with species distribution modeling and demographic data to overcome challenges with conceptualizing alternative risk factors in migratory species across their full annual cycle. We applied our method to the long distance, Neotropical migratory bird, Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla). Despite a lack of data from some wintering locations, we demonstrated how the results can be used to help prioritize conservation of breeding and wintering areas. For example, we showed that when genetic, demographic, and network modeling results were considered together it became clear that conservation recommendations will differ depending on whether the goal is to preserve unique genetic lineages or the largest number of birds per unit area. More specifically, if preservation of genetic lineages is the goal, then limited resources should be focused on preserving habitat in the California Sierra, Basin Rockies, or Coastal California, where the 3 most vulnerable genetic lineages breed, or in western Mexico, where 2 of the 3 most vulnerable lineages overwinter. Alternatively, if preservation of the largest number of individuals per unit area is the goal, then limited conservation dollars should be placed in the Pacific Northwest or Central America, where densities are estimated to be the highest. Overall, our results demonstrated the utility of adopting a genetically based network model for integrating multiple types of data across vast geographic scales and better inform conservation decision-making for migratory animals.

Un Modelo de Redes de Panorama Poblacional para la Priorización de la Conservación de un Ave Migratoria Resumen Los animales migratorios están pasando por una declinación mundial y se requieren esfuerzos coordinados de conservación para revertir las tendencias actuales. Diseñamos un modelo novedoso de redes de panorama poblacional que combina el análisis genético con el modelado de la distribución de especies y los datos demográficos para sobreponerse a los obstáculos con la conceptualización de los factores alternativos de riesgo en las especies migratorias durante su ciclo anual completo. Aplicamos nuestro método al chipe de corona negra (Cardellina pusilla), un ave migratoria neotropical que recorre largas distancias. A pesar de la falta de datos de algunas localidades de invernación, mostramos cómo pueden usarse los resultados para ayudar a priorizar la conservación de las áreas de reproducción y de invernación. Por ejemplo, mostramos que cuando se consideraron en conjunto los resultados del modelado genético, demográfico y de redes queda claro que las recomendaciones de conservación diferirán dependiendo de si el objetivo es preservar linajes genéticos únicos o el mayor número de aves por unidad de área. Más específicamente, si el objetivo es la conservación de los linajes genéticos, entonces los recursos limitados deberían enfocarse en preservar el hábitat en la Sierra de California, la Cuenca de las Rocallosas, la costa de California (lugares en donde se reproducen los tres linajes genéticos más vulnerables) o en el oeste de México (en donde dos de los tres linajes más vulnerables pasan el invierno). Alternativamente, si el objetivo es la conservación del mayor número de individuos por unidad de área, entonces el financiamiento limitado debería aplicarse en el noroeste del Pacífico o en América Central, en donde se estima que las densidades poblacionales son las más altas. En general, nuestros resultados demostraron la utilidad de adoptar un modelo de redes basadas en la genética para la integración de datos a lo largo de escalas geográficas amplias y para informar de mejor manera la toma de decisiones de conservación para los animales migratorios.

Targeted gene flow and rapid adaptation in an endangered marsupial.

Targeted gene flow is an emerging conservation strategy. It involves translocating individuals with favorable genes to areas where they will have a conservation benefit. The applications for targeted gene flow are wide-ranging but include preadapting native species to the arrival of invasive species. The endangered carnivorous marsupial, the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), has declined rapidly since the introduction of the cane toad (Rhinella marina), which fatally poisons quolls that attack them. There are, however, a few remaining toad-invaded quoll populations in which the quolls survive because they know not to eat cane toads. It is this toad-smart behavior we hope to promote through targeted gene flow. For targeted gene flow to be feasible, however, toad-smart behavior must have a genetic basis. To assess this, we used a common garden experiment, comparing offspring from toad-exposed and toad-naïve parents raised in identical environments, to determine whether toad-smart behavior is heritable. Offspring from toad-exposed populations were substantially less likely to eat toads than those with toad-naïve parents. Hybrid offspring showed similar responses to quolls with 2 toad-exposed parents, indicating the trait may be dominant. Together, these results suggest a heritable trait and rapid adaptive response in a small number of toad-exposed populations. Although questions remain about outbreeding depression, our results are encouraging for targeted gene flow. It should be possible to introduce toad-smart behavior into soon to be affected quoll populations.

Aligning science and policy to achieve evolutionarily enlightened conservation.

There is increasing recognition among conservation scientists that long-term conservation outcomes could be improved through better integration of evolutionary theory into management practices. Despite concerns that the importance of key concepts emerging from evolutionary theory (i.e., evolutionary principles and processes) are not being recognized by managers, there has been little effort to determine the level of integration of evolutionary theory into conservation policy and practice. We assessed conservation policy at 3 scales (international, national, and provincial) on 3 continents to quantify the degree to which key evolutionary concepts, such as genetic diversity and gene flow, are being incorporated into conservation practice. We also evaluated the availability of clear guidance within the applied evolutionary biology literature as to how managers can change their management practices to achieve better conservation outcomes. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of maintaining genetic diversity, conservation policies provide little guidance about how this can be achieved in practice and other relevant evolutionary concepts, such as inbreeding depression, are mentioned rarely. In some cases the poor integration of evolutionary concepts into management reflects a lack of decision-support tools in the literature. Where these tools are available, such as risk-assessment frameworks, they are not being adopted by conservation policy makers, suggesting that the availability of a strong evidence base is not the only barrier to evolutionarily enlightened management. We believe there is a clear need for more engagement by evolutionary biologists with policy makers to develop practical guidelines that will help managers make changes to conservation practice. There is also an urgent need for more research to better understand the barriers to and opportunities for incorporating evolutionary theory into conservation practice.

Factors associated with poor outcome for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage in a series of 334 patients. / Factores asociados a una evolución desfavorable en la hemorragia subaracnoidea aneurismática. Serie de 334 pacientes.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates care-related sociodemographic, clinical, and imaging factors and influences associated with outcome at discharge in patients with aneurismal subarachnoid haemorrhage. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Retrospective cohort study in 334 patients treated at Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras in Havana, Cuba between October 2005 and June 2014. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis determined that the following factors were associated with higher risk of poor outcome: age older than 65 years (OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.79-5.7, P=.031), female sex (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.22-3.84, P=.0067), systolic hypertension (OR 4.82, 95% CI 2.27-9.8, P=.0001), and hyperglycaemia at admission (OR 3.93, 95% CI 2.10-7.53, P=.0003). Certain complications were also associated with poor prognosis, including respiratory infection (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.27-5.85, P=.0085), electrolyte disturbances (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.33-8.28, P=.0073), hydrocephalus (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.05-4.63, P=.0039), rebleeding (OR 16.50, 95% CI 8.24-41.24, P=.0000), symptomatic vasospasm (OR 19.00, 95% CI 8.86-41.24, P=.0000), cerebral ischaemia (OR 3.82, 95% CI 1.87-7.80, P=.000) and multiplex rebleeding (OR 6.69, 95% CI 1.35-36.39, P=.0019). Grades of iii and iv on the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.12-3.91, P=.0021) and Fisher scales (OR 5.18, 95% CI 2.65-10.29, P=.0008) were also related to poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Outcome of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage was related to age, sex, clinical status at admission to the stroke unit, imaging findings according to the Fisher scale, blood pressure, glycaemia and such complications as electrolyte disturbances, hydrocephalus, rebleeding, and multiplex rebleeding.

Adaptive introgression as a resource for management and genetic conservation in a changing climate.

Current rates of climate change require organisms to respond through migration, phenotypic plasticity, or genetic changes via adaptation. We focused on questions regarding species' and populations' ability to respond to climate change through adaptation. Specifically, the role adaptive introgression, movement of genetic material from the genome of 1 species into the genome of another through repeated interbreeding, may play in increasing species' ability to respond to a changing climate. Such interspecific gene flow may mediate extinction risk or consequences of limited adaptive potential that result from standing genetic variation and mutation alone, enabling a quicker demographic recovery in response to changing environments. Despite the near dismissal of the potential benefits of hybridization by conservation practitioners, we examined a number of case studies across different taxa that suggest gene flow between sympatric or parapatric sister species or within species that exhibit strong ecotypic differentiation may represent an underutilized management option to conserve evolutionary potential in a changing environment. This will be particularly true where advanced-generation hybrids exhibit adaptive traits outside the parental phenotypic range, a phenomenon known as transgressive segregation. The ideas presented in this essay are meant to provoke discussion regarding how we maintain evolutionary potential, the conservation value of natural hybrid zones, and consideration of their important role in adaptation to climate.

Targeted gene flow for conservation.

Anthropogenic threats often impose strong selection on affected populations, causing rapid evolutionary responses. Unfortunately, these adaptive responses are rarely harnessed for conservation. We suggest that conservation managers pay close attention to adaptive processes and geographic variation, with an eye to using them for conservation goals. Translocating pre-adapted individuals into recipient populations is currently considered a potentially important management tool in the face of climate change. Targeted gene flow, which involves moving individuals with favorable traits to areas where these traits would have a conservation benefit, could have a much broader application in conservation. Across a species' range there may be long-standing geographic variation in traits or variation may have rapidly developed in response to a threatening process. Targeted gene flow could be used to promote natural resistance to threats to increase species resilience. We suggest that targeted gene flow is a currently underappreciated strategy in conservation that has applications ranging from the management of invasive species and their impacts to controlling the impact and virulence of pathogens.

The role of life histories and trophic interactions in population recovery.

Factors affecting population recovery from depletion are at the focus of wildlife management. Particularly, it has been debated how life-history characteristics might affect population recovery ability and productivity. Many exploited fish stocks have shown temporal changes towards earlier maturation and reduced adult body size, potentially owing to evolutionary responses to fishing. Whereas such life-history changes have been widely documented, their potential role on stock's ability to recover from exploitation often remains ignored by traditional fisheries management. We used a marine ecosystem model parameterized for Southeastern Australian ecosystem to explore how changes towards "faster" life histories might affect population per capita growth rate r. We show that for most species changes towards earlier maturation during fishing have a negative effect (3-40% decrease) on r during the recovery phase. Faster juvenile growth and earlier maturation were beneficial early in life, but smaller adult body sizes reduced the lifetime reproductive output and increased adult natural mortality. However, both at intra- and inter-specific level natural mortality and trophic position of the species were as important in determining r as species longevity and age of maturation, suggesting that r cannot be predicted from life-history traits alone. Our study highlights that factors affecting population recovery ability and productivity should be explored in a multi-species context, where both age-specific fecundity and survival schedules are addressed simultaneously. It also suggests that contemporary life-history changes in harvested species are unlikely to increase their resilience and recovery ability.

Retrospective study of tolerability and efficacy of linezolid in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (1998-2014).

INTRODUCTION: Although linezolid is known to be effective when used as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the clinical experience is limited. In this study the efficacy and adverse effects of linezolid treatment were evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective study of tolerability and efficacy of linezolid in MDR-TB patients was performed in Madrid, Spain. Demographic characteristics, microbiological and clinical features and data on treatment tolerability were collected. Regimens were constructed with a target of prescribing, at least, five anti-tuberculosis agents likely to be effective. Linezolid, at a dosage of 1200 or 600 mg daily, was included to complete the treatment if no other sensitive drugs were available. Vitamin B6 was used to reduce toxicity. Treatment outcome and clinical status at last contact were compared between patients with linezolid-containing regimens and with those without linezolid-containing regimens. RESULTS: During the period 1998-2014, 55 patients with MDR-TB received treatment. In 21 of these patients, linezolid was added. The median of linezolid administration was 23.9 months (IQT 13.1-24.7). Patients using linezolid showed a greater resistance to drugs, with a median of 6 (IQR 5-7) compared with those who did not use it, with a median of 4 drugs (IQR 3-5) (p<0.001). The median time to sputum culture conversion of the patients in the linezolid group (73.5 days) did not differ significantly from those in the non-linezolid group (61 days) (p=0.29). There were no significant differences in the outcomes of the two patient groups. There were no reported adverse events in 81% of patients assigned to linezolid therapy. Only four patients developed toxicity attributed to linezolid. The most serious adverse event in these patients was anemia observed in the two patients treated with 1200 mg per day. One of them also developed moderate paresthesia. In both cases the dosage was reduced to 600 mg per day, with improvement of the anemia and paresthesias. No patients stopped linezolid therapy. CONCLUSION: A daily dosage of 600 mg of linezolid was well tolerated without stopping treatment in any case. The efficacy of the treatment and the outcomes were similar in both the linezolid and non-linezolid group.

The Spanish Neurological Society official clinical practice guidelines in epilepsy.

Previous Official Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in Epilepsy were based on expert opinions and developed by the Epilepsy Study Group of the Spanish Neurological Society (GE-SEN). The current CPG in epilepsy is based on the scientific method, which extracts recommendations from published scientific evidence. A reduction in the variability in clinical practice through standardization of medical practice has become its main function. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES: This CPG is focused on comprehensive care for individuals affected by epilepsy as a primary and predominant symptom, regardless of the age of onset and medical policy. METHODOLOGY: 1. Creation of GE-SEN neurologists working group, in collaboration with Neuropediatricians, Neurophysiologists and Neuroradiologists. 2. Identification of clinical areas to be covered: diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. 3. Search and selection of the relevant scientific evidence. 4. Formulation of recommendations based on the classification of the available scientific evidence. RESULTS: It contains 161 recommendations of which 57% are consensus between authors and publishers, due to an important lack of awareness in many fields of this pathology. CONCLUSIONS: This Epilepsy CPG formulates recommendations based on explicit scientific evidence as a result of a formal and rigorous methodology, according to the current knowledge in the pre-selected areas. This paper includes the CPG chapter dedicated to emergency situations in seizures and epilepsy, which may present as a first seizure, an unfavorable outcome in a patient with known epilepsy, or status epilepticus as the most severe manifestation.

Clinical features of hidradenitis suppurativa and Crohn disease: what do these two entities have in common? / Aspectos clínicos de la hidradenitis supurativa y de la enfermedad de Crohn: ¿qué hay en común?

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and Crohn disease (CD) are chronic, recurrent inflammatory diseases. They share certain clinical characteristics and flares are common in both. Both entities are usually diagnosed between the second and third decades of life and share risk factors such as smoking and overweight. In CD, as in HS, acute untreated episodes of inflammation can lead to sequels such as abscesses, fistulas and stenosis. Consequently, early management is of the utmost importance. Some patients have both diseases. The estimated prevalence of SH in CD patients is 12.4%-17.9%, while the prevalence of CD in HS patients is around 3%. The presence of HS in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an earlier onset of IBD and with more frequent need for anti-TNF-alpha therapy and surgical resection.

A case study of bats and white-nose syndrome demonstrating how to model population viability with evolutionary effects.

Ecological factors generally affect population viability on rapid time scales. Traditional population viability analyses (PVA) therefore focus on alleviating ecological pressures, discounting potential evolutionary impacts on individual phenotypes. Recent studies of evolutionary rescue (ER) focus on cases in which severe, environmentally induced population bottlenecks trigger a rapid evolutionary response that can potentially reverse demographic threats. ER models have focused on shifting genetics and resulting population recovery, but no one has explored how to incorporate those findings into PVA. We integrated ER into PVA to identify the critical decision interval for evolutionary rescue (DIER) under which targeted conservation action should be applied to buffer populations undergoing ER against extinction from stochastic events and to determine the most appropriate vital rate to target to promote population recovery. We applied this model to little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) affected by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease causing massive declines in several North American bat populations. Under the ER scenario, the model predicted that the DIER period for little brown bats was within 11 years of initial WNS emergence, after which they stabilized at a positive growth rate (λ = 1.05). By comparing our model results with population trajectories of multiple infected hibernacula across the WNS range, we concluded that ER is a potential explanation of observed little brown bat population trajectories across multiple hibernacula within the affected range. Our approach provides a tool that can be used by all managers to provide testable hypotheses regarding the occurrence of ER in declining populations, suggest empirical studies to better parameterize the population genetics and conservation-relevant vital rates, and identify the DIER period during which management strategies will be most effective for species conservation.

Un Estudio de Caso sobre Murciélagos y el Síndrome de Nariz Blanca que Demuestra cómo Modelar la Viabilidad Poblacional con Efectos Evolutivos Resumen Los factores ecológicos afectan generalmente a la viabilidad poblacional en escalas rápidas de tiempo. Por esto los análisis tradicionales de viabilidad poblacional (AVP) se enfocan en aliviar las presiones ecológicas, lo que discontinúa los impactos evolutivos potenciales sobre los fenotipos individuales. Los estudios recientes del rescate evolutivo (RE) se enfocan en casos en los que cuellos de botella poblacionales inducidos por el ambiente disparan una respuesta evolutiva rápida, la que puede revertir potencialmente las amenazas demográficas. Los modelos de rescate evolutivo se han enfocado en la genética cambiante y la recuperación poblacional resultante, pero nadie ha explorado cómo incorporar estos hallazgos en los AVP. Integramos el RE a los AVP para identificar el intervalo de decisión crítica para el rescate evolutivo (IDRE), bajo el cual se deben aplicar las acciones de conservación enfocada para amortiguar a las poblaciones sometidas a RE ante la extinción por eventos estocásticos, y para determinar la tasa vital más apropiada para promover la recuperación de la población. Aplicamos este modelo a los pequeños murciélagos cafés (Myotis lucifugus) afectados por el síndrome de nariz blanca (SNB), una enfermedad micótica que causa declinaciones masivas en varias poblaciones norteamericanas de murciélagos. Bajo el escenario de RE, el modelo predijo que el periodo de IDRE para estos murciélagos estaba dentro de once años del surgimiento inicial del síndrome, después del cual se estabilizaban a una tasa positiva de crecimiento (λ = 1.05). Al comparar nuestros resultados del modelo con las trayectorias poblacionales de múltiples sitios de hibernación infectados a lo largo de la extensión del SNB, concluimos que el RE es una explicación potencial de las trayectorias observadas de pequeños murciélagos cafés a lo largo de múltiples sitios de hibernación dentro de la extensión afectada. Nuestra estrategia proporciona una herramienta que puede ser usada por todos los manejadores para proporcionar hipótesis comprobables con respecto a la aparición del RE en las poblaciones declinantes, sugerir estudios empíricos que mejoren los parámetros de la genética de poblaciones y las tasas vitales relevantes para la conservación, y para identificar el periodo IDRE durante el cual las estrategias de manejo serán más efectivas para la conservación de la especie.

The Mataró Stroke Registry: a 10-year registry in a community hospital.

INTRODUCTION: A prospective stroke registry leads to improved knowledge of the disease. We present data on the Mataró Hospital Registry. METHODS: In February-2002 a prospective stroke registry was initiated in our hospital. It includes sociodemographic data, previous diseases, clinical, topographic, etiological and prognostic data. We have analyzed the results of the first 10 years. RESULTS: A total of 2,165 patients have been included, 54.1% male, mean age 73 years. The most frequent vascular risk factor was hypertension (65.4%). Median NIHSS on admission: 3 (interquartile range, 1-8). Stroke subtype: 79.7% ischemic strokes, 10.9% hemorrhagic, and 9.4% TIA. Among ischemic strokes, the etiology was cardioembolic in 26.5%, large-vessel disease in 23.7%, and small-vessel in 22.9%. The most frequent topography of hemorrhages was lobar (47.4%), and 54.8% were attributed to hypertension. The median hospital stay was 8 days. At discharge, 60.7% of patients were able to return directly to their own home, and 52.7% were independent for their daily life activities. After 3 months these percentages were 76.9% and 62.9%, respectively. Hospital mortality was 6.5%, and after 3 months 10.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient's profile is similar to those of other series, although the severity of strokes was slightly lower. Length of hospital stay, short-term and medium term disability, and mortality rates are good, if we compare them with other series.

Corpora amylacea in the neocortex in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and focal cortical dysplasia.

INTRODUCTION: Corpora amylacea (CoA) are present in about 60% of atrophic hippocampi resected from patients with drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (DRTLE). They have also been described in the lateral temporal neocortex, although less frequently. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to measure the presence, distribution and density of CoA in the lateral temporal lobes of patients with DRTLE and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), also examining how CoA density may be linked to demographic and clinical traits. METHODS: Resected tissue from 35 patients was analysed. CoA density was assessed with a semi-quantitative scale according to the criteria established by Cherian et al. RESULTS: Presence of CoA in the neocortex of 9 patients was associated with hippocampal sclerosis (FCD type iiia, 7 cases), disembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (FCD type iiib, 1 case), and cavernous angioma (FCD type iiic, 1 case). The meningeal surface (MS) was involved in all cases, and 8 cases displayed CoA in the cerebral parenchyma (white matter) and around blood vessels. CoA density on the MS showed a negative correlation with age at seizure onset (r = -0.828, P<.05) and a positive correlation with disease duration (r = 0.678, P<.05) but not with postoperative clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DRTLE and a primary lesion (hippocampal sclerosis, tumour, vascular malformation) associated with mild FCD were shown to have CoA deposits in the neocortex. No association was found between presence of CoA and clinical outcome one year after surgery.

Autoimmune hepatitis in children: progression of 20 cases in northern Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver with nonspecific clinical manifestations that causes greater liver damage in children than in adults. AIMS: To analyze the clinical progression, biochemical profiles, histopathologic changes, and treatment response in 20 children with AIH. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on the variables associated with clinical progression, diagnosis, and treatment response in children seen at the the Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad (UMAE) No. 71 IMSS in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, from 1992 to 2012. RESULTS: Twenty patients were analyzed, 75% with type 1 AIH (AIH-1) and 25% with type 2 AIH (AIH-2). Girls predominated with a 3:1 ratio of girls to boys. The mean age was 10.07 ± 6.53 years for the AIH-1 cases and 6.75 ± 3.77 years for the AIH-2 cases. There was an association with immunologic diseases in 40% of the patients. The patients in the AIH-2 group had greater biochemical profile alterations and IgA deficiency. Anti-nuclear antibody and anti-smooth muscle antibody were positive in 100% of the patients with AIH-1, and anti-liver kidney microsomal type 1 antibody was positive in 100% of the AIH-2 patients. Liver biopsy revealed interface hepatitis in both groups. The AIH-2 group responded more quickly to treatment, but had a higher recurrence rate. CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune hepatitis in the pediatric patient should be suspected in order to make an early diagnosis and thereby establish opportune treatment. Determining the type of AIH is necessary for making adequate diagnosis and for achieving a better outcome in relation to recurrence and complication rates.