Policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis: Relación con la salud autopercibida y el estado de ánimo en adolescentes de la Catalunya Central-Proyecto DESKcohort / Polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis: Relationship with self-perceived health and mood state in adolescents in Central Catalonia- DESKcohort Project

El objetivo fue estimar la prevalencia del policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis y ver su relación con la salud autopercibida y el estado de ánimo en los adolescentes escolarizados de la Catalunya Central en el curso 2019- 2020. Estudio transversal con una muestra de 7.319 estudiantes, que contestaron un cuestionario auto administrado. Las variables dependientes fueron el policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis y policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis de riesgo. Las variables independientes principales fueron la salud autopercibida y el estado de ánimo. Para el análisis de prevalencia se analizaron frecuencias y porcentajes, y se usó la prueba de Chi-cuadrado. Se ajustaron modelos de regresión de Poisson con varianza robusta, obteniendo Razones de Prevalencia. La prevalencia del policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis fue de 3,5% y del policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis de riesgo 2,5%. En los chicos, cursar un curso académico superior (4º de ESO (RPa: 3,88; IC95%:2,14-7,05) vs. CFGM (RPa: 8,67; IC95%:4,51-16,67), tener peor salud autopercibida (RPa: 4,79; IC95%:3,24-7,08) y un peor estado de ánimo (RPa: 1,47; IC95%:1,05-2,08) actúan como factores asociados con el policonsumo de tabaco y cannabis. En chicas y por consumo de riesgo de cannabis siguen un patrón similar. Entre las principales conclusiones observamos que no hay diferencias en la salud autopercibida y el estado de ánimo en el policonsumo de tabaco con cannabis y con cannabis de riesgo, por lo que deben existir estrategias de reducción de riesgos tanto si el consumo de cannabis es puntual como si el consumo de cannabis es problemático. (AU)

The objective was to estimate the prevalence of polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis and to see its relationship with self-perceived health and mood state in adolescents from Central Catalonia in the 2019-2020 academic year. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 7,319 students, who answered a self-administered questionnaire. The dependent variables were the polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis and polydrug use of tobacco and high-risk cannabis. The main independent variables were self-perceived health status and mood state. Frequencies and percentages were analyzed for the prevalence analysis, and the Chi-square test was used. Poisson regression models were adjusted with robust variance, obtaining Prevalence Ratios. The prevalence of polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis was 3.5% and polydrug use of tobacco and high-risk cannabis was 2.5%. In boys, attending higher academic courses (4th of ESO (aPR: 3.88; 95% CI: 2.14-7.05) vs. CFGM (aPR: 8.67; CI95%: 4.51-16.67), having worse self-perceived health (aPR: 4.79; CI95%: 3.24-7.08) and worse mood state (aPR: 1.47; CI95%: 1.05-2.08) act as factors associated with polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis. The results for girls, and risky use of cannabis follow a similar pattern. Among the main conclusions we observe is that there are no differences in self-perceived health and mood state when comparing polydrug use of tobacco and cannabis and polydrug use of tobacco and high-risk cannabis, so risk reduction strategies must be applied whether the use of cannabis is occasional or problematic. (AU)

Rapid and Highly Stable Membrane Reconstitution by LAiR Enables the Study of Physiological Integral Membrane Protein Functions.

Functional reintegration into lipid environments represents a major challenge for in vitro investigation of integral membrane proteins (IMPs). Here, we report a new approach, termed LMNG Auto-insertion Reintegration (LAiR), for reintegration of IMPs into lipid bilayers within minutes. The resulting proteoliposomes displayed an unprecedented capability to maintain proton gradients and long-term stability. LAiR allowed for monitoring catalysis of a membrane-bound, physiologically relevant polyisoprenoid quinone substrate by Escherichia coli cytochromes bo 3 (cbo 3) and bd (cbd) under control of the proton motive force. LAiR also facilitated bulk-phase detection and physiological assessment of the "proton leak" in cbo 3, a controversial catalytic state that previously was only approachable at the single-molecule level. LAiR maintained the multisubunit integrity and higher-order oligomeric states of the delicate mammalian F-ATP synthase. Given that LAiR can be applied to both liposomes and planar membrane bilayers and is compatible with IMPs and lipids from prokaryotic and eukaryotic sources, we anticipate LAiR to be applied broadly across basic research, pharmaceutical applications, and biotechnology.

Metabolomics profiling in acute liver transplant rejection in a pediatric population.

Pediatric liver transplantation rejection affects 20% of children. Currently, liver biopsy, expensive and invasive, is the best method of diagnosis. Discovery and validation of clinical biomarkers from blood or other biospecimens would improve clinical care. For this study, stored plasma samples were utilized from two cross-sectional cohorts of liver transplant patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. High resolution metabolic profiling was completed using established methods. Children with (n = 18) or without (n = 25) acute cellular rejection were included in the analysis (n = 43 total). The mean age of these racially diverse cohorts ranged from 12.6 years in the rejection group and 13.6 years in the no rejection group. Linear regression provided 510 significantly differentiating metabolites between groups, and OPLS-DA showed 145 metabolites with VIP > 2. A total of 95 overlapping significant metabolites between OPLS-DA and linear regression analyses were detected. Pathway analysis (p < 0.05) showed bile acid biosynthesis and tryptophan metabolism as the top two differentiating pathways. Network analysis also identified tryptophan and clustered with liver enzymes and steroid use. We conclude metabolic profiling of plasma from children with acute liver transplant rejection demonstrates > 500 significant metabolites. This result suggests that development of a non-invasive biomarker-based test is possible for rejection screening.

Peripheral Membrane Proteins: Promising Therapeutic Targets across Domains of Life.

Membrane proteins can be classified into two main categories-integral and peripheral membrane proteins-depending on the nature of their membrane interaction. Peripheral membrane proteins are highly unique amphipathic proteins that interact with the membrane indirectly, using electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions, or directly, using hydrophobic tails or GPI-anchors. The nature of this interaction not only influences the location of the protein in the cell, but also the function. In addition to their unique relationship with the cell membrane, peripheral membrane proteins often play a key role in the development of human diseases such as African sleeping sickness, cancer, and atherosclerosis. This review will discuss the membrane interaction and role of periplasmic nitrate reductase, CymA, cytochrome c, alkaline phosphatase, ecto-5'-nucleotidase, acetylcholinesterase, alternative oxidase, type-II NADH dehydrogenase, and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in certain diseases. The study of these proteins will give new insights into their function and structure, and may ultimately lead to ground-breaking advances in the treatment of severe diseases.

The Profound Influence of Lipid Composition on the Catalysis of the Drug Target NADH Type II Oxidoreductase.

Lipids play a pivotal role in cellular respiration, providing the natural environment in which an oxidoreductase interacts with the quinone pool. To date, it is generally accepted that negatively charged lipids play a major role in the activity of quinone oxidoreductases. By changing lipid compositions when assaying a type II NADH:quinone oxidoreductase, we demonstrate that phosphatidylethanolamine has an essential role in substrate binding and catalysis. We also reveal the importance of acyl chain composition, specifically c14:0, on membrane-bound quinone-mediated catalysis. This demonstrates that oxidoreductase lipid specificity is more diverse than originally thought and that the lipid environment plays an important role in the physiological catalysis of membrane-bound oxidoreductases.

Cardiolipin enhances the enzymatic activity of cytochrome bd and cytochrome bo3 solubilized in dodecyl-maltoside.

Cardiolipin (CL) is a lipid that is found in the membranes of bacteria and the inner membranes of mitochondria. CL can increase the activity of integral membrane proteins, in particular components of respiratory pathways. We here report that CL activated detergent-solubilized cytochrome bd, a terminal oxidase from Escherichia coli. CL enhanced the oxygen consumption activity ~ twofold and decreased the apparent KM value for ubiquinol-1 as substrate from 95 µM to 35 µM. Activation by CL was also observed for cytochrome bd from two Gram-positive species, Geobacillus thermodenitrificans and Corynebacterium glutamicum, and for cytochrome bo3 from E. coli. Taken together, CL can enhance the activity of detergent-solubilized cytochrome bd and cytochrome bo3.

The Dreem Headband compared to polysomnography for electroencephalographic signal acquisition and sleep staging.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The development of ambulatory technologies capable of monitoring brain activity during sleep longitudinally is critical for advancing sleep science. The aim of this study was to assess the signal acquisition and the performance of the automatic sleep staging algorithms of a reduced-montage dry-electroencephalographic (EEG) device (Dreem headband, DH) compared to the gold-standard polysomnography (PSG) scored by five sleep experts. METHODS: A total of 25 subjects who completed an overnight sleep study at a sleep center while wearing both a PSG and the DH simultaneously have been included in the analysis. We assessed (1) similarity of measured EEG brain waves between the DH and the PSG; (2) the heart rate, breathing frequency, and respiration rate variability (RRV) agreement between the DH and the PSG; and (3) the performance of the DH's automatic sleep staging according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines versus PSG sleep experts manual scoring. RESULTS: The mean percentage error between the EEG signals acquired by the DH and those from the PSG for the monitoring of α was 15 ± 3.5%, 16 ± 4.3% for ß, 16 ± 6.1% for λ, and 10 ± 1.4% for θ frequencies during sleep. The mean absolute error for heart rate, breathing frequency, and RRV was 1.2 ± 0.5 bpm, 0.3 ± 0.2 cpm, and 3.2 ± 0.6%, respectively. Automatic sleep staging reached an overall accuracy of 83.5 ± 6.4% (F1 score: 83.8 ± 6.3) for the DH to be compared with an average of 86.4 ± 8.0% (F1 score: 86.3 ± 7.4) for the 5 sleep experts. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the capacity of the DH to both monitor sleep-related physiological signals and process them accurately into sleep stages. This device paves the way for, large-scale, longitudinal sleep studies. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03725943.

Eficacia de un programa de autocontrol en el tratamiento con anticoagulantes orales antivitamina K. Estudio de factibilidad / Effectiveness of a self-management programme in the treatment of antivitamin K oral anticoagulants. A feasibility study

INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVO: Evaluar la eficacia de un programa de autocontrol en pacientes con tratamiento anticoagulante oral (TAO) en el mantenimiento del nivel ratio internacional normalizada (INR) en rango terapéutico vs. el método tradicional realizado antes de la intervención, así como las complicaciones, la calidad de vida y el tiempo invertido en los controles. PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio piloto de factibilidad con medidas pre-post. Se incluyó a 15 pacientes mayores de 18 años que acudían al control desde hacía más de 6meses. En la fase pre, el paciente realizaba los controles y el seguimiento desde la consulta hospitalaria. Tras realizar una intervención educativa individual al paciente para capacitarlo en la punción, el uso del coagulómetro, el manejo de las tablas de dosificación y el posterior seguimiento desde la consulta virtual, se comparó el porcentaje de controles de INR en rango, las complicaciones, la calidad de vida, y el tiempo invertido para realizar los controles pre (tradicional) y postintervención (autocontrol). RESULTADOS: El porcentaje de controles de INR en rango terapéutico en la fase post fue significativamente mayor que en la pre (65,6% vs. 37,8% p < 0,001). Las complicaciones leves, como las complicaciones graves, disminuyeron en la fase post (20% vs. 0% y 6,7% vs. 0%). Mejoraron significativamente las 5dimensiones del cuestionario de calidad de vida y disminuyó el tiempo invertido. CONCLUSIONES: En nuestra experiencia el autocontrol del TAO sugiere una mejora significativa en el control de pacientes, una disminución de las complicaciones, una mejora en la calidad de vida y un ahorro de tiempo

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of a self-monitoring programme vs. the conventional method used before the intervention in maintaining the international normalised ratio (INR) in the therapeutic range in patients receiving oral anticoagulants, as well as complications, quality of life and the time invested in the tests. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pre-pospilot and feasibility study. The study included 15 patients over the age of 18 years who had been attending the monitoring programme for more than 6months. In the pre phase, patients performed the tests and follow-up in the outpatient clinic. After conducting an individual training session with each patient to teach them how to perform venipuncture, use the coagulometer, manage dosing tables and subsequent follow-up from the virtual clinic, we compared the percentage of in-range INR tests, complications, quality of life, and the time invested in performing the tests pre-(conventional) and post-intervention (intervention for self-monitoring). RESULTS: The percentage of INR tests in the therapeutic range was significantly higher in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (65.6% vs. 37.8%, p<.001). Likewise, the incidence of both minor and serious complications decreased in the post-phase (20% vs. 0%, and 6.7% vs. 0%, respectively). Finally, all 5dimensions of the quality of life questionnaire improved significantly, while the time invested decreased. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, OAT self-monitoring is associated with a significant improvement in patient management, a reduction in the rate of complications, improved quality of life and timesaving

Effectiveness of a self-management programme in the treatment of antivitamin K oral anticoagulants. A feasibility study. / Eficacia de un programa de autocontrol en el tratamiento con anticoagulantes orales antivitamina K. Estudio de factibilidad.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of a self-monitoring programme vs. the conventional method used before the intervention in maintaining the international normalised ratio (INR) in the therapeutic range in patients receiving oral anticoagulants, as well as complications, quality of life and the time invested in the tests. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pre-pospilot and feasibility study. The study included 15 patients over the age of 18 years who had been attending the monitoring programme for more than 6months. In the pre phase, patients performed the tests and follow-up in the outpatient clinic. After conducting an individual training session with each patient to teach them how to perform venipuncture, use the coagulometer, manage dosing tables and subsequent follow-up from the virtual clinic, we compared the percentage of in-range INR tests, complications, quality of life, and the time invested in performing the tests pre- (conventional) and post-intervention (intervention for self-monitoring). RESULTS: The percentage of INR tests in the therapeutic range was significantly higher in the post-phase than in the pre-phase (65.6% vs. 37.8%, p<.001). Likewise, the incidence of both minor and serious complications decreased in the post-phase (20% vs. 0%, and 6.7% vs. 0%, respectively). Finally, all 5dimensions of the quality of life questionnaire improved significantly, while the time invested decreased. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, OAT self-monitoring is associated with a significant improvement in patient management, a reduction in the rate of complications, improved quality of life and timesaving.

Revealing the Membrane-Bound Catalytic Oxidation of NADH by the Drug Target Type-II NADH Dehydrogenase.

Type-II NADH:quinone oxidoreductases (NDH-2s) are an important element of microbial pathogen electron transport chains and an attractive drug target. Despite being widely studied, its mechanism and catalysis are still poorly understood in a hydrophobic membrane environment. A recent report for the Escherichia coli NDH-2 showed NADH oxidation in a solution-based assay but apparently showed the reverse reaction in electrochemical studies, calling into question the validity of the electrochemical approach. Here we report electrochemical catalysis in the well-studied NDH-2 from Caldalkalibacillus thermarum (CthNDH-2). In agreement with previous reports, we demonstrated CthNDH-2 NADH oxidation in a solution assay and electrochemical assays revealed a system artifact in the absence of quinone that was absent in a membrane system. However, in the presence of either immobilized quinone or mobile quinone in a membrane, NADH oxidation was observed as in solution-phase assays. This conclusively establishes surface-based electrochemistry as a viable approach for interrogating electron transfer chain drug targets.

Effect of a Low Free Sugar Diet vs Usual Diet on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adolescent Boys: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Pediatric guidelines for the management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) recommend a healthy diet as treatment. Reduction of sugary foods and beverages is a plausible but unproven treatment. Objective: To determine the effects of a diet low in free sugars (those sugars added to foods and beverages and occurring naturally in fruit juices) in adolescent boys with NAFLD. Design, Setting, and Participants: An open-label, 8-week randomized clinical trial of adolescent boys aged 11 to 16 years with histologically diagnosed NAFLD and evidence of active disease (hepatic steatosis >10% and alanine aminotransferase level ≥45 U/L) randomized 1:1 to an intervention diet group or usual diet group at 2 US academic clinical research centers from August 2015 to July 2017; final date of follow-up was September 2017. Interventions: The intervention diet consisted of individualized menu planning and provision of study meals for the entire household to restrict free sugar intake to less than 3% of daily calories for 8 weeks. Twice-weekly telephone calls assessed diet adherence. Usual diet participants consumed their regular diet. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in hepatic steatosis estimated by magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction measurement between baseline and 8 weeks. The minimal clinically important difference was assumed to be 4%. There were 12 secondary outcomes, including change in alanine aminotransferase level and diet adherence. Results: Forty adolescent boys were randomly assigned to either the intervention diet group or the usual diet group (20 per group; mean [SD] age, 13.0 [1.9] years; most were Hispanic [95%]) and all completed the trial. The mean decrease in hepatic steatosis from baseline to week 8 was significantly greater for the intervention diet group (25% to 17%) vs the usual diet group (21% to 20%) and the adjusted week 8 mean difference was -6.23% (95% CI, -9.45% to -3.02%; P < .001). Of the 12 prespecified secondary outcomes, 7 were null and 5 were statistically significant including alanine aminotransferase level and diet adherence. The geometric mean decrease in alanine aminotransferase level from baseline to 8 weeks was significantly greater for the intervention diet group (103 U/L to 61 U/L) vs the usual diet group (82 U/L to 75 U/L) and the adjusted ratio of the geometric means at week 8 was 0.65 U/L (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81 U/L; P < .001). Adherence to the diet was high in the intervention diet group (18 of 20 reported intake of <3% of calories from free sugar during the intervention). There were no adverse events related to participation in the study. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study of adolescent boys with NAFLD, 8 weeks of provision of a diet low in free sugar content compared with usual diet resulted in significant improvement in hepatic steatosis. However, these findings should be considered preliminary and further research is required to assess long-term and clinical outcomes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02513121.

AI vs Humans for the diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing sleep obstructive apnea (OSA). It allows monitoring of breathing events throughout the night. The detection of these events is usually done by trained sleep experts. However, this task is tedious, highly time-consuming and subject to important inter-scorer variability. In this study, we adapted our state-of-the-art deep learning method for sleep event detection, DOSED, to the detection of sleep breathing events in PSG for the diagnosis of OSA. We used a dataset of 52 PSG recordings with apnea-hypopnea event scoring from 5 trained sleep experts. We assessed the performance of the automatic approach and compared it to the inter-scorer performance for both the diagnosis of OSA severity and, at the microscale, for the detection of single breathing events. We observed that human sleep experts reached an average accuracy of 75% while the automatic approach reached 81% for sleep apnea severity diagnosis. The F1 score for individual event detection was 0.55 for experts and 0.57 for the automatic approach, on average. These results demonstrate that the automatic approach can perform at a sleep expert level for the diagnosis of OSA.

Copelatus Erichson from the Dominican Republic, with the description of a new species, comments on elytral striation and faunistic notes on Antillean species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae).

The species of the genus Copelatus Erichson, 1832 occurring in the Dominican Republic are reviewed. Five species are recorded, with recent collecting data provided for four of them. Copelatus martini sp. nov., a member of the consors species group, is described and illustrated. It is compared to the apparently similar species C. guadelupensis Legros, 1948 based on morphological characters and on partial sequences of the CO1 gene. Interesting cases of intraspecific variability in the number of elytral dorsal striae in C. martini sp. nov. and C. vitraci are discussed in the light of the traditional taxo-nomic importance of this character for species group delimitation in Copelatus. Copelatus caelatipennis Aubé, 1838 and C. vitraci Legros, 1948 are recorded for the first time from the Dominican Republic (and therefore also from Hispaniola Island). The remaining species are C. posticatus (Fabricius, 1801), and C. insolitus Chevrolat, 1863 (for the latter, pre-sence in Hispaniola is doubtful and requires confirmation). Finally, C. guadelupensis is recorded from Puerto Rico for the first time, and a checklist of the Copelatus species of the Antilles is appended.

A review of the Cercyon Leach (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Sphaeridiinae) of the Greater Antilles.

The representatives of the genus Cercyon Leach occurring in the Greater Antilles are reviewed. Ten species are recorded, of which five are described here as new: C. gimmelisp. n. (Dominican Republic), C. armatipenissp. n. (Dominican Republic), C. tainosp. n. (Dominican Republic), C. sklodowskaesp. n. (Jamaica) and C. spiniventrissp. n. (Dominican Republic). Diagnoses and detailed distributional data are also provided for C. floridanus Horn, 1890 (distributed in southeastern United States of America and Cayman Islands), C. insularis Chevrolat, 1863 (endemic to the Antilles) C. praetextatus (Say, 1825) (widely distributed in the New World incl. Greater Antilles), C. quisquilius (Linnaeus, 1761) (an adventive species of Paleartic origin) and C. nigriceps (Marshall, 1802) (an adventive species probably of Oriental origin). Cercyon armatipenis, C. gimmeli, C. taino form a group of closely related species only distinguishable by male genitalia and DNA sequences. A key to the Great Antillean Cercyon is provided and important diagnostic characters are illustrated. The larvae of C. insularis and C. taino were associated with adults using COI barcode sequences, illustrated and diagnosed. Full occurrence data, additional images and COI barcode sequences were submitted to open access on-line depositories in an effort to provide access to complete data.

The Hydraenidae of Cuba (Insecta: Coleoptera) III. Description of two new hygropetric species of Hydraena Kugelann.

Two new species of the genus Hydraena Kugelann, 1794 collected from hygropetric habitats in eastern Cuba are described: Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) blancae sp. nov. from the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa mountain range, and Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) matthiasi sp. nov. from the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Both species, especially the latter, are closely related to Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) franklyni Deler-Hernández & Delgado, 2012. Diagnostic characters for both new species are provided and illustrated; habitat information and distributional data are also included. An updated key to Cuban species of Hydraena is provided. With this study, the number of species of Hydraena known from Cuba raises to six.

The Hydraenidae of Cuba (Insecta: Coleoptera) II: Morphology of preimaginal stages of six species and notes on their biology.

Preimaginal stages of the six species of Hydraenidae presently known from Cuba were obtained by rearing adults in the laboratory. Eggs of Hydraena perkinsi Spangler, 1980, H. decui Spangler, 1980 and H. franklyni Deler-Hernández & Delgado, 2012 are described and illustrated for the first time. The first instar larva of Gymnochthebius fossatus (LeConte, 1855) is redescribed, adding some new remarkable morphological characters including what could be the first abdominal egg-burster reported for this family. All larval instars of H. perkinsi, H. guadelupensis Orchymont, 1923 and Ochthebius attritus LeConte, 1878 are described and illustrated for the first time, with a special emphasis on their chaetotaxy. The second instar larva of G. fossatus along with first and third instar larvae of H. decui and H. franklyni are also studied for the first time. The pupal morphology and vestiture of a species belonging to the genus Hydraena are described for the first time, based on the pupa of H. perkinsi. Biological notes for several preimaginal stages of the studied species are also given.

Assessment of Bone Health in Patients With Type 1 Gaucher Disease Using Impact Microindentation.

Gaucher disease (GD), one of the most common lysosomal disorders (a global population incidence of 1:50,000), is characterized by beta-glucocerebrosidase deficiency. Some studies have demonstrated bone infiltration in up to 80% of patients, even if asymptomatic. Bone disorder remains the main cause of morbidity in these patients, along with osteoporosis, avascular necrosis, and bone infarcts. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been shown to improve these symptoms. This cross-sectional study included patients with type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) selected from the Catalan Study Group on GD. Clinical data were collected and a general laboratory workup was performed. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the lumbar spine and hip using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Patients with bone infarcts or any other focal lesion in the area of indentation visible on imaging were excluded. Bone Material Strength index (BMSi) was measured by bone impact microindentation using an Osteoprobe instrument. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were fitted to adjust for age, sex, weight, and height. Sixteen patients with GD1 and 29 age- and sex-matched controls were included. GD1 was associated with significantly lower BMSi (adjusted beta -9.30; 95% CI, -15.18 to -3.42; p = 0.004) and reduced lumbar BMD (adjusted beta -0.14; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.06; p = 0.002) and total hip BMD (adjusted beta -0.09; 95% CI, -0.15 to -0.03; p = 0.006), compared to GD1-free controls. Chitotriosidase levels were negatively correlated with BMSi (linear R2 = 51.6%, p = 0.004). Bone tissue mechanical characteristics were deteriorated in patients with GD1. BMSi was correlated with chitotriosidase, the marker of GD activity. Bone disorder requires special consideration in this group of patients, and microindentation could be an appropriate tool for assessing and managing their bone health. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Redescriptions and lectotype designations of Central American species of Phaenonotum Sharp (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae) based on the type material from the David Sharp collection.

In order to understand the identity of the Central American species of the genus Phaenonotum Sharp, 1882, the type specimens of the species described by Sharp (1882) deposited in the David Sharp collection in the Natural History Museum in London have been re-examined. The following species are redescribed: Phaenonotum apicale Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum collare Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum dubium Sharp, 1882 (confirmed as junior synonym of Phaenonotum exstriatum (Say, 1835)), Phaenonotum laevicolle Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum rotundulum Sharp, 1882 and Phaenonotum tarsale Sharp, 1882. Lectotypes are designated for Phaenonotum apicale, Phaenonotum collare, Phaenonotum rotundulum and Phaenonotum tarsale. External diagnostic characters and morphology of male genitalia are illustrated. A table summarizing diagnostic characters allowing the identification of the species is provided.

ResumenPara entender la identidad de las especies del género Phaenonotum Sharp, 1882 de América Central, se han reexaminado los especímenes tipo de las especies descritas por Sharp (1882) depositadas en la colección de David Sharp, del Museo de Historia Natural en Londres. Las especies redescritas son: Phaenonotum apicale Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum collare Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum dubium Sharp, 1882 (confirmado como sinónimo más reciente de Phaenonotum exstriatum (Say, 1835)), Phaenonotum laevicolle Sharp, 1882, Phaenonotum rotundulum Sharp, 1882 y Phaenonotum tarsale Sharp, 1882. Se designan lectotipos para las especies Phaenonotum apicale, Phaenonotum collare, Phaenonotum rotundulum y Phaenonotum tarsale. Se ilustran los caracteres diagnósticos y la morfología de los genitales. Una tabla resumen con los caracteres diagnósticos para facilitar la identificación de las especies es ofrecida.

A review of the genus Berosus Leach of Cuba (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae).

The Cuban fauna of the genus Berosus Leach, 1817 is reviewed based on newly collected material as well as historical and type specimens. Nine species are recognized, including three recorded from Cuba for the first time: Berosus infuscatus LeConte, 1855, Berosus interstitialis Knisch, 1924 (= Berosus stribalus Orchymont, 1946 syn. n.) and Berosus metalliceps Sharp, 1882. Only one of the nine Cuban species, Berosus chevrolati, remains endemic to Cuba, as two other species previously considered as endemic to Cuba are recorded from elsewhere: Berosus quadridens from Mexico and Central America and Berosus trilobus from the Dominican Republic. Notes on biology and Cuban distribution are provided for all nine species. Berosus quadridens Chevrolat, 1863, stat. restit. is removed from synonym with Berosus truncatipennis and considered a valid species.

ResumenLa fauna cubana de Berosus Leach, 1817 es revisada a partir de nuevo material colectado así, como de material tipo e histórico. Se reconocen un total de nueve especies, incluyendo tres nuevos registros: Berosus infuscatus LeConte, 1855, Berosus interstitialis Knisch, 1924 (= Berosus stribalus Orchymont, 1946, syn. n.) y B metalliceps Sharp, 1882. Solo una de las nueve especies cubanas, Berosus chevrolati, permanece como endémica, las otras dos especies originalmente consideradas como endémicas han sido registradas fuera de Cuba: Berosus quadridens presente en México y América Central y Berosus trilobus en República Dominicana. Se ofrecen datos sobre la biología y la distribución de todas las especies cubanas. Berosus quadridens Chevrolat, 1863, stat. restit. es destituida como sinónimo de Berosus truncatipennis y considerada como una especie válida.

[Role of hepcidin in the pathogenesis of hemochromatosis]. / Papel de la hepcidina en la patogenia de la hemocromatosis.

In the last few years, biochemical and molecular study of the various types of hemochromatosis have established that the hepcidin peptide is the central regulator of iron absorption. This peptide, which is synthesized in the liver, acts through ferroportin degradation. Ferroportin is an iron exporter situated in the intestinal epithelium and in the macrophage membrane whose function is to transport iron from the intestinal cell to plasma and from the macrophage to the erythron. In hemochromatosis, there is a physical or functional hepcidin deficit that increases ferroportin, thus producing excessive iron absorption. The opposite occurs in situations of inflammation: hepcidin synthesis is stimulated while iron entry into the organism and hemoglobin synthesis are blocked.