The burn severity and plant recovery relationship affect the biological and chemical soil properties of Pinus halepensis Mill. stands in the short and mid-terms after wildfire.

In the Mediterranean Basin, changes in climate and fire regime (increased recurrence and severity) reduce ecosystem services after wildfires by increasing soil degradation and losses in plant diversity. Our study was a biological approach to relate soil properties to vegetation recovery and burn severity. We focused our study on the natural recovery of the soil-plant interphase in Pinus halepensis Mill. forests located in the SE of Iberian Peninsula, a semiarid climate. We included some chemical properties 3 years after fire (available phosphorus (P) and soil organic carbon (Corg), among others), and biological soil indicators 3 and 5 years after fire (i.e. basal soil respiration (BSR), microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), carbon mineralization coefficient (Cmineral), metabolic quotient (qCO2) and microbial quotient (Cmic:Corg)). We analyzed the activity of three different enzymes: urease (UR), phosphatase (PHP) and ß-glucosidase (GLU). The changes in most chemical properties were ephemeral, but P and Corg showed higher values in burned areas, and the highest were found for low-moderate severity. Plant recovery was the triggering factor for the recovery of Corg and biological soil function. Burn severity and time after fire influenced Cmic and the Cmic:Corg, which were higher for moderate-high severity 3 years later, but were below the unburned values 5 years after fire. The microbial activities of GLU and UR were recovered in burned areas 5 years after fire. The PHP values lowered according to higher burn severity and time after fire. The soil ecological trends obtained by a principal component analysis revealed a relationship linking GLU, BSR and qCO2 that explained soil response to burn severity. PHP, Cmic and Cmic:Corg explained most of the variability related to time after fire. Our results provide insights into how burn severity, in Mediterranean fire-prone Aleppo pine stands, modulated the natural plant recovery linked to soil biochemical and microbiological response to fire. High burn severity limited natural vegetation recovery, and both reduced biological soil functionality. This knowledge can be implemented in post-fire planning to apply post-fire management (for mitigation and restoration) in which the "no intervention" tool should be contemplated. These findings provide information to be applied in adaptive forest management to improve the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems and to reduce burn severity in future fire events.

Identification of the Novel Tooth-Specific Transcription Factor AmeloD.

Basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play an important role in various organs' development; however, a tooth-specific bHLH factor has not been reported. In this study, we identified a novel tooth-specific bHLH transcription factor, which we named AmeloD, by screening a tooth germ complementary DNA (cDNA) library using a yeast 2-hybrid system. AmeloD was mapped onto the mouse chromosome 1q32. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AmeloD belongs to the achaete-scute complex-like ( ASCL) gene family and is a homologue of ASCL5. AmeloD was uniquely expressed in the inner enamel epithelium (IEE), but its expression was suppressed after IEE cell differentiation into ameloblasts. Furthermore, AmeloD expression showed an inverse expression pattern with the epithelial cell-specific cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin in the dental epithelium. Overexpression of AmeloD in dental epithelial cell line CLDE cells resulted in E-cadherin suppression. We found that AmeloD bound to E-box cis-regulatory elements in the proximal promoter region of the E-cadherin gene. These results reveal that AmeloD functions as a suppressor of E-cadherin transcription in IEE cells. Our study demonstrated that AmeloD is a novel tooth-specific bHLH transcription factor that may regulate tooth development through the suppression of E-cadherin in IEE cells.

Temporal characterisation of soil-plant natural recovery related to fire severity in burned Pinus halepensis Mill. forests.

Despite Mediterranean ecosystems' high resilience to fire, both climate and land use change, and alterations in fire regimes increase their vulnerability to fire by affecting the long-term natural recovery of ecosystem services. The objective of this work is to study the effects of fire severity on biochemical soil indicators, such as chemical composition or enzymatic activity, related to time after fire and natural vegetation recovery (soil-plant interphase). Soil samples from three wildfires occurring 3, 15 and 21 years ago were taken in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula (semiarid climate). Sampling included three fire severity levels in naturally regenerated (and changing to shrublands) Pinus halepensis Mill. forests. In the short-term post-fire period, phosphorus concentration, electrical conductivity and urease activity were positively linked to fire severity, and also influenced ß-glucosidade activity in a negative relationship. During the 15-21-year post-fire period, the effects related to medium-high fire severity were negligible and soil quality indicators were linked to natural regeneration success. The results showed that most soil properties recovered in the long term after fire (21 years). These outcomes will help managers and stakeholders to implement management tools to stabilise soils and to restore burned ecosystems affected by medium-high fire severity. Such knowledge can be considered in adaptive forest management to reduce the negative effects of wildfires and desertification, and to improve the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems in a global change scenario.

Resilience of Mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems and fire severity in semiarid areas: Responses of Aleppo pine forests in the short, mid and long term.

In recent decades, the fire regime of the Mediterranean Basin has been disturbed by various factors: climate change; forest management policies; land cover; changed landscape. Size and severity have notably increased, which in turn have increased large fires events with >500ha burned (high severity). In spite of Mediterranean ecosystems' high resilience to fire, these changes have implied more vulnerability and reduced natural recovery with irreparable long-term negative effects. Knowledge of the response of ecosystems to increasing severity, mainly in semiarid areas, is still lacking, which is needed to rehabilitate and restore burned areas. Our approach assessed the resilience concept by focusing on the recovery of ecosystem functions and services, measured as changes in the composition and diversity of plant community vegetation and structure. This will be validated in the long term as a model of ecosystem response. Also, depending on the pre-fire characteristics of vegetation, fire severity and the post-fire management, this approach will lead to tools that can be applied to implement post-fire restoration efforts in order to help decision making in planning activities. Regarding Mediterranean ecosystems' ability to recover after wildfires, this study concludes that pre-fire communities are resilient in these fire-prone areas, but the window for natural recovery in semiarid areas of Aleppo pine forest in SE Iberian Peninsula varied from 3 to 15 post-fire years. Fire severity was also key for effects on the ecosystem: the vegetation types of areas burned with low and medium severity recovered naturally, while those areas with a high-severity burn induced shrublands. We concluded that very strong regeneration activity exists in the short term, and that the negative effects of medium- and high-severity fire are evidenced in the mid and long term, which affect natural recovery. Adaptive forest management to rehabilitate and restore burned Mediterranean ecosystems should be implemented.

Fibulins: multiple roles in matrix structures and tissue functions.

The fibulins are a family of secreted glycoproteins associated with basement membranes, elastic fibers, and other matrices. They are expressed in a variety of tissues. Association with these matrix structures is mediated by their ability to interact with many extracellular matrix constituents. The seven members of the family are defined by the presence of two structural modules, a tandem repeat of epidermal growth factor-like modules and a unique C-terminal fibulin-type module. They act not only as intermolecular bridges within the extracellular matrix to form supramolecular structures, but also as mediators for cellular processes and tissue remodeling. These important functions of fibulins in a wide range of biological processes have been shown in in vitro systems, gene knockout mice, and human genetic disorders. In this review, we describe the structure and function of these proteins and discuss the implication of fibulins in development and diseases.

Un caso típico de anomalía de Poland / No disponible

No disponible

Calcificación esplénica como hallazgo casual en RX abdomen simple / Spleen calcification in simple abdominal radiology

No disponible

No disponible

Estudio clínico-radiológico del síndrome de Sturge-Weber / Clinical-radiological study of Sturge-Weber syndrome

El síndrome de Sturge-Weber es una enfermedadneuroectodérmica congénita rara que se caracterizapor la existencia de malformaciones vasculares enla piel de la cara, las leptomeninges de la cortezacerebral y la coroides ocular.El curso clínico es variable pero la mayoría de losniños tienen epilepsia y deterioro neurológico conatrofia cerebral.Los estudios de imagen (tanto la tomografía computarizadacomo la resonancia magnética) confirmanel diagnóstico y sirven para evaluar la extensiónde la afectación intracraneal

Sturge-Weber syndrome is a rare congenital neuroectodermicdisorder characterized by vascularmalformations involving the face skin, leptomeningesof the cerebral cortex and choroids of the eye.The clinical course is variable but most of childrenhave epilepsy, neurologic deterioration and cerebralatrophy.Imaging studies (both CT and MR) are useful forconfirming the diagnosis of Sturge-Weber syndromeand evaluating the extent of intracranial involvement

Traumatismo craneoencefálico con hematoma subdural y neumoencéfalo / Craneoencephalic traumatism complicated with subdural hematoma and pneumoencephalus

No disponible

No disponible

Aproximación diagnóstica de la osteomielitis aguda en la infancia. Estudio por imagen / Diagnostic aproach of acute osteomyelitis in infants. Imaging modalities

La infección ósea en el niño representa un retodiagnóstico y terapéutico para el pediatra, radiólogo,cirujano y patólogo. Su diagnóstico precoz permiteun tratamiento temprano lo cual evita la apariciónde complicaciones devastadoras y secuelaspermanentes. Revisamos los métodos de diagnósticopor imagen con los que contamos en la actualidadhaciendo hincapié en la radiología convencionalpor su disponibilidad y alcance para los pediatras

Osteomyelitis in children represents a diagnosticand therapeutic challenge to the pediatrician, the radiologist,the surgeon and the pathologist. Earlydiagnosis allows prompt treatment which can preventthe devasting complications and permanent sequelaeoutcome. In the present article we review themodern imaging techniques for the diagnosis of osteomyelitisinsisting on the importance of conventionalradiology for its availability for pediatricians

Diagnóstico ecográfico de quiste sinovial radiocarpiano en edad preescolar / Imaging ultrasound of a radiocarpal synovial cyst in an infant

Los quistes sinoviales se consideran herniaciones de la membrana sinovial a través de la cápsula articular. Lo inusual del caso que presentamos es su aparición espontánea en un niño de 2 años y 5 meses de edad. En este estudio comentamos sus hallazgos de imagen y especialmente los ecográficos que permitieron el diagnóstico

Synovial cysts are considered as articular membrane hernia through the articular capsule. The presenting case has the unusual characteristic of occur spontaneously in a two and a half years old child without risk factors. In this article we explain the imaging findings specially the ultrasound ones which led to diagnosis

Analysis of cDNAs from a mouse embryo tooth library: identification of novel genes during tooth development.

Signaling molecules, their receptors, and target genes from pathways and networks regulate the development of the tooth from initiation through cell differentiation. In order to identify genes involved in odontoblast and ameloblast differentiation, we constructed a cDNA library from E19.5 mouse molars. In this work, we report the partial cDNA sequences of 10 noncharacterized genes and we show cell expression of the transcripts on mouse embryo molars by in situ hybridization.