A cryptic radiation of Caribbean sea slugs revealed by integrative analysis: Cyerce 'antillensis' (Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) is six distinct species.

Integrative studies have revealed cryptic radiations in several Caribbean lineages of heterobranch sea slugs, raising questions about the evolutionary mechanisms that promote speciation within the tropical Western Atlantic. Cyerce Bergh, 1871 is a genus comprising 12 named species in the family Caliphyllidae that lack the photosynthetic ability of other sacoglossans but are noted for vibrant colours on the large cerata (dorsal leaf-like appendages) that characterize many species. Two species are widely reported from the Caribbean: Cyerce cristallina (Trinchese, 1881) and Cyerce antillensis Engel, 1927. Here, we present an integrative assessment of diversity in Caribbean Cyerce. Four methods of molecular species delimitation supported seven species in samples from the Caribbean and adjacent subtropical Western Atlantic. Six delimited species formed a monophyletic lineage in phylogenetic analyses but were > 9% divergent at the barcoding COI locus and could be differentiated using ecological, reproductive and/or morphological traits. We redescribe C. antillensis, a senior synonym for the poorly known Cyerce habanensis Ortea & Templado, 1988, and describe five new species. Evolutionary shifts in algal host use, penial armature and larval life history might have acted synergistically to promote the rapid divergence of endemic species with restricted distributions in this radiation, substantially increasing global diversity of the genus.

Context-Dependent Effects of Trichoderma Seed Inoculation on Anthracnose Disease and Seed Yield of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris): Ambient Conditions Override Cultivar-Specific Differences.

Root colonizing Trichoderma fungi can stimulate plant immunity, but net effects are strain × cultivar-specific and changing ambient conditions further contribute to variable outcomes. Here, we used four Trichoderma spp. to inoculate seeds of four common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cultivars and explored in three different experimental setups the effects on fungal anthracnose after leaf inoculation with Colletotrichum lindemuthianum. Plants growing in pots with field soil under greenhouse conditions exhibited the highest and those in the open field the lowest overall levels of disease. Among 48 Trichoderma strain × bean cultivar × setup combinations, Trichoderma-inoculation enhanced disease in six and decreased disease in ten cases, but with the exception of T. asperellum B6-inoculated Negro San Luis beans, the strain × cultivar-specific effects on anthracnose severity differed among the setups, and anthracnose severity did not predict seed yield in the open field. In the case of Flor de Mayo beans, Trichoderma even reduced yield in anthracnose-free field plots, although this effect was counterbalanced in anthracnose-infected plots. We consider our work as a case study that calls for stronger emphasis on field experiments in the early phases of screenings of Trichoderma inoculants as plant biostimulants.

Características de los pacientes mayores de 75 años en el Registro ARGEN-IAM-ST / Characteristics of Adultis Older Than 75 Years in the ARGEN-IAM-ST Registry

RESUMEN Introducción: Los adultos mayores representan una población cada vez más numerosa en la práctica clínica. Objetivos: Conocer las características clínicas y evolución de los adultos mayores que se internan por infarto en Argentina. Material y métodos: Se analizaron los pacientes de acuerdo con la edad mayor o menor de 75 años incluidos en el registro ARGEN-IAM-ST. Resultados: De 1714 pacientes ingresados, 233 (13,6%) tenían una edad ≥ 75 años. Se observó en estos una mayor prevalencia de sexo femenino, de hipertensión arterial, menor de tabaquismo y similar de diabetes, dislipidemia, infarto agudo de miocardio de localización anterior y tiempo de evolución al ingreso. Recibieron menos tratamiento de reperfusión y evolucionaron más frecuentemente con insuficiencia cardíaca (el 31% vs. a 14%; p < 0,01), reinfarto (3,9 vs. 1,4%; p = 0,009), sangrado no mayor (7,7% vs. 3,2%, p < 0,002) y muerte (21,5% vs. 6,7%, p < 0,001). Conclusiones: Los adultos mayores con infarto tienen una evolución más tórpida y una mortalidad que triplica la de los pacientes menores de 75 años.

ABSTRACT Background: Older adultis represent a growing population in clinical practice. Objectives: The aim of this study was to learn the clinical characteristics and outcome of older adultis hospitalized with myo-cardial infarction in Argentina. Methods: Patientis included in the ARGEN-IAM-ST registry were analyzed depending on whether they were older or younger than 75 years of age. Resultis: Among the 1,714 patientis included in the registry, 233 (13.6%) were aged 75 years or older. These patientis had greater prevalence of female sex and hypertension and lower incidence of smoking habitis, while the prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, anterior myocardial infarction and time from onset of symptoms was similar. They were less likely to receive reperfusion therapy and progression to heart failure (31% vs. 14%; p <0.01), reinfarction (3.9 vs. 1.4%; p=0.009), minor bleeding (7.7% vs. 3.2%; p <0.002) and mortality (21.5% vs. 6.7%, p <0.001) were more common. Conclusions: Older adultis with myocardial infarction have a more unfavorable outcome and mortality is three times greater than that of patientis <75 years.

Comparison of trigeminal neuralgia radiosurgery plans using two film detectors for the commissioning of small photon beams.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic, episodic facial pain syndrome that can be extremely intense, and it occurs within the regions of the face that are innervated by the three branches of the trigeminal nerve. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the least invasive procedure to treat TN. SRS uses narrow photon beams that require high spatial resolution techniques for their measurement. The use of radiographic or radiochromic films for small-field dosimetry is advantageous because high spatial resolution and two-dimensional dose measurements can be performed. Because these films have different properties, it is expected that the calculated dose distributions for TN patients will behave differently, depending on the detector used for the commissioning of the small photon beams. This work is based on two sets of commissioned data: one commissioned with X-OMAT V2 film and one commissioned with EBT2 film. The calculated dose distributions for 23 TN patients were compared between the commissioning datasets. The variables observed were the differences in the half widths of the 35 and 40 Gy isodose lines (related to the entrance distance to the brainstem) and the volume of the brainstem that received a dose of 12 Gy or more (V12). The results of this comparison showed that there were statistically significant differences between the two calculated dose distributions. The magnitudes of these differences were up to 0.33 mm and 0.38 mm for the 35 and 40 Gy isodose lines. The corresponding difference for the V12 was up to 2.1cc. It is clear that these differences may impact the treatment of TN patients, and then it must be important to perform this type of analysis when observing complication rates. Clinical reports on irradiation techniques for trigeminal neuralgia should consider that different detectors used for commissioning treatment planning systems might result in small but significant differences in dose distributions.

Evaluation of the Gafchromic(®) EBT2 film for the dosimetry of radiosurgical beams.

PURPOSE: Radiosurgery uses small fields and high-radiation doses to treat intra- and extracranial lesions in a single session. The lack of a lateral electronic equilibrium and the presence of high-dose gradients in these fields are challenges for adequate measurements. The availability of radiation detectors with the high spatial resolution required is restricted to only a few. Stereotactic diodes and EBT radiochromic films have been demonstrated to be good detectors for small-beam dosimetry. Because the stereotactic diode is the standard measurement for the dosimetry of radiosurgical beams, the goal of this work was to perform measurements with the radiochromic film Gafchromic(®) EBT2 and compare its results with a stereotactic diode. METHODS: Total scatter factors, tissue maximum, and off-axis ratios from a 6 MV small photon beams were measured using EBT2 radiochromic film in a water phantom. The film-measured data were evaluated by comparing it with the data measured with a stereotactic field diode (IBA-Dosimetry). RESULTS: The film and diode measurements had excellent agreement. The differences between the detectors were less than or equal to 2.0% for the tissue maximum and the off-axis ratios. However, for the total scatter factors, there were significant differences, up to 4.9% (relative to the reference field), for field sizes less than 1.0 cm. CONCLUSIONS: This work found that the Gafchromic(®) EBT2 film is adequate for small photon beam measurements, particularly for tissue maximum and off-axis ratios. However, careful attention must be taken when measuring output factors of small beams below 1.0 cm due to the film's energy dependence. The measurement differences may be attributable to the film's active layer composition because EBT2 incorporates higher Z elements (i.e., bromide and potassium), hence revealing a potential energy dependence for the dosimetry of small photon beams.