RESUMEN
Pollinators and natural enemies are essential ecosystem service providers influenced by land-use and by interactions between them. However, the understanding of the combined impacts of these factors on pollinator and natural enemy activities and their ultimate effects on plant productivity remains limited. We investigated the effects of local and landscape vegetation characteristics and the presence of herbivorous pests on pollination and biological control services and their combined influence on phytometer seed set. The study was conducted in a Mediterranean agro-ecosystem, encompassing ten shrubland plots spanning a land-use gradient. Within each plot, we placed caged and uncaged potted phytometer plants that were either aphid-infested or aphid-free. We quantified insect flower visitation, aphid predation and parasitism rates, and fruit and seed set. We found scale-dependent responses of pollinators and natural enemies to land-use characteristics. Flower species richness had a positive impact on aphid parasitism rates but a negative effect on pollinator activity. Notably, we found a more pronounced positive effect of natural areas on pollinator activity in aphid-infested compared to aphid-free plants, indicating a potentially critical role of natural habitats in mitigating the adverse effects of aphid infestation on pollination services. These results highlight the complex and interactive effects of land-use on pollinators and natural enemies, with significant implications for plant productivity.
RESUMEN
Background and Objective: Copper, a wide spectrum biocide, also plays a key role in angiogenesis and wound healing. Antibacterial wound dressings impregnated with copper oxide microparticles (COD) have been recently cleared by the U.S. FDA and other regulatory bodies for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, including diabetic wounds. Our objective was to evaluate the capacity of COD in stimulating the healing of non-infected stagnated wounds in diabetic patients initially treated with standard of care (SOC) dressings. Materials and Methods: The trial was divided into the three following phases: 1-2 weeks of screening, during which the patients were treated with SOC dressings; 4 weeks of treatment, during which the COD was applied twice weekly; and 2 weeks of follow-up, during which the patients were again treated with SOC dressings. The wound conditions and sizes were assessed by clinical evaluation and a wound imaging artificial intelligence system. Results: Following 1 month of COD treatment, there was a clear reduction in the mean wound area (53.2%; p = 0.003), an increase in granulation tissue (43.37; p < 0.001), and a reduction in fibrins (47.8%; p = 0.002). In patients with non-weight-bearing wounds, the reduction in wound size was even more dramatic (66.9%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this study, showing a statistically significant influence of COD on wound healing of hard-to-heal wounds in diabetic patients, strongly supports the notion that copper oxide-impregnated dressings enhance wound healing directly. Further larger controlled studies should be conducted to substantiate our findings.
