Paleocene Malvaceae from northern South America and their biogeographical implications.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The clade Bombacoideae + Malvoideae ('Malvatheca group' sensu Baum et al.) in Malvaceae comprises a mostly tropical lineage with derived taxa that now thrive in higher latitudes. The sparse fossil record, especially for Malvoideae, obscures interpretations of past distributions. We describe fossil leaves of Malvoideae from the middle-late Paleocene Cerrejón Formation in Colombia, which contains evidence for the earliest known neotropical rainforest. METHODS: Fifty-six leaf compressions belonging to Malvaceae were collected from the Cerrejón Formation in northern Colombia. Leaf architectural characters were scored and optimized for 81 genera of Malvaceae. Synapomorphic characters and unique character combinations support natural affinities for the fossil leaves. Fossil pollen from the same formation was also assessed. KEY RESULTS: Despite convergence of overall leaf architecture among many Malvaceae, Malvaciphyllum macondicus sp. nov. can be assigned to the clade Eumalvoideae because of distal and proximal bifurcations of the costal secondary and agrophic veins, a synapomorphy for this clade. CONCLUSIONS: The leaf compressions, the oldest fossils for Eumalvoideae, indicate a minimum divergence time of 58-60 Ma, older than existing estimates from molecular analyses of living species. The abundance of eumalvoid leaves and of bombacoid pollen in the midlate Paleocene of Colombia suggests that the Malvatheca group (Malvoideae + Bombacoideae) was already a common element in neotropical forests and does not support an Australasian origin for Eumalvoideae.

Palms (Arecaceae) from a Paleocene rainforest of northern Colombia.

Palms are a monophyletic group with a dominantly tropical distribution; however, their fossil record in low latitudes is strikingly scarce. In this paper, we describe fossil leaves, inflorescences, and fruits of palms from the middle to late Paleocene Cerrejón Formation, outcropping in the Ranchería River Valley, northern Colombia. The fossils demonstrate the presence of at least five palm morphospecies in the basin ca. 60 Ma. We compare the morphology of the fossils with extant palms and conclude that they belong to at least three palm lineages: the pantropical Cocoseae of the subfamily Arecoideae, the monotypic genus Nypa, and either Calamoideae or Coryphoideae. The fossil fruits and inflorescences are among the oldest megafossil records of these groups and demonstrate that the divergence of the Cocoseae was more than 60 Ma, earlier than has previously been thought. These fossils are useful in tracing the range expansion or contraction of historical or current neotropical elements and also have profound implications for the understanding of the evolution of neotropical rainforests.

[Seroepidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection among blood donors in Albacete]. / Seroepidemiología de la infección por Coxiella burnetii en donantes de sangre en Albacete.

INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii among blood donors and to examine the epidemiological characteristics of C. burnetii infection in Albacete, Spain. METHODS: A total of 863 serum samples were collected from blood donors aged 18-65 years. Donor samples were stratified by age, sex, and residence (rural or urban). IgG and IgM titers to the C. burnetii phase II antigen were determined by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: The prevalence of anti-phase II IgG was 23.1%, and three (0.3%) donors had positive IgM titers. Men were more frequently seropositive than women (29% vs. 18%; OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.34-2.56), and this difference was not related to differential occupational exposure to animals. Pet ownership had no impact on seroprevalence. In contrast, occupations involving contact with domestic ungulates were associated with a higher seroprevalence (OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.04-5.48). Nevertheless, 90% of seropositive donors reported no contact with farm animals. CONCLUSION: Our results show that C. burnetii infection is highly endemic in Albacete and that most infections are not linked to specific occupational exposure in this area. The high prevalence of antibodies to C. burnetii among blood donors indicates the advisability of studies to determine the risk of transfusion-transmitted Q fever in endemic areas.

Seroepidemiología de la infección por Coxiella burnetii en donantes de sangre en Albacete / No disponible

Introducción. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron determinar la prevalencia de anticuerpos frente a Coxiella burnetii en donantes de sangre y estudiar las características epidemiológicas de la infección por C. burnetii en Albacete. Métodos. Se tomaron 863 muestras de suero de donantes de sangre con edades entre 18 y 65 años. Las muestras se estratificaron por edad, sexo y residencia (rural o urbana). Se determinaron los títulos de IgG e IgM frente al antígeno de fase II de C. burnetii mediante inmunofluorescencia indirecta. Resultados. La prevalencia de IgG anti-fase II fue del 23,1% y 3 donantes (0,3%) tenían títulos positivos de IgM. Los varones fueron más frecuentemente seropositivos que las mujeres (29% frente a 18%; odds ratio [OR]: 1,85; intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC 95%]: 1,34-2,56), y esta diferencia no estaba relacionada con una exposición ocupacional diferencial a animales. Tener una mascota no tuvo efecto sobre la seroprevalencia. Por el contrario, las ocupaciones que implican contacto con ungulados domésticos se asociaron con una seroprevalencia incrementada (OR: 2,39; IC 95%: 1,04-5,48). Sin embargo, el 90% de los donantes seropositivos no tenían contacto con animales de granja. Conclusión. Nuestros resultados muestran que la infección por C. burnetii es altamente endémica en Albacete y que la mayoría de las infecciones no están ligadas a una exposición ocupacional específica. La alta prevalencia de anticuerpos frente a C. burnetii en donantes de sangre indica la conveniencia de realizar estudios para determinar el riesgo de fiebre Q transmitida por transfusión en áreas endémicas (AU)

Introduction. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii among blood donors and to examine the epidemiological characteristics of C. burnetii infection in Albacete, Spain. Methods. A total of 863 serum samples were collected from blood donors aged 18-65 years. Donor samples were stratified by age, sex, and residence (rural or urban). IgG and IgM titers to the C. burnetii phase II antigen were determined by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Results. The prevalence of anti-phase II IgG was 23.1%, and three (0.3%) donors had positive IgM titers. Men were more frequently seropositive than women (29% vs. 18%; OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.34-2.56), and this difference was not related to differential occupational exposure to animals. Pet ownership had no impact on seroprevalence. In contrast, occupations involving contact with domestic ungulates were associated with a higher seroprevalence (OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.04-5.48). Nevertheless, 90% of seropositive donors reported no contact with farm animals. Conclusion. Our results show that C. burnetii infection is highly endemic in Albacete and that most infections are not linked to specific occupational exposure in this area. The high prevalence of antibodies to C. burnetii among blood donors indicates the advisability of studies to determine the risk of transfusion-transmitted Q fever in endemic areas (AU)

Otitis media aguda: clinica, bacteriologia (por timpanocentesis), tratamiento (en 60 inos) / Acute otitis media

Se cultivo la secrecion del oido medio, obtenida por timpanocentesis de 60 ninos con otitis media aguda. Se describe la edad, sexo, cuadro clinico y tratamiento de los pacientes. Se aislaron bacterias por cultivo en el 66,2%: H. Influenzae 29,9% y S. Pneumoniae 24.9% Agregando los hallazgos de la tincion de Gram, S. Pneumoniae fue el germen predominante, 35%. Se determino la sensibilidad de las cepas aisladas a varios antibioticos

Optimizacion de la adquisicion de datos de trafico en centrales de transito para mejoramiento de la gestion de red

El objetivo general de este trabajo es mejorar la calidad de servicio de la telefonia de larga distancia a partir de una mejor oportunidad de la informacion referente a indicadores de trafico de una central.Objetivo especifico: Generar indicadores a traves del analisis de reportes de datos de trafico proporcionados por gestion de red.Desarrollar un programa que sirve para la adquisicion de datos de trafico para una presentacion de la informacion en linea a traves de l plataforma de gestion de red.Analizar medios de transporte y medios alternativos de transporte para los archivos de postprocedimiento desde las centrales de conmutacion hasta servidores del departamento de G.R.(Gestion de Red).Seleccionar informacion sujeta a medicion de trafico y replanteamiento de enrutamiento de codigos en centrales de conmutacion.El proposito del trabajo Acceso a la informacion procesada del estado de los conmutadores en tiempo real.