Animal Board Invited Review: Sheep birth distribution in past herds: a review for prehistoric Europe (6th to 3rd millennia BC).

In temperate latitudes sheep have a seasonal reproductive behaviour, which imposes strong constraints on husbandry in terms of work organization and availability of animal products. During the last 50 years, researchers have focused on understanding the mechanisms driving small ruminants' reproduction cycles and finding ways to control them. This characteristic is inherited from their wild ancestor. However, the history of its evolution over the 10 millennia that separates present day European sheep from their Near Eastern ancestors' remains to be written. This perspective echoes archaeologists' current attempts at reconstructing ancient pastoral societies' socio-economical organization. Information related to birth seasonality may be retrieved directly from archaeological sheep teeth. The methodology consists of reconstructing the seasonal cycle record in sheep molars, through sequential analysis of the stable oxygen isotope composition (δ 18O) of enamel. Because the timing of tooth development is fixed within a species, inter-individual variability in this parameter reflects birth seasonality. A review of the data obtained from 10 European archaeological sites dated from the 6th to the 3rd millennia BC is provided. The results demonstrate a restricted breeding season for sheep: births occurred over a period of 3 to 4 months, from late winter to early summer at latitudes 43°N to 48°N, while a later onset was observed at a higher latitude (59°N). All conclusions concurred with currently held expectations based on present day sheep physiology, which, aside from the historical significance, contributes to the reinforcing of the methodological basis of the approach. Further study in this area will permit regional variability attributable to technical choices, within global schemes, to be fully reported.

Nefrectomía radical abierta y laparoscópica: estudio comparativo de cuidados de enfermería y calidad de vida / No disponible

En la Fundación Puigvert se ha introducido la nefrectomía laparoscópica como innovación quirúrgica durante el año 2001. Desde enero de 2001 se emplean ambas técnicas quirúrgicas simultáneamente, disminuyendo progresivamente el número de nefrectomías abiertas en beneficio de la cirugía laparoscópica, lo cual nos exige no sólo conocer las diferencias clínicas existentes entre ambas, sino discernirlos cuidados de enfermería a proporcionar según la demanda asistencial. Como equipo de enfermería consideramos que es imprescindible poseer un cuerpo de conocimientos, habilidades y actitudes que se adapten a los cambios e innovaciones. De este modo podremos identificar necesidades de salud, planificar cuidados de enfermería adecuados, prevenir complicaciones y contribuir a la adaptación del paciente a la vida diaria fomentando la independencia en todas sus necesidades según el modelo conceptual de Virginia Henderson. El objetivo de este estudio es describir desde un punto de vista comparativo la evolución posquirúrgica de la nefrectomía radical abierta y laparoscópica durante la hospitalización y el alta domiciliaria, en función de los cuidados de enfermería requeridos según el modelo conceptual de Virginia Henderson (AU)

In the Puigvert Foundation the laparoscopic nephrectomy has been introduced as surgical innovation during 2001. From January 2001both surgical techniques are used simultaneously, decreasing progressively the number of open nephrectomies for the benefit of the laparoscopic surgery, which requires that us not only to know the existing clinical differences between both, but to discern the cares of nursing to provide according to the demand. We, as a nursing team, consider that it is essential to possess a corps of knowledge, skills and attitudes that could be adapted to changes and innovations. In this way, we will be able to identify health needs, plan adequate nursing cares, prevent complications, and contribute to the adaptation of the patient to daily life encouraging the independence in all their needs according to the conceptual model of Virginia Henderson. The goal of this study is to describe from a comparative point of view the post-surgical evolution of the open radical nephrectomy and laparoscopic during the hospitalization and the house discharge, according to the nursing cares required according to the conceptual model of Virginia Henderson (AU)

Macrophage activation and hemophagocytic syndrome in langerhans cell histiocytosis: report of 30 cases.

Macrophage activation and secondary hemophagocytic syndrome are rarely reported in association with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). The authors reviewed their pathology files for cases of LCH in which evidence of macrophage activation coexisted and report 30 such cases indicating that the association is not that rare and may even be underdiagnosed unless specifically sought. Available clinical data were collected and correlated with pathological findings. Of the 30 cases of LCH with varying degrees of macrophage activation, 29 had multisystem disease. The cases were graded from I to V on the basis of evidence for, and severity of, macrophage activation; cases in category I had evidence of fully developed hemophagocytic syndrome whereas those in category V had limited evidence of macrophage activation. There were seven cases with fully developed hemophagocytic syndrome (category I) and an additional five with hemophagocytosis and some but not all of the features of hemophagocytic syndrome (category II). Most of these 12 cases were young children with high-risk LCH and poor prognosis; 4 are known to have died. Coexisting hemophagocytic syndrome in these cases of LCH may have contributed to their poor prognosis. The association of LCH with macrophage activation, though more than coincidental, is of unknown pathogenesis, but the role of T lymphocytes and cytokines is prominent in both disorders and is presumed to link the two.