Pediatrician-Authored Opinion/Editorial Articles Published in Newspapers Before and After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Pediatricians publish opinion/editorials in newspapers as a form of advocacy. No research has characterized these publications to determine the scope of this communication. OBJECTIVE: We examined the characteristics of pediatrician-authored op-eds, comparing articles published in a seasonally matched six-month period before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We reviewed 249 pediatrician-authored op-eds (109 before COVID-19; 140 during COVID-19 pandemic) over two six-month periods accessed through America's Newspapers database in June 2021. Each article was coded for topics covered, presumed motivations for the publication, and communication techniques used. RESULTS: Total number of articles published by pediatricians was higher after the start of COVID-19 compared with a period before the pandemic. Authors commonly asked for legislative action before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, but within the COVID-19 pandemic authors more often asked for behavioral changes in the readers themselves. Personal stories were a common technique used in both time periods; shaming of government became more common during COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide context for additional studies examining the usefulness of op-eds in pediatrician advocacy.

Un relevo generacional en la historia natural española. La Gasca y Graells: del científico liberal al naturalista isabelino / No disponible

El artículo aporta información sobre la formación de Mariano de la Paz Graells en Barcelona, antes de ocupar la cátedra de zoología del Gabinete de Historia Natural de Madrid. Además, se estudia una correspondencia inédita entre Graells y su protector, Mariano La Gasca. Los papeles hablan de nepotismo

This article analyzes the Mariano de la Paz Graells´ education in Barcelona, before he held the chair of zoology at the Natural History Museum in Madrid. Furthermore, some unpublished letters exchanged between Graells and Mariano La Gasca, his mentor, are studied. The subject of the correspondence is nepotism

Molting cycle-dependent expression of CYP4C15, a cytochrome P450 enzyme putatively involved in ecdysteroidogenesis in the crayfish, Orconectes limosus.

A cytochrome P450 enzyme cDNA (CYP4C15) has been previously cloned from a cDNA library of crayfish steroidogenic glands (Y-organs). The conceptual translation of the CYP4C15 cDNA sequence was analyzed for regions of putative high antigenicity and a mixture of two synthetic peptides was chosen for the production of a specific polyclonal antibody. Western blot analysis on Y-organ subcellular fractions indicated an endoplasmic reticulum location of CYP4C15, in agreement with the structural feature of the predicted protein, i.e. the presence of a hydrophobic N-terminal segment. The protein is only expressed in Y-organs, thus showing a similar distribution to the corresponding mRNA. From this tissue specific expression, it has been postulated that CYP4C15 would play a role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis rather than detoxification and the variations of its expression during a molt cycle were carefully examined. CYP4C15 is not detectable in intermolt animals, expression levels are maximal during early premolt and decrease during late premolt. The results are discussed in relation to the variations of hemolymphatic ecdysteroid titers and steroidogenic capacities of the Y-organs during the molt cycle.