700,000 years of tropical Andean glaciation.

Our understanding of the climatic teleconnections that drove ice-age cycles has been limited by a paucity of well-dated tropical records of glaciation that span several glacial-interglacial intervals. Glacial deposits offer discrete snapshots of glacier extent but cannot provide the continuous records required for detailed interhemispheric comparisons. By contrast, lakes located within glaciated catchments can provide continuous archives of upstream glacial activity, but few such records extend beyond the last glacial cycle. Here a piston core from Lake Junín in the uppermost Amazon basin provides the first, to our knowledge, continuous, independently dated archive of tropical glaciation spanning 700,000 years. We find that tropical glaciers tracked changes in global ice volume and followed a clear approximately 100,000-year periodicity. An enhancement in the extent of tropical Andean glaciers relative to global ice volume occurred between 200,000 and 400,000 years ago, during sustained intervals of regionally elevated hydrologic balance that modified the regular approximately 23,000-year pacing of monsoon-driven precipitation. Millennial-scale variations in the extent of tropical Andean glaciers during the last glacial cycle were driven by variations in regional monsoon strength that were linked to temperature perturbations in Greenland ice cores1; these interhemispheric connections may have existed during previous glacial cycles.

Recent and historical pollution legacy in high altitude Lake Marboré (Central Pyrenees): A record of mining and smelting since pre-Roman times in the Iberian Peninsula.

We have analyzed potential harmful trace elements (PHTE; Pb, Hg, Zn, As and Cu) on sediment cores retrieved from lake Marboré (LM) (2612 m a.s.l, 42°41'N; 0° 2'E). PHTE variability allowed us to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of trace metal pollutants fluxes over the last 3000 years in the Central Pyrenees. A statistical treatment of the dataset (PCA) enabled us to discern the depositional processes of PHTE, that reach the lake via direct atmospheric deposition. Indeed, the location of LM above the atmospheric boundary layer makes this lake an exceptional site to record the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants in the free troposphere. Air masses back-trajectories analyses enabled us to understand the transport pathways of atmospheric pollutants while lead isotopic analyses contributed to evaluate the source areas of metal pollution in SW Europe during the Late Holocene. PHTE variability, shows a clear agreement with the main exploitation phases of metal resources in Southern Europe during the Pre-Industrial Period. We observed an abrupt lead enrichment from 20 to 375 yrs CE mostly associated to silver and lead mining and smelting practices in Southern Iberia during the Roman Empire. This geochemical data suggests that regional atmospheric metal pollution during the Roman times rivalled the Industrial Period. PHTE also increased during the High and Late Middle Ages (10-15th centuries) associated to a reactivation of mining and metallurgy activities in high altitude Pyrenean mining sites during climate amelioration phases. Atmospheric mercury deposition in the Lake Marboré record mostly reflects global emissions, particularly from Almadén mines (central Spain) and slightly fluctuates during the last three millennia with a significant increase during the last five centuries. Our findings reveal a strong mining-related pollution legacy in alpine lakes and watersheds that needs to be considered in management plans for mountain ecosystems as global warming and human pressure effects may contribute to their future degradation.

Trophoblast-induced spiral artery remodelling and uteroplacental haemodynamics in pregnant rats with increased blood pressure induced by heme oxygenase inhibition.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to determine the contribution of the heme oxygenase (HO) system to the adaptation of the uteroplacental circulation to pregnancy in the rat, and its relationship with the maintenance of blood pressure during late gestation. METHODS: The HO inhibitor, stannous mesoporphyrin (SnMP), or vehicle were administered intraperitoneally to virgin and midpregnant rats. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured before and after the treatment, in the conscious rats. Uterine and radial arteries blood flow velocities were obtained from pregnant rats at days 14 and 19 of gestation using high frequency ultrasonography. Trophoblast invasion and spiral arteries remodelling were analyzed in the mesometrial triangle of pregnant rats by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: HO activity inhibition during late gestation induced a significantly increase in the MAP of pregnant rats (114 ± 1 mmHg vs 100 ± 2 mmHg, p < 0.05) but it did not affect this parameter in virgin rats (121 ± 2 mmHg vs 124 ± 3 mmHg). MAP elevation was associated with marked (p < 0.05) decreases in the systolic and diastolic flow velocities in uterine and radial arteries, as compared with pregnant control rats. Furthermore, spiral arteries of pregnant rats treated with SnMP showed lower (p < 0.001) proportion of lumen circumference covered by trophoblast (21 ± 3%) and a higher (p < 0.05) proportion of vascular smooth muscle (33 ± 5%) than control pregnant rats (59 ± 5% and 16 ± 5%, respectively) DISCUSSION: These data indicate that HO system play an important role in the adaptation of the uteroplacental circulation to pregnancy and in the blood pressure regulation during late gestation.

Hydrological and depositional processes associated with recent glacier recession in Yanamarey catchment, Cordillera Blanca (Peru).

In this study, we investigate changes in the glaciated surface and the formation of lakes in the headwater of the Querococha watershed in Cordillera Blanca (Peru) using 24 Landsat images from 1975 to 2014. Information of glacier retreat was integrated with available climate data, the first survey of recent depositional dynamics in proglacial Yanamarey Lake (4600m a.s.l.), and a relatively short hydrological record (2002-2014) at the outlet of Yanamarey Lake. A statistically significant temperature warming (0.21°C decade-1 for mean annual temperature) has been detected in the region, and it caused a reduction of the glacierized area since 1975 from 3.5 to 1.4km-2. New small lakes formed in the deglaciated areas, increasing the flooded area from1.8ha in 1976 to 2.8ha in 2014. A positive correlation between annual rates of glacier recession and runoff was found. Sediment cores revealed a high sedimentation rate (>1cmyr-1) and two contrasted facies, suggesting a shift toward a reduction of meltwater inputs and higher hydrological variability likely due to an increasing role of precipitation on runoff during the last decades. Despite the age control uncertainties, the main transition likely occurred around 1998-2000, correlating with the end of the phase with maximum warming rates and glacier retreat during the 1980s and 1990s, and the slowing down of expansion of surface lake-covered surface. With this hydrological - paleolimnological approach we have documented the association between recent climate variability and glacier recession and the rapid transfer of hydroclimate signal to depositional and geochemical processes in high elevation Andean environments. This, study also alerts about water quality risks as proglacial lakes act as secondary reservoirs that trap trace and minor elements in high altitude basins.

Three millennia of heavy rainfalls in Western Mediterranean: frequency, seasonality and atmospheric drivers.

Documenting subdecadal-scale heavy rainfall (HR) variability over several millennia can rarely be accomplished due to the paucity of high resolution, homogeneous and continuous proxy records. Here, using a unique, seasonally resolved lake record from southern Europe, we quantify temporal changes in extreme HR events for the last 2,800 years in this region and their correlation with negative phases of the Mediterranean Oscillation (MO). Notably, scarce HR dominated by a persistent positive MO mode characterizes the so-called Migration period (CE 370-670). Large hydroclimatic variability, particularly between CE 1012 and 1164, singles out the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, whereas more stationary HR conditions occurred between CE 1537 and 1805 coinciding with the Little Ice Age. This exceptional paleohydrological record highlights that the present-day trend towards strengthened hydrological deficit and less HR in the western Mediterranean is neither acute nor unusual in the context of Late Holocene hydrometeorological variability at centennial to decadal time scales.

Utilidad de los microorganismos eficaces (EM®) en una explotación avícola de Córdoba: parámetros productivos y control ambiental / Utility of effective microorganisms EM® in an avian farm of Córdoba: productives parameters and enviromental control

Objetivo. Evaluar la utilidad de los microorganismos eficaces (EM®), en los parámetros productivos, económicos y manejo ambiental de los pollos de engorde. Materiales y métodos. En la granja tecnificada de la Universidad de Córdoba, se realizó un estudio de tipo experimental controlado con asignación aleatorizada para evaluar dos tratamientos en dos lotes de pollos, con seis repeticiones para cada sexo en ambos tratamientos, para un total de 24 unidades experimentales observadas durante 35 días. Se utilizaron los EM® que contenían bacterias y levaduras (Lactobacillus cassei 10³UFC/ml, Sacharomyces cerevisiae 10³UFC/ml, Rodhopseudomona palustres 10³UFC/ml) a concentraciones mayores a 100.000 UFC/ml de solución. Se evaluaron los parámetros productivos como ganancia de peso, conversión alimenticia, mortalidad acumulada, comportamiento económico y la utilidad de los EM® en la reducción de la carga de coliformes totales presentes en la cama de los pollos. Resultados. Se encontró que los EM® mejoraron los parámetros productivos de las aves machos como ganancia de peso, índice de conversión y mortalidad. Los EM® lograron reducir la carga de coliformes totales presentes en el ambiente de los pollos de engorde. La relación beneficio–costo el tratamiento con EM® generó menor costo de producción y una mayor utilidad neta con 8.3% mayor que en el lote control sin EM®. Conclusiones. Por primera vez en Colombia se demostró la utilidad de los EM® en la ganancia de peso, mejora en el índice de conversión alimenticia, reducción de la tasa de mortalidad y mejoras en la condición ambiental de las aves machos manejadas en forma tecnificada. El análisis económico con los EM® mostró un menor costo de producción y una mayor utilidad neta con un 8.3%.

Caso de fibroma osificante en el caballo / A case of ossifying fibroma in horse

Una potra de pura raza española de 3 meses de edad y no destetada ingresó en el Hospital Clínico Veterinario por la presencia de una masa de rápido crecimiento en la región antero-lateral mandibular derecha. Las imágenes radiológicas mostraron zonas radiolúcidas localizando la tumoración a nivel del incisivo extremo y extendiéndose 5cm dentro de la rama de la mandíbula. Macroscópicamente se observó como un crecimiento que hace protución en la boca de color marrón-grisáceo de consistencia firme extendiéndose desde el borde del incisivo extremo derecho. El análisis microscópico reveló amplias áreas de necrosis, bacterias y un infiltrado de polimorfos nucleares neutrófilos. Otras regiones se caracterizaron por la presencia de un tejido conectivo con abundante sustancia amorfa y fibroblastos, presentando espículas óseas con osteoclastos y zonas de matriz calcificada. Fueron múltiples las imágenes mitóticas y se observó escasa anaplasia celular. Las características descriptas ofrecen datos anatomopatológicos correspondientes con un fibroma osificante, de rara presentación en equinos, si bien existen contradicciones en la bibliografía acerca de su pronóstico y evolución. (AU)

Chlamydophila abortus (Chlamydia psittaci serotype 1) clearance is associated with the early recruitment of neutrophils and CD8(+)T cells in a mouse model.

The immune mechanisms in response to Chlamydophila abortus (Chlamydia psittaci serotype 1) infection were studied in C57BL/6 and CBA mice. The infection was monitored and the following aspects of the immune response were evaluated: the nature of the leucocyte infiltrate in the liver, the percentages of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), macrophages and lymphocytes in the spleen, and the concentrations of cytokines in serum. In addition, the serum concentrations of IgG1 and IgG2a were determined. Both mouse strains showed a Th1-like immune response, with high concentrations of IFN-gamma and minimal levels of IL-4; however, C57 mice differed from CBA mice in showing milder clinical signs and earlier resolution of infection. The greater ability of C57 mice than CBA mice to eliminate chlamydophilae was related to the establishment of an earlier innate immunity, based on a more pronounced PMN response, and on a greater presence of CD8(+)T cells.

Differences in the immune response against ruminant chlamydial strains in a murine model.

CBA/J mice were used in the present study to establish differences between the immune response to three chlamydial strains: AB7 (Chlamydia psittaci wild-type strain), 1B (C. psittaci vaccinal strain) and iB1 (C. pecorum). The evolution of chlamydial infection was evaluated in each strain by studying the clinical signs, the number of bacteria isolated from the spleen and the pathology of the liver. Three aspects of the immune response were then studied: the characterization of the infiltrate of leukocytes in the liver, the percentages of T- and B-cells, macrophages and neutrophils in the spleen, and the presence of cytokines in the serum. Infection followed a different course in the C. psittaci-infected mice; 1B-infected mice showed milder levels in all the parameters analysed than their AB7-infected counterparts. The resolution of infection was earlier in 1B-infected mice and, although the immune response to both strains was Th1-like, a more intense CD8+ T-cell response and an earlier presence of TNF-alpha in serum were observed in this group. C. pecorum infection was controlled mainly by a non-specific immune response, since these mice showed no signs of a systemic specific immune response. Neutrophil depletion experiments showed that these cells play a very limited role in the non-specific response against C. pecorum.

Benefit of switching from a protease inhibitor (PI) to nevirapine in PI-experienced patients suffering acquired HIV-related lipodystrophy syndrome (AHL): interim analysis at 3 months of follow-up.

This multicentre, randomized, open-label, prospective trial is evaluating the effects of switching treatment from a protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimen to one containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor nevirapine in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with durable viral suppression but suffering from lipodystrophy. Objectives of this ongoing study are to evaluate the effects of this switch on changes in body shape and metabolic abnormalities associated with acquired HIV-related lipodystrophy syndrome (AHL), as well as on maintenance of viral suppression and immunological and psychological effects. Preliminary data involving 57 patients with 3 months of follow-up show an initial improvement of AHL in two regions, the face and arms. There is also a tendency toward improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels and improved quality of life among patients receiving the nevirapine-containing regimen. Maintenance of viral suppression was equivalent in both treatment groups. Additional data with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these results.

Identification of somatomammotroph cells in lactating goats (Capra hircus) by fluorescence and immunogold techniques.

The occurrence and ultrastructural morphology of somatomammotroph cells, in the anterior pituitary tissue of the goat, is studied using fluorescence microscopic double staining and two methods of double immunogold staining combined with electron microscopy. Under the fluorescence microscope numerous monohormonal cells, either mammotroph cells (prolactin, PRL, cells) or somatotroph cells (growth hormone, GH, cells) are observed, but cells containing both hormones (somatomammotroph or SMT cells) are scarce. SMT cells do not differ ultrastructurally from monohormonal cells, and the cytoplasm contains two populations of granules, each reactive only for one of the antisera, either antisheep GH or antisheep PRL.

Proximate composition of muscle of cage-raised red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus (Pisces: Sciaenidae), in Panama

La composición química del músculo de la corvina roja, Sciaenops acellatus, cultivado en jaulas flotantes es comparable a la obtenida en cultivos de estanques de tierra o en el medio marino. La edad o el peso no fueron un factor determinante de la composición química del músculo. Un alimento flotante del 36% de proteína es adecuado para mantener un relativo buen crecimiento corporal, así como una aceptable calidad de composición química

[Pseudotumoral bronchial tuberculosis]. / Tuberculosis bronquial pseudotumoral.

We analyse our own experience of a rare tuberculosis presentation that we call pseudotumoral bronchial tuberculosis. 9 cases were studied, which due to radiological, endoscopic and clinical features, a diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma was made. The median age was 63.7 years, 7 were male and 2 were female. The hilar or mediastinic radiological pattern was frequent. The bacterial diagnosis was made through the study of the samples obtained by bronchoscopy, except in 2 cases which were diagnosed through post-bronchoscopy sputum examination. The bronchial biopsy showed the typical necrotic granulomas of tuberculosis in only one case. Supported by the bad evolution of our patients treated without steroids, the possible efficacy of early use of steroid is suggested to avoid the most important sequelae, bronchial stenosis.

[Bacteriuria in primary biliary cirrhosis]. / Bacteriuria en la cirrosis biliar primaria.

The high incidence of significant bacteriuria observed in 30 patients diagnosed of primary biliary cirrhosis in our department is studied. Although a significant increase in general infections has not been described in this type of liver disease, of probable autoimmune nature, the high incidence of bacteriuria in these patients has been previously reported. Possible predisposing factors are evaluated; we observed that there was a significant increase in the frequency of bacteriuria with age, but there was no relationship between the incidence of infection and the histologic stage of the disease.