Evidence for cryptic molting behavior in the trilobite Toxochasmops vormsiensis from the Upper Ordovician Katian Kõrgessaare Formation, Estonia.

Documentation of cryptic trilobite behavior has presented important insights into the paleoecology of this fully extinct arthropod group. One such example is the preservation of trilobites inside the remains of larger animals. To date, evidence for trilobites within cephalopods, gastropods, hyoliths, and other trilobites has been presented. Importantly, most of these interactions show trilobite molts, suggesting that trilobites used larger animals for protection during molting. To expand the record of molted trilobites within cephalopods, we present a unique case of a Toxochasmops vormsiensis trilobite within the body chamber of a Gorbyoceras textumaraneum nautiloid from the Upper Ordovician Kõrgessaare Formation of Estonia. By examining this material, we present new insights into the ecology of pterygometopid trilobites, highlighting how these forms used large cephalopods as areas to successfully molt.

Modularity in the trilobite head consistent with the hypothesized segmental origin of the eyes.

The trilobite head served multiple functions and was composed of several fused segments. Yet, the underlying organization of the trilobite head, and whether patterns are conserved across trilobites, remains unclear. Modeling the head as being composed of modules, or subunits that vary and thus have the potential to evolve semi-independently can reveal underlying patterns of organization. Hypotheses of modular organization based on the comparative developmental biology of arthropods were evaluated using geometric morphometrics. Two-dimensional (semi)landmark datasets collected from the cranidia of two Ordovician trilobite species, Calyptaulax annulata (Phacopida) and Cloacaspis senilis (Olenida sensu Adrain, 2011) were analyzed. The degree and pattern of modularity were assessed using the covariance ratio (CR), which compares the covariation within putative modules to the covariation between them, and the fit of different models was compared using an effect size measure derived from the CR. When treating the eyes as a distinct module, the best modular hypothesis identified for C. annulata shows the eyes and anteriormost region of the head integrated as a single module. The best modular hypotheses for C. senilis are more complex but the eyes still covary mostly strongly with the anterior part of the head. The latter is also the case for all other well-supported models for both species. These results can be interpreted as a developmental signal corresponding to the anteriormost ocular segment of early arthropods that is retained throughout development, despite any likely selective pressures related to functional needs.

Disfunción sexual masculina / Dysfunction sexual male

La disfunción sexual masculina es una patología que durante años ha permanecido en bajo perfil debido a múltiples factores de tipo personal y social. Con el advenimiento de nuevas terapéuticas vía oral, accesibles a la población general y con costos relativamente económicos, la población masculina ha interpretado el problema de la disfunción sexual como algo normal que puede ser consultado con el médico, e incluso entre la población misma. Nos propusimos evaluar la incidencia de dos entidades englobadas en lo que se podría denominar "desórdenes sexuales" o "disfunción sexual", las cuales son la EYACULACIÓN PRECOZ y la DISFUNCION SEXUAL ERECTIL o IMPOTENCIA MASCULINA. Para ello, se entregaron encuestas anónimas a los pacientes masculinos que acudían a la consulta de Urología, independientemente del motivo por el cual consultaran. Se evaluaron un total de 76 pacientes con un promedio de edad de 53 a 69 años (rango de 19 a 84 años), de los cuales 38 pacientes (50 por ciento) se describieron sin ningun tipo de disfunción. 16 pacientes se reportaron con disfunción eréctil (21,5 por ciento), 8 pacientes revelaron eyaculación precoz (10,52 por ciento), 14 pacientes presentaron una combinación de disfunción eréctil y eyaculación precoz (18,42 por ciento). Del total de pacientes con disfunción eréctil (30 pacientes), el 40 por ciento describió disfunción sexual severa,26,67 por ciento moderada y el 33,33 leve. El total de pacientes con disfunción eréctil constituyo el 39,47 por ciento de la población encuestada. Concluimos que la disfunción sexual realmente constituye una problemática en la población masculina, siendo la disfunción eréctil en sus diferentes niveles de severidad la más importante