Relying on Incomplete Information Can Lead to the Wrong Conclusions. Comment on van Hassel, F.; Bovenkerk, B. How Should We Help Wild Animals Cope with Climate Change? The Case of the Iberian Lynx. Animals 2023, 13, 453.

In their recent paper, Van Hassel and Bovenkerk [...].

Generation of raptor diversity in Europe: linking speciation with climate changes and the ability to migrate.

Europe holds a rich community of diurnal birds of prey, and the highest proportion of transcontinental migratory raptorial species of any landmass. This study will test the hypotheses that the high diversification of the raptor assemblage in Europe is a recent event, that closely related species sharing the same trophic niches can only coexist in sympatry during the breeding period, when food availability is higher, and finally that migration is a function of size, with the smaller species in every trophic group moving further. A consensus molecular phylogeny for the 38 regular breeding species of raptors in Europe was obtained from BirdTree (www.birdtree.org). For the same species, a trophic niche cluster dendrogram was constructed. Size and migratory strategy were introduced in the resulting phylogeny, where trophic groups were also identified. Multispecific trophic groups tended to be composed of reciprocal sister species of different sizes, while monospecific groups (n = 3) were composed of highly specialized species. Many speciation events took place recently, during the glacial cycles of the Quaternary, and size divergence among competing species may be due to character displacement. Nowadays, the smaller species in every trophic group migrate to sub-Saharan Africa. This investigation illustrates how the rich assemblage of diurnal birds of prey in Europe, more diverse and more migratory than, for instance, the North American assemblage at equivalent latitudes, has emerged recently due to the multiplication of look-alike species with similar trophic ecologies, possibly in climate refugia during cold periods.

Owl-like plaques of the Copper Age and the involvement of children.

In the Copper Age, slate engraved plaques were produced massively in the southwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Researchers have speculated about the function of these palm-sized stone objects for more than a century, although most have favored the idea that they represented goddesses, and served ritual purposes. The plaques are engraved with different designs of varying complexity. In some of them, the ones sporting two large frontal eyes, we clearly see owls modelled after two species present in the area: the little owl (Athene noctua), and the long-eared owl (Asio otus). These two species, living in semi-open habitats, were possibly the most abundant owls around the human settlements and surrounding cultivated fields of the Chalcolithic period. People must have been aware of the owl presence and possibly interacted with them. Why owls but no other animals have been the models may relate to the fact they are the most anthropomorphic of all animals, with large frontally-placed eyes in their enormous heads. In the iconography, owls are systematically represented, even today, with their two eyes staring at the observer, as opposed to the lateral view used for any other animal. Additionally, slate is one of the commonest surface rocks in southwestern Iberia, and it provides a blank canvas for engraving lines using pointed tools made of flint, quartz or copper. The way slates exfoliate makes easy to craft owl-looking plaques. To silhouette animals other than owls in a recognizable way would request extra carving abilities and specific tools. Plaque manufacture and design were simple and did not demand high skills nor intensive labor as demonstrated in replication experiments. Owl engravings could have been executed by youngsters, as they resemble owls painted today by elementary school students. This also suggests that schematic drawings are universal and timeless. We propose that the owl-like slate plaques are the remains of a set of objects used in both playful activities and in ritual ceremonies. The actual engraving of the plaques may have been part of the game. Owlish slate plaques were often perforated twice at the top. We interpret this as insertion points for actual bird feathers added to the plaques, right at the place where tufts emerge in live owls. The frontier among play and ritual is diffuse in liminal societies and there is no contradiction in playing with animal-like toys and, at some point, using them as offerings as part of community rituals related, for instance, to the colossal megalithic tombs so characteristic of the Copper Age.

The Dynamics of Lepus granatensis and Oryctolagus cuniculus in a Mediterranean Agrarian Area: Are Hares Segregating from Rabbit Habitats after Disease Impact?

The genera Oryctolagus and Lepus (order Lagomorpha) are essential elements in the trophic chain in the Iberian Peninsula, being the main prey of many predators, including some highly endangered predators such as the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Myxomatosis, a disease producing tumorations in conjunctive tissues, and produced by the Myxoma Virus, has caused mass mortalities in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for decades. Recently, the virus has jumped interspecifically from rabbits to hares, and this has created a depletion in hare populations, generating great concern. We analyzed the population dynamics and distribution of both lagomorph species in a Mediterranean agricultural area of the south of Spain since the 1990s with a combination of systematic and non-systematic data. The appearance of the outbreak in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatenis) in 2018 enabled us to undertake an opportunistic analysis of its effects on the spatial structure and assemblages, as well as on the niches of both species using PCA analyses and ordination techniques. Analysis of the mortality effect on daily and seasonal cycles was also conducted, and relations with the temporal dimension was tested using generalized lineal models (GLMs). In our results, in addition to population and temporal patterns, we could observe a restructuring in hare distribution after the mortality event, highlighting that prior to the outbreak, rabbit and hare populations were spatially differentiated, although with some overlaps and niche similarities. However, since the outbreak, hare populations have been excluded from rabbit areas, suggesting that in the absence of rabbits, the virus has more difficulties to infect hares. We also provide an overview of the effect of this population depletion on the ecological and socio-economic dimension of this region, pointing out the importance of this situation for the area.

Study of amniotic fluid in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 in first and second trimester. Is there evidence of vertical transmission?

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The effects of this infection on fetal development and whether there is vertical transmission are currently unknown. We present two cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 infection during the first and second trimester of gestation in which a PCR study of SARS-CoV-2 in amniotic fluid extracted by amniocentesis is performed to try to determine if there is vertical transmission. In both cases, the PCR result was negative. This fact could support the absence of vertical transmission when the infection occurs in these quarters. It would be advisable to carry out more extensive studies to be able to make this statement safely.

Niche models at inter- and intraspecific levels reveal hierarchical niche differentiation in midwife toads.

Variation and population structure play key roles in the speciation process, but adaptive intraspecific genetic variation is commonly ignored when forecasting species niches. Amphibians serve as excellent models for testing how climate and local adaptations shape species distributions due to physiological and dispersal constraints and long generational times. In this study, we analysed the climatic factors driving the evolution of the genus Alytes at inter- and intraspecific levels that may limit realized niches. We tested for both differences among the five recognized species and among intraspecific clades for three of the species (Alytes obstetricans, A. cisternasii, and A. dickhilleni). We employed ecological niche models with an ordination approach to perform niche overlap analyses and test hypotheses of niche conservatism or divergence. Our results showed strong differences in the environmental variables affecting species climatic requirements. At the interspecific level, tests of equivalence and similarity revealed that sister species were non-identical in their environmental niches, although they neither were entirely dissimilar. This pattern was also consistent at the intraspecific level, with the exception of A. cisternasii, whose clades appeared to have experienced a lower degree of niche divergence than clades of the other species. In conclusion, our results support that Alytes toads, examined at both the intra- and interspecific levels, tend to occupy similar, if not identical, climatic environments.

COVID-19 infection in symptomatic pregnant women at the midpoint of the pandemic in Spain: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Determine the strengths and weakness of a symptomatic screening for COVID-19 in pregnant women. Analyze the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes. DESIGN: Descriptive retrospective observational study. SETTING: Mancha-Centro Hospital (Spain). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Population: Symptomatic pregnant women with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Between the 12th of March and 17th of April 2020, all the symptomatic pregnancies were screened with diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2. Data collection was done by reviewing the medical records and telephone interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical characteristics, management, treatment, and obstetric and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty patients with positive COVID-19 diagnostic test out of thirty-four suspected. The most common symptoms were fever (70%), cough (65%) and myalgia (35%). A unique symptom of presentation in 20% of cases. COVID-19 pneumonia was diagnosed in 30% by chest X-ray and one case had pulmonary embolism associated diagnosed by CT-Scan. Thromboprophylaxis was indicated in 16 out of 20 patients. Eight women finished their pregnancy during the observation period. Type of birth: 25% natural birth, 12.5% assisted vaginal delivery and 62.5% caesarean section. We had three severe cases, two of them with intensive care support. All neonates had negative test for COVID 19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend universal screening of all pregnant woman for COVID-19 during the pandemic because of the limits of the symptomatic screening seen in this studio and the ratio of asymptomatic pregnancies with positive test for COVID-19 recently published.

Validez de la histeroscopiay de la biopsia endometrial en el diagnóstico diferencial de las hiperplasias / Validity of hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy in the differential diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasias

Objetivo: Analizar la validez de la aplicación de la histeroscopia y de la biopsia endometrial en el diagnóstico diferencial entre el grupo de hiperplasias de endometrio sin atipias y el grupo de hiperplasias que presentó atipias en nuestro medio.Pacientes y métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal que analiza los casos diagnosticados como hiperplasia de endometrio por histología en nuestra unidad de histeroscopia entre los años 2000 y 2007. Comprende 121 hiperplasias de un total de 4.808 histeroscopias realizadas.Resultados: La sensibilidad y la especificidadde la biopsia endometrial para el diagnóstico histológico definitivo en los casos de cirugíafueron del 72 y el 83%.La sensibilidad y la especificidad de la correlación entre el diagnóstico histeroscópico y el grupo de hiperplasia diagnosticado por biopsia endometrial fueron del 45,8 y del 95,8%. La sensibilidad aumentó hasta el 59% cuando consideramos la histología de la pieza quirúrgica.Conclusiones: La histeroscopia, como método aislado, presenta una moderada sensibilidad y una muy alta especificidad en el diagnóstico de las hiperplasias con atipias. La biopsia endometrial dirigida, como prueba diagnóstica, tiene mayor sensibilidad pero menor especificidad que la histeroscopia para el diagnóstico diferencial entre los dos grupos de hiperplasia considerados (AU)

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy in the differential diagnosis of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial hyperplasia without atypias.Patients and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study that analyses the cases of endometrial hyperplasia diagnosed in our Hysteroscopic Unit between the years 2000 and 2007. The study includes 121 hyperplasias out of 4808 hysteroscopies performed.Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the endometrial biopsy for the definitive histological lesiodiagnosiswas 72% and 83% in the surgery cases.The sensitivity and specificity of the correlation between the hysteroscopic diagnosis and the group of hyperplasia diagnosed by endometrial biopsy was 45.8% and 95.8%. The sensitivity increased to 59% when we take into account the histology of the surgical specimen.Conclusions: Hysteroscopy, as an isolated method of diagnosis, has a moderate sensitivity and high specificity in the diagnosis of atypical endometrial hyperplasia. The endometrial biopsy has higher sensitivity but lower specificity than hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AU)

Efectos del propanolol sobre la presión intraocular / Effects of propanolol on intraocular pressure

Se resalta la inquietud de los autores en introducir un medicamento que contribuya a disminuir la presión intraocular, y en especial a lospacientes con diagnóstico de glaucoma de ángulo abierto e hipertensión arterial por considerar que esta enfermedad constituye un problema médico social al nivelmundial. Se recogen los criterios y resultados obtenidos por otros autores con el uso de betabloqueadores adrenérgicos en específico, el propranolol y sus efectos sobre la presión intraocular.Como hipótesis se señala que el propranolol tiene acción sobre los cambios de la presión intraocular: la disminuye. Se explica la metodología por medio de la cual se realizó el estudio, que tenía como contenido fundamental una casuística de 100 pacientes agrupados en: grupo A constituídopor 50 hipertensos y con trastornos cardiovasculares, y B integrado por 50 portadores de glaucoma de ángulo abierto e hipertensión arterial, todos tratados con propanolol oral, cuyo seguimiento fue de un año. Se exponen los resultados obtenidos por medio de tablas y gráficos, de acuerdo con los objetivos trazados

Efectos del propanolol sobre la presión intraocular / Effects of propanolol on intraocular pressure

Se resalta la inquietud de los autores en introducir un medicamento que contribuya a disminuir la presión intraocular, y en especial a lospacientes con diagnóstico de glaucoma de ángulo abierto e hipertensión arterial por considerar que esta enfermedad constituye un problema médico social al nivelmundial. Se recogen los criterios y resultados obtenidos por otros autores con el uso de betabloqueadores adrenérgicos en específico, el propranolol y sus efectos sobre la presión intraocular.Como hipótesis se señala que el propranolol tiene acción sobre los cambios de la presión intraocular: la disminuye. Se explica la metodología por medio de la cual se realizó el estudio, que tenía como contenido fundamental una casuística de 100 pacientes agrupados en: grupo A constituídopor 50 hipertensos y con trastornos cardiovasculares, y B integrado por 50 portadores de glaucoma de ángulo abierto e hipertensión arterial, todos tratados con propanolol oral, cuyo seguimiento fue de un año. Se exponen los resultados obtenidos por medio de tablas y gráficos, de acuerdo con los objetivos trazados