Post-processed data and graphical tools for a CONUS-wide eddy flux evapotranspiration dataset.

Large sample datasets of in situ evapotranspiration (ET) measurements with well documented data provenance and quality assurance are critical for water management and many fields of earth science research. We present a post-processed ET oriented dataset at daily and monthly timesteps, from 161 stations, including 148 eddy covariance flux towers, that were chosen based on their data quality from nearly 350 stations across the contiguous United States. In addition to ET, the data includes energy and heat fluxes, meteorological measurements, and reference ET downloaded from gridMET for each flux station. Data processing techniques were conducted in a reproducible manner using open-source software. Most data initially came from the public AmeriFlux network, however, several different networks (e.g., the USDA-Agricultural Research Service) and university partners provided data that was not yet public. Initial half-hourly energy balance data were gap-filled and aggregated to daily frequency, and turbulent fluxes were corrected for energy balance closure error using the FLUXNET2015/ONEFlux energy balance ratio approach. Metadata, diagnostics of energy balance, and interactive graphs of time series data are included for each station. Although the dataset was developed primarily to benchmark satellite-based remote sensing ET models of the OpenET initiative, there are many other potential uses, such as validation for a range of regional hydrologic and atmospheric models.

Inter-annual variability of land surface fluxes across vineyards: the role of climate, phenology, and irrigation management.

Irrigation and other agricultural management practices play a key role in land surface fluxes and their interactions with atmospheric processes. California's Central Valley agricultural productivity is strongly linked to water availability associated with conveyance infrastructure and groundwater, but greater scrutiny over agricultural water use requires better practices particularly during extended and severe drought conditions. The future of irrigated agriculture in California is expected to be characterized neither by perpetual scarcity nor by widespread abundance. Thus, further advancing irrigation technologies and improving management practices will be key for California's agriculture sustainability. In this study, we present micrometeorological observations from the Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX) project. Daily, seasonal, and inter-seasonal surface flux patterns and relationships across five vineyards over three distinct California wine production regions were investigated. Vineyard actual evapotranspiration showed significant differences at the sub-daily and daily scale when comparisons across wine production regions and varieties were performed. Water use in vineyards in the Central Valley was about 70% greater in comparison to the vineyards at the North Coast area due to canopy size, atmospheric demand, and irrigation inputs. Inter-annual variability of surface fluxes was also significant, even though, overall weather conditions (i.e., air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, wind speed, and solar radiation) were not significantly different. Thus, not only irrigation but also other management practices played a key role in seasonal water use, and given these differences, we conclude that further advancing ground-based techniques to quantify crop water use at an operational scale will be key to facing California's agriculture present and future water challenges. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00271-022-00784-0.

Tofacitinib y otros inhibidores de las cinasas en el tratamiento de la psoriasis / Tofacitinib and Other Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Psoriasis

Las proteínas cinasas desempeñan un papel fundamental en las vías de señalización intracelular implicadas tanto en la proliferación celular como en la inflamación. El mejor conocimiento de estas vías metabólicas, y del mecanismo patogénico de las señales intracelulares de la psoriasis, está provocando el desarrollo e investigación de un nuevo grupo de fármacos en el tratamiento de esta enfermedad y de otros procesos inflamatorios. Los inhibidores de las cinasas son moléculas de pequeño tamaño que van a permitir un tratamiento vía oral o tópico. El futuro papel de estos fármacos dentro del arsenal terapéutico de la psoriasis está todavía por determinar, ya que la mayoría de moléculas están en fases precoces de investigación. Su hipotético coste inferior al de los tratamientos biológicos pudiera favorecer su aprobación en los próximos años. Tofacitinib, un inhibidor de las cinasas Janus, es el fármaco con investigación más avanzada y resultados prometedores (AU)

Protein kinases play a crucial role in the intracellular signaling pathways involved in inflammation and cell proliferation. Advances in our understanding of these metabolic pathways and of the role played by intracellular signaling in the pathogenesis of psoriasis have led to research in this area and the development of a new class of drugs for the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory processes. Since kinase inhibitors are small molecules, oral and topical treatments are possible. The future role of these molecules in the therapeutic arsenal used to treat psoriasis is as yet unknown because in most cases they are still in the early stages of research. The fact that these drugs may cost much less than biologic therapies could favor their approval in coming years. Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, is the drug that has reached the most advanced stage of research and has shown the most promising results (AU)

Tofacitinib and other kinase inhibitors in the treatment of psoriasis.

Protein kinases play a crucial role in the intracellular signaling pathways involved in inflammation and cell proliferation. Advances in our understanding of these metabolic pathways and of the role played by intracellular signaling in the pathogenesis of psoriasis have led to research in this area and the development of a new class of drugs for the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory processes. Since kinase inhibitors are small molecules, oral and topical treatments are possible. The future role of these molecules in the therapeutic arsenal used to treat psoriasis is as yet unknown because in most cases they are still in the early stages of research. The fact that these drugs may cost much less than biologic therapies could favor their approval in coming years. Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, is the drug that has reached the most advanced stage of research and has shown the most promising results.

[Pharmaceutical intervention with parenteral nutrition]. / Intervención farmacéutica en el ámbito de la nutrición parenteral.

OBJECTIVE: Description and analysis of pharmaceutical interventions for patients with parenteral nutrition and an assessment of the degree of acceptance. METHOD: Prospective six-month study. Design of a data collection sheet (with personal data, the indication for parenteral nutrition, hospital area, nutrition type, time and type of intervention, type of notification, acceptance) for recording interventions carried out based on normal activities: complete review of pharmacotherapy and clinical history. RESULTS: A total of 265 interventions were carried out during the study period (1.5 interventions/day) with a mean of 2.1 interventions/patient. The overall degree of acceptance was 83.77%; significant differences were found between type of communication for the intervention (oral and/or written) and the degree of acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Adding a pharmacist to the care team permits direct intervention in partnership with the doctor, and it is an effective method for preventing and resolving the complications, generally metabolic, that are associated with parenteral nutrition. Using this process for resolving medication-related problems in hospitalised patients, principally in surgical areas, is an addition to the pharmacist's activities in the area of nutritional support.

Gold: an old drug still working in refractory pemphigus.

BACKGROUND: The mainstay of treatment for pemphigus is systemic corticosteroids. Different adjuvants have been used to reduce side-effects of long-term corticotherapy. Gold is an anti-inflammatory drug used in autoimmune diseases, whose use has waned with the advent of new immunosuppressive agents. OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of the use of intramuscular gold treatment of pemphigus vulgaris refractory to previous therapies. METHODS: Thirteen patients with pemphigus vulgaris who had failed to respond to several prior therapies were treated with aurothiomalate, as a steroid-sparing agent. Patients were monitored to assess disease activity and gold toxicity. RESULTS: Seven patients achieved complete remission. Four patients were able to taper prednisone doses, although pemphigus flared when prednisone was discontinued or reduced. Toxicity was observed in the other two patients. CONCLUSIONS: In 53.4% of the patients, the use of chrysotherapy resulted in the complete clearing of the disease, discontinuation of all systemic therapies and induced a long-term clinical remission. Prednisone doses were able to be reduced in the remaining 46.6%. Any side-effects were reversible with drug discontinuation. Gold therapy showed efficacy as a secondary line treatment in refractory pemphigus vulgaris.

The antiproliferative effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors tyrphostins on a human squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in nude mice.

Many human tumors of epithelial origin contain cells overexpressing the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, and there is convincing evidence that cancer cell growth is correlated with the loss of the normal regulation of the EGF receptor signal transduction pathway. Some cancers are clearly dependent on activation of the EGF receptor for their proliferation. Recently, a class of compounds, tyrphostins, which inhibit the protein tyrosine kinase activity of the growth factor receptor, have been described. In this report, we have examined the antiproliferative effects of potent new tyrphostins on a well-characterized human squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. We found that two of these compounds (RG-13022 and RG-14620) suppressed not only EGF-stimulated cancer cell proliferation in vitro but also tumor growth in nude mice. RG-13022 also increased the life span of these tumor-bearing nude mice. When administered to tumor-bearing nude mice together with monoclonal antibodies to the EGF receptor at a suboptimal dose which had no effect alone, inhibition of tumor growth was markedly enhanced. These data suggest that tyrphostins have potential as anticancer agents.

Differentiation of HL-60 cells into cells with the osteoclast phenotype.

The osteoclast is the unique multinucleated cell that is responsible for bone degradation in both physiological and pathological circumstances. However, knowledge of the lineage of this inaccessible cell, the nature of its precursors, and the regulation of its formation and activation is limited and controversial. Here we show that the human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 has the potential, under the appropriate culture conditions, to differentiate into cells that have morphological and functional characteristics of osteoclasts, including multinucleation, presence of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity, cross-reactivity with monoclonal antibodies that preferentially recognize osteoclasts, and capacity to resorb bone and respond to calcitonin. The multinucleated cells also contain high affinity receptors to calcitonin, in contrast to wild-type undifferentiated HL-60 cells. These data suggest that osteoclasts share a common precursor with hematopoietic cells. These undifferentiated and differentiated HL-60 cells should provide a unique model for study of the cell biology of human osteoclast differentiation, allowing molecular biological and biochemical studies heretofore not possible.

Dependence of a human squamous carcinoma and associated paraneoplastic syndromes on the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway in nude mice.

Increased levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been shown on squamous cell carcinomas. Recently, we described a squamous cell carcinoma (MH-85) derived from the oral cavity which was associated with several paraneoplastic syndromes including hypercalcemia and cachexia. This tumor induced the same paraneoplastic syndromes in nude mice (BALB/c, nu/nu, male, 4-6 weeks old). Scatchard analysis revealed that there are two classes of EGFR in MH-85. The dissociation constant and number of binding sites for the high affinity receptors were 38 pM and 5 x 10(4)/cell, respectively, and 2.2 nM and 6 x 10(5) cell, respectively, for the low affinity receptors. Growth of MH-85 in culture was stimulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and inhibited by monoclonal antibody 108 to human EGFR, which recognizes the extracellular domain of the EGF receptor. Surgical removal of submandibular glands from male nude mice resulted in a dramatic decrease in plasma EGF levels and a significant reduction of tumor growth, hypercalcemia, and cachexia. When EGF (5 micrograms/mouse, every 2 days for 6 weeks, i.p.) was administered to these sialoadenectomized animals, tumor growth increased, with a parallel increase in hypercalcemia. When monoclonal antibody 108 (1 mg/mouse, i.p.) was given 1, 5, and 10 days after MH-85 tumor implantation, tumor formation was retarded, which resulted in delayed onset of hypercalcemia and cachexia. Moreover, when the antibody was injected 6 times in nude mice exhibiting large tumors and profound hypercalcemia and cachexia, there was a striking decrease in tumor growth, which was accompanied with a reversal of hypercalcemia and cachexia. These results indicate that growth of the human squamous cell carcinoma MH-85 is dependent on the EGFR pathway and that subsequent development of hypercalcemia and cachexia is dependent on tumor growth. They also suggest that agents which interfere with the EGFR pathway may have therapeutic potential as anticancer agents in some human tumors.

Occurrence of hypercalcemia and leukocytosis with cachexia in a human squamous cell carcinoma of the maxilla in athymic nude mice: a novel experimental model of three concomitant paraneoplastic syndromes.

Hypercalcemia and leukocytosis may occur in conjunction as paraneoplastic syndromes associated with malignant disease. Here we describe a human squamous cell carcinoma of the maxilla that was associated with hypercalcemia and leukocytosis, and also cachexia. The primary tumor was surgically removed and established in permanent cell culture. When either primary tumors or cultured tumor cells were inoculated into nude mice, the nude mice developed the same paraneoplastic syndromes as those which occurred in the patient from whom the tumor was originally derived. The plasma calcium was increased two and one-half-fold and the WBC count 30-fold, and the body weight was decreased by 45% in tumor-bearing animals. Each of these paraneoplastic syndromes was alleviated by surgical excision of the tumor, indicating that the paraneoplastic syndromes were due to a factor or factors produced by the primary tumor. The development of each of these paraneoplastic syndromes in nude mice correlated positively with the other two syndromes. We examined the organs of tumor-bearing mice and found striking histopathologic abnormalities in the bones, spleen, and liver, but no infiltration with tumor cells. The bones showed marked evidence of osteoclastic bone resorption. This model of a human tumor associated with the hypercalcemia-leukocytosis paraneoplastic syndrome, together with cachexia, should make it possible to determine the mechanisms responsible for these paraneoplastic syndromes and their relationship to each other.

Porcine pancreas extract decreases blood-ionized calcium in mice and inhibits osteoclast formation and bone resorption in culture.

Patients with acute pancreatitis commonly manifest hypocalcemia for reasons which are unknown. We found that porcine pancreas extracts (PX) significantly decreased blood-ionized calcium in Balb/c mice. Partially-purified PX with a molecular mass of approximately 27 kDa decreased blood-ionized calcium in the mice. Partially-purified PX suppressed not only 45Ca release from fetal rat long bones which had been stimulated by parathyroid hormone, interleukin-1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and prostaglandin E2, but tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cell formation in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in mouse marrow cultures. The results suggest that there is an as yet-unidentified bone metabolism-regulating substance in porcine pancreas which might be responsible for the hypocalcemia associated with acute pancreatitis.

[Multiple familial trichodiscoma]. / Tricodiscomas múltiples familiares.

Trichodiscomas are hamartomas of the pilar apparatus, and have been described alone or associated to other benign proliferations of the pilar complex. Two familial cases of trichodiscomas not associated to pilar alterations or systemic manifestations are described.