A trade-off between plant and soil carbon storage under elevated CO2.

Terrestrial ecosystems remove about 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by human activities each year1, yet the persistence of this carbon sink depends partly on how plant biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks respond to future increases in atmospheric CO2 (refs. 2,3). Although plant biomass often increases in elevated CO2 (eCO2) experiments4-6, SOC has been observed to increase, remain unchanged or even decline7. The mechanisms that drive this variation across experiments remain poorly understood, creating uncertainty in climate projections8,9. Here we synthesized data from 108 eCO2 experiments and found that the effect of eCO2 on SOC stocks is best explained by a negative relationship with plant biomass: when plant biomass is strongly stimulated by eCO2, SOC storage declines; conversely, when biomass is weakly stimulated, SOC storage increases. This trade-off appears to be related to plant nutrient acquisition, in which plants increase their biomass by mining the soil for nutrients, which decreases SOC storage. We found that, overall, SOC stocks increase with eCO2 in grasslands (8 ± 2 per cent) but not in forests (0 ± 2 per cent), even though plant biomass in grasslands increase less (9 ± 3 per cent) than in forests (23 ± 2 per cent). Ecosystem models do not reproduce this trade-off, which implies that projections of SOC may need to be revised.

Indicadores de evaluación de impacto de promoción de salud para adultos mayores en atención primaria / Indicators for the impact evaluation in promotional interventions of the elders' primary health care

Introducción: la evaluación de impacto se asocia con potenciales de efectos positivos o negativos en una investigación. El uso de indicadores permite la obtención de evidencias cualitativas y cuantitativas sobre determinantes de salud para evitar posibles resultados adversos, sobre todo si las intervenciones están dirigidas a modificar factores de riesgos en adultos mayores, a partir de la aplicación de programas o proyectos. Objetivo: determinar los indicadores para evaluación de impacto en intervenciones de promoción de salud con adultos mayores en la atención primaria. Métodos: se realizó un estudio de enfoque bimodal. Se utilizó el método de análisis documental y técnica de triangulación de la información. Fueron revisados los fundamentos de promoción de salud de referencia nacional e internacional y se sistematizaron ideas expresadas en documentos legales y políticas públicas cubanas. Se tuvo en cuenta el criterio de 15 expertos a partir de una selección entre 20 candidatos. El método Delphi conllevó a secuencia de acciones en tres rondas, entre abril y noviembre de 2017, en San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque. Resultados: se seleccionaron 15 expertos con alto coeficiente de competencia. Los profesionales llegaron al consenso de 15 indicadores científicos, 19 sociales y 10 económicos. Se estableció el porciento que debían alcanzar los indicadores para evaluar el impacto como positivo. Conclusiones: los indicadores establecidos contribuyen al desarrollo de instrumentos para evaluación de impacto en intervenciones de promoción de salud con adultos mayores en la atención primaria, asegurando solidez metodológica y calidad de resultados en este tipo de investigaciones gerontológicas(AU)

Introduction: the evaluation of impact is associated to different potentials with positive or negative properties in one investigation. By means of the use of indicators, the investigators can obtain the qualitative and quantitative evidences to avoid possible adverse reactions, after all if the interventions are guided to modify risk factors in elderly adults since the application of programs and projects. Objective: to determine the indicators for the impact evaluation in promotional interventions of the elders' primary health care. Methods: a study of bimodal approach was performed. Documental analysis and triangulation technique of information were used. The promotional basics of health about national and international reference came under review and ideas came under a system expressed in legal documents and Cubans' political publics. Opinions by 15 experts, starting from a selection among 20 candidates were taken into account. The Delphi method was applied in three sequences from April to November, 2017, in San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque. Results: they selected 15 experts with high competitive coefficient. The professionals agreed with 15 scientific indicators, 19 social and 10 economic ones.The percentage that the indicators should have reached to evaluate the impact as positivewas established. Conclusions: the establishments of indicators for the impact evaluation in promotional interventions of the elders' primary health care contribute with the development of instruments assuring methodological solidity and quality of results in this gerontological investigation(AU)

Quantifying global soil carbon losses in response to warming.

The majority of the Earth's terrestrial carbon is stored in the soil. If anthropogenic warming stimulates the loss of this carbon to the atmosphere, it could drive further planetary warming. Despite evidence that warming enhances carbon fluxes to and from the soil, the net global balance between these responses remains uncertain. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of warming-induced changes in soil carbon stocks by assembling data from 49 field experiments located across North America, Europe and Asia. We find that the effects of warming are contingent on the size of the initial soil carbon stock, with considerable losses occurring in high-latitude areas. By extrapolating this empirical relationship to the global scale, we provide estimates of soil carbon sensitivity to warming that may help to constrain Earth system model projections. Our empirical relationship suggests that global soil carbon stocks in the upper soil horizons will fall by 30 ± 30 petagrams of carbon to 203 ± 161 petagrams of carbon under one degree of warming, depending on the rate at which the effects of warming are realized. Under the conservative assumption that the response of soil carbon to warming occurs within a year, a business-as-usual climate scenario would drive the loss of 55 ± 50 petagrams of carbon from the upper soil horizons by 2050. This value is around 12-17 per cent of the expected anthropogenic emissions over this period. Despite the considerable uncertainty in our estimates, the direction of the global soil carbon response is consistent across all scenarios. This provides strong empirical support for the idea that rising temperatures will stimulate the net loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere, driving a positive land carbon-climate feedback that could accelerate climate change.

Impacts of warming and elevated CO2 on a semi-arid grassland are non-additive, shift with precipitation, and reverse over time.

It is unclear how elevated CO2 (eCO2 ) and the corresponding shifts in temperature and precipitation will interact to impact ecosystems over time. During a 7-year experiment in a semi-arid grassland, the response of plant biomass to eCO2 and warming was largely regulated by interannual precipitation, while the response of plant community composition was more sensitive to experiment duration. The combined effects of eCO2 and warming on aboveground plant biomass were less positive in 'wet' growing seasons, but total plant biomass was consistently stimulated by ~ 25% due to unique, supra-additive responses of roots. Independent of precipitation, the combined effects of eCO2 and warming on C3 graminoids became increasingly positive and supra-additive over time, reversing an initial shift toward C4 grasses. Soil resources also responded dynamically and non-additively to eCO2 and warming, shaping the plant responses. Our results suggest grasslands are poised for drastic changes in function and highlight the need for long-term, factorial experiments.

Eficacia de la pelmatoscopia a través de capacitación especializada e implementación de oficinas pelmatoscopicas en el hospital Hermilio Valdizán Medrano y el centro de salud Carlos Showing Ferrari. Huánuco, mayo 2003 – abril 2004 / Effectiveness of pelmatoscopia through specialized training and implementation of pelmatoscopicas offices in Hermilio Valdizan Medrano Hospital and Carlos Showing Ferrari Hospital. May 2003 – April 2004 Huanuco

En el estudio se demostró que las técnicas utilizadas para la toma de impresión plantar no son las adecuadas, las mismas que no garantizan confiabilidad desde el punto de vista médico legal; por otro lado, el proceso de identificación del recién nacido no se cumple eficientemente, pues este proceso se deja inconcluso, cumpliendo solamente con la primera fase, consistente en la toma de la impresión plantar por parte del personal de salud y su correspondiente archivo en la historia clínica; sin realizarse el peritaje por parte del personal policial en el momento del alta del paciente; pasos que deben ser realizados de acuerdo a lo estipulado en el Manual de Procedimientos de Identificación Personal. Frente a esta problemática, se pretendió demostrar la eficacia de la pelmatoscopía mediante el uso de las técnicas adecuadas y el procesamiento de los recursos logísticos a través de una capacitación especializada y la implementación de oficinas pelmatoscópicas en las instituciones en estudio. El tipo y nivel de investigación es el descriptivo explicativo y transversal. Entre los principales resultados se obtuvo que el 100 por ciento de las muestras recogidas (15 hojas pelmatoscópicas) del personal que recibió la capacitación cumplen con los requisitos establecidos por las normas vigentes para una buena toma de impresiones papiloscópicas; por tanto, existe un equipo de profesionales de obstetricia que está en la capacidad de asumir la toma de impresión plantar en la identificación del neonato.

The study demonstrated that the techniques used for the taking of plantar impression are not the suitable ones, the same ones that do not guarantee reliability from the legal medical pointof view; on the other hand, the process of identification of new born is not fulfilled efficiently, so this process is left unfinished, fulfilling only with the first stage consisting of the capture of the plantar impression on the part of the personnel of health and his corresponding file in clinical history; the expert's report is not realized on the part of the police personnel in the moment of the discharge of the patient; steps that must be realized according to the stipulated thing in the Manual of Proceeding of Personal Identification. Opposite to this problems, it was tried to demostrated the effectiveness of the pelmatoscopía by means of the use of the suitable skills and the processing logistic resources through a specializing training and the office implementation pelmatoscópicas in the institutions in study. The type and level of investigation are descriptive-explanatory and transversal. Between the main results it was obtained that 100 per cent of the samples picked up (15 pelmatoscopicas sheets) of the personnel who received the training, and at the same time they have the requirements established by the effective norms for a good taking of papiloscópicas impressions; therefore, there is a team of obstetricians professionals that are in the capacity to assume the taking of plantar impression in the identification of the neonatus.

Vigilancia de la violencia física psicológica y sexual en gestantes de la provincia de Huánuco, 2006 / Physical violence psychological and sexual alertness in pregnat women of Huánuco province - 2006

Mediante un estudio de tipo descriptivo prospectivo y de corte transversal se analizó las manifestaciones de la violencia física, psicológica y sexual en la población obstétrica de la Provincia de Huánuco, teniendo como muestra representativa a un total de 33 gestantes victimas de violencia que acudieron al Hospital Hermilio Valdizán Medrano, al Centro de Salud Carlos Showing Ferrari, al Centro de Salud Aparicio Pomares, al Centro de Salud Perú - Corea, al comité local de administración en salud de Las Moras y al de Pilcomarca, durante el periodo comprendido entre agosto del 2006 y enero del 2007 y que dieron su consentimiento para participar en el estudio. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la ficha de captación de gestantes victimas violencia y un cuestionario previamente validado. Con el programa SPSS versión 9 fueron procesados los resultados y entre los más destacados tenemos: El mayor número de gestantes victimas de violencia oscila entre las edades de 16 a 25 años, generalmente son amas de casa, poseen estudios de secundaria, el 60,6 por ciento reside en zonas urbano marginales, el 51,5 por ciento presenta antecedentes de violencia durante la infancia. El 24,4 por ciento de las gestantes fueron victimas de violencia por parte de sus parejas y también por parte de sus padres y padrastos, el 42,4 de ellas afirma que la violencia ocurre porque el hombre es machista celoso, en el 72,7 por ciento de ellas el maltrato se inició con la convivencia, el maltrato psicológico acompañado de empujones es tipo de violencia más frecuente (27,3 por ciento), el 54,5 por ciento de gestantes violentadas no presentaron complicaciones durante la gestación. Respecto a los recién nacidos, el 100 por ciento nació entre las 37 a 42 semanas, en buenas condiciones y con peso adecuado.

By means of descriptive prospective and transverse - cut study, the diferent manifestations were examined of physical violence, psychological and sexual violence in the obstetric population in Huanuco Province, having as a representative sample of 33 pregnant women's total wich domestic abuse and violence. That they proceeded to "Hermilio Valdizán Medrano", Regional Hospital, "Aparicio Pomares", "Peru - Corea", Center of health, "Las Moras" and "Pilcomarca" local administration in health; during the period amont August 2006 and January 2007; these women gave their consent to participate in the investigation. The used instruments were reception cards of pregnant women, violence victims; and a previously validated questionnaire, with the programme SPSS version 9 the results were acused and they are: they highest number made pregnant violence victims are between 16 and 25 years old, generally they're house makers, with Secondary education, the 60.6 percent reside in urban - marginal zones, the 51.5 per cent presented background of violence during the infancy. The 24.4 per cent of pregnant women were violence victims of their husbands or stepfathers, the 42.4 of them say that's why the main is male chauvinist and jealous; the 72.7 per cent of them the psicologycal violence with pushes is the most frequent kind of violence (27.3 per cent ), the 54.5 per cent of these women hadn't present complications during the gestation. It relates t the newborns, 100 per cent were born between 37 to 42 weeks, with good condition and weight.

Prospective comparison of admission computed tomographic scan and plain films of the upper cervical spine in trauma patients with altered mental status.

OBJECTIVE: The accurate evaluation of patients with multiple injuries is logistically complex and time sensitive, and must be cost-effective. We hypothesize that computed tomographic (CT) scan of the upper cervical spine (occiput to C3 [Co-C3]) would add little to the initial evaluation of patients with multiple injuries who have altered mental status. METHODS: The study consisted of a prospective, unblinded, consecutive series. Patients met entry criteria if they had sustained a blunt mechanism of injury and had an altered mental status requiring CT scan of two or more body systems. All patients received CT scan of Co-C3 with 2-mm cuts and subsequent reconstructions as well as five-view cervical spine plain films. Cervical spine injury was defined as any radiographically identified fracture or subluxation that required treatment. Patients were excluded if they died or were cleared clinically before plain film series were obtained. CT scan of Co-C3 and cervical spine films were reviewed by two different attending radiologists. RESULTS: Of the 2,690 consecutive admissions between December 1998 and November 1999, 1,356 patients met entry criteria. Seventy patients (5.2%) had a total of 95 injuries to the upper cervical spine. CT scan of Co-C3 identified 67 of 70 patients and plain films identified 38 of 70 patients with injuries to the upper cervical spine. Twelve patients (17%) had neurologic deficits attributable to Co-C3 injuries. Three patients had false-negative CT scans of Co-C3, and one patient was quadriplegic. There were 32 patients with false-negative plain films, including four patients with motor deficits (one with quadriplegia). Use of the guidelines developed by the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma identified all patients with upper cervical spine injuries; to date, no patient in the study group was readmitted or has initiated a lawsuit for missed injury of the upper cervical spine. CONCLUSION: CT scan of Co-C3 was superior to plain films in the early identification of upper cervical spine injury. Plain films failed to identify 45% of upper cervical spine injuries; four of these missed injuries resulted in motor deficits. Our study supports the practice guidelines developed by the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma for clearance of the upper cervical spine in patients with altered mental status, as all patients with injuries were identified using these guidelines.

Sequestration of the lung arising from the circumflex coronary artery.

Sequestration is an unusual pulmonary malformation. Systemic blood supply is commonly from the thoracic aorta, but arteries may occasionally arise from other sites including the abdominal aorta or the intercostal vessels. We report a rare form of sequestration with origin from the circumflex coronary artery. Knowledge of uncommon vascular origins, particularly from coronary arteries, is important to avoid injury and possible ischemia, infarction, exsanguination, or death.

Distribution and origin of neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive fibers in the penis of the rat.

The present study investigated the distribution of neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive fibers to the penis of the rat. In the corpora cavernosa penis, a dense plexus of fibers was associated with arteries, intrinsic cavernosal muscle, and veins, including the deep dorsal vein. In the corpus spongiosum, immunoreactive fibers were present around vascular smooth muscle and at the periphery of the acini of the paraurethral glands. Immunohistochemistry of penile neurons identified by retrograde tracer injection into the penis indicates that about 5% of the penile neurons in the pelvic plexus contained the neuropeptide while larger percentages of penile neurons in the sympathetic chains were immunoreactive for neuropeptide Y. Chemical and surgical sympathectomy greatly reduced the neuropeptide Y- and catecholamine-containing fibers in the erectile tissue but had no clear effect on the neuropeptide Y fibers around the paraurethral glands; a tissue that is not innervated by adrenergic fibers. It is concluded that (1) the widespread distribution of neuropeptide Y indicates that it may function in the control of penile blood flow, (2) with the possible exception of the paraurethral glands, the sympathetic chain is the most likely source of neuropeptide Y fibers in both erectile bodies of the penis, and (3) this peptide may play a role in the secretory functions of the paraurethral glands.

Innervation of the anococcygeus muscle of the rat.

The innervation of the anococcygeus muscle of the rat was investigated with regard to the histochemical features of nerve fibers within the muscle and to the location of the postganglionic autonomic neurons which are the source of these fibers. Acetylcholinesterase-positive fibers and catecholaminergic fibers are abundant in the anococcygeus as well as the related retractor penis muscle. Neuronal somata, either between muscle bundles of the anococcygeus or in the connective tissue sheath, are also acetylcholinesterase-positive. Nerve fibers and a minority of the ganglion cells in the anococcygeus and retractor penis muscles are immunoreactive for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Injection of the retrogradely transported dye Fluorogold into the anococcygeus muscle filled neurons in the abdomino-pelvic sympathetic chain, pelvic plexus and a small number of neurons in the inferior mesenteric ganglion. In the pelvic plexus, some neurons were located in the major pelvic ganglion but most were found along the main penile nerve and its branches to the anococcygeus muscle. Immunocytochemistry of these identified neurons indicates that about one half of them are positive for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. These results raise the possibility that both acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide are important neurotransmitters in autonomic nerves to the anococcygeus muscle.