Ports are gateways for many marine organisms transported by ships worldwide, especially non-indigenous species (NIS). In this study carried out in North Iberian ports (Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay) ...we have observed 38% of exotic macroinvertebrates. Four species, namely the barnacle Austrominius modestus, the tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis, exhibited clear signs of invasiveness. A total of 671 barcode (cytochrome oxidase subunit I or 18S rRNA) genes were obtained and confirmed the species status of some cryptic NIS. Negative and significant correlation between diversity estimators of native biota and proportion of NIS suggests biotic resistance in ports. This could be applied to management of port biota for contributing to prevent the settlement of biopollutants in these areas which are very sensitive to biological invasions.
•Marine biological invasions often use ports as gateways.•Fouling macrobiota was sampled from eight ports within south Bay of Biscay.•DNA barcoding helped to identify phenotypically plastic species.•Negative correlation between native biodiversity and frequency of exotics was found.•Results suggest native biodiversity protects against invasions in ports.
Cyclones and other climate disturbances profoundly affect coastal ecosystems, promoting changes in the benthic communities that require time, sometimes even years, for a complete recovery. In this ...study we have analysed the morphological and genetic changes occurred in top shell (Gibbula umbilicalis and Phorcus lineatus) assemblages from the Bay of Biscay following explosive cyclogenesis events in 2014. Comparison with previous samples at short (three years before the cyclogenesis) and long (Upper Pleistocene) temporal scales served to better evaluate the extent of change induced by these disturbances in a more global dimension. A significant increase in mean size after the cyclogenesis was found for the two species, suggesting selective sweeping of small individuals weakly adhered to substrata. Loss of haplotype variants at the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene suggests a population bottleneck, although it was not intense enough to produce significant changes in haplotype frequencies. The high population connectivity and metapopulation structuring of the two species in the area likely help the populations to recover from disturbances. At a wider temporal scale, cyclogenesis effects seemed to compensate the apparent decreasing trends in size for P. lineatus occurred after the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Considering disturbance regimes for population baselines is recommended when the long-term effects of climate and anthropogenic pressures are evaluated.
•Cyclone events occurred in 2014 have disturbed top shell assemblages in the Bay of Biscay.•Samples from affected zones had a significantly larger average size than those from less-affected zones.•The cyclonic disturbance swept both small individuals and part of the genetic diversity.•Baselines for long-term population studies should include years affected by cyclones in areas with such disturbances.
Two limpet species,Patella depressaandP. vulgata, are the most accessible molluscs in the upper intertidal shore on the coast of Asturias (Northern Spain) and have been consumed by humans for ...thousands of years, with evidence of harvesting-driven directional selection for size since the Palaeolithic. These 2 species are also highly sensitive to environmental conditions,P. depressabeing in expansion under the current warming conditions. Our coalescent analyses of mitochondrial DNA suggest that both species are currently in a process of slow decline in population growth after experiencing a recent bottleneck, presumably enhanced by human exploitation. Over a wider temporal scale, the evolution of these species in Asturias seems associated with climate change, which seems to have driven their expansion across the studied zone. Current differential compositions ofPatellaassemblages associated with short-term differences in temperature on North Iberian coasts are consistent with the preferred conditions for each species. Human exploitation may have contributed to the most recent changes in limpet population diversity and morphology (size) at a short temporal scale, whilst climate would have caused long-term changes and would be responsible for most of their present population distribution.
Several prospective studies on dermatological findings in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 infected patients have been published, mostly in populations in which the predominant risk factor ...for HIV infection is homosexuality. We attempted to identify cutaneous diseases associated with HIV‐1 infection and to assess disease progression in a cohort of Spanish patients in whom the predominant cause of HIV infection was intravenous drug abuse. We prospectively examined 1161 HIV‐1‐positive patients for 38 months. Seventy‐four per cent of patients were intravenous drug abusers, whereas heterosexual contact was the only risk factor in 14% and homosexuality in 9%. Centers for Disease Control stage II disease predominated (51%), whereas stage IV disease was less frequent (39%). The mean CD4 count was 353/mm3. We took patients' past and present medical history and performed a complete physical examination as well as taking photographs and carrying out the necessary diagnostic procedures. CD4 counts/mm3 were measured at each visit. A diagnosis of cutaneous disease was made in 799 patients (69%). Oral candidiasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis were the most common skin disorders, followed by xerosis, drug eruptions, dermatophytosis and the papular eruption of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Condyloma acuminatum, herpes zoster and herpes simplex were the most frequent viral infections. Conditions that have a statistically significant association with advanced stage and low CD4 levels include drug eruptions, xerosis, light reactions, diffuse alopecia, herpes simplex, oral candidiasis, psoriasis, oral hairy leucoplakia, molluscum contagiosum, Kaposi's sarcoma, furuncles, candidal intertrigo, folliculitis and ungual infection, as well as onychomycosis and tinea pedis or manuum. Dermatoses commonly associated with homosexuality, such as Kaposi's sarcoma and oral hairy leucoplakia, were rare in our patients.
Liver disease secondary to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a rising cause of morbidity and mortality among individuals who have been infected parenterally with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ...such as injection drug users, hemophiliacs, and transfused patients. We analyzed both the efficacy of interferon (IFN) α therapy in these patients and the predictors of response to this agent. A total of 119 patients with chronic hepatitis C (90 of whom were infected with HIV and 29 of whom were not) were included in a multicenter, prospective, open, nonrandomized observational study. IFN-α was given subcutaneously in a dosage of 5 million units three times a week during a 3-month period; those patients who responded received a dose of 3 million units given subcutaneously three times a week for an additional 9 months. One hundred seven patients completed the study; the level of aminotransferases returned to normal and sera became negative (complete response) for HCV RNA in 26 (32.5%) of 80 HIV-infected patients and 10 (37.0%) of 27 non-HIV-infected patients (P = .666) after completion of the treatment. Two variables were independently associated with a response in HIV-infected patients: a CD4+ T lymphocyte count of >500 × 106/L and a baseline HeV viremia level of <107 copies/mL. In the 12 months following treatment, relapses occurred in 30.8% of the HIV-infected patients and 12.5% of non-HIV-infected patients (P = .403).
To define the prognostic factors related with mortality of patients who suffer cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) in the hospital, according to Utstein style guidelines.
A descriptive and prospective ...study covering a 30-month consecutive period of all the patients who suffered at least one episode of in-hospital CRA. A Cox regression multivariate analysis was made to identify the independent factors associated with mortality.
A medical-surgical center in Hospital "Virgen de las Nieves" (HUVN), Granada (Spain).
All the patients attended due to CRA in the hospital, except for those occurring in the operating and recovery room areas. They were followed-up to hospital discharge.
Mortality on hospital discharge.
203 patients who suffered at least one cardiorespiratory arrest in the hospital, with a median age of 67 years and preponderance of male (60.6%). The most common location was in intensive care medicine unit (48%) and cardiac etiology (62%). Hospital survival rate was 23.15%. In multivariate analysis, strong predictors of mortality were administration of any dose of epinephrine during resuscitation maneuvers (OR 3.4; CI 95%. 1.6-7), total duration of resuscitation (HR 1.018; CI 95%, 1.012-1.024) and as protective factors the first ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia rhythm with no pulse (HR 0.6; CI 95%, 0.4-0.9) and witnessed by a doctor (HR 0.6; CI 95%, 0.5-0.9).
The type of witness was identified among the predictors of mortality on hospital discharge after an episode of cardiac arrest. This becomes important because the qualification of healthcare personnel can be improved through adequate training.
PDF
