Immigration hides the decline caused by an anthropogenic trap and drives the spectacular increase of a mobile predator.

Accurate identification of decreasing trends is a prerequisite for successful conservation, but can be challenging when immigration compensates local declines in abundance. Here, we show that a potential declining trend driven by low vital rates was overridden and converted into a spectacular increase by massive immigration into the population of a semi-social raptor, the black kite Milvus migrans, breeding in a highly contaminated area near a major landfill. Immigration was promoted by a growing food-base of live prey, coupled with the attraction exerted by the progressive gathering of a large flock of non-breeders at the area, resulting in an "attraction spiral" that lured large numbers of breeders to settle into a contaminated population incapable of self-sustenance.

Molecular Structure of the Na,K-ATPase α4β1 Isoform in Its Ouabain-Bound Conformation.

Na,K-ATPase is the active ion transport system that maintains the electrochemical gradients for Na and K across the plasma membrane of most animal cells. Na,K-ATPase is constituted by the association of two major subunits, a catalytic α and a glycosylated β subunit, both of which exist as different isoforms (in mammals known as α1, α2, α3, α4, β1, β2 and β3). Na,K-ATPase α and β isoforms assemble in different combinations to produce various isozymes with tissue specific expression and distinct biochemical properties.

Repeated evolution on oceanic islands: comparative genomics reveals species-specific processes in birds.

Understanding the interplay between genetic drift, natural selection, gene flow, and demographic history in driving phenotypic and genomic differentiation of insular populations can help us gain insight into the speciation process. Comparing patterns across different insular taxa subjected to similar selective pressures upon colonizing oceanic islands provides the opportunity to study repeated evolution and identify shared patterns in their genomic landscapes of differentiation. We selected four species of passerine birds (Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs/canariensis, Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, House Finch  Haemorhous mexicanus and Dark-eyed/island Junco Junco hyemalis/insularis) that have both mainland and insular populations.

Population monitoring and conservation implications of intra- and interspecific nest occupation rates in swallows.

With the exception of a few groups of birds, such as large raptors and colonial seabirds, direct counts of nests cannot be conducted over very large areas for most of the abundant and widely distributed species, and thus indirect methods are used to estimate their relative abundances and population sizes. However, many species of the Family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins) build their mud nests in discrete, predictable and accessible sites, which are reused across years. Therefore, the direct count of active nests could constitute a reliable method for estimating breeding population sizes and their changes at large spatial and temporal scales.

Early life movements and mortality of Egyptian vultures: Implications for transcontinental conservation.

Understanding the movements and mortality of individuals across different life stages is crucial for the effective conservation of wild populations. We used data from 32 Egyptian vultures () tagged with GPS transmitters as nestlings in three Iberian breeding areas to study their dependence period, migration routes, movements in Africa, and mortality at each stage. Our results show no significant differences in the timing of nest departure or the duration of the dependence period between individuals of different sexes or breeding nuclei.

Evaluating the implementation of a hypertension program based on mHealth and community pharmacies integration to primary care centers at a municipality level in Argentina during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: While pharmacists-led interventions in hypertension have proven effective in high-income countries, their implementation and impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remain limited. This study assessed the implementation and outcomes of the hypertension program FarmaTeCuida (FTC), which integrated community pharmacies into the public primary care level using information and communication technologies. The study took place during the pandemic in General Pueyrredón, Buenos Aires, Argentina, so modifications to the implementation strategy and expected outcomes were also analyzed.

Comparative analysis of microplastics detection methods applied to marine sediments: A case study in the Bay of Marseille.

An intercomparison exercise on "microplastics in sediment" was carried out by five laboratories using samples collected in the Bay of Marseille in September 2021. The results from different extraction and identification methods varied depending on the type and size classes of MPs, and was better than 80 % for the size class >300 μm and for the fragments. The variability in recovery rates can be attributed to the choice of reagents and extraction protocols.

Single-cell Analysis of Debrided Diabetic Foot Ulcers Reveals Dysregulated Wound Healing Environment in non-Hispanic Blacks.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a critical complication of diabetes, but the wound microenvironment and its healing process are not completely understood. In this study, we optimized single-cell profiling from sharp debrided ulcers. Our findings demonstrate that healing-DFUs were significantly enriched with distinct fibroblasts expressing genes related to inflammation (CHI3L1, IL6) and extracellular matrix remodeling (ASPN), validating our previous studies on surgically resected ulcers.

Spontaneous Regression Accompanied by Concomitant Immune Alterations in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Spontaneous regression (SR) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a rare event (0.2% - 1%). Some advances have been made in understanding the tumor genetic characteristics of such patients, although the immunological mechanisms leading to SR remain unclear.

Seed dispersal by the cosmopolitan house sparrow widens the spectrum of unexpected endozoochory by granivore birds.

In the intricate web of plant-animal interactions, granivore birds can play a dual antagonist-mutualist role as seed predators and dispersers. This study delves into the ecological significance of the house sparrow () as seed disperser by endozoochory. A sample of individual droppings and faecal pools were collected from a communal roost in central Spain to examine the presence of seeds.

Discovery of Monovalent Direct Degraders of BRD4 That Act Via the Recruitment of DCAF11.

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) using the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is a rapidly growing drug discovery modality to eliminate pathogenic proteins. Strategies for TPD have focused on heterobifunctional degraders that often suffer from poor drug-like properties, and molecular glues that rely on serendipitous discovery. Monovalent "direct" degraders represent an alternative approach, in which small molecules bind to a target protein and induce degradation of that protein through the recruitment of an E3 ligase complex.

Pesticides in water and sediments from natural protected areas of Spain and their associated ecological risk.

In the last years, issues related to intensive agriculture have been found in protected areas potentially harming wildlife. This study aimed to analyze a wide range of pesticides in water and sediments of two protected areas namely Doñana Natural Park (DNP) and Tablas de Daimiel National Park (TDNP) performing an environmental risk assessment in order to highlight potential risks to living organisms derived from pesticide burden. Higher pesticide load was found in DNP than TDNP with similar distribution profiles, with pyrethroid insecticides (PYRs) the main detected class.

Expanding science skills: teaching tissue culture, data analysis, and reporting through imaging the actin cytoskeleton.

Within the eukaryotic cell, the actin cytoskeleton is a crucial structural framework that maintains cellular form, regulates cell movement and division, and facilitates the internal transportation of proteins and organelles. External cues induce alterations in the actin cytoskeleton primarily through the activation of Rho GTPases, which then bind to a diverse array of effector proteins to promote the local assembly or disassembly of actin. We have harnessed the extensively studied functions of RhoA in the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton to craft a practical series for Stage 2 Biology students.

Discipline and punishment in panoptical public goods games.

In Public Goods Games (PGG), the temptation to free-ride on others' contributions poses a significant threat to the sustainability of cooperative societies. Therefore, societies strive to mitigate this through incentive systems, employing rewards and punishments to foster cooperative behavior. Thus, peer punishment, in which cooperators sanction defectors, as well as pool punishment, where a centralized punishment institution executes the punishment, is deeply analyzed in previous works.

Publication Bias in Upper Gastrointestinal Oncology Clinical Trials.

Purpose: Evidence-based medicine requires evaluation of the medical literature to guide clinical reasoning and treatment recommendations. The presence of publication bias towards exclusion of non-statistically significant clinical trials may be leading to an incomplete evaluation of the literature and cause potentially incomplete guidance for patients. We aimed to compare publication rates and impact of publications of positive and negative outcome clinical trials.

Age and sex differences in pharmaceutical contamination in a keystone scavenger.

Pharmaceutical contaminants have a recognized negative impact on wildlife health. However, there are still many knowledge gaps on the factors influencing exposure and metabolic processing of compound mixtures as a function of season and individual characteristics such as age and sex. We evaluated age and sex differences in a set of seventeen compounds, including eleven antibiotics, five NSAIDs and caffeine, evaluated by HPLC-MS-TOF analysis in griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from central Spain.

[Prevalence, knowledge and control of arterial hypertension in vulnerable neighborhoods of Argentina: A Cross-sectional Study].

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) represents the primary individual risk factor, contributing significantly to the global burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In our country, epidemiological research has highlighted substantial variations in the prevalence of these risk factors across different populations. However, there is a lack of epidemiological studies assessing exclusive cardiovascular risk factors within vulnerable neighborhoods characterized by extremely limited economic resources, sociocultural challenges, and inadequate healthcare access.

Leukaemia exposure alters the transcriptional profile and function of BCR::ABL1 negative macrophages in the bone marrow niche.

Macrophages are fundamental cells of the innate immune system that support normal haematopoiesis and play roles in both anti-cancer immunity and tumour progression. Here we use a chimeric mouse model of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and human bone marrow (BM) derived macrophages to study the impact of the dysregulated BM microenvironment on bystander macrophages. Utilising single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) negative macrophages we reveal unique subpopulations of immature macrophages residing in the CML BM microenvironment.

Deletion of the Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 1 (Sglt-1) impairs mouse sperm movement.

The Sodium Glucose Cotransporter Isoform 1 (Sglt-1) is a symporter that moves Na and glucose into the cell. While most studies have focused on the role of Sglt-1 in the small intestine and kidney, little is known about this transporter's expression and function in other tissues. We have previously shown that Sglt-1 is expressed in the mouse sperm flagellum and that its inhibition interferes with sperm metabolism and function.

Plasma steroid concentrations reflect acute disease severity and normalise during recovery in people hospitalised with COVID-19.

Objective: Endocrine systems are disrupted in acute illness, and symptoms reported following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are similar to those found with clinical hormone deficiencies. We hypothesised that people with severe acute COVID-19 and with post-COVID symptoms have glucocorticoid and sex hormone deficiencies.

Design/patients: Samples were obtained for analysis from two UK multicentre cohorts during hospitalisation with COVID-19 (International Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Consortium/World Health Organisation [WHO] Clinical Characterization Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections in the UK study), and at follow-up 5 months after hospitalisation (Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study).

Microbiome differences related to metformin intolerance among Black individuals with diabetes, a pilot cross-sectional study.

Aims: Metformin is the broadly accepted the first-line medication for diabetes. Its use, however, is limited by gastrointestinal side effects present in approximately 25% of patients. This study aimed to better understand the interplay between metformin intolerance and gut microbiota among Black individuals with diabetes.