Age- and Sex-Related Volumetric Density Differences in Trabecular and Cortical Bone of the Proximal Femur in Healthy Population.

Background: There are age- and sex-related increases in the prevalence of osteoporosis. Bone densitometry based on dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard for the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD). Three-dimensional (3D) analysis of the proximal femur (3D-DXA) allows discrimination between cortical and trabecular compartments, and it has shown a good correlation with computed tomography.

Variations in the root mycobiome and mycorrhizal fungi between different types of Vanilla forest farms on Réunion Island.

The mycorrhizal fungi of cultivated Vanilla spp. have mainly been studied in America, while a recent study has investigated them on Réunion Island (Indian Ocean). However, there are many different types of cultivation on Réunion, from shade-house crops to forest farms of endemic or exotic trees.

Beyond lectures and practical courses: Teaching pharmacology using imaginative pedagogical tools.

Pharmacology has broadened its scope considerably in recent decades. Initially, it was of interest to chemists, doctors and pharmacists. In recent years, however, it has been incorporated into the teaching of biologists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, chemical engineers and many health professionals, among others.

Spatial variability of hydrochemistry and environmental controls in karst aquifers of the southern Iberian Peninsula: Implications for climate change impact assessment.

Carbonate aquifers are crucial water and carbon reservoirs globally, particularly in semi-arid climates. However, these systems are susceptible to the impacts of climate change, given their sensitivity to specific environmental factors. This study presents the hydrochemical (water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and major ions) and isotopic (δC) composition of 39 karst springs in the southern Iberian Peninsula, along with the parameterization of environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, recharge altitude, and vegetation cover quantified by the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index, NDVI) in their recharge areas.

Gains and losses of the epiphytic lifestyle in epidendroid orchids: review and new analyses of succulence traits.

Background And Aims: Epiphytism has evolved repeatedly in plants and has resulted in a considerable number of species with original characteristics. Because water supply is generally erratic compared to that in soils, succulent forms in particular are widespread in epiphytic species. However, succulent organs also exist in terrestrial plants, and the question of the concomitant evolution of epiphytism and succulence has received little attention, not even in the epidendroid orchids, which account for 67.