The role of maternal age, growth, and environment in shaping offspring performance in an aerial conifer seed bank.

Premise: Maternal effects have been demonstrated to affect offspring performance in many organisms, and in plants, seeds are important mediators of these effects. Some woody plant species maintain long-lasting canopy seed banks as an adaptation to wildfires. Importantly, these seeds stored in serotinous cones are produced by the mother plant under varying ontogenetic and physiological conditions.

The GenTree Platform: growth traits and tree-level environmental data in 12 European forest tree species.

Background: Progress in the field of evolutionary forest ecology has been hampered by the huge challenge of phenotyping trees across their ranges in their natural environments, and the limitation in high-resolution environmental information.

Findings: The GenTree Platform contains phenotypic and environmental data from 4,959 trees from 12 ecologically and economically important European forest tree species: Abies alba Mill. (silver fir), Betula pendula Roth.

Author Correction: The GenTree Dendroecological Collection, tree-ring and wood density data from seven tree species across Europe.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The GenTree Dendroecological Collection, tree-ring and wood density data from seven tree species across Europe.

The dataset presented here was collected by the GenTree project (EU-Horizon 2020), which aims to improve the use of forest genetic resources across Europe by better understanding how trees adapt to their local environment. This dataset of individual tree-core characteristics including ring-width series and whole-core wood density was collected for seven ecologically and economically important European tree species: silver birch (Betula pendula), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Norway spruce (Picea abies), European black poplar (Populus nigra), maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and sessile oak (Quercus petraea). Tree-ring width measurements were obtained from 3600 trees in 142 populations and whole-core wood density was measured for 3098 trees in 125 populations.

Phenotypic integration and life history strategies among populations of Pinus halepensis: an insight through structural equation modelling.

Background And Aims: Understanding inter-population variation in the allocation of resources to specific anatomical compartments and physiological processes is crucial to disentangle adaptive patterns in forest species. This work aims to evaluate phenotypic integration and trade-offs among functional traits as determinants of life history strategies in populations of a circum-Mediterranean pine that dwells in environments where water and other resources are in limited supply.

Methods: Adult individuals of 51 populations of Pinus halepensis grown in a common garden were characterized for 11 phenotypic traits, including direct and indirect measures of water uptake at different depths, leaf area, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, non-structural carbohydrates, stem diameter and tree height, age at first reproduction and cone production.

Maintenance costs of serotiny in a variably serotinous pine: The role of water supply.

Serotiny is an important adaptation for plants in fire-prone environments. However, different mechanisms also induce the opening of serotinous cones in the absence of fire in variably serotinous species. Xeriscence -cone opening driven by dry and hot conditions- is considered to be mediated only by the external environment, but endogenous factors could also play a significant role.

Using a brain-machine interface to control a hybrid upper limb exoskeleton during rehabilitation of patients with neurological conditions.

Background: As a consequence of the increase of cerebro-vascular accidents, the number of people suffering from motor disabilities is raising. Exoskeletons, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) devices and Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs) could be combined for rehabilitation purposes in order to improve therapy outcomes.

Methods: In this work, a system based on a hybrid upper limb exoskeleton is used for neurological rehabilitation.

Treatment of Morton neuroma with botulinum toxin A: a pilot study.

Background And Objective: Morton neuroma is a common cause of metatarsalgia of neuropathic origin. Systematic reviews suggest that insufficient studies have been performed on the efficacy of the different treatments available. OnabotulinumtoxinA has shown a degree of usefulness in other conditions associated with neuropathic pain.

Botulinum toxin for the treatment of myofascial pain syndromes involving the neck and back: a review from a clinical perspective.

Introduction. Botulinum toxin inhibits acetylcholine (ACh) release and probably blocks some nociceptive neurotransmitters. It has been suggested that the development of myofascial trigger points (MTrP) is related to an excess release of ACh to increase the number of sensitized nociceptors.

Outcome instruments to assess scoliosis surgery.

Purpose: To review and summarize the current knowledge regarding the outcome measures used to evaluate scoliosis surgery.

Methods: Literature review.

Results: Outcome instruments should be tested to ensure that they have adequate metric characteristics: content and construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness.

Further evaluation of the Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale: correlation with curve pattern and radiological deformity.

Background: The Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale (WRVAS) was designed to measure physical deformity as perceived by patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Previous studies have shown that the instrument has excellent internal consistency and a high correlation with the radiological magnitude of scoliotic curves. Nonetheless, it is not known whether the scale can discriminate between the various curve patterns of the deformity, or whether the deformities represented in the scale's drawings relate to the corresponding radiological deformities.

Validity of the Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale to measure subjective perception of spine deformity in patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: The Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale (WRVAS) was designed to allow idiopathic scoliosis patients to describe their perception of their deformity. In a previous stduy, the scale has shown good correlation with magnitude of the curve

Methods: The study included 70 patients (60 women and 10 men), mean age 19.4 years (range 12-40), with idiopathic scoliosis.

Validity of the Spanish version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) Patient Questionnaire.

Study Design: A cross-sectional multicenter study was performed to validate the Spanish version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) Patient Questionnaire.

Objectives: To determine the construct validity and convergent validity of the instrument.

Methods: The Spanish version of the SRS-22 was given to 175 patients with scoliosis (mean age, 19 years old and 86% women).

The Spanish version of the SRS-22 patient questionnaire for idiopathic scoliosis: transcultural adaptation and reliability analysis.

Study Design: Validation of the transcultural adaptation of a questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life.

Objectives: To translate and culturally adapt the SRS-22 questionnaire to Spanish. To determine the metric qualities (internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility) of this questionnaire.

[The links between technology and specialist practice in rehabilitation: the model of gymnastic technology in 19th century Spain].

Gymnastic technology had a decisive role in the configuration of a particular medical specialty, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Its study is critical to understand the strong division of work roles that existed in this field, with a medical specialty and several professions linked to physiotherapy and rehabilitation. This process was developed in two well-defined phases: the assimilation of the knowledge and technological advances of gymnasts at the beginning of the 19th century, and the appropriation of the use of these appliances by doctors.

Survival study of opioid addicts in relation to its adherence to methadone maintenance treatment.

Objectives: To study the putative role of methadone maintenance treatment in the improvement of life expectancy of opioid addicts.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal study.

Participants: All 1487 patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Alicante between June 1990 and December 1997.