Key concepts and a world-wide look at plant recruitment networks.

Plant-plant interactions are major determinants of the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. There is a long tradition in the study of these interactions, their mechanisms and their consequences using experimental, observational and theoretical approaches. Empirical studies overwhelmingly focus at the level of species pairs or small sets of species.

Artificial intelligence for identification of candidates for device-aided therapy in Parkinson's disease: DELIST-PD study.

Introduction: In Parkinson's Disease (PD), despite available treatments focusing on symptom alleviation, the effectiveness of conventional therapies decreases over time. This study aims to enhance the identification of candidates for device-aided therapies (DAT) using artificial intelligence (AI), addressing the need for improved treatment selection in advanced PD stages.

Methods: This national, multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study involved 1086 PD patients across Spain.

Use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Pain Management During Intrauterine Device Insertion: A Case Series.

This case series details the use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain management during intrauterine device (IUD) insertion in three different patients. We used a 100 mm horizontal line visual analog scale (VAS) to assess pain associated with the procedure. Case 1 is a 39-year-old primiparous female with a past medical history of depression who presented to the clinic for Mirena IUD insertion.

Correlation of physical function and physical activity with muscle mass measured with computed tomography in adult hemodialysis patients.

Background: muscle mass (MM) plays an important role in the physical function of hemodialysis patients; however, muscle mass measurement can be unreliable and expensive. In contrast, the measurement of physical function (PF) is simple and inexpensive and may serve as an alternative. The aim of this study was to correlate the measurement of MM by computed tomography (CT) with physical function measurements and physical activity (PA) levels in HD patients.

Uterine Leiomyoma Journey With Acessa ProVu System Using General Anesthesia Under Laparoscopic Ultrasound Guidance: A Case Report.

This case report details the evaluation and management of a 40-year-old woman presenting with heavy menstrual bleeding and severe dysmenorrhea. Despite three months of combined oral contraceptives, symptoms persisted. The patient denied other systemic symptoms, with no weight loss, fatigue, or urinary/fecal symptoms.

Plant canopies promote climatic disequilibrium in Mediterranean recruit communities.

Current rates of climate change are exceeding the capacity of many plant species to track climate, thus leading communities to be in disequilibrium with climatic conditions. Plant canopies can contribute to this disequilibrium by buffering macro-climatic conditions and sheltering poorly adapted species to the oncoming climate, particularly in their recruitment stages. Here we analyse differences in climatic disequilibrium between understorey and open ground woody plant recruits in 28 localities, covering more than 100,000 m , across an elevation range embedding temperature and aridity gradients in the southern Iberian Peninsula.

Neuropsychological assessment protocol in an ongoing randomized controlled trial on posterior subthalamic area vs. ventral intermediate nucleus deep brain stimulation for essential tremor.

Objective: Patients with essential tremor (ET) may experience cognitive-affective impairment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of different targets, such as the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus or the posterior subthalamic area (PSA), has been shown to be beneficial for refractory ET. However, there is little evidence regarding the possible neuropsychological effects of PSA-DBS on patients with ET, and there are few studies comparing it with VIM-DBS in this population.

Effect of Insulin Resistance on Abdominal Obesity, Liver Fat Infiltration, and Body Mass Index in Youngsters.

Aim: Evaluate insulin resistance (IR) as a mediator of the effect of body fat distribution on liver fat infiltration and stiffness (LSt) in young adults using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Methods: We invited 500 first year students from two universities and evaluated their family history to determine the risk for cardiometabolic disease. Of these, 174 students (age 19 ± 1 years) were assessed for total body fat percentage (BF%), LSt, fat infiltration (Coefficient attenuated parameter CAP), and serum biochemical analysis.

The role of corticosteroids in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Mexico general Hospital.

Objective: To compare the evolution of hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who received corticosteroid-based treatment versus patients who received standard therapy.

Method: Retrospective, observational, and analytical study. Clinical records were collected from the different intensive care units, and data were obtained from confirmed COVID-19 patients over 18 years of age who were hospitalized.

RecruitNet: A global database of plant recruitment networks.

Plant recruitment interactions (i.e., what recruits under what) shape the composition, diversity, and structure of plant communities.

Short-term forest resilience after drought-induced die-off in Southwestern European forests.

Drought-induced die-off in forests is becoming a widespread phenomenon across biomes, but the factors determining potential shifts in taxonomic and structural characteristics following mortality are largely unknown. We report on short-term patterns of resilience after drought-induced episodes of tree mortality across 48 monospecific forests from Morocco to Slovenia. Field surveys recorded plants growing beneath a canopy of dead, defoliated and healthy trees.

Species climatic niche explains post-fire regeneration of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) under compounded effects of fire and drought in east Spain.

Fire and drought are two major agents that shape Mediterranean ecosystems, but their interacting effects on forest resilience have not been yet fully addressed. We used Pinus halepensis to investigate how compound fire-drought regimes determine the success of post-fire regeneration. We measured the density of P.

Changes in cardiometabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome over time in living kidney donors: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: permissibility in the selection of living kidney donors (LKD) with one or more cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) and/or metabolic syndrome (MS) is an increasingly frequent practice worldwide. These factors, together with kidney donation specifically, are known to be associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: we analyzed the frequency of CMRFs and MS before and after kidney donation in LKD.

Relationship between heatwave-induced forest die-off and climatic suitability in multiple tree species.

In recent decades, many forest die-off events have been reported in relation to climate-change-induced episodes, such as droughts and heat waves. To understand how these extreme climatic events induce forest die-off, it is important to find a tool to standardize the climatic conditions experienced by different populations during a specific climatic event, taking into account the historic climatic conditions of the site where these populations live (bioclimatic niche). In this study, we used estimates of climatic suitability calculated from species distribution models (SDMs) for such purpose.

Effect of Oral Nutritional Supplementation With and Without Exercise on Nutritional Status and Physical Function of Adult Hemodialysis Patients: A Parallel Controlled Clinical Trial (AVANTE-HEMO Study).

Objective: Protein energy wasting affects the nutritional status (NS) and physical function (PF) of dialysis patients. Among the different anabolic strategies to improve NS and PF, oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) and resistance exercise (RE) or aerobic exercise (AE) have been shown to be effective. Nevertheless, the combination of both anabolic strategies has not been completely evaluated.

Association of Parkinson's disease and treatment with aminosalicylates in inflammatory bowel disease: a cross-sectional study in a Spain drug dispensation records.

Objectives: To analyse the association between aminosalicylate-treated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) at population level.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study was performed based on electronic drug prescription and dispensation records of the Andalusian Public Health System.

Mortality in Patients With Chronic Renal Disease Without Health Insurance in Mexico: Opportunities for a National Renal Health Policy.

Introduction: Despite a systematic increase in the coverage of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who have received dialytic therapies and transplantation over the past 2 decades, the Mexican health system currently still does not have a program to provide full coverage of ESRD. Our aim was to analyze mortality in patients with ESRD without health insurance.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 850 patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Clinical Significance of Serum Uric Acid Levels in Mexican Young Adults.

Background: High serum uric acid concentration (SUA >6 for women [W] or 7 mg/dL for men [M]) in adults is an independent risk factor for causing cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD); the risk of high SUA in young population is still being debated.

Summary: We conducted an epidemiological study to determine the association between SUA quartiles with cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) and renal impairment in apparently healthy young adults. CRF (dyslipidemia, overweight [Ow], obesity [Ob], blood pressure [BP], hyperglycemia, insulin resistance [IR]) and renal impairment were defined as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by CKD-Epidemiology Collaboration formula >130/120, <90 mL/min/1.

Thrombotic microangiopathy in patients with diabetic nephropathy is associated with low VEGF expression and end-stage renal disease .

Background: Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) has been associated with diabetic nephropathy, but its pathogenesis is unknown.

Objectives: To determine the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in patients with TMA and diabetes mellitus.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective cohort study, patients were divided into diabetic nephropathy patients either without thrombotic microangiopathy (DN-TMA) or with thrombotic microangiopathy (DN+TMA).

Assessment of urinary TWEAK levels in Mexican patients with untreated lupus nephritis: An exploratory study.

Objectives: Urinary levels of TWEAK (uTWEAK) may be correlated with the degree of lupus nephritis (LN) activity. Our objective was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of uTWEAK in Mexican patients with untreated active lupus nephritis.

Methods: An exploratory study was performed; four groups of patients were analyzed as follows: 1) patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without renal activity (SLE-LN), 2) patients with SLE with renal activity (SLE+LN), 3) patients with other types of glomerulopathy (glomerulonephritis, GMN), 4) and healthy patients (controls).

A first insight into the genetic diversity of in Veracruz, Mexico.

Objective/background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important infectious diseases. Although Mexico is one of the Latin American countries with the largest contribution to these statistics, there are few reports that describe the genotypic characteristics of TB. The aim of this study was to use the MIRU-VNTR-24 loci to analyze the genetic diversity of M.

Recent developments in biological water oxidation.

Rapid progress has been made in the last five years towards resolution of the structure of nature's water splitting catalyst - a Mn4O5Ca cofactor embedded in Photosystem II - especially in the field of X-ray crystallography. In addition, recent magnetic resonance data have allowed the structure of the cofactor to be accessed in its last metastable intermediate state, prior to O-O bond formation. This activated form of the catalyst is geometrically similar to that seen by X-ray crystallography, which represents the resting state of the cofactor, but requires the coordination of an additional water molecule to the cofactor, rendering all Mn ions six coordinate.