Canopy Architecture and Sun Exposure Influence Berry Cluster-Water Relations in the Grapevine Variety Muscat of Alexandria.

Climate-change-related increases in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves affect viticulture, leading to losses in yield and grape quality. We assessed whether canopy-architecture manipulation mitigates the effects of summer stress in a Mediterranean vineyard. The L variety Muscat of Alexandria plants were monitored during 2019-2020.

The ADnet Bayesian belief network for alder decline: Integrating empirical data and expert knowledge.

The globalization in plant material trading has caused the emergence of invasive pests in many ecosystems, such as the alder pathogen Phytophthora ×alni in European riparian forests. Due to the ecological importance of alder to the functioning of rivers and the increasing incidence of P. ×alni-induced alder decline, effective and accessible decision tools are required to help managers and stakeholders control the disease.

Treatable traits in COPD patients.

There is no justification for a therapeutic nihilism in clinical practice because current management (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) of the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease according to treatable traits is effective in decreasing their respiratory symptoms, increasing their exercise tolerance and capacity, improving their quality of life, preventing (and treating) many of their exacerbations and decreasing their mortality.

Effects of Recent Minimum Temperature and Water Deficit Increases on Pinus pinaster Radial Growth and Wood Density in Southern Portugal.

Western Iberia has recently shown increasing frequency of drought conditions coupled with heatwave events, leading to exacerbated limiting climatic conditions for plant growth. It is not clear to what extent wood growth and density of agroforestry species have suffered from such changes or recent extreme climate events. To address this question, tree-ring width and density chronologies were built for a Pinus pinaster stand in southern Portugal and correlated with climate variables, including the minimum, mean and maximum temperatures and the number of cold days.

Synergy of extreme drought and shrub invasion reduce ecosystem functioning and resilience in water-limited climates.

Extreme drought events and plant invasions are major drivers of global change that can critically affect ecosystem functioning and alter ecosystem-atmosphere exchange. Invaders are expanding worldwide and extreme drought events are projected to increase in frequency and intensity. However, very little is known on how these drivers may interact to affect the functioning and resilience of ecosystems to extreme events.

Hydraulic connectivity from roots to branches depicted through sap flow: analysis on a Quercus suber tree.

The topology of the xylem network is likely to affect the transport of water, propagation of embolism and plant survival and growth. Few studies have been conducted on the hydraulics of the entire water pathway in trees. We evaluated the hydraulic connections from roots to branches in a mature Quercus suber L.

Disentangling drought-induced variation in ecosystem and soil respiration using stable carbon isotopes.

Combining C flux measurements with information on their isotopic composition can yield a process-based understanding of ecosystem C dynamics. We studied the variations in both respiratory fluxes and their stable C isotopic compositions (delta(13)C) for all major components (trees, understory, roots and soil microorganisms) in a Mediterranean oak savannah during a period with increasing drought. We found large drought-induced and diurnal dynamics in isotopic compositions of soil, root and foliage respiration (delta(13)C(res)).

Post-neurosurgical multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis successfully treated with intrathecal colistin. A new case and a systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: Post-neurosurgical nosocomial meningitis has become an important subgroup of bacterial meningitis in the hospital setting. The increase in meningitis caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii has resulted in a significant reduction in available treatment options.

Case Report And Literature Review: We report the case of a 36-year-old man with a complex craniofacial trauma, who developed a nosocomial meningitis due to MDR A.

High mobility group box-1 expression correlates with poor outcome in lung injury patients.

Chest trauma is frequently followed by pulmonary contusion and sepsis. High mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) is a late mediator of severe sepsis that has been associated with mortality under experimental conditions. We studied HMGB-1 mRNA expression in patients with lung injury and its relationship with the severity of trauma and survival.

Variations in growth, survival and carbon isotope composition (delta(13)C) among Pinus pinaster populations of different geographic origins.

To evaluate differences in growth and adaptability of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.), we studied growth, polycyclism, needle tissue carbon isotope composition (delta(13)C) as an estimate of water-use efficiency (WUE) and survival of seven populations at 10 years of age growing in a performance trial at a provenance test site in Escaroupim, Portugal. Six populations were from relatively high rainfall sites in Portugal and southwestern France (Atlantic group), and one population was from a more arid Mediterranean site in Spain.

Use of platelet-rich plasma in the management of oral biphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw: a report of 2 cases.

Bisphosphonates (BP) are nonhormonal medications used in the treatment of various bone malignancies and metabolic conditions. Since 2003, there have appeared a significant and growing number of articles in the worldwide medical and dental literature describing the complication of an osteonecrosis of the jaws associated with the intravenous and, most recently, the oral form of BP medication that has been refractory to any definitive form of treatment. The authors have successfully managed 2 patients taking the oral form of BP with adjunctive treatment using platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and in one case with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO).

Complicated pleural effusion in children - therapeutical approach.

Pediatric management of complicated pleural effusion (CPE) remains controversial. Different approaches include antibiotics and chest tube drainage alone or the use of fibrinolitics, videothorascoscopy (VTC) and surgical decortication through thoracotomy. The aim of the present study was to review, evaluate and update technical approach to CPE.

Importance of short-term dynamics in carbon isotope ratios of ecosystem respiration (delta13C(R)) in a Mediterranean oak woodland and linkage to environmental factors.

Temporal dynamics in carbon isotope ratios of ecosystem respiration (delta13C(R)) were evaluated on hourly, daily and annual timescales in a Mediterranean woodland. Emphasis was given to the periods of transition from wet to dry season and vice versa, when the system turns from a net carbon sink to a source. The constancy of nocturnal delta13C(R) was tested.