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En este estudio se evalúa la contaminación metálica que se produce a lo largo del tiempo al depositar en el suelo hojalata y hoja de aluminio, procedentes de envases comerciales de bebidas. Con el fin de evaluar el efecto del proceso de fabricación, se ha investigado el comportamiento del acero F111 y de la aleación de aluminio 3003, frecuentemente utilizados en la elaboración de estos envases. Para el estudio, se propone un diseño experimental que simula la degradación medioambiental a lo largo del tiempo de este tipo de envases cuando se depositan de forma incontrolada en el suelo. Los indicadores analíticos se han obtenido determinando la concentración de los metales mayoritarios en tres medios: agua, agua en presencia de suelo, y absorción-adsorción en suelo. Se ha desarrollado una metodología analítica para la determinación de la concentración de los elementos contaminantes mediante Espectrometría de Emisión Atómica con fuente de excitación ICP (ICP-OES). El método ha sido validado utilizando Materiales de Referencia (CRMs) de metales en suelo y agua; la precisión obtenida varía de 5,39 a 5,86% y de 5,75 a 6,27%, respectivamente, dependiendo del elemento analizado. El estudio estadístico llevado a cabo ha consistido en un análisis descriptivo seguido de un análisis factorial (modelo lineal general). La cuantificación metálica en los tres medios muestra que el suelo tiene un gran efecto inhibidor en la solubilidad de estos metales en agua. El proceso de fabricación de los envases para ambos materiales reduce la cesión metálica al medio.

Se anotan nuevos datos sobre la distribución, biología y fenología de 25 especies de hemeróbidos (Insecta, Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae) de las Faunas Ibérica y Canaria. La especie Hemerobius bolivari Banks, 1910, ampliamente distribuida por la Región Neotropical, se cita por primera vez de Europa como una nueva especie invasora, a partir de ejemplares recolectados en colonias de Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero y Dellapé, 2006 (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae:) sobre Eucalyptus en Lisboa (Portugal). Esta especie, junto a Sympherobius gayi Navás, 1910, también originaria de Sudamérica, es la segunda especie invasora de origen neotropical que de esta familia se cita en la Península Ibérica, en este caso también de Portugal. Se mencionan varias especies que han sido muy escasamente citadas en la Península Ibérica, y entre ellas destaca Wesmaelius ravus (Withycombe, 1923), que se cita por segunda vez en la Península Ibérica, en este caso de Sierra Nevada (Granada). A partir de muestreos realizados en el sur de España (Málaga, Granada), se desprende actividad en los imagos de Micromus angulatus (Stephens, 1836) en los meses de invierno (a lo largo de todo el año en la Península Ibérica, incluyendo esta zona ibérica), y estos datos también parecen corroborar su vinculación con la vegetación arvense.

Se ha partido de una nueva ecuación constitutiva capaz de reproducir las curvas tensión-deformación para cada velocidad de deformación y temperatura. Aplicando esta ecuación se pueden obtener los parámetros característicos de la recristalización dinámica para cada una de las curvas de fluencia. En este trabajo se ha hecho un estudio experimental de los tamaños de grano finales, sus distribuciones de frecuencia y fracciones de área que, junto con los parámetros característicos de la recristalización dinámica, han permitido establecer modelos predictivos para las condiciones finales de microestructura de materiales metálicos policristalinos. El método se ha aplicado a la aleación de magnesio AZ31 deformada en caliente. Se predicen tanto valores promedio de tamaños de grano final como distribuciones de fracciones de área y de frecuencia de los mismos. También, se predicen los parámetros característicos de la recristalización dinámica del material que constituyen elementos de control del proceso de deformación.

Background: Giant pituitary adenoma (≥4 cm) is a rare tumor whose clinical features and prognosis are not well known., Aim: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of giant non-functioning PA (gNFPA)., Patients and Methods: A retrospective multicenter study of gNFPA patients diagnosed in a 12-year period was performed. In each patient, clinical data and therapeutic outcomes were registered., Results: Forty patients (24 men, age 54.2 ± 16.2 years) were studied. The maximum tumor diameter [median (interquartile range)] was 4.6 cm (4.1-5.1). Women had larger tumors [4.8 cm (4.2-5.4) vs. 4.5 cm (4.0-4.9); p=0.048]. Hypopituitarism [partial (n=22, 55%) or complete (n=9, 22.5%)] at diagnosis was present in 77.5% of the patients. Visual field defects were found in 90.9%. The most used surgical technique was endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal (EET) surgery (n=31, 77.5%). Radiotherapy was used in 11 (27.5%) patients (median dose 50.4 Gy, range 50-54). Thirty-seven patients were followed for 36 months (10-67 months). Although more than half of these patients showed tumor persistence (n=25, 67.6%), tumor size was significantly reduced [0.8 cm (0-2.5); p<0.001]. At last visit, 12 patients (32.4%) showed absence of tumor on MRI. Hypopituitarism rate was similar (75.0%), although with significant changes (p<0.001) in the distribution of the type of hypopituitarism. The absence of tumor at the last visit was positively associated with positive immunohistochemical staining for FSH (p=0.01) and LH (p=0.006) and negatively with female sex (p=0.011), cavernous sinus invasion (p=0.005) and the presence of Knosp grade 4 (p=0.013)., Conclusion: gNFPAs are more frequent in men but tumors are larger in women. Surgical treatment is followed by a complete tumor resection rate of approximately 30%. Positive immunostaining for gonadotropins is associated with tumor absence at last revision, while female sex and invasion of the cavernous sinuses with tumor persistence., Competing Interests: Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Holobionts are symbiotic assemblages composed by a macrobe host (animal or plant) plus its symbiotic microbiota. In recent years, the ontological status of holobionts has created a great amount of controversy among philosophers and biologists: are holobionts biological individuals or are they rather ecological communities of independent individuals that interact together? Chiu and Eberl have recently developed an eco-immunity account of the holobiont wherein holobionts are neither biological individuals nor ecological communities, but hybrids between a host and its microbiota. According to their account, the microbiota is not a proper part of the holobiont. Yet, it should be regarded as a set of scaffolds that support the individuality of the host. In this paper, we approach Chiu and Eberl's account from a metaphysical perspective and argue that, contrary to what the authors claim, the eco-immunity account entails that the microorganisms that compose the host's microbiota are proper parts of the holobiont. Second, we argue that by claiming that holobionts are hybrids, and therefore, not biological individuals, the authors seem to be assuming a controversial position about the ontology of hybrids, which are conventionally characterized as a type of biological individual. In doing so, our paper aligns with the contemporary tendency to incorporate metaphysical resources to shed light on current biological debates and builds on that to provide additional support to the consideration of holobionts as biological individuals from an eco-immunity perspective., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Contemporary biological research has suggested that some host-microbiome multispecies systems (referred to as "holobionts") can in certain circumstances evolve as unique biological individual, thus being a unit of selection in evolution. If this is so, then it is arguably the case that some biological adaptations have evolved at the level of the multispecies system, what we call hologenomic adaptations . However, no research has yet been devoted to investigating their nature, or how these adaptations can be distinguished from adaptations at the species-level (genomic adaptations). In this paper, we cover this gap by investigating the nature of hologenomic adaptations. By drawing on the case of the evolution of sanguivory diet in vampire bats, we argue that a trait constitutes a hologenomic adaptation when its evolution can only be explained if the holobiont is considered the biological individual that manifests this adaptation, while the bacterial taxa that bear the trait are only opportunistic beneficiaries of it. We then use the philosophical notions of emergence and inter-identity to explain the nature of this form of individuality and argue why it is special of holobionts. Overall, our paper illustrates how the use of philosophical concepts can illuminate scientific discussions, in the trend of what has recently been called metaphysics of biology., (Copyright © 2020 Suárez and Triviño.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Introduction: Trapeziometacarpal (TMC) osteoarthritis is a common disease. Patients with advanced disease who have failed conservative treatment have different surgical options, including total joint prosthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcome and complications of trapeziometacarpal (TMC) total arthroplasty., Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty-seven patients with TMC osteoarthritis were surgically treated with TMC arthroplasty, and one hundred and thirty-seven patients were seen for follow-up (102 women and 35 men). At follow -up patients were asked to complete a visual linearanalogue scale (VAS) for satisfaction with the result of the operation and persisting pain from the thumb, the Spanish validated Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire was used to evaluate function of the affected hand.(9) The radiological examination consisted of posterior-anterior and oblique radiographs. In preoperative radiographs Eaton-Little was used, and in postoperative radiographs were assessed with regard to implant loosening and alignment., Results: The subjective outcome was satisfactory in 126 cases (92 %), 14 (12 %) patients would undergo the same procedure in the other hand. The DASH questionnaireswere 19.55 (range 5.6-33,5) on average, and EVA was 1 on average. The mean key pinch strength was 5.8 Kg at 5 years follow-up. The most frequent postoperative complication was De Quervain tenosynovitis (21%), other complications were: Cup loosening (3.6%), traumatic dislocation (3,6%). The prosthesis was removed in nine cases (7%). There were four intraoperative complications. The survival rate for ARPE prosthesis was 92,7% at 60,5 months. TMC total arthroplasty offers a reliable treatment alternative in patients with thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthrosis which conservatives' treatment had failed., Conclusions: The TMC joint prosthesis is an option for patients with TCM osteoarthritis, provides satisfactory outcomes and has a low failure rate.(www.actabiomedica.it).

The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and clinical features of incidentally discovered clinically non-functioning pituitary adenoma (CNFPA) and to analyze its natural history. A multicenter retrospective study in patients diagnosed with incidental CNFPA periodically followed-up in 3 specialized neuroendocrinology units from 1992 to 2015 was performed. Out of a total of 189 CNFPA patients, 57 cases (30.1%; 29 women; age at diagnosis 55.8±16.7 years) were incidental. Most patients (n=55, 96.5%) were diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A sum of 71.9% (n=41) were macroadenomas; 2 of them (3.5%) were giant adenomas (≥4 cm). Patients with macroadenomas were older than those with microadenomas (59.5±16.7 vs. 46.4±18.1 years, p=0.007). Macroadenomas were more common in men (85.7% vs. 58.6%, p=0.023). Twenty-eight patients (49.1%) showed suprasellar extension; of these, 19 were accompanied by chiasmatic compression. Hypopituitarism was present in 14 (24.6%) patients; which was partial in 13 patients (22.8%) and complete in one patient (1.8%). The gonadal axis was the most frequently affected (n=13, 22.8%). Twenty four patients (42.1%) underwent surgery. Of the non-operated patients, 26 patients could be evaluated morphologically after a median follow-up of 15.5 months (interquartile range, 5.7-32.7 months). No significant changes were found in the maximum tumor diameter at the end of follow-up (1.2±0.6 vs 1.2±0.7 cm). The majority of CNFPAs evaluated (n=23, 88.5%) did not show any changes in size. In 2 cases (7.7%) tumor size decreased, and in one patient (3.8%) increased. In our series of CNFPA patients, approximately one-third were incidental. These tumors were diagnosed by MRI preferably from the 5th decade of life without sex predilection. Most of them were macroadenomas, more commonly diagnosed in men and at an older age, compared to microadenomas. The suprasellar extension with chiasmatic compression and hypopituitarism were frequent at diagnosis. Most of the non-operated incidental CNFPAs remain with stable tumor size over time, growth being an unusual event., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Objective: To assess clinical features, diagnostic procedures, therapies and outcomes in patients with clinically non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) surgically treated over the last four decades., Design and Methods: A multicenter retrospective study in NFPA patients periodically followed up in specialized neuroendocrinology units who underwent surgery in the period 1977-2015 was performed., Results: A total of 131 patients were studied [66 women (50.4%); mean age 52.6±14.8years (range, 15-82)]. Median diameter of the adenoma was 2.6cm (interquartile range, 2.0-3.1). The most frequently type of surgery used was endoscopic endonasal surgery (58.5%) followed by microscopic transsphenoidal surgery (37.4%). Radiation therapy was used in 19 patients (14.5%). Ki-67 labeling index performed in 54 patients was ≤2% in 70% samples. After a median follow-up time of 57months (25 to 128months), tumor diameter significantly decreased to 0.9cm (0-1.8cm), p<0.001. Multivariant analysis showed that endoscopic endonasal surgery (HR 2.74, 1.06-6.87, p=0.036) and radiotherapy (HR 0.04, 0.02-0.65, p=0.024) behaved as positive and negative predictors, respectively, of tumor absence in the follow-up. Endoscopic endonasal surgery (HR 6.71, 1.45-31.05, p=0.015) was the only positive predictor for complete cure in the follow-up., Conclusion: NFPAs surgically treated in Spain are usually macroadenomas diagnosed around the sixth decade of life with no sex predilection. Type of surgery is associated with clinical outcome. Endoscopic endonasal surgery behaves as a positive predictor for the absence of tumor imaging and complete cure in the follow up., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The notion of fitness is usually equated to reproductive success. However, this actualist approach presents some difficulties, mainly the explanatory circularity problem, which have lead philosophers of biology to offer alternative definitions in which fitness and reproductive success are distinguished. In this paper, we argue  that none of these alternatives is satisfactory and, inspired by Mumford and Anjum's dispositional theory of causation, we offer a definition of fitness as a causal dispositional property. We argue that, under this framework, the distinctiveness that biologists usually attribute to fitness-namely, the fact that fitness is something different from both the physical traits of an organism and the number of offspring it leaves-can be explained, and the main problems associated with the concept of fitness can be solved. Firstly, we introduce Mumford and Anjum's dispositional theory of causation and present our definition of fitness as a causal disposition. We explain in detail each of the elements involved in our definition, namely: the relationship between fitness and the functional dispositions that compose it, the emergent character of fitness, and the context-sensitivity of fitness. Finally, we explain how fitness and realized fitness, as well as expected and realized fitness are distinguished in our approach to fitness as a causal disposition.