Nombres y clasificaciones de los hongos según los campesinos de La Paz (Valle de Traslasierra, Córdoba, Argentina).

Names and classification of fungi according to the peasants from La Paz (Traslasierra valley, Córdoba, Argentina). Ethnomycology is considered a subfield of ethnobiology that studies the roles of fungi in different cultures. The study of the names that people give to the elements of their environment is a useful starting point for elucidating the underlying nomenclatural patterns, and for understanding the ways in which people conceptualize, perceive, value and classify them. In Argentina, and specifically in the province of Córdoba, the data available in the literature about the relationships and knowledge of fungi among different peoples are scarce and fragmentary. In order to contribute to modify this situation, a qualitative ethnomycological research was carried out among peasants of La Paz, which focused on the study of those topics. Data were collected through open interviews, walks through the area and participant observation. 26 local names were registered for the 31 fungal species that were studied. Names were linguistically analyzed, and results show that peasants group these species in nine categories, based mainly on morphological and substrate characteristics. Based on these results, an ethnoclassificatory scheme of the species is proposed, which shows that vernacular categories occasionally overlap and do not define an absolutely hierarchical system.La etnomicología es una rama de la etnobiología dedicada a estudiar el papel de los hongos en las diversas culturas. El estudio de los nombres que un pueblo aplica a los elementos de su entorno es útil como punto de partida para dilucidar patrones nomenclaturales subyacentes y con ello aproximarse a la manera en que la gente los conceptualiza, percibe, valora y clasifica. En Argentina, y particularmente en Córdoba, son escasos y fragmentarios los datos disponibles sobre los vínculos y conocimientos que los diferentes grupos humanos poseen sobre los hongos. Para contribuir a cambiar esta situación, se realizó una investigación etnomicológica con los campesinos serranos del poblado de La Paz. Se trabajó con un enfoque cualitativo; los datos se recopilaron mediante entrevistas abiertas, recorridos por el entorno y observación participante. Se registraron 26 nombres locales para 31 especies fúngicas estudiadas; éstos se analizaron lingüísticamente. Se encontró que los criollos agrupan a dichas especies en 9 categorías nombradas en base a, principalmente, características morfológicas y al sustrato. A partir de los resultados se propone un primer esquema etnoclasificatorio de las especies, donde se observa que las categorías vernáculas en ocasiones se traslapan y no conforman un sistema absolutamente jerarquizado

Evaluation of fungal diversity restoration in an afforestation of Polylepis australis (Rosaceae) : a case study

Los bosques de Polylepis australis han sido muy disturbados y la reforestación es una alternativa para restaurar esos ecosistemas. El objetivo del presente estudio es evaluar la restauración de la comunidad fúngica en un bosque de P. australis reforestado. Nuestra hipótesis de trabajo es que la comunidad fúngica se modifica en concordancia con las situaciones del bosque: alta degradación, bosque natural maduro y bosque restaurado. Se compararon variables fúngicas (riqueza, abundancia y equitatividad de macromicetes) de un área nativa, de un área degradada y reforestada y de un área degradada sin reforestación. Para ello se establecieron 15 parcelas de 5x5 m y se muestrearon cinco por estación. Se recolectaron las fructificaciones de macromicetes, y luego se las clasificó en grupos morfo-taxonómicos. Se hicieron análisis de componentes principales y de correlación entre las variables fúngicas y la estructura vegetal, y análisis de correlación entre las variables fúngicas y las variables químicas del suelo. La riqueza, la abundancia y la equitatividad fueron significativamente mayores en el área nativa, intermedias en el área reforestada y menores en el área degradada. Las parcelas del área nativa se caracterizaron por una alta cobertura de árboles maduros, las del área reforestada por graminoides y árboles jóvenes y las del área degradada por herbáceas latifoliadas. Las tres variables fúngicas fueron máximas a mayor cobertura arbórea y correlacionaron positivamente con el fósforo y pH del suelo. Los resultados muestran que 12 años después de que un área degradada fuera reforestada con P. australis, la diversidad fúngica es mayor que la de un área degradada, pero está lejos de alcanzar los niveles del área nativa. Se postula que los hongos serían bioindicadores sensibles a la degradación y la restauración de los bosques.Polylepis australis forest had been significantly disturbed and afforestation is an alternative to restore these ecosystems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the restoration of the fungal community in P. australis afforestation. Our hypothesis is that the fungal community varies between forest situations: high degraded, mature forest, and restored forest. Fungal variables (richness, abundance and evenness of macromicetes) were compared between a native area, an afforestation and a degraded land. To this end, 15 plots of 5x5 m were established and five of them were sampled in each season. Macromicetes fruiting bodies were collected and classified into different morpho-taxonomical groups. Principal Components Analyses and correlation analyses between the fungal variables and the plot’s structure were performed as well as correlation analysis between the fungal variables and soil chemical variables. Richness, abundance and evenness were significantly higher in the native area, intermediate in the afforestation and lower in the degraded land. The native area’s plots showed high tree cover, the afforestation´s plots high graminoid and young trees cover, and the degraded land’s plots high forbs cover. Values of fungal variables were higher at higher tree cover and were positively correlated with soil phosphorus content and pH. The results show that, after 12 years of afforestation with P. australis, the fungal diversity in that ecosystem is higher than the observed in reference degraded land but is far from the observed in a native area. It can be hypothesized that fungi are sensitive bioindicators of forest degradation and restoration

Ecological and geographical speciation in <i>Lucilia bufonivora</i>:The evolution of amphibian obligate parasitism

Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a genus of blowflies comprised largely of saprophagous and facultative parasites of livestock. Lucilia bufonivora, however, exhibits a unique form of obligate parasitism of amphibians, typically affecting wild hosts. The evolutionary route by which amphibian myiasis arose, however, is not well understood due to the low phylogenetic resolution in existing nuclear DNA phylogenies. Furthermore, the timing of when specificity for amphibian hosts arose in L. bufonivora is also unknown. In addition, this species was recently reported for the first time in North America (Canada) and, to date, no molecular studies have analysed the evolutionary relationships between individuals from Eastern and Western hemispheres. To provide broader insights into the evolution of the amphibian parasitic life history trait and to estimate when the trait first arose, a time-scaled phylogeny was inferred from a concatenated data set comprising mtDNA, nDNA and non-coding rDNA (COX1, per and ITS2 respectively). Specimens from Canada, the UK, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany were analysed, as well as individuals from its sister taxa, the saprophage Lucilia silvarum and a Nearctic species also implicated in amphibian myiasis, Lucilia elongata. Obligate amphibian parasitism appears to have arisen ~4 mya, likely as a result of niche displacement of a saprophagous/facultative parasite ancestor. Consistent paraphyly of L. bufonivora with respect to L. elongata across single-gene phylogenies and high mtDNA genetic distances between Nearctic and Palearctic individuals suggest on-going cryptic speciation facilitated by geographical isolation. These findings suggest that recent reports of L. bufonivora in the Nearctic do not constitute a recent introduction, but instead suggest that it remained unrecorded due to taxonomic confusion and low abundance. This is the first study to confirm the involvement of L. bufonivora in amphibian myiasis in Canada using DNA-based identification methods.</p

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Measurement of asthma control according to global initiative for asthma guidelines : a comparison with the asthma control questionnaire

Introduction: Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a validated tool to measure asthma control. Cut-off points that best discriminate " well-controlled" or " not well-controlled" asthma have been suggested from the analysis of a large randomized clinical trial but they may not be adequate for daily clinical practice.Aims: To establish cut-off points of the ACQ that best discriminate the level of control according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2006 guidelines in patients with asthma managed at Allergology and Pulmonology Departments as well as Primary Care Centers in Spain.Patients and methods: An epidemiological descriptive study, with prospective data collection. Asthma control following GINA-2006 classification and 7-item ACQ was assessed. The study population was split in two parts: 2/3 for finding the cut-off points (development population) and 1/3 for validating the results (validation population).Results: A total of 1,363 stable asthmatic patients were included (mean age 38 ± 14 years, 60.3% women; 69.1% non-smokers). Patient classification according to GINA-defined asthma control was: controlled 13.6%, partially controlled 34.2%, and uncontrolled 52.3%. The ACQ cut-off points that better agreed with GINA-defined asthma control categories were calculated using receiver operating curves (ROC). The analysis showed that ACQ < 0.5 was the optimal cut-off point for " controlled asthma" (sensitivity 74.1%, specificity 77.5%) and 1.00 for " uncontrolled asthma" (sensitivity 73%, specificity 88.2%). Kappa index between GINA categories and ACQ was 0.62 (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The ACQ cut-off points associated with GINA-defined asthma control in a real-life setting were <0.5 for controlled asthma and ≥1 for uncontrolled asthma. © 2012 Olaguibel et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Nombres y clasificaciones de los hongos según los campesinos de La Paz (Valle de Traslasierra, Córdoba, Argentina).

La etnomicología es una rama de la etnobiología dedicada a estudiar el papel de los hongos en las diversas culturas. El estudio de los nombres que un pueblo aplica a los elementos de su entorno es útil como punto de partida para dilucidar patrones nomenclaturales subyacentes y con ello aproximarse a la manera en que la gente los conceptualiza, percibe, valora y clasifica. En Argentina, y particularmente en Córdoba, son escasos y fragmentarios los datos disponibles sobre los vínculos y conocimientos que los diferentes grupos humanos poseen sobre los hongos. Para contribuir a cambiar esta situación, se realizó una investigación etnomicológica con los campesinos serranos del poblado de La Paz. Se trabajó con un enfoque cualitativo; los datos se recopilaron mediante entrevistas abiertas, recorridos por el entorno y observación participante. Se registraron 26 nombres locales para 31 especies fúngicas estudiadas; éstos se analizaron lingüísticamente. Se encontró que los criollos agrupan a dichas especies en 9 categorías nombradas en base a, principalmente, características morfológicas y al sustrato. A partir de los resultados se propone un primer esquema etnoclasificatorio de las especies, donde se observa que las categorías vernáculas en ocasiones se traslapan y no conforman un sistema absolutamente jerarquizado.</jats:p

Introducing a new member of the genus Chlorophyllum: Chlorophyllum sapukai sp. nov., and new records from Paraguay

Discovered in Paraguay, Chlorophyllum sapukai is a new species based on morphological characters and multigene molecular phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TEF1 markers). Macroscopically, the species is characterized by large agaricoid basidiomata, with a hemispherical to broad convex pileus, a yellowish to cream buff surface of the pileus covered centrally with plate-like squamules. Microscopically, the new species is characterized by abundant cheilocystidia (35–50 × 14–20 µm), truncate basidiospores with a defined germ pore (9–10 × 6.5–7.5 μm), a pileus covering arranged as a trichodermial palisade at the squamules. Chlorophyllum hortense is recorded for the first time for Paraguay and the distribution of C. molybdites is expanded. Detailed morphological descriptions, field photographs of the species and the phylogenetic position of the Chlorophyllum species occurring in Paraguay are presented. A key to neotropical Chlorophyllum species is also provided.</jats:p

Perenniporiella chaquenia sp nov and further notes on Perenniporiella and its relationships with Perenniporia (Poriales, Basidiomycota)

Perenniporiella chaquenia sp. nov. is described from Argentina. New records of P. pendula and P micropora are discussed. A key to Perenniporiella species is presented. Preliminary phylogenetic relationships of Perenniporiella are inferred from parsimony and Bayesian analysis of a combined set of DNA sequence data (nuclear ribosomal partial LSU and ITS). It. demonstrated that Perenniporiella forms a well resolved monophyletic clade distantly related to Perenniporia s.s. It also clearly showed that within Perenniporia as Usually conceived other morphologically homogeneous group of taxa, Such as the P. ochroleuca or P. vicina alliances, form well resolved clades, which Could be recognized as distinct genera. The differentiation of the hyphal system and the basidiospores morphology are outlined as critical features for the definition of genera in the Perenniporia complex