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Universidad de La Frontera

UniversityTemuco, Chile

Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from Universidad de La Frontera (Chile). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.

Total works
16.6K
Citations
591.4K
h-index
237
i10-index
11.3K
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Universidad de La FronteraUniversity of La FronteraUniversity of the Frontier

Top-cited papers from Universidad de La Frontera

Rivaroxaban with or without Aspirin in Stable Cardiovascular Disease
John W. Eikelboom, Stuart J. Connolly, Jackie Bosch, Gilles R. Dagenais +4 more
2017· New England Journal of Medicine2.4Kdoi:10.1056/nejmoa1709118

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention. METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after a mean follow-up of 23 months. RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; P<0.001; z=-4.126), but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group (288 patients [3.1%] vs. 170 patients [1.9%]; hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.05; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in intracranial or fatal bleeding between these two groups. There were 313 deaths (3.4%) in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group as compared with 378 (4.1%) in the aspirin-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01; threshold P value for significance, 0.0025). The primary outcome did not occur in significantly fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group than in the aspirin-alone group, but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had better cardiovascular outcomes and more major bleeding events than those assigned to aspirin alone. Rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily) alone did not result in better cardiovascular outcomes than aspirin alone and resulted in more major bleeding events. (Funded by Bayer; COMPASS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01776424 .).

Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests
Jingjing Liang, Thomas W. Crowther, Nicolas Picard, Susan K. Wiser +4 more
2016· Science1.5Kdoi:10.1126/science.aaf8957

The biodiversity-productivity relationship (BPR) is foundational to our understanding of the global extinction crisis and its impacts on ecosystem functioning. Understanding BPR is critical for the accurate valuation and effective conservation of biodiversity. Using ground-sourced data from 777,126 permanent plots, spanning 44 countries and most terrestrial biomes, we reveal a globally consistent positive concave-down BPR, showing that continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide. The value of biodiversity in maintaining commercial forest productivity alone-US$166 billion to 490 billion per year according to our estimation-is more than twice what it would cost to implement effective global conservation. This highlights the need for a worldwide reassessment of biodiversity values, forest management strategies, and conservation priorities.

Técnicas de Muestreo sobre una Población a Estudio
Támara Otzen, Carlos Manterola
2017· International Journal of Morphology1.5Kdoi:10.4067/s0717-95022017000100037

La representatividad de una muestra, permite extrapolar y por ende generalizar los resultados observados en ésta, a la población accesible; y a partir de ésta, a la población blanco. Por ende, una muestra será representativa o no; sólo si fue seleccionada al azar, es decir, que todos los sujetos de la población blanco tuvieron la misma posibilidad de ser seleccionados en esta muestra y por ende ser incluidos en el estudio; y por otro lado, que el número de sujetos seleccionados representen numéricamente a la población que le dio origen respecto de la distribución de la variable en estudio en la población, es decir, la estimación o cálculo del tamaño de la muestra. Es así como el análisis de una muestra permite realizar inferencias, extrapolar o generalizar conclusiones a la población blanco con un alto grado de certeza; de tal modo que una muestra se considera representativa de la población blanco, cuando la distribución y valor de las diversas variables se pueden reproducir con márgenes de error calculables. Entonces, el muestreo tiene por objetivo estudiar las relaciones existentes entre la distribución de una variable en la población blanco y las distribución de ésta variable en la muestra a estudio. Para ello, es fundamental, entre otras cosas definir los criterios de inclusión (características clínicas, demográficas, temporales y geográficas de los sujetos que componen la población en estudio) y de exclusión (características de los sujetos que pueden interferir con la calidad de los datos o la interpretación de los resultados. El objetivo de este manuscrito, es entregar conocimientos generales respecto de las técnicas de muestreo más utilizadas en investigación clínica.

Cardiovascular Risk and Events in 17 Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries
Salim Yusuf, Sumathy Rangarajan, Koon Teo, Shofiqul Islam +4 more
2014· New England Journal of Medicine988doi:10.1056/nejmoa1311890

BACKGROUND: More than 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease are estimated to occur in low-income and middle-income countries, but the reasons are unknown. METHODS: We enrolled 156,424 persons from 628 urban and rural communities in 17 countries (3 high-income, 10 middle-income, and 4 low-income countries) and assessed their cardiovascular risk using the INTERHEART Risk Score, a validated score for quantifying risk-factor burden without the use of laboratory testing (with higher scores indicating greater risk-factor burden). Participants were followed for incident cardiovascular disease and death for a mean of 4.1 years. RESULTS: The mean INTERHEART Risk Score was highest in high-income countries, intermediate in middle-income countries, and lowest in low-income countries (P<0.001). However, the rates of major cardiovascular events (death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure) were lower in high-income countries than in middle- and low-income countries (3.99 events per 1000 person-years vs. 5.38 and 6.43 events per 1000 person-years, respectively; P<0.001). Case fatality rates were also lowest in high-income countries (6.5%, 15.9%, and 17.3% in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, respectively; P=0.01). Urban communities had a higher risk-factor burden than rural communities but lower rates of cardiovascular events (4.83 vs. 6.25 events per 1000 person-years, P<0.001) and case fatality rates (13.52% vs. 17.25%, P<0.001). The use of preventive medications and revascularization procedures was significantly more common in high-income countries than in middle- or low-income countries (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although the risk-factor burden was lowest in low-income countries, the rates of major cardiovascular disease and death were substantially higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. The high burden of risk factors in high-income countries may have been mitigated by better control of risk factors and more frequent use of proven pharmacologic therapies and revascularization. (Funded by the Population Health Research Institute and others.).

Best Alternatives to Cronbach's Alpha Reliability in Realistic Conditions: Congeneric and Asymmetrical Measurements
Ítalo Trizano-Hermosilla, Jesús M. Alvarado
2016· Frontiers in Psychology910doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00769

The Cronbach's alpha is the most widely used method for estimating internal consistency reliability. This procedure has proved very resistant to the passage of time, even if its limitations are well documented and although there are better options as omega coefficient or the different versions of glb, with obvious advantages especially for applied research in which the ítems differ in quality or have skewed distributions. In this paper, using Monte Carlo simulation, the performance of these reliability coefficients under a one-dimensional model is evaluated in terms of skewness and no tau-equivalence. The results show that omega coefficient is always better choice than alpha and in the presence of skew items is preferable to use omega and glb coefficients even in small samples.

Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Events
Martin O’Donnell, Andrew Mente, Sumathy Rangarajan, Matthew McQueen +4 more
2014· New England Journal of Medicine893doi:10.1056/nejmoa1311889

BACKGROUND: The optimal range of sodium intake for cardiovascular health is controversial. METHODS: We obtained morning fasting urine samples from 101,945 persons in 17 countries and estimated 24-hour sodium and potassium excretion (used as a surrogate for intake). We examined the association between estimated urinary sodium and potassium excretion and the composite outcome of death and major cardiovascular events. RESULTS: The mean estimated sodium and potassium excretion was 4.93 g per day and 2.12 g per day, respectively. With a mean follow-up of 3.7 years, the composite outcome occurred in 3317 participants (3.3%). As compared with an estimated sodium excretion of 4.00 to 5.99 g per day (reference range), a higher estimated sodium excretion (≥ 7.00 g per day) was associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.30), as well as increased risks of death and major cardiovascular events considered separately. The association between a high estimated sodium excretion and the composite outcome was strongest among participants with hypertension (P=0.02 for interaction), with an increased risk at an estimated sodium excretion of 6.00 g or more per day. As compared with the reference range, an estimated sodium excretion that was below 3.00 g per day was also associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.44). As compared with an estimated potassium excretion that was less than 1.50 g per day, higher potassium excretion was associated with a reduced risk of the composite outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In this study in which sodium intake was estimated on the basis of measured urinary excretion, an estimated sodium intake between 3 g per day and 6 g per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than was either a higher or lower estimated level of intake. As compared with an estimated potassium excretion that was less than 1.50 g per day, higher potassium excretion was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events. (Funded by the Population Health Research Institute and others.).

MANGANESE AS ESSENTIAL AND TOXIC ELEMENT FOR PLANTS: TRANSPORT, ACCUMULATION AND RESISTANCE MECHANISMS
Rayen Millaleo, Marcela Díaz, Alexander G. Ivanov, Marı́a de la Luz Mora +1 more
2010· Journal of soil science and plant nutrition888doi:10.4067/s0718-95162010000200008

Manganese is an essential element for plants, intervening in several metabolic processes, mainly in photosynthesis and as an enzyme antioxidant-cofactor. Nevertheless, an excess of this micronutrient is toxic for plants. Mn phytotoxicity is manifested in a reduction of biomass and photosynthesis, and biochemical disorders such as oxidative stress. Some studies on Mn toxicity and Mn translocation from soil to plant cells in Mn 2+ form have demonstrated their importance under low pH and redox potential conditions in the soil. When Mn is inside the cells, mechanisms that can tolerate this toxicity are also observed, being important the compartmentalization of this metal in different organelles of shoot and leaf plant cells. A key role of antioxidative systems in plants in relation to high Mn amounts has also been reported as a defense mechanism. The purpose of this review is to show the role of Mn as an essential micronutrient and as a toxic element to higher plants as well as to their transport and tolerance mechanisms. The forms and dynamics of this element in soils and the importance of the acidity for this dynamic and availability for plants are also given.

Association of Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion with Blood Pressure
Andrew Mente, Martin O’Donnell, Sumathy Rangarajan, Matthew McQueen +4 more
2014· New England Journal of Medicine855doi:10.1056/nejmoa1311989

BACKGROUND: Higher levels of sodium intake are reported to be associated with higher blood pressure. Whether this relationship varies according to levels of sodium or potassium intake and in different populations is unknown. METHODS: We studied 102,216 adults from 18 countries. Estimates of 24-hour sodium and potassium excretion were made from a single fasting morning urine specimen and were used as surrogates for intake. We assessed the relationship between electrolyte excretion and blood pressure, as measured with an automated device. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed increments of 2.11 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and 0.78 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure for each 1-g increment in estimated sodium excretion. The slope of this association was steeper with higher sodium intake (an increment of 2.58 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure per gram for sodium excretion >5 g per day, 1.74 mm Hg per gram for 3 to 5 g per day, and 0.74 mm Hg per gram for <3 g per day; P<0.001 for interaction). The slope of association was steeper for persons with hypertension (2.49 mm Hg per gram) than for those without hypertension (1.30 mm Hg per gram, P<0.001 for interaction) and was steeper with increased age (2.97 mm Hg per gram at >55 years of age, 2.43 mm Hg per gram at 45 to 55 years of age, and 1.96 mm Hg per gram at <45 years of age; P<0.001 for interaction). Potassium excretion was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure, with a steeper slope of association for persons with hypertension than for those without it (P<0.001) and a steeper slope with increased age (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the association of estimated intake of sodium and potassium, as determined from measurements of excretion of these cations, with blood pressure was nonlinear and was most pronounced in persons consuming high-sodium diets, persons with hypertension, and older persons. (Funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and others.).

The biodiversity and ecosystem service contributions and trade-offs of forest restoration approaches
Fangyuan Hua, L. A. Bruijnzeel, Paula Meli, Philip A. Martin +4 more
2022· Science719doi:10.1126/science.abl4649

Forest restoration is being scaled up globally to deliver critical ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits; however, there is a lack of rigorous comparison of cobenefit delivery across different restoration approaches. Through global synthesis, we used 25,950 matched data pairs from 264 studies in 53 countries to assess how delivery of climate, soil, water, and wood production services, in addition to biodiversity, compares across a range of tree plantations and native forests. Benefits of aboveground carbon storage, water provisioning, and especially soil erosion control and biodiversity are better delivered by native forests, with compositionally simpler, younger plantations in drier regions performing particularly poorly. However, plantations exhibit an advantage in wood production. These results underscore important trade-offs among environmental and production goals that policy-makers must navigate in meeting forest restoration commitments.

MECHANISMS AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS INVOLVED IN PLANT GROWTH PROMOTION BY RHIZOBACTERIA
Óscar Martínez-Viveros, Milko A. Jorquera, David E. Crowley, Gonzalo Gajardo +1 more
2010· Journal of soil science and plant nutrition689doi:10.4067/s0718-95162010000100006

Rhizobacteria are capable of stimulating plant growth through a variety of mechanisms that include improvement of plant nutrition, production and regulation of phytohormones, and suppression of disease causing organisms. While considerable research has demonstrated their potential utility, the successful application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the field has been limited by a lack of knowledge of ecological factors that determine their survival and activity in the plant rhizosphere. To be effective, PGPR must maintain a critical population density of active cells. Inoculation with PGPR strains can temporarily enhance the population size, but inoculants often have poor survival and compete with indigenous bacteria for available growth substrates. PGPR often have more than one mechanism for enhancing plant growth and experimental evidence suggests that the plant growth stimulation is the net result of multiple mechanisms of action that may be activated simultaneously. The aim of this review is to describe PGPR modes of action and discuss practical considerations for PGPR use in agriculture.

The 2010–2015 megadrought in central Chile: impacts on regional hydroclimate and vegetation
René Garreaud, Camila Álvarez-Garretón, Jonathan Barichivich, Juan Pablo Boisier +4 more
2017· Hydrology and earth system sciences664doi:10.5194/hess-21-6307-2017

Abstract. Since 2010 an uninterrupted sequence of dry years, with annual rainfall deficits ranging from 25 to 45 %, has prevailed in central Chile (western South America, 30–38° S). Although intense 1- or 2-year droughts are recurrent in this Mediterranean-like region, the ongoing event stands out because of its longevity and large extent. The extraordinary character of the so-called central Chile megadrought (MD) was established against century long historical records and a millennial tree-ring reconstruction of regional precipitation. The largest MD-averaged rainfall relative anomalies occurred in the northern, semi-arid sector of central Chile, but the event was unprecedented to the south of 35° S. ENSO-neutral conditions have prevailed since 2011 (except for the strong El Niño in 2015), contrasting with La Niña conditions that often accompanied past droughts. The precipitation deficit diminished the Andean snowpack and resulted in amplified declines (up to 90 %) of river flow, reservoir volumes and groundwater levels along central Chile and westernmost Argentina. In some semi-arid basins we found a decrease in the runoff-to-rainfall coefficient. A substantial decrease in vegetation productivity occurred in the shrubland-dominated, northern sector, but a mix of greening and browning patches occurred farther south, where irrigated croplands and exotic forest plantations dominate. The ongoing warming in central Chile, making the MD one of the warmest 6-year periods on record, may have also contributed to such complex vegetation changes by increasing potential evapotranspiration. We also report some of the measures taken by the central government to relieve the MD effects and the public perception of this event. The understanding of the nature and biophysical impacts of the MD helps as a foundation for preparedness efforts to confront a dry, warm future regional climate scenario.

Malondialdehyde: Facts and Artifacts
Melanie Morales, Sergi Munné‐Bosch
2019· PLANT PHYSIOLOGY655doi:10.1104/pp.19.00405

Dear Editor, The measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) content has long been used as a lipid peroxidation marker in studies related to oxidative stress and redox signaling, particularly in those studies focused on plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. A search for “malondialdehyde” and

Socioeconomic status and risk of cardiovascular disease in 20 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiologic (PURE) study
Annika Rosengren, Andrew Smyth, Sumathy Rangarajan, Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige +4 more
2019· The Lancet Global Health636doi:10.1016/s2214-109x(19)30045-2

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status is associated with differences in risk factors for cardiovascular disease incidence and outcomes, including mortality. However, it is unclear whether the associations between cardiovascular disease and common measures of socioeconomic status-wealth and education-differ among high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries, and, if so, why these differences exist. We explored the association between education and household wealth and cardiovascular disease and mortality to assess which marker is the stronger predictor of outcomes, and examined whether any differences in cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic status parallel differences in risk factor levels or differences in management. METHODS: In this large-scale prospective cohort study, we recruited adults aged between 35 years and 70 years from 367 urban and 302 rural communities in 20 countries. We collected data on families and households in two questionnaires, and data on cardiovascular risk factors in a third questionnaire, which was supplemented with physical examination. We assessed socioeconomic status using education and a household wealth index. Education was categorised as no or primary school education only, secondary school education, or higher education, defined as completion of trade school, college, or university. Household wealth, calculated at the household level and with household data, was defined by an index on the basis of ownership of assets and housing characteristics. Primary outcomes were major cardiovascular disease (a composite of cardiovascular deaths, strokes, myocardial infarction, and heart failure), cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. Information on specific events was obtained from participants or their family. FINDINGS: <0·0001). Medical care (eg, management of hypertension, diabetes, and secondary prevention) seemed to play an important part in adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes because such care is likely to be poorer in people with the lowest levels of education compared to those with higher levels of education in low-income countries; however, we observed less marked differences in care based on level of education in middle-income countries and no or minor differences in high-income countries. INTERPRETATION: Although people with a lower level of education in low-income and middle-income countries have higher incidence of and mortality from cardiovascular disease, they have better overall risk factor profiles. However, these individuals have markedly poorer health care. Policies to reduce health inequities globally must include strategies to overcome barriers to care, especially for those with lower levels of education. FUNDING: Full funding sources are listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).

Efficacy of apixaban when compared with warfarin in relation to renal function in patients with atrial fibrillation: insights from the ARISTOTLE trial
Stefan H. Hohnloser, Ziad Hijazi, Laine Thomas, John H. Alexander +4 more
2012· European Heart Journal573doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehs274

AIMS: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common among patients with impaired renal function. Apixaban, a novel oral anticoagulant with partial renal excretion, was compared with warfarin and reduced the rate stroke, death and bleeding in the ARISTOTLE trial. We evaluated these outcomes in relation to renal function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using the Cockcroft-Gault and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations as well as cystatin C measurements. According to baseline Cockcroft-Gault, there were 7518 patients (42%) with an estimated GFR (eGFR) of >80 mL/min, 7587 (42%) between >50 and 80 mL/min, and 3017 (15%) with an eGFR of ≤50 mL/min. The rate of cardiovascular events and bleeding was higher at impaired renal function (≤80 mL/min). Apixaban was more effective than warfarin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism and reducing mortality irrespective of renal function. These results were consistent, regardless of methods for GFR estimation. Apixaban was associated with less major bleeding events across all ranges of eGFRs. The relative risk reduction in major bleeding was greater in patients with an eGFR of ≤50 mL/min using Cockcroft-Gault {hazard ratio (HR) 0.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.66], interaction P = 0.005} or CKD-EPI equations [HR 0.48 (95% CI 0.37-0.64), interaction P = 0.003]. CONCLUSION: In patients with AF, renal impairment was associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and bleeding. When compared with warfarin, apixaban treatment reduced the rate of stroke, death, and major bleeding, regardless of renal function. Patients with impaired renal function seemed to have the greatest reduction in major bleeding with apixaban.

Refractive error in children in an urban population in New Delhi.
G. V. S. Murthy, Sanjeev Gupta, Leon B. Ellwein, Sergio Muñoz +3 more
2002· PubMed564

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of refractive error and related visual impairment in school-aged children in an urban population in New Delhi, India. METHODS: Random selection of geographically defined clusters was used to identify a sample of children 5 to 15 years of age. From December 2000 through March 2001, children in 22 selected clusters were enumerated through a door-to-door survey and examined at a local facility. The examination included visual acuity measurements, ocular motility evaluation, retinoscopy and autorefraction under cycloplegia, and examination of the anterior segment, media, and fundus. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refractive error of at least -0.50 D and hyperopia as +2.00 D or more. Children with reduced vision and a sample of those with normal vision underwent independent replicate examinations for quality assurance in four of the clusters. RESULTS: A total of 7008 children from 3426 households were enumerated, and 6447 (92.0%) examined. The prevalence of uncorrected, baseline (presenting), and best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in the better eye was 6.4%, 4.9%, and 0.81%, respectively. Refractive error was the cause in 81.7% of eyes with vision impairment, amblyopia in 4.4%, retinal disorders in 4.7%, other causes in 3.3%, and unexplained causes in the remaining 5.9%. There was an age-related shift in refractive error from hyperopia in young children (15.6% in 5-year-olds) toward myopia in older children (10.8% in 15-year-olds). Overall, hyperopia was present in 7.7% of children and myopia in 7.4%. Hyperopia was associated with female gender. Myopia was more common in children of fathers with higher levels of education. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced vision because of uncorrected refractive error is a major public health problem in urban school-aged children in India. Cost-effective strategies are needed to eliminate this easily treated cause of vision impairment.

Acknowledging the use of human cadaveric tissues in research papers: Recommendations from anatomical journal editors
Joe Iwanaga, Vishram Singh, Aiji Ohtsuka, Young-il Hwang +4 more
2020· Clinical Anatomy558doi:10.1002/ca.23671

Research within the anatomical sciences often relies on human cadaveric tissues. Without the good will of these donors who allow us to use their bodies to push forward our anatomical knowledge, most human anatomical research would come to a standstill. However, many research papers omit an acknowledgement to the donor cadavers or, as no current standardized versions exist, use language that is extremely varied. To remedy this problem, 20 editors-in-chiefs from 17 anatomical journals joined together to put together official recommendations that can be used by authors when acknowledging the donor cadavers used in their studies. The goal of these recommendations is to standardize the writing approach by which donors are acknowledged in anatomical studies that use human cadaveric tissues. Such sections in anatomical papers will not only rightfully thank those who made the donation but might also encourage, motivate, and inspire future individuals to make such gifts for the betterment of the anatomical sciences and patient care.

Consumer Attitudes Towards Environmental Concerns of Meat Consumption: A Systematic Review
Rubén Sánchez-Sabaté, Joan Sabaté
2019· International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health557doi:10.3390/ijerph16071220

Meat consumption is a major contributor to global warming. Given the worldwide growing demand of meat, and the severe impact of meat production on the planet, reducing animal protein consumption is a matter of food security and public health. Changing consumer food behavior is a challenge. Taste preferences, culinary traditions and social norms factor into food choices. Since behavioral change cannot occur without the subject's positive attitude based on reasons and motivations, a total of 34 papers on consumer attitudes and behavior towards meat consumption in relation to environmental concerns were examined. The results show that consumers aware of the meat impact on the planet, willing to stop or significantly reduce meat consumption for environmental reasons, and who have already changed their meat intake for ecological concerns are a small minority. However, environmental motives are already appealing significant proportions of Westerners to adopt certain meat curtailment strategies. Those who limit meat intake for environmental reasons are typically female, young, simply meat-reducer (not vegan/vegetarian), ecology-oriented, and would more likely live in Europe and Asia than in the U.S.

Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation in Physical Therapy: A Rapid Overview
Pamela Serón, María José Oliveros, Ruvistay Gutiérrez-Arias, Rocío Fuentes-Aspe +4 more
2021· Physical Therapy542doi:10.1093/ptj/pzab053

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to summarize the available evidence from systematic reviews on telerehabilitation in physical therapy. METHODS: We searched Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. In addition, the records in PROSPERO and Epistemonikos and PEDro were consulted. Systematic reviews of different conditions, populations, and contexts-where the intervention to be evaluated is telerehabilitation by physical therapy-were included. The outcomes were clinical effectiveness depending on specific condition, functionality, quality of life, satisfaction, adherence, and safety. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were carried out by a reviewer with non-independent verification by a second reviewer. The findings are reported qualitatively in the tables and figures. RESULTS: Fifty-three systematic reviews were included, of which 17 were assessed as having low risk of bias. Fifteen reviews were on cardiorespiratory rehabilitation, 14 on musculoskeletal conditions, and 13 on neurorehabilitation. The other 11 reviews addressed other types of conditions and rehabilitation. Thirteen reviews evaluated with low risk of bias showed results in favor of telerehabilitation versus in-person rehabilitation or no rehabilitation, while 17 reported no differences between the groups. Thirty-five reviews with unclear or high risk of bias showed mixed results. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the contradictory results, telerehabilitation in physical therapy could be comparable with in-person rehabilitation or better than no rehabilitation for conditions such as osteoarthritis, low-back pain, hip and knee replacement, and multiple sclerosis and also in the context of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. It is imperative to conduct better quality clinical trials and systematic reviews. IMPACT: Providing the best available evidence on the effectiveness of telerehabilitation to professionals, mainly physical therapists, will impact the decision-making process and therefore yield better clinical outcomes for patients, both in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future. The identification of research gaps will also contribute to the generation of relevant and novel research questions.

Light-controlled flavonoid biosynthesis in fruits
Laura Zoratti, Katja Karppinen, Ana Luengo-Escobar, Hely Häggman +1 more
2014· Frontiers in Plant Science520doi:10.3389/fpls.2014.00534

Light is one of the most important environmental factors affecting flavonoid biosynthesis in plants. The absolute dependency of light to the plant development has driven evolvement of sophisticated mechanisms to sense and transduce multiple aspects of the light signal. Light effects can be categorized in photoperiod (duration), intensity (quantity), direction and quality (wavelength) including UV-light. Recently, new information has been achieved on the regulation of light-controlled flavonoid biosynthesis in fruits, in which flavonoids have a major contribution on quality. This review focuses on the effects of the different light conditions on the control of flavonoid biosynthesis in fruit producing plants. An overview of the currently known mechanisms of the light-controlled flavonoid accumulation is provided. R2R3 MYB transcription factors are known to regulate by differential expression the biosynthesis of distinct flavonoids in response to specific light wavelengths. Despite recent advances, many gaps remain to be understood in the mechanisms of the transduction pathway of light-controlled flavonoid biosynthesis. A better knowledge on these regulatory mechanisms is likely to be useful for breeding programs aiming to modify fruit flavonoid pattern.

The CAMELS-CL dataset: catchment attributes and meteorology for large sample studies – Chile dataset
Camila Álvarez-Garretón, Pablo A. Mendoza, Juan Pablo Boisier, Nans Addor +4 more
2018· Hydrology and earth system sciences496doi:10.5194/hess-22-5817-2018

Abstract. We introduce the first catchment dataset for large sample studies in Chile. This dataset includes 516 catchments; it covers particularly wide latitude (17.8 to 55.0∘ S) and elevation (0 to 6993 m a.s.l.) ranges, and it relies on multiple data sources (including ground data, remote-sensed products and reanalyses) to characterise the hydroclimatic conditions and landscape of a region where in situ measurements are scarce. For each catchment, the dataset provides boundaries, daily streamflow records and basin-averaged daily time series of precipitation (from one national and three global datasets), maximum, minimum and mean temperatures, potential evapotranspiration (PET; from two datasets), and snow water equivalent. We calculated hydro-climatological indices using these time series, and leveraged diverse data sources to extract topographic, geological and land cover features. Relying on publicly available reservoirs and water rights data for the country, we estimated the degree of anthropic intervention within the catchments. To facilitate the use of this dataset and promote common standards in large sample studies, we computed most catchment attributes introduced by Addor et al. (2017) in their Catchment Attributes and MEteorology for Large-sample Studies (CAMELS) dataset, and added several others. We used the dataset presented here (named CAMELS-CL) to characterise regional variations in hydroclimatic conditions over Chile and to explore how basin behaviour is influenced by catchment attributes and water extractions. Further, CAMELS-CL enabled us to analyse biases and uncertainties in basin-wide precipitation and PET. The characterisation of catchment water balances revealed large discrepancies between precipitation products in arid regions and a systematic precipitation underestimation in headwater mountain catchments (high elevations and steep slopes) over humid regions. We evaluated PET products based on ground data and found a fairly good performance of both products in humid regions (r&gt;0.91) and lower correlation (r&lt;0.76) in hyper-arid regions. Further, the satellite-based PET showed a consistent overestimation of observation-based PET. Finally, we explored local anomalies in catchment response by analysing the relationship between hydrological signatures and an attribute characterising the level of anthropic interventions. We showed that larger anthropic interventions are correlated with lower than normal annual flows, runoff ratios, elasticity of runoff with respect to precipitation, and flashiness of runoff, especially in arid catchments. CAMELS-CL provides unprecedented information on catchments in a region largely underrepresented in large sample studies. This effort is part of an international initiative to create multi-national large sample datasets freely available for the community. CAMELS-CL can be visualised from http://camels.cr2.cl and downloaded from https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.894885.