José R. Verdú

Quality of life in people with venous leg ulcers: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE To explore the impact of venous leg ulcers on health-related quality of life and analyse the quality of life instruments that have been used for this topic. BACKGROUND Venous leg ulcers represent more than 80% of all chronic leg ulcers. Several studies have demonstrated that health-related quality of life is affected in patients with such lesions. METHOD An integrative review was conducted, together with an additional methodological review of quality of life instruments. Eight electronic databases were searched, and all studies published between 2003 and 2008 were considered in with both qualitative and quantitative approaches and in Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese. Thus, no restrictions were applied as regards study design. RESULTS Twenty-two studies were included; one used mixed methods, three employed qualitative methods and the remaining articles used a quantitative approach. Pain was the factor most frequently identified as affecting health-related quality of life. The generic instruments most commonly used were Short Form-36 and adaptations, the Nottingham Health Profile and EuroQol-5, whilst the disease-specific tools were Hyland, Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule and Charing Cross Venous Leg Ulcer Questionnaire. Two new instruments were also identified, venous leg ulcer quality of life and Sheffield Preference-based Venous Leg Ulcer 5D. CONCLUSIONS The negative impact of venous leg ulcers on health-related quality of life is confirmed in this review. This impact has been measured using a variety of specific health-related quality of life instruments. However, the review findings suggest that the Charing Cross Venous Leg Ulcer Questionnaire is the most appropriate instrument due to its disease-specific psychometric characteristics.

Conservation strategy of a nature reserve in Mediterranean ecosystems: the effects of protection from grazing on biodiversity

Protection of natural areas has caused the elimination of traditional grazing activity on many occasions. As a result, in Mediterranean ecosystems a loss of biodiversity is usually related to a decrease of grassland and grassland–bush mosaic areas. In order to establish relationships between land use and the relative importance of each type of habitat in terms of species richness and endemicity, the Font Roja Natural Park in Alicante Province (SE Iberian Peninsula) was studied. Four sites were selected representing the four different existing habitats: a wooded area (holm-oak forest), a dense shrubland, a dense grassland, and a grassland–shrubland mosaic area. In each site, the species composition of vegetation and dung beetle fauna were analysed. The results showed that the highest diversity and endemicity, for plants and beetles, were concentrated in the dense grasslands and the grassland–shrubland mosaic. Thus, controlled grazing activity of sheep and goats which maintained a diverse variegated landscape would favour the historical sustenance of the biodiversity of Mediterranean ecosystems, as that would allow a remarkable diversity of habitats with higher conservation levels of existing species richness and endemicity. Therefore, we propose a reintroduction of traditional grazing of sheep and goats throughout ecological, cultural and economical measures, which would include guidelines and regulations, set out to boost an integrated rural policy.

A New Theoretical Model for the Development of Pressure Ulcers and Other Dependence‐Related Lesions

OBJECTIVE To review the risk factors included in pressure ulcer risk assessment scales and construct a theoretical model for identifying the etiological factors of skin ulcers, excluding those of systemic origin (e.g., venous, arterial, and neuropathic). METHODS Consensus study with expert panel (Delphi Method) based on a structured review of the literature. A search was conducted of the main databases between 1962 and 2009 with no language limitations. All descriptive or validation studies were included, but the grey literature was excluded. After identifying the risk factors in each scale, they were grouped into risk dimensions as a basis for constructing a new theoretical model. RESULTS Eighty-three risk factors were identified in the 56 scales reviewed, and the risk factors were then classified by the expert panel into 23 risk dimensions. These dimensions were used to construct a new theoretical model (middle-range theory) for chronic wound development that explains the production mechanism of seven types of lesion: moisture, pressure, friction, combined pressure-moisture, combined pressure-friction, multifactorial lesions, and coadjuvant factors. These lesions were generically defined as dependence-related injuries. CONCLUSIONS Based on the classification of risk factors from the different scales into risk dimensions, a new middle-range theory was constructed that explains the production mechanism of seven dependence-related lesions considered to date as pressure ulcers. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The prevention and treatment of these lesions requires a correct diagnosis and differentiation of their cause and management of the risk dimensions involved. The type of lesion also influences the selection of local approach.

Acorn removal and dispersal by the dung beetle Thorectes lusitanicus: ecological implications

Abstract 1. Plant–animal interactions, and in particular the processes of seed predation and dispersal, are crucial for tree regeneration and forest dynamics. A novel and striking case of interaction between a dung beetle (Thorectes lusitanicus) and two Quercus species (Q. suber and Q. canariensis) in forests of southern Spain is presented here.

Low doses of ivermectin cause sensory and locomotor disorders in dung beetles

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Here, based on electroantennography and spontaneous muscle force tests, we show sub-lethal disorders caused by ivermectin in sensory and locomotor systems of Scarabaeus cicatricosus, a key dung beetle species in Mediterranean ecosystems. Our findings show that ivermectin decreases the olfactory and locomotor capacity of dung beetles, preventing them from performing basic biological activities. These effects are observed at concentrations lower than those usually measured in the dung of treated livestock. Taking into account that ivermectin acts on both glutamate-gated and GABA-gated chloride ion channels of nerve and muscle cells, we predict that ivermectin’s effects at the physiological level could influence many members of the dung pat community. The results indicate that the decline of dung beetle populations could be related to the harmful effects of chemical contamination in the dung.

Phylogenetic analysis of Geotrupidae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) based on larvae

Abstract.  Thirty‐eight characters derived from the larvae of Geotrupidae (Scarabaeoidea, Coleoptera) were analysed using parsimony and Bayesian inference. Trees were rooted with two Trogidae species and one species of Pleocomidae as outgroups. The monophyly of Geotrupidae (including Bolboceratinae) is supported by four autapomorphies: abdominal segments 3–7 with two dorsal annulets, chaetoparia and acanthoparia of the epipharynx not prominent, glossa and hypopharynx fused and without sclerome, trochanter and femur without fossorial setae. Bolboceratinae showed notable differences with Pleocomidae, being more related to Geotrupinae than to other groups. Odonteus species (Bolboceratinae s.str.) appear to constitute the closest sister group to Geotrupinae. Polyphyly of Bolboceratinae is implied by the following apomorphic characters observed in the ‘Odonteus lineage’: anterior and posterior epitormae of epipharynx developed, tormae of epipharynx fused, oncyli of hypopharynx developed, tarsal claws reduced or absent, plectrum and pars stridens of legs well developed and apex of antennal segment 2 with a unique sensorium. A ‘Bolbelasmus lineage’ is supported by the autapomorphic presence of various sensoria on the apex of the antennal segment, and the subtriangular labrum (except Eucanthus). This group constituted by Bolbelasmus, Bolbocerosoma and Eucanthus is the first evidence for a close relationship among genera, but more characters should be analysed to test the support for the clade. A preliminary classification at tribe level of Geotrupinae is suggested as follows: Chromogeotrupini (type genus Chromogeotrupes), Lethrini (type genus Lethrus), Taurocerastini (type genus Taurocerastes) and Geotrupini (type genus Geotrupes). Some ecological facts of Geotrupidae evolution could also be explained by the present results, such as those related to diet and nesting behaviour. Both coprophagy and male–female co‐operation in nesting appear as derived traits.

Roles of endothermy in niche differentiation for ball‐rolling dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) along an altitudinal gradient

Abstract 1. An analysis of whether niche differentiation in ball‐rolling dung beetles can be explained by the way in which they regulate their body temperature was conducted.

Current protected sites do not allow the representation of endangered invertebrates: the Spanish case

Abstract.  1. Using a recently created database representing the joint effort of around 100 invertebrate taxonomists, this study uses the information on 52 arthropoda and 27 mollusca species that are endangered and critically endangered to examine to what extent invertebrate species are represented in existing Spanish protected areas.

Thermoregulatory strategies in two closely related sympatric Scarabaeus species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae)

Abstract.  The thermoregulation strategies of Scarabaeus sacer L. and Scarabaeus cicatricosus Lucas were studied in the Doñana National Park, Spain. In this area, both species coexist, showing the same habitat and food preferences. However, S. cicatricosus is active during warmer parts of the day compared to S. sacer. Both species thermoregulate their thoracic temperature but, whereas the abdomen of S. sacer is a passive thermal window, S. cicatricosus actively thermoregulates abdominal temperature by increasing heat transfer from the thorax to the abdomen at high Ta values. In the case of S. sacer, their endothermy indicates an adaptive capacity to thorax heat retention, as occurs mainly in winter‐flying insects. This mechanism, possibly related to the aerodynamic flight posture in Scarabaeinae, could be an effective barrier to retard the rate of abdominal heat loss during flight. This endothermic strategy makes flight difficult at higher temperatures, although it allows flight during cooler periods of the day. On the other hand, S. cicatricosus showed a different adaptive behaviour to S. sacer. In this case, a significant decrease in abdominal heat loss at higher ambient temperatures would indicate a decrease in heat transfer from the thorax to the abdomen, as occurs in some desert and semiarid insects. This ‘heat exchanger’ mechanism observed in S. cicatricosus could be due to the irregular posture adopted during flight, with the posterior legs clearly extended and separate from the body. This behaviour increases turbulence and convective cooling, favouring exposure of the soft abdominal tergal cuticle and, subsequently, water loss. Thus, for S. cicatricosus, the well‐adapted ‘heat exchanger’ permits flight during periods of the day when temperatures would possibly be lethal for those species with high endothermy. From an adaptive viewpoint, these mechanisms of thermoregulation may explain how both closely‐related sympatric species respond in different ways to environmental temperature, favouring their coexistence.

Dung beetles eat acorns to increase their ovarian development and thermal tolerance.

Animals eat different foods in proportions that yield a more favorable balance of nutrients. Despite known examples of these behaviors across different taxa, their ecological and physiological benefits remain unclear. We identified a surprising dietary shift that confers ecophysiological advantages in a dung beetle species. Thorectes lusitanicus, a Mediterranean ecosystem species adapted to eat semi-dry and dry dung (dung-fiber consumers) is also actively attracted to oak acorns, consuming and burying them. Acorn consumption appears to confer potential advantages over beetles that do not eat acorns: acorn-fed beetles showed important improvements in the fat body mass, hemolymph composition, and ovary development. During the reproductive period (October-December) beetles incorporating acorns into their diets should have greatly improved resistance to low-temperature conditions and improved ovarian development. In addition to enhancing the understanding of the relevance of dietary plasticity to the evolutionary biology of dung beetles, these results open the way to a more general understanding of the ecophysiological implications of differential dietary selection on the ecology and biogeography of these insects.