University of Quindío

Urbanization alters habitat structure and resource availability, reshaping the diversity and functioning of biological communities. We evaluated how urbanization influences dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) assemblages in a Neotropical Andean city (Armenia, Colombia) across three urban contexts: ex-urban, peri-urban, and intra-urban zones. Community responses were assessed using complementary measures of abundance, expressed as the number of individuals and biomass, to examine how different facets of diversity respond to urban pressure. Dung beetle assemblages exhibited contrasting responses depending on the abundance measure considered. The number of individuals differed among urbanization zones, with peri-urban areas showing higher values than exurban sites, while biomass did not vary significantly across zones, suggesting a decoupling between numerical dominance and biomass patterns. Species-level patterns revealed marked functional contrasts, with a few large-bodied species contributing disproportionately to total biomass despite low number of individuals. Diversity analyses showed higher individual-based diversity in exurban zones, whereas biomass-based diversity was higher in exurban and peri-urban areas than in intra-urban zones. Compositional dissimilarity among zones was driven primarily by species turnover, indicating that changes in community composition are mainly associated with species replacement rather than differences in richness. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating biomass with traditional abundance measures to more accurately characterize community responses to urbanization. They also emphasize the relevance of urban and periurban green spaces for sustaining functionally diverse dung beetle assemblages in Andean urban landscapes.

Under the current global biodiversity crisis, there is a need for automated and noninvasive monitoring techniques that can gather large amounts of data cost-effectively at various ecological scales, from local to large spatial scales. These data can then be analyzed to inform stakeholders and decision-makers. One such technique is passive acoustic monitoring, which is commonly coupled with automatic identification of animal species based on their sound. Automated sound analyses usually require the training of sound detection and identification algorithms. These algorithms are based on annotated acoustic datasets which mark the occurrence of sounds of species inside sound recordings. However, compiling large annotated acoustic datasets is time-consuming and requires experts, and therefore, they normally cover reduced spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales. This data paper presents WABAD, the World Annotated Bird Acoustic Dataset for passive acoustic monitoring. WABAD is designed to provide the public, the research community, and conservation managers with a novel and globally representative annotated acoustic dataset. This database includes 5047 min of audio files annotated to species-level by local experts with the start and end time and the upper and lower frequencies of each identified bird vocalization in the recordings. The database has a wide taxonomic and spatial coverage, including information on 91,931 vocalizations from 1192 bird species recorded at 72 recording sites in 29 recording locations (mainly countries) and distributed across 13 biomes. WABAD can be used, for example, for developing and/or validating automatic species detection algorithms, answering ecological questions, such as assessing geographical variations on bird vocalizations, or comparing acoustic diversity indices with species-based diversity indices. The dataset is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license that permits redistribution and reuse on the condition that the original work is properly credited.

BACKGROUND:To have maximal benefit, Alzheimer's disease-modifying treatments might need to be started before the onset of clinical symptoms. Mutations of the PSEN1 gene are inherited as fully penetrant, autosomal-dominant traits, which almost always result in the clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease before the age of 65 years. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, including possible delayed emergence of cognitive impairment, and safety of crenezumab, an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody, in cognitively unimpaired carriers of the PSEN1Glu280Ala mutation at high imminent risk of developing symptoms due to Alzheimer's disease. METHODS:This 5-8-year common-close, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre trial screened kindred members aged 30-60 years from the main health-care site in Medellín, Colombia. Participants who were cognitively unimpaired and carried the PSEN1Glu280Ala autosomal-dominant mutation were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive placebo or subcutaneous crenezumab (investigators and participants were masked to treatment allocation), with an initial 300 mg dose every 2 weeks that increased to 720 mg every 2 weeks, and a later optional increase to 60 mg/kg intravenously every 4 weeks. Randomisation was stratified by age, education, APOE ɛ4 carrier status, and baseline Clinical Dementia Rating. Mutation non-carriers received placebo and were included in a 1:2 ratio of non-carriers to carriers to maintain genotype masking and include a genetic kindred control. Dual primary outcomes were the annualised rates of change in the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) preclinical autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) composite test total score and Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test-Cueing Index (FCSRT-CI) assessed in randomised participants who received at least one dose of the study drug, according to treatment assignment. Primary endpoints were assessed with a random coefficient regression model with a missing-at-random assumption adjusting for randomisation factors. Safety endpoints for mutation carriers were assessed in randomised participants who received at least one dose of the study drug. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01998841) and is completed. FINDINGS:619 Colombian API registrants were prescreened, 315 were assessed for eligibility, and 252 were enrolled (crenezumab-carrier, n=85; placebo-carrier, n=84; placebo-non-carrier, n=83; 160 [63%] women and 92 [37%] men) between Dec 20, 2013, and Feb 27, 2017. 237 (94%) completed the trial, with final data collection on March 22, 2022. The annualised rate of change in the API ADAD composite was -1·10 (SE 0·29) in the crenezumab group and -1·43 (0·29) in the placebo group (between-group difference 0·33 [95% CI -0·48 to 1·13]; p=0·43). The annualised rate of change in FCSRT-CI was -0·03 (0·00) in the crenezumab group and -0·04 (0·00) in the placebo group (between-group difference 0·01 [0·00 to 0·02]; p=0·16). All participants had at least one adverse event; serious adverse events occurred in 23 (27%) of 84 in the crenezumab group and 21 (25%) of 84 in the placebo group. No fatalities occurred. INTERPRETATION:Crenezumab therapy administered for 5-8 years did not result in significant benefits on our primary clinical outcomes in cognitively unimpaired participants predisposed to developing ADAD dementia; secondary and exploratory outcomes also showed no significant effect on removal of amyloid plaques or other clinical or biomarker outcomes. Together with the results of other anti-amyloid β trials, robust fibrillar amyloid removal appears necessary for clinical efficacy in people with elevated brain amyloid. This study will further inform the biomarker, cognitive, and clinical trajectory of preclinical ADAD, the risk of clinical progression in amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative mutation carriers, and the size and design of future secondary and primary prevention trials. FUNDING:US National Institute on Aging (NIA), Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Genentech, F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Introduction Cocoa pod husk (CPH), an important by-product of cocoa processing, remains underutilized despite its rich composition. This study evaluates the physicochemical properties of representative Colombian cocoa genotypes (LUKER-40, FSV-41, CCN-51, FEAR-5, and TCS-01) and determines the effect of two convective drying regimes (40 and 60 degrees C) on their physicochemical, thermal and structural characteristics, in order to assess the combined influence of genotype and drying temperature.Methods Physicochemical, thermal and structural characterization was performed using advanced techniques such as DSC, FTIR, XRD, NIR, particle size and zeta-potential analyses.Results and discussion Significant differences were found in moisture content, color parameters, and elemental composition (C, H, O, and N) at both drying temperatures. DSC analysis revealed three main thermal transition regions, with enthalpy variations depending on the variety and drying temperature. XRD data showed crystallinity indices ranging from 22.75 to 34.31%, with higher values observed at 60 degrees C. FTIR and NIR spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups associated with cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Analyses of particle size and zeta-potential provided insights into stability, supporting their potential applications in dispersed systems. These findings highlight the influence of drying temperature and genotype on the properties of CPH, indicating its potential suitability as a raw material for functional food ingredients, biodegradable packaging, or emulsifying systems, while contributing to circular economy strategies.

Osteomyelitis is a serious bone infection that causes inflammation and damage to the affected tissue. Conventional treatments include prolonged, high-dose systemic antibiotic therapy, and debridement surgery, which may ultimately lead to amputation. Recent studies have been conducted on local antibiotic delivery systems, using biomaterials as potential candidates. One of the main advantages of local treatment is that it reduces recovery time, minimizes the side effects associated with high doses of antibiotics used in systemic treatment, and allows for targeted treatment of the affected area. This study aimed to evaluate the controlled release of a mixture of vancomycin and gentamicin using a calcium sodium silicate phosphate bioceramic as a drug delivery vehicle. This bioceramic is a biocompatible, osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and angiogenic biomaterial. In vitro tests were conducted over 30 days to assess its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, using the Kirby-Bauer and microdilution methods. The bioceramic effectively delivered the antibiotics, and the release of vancomycin was more sustained than that of gentamicin, as demonstrated by the inhibition zones against S. aureus, with diameters exceeding 20 mm throughout the 30-day study period. In the case of E. coli, inhibition zones were observed until Day 15. Quantitative analysis confirmed a strong antibacterial effect against both microorganisms, achieving 100% growth inhibition during the evaluation period. In addition, four veterinary clinical cases and one control clinical case of osteomyelitis were treated with calcium-sodium silicophosphate beads impregnated with vancomycin/gentamicin. The patients recovered without complications 2 months after implantation. The combination of antimicrobial efficacy and biocompatibility properties supports the development of this technology for both veterinary and, potentially, human clinical applications.