Aim:To synthesize published knowledge on palm-frugivore seed dispersal observations and to test whether broad-scale differences in geographic coverage, diversity, composition and functional structure of plant-animal interactions emerge between biogeographical regions.Location: Neotropics and Afrotropics. Methods:We constructed a meta-network for both regions by aggregating observations of pairwise palm-frugivore interactions from the primary literature. We assessed sampling completeness with accumulation curves and estimated knowledge gaps for individual palm species and geographic units within biogeographical regions. We compared the taxonomic composition as well as structural indices of regional interaction networks and tested whether functional trait matching (i.e., the relationship between palm fruit size and frugivore body size) differs between regions. Results:A total of 750 unique pairwise interaction records were retrieved from the primary literature covering 340 frugivores and 126 palms. Sampling completeness of frugivore interactions within biogeographical regions and for individual palm species was low (often <50%), geographic coverage limited, and relative knowledge gaps were largest in areas with high palm species richness.Interaction diversity and network modularity was larger in the Neotropics than the Afrotropics. A positive fruit size-body mass relationship (i.e., functional trait matching) was statistically significant in the Afrotropics, but not in the Neotropics. Main conclusions:Available data on palm-frugivore interactions suggest major biogeographical differences in ecological networks among regions, even when taking differences in palm species richness into account. The Neotropics showed a larger interaction diversity and more modular network structure than the Afrotropics.Broad-scale morphological trait matching among plants and frugivores was only observed in the Afrotropics. The lack of a Neotropical trait matching relationship might be driven by the late Quaternary extinctions of mammalian megafauna in this region. Although our work has increased the digital availability of palm-frugivore -

There are several benign prostatic pathologies that can clinically mimic a prostate adenocarcinoma. Xanthogranulomatous prostatitis is a benign inflammatory condition of the prostate and a rare entity. A 47-year old male, with 3 years of lower urinary tract symptoms, with a palpable hypogastric tumor, digital rectal examination: solid prostate, of approximately 60 g. Initial PSA was 0.90 ng/mL. He underwent surgical excision of the lower abdominal nodule and prostatectomy. Histopathology showed xanthogranulomatous prostatitis, without malignancy. Xanthogranulomatous prostatitis is an extremely rare entity that can simulate prostate adenocarcinoma, therefore having a correct histopathological diagnosis is essential.

The study of ecological networks has progressively evolved from a mostly descriptive science to one that attempts to elucidate the processes governing the emerging structure of multitrophic communities. To move forward, we propose a conceptual framework using trait-based inference of ecological processes to improve our understanding of network assembly and our ability to predict network reassembly amid global change. The framework formalizes the view that network assembly is governed by processes shaping the composition of resource and consumer communities within trophic levels and those dictating species' interactions between trophic levels. To illustrate the framework and show its applicability, we (1) use simulations to explore network

Biologists have long been fascinated by the processes that give rise to phenotypic complexity of organisms, yet whether there exist geographical hotspots of phenotypic complexity remains poorly explored. Phenotypic complexity can be readily observed in ant colonies, which are superorganisms with morphologically differentiated queen and worker castes analogous to the germline and soma of multicellular organisms. Several ant species have evolved ‘worker polymorphism', where workers in a single colony show quantifiable differences in size and head-to-body scaling. Here, we use 256 754 occurrence points from 8990 ant species to investigate the geography of worker polymorphism. We show that arid regions of the world are the hotspots of superorganism complexity. Tropical savannahs and deserts, which are typically species-poor relative to tropical or even temperate forests, harbour the highest densities of polymorphic ants. We discuss the possible adaptive advantages that worker polymorphism provides in arid environments. Our work may provide a window into the environmental conditions that promote the emergence of highly complex phenotypes.

BackgroundA considerable portion of primary biodiversity data is digitally locked inside published literature which is often stored as pdf files. Large-scale approaches to biodiversity science could benefit from retrieving this information and making it digitally accessible and machine-readable. Nonetheless, the amount and diversity of digitally published literature pose many challenges for knowledge discovery and retrieval. Text mining has been extensively used for data discovery tasks in large quantities of documents. However, text mining approaches for knowledge discovery and retrieval have been limited in biodiversity science compared to other disciplines.New informationHere, we present a novel, open source text mining tool, the Biodiversity Observations Miner (BOM). This web application, written in R, allows the semi-automated discovery of punctual biodiversity observations (e.g. biotic interactions, functional or behavioural traits and natural history descriptions) associated with the scientific names present inside a corpus of scientific literature. Furthermore, BOM enable users the rapid screening of large quantities of literature based on word co-occurrences that match custom biodiversity dictionaries. This tool aims to increase the digital mobilisation of primary biodiversity data and is freely accessible via GitHub or through a web server.

Global biodiversity is organised into biogeographic regions that comprise distinct biotas. The contemporary factors maintaining differences in species composition between regions are poorly understood. Given evidence that populations with sufficient genetic variation can adapt to fill new habitats, it is surprising that more homogenisation of species assemblages across regions has not occurred. Theory suggests that expansion across biogeographic regions could be limited by reduced adaptive capacity due to demographic variation along environmental gradients, but this possibility has not been empirically explored. Using three independently curated data sets describing continental patterns of mammalian demography and population genetics, we show that populations near biogeographic boundaries have lower effective population sizes and genetic diversity, and are more genetically differentiated. These patterns are consistent with reduced adaptive capacity in areas where one biogeographic region transitions into the next. That these patterns are replicated across mammals suggests they are stable and generalisable in their contribution to long‐term limits on biodiversity homogenisation. Understanding the contemporary processes that maintain compositional differences among regional biotas is crucial for our understanding of the current and future organisation of global biodiversity.

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Issue To the end of 1990s, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), along with other causes, led the causes of death in Chile. Therefore, at the beginning of 2000s, the explicit health guarantees policies were created, including the treatment of STEMI, which was implemented in first quarter of 2005, generating a series of benefits that seek to improve people's survival. However, there are few studies that show the effectiveness of interventions at the level of morbimortality, given the difficulty in database (DB) collection. Description of the problem The objective is to determine if the policy implemented was able to reduce the mortality associated for STEMI, evidenced in the number of cases and potential years of life lost (PYLL). The public DB of Hospital Discharges (HD) and Deaths of Chile during the periods 1997-2017 were analyzed. ICD-10 codes were identified for STEMI. An interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) was performed with Newey-West regression adjusted according to autocorrelation, using as intervention the start of the STEMI policy, both in annual and quarterly series. For PYLL calculation, life expectancies by sex, were used, available on the website of the National Institute of Statistics of Chile. The data was analyzed with Stata v15.1. Results 27807004 HD were recorded, of which 143061 were due to STEMI, 10.9% died at the in-hospital. Regarding deaths, 1586731 occurred, of which 6.37% were secondary to STEMI. When performing ITSA, for deaths it was observed that there was a significant increase in post-intervention cases (p-value &lt;0.05), PYLL increased post intervention (p-value 0.001). HD showed a decrease in post-intervention mortality cases (p-value &lt;0.01) and PYLL showed no significative changes with respect to the pre-intervention time. Lessons Globally, the focus on treatment has not allowed to reduce STEMI mortality. Prevention is the key to treat Social Transmission Diseases Key messages ITSA is a powerful tool to analyze interventions. Prevent and treat.