BackgroundMinimal change disease (MCD) and primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are glomerular diseases characterized by nephrotic syndrome. Their diagnosis requires a renal biopsy, but it is an invasive procedure with potential complications. In a small biopsy sample, where only normal glomeruli are observed, FSGS cannot be differentiated from MCD. The correct diagnosis is crucial to an effective treatment, as MCD is normally responsive to steroid therapy, whereas FSGS is usually resistant.The purpose of our study was to discover and validate novel early urinary biomarkers capable to differentiate between MCD and FSGS.MethodsForty-nine patients biopsy-diagnosed of MCD and primary FSGS were randomly subdivided into a training set (10 MCD, 11 FSGS) and a validation set (14 MCD, 14 FSGS). The urinary proteome of the training set was analyzed by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. The proteins identified were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in urine samples from the validation set.ResultsUrinary concentration of alpha-1 antitrypsin, transferrin, histatin-3 and 39S ribosomal protein L17 was decreased and calretinin was increased in FSGS compared to MCD. These proteins were used to build a decision tree capable to predict patient’s pathology.ConclusionsThis preliminary study suggests a group of urinary proteins as possible non-invasive biomarkers with potential value in the differential diagnosis of MCD and FSGS. These biomarkers would reduce the number of misdiagnoses, avoiding unnecessary or inadequate treatments.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12882-017-0452-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The patterns of seedling recruitment in animal-dispersed plants result from the interactions among environmental and behavioral variables. However, we know little on the contribution and combined effect of both kinds of variables. We designed a field study to assess the interplay between environment (vegetation structure, seed abundance, rodent abundance) and behavior (seed dispersal and predation by rodents, and rooting by wild boars), and their contribution to the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in a Mediterranean mixed-oak forest. In a spatially explicit design, we monitored intensively all environmental and behavioral variables in fixed points at a small spatial scale from autumn to spring, as well as seedling emergence and survival. Our results revealed that the spatial patterns of seedling emergence were strongly related to acorn availability on the ground, but not by a facilitationeffect of vegetation cover. Rodents changed seed shadows generated by mother trees by dispersing most seeds from shrubby to open areas, but the spatial patterns of acorn dispersal/predation had no direct effect on recruitment. By contrast, rodents had a strong impact on recruitment as pilferers of cached seeds. Rooting by wild boars also reduced recruitment by reducing seed abundance, but also by changing rodent’s behavior towards higher consumption of acorns in situ. Hence, seed abundance and the foraging behavior of scatter-hoarding rodents and wild boars are driving the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in this mature oak forest, rather than vegetation features. The contribution of vegetation to seedling recruitment (e.g. facilitation by shrubs) may be context dependent, having a little role in closed forests, or being overridden by directed seed dispersal from shrubby to open areas. We warn about the need of using broad approaches that consider the combined action of environment and behavior to improve our knowledge on the dynamics of natural regeneration in forests.

Bovine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes great economic losses. The disease is endemic in Colombia and animal movements from infected herds carry a risk of introduction to other herds. With the objective of analyzing the animal movements and determining their relationship with bovine brucellosis, we performed a descriptive analysis of the space-time movement of livestock in Colombia between 2006 and 2014. Multiple linear regression models (MLR) were employed to determine the relationship between brucellosis status and animal movements at the province level. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis in cattle was the dependent variable, and a total of 14 independent variables related to location, year, census, and animal movements were included. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis was significantly affected by the province (F = 3.42; P < 0.001), the year (F = 9.03; P < 0.001), and bovine (F = 5.45; P = 0.02) and equine movements (F = 3.8; P = 0.053). Fewer cattle and more horses entered provinces with high prevalence than those with low prevalence, indicating the possible relationship between the animal movements and the brucellosis infection in the country.

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