Nanoplastics: From tissue accumulation to cell translocation into Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes. resilience of immune cells exposed to nanoplastics and nanoplastics plus Vibrio splendidus combination

Plastic litter is an issue of global concern. In this work Mytilus galloprovincialis was used to study the distribution and effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS NPs) of different sizes (50 nm, 100 nm and 1 mu m) on immune cells. Internalization and translocation of NPs to hemolymph were carried out by in vivo experiments, while endocytic routes and effects of PS NPs on hemocytes were studied in vitro. The smallest PS NPs tested were detected in the digestive gland and muscle. A fast and size-dependent translocation of PS NPs to the hemolymph was recorded after 3 h of exposure. The internalization rate of 50 nm PS NPs was lower when caveolae and clathrin endocytosis pathways were inhibited. On the other hand, the internalization of larger particles decreased when phagocytosis was inhibited. The hemocytes exposed to NPs had changes in motility, apoptosis, ROS and phagocytic capacity. However, they showed resilience when were infected with bacteria after PS NP exposure being able to recover their phagocytic capacity although the expression of the antimicrobial peptide Myticin C was reduced. Our findings show for the first time the translocation of PS NPs into hemocytes and how their effects trigger the loss of its functional parameters

Evaluating the potential role of tryptophan in calf milk replacers to facilitate weaning

Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that participates in the control of the affective state of an animal. We hypothesized that Trp supplementation could help dairy calves to cope with weaning stress. Twenty-seven Holstein male calves (48 ± 0.8 d old; 82 ± 2.6 kg of body weight) were used to evaluate the effects of Trp supplementation at a rate of 4.5 g/d via milk replacer (MR) on performance and behavioral parameters around weaning. All calves received the same feeding program (6 L/d at 15% dry matter from d 1 to 7, 4 L/d at 15% dry matter from d 8 to 14, and 2 L/d at 15% dry matter in one feeding until d 21 of study) and were completely weaned 22 d after the beginning of the study (around 70 d of life). Calves were fed a starter feed (19.3% crude protein and 16.2% neutral detergent fiber, on a dry matter basis) and chopped straw ad libitum. Animals were weighed weekly, dry matter intakes were recorded daily, lying behavior was recorded using accelerometers throughout the study, and scan sampling was performed twice a week, 1 h after the morning feeding, to record behavioral activity (nonnutritive oral behaviors, suckling a neighbor calf, standing, resting, rumination, vocalizations, eating, and drinking). Tryptophan supplementation did not affect calf performance or concentrate and MR intake, but straw intake tended to be greater in nonsupplemented compared with Trp-supplemented calves (153 vs. 129 ± 9.0 g/d, respectively). Lying time, lying bouts, and lying duration decreased when changes in the MR feeding program occurred, independent of treatment. Similarly, differences in behavioral observations occurred along days of study, with no effect of Trp supplementation. The main changes observed in calf behavior were an increase in vocalizations and standing time 1 h after the morning feeding at weaning, but again these changes were independent of treatment. Parameters measured in serum and plasma indicated an increase in Trp, kynurenine, and the kynurenine/Trp ratio after feeding in the Trp calves. A tendency for lower plasma glucose concentration after feeding was observed in the Trp group. No changes in stress markers such as cortisol and haptoglobin in serum were detected. In conclusion, supplementing 4.5 g/d of Trp via MR between 48 and 62 d of life had no effect on performance or behavior in calves around weaning.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Inclusionary Populist Communication Style on Facebook: The Case of Ada Colau in Barcelona

Communication is one of the core elements of populism, especially in social media. Through such digital platforms, political leaders can communicate directly with citizens and build both their discourse and their political leadership. Although the literature has so far identified the existence of a populist political communication style, the expansion of populism and its connection with social media are extending and diversifying the concept, as well as adding new repertoires. In order to analyse this, we propose a study of the communication strategy of the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau who, with a background of citizen activism, became mayor of the city in 2015 thanks to a political organisation situated as left populist. The methodology is based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of the content of Colau’s Facebook profile. A total of 226 posts between 2015 and 2017 are analysed. The results make it possible to identify a new specific modality within the populist style of political communication, namely the inclusionary populist type. This focuses on issues related to defense of the rights of the weakest social groups and works within a framework of social justice and solidarity with others. Likewise, the study confirms how Facebook is configured as a preferred platform for the construction of political leadership

Unraveling the nature of active sites onto copper/ceria-zirconia catalysts for low temperature CO oxidation

The aim of this research is an attempt to shed some light on the understanding of the nature of the active sites and the generated synergies in the copper/ceria-zirconia formulations for low temperature CO oxidation by means of the creation of copper entities with different physico-chemical nature. For this reason, several CuOx/ceria-zirconia catalysts, with different Cu contents and different methods to incorporate copper species, were synthesized. Focus was specially put in this case trying to link the results of CO oxidation catalytic tests with the CO-temperature programmed reduction profiles/approximate estimations and selected characterization parameters in order to find out correlations among catalysts' properties/reducibility and catalytic behaviors, especially those corresponding to the nature and roles of the different CuOx species in contact with ceria-based support on catalytic activity. Results reveal a significant improvement in CO conversion compared to the ceria-zirconia support by adding a small amount of copper loading (as low as 0.5 %), emphasizing the paramount role of copper incorporated by the method of IWI. From 0.5 up to 2% of copper loading, an interesting increase gradual trend in activity and reducibility can be noted. It should be mentioned that all the catalysts obtained by this procedure are more catalytically active towards CO oxidation than 1%Pt/Al2O3 at low temperatures (T < 130 degrees C). CO-TPR results show that the reducibility of these catalysts is in line with their CO oxidation activity. The method of preparation has been revealed as a critical variable in the catalytic performance, and quite similar catalytic activities can be reached from different synthesis methods and different copper contents, due to the similar nature and type of CuOx species generated over the catalysts' surface, identified by the CO-TPR profiles and the rest of characterization data. Finally, IWI method seems to be the best one among those tested, thus combining superior areas of both alpha and beta contributions assigned on CO-TPR profiles, which seem to be critical in the interpretation of the catalytic behaviors

Cryoprotectant role of exopolysaccharide ID1 in the vitrification/in-straw warming of in vitro-produced bovine embryos

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICThe cold-adapted bacterium Pseudomonas sp. ID1 produces the extracellular exopolysaccharide ID1 (EPS ID1) with cryoprotective activity. This study was designed to optimize the vitrification/in-straw warming protocol of in vitro-produced (IVP) blastocysts by adding EPS ID1 to the vitrification media. Day 7-expanded blastocysts were vitrified/warmed using the VitTrans device after the addition of 0 or 100 μg/mL EPS ID1 to the vitrification media. Blastocysts vitrified by the Cryotop method and fresh non-vitrified blastocysts served as controls. Outcomes were assessed in the warmed embryos in terms of survival rates and mRNA relative abundances of BAX, BCL2, GPX1, and CDX2 genes. No differences in survival rates were observed at 3 h post-warming between vitrification treatments. At 24 h post-warming, the addition of EPS prior to vitrification with the VitTrans device produced similar survival rates to Cryotop-vitrified embryos and similar hatching rates to fresh non-vitrified or Cryotop-vitrified embryos. No differences emerged in BCL2 gene expression. Lower BAX (p <.05) and higher GPX1 (p <.05) and CDX2 (p <.1) gene expression were observed in expanded and/or hatched blastocysts derived from VitTrans-EPS-vitrified embryos when compared to those from the non-supplemented group. In conclusion, addition of EPS not only promoted blastocyst survival and hatching after VitTrans vitrification/warming but also modified the expression of genes associated with better embryo quality

Intra-abdominal pulmonary secuestration as an exceptional cause of abdominal mass in the adult

AbstractINTRODUCTIONPulmonary sequestration (PS) is an extremely rare malformation defined as a portion of lung tissue isolated from the pulmonary system. PSs are classified into intralobar type and intra-abdominal PS that represents only 2.5% of cases. There are 20 cases of PS reported in adults and only two were managed by laparoscopic approach. We report a case of intra-abdominal PS mimicking a gastroesophageal duplication cyst in an adult. Besides its rarity, this is the first intra-abdominal PS in an adult managed by an anterior laparoscopic approach.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 60-year-old female patient had had epigastric and left upper quadrant pain for several days. Physical examination was normal. Image test were consistent with a gastroesophageal duplication. The patient was taken to the operating room for laparoscopic exploration and resection. The pathological diagnosis was extralobar pulmonary sequestration.DISCUSSIONLess than 20 cases of PS have been reported in adults and only two cases were managed by a lateral laparoscopic approach. In contrast to these reports, we used an anterior approach due to the GEJ suspected origin of the mass.CONCLUSIONExtralobar intra-abdominal PS is an extremely rare condition during adulthood but this diagnosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of a left-sided suprarenal mass. Due to the difficulty in achieving a definitive preoperative diagnosis, surgery is recommended. Laparoscopic resection is safe and effective but careful preoperative imaging studies are recommended in order to plan the most suitable approach

Microfluidic-based dynamic BH3 profiling predicts anticancer treatment efficacy

Cancer therapy; Predictive markers; Translational researchTerapia del cáncer; Marcadores predictivos; Investigación traslacionalTeràpia del càncer; Marcadors predictius; Recerca translacionalPrecision medicine is starting to incorporate functional assays to evaluate anticancer agents on patient-isolated tissues or cells to select for the most effective. Among these new technologies, dynamic BH3 profiling (DBP) has emerged and extensively been used to predict treatment efficacy in different types of cancer. DBP uses synthetic BH3 peptides to measure early apoptotic events (‘priming’) and anticipate therapy-induced cell death leading to tumor elimination. This predictive functional assay presents multiple advantages but a critical limitation: the cell number requirement, that limits drug screening on patient samples, especially in solid tumors. To solve this problem, we developed an innovative microfluidic-based DBP (µDBP) device that overcomes tissue limitations on primary samples. We used microfluidic chips to generate a gradient of BIM BH3 peptide, compared it with the standard flow cytometry based DBP, and tested different anticancer treatments. We first examined this new technology’s predictive capacity using gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cell lines, by comparing imatinib sensitive and resistant cells, and we could detect differences in apoptotic priming and anticipate cytotoxicity. We then validated µDBP on a refractory GIST patient sample and identified that the combination of dactolisib and venetoclax increased apoptotic priming. In summary, this new technology could represent an important advance for precision medicine by providing a fast, easy-to-use and scalable microfluidic device to perform DBP in situ as a routine assay to identify the best treatment for cancer patients.Ramon y Cajal Programme, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad grant RYC-2015–18357. (J.M.). Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades grant RTI2018-094533-A-I00 (J.M.). CELLEX foundation (J.M., A.M.). Beca Trienal Fundación Mari Paz Jiménez Casado (J.M.). European Research Council, grant ERC-StG-DAMOC 714317 (J.R.-A.). European Research Council, H2020 EU framework FET-open BLOC 863037 (J.R.-A.). Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, “Severo Ochoa” Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D SEV-2020-2023 (J.R.-A.). Generalitat de Catalunya. CERCA Programme 2017-SGR-1079 (J.R.-A., J.S.). Fundación Bancaria “la Caixa”- Obra Social “la Caixa” (project IBEC-La Caixa Health Ageing) (J.R.-A.). Fero Foundation (C.S.). Networking Biomedical Research Center (CIBER). CIBER is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&i Plan 2008–2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions, and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RD16/0006/0012), with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (J.S.)

Lab-on-a-Chip Analysis Using Benchtop NMR Technology

We present the design and optimization of a benchtop NMR spectrometer for real-time metabolic monitoring of 3D tissue on microfluidic platforms, utilizing hyperpolarization via dynamic nuclear polarisation. We show the modifications made to a commercial benchtop NMR spectrometer, the design and fabrication of a microfluidic platform ensuring consistent injection of hyperpolarized substrates and ongoing cell media renewal, and its integration with a radio frequency (RF) coil for data transmission and reception (Tx/Rx). Additionally, the construction of a sample carrier is presented. Preliminary NMR results from this system are also provided.This work has received funding from: The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (GA-863037); the Spanish grants with reference PID2020- 117859RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (NARMYD), RYC2020-029099-I funded by MCIN/AEI10.13039/501100011033 and by “ESF Investing in your future”, PLEC2022-009256 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”; The BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology)-“la Caixa” Banking Foundation Chemical Biology programme

Effect of Exposure to Seminal Plasma Through Natural Mating in Cattle on Conceptus Length and Gene Expression

peer-reviewedA growing body of evidence suggests that paternal factors have an impact on offspring development. These studies have been mainly carried out in mice, where seminal plasma (SP) has been shown to regulate endometrial gene expression and impact embryo development and subsequent offspring health. In cattle, infusion of SP into the uterus also induces changes in endometrial gene expression, however, evidence for an effect of SP on early embryo development is lacking. In addition, during natural mating, the bull ejaculates in the vagina; hence, it is not clear whether any SP reaches the uterus in this species. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether SP exposure leads to improved early embryo survival and developmental rates in cattle. To this end, Day 7 in vitro produced blastocysts were transferred to heifers (12–15 per heifer) previously mated to vasectomized bulls (n = 13 heifers) or left unmated (n = 12 heifers; control). At Day 14, heifers were slaughtered, and conceptuses were recovered to assess size, morphology and expression of candidate genes involved in different developmental pathways. Additionally, CL volume at Day 7, and weight and volume of CL at Day 14 were recorded. No effect of SP on CL volume and weight not on conceptus recovery rate was observed. However, filamentous conceptuses recovered from SP-exposed heifers were longer in comparison to the control group and differed in expression of CALM1, CITED1, DLD, HNRNPDL, PTGS2, and TGFB3. In conclusion, data indicate that female exposure to SP during natural mating can affect conceptus development in cattle. This is probably achieved through modulation of the female reproductive environment at the time of mating. Keywords: seminal plasma, embryo development, corpus luteu