Endothelial ILK induces cardioprotection by preventing coronary microvascular dysfunction and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in coronary microvascular disease. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) prevents endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling and, thus, endothelial dysfunction. However, the specific role of endothelial ILK in cardiac function remains to be fully elucidated. We hypothesised that endothelial ILK plays a crucial role in maintaining coronary microvascular function and contractile performance in the heart. We generated an endothelial cell-specific ILK conditional knock-out mouse (ecILK cKO) and investigated cardiovascular function. Coronary endothelial ILK deletion significantly impaired cardiac function: ejection fraction, fractional shortening and cardiac output decreased, whilst left ventricle diastolic internal diameter decreased and E/A and E/Eʹ ratios increased, indicating not only systolic but also diastolic dysfunction. The functional data correlated with extensive extracellular matrix remodelling and perivascular fibrosis, indicative of adverse cardiac remodelling. Mice with endothelial ILK deletion suffered early ischaemic-like events with ST elevation and transient increases in cardiac troponins, which correlated with fibrotic remodelling. In addition, ecILK cKO mice exhibited many features of coronary microvascular disease: reduced cardiac perfusion, impaired coronary flow reserve and arterial remodelling with patent epicardial coronary arteries. Moreover, endothelial ILK deletion induced a moderate increase in blood pressure, but the antihypertensive drug Losartan did not affect microvascular remodelling whilst only partially ameliorated fibrotic remodelling. The plasma miRNA profile reveals endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (endMT) as an upregulated pathway in endothelial ILK conditional KO mice. Our results show that endothelial cells in the microvasculature in endothelial ILK conditional KO mice underwent endMT. Moreover, endothelial cells isolated from these mice and ILK-silenced human microvascular endothelial cells underwent endMT, indicating that decreased endothelial ILK contributes directly to this endothelial phenotype shift. Our results identify ILK as a crucial regulator of microvascular endothelial homeostasis. Endothelial ILK prevents microvascular dysfunction and cardiac remodelling, contributing to the maintenance of the endothelial cell phenotype.post-print3851 K

Ovino de carne y nematodos gastrointestinales: ¿desparasitación de precisión?

El control de los nematodos parásitos gastrointestinales en el ovino de carne se basa en el uso de antihelmínticos que se administran a todos los animales del rebaño en tratamientos preventivos. Estudios recientes demuestran que es posible aplicar tratamientos más precisos en los que el antihelmíntico se administra únicamente a aquellos animales que realmente lo necesitan

Effect of tactical anthelmintic treatment on productive traits of naturally infected ewes

Trabajo presentado al 12th European Multicolloquium of Parasitology (EMOP). Turku, (Finland), 20-24 julio 2016.Parasitism by gastrointestinal and lungworm nematodes has a negative impact on sheep production. Therefore, the treatment with anthelmintic drugs is one of the most frequently implemented managements in sheep farms. Tactical parasite control treatments are based on routine monitoring and intervention when threshold values are reached, balancing effective worm control and preservation of anthelmintic efficacy. In this study the effects of a tactical anthelmintic treatment on productive performances of two sheep flocks for lamb production are described. Flocks were located in irrigated and non-irrigated agricultural areas in northern Spain, being representative of the main farm systems of the region. From early 2015 live weight, body condition score, packed cell volume, serum protein and faecal parasite egg counts (by McMaster technique) have been individually estimated at five and one week before pre-mating. By random selection, half of ewes were treated against parasites during the first sampling, confirming the efficacy of this treatment at 14 days after by faecal egg count reduction test. The same protocol was applied before parturition to get ewes treated just in pre-mating, in pre-parturition period or in both. Monitored productive parameters were apparent fertility, prolificacy, weight of the newborn lambs, days at weaning, average daily gains and survival of lambs. Effects of tactical treatment on productive traits were analysed in relation to faecal parasite egg counts, in order to determine thresholds values indicative of negative impact of parasites on ewe productive performances. The high variability of egg counts, however, precluded their estimation. Study funded by Spanish INIA(RTA2013-00064-C02-01)Peer Reviewe

Variations in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxydase subunit I gene indicate northward expandint populations of Culicoides imicola in Spain

[eng] Culicoides imicola is the main vector for bluetongue (BT) and African horse sickness (AHS) viruses in the Mediterranean basin and in southern Europe. In this study, we analysed partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to characterize and confirm population expansion of Culicoides imicola across Spain. The data were analysed at two hierarchical levels to test the relationship between C. imicola haplotypes in Spain (n = 215 from 58 different locations) and worldwide (n = 277). We found nineteen different haplotypes within the Spanish population, including 11 new haplotypes. No matrilineal subdivision was found within the Spanish population, while western and eastern Mediterranean C. imicola populations were very structured. These findings were further supported by median networks and mismatch haplotype distributions. Median networks demonstrated that the haplotypes we observed in the western Mediterranean region were closely related with one another, creating a clear star-like phylogeny separated only by a single mutation from eastern haplotypes. The two, genetically distinct, sources of C. imicola in the Mediterranean basin, thus, were confirmed. This type of star-like population structure centred around the most frequent haplotype is best explained by rapid expansion. Furthermore, the proposed northern expansion was also supported by the statistically negative Tajima's D and Fu's Fs values, as well as predicted mismatch distributions of sudden and spatially expanding populations. Our results thus indicated that C. imicola population expansion was a rapid and recent phenomenon

Settlement pattern of tortoises translocated into the wild: a key to evaluate population reinforcement success

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