Synergistic effect of vascular endothelial growth factor gene inactivation in endothelial cells and skeletal myofibres on muscle enzyme activity, capillary supply and endurance exercise in mice

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Dose VEGF expressed by both endothelial cells and skeletal myofibers maintain the number of skeletal muscle capillaries and regulate endurance exercise. What is the main finding and its importance? VEGF expressed by both endothelial cells and skeletal myofibers is not essential for maintaining capillary number but does contribute to exercise performance. ABSTRACT: Many chronic diseases lead to exercise intolerance, with loss of skeletal muscle capillaries. While many muscle cell types (myofibers, satellite cells, endothelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts) express VEGF, most muscle VEGF is stored in myofibers vesicles which can release VEGF to signal VEGF receptor-expressing cells. VEGF gene ablation in myofibers or endothelial cells alone does not cause capillary regression. We hypothesized that simultaneously deleting endothelial cell (EC) and skeletal myofiber (Skm) VEGF would cause capillary regression and impair exercise performance. This was tested in adult mice by simultaneous conditional deletion of the VEGF gene (Skm/EC-VEGF-/- mice) through the use of VEGFLoxP, HSA-Cre-ERT2 and PDGFb-iCre-ERT2 transgenes. These double-deletion mice were compared to three control groups - WT, EC VEGF deletion alone and myofiber VEGF deletion alone. Three weeks after initiating gene deletion, Skm/EC-VEGF-/- mice, but not SkmVEGF-/- or EC-VEGF-/- mice, reached exhaustion 40 minutes sooner than WT mice in treadmill tests (p = 0.002). WT, SkmVEGF-/-, and EC-VEGF-/-, but not Skm/EC-VEGF-/- mice, gained weight over the three weeks. Capillary density, fiber area and capillary:fiber ratio in soleus, plantaris, gastrocnemius and cardiac papillary muscle were similar across the groups. Phosphofructokinase and pyruvate dehydrogenase activities increased only in Skm/EC-VEGF-/- mice. These data suggest that deletion of VEGF signaling simultaneously in endothelial cells and myofibers, while reducing treadmill endurance and despite compensatory augmentation of glycolysis, is not required for muscle capillary maintenance. Reduced endurance remains unexplained, but may possibly be related to a role for VEGF in controlling perfusion of contracting muscle

The Zoning of Semi-Enclosed Bodies of Water According to the Sediment Pollution: The Bay of Algeciras as a Case Example

This paper reports a study of the occurrence and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a bay characterised by a chronic persistent impact. A total of 55 sediment samples were taken at different depths up to 111 m in two sampling campaigns. Chemical analyses were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results indicate that: (1) significant spatial variations exist, (2) levels of PAHs are related more strongly to the spatial distribution of sediments than to mineralogy/granulometry, (3) the sediments are slightly-to-moderately contaminated by PAHs, and (4) these PAHs derive from pyrolytic and petrogenic sources. Through use of an innovative data classification system (proposed according to depth and spatial location of sampling points), and using factorial and cluster techniques, five zones have been differentiated depending on the contamination level and source

Epidemiological trends of HIV/HCV coinfection in Spain, 2015-2019

Altres ajuts: Spanish AIDS Research Network; European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and active HCV infection (HCV-RNA-positive) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Spain in 2019 and compared the results with those of four similar studies performed during 2015-2018. Methods: The study was performed in 41 centres. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 1%. Patients were selected by random sampling with proportional allocation. Results: The reference population comprised 41 973 PLWH, and the sample size was 1325. HCV serostatus was known in 1316 PLWH (99.3%), of whom 376 (28.6%) were HCV antibody (Ab)-positive (78.7% were prior injection drug users); 29 were HCV-RNA-positive (2.2%). Of the 29 HCV-RNA-positive PLWH, infection was chronic in 24, it was acute/recent in one, and it was of unknown duration in four. Cirrhosis was present in 71 (5.4%) PLWH overall, three (10.3%) HCV-RNA-positive patients and 68 (23.4%) of those who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy (p = 0.04). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies decreased steadily from 37.7% in 2015 to 28.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001); the prevalence of active HCV infection decreased from 22.1% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Uptake of anti-HCV treatment increased from 53.9% in 2015 to 95.0% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Spain, the prevalence of active HCV infection among PLWH at the end of 2019 was 2.2%, i.e. 90.0% lower than in 2015. Increased exposure to DAAs was probably the main reason for this sharp reduction. Despite the high coverage of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV-related cirrhosis remains significant in this population

Additional metabolic effects of bariatric surgery in patients with a poor mid-term weight loss response: a 5-year follow-up study

To ascertain the 5-year metabolic effects of bariatric surgery in poor weight loss (WL) responders and establish associated factors. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a non-randomised prospective cohort of bariatric surgery patients completing a 5-year follow-up. Mid-term poor WL was considered when 5-year excess weight loss was <50%. Results: Forty-three (20.3%) of the 212 included patients were mid-term poor WL responders. They showed an improvement in all metabolic markers at 2 years, except for total cholesterol. This improvement with respect to baseline was maintained at 5 years for plasma glucose, HbA1c, HOMA, HDL and diastolic blood pressure; however, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure were similar to presurgical values. Comorbidity remission rates were comparable to those obtained in the good WL group except for hypercholesterolaemia (45.8% vs. poor WL, p = 0.005). On multivariate analysis, lower baseline HDL cholesterol levels, advanced age and lower preoperative weight loss were independently associated with poor mid-term WL. Conclusions: Although that 1 in 5 patients presented suboptimal WL 5 years after bariatric surgery, other important metabolic benefits were maintained

Anales de Edafología y Agrobiología Tomo 40 Número 9-10

Influencia del secado y pretratamientos térmicos del suelos sobre la actividad ureásica y otros parámetros biológicos relacionados, por S. González Carcedo, M.A. Fuente Marcos y M. Pérez Mateos.-- Influencia de diversos factores edáficos en la distribución del género Xiphinema Cobb, 1913 (Nematoda: Dorylaimida) en la región central, por A. Navas y María Arias.-- Estudio edafológico del sector Montiel-Villanueva de la Fuente (Ciudad Real), por F. Santos Francés y E. Barahona Fernández.-- Consideraciones generales sobre la génesis de los suelos del sector Montiel-AlcarazBienservida (Ciudad Real-Albacete), por E. Barahona Fernández y F. Santos Francés.-- Estudio edafológico del sector Villahermosa-Cañamares (Ciudad Real), por F. Santos Francés y E. Barahonda Fernández.-- La determinación de compuestos orgánicos en Acículas de abetos y pinos, por I. Aguinagalde y R. Hünser.-- Estudio genético de un Palexeralf cálcico-mollico desarrollado sobre un glacis, próximo a Albaladejo (Ciudad Real), por F. Santos, E. Barahona, C. Dorronsoro y J. Aguilar.-- Estudio crítico de las definiciones dadas en el "Soil taxonomy ( 1975) de Haploxeralf y Palexeralf (Alfisoles), por E. Barahona Fernández y F. Santos Francés.-- Estudio genético de un Xerochrept calcixerolico tapto-alfico, situado cerca de Villahermosa (Ciudad Real), por F. Santos, E. Barahona, C. Dorronsoro y J. Aguilar.-- Transformaciones de la organización durante la alteración y edafogénesis de rocas graníticas de Galicia, por R. Calvo de Anta y F. Macias Vázquez.-- Estudio edafológico de la Sierra del Relumbrar (Albacete), por F. Santos Francés y E. Barahona Fernández.-- Suelos desarrollados sobre la brecha basal del triásico y sobre diferentes glacis, en el sector Montiel-Alcaraz-Bienservida (Ciudad Real-Albacete), por E. Barahona Fernández y F. Santos Francés.-- Contribución al estudio de la Microflora y Nematofauna de los cultivos de cítricos en la región de Murcia, por J.Ma. Abrisqueta, A. Ortuño, A. Hernansáez y J. Gómez.-- Suelos de Bardenas (Navarra). I. Mollisoles, por J. lñiguez Herrero, R. Ma. Val Legaz, A.Ma. Moreno Ilunldain y A. Romeo Martínez de Lecea.-- Evolución de los minerales primarios de las rocas granticas de Galicia. Aplicación de las técnicas de microscopia electrónica (Sem) y análisis con microsonda, por F. Guitian Rivera y R. Calvo de Anta.-- Suelos de la zona húmeda española. XI-Contribución al estudio de los suelos hidromorfas de Galicia. l. Suelos Costeros, por M.C. Leiros de la Peña y F. Guitian Ojea.-- Modificación en la porosidad de un suelo por la adicción de un compost de basura Urbana, por E. Ortega, R. Nogales y M. Delgado.-- Fertilidad de Suelos. Micronutrientes en suelos agrícolas (Capa arable) de Cartama (Málaga. l. Boro, Cobre y Molibdeno, por S. Bruque, M. Martínez Lara y J. Maza.-- Micronutrientes en suelos agrícolas (Capa arable) de Cartama (Málaga). II. Hierro, Manganeso y Cinc, por S. Bruque, L. Moreno y M.C. Ortega.-- Extracción de residuos de plaguicidas organofosforados: Diazinon, Dimetoato, Etióri, Malatión, Metilparatión y Paratión, de muestras de agua mediante absorción sobre resina amberlita X ad-2, por J.J. Garrido Segovia y M. Monteoliva Hernández.-- Determinación cualitativa y cuantitativa de residuos de Diazinon, Dimetoato, Etión Malatión Metil paratión y Paratión, en extractos de suelos por cromatografía en capa fina, y comprobación de los resultados mediante cromatografía de gases, por J.J. Garrido Segovia y M. Monteoliva Hernández.-- Interacción salinidad-fertiiización nitrogenada en el cultivo de pimiento, (Capsicum Anuum) por F.C. Fernández, M. Caro y A. Cerda. Influencia del peso del buibillo y desidad de plantación sobre el rendimiento y calidad del ajo colorado (Allium sativum L.), por J.C. Lucero, C. Andreoli, M. Reyzabal y V. Larregui.-- Propiedades de la pirofosfatasa inorgánica del suelo, por M. Tena, J.A. Pinilla y R. Prado.-- Vitameros B6 en semillas de Pinus Pinea germinantes, por C. Arce de Obieta y M. Sanz Muñoz.-- Fracciones proteicas en semillas de Pinus Pinea germinantes, por C. Arce de Obieta y M. Sanz Muñoz.-- NotasPeer reviewe

Anales de Edafología y Agrobiología Tomo 43 Número 5-6

Suelos. Estudio de los minerales de la arcilla en unos perfiles de suelos con distintos contenidos en materia organica (Rasgos turbosos), de la Sierra de Guadarrama, por Jiménez Ballesta, R., Martín de Vidales, J. L., Reñones, O. y Gumuzzio, J.-- Distribución de la actividad ureásica en las unidades de estructura del suelo. II. Estado y comportamiento enzimático, por Pérez Mateos, M. y González Carcedo, S.-- Contribución al estudio de los suelos de la Sierra del Pozo (Jaén), por J. González Parra, C. González Huecos y A. López Lafuente.-- Influencia del suelo y métodos de cultivo sobre Longidorus profundorum. Nematodo fitoparasito de interés en las áreas cerealistas de la región central, por M. Fé Andrés y A. Bello.-- Aproximación paramétrica para la evaluación de la aptitud de las tierras, por Gilberto Hernández-Silva, Mariano Vinegas Soto, Mireya Maples Vermeersch y Lourdes Flores Delgadillo.-- Reacción con el FNa de los suelos de Galicia l. Características y significado del test de FNa. Distribución de la reactividad en función del material de partida, por E. García-Rodeja, F. MacÍas y F. Guitian Ojea.-- Naturaleza y propiedades del Humus subacuatico del embalse de Gasset (Ciudad Real), por G. Almendros, A. Polo y E. Dorado.-- Reacción con el FNa de los suelos de Galicia II. Suelos sobre rocas graníticas, por E. García-Rodeja Gayoso, F. Macías Vázquez, F. Guitián Ojea.-- Reacción con el FNa de los suelos de Galicia 111. Suelos formados sobre micaesquistos, pizarras, areniscas y cuarcitas, por E. García-Rodeja Gayoso, Macías Vázquez, F. y Guitián Ojea, F.—Fertilidad del Suelo. Effect o f nitrogen, phosphorus and crude organic matter on the yield and composition of potato and chilli, by K. R. Maurya and N. R. Dhar.-- Efecto de diferentes dosis de fertilización y abonamiento en el contenido y rendimiento de hierro y cobre en Lolium multiflorum lam. var. "Westerwolds", por David Flores-Román, Lourdes Flores-Delgadillo y Nicolás Aguilera-Herrera.-- Criterios para determinar la tolerancia a la salinidad de portainjertos de aguacates. por Díaz, A., Altares, M., Alvarez, C. E. y Fernández, .M.-- Estudio de la asimilabilidad de calcio por plantas de Ryegrass en un suelo tratado con compost urbano, por R. Nogales, F. Gallardo-Lara y M. Gómez.—Nutrición y Fisiología Vegetal. Cultivo de hipocotilos de Digitalis obscura L.: Relación entre morfogénesis y producción de glucosidos cardiotonicos, por M. C. Brisa, P. Pérez-Bermudez y J. Segura.-- Efecto del ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético sobre la inducción de callos en cotiledones de Pinus Canariensis, por Pérez Francés, J. F., C. Martínez y A. C. Blesa.-- Desarrollo de técnicas de cultivo "in vitro" para la micopropagación de variedades de manzana sidrera, por Ricardo Ordas, Ana Rodríguez, Roberto Rodríguez y Ricardo Sánchez Tames.-- Caracterización estadística de limón, por F. A. Melendreras y A. Ortuño.-- Trabajos recapitulativos. Avances recientes en el estudio de las micorrizas V-A. II. Factores que afectan su formación y función y aplicaciones prácticas en agricultura, por C. Azcón-Aguilar, J. M. Barea y B. E. Roldán-Fajardo.-- El tiempo como factor formador del suelo, por M. Delgado Rodríguez y R. Delgado Calvo-Flores.-- Notas.-- BibliografíaPeer reviewe

How do women living with HIV experience menopause? Menopausal symptoms, anxiety and depression according to reproductive age in a multicenter cohort

CatedresBackground: To estimate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression and to assess the differences according to menopausal status among women living with HIV aged 45-60 years from the cohort of Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS). Methods: Women were interviewed by phone between September 2017 and December 2018 to determine whether they had experienced menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression. The Menopause Rating Scale was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of symptoms related to menopause in three subscales: somatic, psychologic and urogenital; and the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire was used for anxiety/depression. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of association between menopausal status, and other potential risk factors, the presence and severity of somatic, psychological and urogenital symptoms and of anxiety/depression. Results: Of 251 women included, 137 (54.6%) were post-, 70 (27.9%) peri- and 44 (17.5%) pre-menopausal, respectively. Median age of onset menopause was 48 years (IQR 45-50). The proportions of pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women who had experienced any menopausal symptoms were 45.5%, 60.0% and 66.4%, respectively. Both peri- and post-menopause were associated with a higher likelihood of having somatic symptoms (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.38-6.55 and 2.63; 1.44-4.81, respectively), while post-menopause increased the likelihood of having psychological (2.16; 1.13-4.14) and urogenital symptoms (2.54; 1.42-4.85). By other hand, post-menopausal women had a statistically significant five-fold increase in the likelihood of presenting severe urogenital symptoms than pre-menopausal women (4.90; 1.74-13.84). No significant differences by menopausal status were found for anxiety/depression. Joint/muscle problems, exhaustion and sleeping disorders were the most commonly reported symptoms among all women. Differences in the prevalences of vaginal dryness (p = 0.002), joint/muscle complaints (p = 0.032), and sweating/flush (p = 0.032) were found among the three groups. Conclusions: Women living with HIV experienced a wide variety of menopausal symptoms, some of them initiated before women had any menstrual irregularity. We found a higher likelihood of somatic symptoms in peri- and post-menopausal women, while a higher likelihood of psychological and urogenital symptoms was found in post-menopausal women. Most somatic symptoms were of low or moderate severity, probably due to the good clinical and immunological situation of these women