Microbial Communities in Coastal Glaciers and Tidewater Tongues of Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Global warming is having a great impact on the Arctic region, due to the change of air temperature and precipitation. As a consequence, the glacial ice melts and englacial materials are being transported into the ocean. These substances can constitute a source of nutrients in food webs or, on the contrary, a source of contaminants. In this research seven marine Svalbard glaciers and their tidewater tongues were focused. This survey provides a first attempt comparing microbial communities from coastal and tidewater glaciers that reveal a hitherto unknown microbial diversity. A wider diversity was found in glaciers than in seawater samples. Glacier microorganisms mainly corresponded to the phylum Proteobacteria (48.8%), Bacteroidetes (29.1%) and Cyanobacteria (16.3%) (Figure 3A). Seawater microorganisms belonged to Bacteroidetes (40.3%), Actinobacteria (31.7%) and Proteobacteria (25.4%). Other phyla found such as Firmicutes, Thermi, Gemmatimonadetes, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Chlamydiae were less abundant. The distribution of microbial communities was affected in different extent by the concentration of nutrients (nitrogen nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and soluble reactive phosphorus) and by environmental parameters such as salinity. Nevertheless, the environmental variables did not influence in the distribution of the microbial communities as much as the concentration of nutrients did. Our results demonstrate an interchange between glacier and coastal microbial populations as well as the presence of some indicator species (i.e., Hymenobacter) as possible sentinels for bacterial transport between glaciers and their downstream seawaters. The consequence of this process could be the alteration of the water composition of the fiords producing serious consequences throughout the marine ecosystem and in the cycling of globally important elements

Effect of gelled inner aqueous phase rheology on the colour degradation of muitle aqueous extracts incorporated into water-in-oil-in-water double emulsions

The aim of this work was to study different W1/O/W2 double emulsions in preserving color muitle aqueous extract (MAE), for which the work was divided into two fold, formulation and analysis of primary emulsion W1/O and W1/O/W2 double emulsions. Sodium alginate (SA), xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum were used as gelling agents of MAE, and it was found that SA produced inner aqueous phase with enhanced viscoelastic properties, resulting in a W1/O primary emulsion with more uniform mean droplet size and distribution than when using the other gelling agents or ungelled MAE. Subsequently W1/O/W2 double emulsions were produced containing MAE gelled with SA or ungelled in the inner aqueous phase stabilized using pure gum Arabic (GA) or a blend of GA-mesquite gum (MG) in a 70:30 ratio in the outer aqueous phase. The double emulsion formulated with gelled MAE and 70:30 GA-MG blend exhibited more uniform mean inner water and outer oil droplet sizes, and protected best the anthocyanins contained in MAE to preserve its color when exposed to 8 h sunlight, providing a half-time life (t1/2) of 55.23 h. The double emulsion formulated with ungelled MAE and stabilized with pure GA displayed a t1/2 of 7.40 h. Keywords: double emulsions, muitle aqueous extract, gelling agents, viscoelastic properties, droplet size, half-time life

Actividad extracurricular en el ámbito de la Ingeniería para la competencia genérica de comunicación escrita

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir una actividad formativa extracurricular para la competencia de comunicación escrita, que puede ser fácilmente reproducida en otros centros y universidades. Para ello, en este trabajo se indica el marco en el que se pueden desarrollar las competencias genéricas y se analiza brevemente la actividad propuesta a través de sus resultados de aprendizaje, y cómo estos favorecen e influyen en otras competencias genéricas como la capacidad creativa y el aprendizaje para toda la vida.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma with a T follicular-helper phenotype: a different entity? Results of the Spanish Real-T study

Peripheral T-cell lymphomaLimfoma perifèric de cèl·lules TLinfoma periférico de células TNodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with a T follicular helper phenotype (PTCL-TFH) is a new type of PTCL. We aimed to define its clinical characteristics and prognosis compared to PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). This retrospective observational study included 175 patients diagnosed with PTCL between 2008 and 2013 in 13 Spanish sites. Patient diagnosis was centrally reviewed, and patients were reclassified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 criteria: 21 patients as PTCL-NOS, 55 as AITL and 23 as PTCL-TFH. Median follow-up was 56.07 months (95% CI 38.7–73.4). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in patients with PTCL-TFH than in those with PTCL-NOS and AITL (PFS, 24.6 months vs. 4.6 and 7.8 months, respectively, p = 0.002; OS, 52.6 months vs. 10.0 and 19.3 months, respectively, p < 0.001). Histological diagnosis maintained an independent influence on both PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 4.1 vs. PTCL-NOS, p = 0.008; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.047) and OS (HR 5.7 vs. PTCL-NOS, p = 0.004; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.096), regardless of the International Prognostic Index. These results suggest that PTCL-TFH could have more favourable features and prognosis than the other PTCL subtypes, although larger series are needed to corroborate these findings.This work was supported by Takeda Farmacéutica España, S.A. The authors received no compensation for writing the manuscript

Cognitive versus emotional modulation within a Stroop paradigm in patients with schizophrenia

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex disorder involving deficits in both cognitive and emotional processes. Specifically, a marked deficit in cognitive control has been found, which seems to increase when dealing with emotional information. Aims: With the aim of exploring the possible common links behind cognitive and emotional deficits, two versions of the emotional Stroop task were administered. Method: In the cognitive-emotional task, participants had to name the ink colour (while ignoring the meaning) of emotional words. In contrast, the emotional-emotional task consisted of emotional words superimposed on emotional faces, and the participants had to indicate the emotional valence of the faces. Fifty-eight participants (29 in-patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 29 controls) took part in the study. Results: Patients and controls showed similar response times in the cognitive-emotional task; however, patients were significantly slower than controls in the emotional-emotional task. This result supports the idea that patients show a more pronounced impairment in conflict modulation with emotional content. Besides, no significant correlations between the tasks and positive or negative symptoms were found. This would indicate that deficits are relatively independent of the clinical status of patients. However, a significant correlation between the emotional-emotional task and cognitive symptoms was found. Conclusions: These findings suggest a restricted capacity of patients with schizophrenia to deal with the attentional demands arising from emotional stimuli.Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PSI2018-098876-B-100Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/00359)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI19/00766)5.165 JCR (2021) Q2, 56/155 Psychiatry1.214 SJR (2021) Q1, 106/556 Psychiatry and Mental HealthNo data IDR 2021UE

Moisture sorption properties and storage stability conditions of a nutraceutical system microencapsulated by spray drying

The adsorption isotherms of a nutraceutical system microencapsulated by spray drying were determined at 20, 35 and 40 °C. Experimental data of the isotherms were fitted using the GAB and Caurie models and the integral thermodynamic functions (enthalpy and entropy) were estimated by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The Kelvin and Halsey equations were adequate for calculation of pore radius which varied from 0.67 to 8.15 nm. The point of maximum stability (minimum integral entropy) was found between 3.61 and 3.81 kg H2O/100 kg d.s. (corresponding to water activity, aW, of 0.19-0.37). Enthalpy-entropy compensation for the microcapsules showed two isokinetic temperatures. The first isokinetic temperature was observed at low moisture contents (< 3.81 kg H2O/100 kg d.s.) and was controlled by changes in the entropy of water, whereas the second isokinetic temperature was considered to be enthalpy-driven (3.81-20 kg H2O/100 kg d.s.). Keywords: sorption isotherms, pore radius, minimum integral entropy, enthalphy-entropy compensation, water activity

Combining chemotherapy and targeted therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer remains one of the major causes of cancer death worldwide. During the past years, the development of new effective treatment options has led to a considerable improvement in the outcome of this disease. The advent of agents such as capecitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, cetuximab and bevacizumab has translated into median survival times in the range of 2 years. Intense efforts have focused on identifying novel agents targeting specific growth factor receptors, critical signal transduction pathways or mediators of angiogenesis. In addition, several clinical trials have suggested that some of these molecularly targeted drugs can be safely and effectively used in combination with conventional chemotherapy. In this article we review various treatment options combining cytotoxic and targeted therapies currently available for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Umbilical Cord Pericytes Provide a Viable Alternative to Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Neonatal Vascular Engineering

Reconstructive surgery of congenital heart disease (CHD) remains inadequate due to the inability of prosthetic grafts to match the somatic growth of pediatric patients. Functionalization of grafts with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may provide a solution. However, MSCs represent a heterogeneous population characterized by wide diversity across different tissue sources. Here we investigated the suitability of umbilical cord pericytes (UCPs) in neonatal vascular engineering. Explant outgrowth followed by immunomagnetic sorting was used to isolate neural/glial antigen 2 (NG2)+/CD31- UCPs. Expanded NG2 UCPs showed consistent antigenic phenotype, including expression of mesenchymal and stemness markers, and high proliferation rate. They could be induced to a vascular smooth muscle cell-like phenotype after exposure to differentiation medium, as evidenced by the expression of transgelin and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain. Analysis of cell monolayers and conditioned medium revealed production of extracellular matrix proteins and the secretion of major angiocrine factors, which conferred UCPs with ability to promote endothelial cell migration and tube formation. Decellularized swine-derived grafts were functionalized using UCPs and cultured under static and dynamic flow conditions. UCPs were observed to integrate into the outer layer of the graft and modify the extracellular environment, resulting in improved elasticity and rupture strain in comparison with acellular grafts. These findings demonstrate that a homogeneous pericyte-like population can be efficiently isolated and expanded from human cords and integrated in acellular grafts currently used for repair of CHD. Functional assays suggest that NG2 UCPs may represent a viable option for neonatal tissue engineering applications.This study was supported by Heart Research UK Ph.D. studentship Umbilical cord pericyte-engineered grafts for correction of congenital heart defects (RG2656/17/20) awarded to PM. In addition, this study was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol.S

SOX2 Expression and Transcriptional Activity Identifies a Subpopulation of Cancer Stem Cells in Sarcoma with Prognostic Implications

Stemness in sarcomas is coordinated by the expression of pluripotency factors, like SOX2, in cancer stem cells (CSC). The role of SOX2 in tumor initiation and progression has been well characterized in osteosarcoma. However, the pro-tumorigenic features of SOX2 have been scarcely investigated in other sarcoma subtypes. Here, we show that SOX2 depletion dramatically reduced the ability of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) cells to form tumorspheres and to initiate tumor growth. Conversely, SOX2 overexpression resulted in increased in vivo tumorigenicity. Moreover, using a reporter system (SORE6) which allows to monitor viable cells expressing SOX2 and/or OCT4, we found that SORE6+ cells were significantly more tumorigenic than the SORE6- subpopulation. In agreement with this findings, SOX2 expression in sarcoma patients was associated to tumor grade, differentiation, invasive potential and lower patient survival. Finally, we studied the effect of a panel of anti-tumor drugs on the SORE6+ cells of the UPS model and patient-derived chondrosarcoma lines. We found that the mithramycin analogue EC-8042 was the most efficient in reducing SORE6+ cells in vitro and in vivo. Overall, this study demonstrates that SOX2 is a pro-tumorigenic factor with prognostic potential in sarcoma. Moreover, SORE6 transcriptional activity is a bona fide CSC marker in sarcoma and constitutes an excellent biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of anti-tumor treatments on CSC subpopulations.This work was supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) [MINECO/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (SAF-2016-75286-R to R.R.), ISC III/FEDER (Miguel Servet Program CPII16/00049 to R.R., Sara Borrell Program CD16/00103 to S.T.M. and PI16/00280 and PI19/00560 to J.M.G-P) and Consorcio CIBERONC CB16/12/00390)] and the Plan de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación del Principado de Asturias/FEDER (IDI/2018/155) to J.P.R and Predoctoral Fellowship Severo Ochoa (BP-17-108) to O.E.S

Factors affecting the relationship between psychological status and quality of life in COPD patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aims to (i) evaluate the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and (ii) identify the effect modifiers of this relationship in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 337 clinically stable COPD patients answered the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) (assessing HRQoL) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Socio-demographic information, lung function, and other clinical data were collected.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most patients (93%) were male; they had a mean (SD) age of 68 (9) years and mild to very severe COPD (post-bronchodilator FEV₁52 (16)% predicted). Multivariate analyses showed that anxiety, depression, or both conditions were associated with poor HRQoL (for all SGRQ domains). The association between anxiety and total HRQoL score was 6.7 points higher (indicating a worse HRQoL) in current workers than in retired individuals. Estimates for patients with "both anxiety and depression" were 5.8 points lower in stage I-II than in stage III-IV COPD, and 10.2 points higher in patients with other comorbidities than in those with only COPD.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows a significant association between anxiety, depression, or both conditions and impaired HRQoL. Clinically relevant factors affecting the magnitude of this association include work status, COPD severity, and the presence of comorbidities.</p