Cambio Climático en el Mediterráneo Español

Semi-enclosed and bounded by three continents, the Mediterranean sea is a region highly vulnerable to human activities, i.e.: the population surge along the coasts, the tourism pressure, the maritime traffic, the agriculture and the fishery exploitation, all have a potential impact on the Mediterranean environment. In addition, effective initiatives against the Global Climate Change need to be attempted in order to preserve our marine environment and to achieve a sustainable development of its resources. Prevention and adaptation to this new threat must be based on the rigorous and scientific knowledge accomplished through the systematic and continuous observation of the sea, and through the collection of multidisciplinary time-series and the subsequent analysis. This report responds to this necessity. The main goals of the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) are to generate scientific knowledge, as well as to assess and to inform the public about the state of the sea. The IEO is primary focussed on the study of the variety of phenomena influencing spanish coasts, including the process of Climate Change. To meet these objectives, a large set of actions have been planned. Some of them are already being implemented, such as a multidisciplinary observation system in the shelf and continental slope waters, or periodic scientific reports dealing with the detection and quantification of Climate Change effects and of other possible environmental impacts. The present report is the first of a series of future contributions. Besides the IEO, other Spanish institutions such as the ICM (CSIC), Puertos del Estado (PE), the IMEDEA (CSIC), the UMA, the UIB and the INM, involved in the monitoring, analysis and modelling of the Mediterranean sea, have also participated in it. The results show clear evidences of the effect of Climate Change in the physical properties of the mediterranean waters since 1948; in particular, the temperature and salinity increase of the deep waters, the accelerated rise of sea level since the early 1990s, and the air and sea surface temperature increase during the second half of the XX century.Versión del edito

PIENSA Study: Effect of counseling on the choice of combined hormonal contraceptives in Chilean women Estudio PIENSA: Efecto de la asesoría sobre la elección de anticonceptivos hormonales combinados en mujeres Chilenas

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of health care professional counseling in the choice of combined self-administered contraceptive method. It also assesses how such advice influences in the final contraceptive choice or how it changes from the original. Method: During routine gynecological consultation, the patient's self-administered contraceptive method (pill, vaginal ring and transdermal patch) preference was registered. This was done before and after physician counseling, through a survey filled by both the patient and the physician. Results: After counseling, of the 867 women who participated, 11.6[%] changed their previously chosen contraceptive. The pill, originally the chosen method of the majority of women, decreased in terms of preference; although the pill continued to be the preferred contraceptive method, preference for other methods increased. The contraceptive pill decreased 13.4[%] in the preference rating, while the choice of the vaginal ring and the transdermal patc

Haptoglobin Induces a Specific Proteomic Profile and a Mature-Associated Phenotype on Primary Human Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) play a critical role in dendritic cells (DCs) ability to trigger a specific and efficient adaptive immune response for different physiological and pathological scenarios. We have previously identified constitutive DAMPs (HMGB1 and Calreticulin) as well as new putative inducible DAMPs such as Haptoglobin (HP), from a therapeutically used heat shock-conditioned melanoma cell lysate (called TRIMEL). Remarkably, HP was shown to be the most abundant protein in the proteomic profile of heat shock-conditioned TRIMEL samples. However, its relative contribution to the observed DCs phenotype has not been fully elucidated. Human DCs were generated from monocytes isolated from PBMC of melanoma patients and healthy donors. DC lineage was induced with rhIL-4 and rhGM-CSF. After additional stimulation with HP, the proteome of these HP-stimulated cells was characterized. In addition, DCs were phenotypically characterized by flow cytometry for canonical maturation markers and cytokine production. Finally, in vitro transmigration capacity was assessed using Transwell plates. Our results showed that the stimulation with HP was associated with the presence of exclusive and higher relative abundance of specific immune-; energy production-; lipid biosynthesis-; and DAMPs-related proteins. Importantly, HP stimulation enhanced the expression of specific DC maturation markers and pro-inflammatory and Th1-associated cytokines, and an in vitro transmigration of primary human DCs. Taken together, these data suggest that HP can be considered as a new inducible DAMP with an important role in in vitro DC activation for cancer immunotherapy

Cambio climático en el Mediterráneo español. Segunda edición actualizada

The first edition of the report “Climate Change in the Spanish Mediterranean” acknowledged the necessity of monitoring environmental conditions within the Mediterranean Sea and it stated that initiatives aimed at preserving and achieving a sustainable development of its resources should be based on a rigorous and scientific knowledge. The first edition of this report attempted to establish the basis for future works and detected and quantified the sea level rise of waters surrounding the Mediterranean Spanish coasts, the temperature and salinity increase of deep waters, and the warming of the air and sea surface waters. The study of these and other man-made threats on the marine environment is an open question and requires a continuous monitoring effort. Thanks to the collaboration with other Spanish institutions such as ICM (CSIC), Puertos del Estado (PE), IMEDEA (CSIC), UMA, UIB and AEMET, as well as the own monitoring programs from the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (RADMED program), this second edition continues the previous report, analyzing time series extended to July 2008 and evidencing the persistence of the above mentioned warming trends in the Spanish Mediterranean. This and future updated reports, the activities of the IEO Mediterranean Group on Climate Change, and the collaboration with the already mentioned institutions intend to be a tool for the continuous surveillance of the Mediterranean Spanish waters and the assessment for its sustainable exploitation.Versión del edito

Financing marine protected areas through visitor fees: insights from tourists willingness to pay in Chile

Tourism is a financing mechanism considered by many donor-funded marine conservation initiatives. Here we assess the potential role of visitor entry fees, in generating the necessary revenue to manage a marine protected area (MPA), established through a Global Environmental Facility Grant, in a temperate region of Chile. We assess tourists' willingness to pay (WTP) for an entry fee associated to management and protection of the MPA. Results show 97 % of respondents were willing to pay an entrance fee. WTP predictors included the type of tourist, tourists' sensitivity to crowding, education, and understanding of ecological benefits of the MPA. Nature-based tourists state median WTP values of US$4.38 and Sun-sea-sand tourists US$ 3.77. Overall, entry fees could account for 10-13 % of MPA running costs. In Chile, where funding for conservation runs among the weakest in the world, visitor entry fees are no panacea in the short term and other mechanisms, including direct state/government support, should be considered