6 research outputs found
Asociaciones de moluscos de fondos sedimentarios circalitorales y batiales del norte del mar de Alborán
Molluscan assemblages from shelf and slope soft bottoms of the Alboran Sea have been
sampled with a beam trawl during 2014 and 2015 MEDITS expeditions. A total of 134 spp. of
molluscs (shell size > 3 mm) were identified, being gastropods the most diverse and dominant group.
Four main depth related assemblages were detected in multivariate analyses and characterized by
(1) Turritella communis, Chamelea striatula and Nucula sulcata for the inner shelf, (2) Timoclea
ovata, Clelandella miliaris and Neopycnodonte cochlear for the outer shelf, (3) Nassarius ovoideus,
Calumbonella suturale and N. sulcata for the upper slope and (4) Abra longicallus, Euspira fusca and
Aporrhais serresianus for the middle slope. Species richness and abundance decreased with depth,
unlike evenness and Shannon-Wiener diversity which displayed an opposite pattern. A higher spatial
variability was detected for the shelf, indicating that more assemblages may occur at this level and
further sampling is needed for covering all sedimentary habitat types of the Alboran Sea.Versión del edito
Discards and impact associated with wedge clam fisheries in the Alboran Sea: composition, structure and spatio-temporal variability
The present study describes the composition, structure and damage caused by mechanized
dredges on discarded species from the wedge clam (Donax trunculus Linnaeus 1758) fisheries in the Alboran
Sea. Discard samples were collected on board artisanal fishing vessels in 95 commercial hauls performed in
Fuengirola and Caleta de Vélez between March 2013 and March 2014. The collected fauna was
characterized according to their abundance and biomass, and considering their damage type by using a
three-level scale (no damage, intermediate damage and severe damage) defined for the different faunal
groups identified. Data was analysed for contrasting variations in the different areas and seasons. A total of
87 species were identified, including Paguridae and Annelida. Molluscs were the best represented faunal
group, followed by decapod crustaceans and echinoderms. Other groups did not usually exceed 1% of the
total abundance and biomass such as fishes or sipunculids. Most discarded individuals displayed no damage
after their capture, promoting therefore a high survival rate. Among the dominant taxa, echinoderms and
crustaceans displayed the highest proportion of damaged individuals due to their fragile exoesqueletons,
which make them to be highly vulnerable to the physical impact caused by mechanized dredges and the
further processing on board.Versión del edito
Analysis of discards and benthic impact of mechanized dredges fishery of the stripped venus clam in the Alboran Sea
This study describes the composition and structure of discards of the stripped venus clam
(Chamelea gallina) fishery, and the damage caused by mechanized dredges on discarded species in the
Alboran Sea. A total of 106 commercial fishing hauls have been analyzed between March 2013 and March
2014. Samples were collected on board artisanal fishing vessels based in Fuengirola and Caleta de Vélez
harbours (Málaga). The collected fauna was characterized considering the damage presented by using a
three level scale: no damage, intermediate damage and severe damage. Quantitative and qualitative data
were analyzed with multivariate methods for contrasting seasonal variability. A total of 98 species were
identified, with molluscs being the best-represented taxa (e.g. Acanthocardia tuberculata, Mactra
stultorum), followed by decapod crustaceans (e.g. Portumnus latipes, Liocarcinus vernalis) and echinoderms
(e.g. Echinocardium cf. mediterraneum, Ophiura ophiura). Most individuals displayed no damage after their
capture. Echinoderms displayed the highest proportion of damaged individuals, followed by mollucs and
decapod crustaceans. The discard structure and damage on non-target species displayed significant
seasonal differences, with the higher proportions of damaged individuals in winter.Versión del edito
First record of the starfish Luidia atlantidea Madsen, 1950 in the Mediterranean Sea, with evidence of persistent populations
The starfish Luidia atlantidea, an echinoderm known hitherto from infralittoral and circalittoral bottoms of the
northwestern African coasts, is reported for the first time in the European margin and in the Mediterranean Sea. A total of
31 specimens of different sizes (disc diameters from 0.8 to 2.9 cm) were collected from the mechanized dredges fleet
targeting four commercial bivalves (Acanthocardia tuberculata, Callista chione, Chamelea gallina, Donax trunculus)
between February and July 2013 in the northern Alboran Sea (southern Spain). Most individuals had broken arms due to
the collecting gear. The specimens were generally collected in low numbers, at shallower depths (1-11 m) than the
bathymetric range reported for this species along the northwestern African coasts (10-80 m). The data provided here, and
supported by old specimens collected between 1980-1990, suggests that local populations of L. atlantidea occur in shallow
infralittoral soft bottoms of the northern Alboran Sea. This constitutes a new extended northeastern limit for the distribution
of L. atlantidea and increases the known number of Luidia species in the Mediterranean Sea.Postprint0,708
Decapod assemblages of circalittoral and bathyal bottoms of the Alboran Sea
Beam-trawl samples were collected during the MEDITS survey in 2014. These samples
covered the continental shelf and slope bottoms of the north Alboran Sea, including the Alboran
Island, between 40 to776 m depth. The decapod crustaceans were identified to species level and
quantified (abundance and biomass). Species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’),
evenness (J’) and functional diversity index was calculated after identifying and quantifying all
decapods collected in each sample. A total of 84 species have been found, dominating the families
Paguridae (14 spp), Inachidae (10 spp) and Pandalidae (8spp) in relation to number of species. The
dominant species were Plesionika heterocarpus, Alpheus glaber and Calocaris macandreae, in terms of
abundance and P. heterocarpus and Monadeus couchii in relation to biomass. Both depth and nature
of the substrate characterized the different decapod assemblages. Functional diversity and J’ showed a
positive correlation with depth, unlike abundance and biomass. On the continental shelf assemblages
were dominated by a low number of species with high abundances, however those from the upper
and middle slope showed higher evenness and a wide variety of functional groups. The Atlantic
influence of the Alboran Sea favors the presence of a high number of species with Atlantic affinity.Versión del edito
Subcutaneous anti-COVID-19 hyperimmune immunoglobulin for prevention of disease in asymptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trialResearch in context
Summary: Background: Anti-COVID-19 hyperimmune immunoglobulin (hIG) can provide standardized and controlled antibody content. Data from controlled clinical trials using hIG for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 outpatients have not been reported. We assessed the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous anti-COVID-19 hyperimmune immunoglobulin 20% (C19-IG20%) compared to placebo in preventing development of symptomatic COVID-19 in asymptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: We did a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, in asymptomatic unvaccinated adults (≥18 years of age) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within 5 days between April 28 and December 27, 2021. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive a blinded subcutaneous infusion of 10 mL with 1 g or 2 g of C19-IG20%, or an equivalent volume of saline as placebo. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants who remained asymptomatic through day 14 after infusion. Secondary endpoints included the proportion of individuals who required oxygen supplementation, any medically attended visit, hospitalisation, or ICU, and viral load reduction and viral clearance in nasopharyngeal swabs. Safety was assessed as the proportion of patients with adverse events. The trial was terminated early due to a lack of potential benefit in the target population in a planned interim analysis conducted in December 2021. ClinicalTrials.gov registry: NCT04847141. Findings: 461 individuals (mean age 39.6 years [SD 12.8]) were randomized and received the intervention within a mean of 3.1 (SD 1.27) days from a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. In the prespecified modified intention-to-treat analysis that included only participants who received a subcutaneous infusion, the primary outcome occurred in 59.9% (91/152) of participants receiving 1 g C19-IG20%, 64.7% (99/153) receiving 2 g, and 63.5% (99/156) receiving placebo (difference in proportions 1 g C19-IG20% vs. placebo, −3.6%; 95% CI -14.6% to 7.3%, p = 0.53; 2 g C19-IG20% vs placebo, 1.1%; −9.6% to 11.9%, p = 0.85). None of the secondary clinical efficacy endpoints or virological endpoints were significantly different between study groups. Adverse event rate was similar between groups, and no severe or life-threatening adverse events related to investigational product infusion were reported. Interpretation: Our findings suggested that administration of subcutaneous human hyperimmune immunoglobulin C19-IG20% to asymptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection was safe but did not prevent development of symptomatic COVID-19. Funding: Grifols