Metaanaliza okoljskih dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na naselitev alg v jamah in spodmolih po vsem svetu

Microclimate conditions, mainly radiation, temperature and relative humidity vary according to cavities´ configurations and determine the microorganism’s colonisation. A meta-analysis was performed of environmental factors influencing the algal species colonisation in caves and rockshelters. For this purpose, the results of studies about algal colonisation in 82 caves and rockshelters in 11 European, Asian and American countries were analysed. Firstly, 412 species were counted of which Cyanobacteria predominated, followed by Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta, and finally by Rhodophyta. The Shannon Index determined that the diversity of the algal species developing in these places was very high. The most diverse Cyanobacteria genera to appear in the different studied caves and rockshelters are Leptolyngbya with 28 different species, Gloeocapsa with 24 and Phormidium with 23. They are followed by Chroococcus with 18, Aphanothece with 14, Oscillatoria, Nostoc and Scytonema with 10 each and Schizothrix and Tolypothrix with 9 each. The most diverse Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta genera are Chlorella with 9 different species and Diadesmis/Humidophila, Luticola and Nitzschia with 4, respectively. The principal component analysis revealed that both photosynthetically active radiation and relative humidity more actively conditioned the development of some algal species in cave environments than temperature.Mikroklimatske razmere, predvsem sevanje, temperatura in relativna vlažnost, se spreminjajo glede na konfiguracijo votlin in vplivajo na naselitev mikroorganizmov. Opravljena je bila metaanaliza okoljskih dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na naselitev vrst alg v jamah in spodmolih. V ta namen so bili analizirani izsledki študij o naselitvi alg v 82 jamah in spodmolih v 11 evropskih, azijskih in ameriških državah. Najprej je bilo naštetih 412 vrst, med katerimi so prevladovale modrozelene cepljivke ali cianobakterije (Cyanobacteria), sledile so zelene alge (Chlorophyta), diatomeje (Bacillariophyta) in nazadnje rdeče alge (Rhodophyta). Shannonov indeks je pokazal, da se na teh območjih razvijajo zelo raznovrstne vrste alg. Najbolj raznovrstni rodovi modrozelene cepljivk ali cianobakterije, ki se pojavljajo v proučevanih jamah in spodmolih, so Leptolyngbya z 28 vrstami, Gloeocapsa s 24 in Phormidium s 23 vrstami. Sledijo jim Chroococcus z 18 vrstami, Aphanothece s 14, Oscillatoria, Nostoc in Scytonema s po 10 ter Schizothrix in Tolypothrix s po 9 vrstami. Najbolj raznovrstni rodovi zelene alge in diatomeje so Chlorella z 9 vrstami ter Diadesmis/Humidophila, Luticola in Nitzschia s po 4 vrstami. Iz analize glavnih komponent je razvidno, da tako fotosintetično aktivno sevanje kot relativna vlažnost aktivneje vplivata na razvoj nekaterih vrst alg v jamskem okolju kot pa temperatura

A meta-analysis of environmental factors influencing the algal colonisation in caves and rockshelters worldwide

Microclimate conditions, mainly radiation, temperature and relative humidity vary according to cavities´ configurations and determine the microorganism’s colonisation. A meta-analysis was performed of environmental factors influencing the algal species colonisation in caves and rockshelters. For this purpose, the results of studies about algal colonisation in 82 caves and rockshelters in 11 European, Asian and American countries were analysed. Firstly, 412 species were counted of which Cyanobacteria predominated, followed by Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta, and finally by Rhodophyta. The Shannon Index determined that the diversity of the algal species developing in these places was very high. The most diverse Cyanobacteria genera to appear in the different studied caves and rockshelters are Leptolyngbya with 28 different species, Gloeocapsa with 24 and Phormidium with 23. They are followed by Chroococcus with 18, Aphanothece with 14, Oscillatoria, Nostoc and Scytonema with 10 each and Schizothrix and Tolypothrix with 9 each. The most diverse Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta genera are Chlorella with 9 different species and Diadesmis/Humidophila, Luticola and Nitzschia with 4, respectively. The principal component analysis revealed that both photosynthetically active radiation and relative humidity more actively conditioned the development of some algal species in cave environments than temperature

Antirotaviral activity of dairy byproducts enriched in fractions from hyperimmune bovine colostrum: the effect of thermal and high hydrostatic pressure treatments

Nowadays, rotaviruses remain a major health burden, especially in developing countries, and strategies complementary to vaccination are needed. In this view, dairy fractions have attracted great scientific interest, due to their high content of bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of whey and buttermilk enriched in proteins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) against rotavirus. The enriched fractions were spray-dried and subsequently tested for their neutralizing activity against the bovine rotavirus WC3 strain in vitro, using differentiated Caco-2/TC7 cells. The highest antirotaviral activity was observed when whey and buttermilk were enriched in purified immunoglobulin G (IgG), showing complete rotavirus neutralization at concentrations of 3 and 6 mg mL−1 for whey and buttermilk, respectively. Additionally, the use of a crude immunoglobulin fraction also gave satisfactory results. The inhibitory activities of all samples significantly decreased after the application of heat, except for the IgG-enriched buttermilk which showed a slight increase of activity following the application of short-time treatments (75 or 85 °C for 20 s). This sample also showed a significant increase of activity (13%) after the application of low-intensity high hydrostatic pressure treatment (400 MPa for 5 min). The maximum loss of bioactivity was observed at 600 MPa for 10 min (31 and 20% for whey- and buttermilk-based formulas, respectively). This study provides relevant information on the potential of whey, buttermilk, and HBC to be part of functional products as complementary strategies to combat rotavirus infections

Importancia de las cianobacterias conocidas como “algas verde-azuladas”

Seguro que alguna vez habéis oído hablar de las algas y sus múltiples beneficios que otorgan a nuestra salud. Sin embargo, poco conoceréis sobre las cianobacterias. Pues bien, estos microorganismos son más conocidos como las algas verde-azuladas y entre los científicos también las conocemos como cianofíceas o cianoprocariotas. Sus diversos nombres se deben a que presentan tanto características de bacterias como de algas. Las cianobacterias están consideradas como los organismos que inventaron la fotosíntesis, un proceso tan importante que ha permitido la evolución de la vida en la Tierra. Son las primeras células fotosintéticas que se conocen, capaces de utilizar la luz solar para producir materia y energía. Fueron así las responsables de la acumulación de oxígeno en la atmósfera, siendo el eslabón inicial de hace 3.000 millones de años para el desarrollo de la vida actual que conocemos [1]. Lo que hace a estos microorganismos tan especiales no es por ser una de las formas más antiguas de vida o porque tengan características de bacterias y algas, sino por su éxito en la historia de la evolución. La mayoría de las veces, cuando pensamos en éxito evolutivo, lo relacionamos directamente con organismos complejos como plantas o animales superiores. Sin embargo, desde el punto de vista ecológico, el éxito de una especie es la capacidad de persistir en el tiempo y resistir las variaciones ambientales sin extinguirse, como lo hacen las cianobacterias. Si pensáis en el lugar de crecimiento de las algas, seguro que imagináis un ambiente acuático como son los mares o ríos, aunque éstas también se desarrollan en otros ambientes no acuáticos. Pero, ¿sabríais decir dónde crecen las cianobacterias? No tenéis ninguna idea, ¿verdad?. Pues estos fascinantes microorganismos son capaces de desarrollarse en diversos hábitats abarcando desde mares hasta desiertos, pasando por cuevas, glaciales y aguas termales [2]. Y la capacidad de supervivencia en ambientes tan diferentes se debe al desarrollo de mecanismos de adaptación. Así, por ejemplo, existen especies de cianobacterias capaces de colonizar diversos hábitats recurriendo a estrategias como la producción de células especiales cuando las condiciones ambientales no son favorables

Effects of Climate Change on the Production of Polysaccharides and Phycobiliproteins by Nostoc commune Vaucher ex Bornet et Flahault

Nostoc commune synthesizes polysaccharides and phycobiliproteins under natural conditions, but little is known about how environmental changes could affect their production. In this study, colonies of N. commune were subjected to increases in ultraviolet radiation, ammonium concentration, electrical conductivity, and temperature, to assess the potential changes in the concentrations of polysaccharides and phycobiliproteins. The results indicate that UVB radiation significantly increased the synthesis of polysaccharides (F = 62.691; p < 0.01), while UVA radiation caused a significant increase in the production of total phycobiliproteins (F = 22.472, p < 0.01) phycocyanin (F = 8.546, p < 0.01), phycoerythrin (F = 12.876, p < 0.01), and allophycocyanin (F = 58.143, p < 0.001). Also, 50 μM NH4Cl significantly increased the synthesis of polysaccharides (F = 45.706; p < 0.01) while increased near significant total phycobiliproteins (F = 5.043, p < 0.1), phycoerythrins (F = 4.57, p < 0.1), allophycocyanin (F = 4.892, p < 0.1), and phycocyanin (F = 4.921, p < 0.1). Furthermore, a conductivity value of 4 mScm− 1 enhanced near significant the production of polysaccharides (F = 4.816; p < 0.1) and phycocyanin (F = 9.728, p < 0.1). Nevertheless, a significant effect of total phycobiliproteins was observed (F = 23.686, p < 0.01), as well as allophycocyanin (F = 57.092, p < 0.001), and phycoerythrin (F = 13.928, p < 0.01). Finally, the optimal temperature for the synthesis of polysaccharides was 30 °C. Also, 30 ºC significantly increased the synthesis of total phycobiliproteins (F = 292.211, p < 0.001), as well as on phycocyanin (F = 126.433, p < 0.001) and allophycocyanin (F = 7.991, p < 0.05). These data indicate the ability of N. commune to modify its synthesis of polysaccharides and phycobiliproteins in response to extreme environmental conditions related to climate change, underscoring the interest in N. commune for future applied research on the biotechnological and pharmaceutical production of both types of compounds

MoS2-Carbon Nanodots as a New Electrochemiluminescence Platform for Breast Cancer Biomarker Detection

In this work, we present the combination of two different types of nanomaterials, 2D molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (MoS2-NS) and zero-dimensional carbon nanodots (CDs), for the development of a new electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform for the early detection and quantification of the biomarker human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), whose overexpression is associated with breast cancer. MoS2-NS are used as an immobilization platform for the thiolated aptamer, which can recognize the HER2 epitope peptide with high affinity, and CDs act as coreactants of the anodic oxidation of the luminophore [Ru(bpy)3]2+. The HER2 biomarker is detected by changes in the ECL signal of the [Ru(bpy)3]2+/CD system, with a low detection limit of 1.84 fg/mL and a wide linear range. The proposed method has been successfully applied to detect the HER2 biomarker in human serum samplesThis work has been financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PID2020-116728RB-I00, PID2020-116661RB-I00, CTQ2015-71955-REDT (ELECTROBIONET)), Community of Madrid (TRANSNANOAVANSENS, S2018/NMT-4349, and FotoArt (P2018/NMT4367), project S2018/NMT-4291 TEC2SPACE), MINECO (project CSIC13-4E-1794) and EU (FEDER, FSE). IMDEA Nanociencia receives support from the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant CEX2020-001039-S)

Marcos de referencia del EEES. Aproximación histórica: desde 1923 a 2010

En trabajo se centra en los factores clave que, desde 1923, han dado lugar a la covergencia europea, con una unión política, monetaria y socio-económica. Cómo estos hechos han servido como marco de referencia para la creación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Incluye también una serie de reflexiones sobre esta unión y el llamado coloquialmente “Plan Bolonia”que implica una profunda transformación en las universidades españolas

Estudio de la tipología de las pantallas acústicas.Normativa y estado del arte

En este artículo se pretende dar una visión global de la normativa sobre ruido ambiental, así como del concepto de pantalla acústica, sus diferentes tipologías y su utilidad como medida correctora al problema generado por el ruido del tráfico

Bismuthene - Tetrahedral DNA nanobioconjugate for virus detection

In this work, we present an electrochemical sensor for fast, low-cost, and easy detection of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in infected patients. The sensor is based on a selected combination of nanomaterials with a specific purpose. A bioconjugate formed by Few-layer bismuthene nanosheets (FLB) and tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) is immobilized on Carbon Screen-Printed Electrodes (CSPE). The TDNs contain on the top vertex an aptamer that specifically binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and a thiol group at the three basal vertices to anchor to the FLB. The TDNs are also marked with a redox indicator, Azure A (AA), which allows the direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein through changes in the current intensity of its electrolysis before and after the biorecognition reaction. The developed sensor can detect SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with a detection limit of 1.74 fg mL 1 directly in nasopharyngeal swab human samples. Therefore, this study offers a new strategy for rapid virus detection since it is versatile enough for different viruses and pathogensPID2020-116728RB-I00, TED2021-129738B–I00, S2018/NMT-4349 TRANSNANOAVANSENS, PDC2021-120782- C21, PID2022-138908NB-C31, PID2021-123295NB-I00, S2018/NMT-4291 TEC2SPAC

Compelling DNA intercalation through ‘anion– anion’ anti-coulombic interactions: boron cluster self-vehicles as promising anticancer agents

Anticancer drugs inhibit DNA replication by intercalating between DNA base pairs, forming covalent bonds with nucleotide bases, or binding to the DNA groove. To develop safer drugs, novel molecular structures with alternative binding mechanisms are essential. Stable boron hydrides offer a promising alternative for cancer therapy, opening up additional options like boron neutron capture therapy based on 10B and thermal neutron beams or proton boron fusion therapy using 11B and proton beams. These therapies are more efficient when the boron compound is ideally located inside cancer cells, particularly in the nucleus. Current cancer treatments often utilize small, polycyclic, aromatic, planar molecules that intercalate between ds-DNA base pairs, requiring only a spacing of approximately 0.34 nm. In this paper, we demonstrate another type of intercalation. Notably, [3,3′-Fe(1,2-C2B9H11)2]−, ([o-FESAN]−), a compact 3D molecule measuring 1.1 nm × 0.6 nm, can as well intercalate by strong non-bonding interactions preferentially with guanine. Unlike known intercalators, which are positive or neutral, [o-FESAN]− is a negative species and when an [o-FESAN]− molecule approaches the negatively charged DNA phosphate chain an anion–anion interaction consistently anti-electrostatic via Ccluster–H⋯O–P bonds occurs. Then, when more molecules approach, an elongated outstandingly self-assembled structure of [o-FESAN]−–[o-FESAN]− forms moving anions towards the interthread region to interact with base pairs and form aggregates of four [o-FESAN]− anions per base pair. These aggregates, in this environment, are generated by Ccluster–H⋯O–C, N–H⋯H–B and Ccluster–H⋯H–B interactions. The ferrabis(dicarbollide) boron-rich small molecules not only effectively penetrate the nucleus but also intercalate with ds-DNA, making them promising for cancer treatment. This amphiphilic anionic molecule, used as a carrier-free drug, can enhance radiotherapy in a multimodal perspective, providing healthcare professionals with improved tools for cancer treatment. This work demonstrates these findings with a plethora of techniquesAuthors received support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (PID2020-116728RB-I00, PID2022-136802NB-I00, RED2022-134120-T and TED2021-129738B-I00), the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR1720). L. Gutiérrez Gálvez was supported by FPU19/06309 grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities. S. Y. was supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) under Grant No. 202006990034